Written in 60 minutes.

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Miller & Diane: Office

Diane strode in to Spinelli’s office, a tablet in one hand and her reading glasses in the other. She flicked her eyes over the corkboard, then nodded in satisfaction. “Thank you, I appreciate you doing what we discussed.” Before the tech had a chance to respond, she donned her reading glasses and peered at the tablet. “Does the name Gia Campbell mean anything to you?”

Spinelli hesitated, then frowned and shook his head. “I’ve heard it before, but I wouldn’t say I know where or when. Why?”

“She’s been added as second chair for the government — she filed the response.”

Spinelli turned to his laptop, then keyed in a few strokes. “Gia Campbell works in the U.S. Attorney’s office, for the last decade — and prior to that—” He lifted his brows, looked at Diane. “There’s an article here about the model turned lawyer. She was the Face of Deception about twenty-five years ago.”

“She’s from Port Charles? Well, isn’t that interesting? And Deception, if I remember correctly—” Diane swiped from her PDF reader application to the browser on her app. “Yes, Laura Spencer was running the company at that time—and—will you look at that—” She turned the tablet to face him. “An article about the Face of Deception from 2001. But that’s not Gia.”

“That’s Elizabeth—” Spinelli began to type furiously. “I pulled up the archives for the Sun — there was a competition for the Face when Laura and — the Valkyrie? — they took over the company. They wanted to restart the company with a splash—” He continued to skim. “Gia and Elizabeth were the finalists — and there was some tabloid gossip because they were dating Laura’s sons.”

“Oh, this is very interesting.” Diane sank into the chair. “I had no idea Elizabeth ever worked as a model!”

“Short-lived. She won the competition, did one ad campaign, then quit. Gia took over and was successful until she retired to go to law school.” Spinelli turned his laptop around to reveal a photo of Elizabeth dressed in a strapless black dress and an up swept hair  style. “For lipstick.”

“Audrey Hepburn,” Diane murmured. She drew the laptop screen towards her. “Elizabeth beat Gia for this competition, and then this former model shows up two decades later prosecuting her? I find that fascinating.”

“And Gia Campbell doesn’t just know Elizabeth — she’s Taggert’s sister.”

Diane removed her reading glasses, her lips pursed again. “I could understand Reynolds turning to her for insight if she’s from Port Charles and if she knows the players. But putting her on as second chair when there’s a possibility of bad blood? He must know I could file one motion and have her removed.”

“What if Gia didn’t tell him?”

“That’s a possibility. A simple search would bring up the history, but perhaps he wouldn’t bother.” She tapped her lips with the folded glasses. “Or perhaps she’s keeping it to herself, hoping we won’t push the subject. Maybe she and Elizabeth ended on good terms, and she’s hoping to help her. I certainly don’t want to get rid of an ally.” Diane got to her feet. “Get me a complete work up on her. I want to know everything about her time in Port Charles and her career. I want to know more before I bring this up to Elizabeth.”

District Attorney Suite: Robert’s Office

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” Chase said, shaking the hand Robert had extended to him. “This shouldn’t take long.”

“Well, I’m curious to see what you wanted from me that Molly couldn’t handle.” The older man gestured for Chase to take a seat. “She’s in charge of this case—”

“I know. And she’s doing a great job. It’s just—” Chase took a beat. “We have some suspects that we can’t eliminate — and Dante and I wanted to make sure we exhausted every possibility before we brought it to Molly.”

Robert took a seat, leaned forward. “Are these suspects related to Molly?”

“Yes. Kristina and Alexis.”

The district attorney was quiet for a long moment, his faded blue eyes locked on Chase. “Her mother and sister. And if I’m not remembering incorrectly, Dante’s sister.”

“Yes. Dante’s not happy about this either, but I’m handling that side of the case. We’ve done our best to make sure neither of us have direct contact with anyone we’re related to in this case, but it hasn’t been easy.”

“No, and I’ll be frank with you — if I had any one in this office or at the department that would be willing to take this on, Molly and the pair of you would not have been my first choice for handling the case.” Robert paused. “Talk to me about why they’re suspects and what does your gut tell you?”

“The motive is obvious, I would think. The victim was targeting Kristina for attempted murder charges in a federal case. Kristina was furious, and so was her mother. Neither of them have a good alibi for the time of the murder. I think Alexis probably would have been able to get Kristina’s charges dismissed, but Kristina might not have known that for sure.” Chase hesitated. “So we have motive. We have opportunity.”

“And a better motive than Elizabeth Webber,” Robert said. “For her to be guilty, you’d need a lot of people to be lying about alibis.” He nodded. “Anything else pointing to either of them?”

“For Alexis, she’s not a stranger to taking the life of someone who’s wronged her. She pleaded insanity to a murder when Kristina was an infant — Luis Alcazar. But before that, she sat back while Jason and Brenda Barrett were wrongly convicted and nearly sent to prison.”

Robert’s brows lifted. “That’s interesting.”

“I’m pulling more of that case file to get a better sense of it, but Kristina —” Chase paused. “Elizabeth’s security footage has her coming to the Webber house the day after the murder. I don’t know why she was there, but she came back to the door after Elizabeth left, and left again.”

“Putting her in the area during a time when someone might have planted a gun. I can see why you can’t eliminate her.” Robert stroked his chin. “Those are good facts. But what does your gut tell you?”

“I don’t know. I think I’m having trouble thinking the same woman that fell under the sway of a cult leader would be able to pull off a murder like this — and then frame an innocent woman.” Chase paused. “But that’s bias, because Willow was victim to that same cult and I know how strong she is. If I put that aside, honestly, Mr. Scorpio, I think Kristina or her mother or both of them did this. I can’t prove it yet, but there’s just something I can’t shake about it.”

Robert was quiet for a long moment, then slowly nodded. “I don’t get involved in my attorneys’ private lives, but I know that the loss of Molly’s daughter was devastating for her. And that there’s been tension with her sister because of it. I can commend Dante for not looking away from his sister as a suspect, but from here out, you’ll be the contact point for this line of investigation, reporting directly from me and keeping everything we learn confidential. Where can we start?”

“Subpoenas for security footage at Kristina’s apartment.” Chase paused. “And for any traffic cameras between her mother’s house, the Quartermaine estate, and her apartment building. I want to track her movements that day. And phone records. Whatever we can get without her knowing about it.”

“Let’s get started.”

Webber House: Living Room

“Hey, sorry to just show up like this,” Michael said as he passed Jason at the door, stopping when he saw Elizabeth on the sofa. “Or that I have to do this at all.”

“What’s wrong?” Elizabeth got to her feet, and came over to join Jason by the door. “You never have to apologize for coming over, but you look upset.”

“That and pissed. I just don’t know who to be more angry at.” Michael dragged a hand through his hair. “I did what you suggested, you know,” he said to Jason. “I set up some extra cameras so we could track Rocco better on the estate. Willow saw me doing it, and I didn’t think any of telling her. I mean, I trust her. But she didn’t agree with what we decided to do—”

Jason exhaled slowly. “She told someone—”

“Drew overheard us arguing, and she told him. I tried to talk him out of doing anything, but all he cares about his damn reputation and this campaign. I don’t understand why Willow—but that’s my problem, and not yours. Drew said he was on his way to talk to Dante. Said he wanted to talk to him father to father.”

“Why would he do that? Didn’t you tell him we were trying to protect Danny’s trust?” Elizabeth demanded. “Drew should know better—”

“I told you. He can’t see anything but himself. I don’t know what the hell happened to him in prison or when he was kidnapped—” Michael’s expression was grim. “I tried to at least get Drew to say it wasn’t from Danny, but maybe that we just caught him or something—but he’s refusing to lie. Says Danny and Rocco are bad influences on each other, and maybe this will keep them from being near each other—”

“That’s not true!”

The cry from the stairs had all three adults turning to see Danny practically flying down the last few steps, with Aiden and Jake following — matching guilty expressions.

“You said you wouldn’t tell!” Danny’s face was flushed, his chest heaving. “Rocco’s never going talk to me again!”

“I’ll call Dante,” Jason started, digging in his jeans. “Maybe we can try to get to him before Drew can—”

“But why did you tell anyone?” Danny demanded. “I told you because you said I could trust you and that you wouldn’t say anything—”

“I couldn’t do nothing,” Jason said, but Danny wasn’t listening. He turned, and rushed back up the stairs, shoving Jake out of the way.

“I’ll talk to him,” Jake said, but then he paused at the base of the stairs, looked at their father. “It was an asshole move to lie to him even if you did the right thing. Just so you know.”

“Jake—” Elizabeth started but their son had already disappeared out of view and his footsteps were thudding towards the third floor, Aiden on his heels. She looked at Jason with worry.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know they were listening—” Michael started. He scrubbed both hands down his face. “I’m sorry.”

“Michael, none of this is your fault,” Elizabeth said.

“It’s mine,” Jason said. “I should have told Danny I wanted to get Rocco caught.”

“We both signed off on trying to sneak it past him,” Elizabeth interrupted him. “I could have argued with you. I thought it was the easiest way for everyone. Danny was just starting to trust us.” She pressed two fingers against her lips. “We couldn’t do nothing.”

“But we should have been upfront what we were doing. I’m not sorry I did it. But I should have just gone to Dante,” Jason admitted. He focused on Michael. “But for now, let me get a hold of Dante and see if I can stop Drew from making everything seem worse.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam jolted off the sofa as soon as Dante came through the door. “Hey. I was hoping we could talk—”

“Can it wait?” Dante dumped his keys and jacket on the desk, rubbing his eyes. “It was a crappy day, and I just want a shower and a beer—”

“I mean, I just—” Sam bit her lip. “Yeah it can wait, I just—Danny sent me a text today.” She stared down at her phone. “He thanked me for signing the papers.”

“Oh.” Dante furrowed his brow. “That’s good news, isn’t it? He’s reaching out?”

“I thought so, and but if he’s thanking me, that means he knows I refused at first—” Her eyes glittered with tears when she met his gaze. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought he was being forced into this, but what if Jason was right? What if Danny really did want this, and I was standing in his way—”

“There was always that possibility—” Dante stopped at the rapid knocking on the door. He pulled it open, grimacing when he saw Drew on the other side. “What do you want?”

“Is Scout all right?” Sam demanded, coming to Dante’s side. “Where is she?”

“At home. Where she should be safe,” Drew bit out. “Except your son brought drugs onto the estate — and is still drinking and getting high.”

“What—” Dante began, but Drew was already glowering at Sam.

“And your son is still protecting him. What kind of mother are you? Don’t even bother to answer that question,” he added when Sam opened her mouth to protest. “I’ve already called my lawyer and filed for permanent custody.”

+35

Written in 72 minutes. I didn’t really love how this part came out, and had to rework some of it, so it’s both shorter and late, lol. But it’s done, and it was necessary to move the story forward.

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Quartermaine House: Living Room

Willow folded her arms, hugging her upper torso and biting her lip. “I don’t really know how I feel about any of this,” she admitted, watching Michael skim through a video on his phone. “You’re spying on him—”

“I’m watching security footage,” Michael interrupted. He slid the phone in his pocket. “We don’t have a choice—”

“Yes, we do. We tell Dante what we know—”

“And how do I explain how we know?” Michael wanted to know. “Danny trusted Jason—”

“Jason’s an adult, Danny’s a child. A child who’s acting out and using emotional manipulation to get his way.”

Michael pressed his lips together. “I’d think you understand how important trust is. We’re  going to catch Rocco in the act so he can’t pretend Danny’s lying.”

“And what if we don’t catch him right away?” Willow wanted to know, following her husband into the foyer. “What if he gets into real trouble this way?”

“He’s not popping pills or snorting cocaine. He’s getting high or drunk. If he does it on the property—”

“Who’s getting high and drunk?” Drew demanded, striding into the foyer from a back hallway. Michael grimaced, and made a face at Willow.

But she either didn’t see it or didn’t care. “Rocco. Danny says he still has some stash on the property. Michael’s watching security footage to catch him in the act—”

“So he can end up in the papers? Oh, that’ll be great. Just the kind of headline or viral story I need,” Drew muttered, shoving his fingers through his hair. “We can’t have this.”

Michael clenched his jaw. “Who’s we? This has nothing to do with you. I’m handling it, and we’ll keep it in the family—”

“It’s bad enough Jake and Danny are being dragged through this, thanks to Elizabeth’s blind loyalty to my useless brother. If she’d just tell the truth—”

“She is telling the truth,” Michael retorted. “She was with me the day of the shooting, and Jason was with Grandmother.”

“Yeah, because no one in this family has ever lied before,” Drew said, with a roll of his eyes. “This is a disaster waiting to happen, and Dante needs to handle his son somewhere else. We’re not a refuge for hoodlums.” He whipped out his cell phone and headed into the foyer.

“Thanks. That was just great, Willow.” He scowled at his wife. “I told you what was going on in confidence—”

“He lives here, too, Michael. And he’s not wrong! If a teenager is doing drugs on the property, it’ll look really bad for him—”

“Then he can move out and be someone else’s problem. I’m sick of everything in his life being about optics—”

“Michael, be reasonable. Rocco’s a teenager who’s getting himself into more trouble if we don’t make sure we get him some help.” Willow approached him, tried to rub his shoulder but Michael shook her off.

“I told you something in confidence because you used to work with kids and because you’re my wife. Because I don’t want any secrets between us. But the first chance you had, you dump the truth on the worst possible person in this house—other than maybe Olivia.”

Willow’s eyes shimmered with tears. “I was just trying to do the right thing. Drew’s right. Rocco needs more help—”

“Don’t. Don’t pretend Drew gives a damn about Rocco. Just—I have to find a way to fix this. But the next time you complain that I’m not telling you everything, I want you to remember this moment.”

General Hospital: Fletcher’s Office

Who is Elizabeth to you and to Danny?

Jason cleared his throat, and shifted slightly. Not the easiest question to answer — or one that could be summed up in a few words. “You mean, factually?”

“We can start there.” Fletcher’s smile looked a bit more genuine now. “I’m not trying to pry for gossip, Mr. Morgan. I want to understand the adults in Danny’s life. How they affect him. If Elizabeth is in his life daily, it stands that she plays some sort of role.”

“Oh. Well—” Jason let out a breath. “She made the appointment, you know that. And I think it was her idea. She—she has a way of talking to him, you know? Sometimes I get tangled up or he gets too defensive, and we just yell. But Elizabeth’s an amazing mother, and she just…always has the right words.” And it sometimes felt like he couldn’t string together two coherent statements when he was with his sons.

“So she’s someone Danny can talk to.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I mean, that’s definitely been true the last few days.”

Fletcher made a note. “Danny’s been staying with you and Elizabeth. And there are other children in the home?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Full-time, there’s Aiden and Jake. Jake’s—he’s my son. And Elizabeth’s. He’s seventeenth. And at his mom’s, there was Rocco, Dante’s son, and Scout, Sam’s daughter with…” Jason paused. “My brother.”

There was just a slightly lift of the brows at that, but Fletcher didn’t say anything, just made a few more notes.

“I already know that Danny was brought into the police station with Aiden and Rocco. How’s his relationship with Jake and his sister?”

“He’s protective of Scout, I think. I haven’t seen them together much, but I know they’re close. With Jake—” Jason paused. “They’re close. They argue a lot, and I know it’s hard on them that Danny’s mother…doesn’t like Elizabeth. There’s been tension there.”

“That brings me to my next question.” Fletcher looked at him. “Do you and his mother make decisions about Danny together? Or separately? Through a mediator?”

“Threats mostly. Legally speaking,” Jason added. He pushed himself to his feet, unable to remain seated anymore, and went towards the window overlooking the parking lot. “Sam’s had to carry a lot of the weight raising Danny on her own, and she’s a good mother. I’ve defaulted to her decisions most of the time. Until the last few weeks.”

“She’s not here today.”

“No, she’s not. She doesn’t want Danny to do this. I don’t know if it’s because it was Elizabeth’s idea or because she genuinely doesn’t want Danny in therapy. But Danny wants to do it, and I think he needs more than I can give him.” Jason turned back to face the doctor. “I filed for full custody of him and the right to make medical decisions. His mother backed down, and signed the consent form, but she still didn’t want to come today.”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

“This is supposed to be your day off,” Felix complained when Elizabeth approached him at the counter. “Do you not understand how to relax?”

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “Hi, hello, how are you are also options,” she said pointedly.

“Fine, fine. How are you? But I still want to know why you’re here.”

“Did I imagine the voicemail you left me two days ago saying we needed to catch up?” Elizabeth folded her arms, leaned over the counter. “Because I thought you’d want to know that Jason and I are living together, but if you want me to go—” She started to step back but Felix reached out, snagged her arm.

“Who said that? Not me. Spill. When did this happen? How did it happen? And don’t leave out a single detail.”

“Well, the when is technically the day before I was arrested,” Elizabeth said. “And also last Friday. And this morning.”

“This morning?” Felix wiggled his brows. “I stand corrected. So you do know how to relax.” He furrowed his brow. “But wait, you’re living together? Already? I feel like I missed a few chapters. Let me take my break, and we’ll get a coffee. I want to hear everything.”

PCPD: Conference Room

Dante watched in silence as Chase pinned the freeze frame of Ava and Trina at the Jerome Gallery with the timestamp at the bottom of the screen. Unless Ava had super powers, she couldn’t have made it to and from the Quartermaines and still been with Trina at 7:40 PM that night.

“Our suspect list is getting smaller and smaller,” Dante murmured. He folded his arms, then looked at Chase. “Did we hear from Kristina’s apartment manager?”

“Yeah. He doesn’t remember the day, but wouldn’t have seen her anyway.” Chase paused. “He says he hasn’t seen her much, since I guess she’s been staying with her mom.”

“What about security footage?” When Chase looked away, Dante sighed. “She’s not on it.”

“I don’t know if she is. The building’s owned by Sonny, which means—”

“Standing order not to cooperate and require warrants and subpoenas.” Dante rubbed his face. “And the only way we can subpoena that footage is if we tell Molly who will want to know why.”

“We could that, sure. Or we could go to Robert.” Chase hesitated. “Both options suck. But we have to pick one.”

“Yeah. I know.” Dante looked at the whiteboard, at the photo of his sister staring back at him. “You’ll have to take the meeting with him. My hands can’t be on that part of the investigation.”

“Understood. I’ll handle it. It’s going to turn into nothing, Dante. I’m sure of it. We’ll both feel better when we can cross this off.”

“I sure as hell hope so.”

General Hospital: Fletcher’s Office

The doctor opened the door for Jason and they walked into the front of the office suite together. “I can’t promise miracles,” Fletcher told Jason. “And you might get frustrated by not knowing anything, but I can only keep you updated on general progress. Without Danny’s consent or imminent danger of harm, my meetings with your son will be confidential.”

“I can live with that,” Jason told him. “I just want Danny to be okay. If this helps him get there, that’s all that matters.

Fletcher held out his hand. “I’ll see Danny tomorrow then.”

Jason shook his hand. “Thank you.” He glanced around the room and didn’t see Elizabeth. She’d mentioned she might go check in with Felix while he was in the meeting, so she’d probably gotten caught up.

When he emerged from the office suite into the hallway, Elizabeth and Felix were turning the corner, both with coffee in their hand, stamped with the GH logo.

“Oh, hey, that’s good timing.” Elizabeth crossed to join him, reaching out with her free hand. He squeezed it. “Felix and I were just catching up.”

“Let’s not wait three months again,” Felix told Elizabeth, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Texts are not enough. We work in the same building—”

“I know, I know. I’ve been awful. You’re amazing for putting up with me.”

“I’d better get back to work.” Felix held out his hand to Jason. “Good to see you, Jason.” When Jason took the other man’s hand, he was a bit surprised when the nurse put a little strength behind the grip, tightening it. “You take care of her now.”

“I can take care of myself,” Elizabeth said, wrinkling her nose. “Felix—”

“She has terrible taste in men,” Felix said, ignoring her. “I warned her about the last two, don’t make me regret giving her the green light on this one.”

“Ah, you won’t,” Jason said, a bit mystified but somewhat grateful. “I didn’t like the last two either.”

“See, I told you I liked him.” Felix released Jason’s hand, then kissed Elizabeth’s cheek again. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“Honestly, you’d think we were in high school,” Elizabeth muttered, watching her friend disappear around the corner. “I don’t need him to approve of anything—” She turned back to Jason. “Anyway. How did it go?”

“Okay, I think.” They turned towards the elevators, and he kept his hand in hers. “But I guess we’ll find out when Danny gets to talk to him.” When they stepped onto the elevator and the doors closed, Jason tugged her a little closer to him. “We have a little time before the boys are supposed to get home from school. We could take the bike out — it’s the first time it hasn’t rained in a few days.”

“That sounds like the best idea.”

+40

Written in 66 minutes

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Jerome Gallery: Gallery Floor

“Oh, I hope you’re here for a social visit,” Ava Jerome declared, turning to face Chase and Dante as they approached. She sniffed. “Do I need to contact my lawyer?” She touched Trina’s arm. “Go. Call Martin.”

“Okay—” Trina started to move away, but Chase held up his hand.

“We just want to tie up a few loose ends about September 2,” he said, and Trina hesitated, looked at her employer with some concern.

“I’ve already discussed that with the FBI,” Ava said. She folded her arms. “So either—”

“The FBI didn’t confirm the information you gave them. That’s all we want to do,” Chase told her. “You told them you were here at the gallery, and they didn’t do any follow up.”

“Because she’s telling the truth,” Trina blurted out. “She was here that day!”

“Trina,” Ava murmured, with a slight shake of her head, and her assistant closed her mouth, though she was clearly unhappy.

“If you’re telling the truth, talking to us won’t be an issue,” Dante said, speaking for the first time, his tone flat, devoid of any emotion, and Chase glanced at him. It was never easy to be around Ava for his partner — since Ava had somehow skated on murdering Dante’s aunt and was charged with assaulting Kristina—

“Then I’ll call my lawyer, and he’ll handle everything from here—” Ava turned to head for her office, but Trina stopped her.

“Cam’s mom was arrested for this,” she told Ava. “Joss told me the PCPD is just trying to get to the truth so they’ll stop hounding his mom. You and I both know you didn’t do this. Why let the suspicion linger?” When Ava hesitated, Trina continued, “Please, Ava. Cam’s mom has always been so good to me. The PCPD need to know where everyone was.”

Ava pressed her lips together, then looked at Chase. “All right. Let’s get this over with.”

“We need to have this conversation separately,” Dante said. “Trina?” He gestured towards the lobby, and with a grateful smile, Trina followed him through the arch and out of sight.

Ava wrinkled her nose, folded her arms again. “Let’s get this over with.”

Jerome Gallery: Lobby

“We were planning an event in October,” Trina told Dante, leading him into her small office with its tiny desk. She shuffled through some paperwork. “I’m going to give you the number for the security company that runs the cameras. I just know they’ll have Ava coming and going.”

“That would be great.” Dante took the card she offered, but Trina didn’t immediately release it. “Did you want to add something else?”

“I meant what I said out there. Ava was with me, and I wouldn’t lie for her. I know—” Trina paused, then took a deep breath. “I know she’s done terrible things, and I know why people don’t believe her about what happened in the hotel room—”

“I don’t want to talk about that—”

“—but whatever else she might have done,” Trina continued, ignoring Dante’s interruption, “she didn’t shoot Agent Cates. I know that makes your jobs harder and it would be easier for Cam’s mom to get out if her lawyer can point to other suspects, but that’s not the right thing to do, you know? The system screws up all the time, and maybe I shouldn’t trust any part of it to get this right. I’m living proof that innocence doesn’t matter — your entire life can still be derailed because someone points the finger at you. But maybe it makes it that more important to tell the truth.”

“What happened to you was wrong,” Dante said, “and I appreciate you convincing Ava to talk to us. You’re right. Crossing Ava off the list makes it harder for Diane, but the truth is what matters. But here’s another truth for you. She murdered my aunt in cold blood. And she had no problem destroying my brother’s life. You want to trust Ava? Go right ahead. But don’t ever turn your back on her.”

“Call the security company,” Trina said. She lifted her chin. “You’ll find out Ava’s innocent.”

“This time,” Dante said, and left before Trina could say anything else.

Miller & Davis: Spinelli’s Office

Diane studied the corkboard in Spinelli’s office, her brow furrowed. “You can’t let Alexis in this room.”

“You don’t think she’d understand?” the tech asked, coming to Diane’s side. “I’m just looking at this logically. You start with everyone who wanted the guy dead, and chisel away.  ” Spinelli folded his arms, his expression grim. “And I can’t chisel enough away to take her down.”

Diane exhaled and turned away from the index card with Kristina Davis-Corinthos scrawled out in Spinelli’s messy handwriting. “Walk me through why she’s up there.”

“The obvious reason? Cates was charging her with federal crimes. He arrested her when she was released from the hospital.” Spinelli went back to his desk, sat down, and tapped a few keys to bring up the file he’d started. “Kristina is impulsive and volatile. She attacked Connie Falconieri with a bat and trashed her office—”

“She had a very good reason—”

“Diane. You think I want her name up there?” Spinelli asked. “I’ve known her since she was a kid. I’ve helped Stone Cold and Sam get her out of a thousand jams. Do I think she did this? No. But that’s not what you asked me to do.”

Diane rubbed her forehead, sat down. “She was at Elizabeth’s the day after the murder,” she murmured. “I asked her about that visit. She was calm, cool, collected. Not a hint that she was there to plant a gun.”

“I know.” Spinelli put his head in this hands, rubbed his eyes, then returned his focus to Diane. “But I gotta look at this. Her alibi for that night is basically I was home, and we have nothing to back that up. Cates was making her life miserable, and we both know she’d have access to weapons — especially the kind the FBI can’t trace. She’s the only person outside of Elizabeth’s family at the house that week.”

“We don’t know the gun was planted that day,” Diane said, her tone taking on an air of desperation. “Aren’t you still getting the security footage from the hospital?”

“It’s due in by the end of the week, and I’m supposed to get the car data analysis early next week. All I need is Kristina’s alibi to be confirmed and that car data to tell me that trunk wasn’t opened during the time I have her on the property. Believe me, Diane, I want her off that board, too. I just—” Spinelli hesitated. “She’s grown up in a world where ending someone’s life is a reasonable option to consider.”

“Okay. Okay. All of that is true—but let’s look at the rest of it. Framing Jason—”

“She’s not framing Stone Cold. She put the gun in Elizabeth’s car—”

“She’s not doing anything, damn it. Don’t say it that way—” Diane’s head snapped up. “We don’t know anything.”

“Hypothetically, she would be framing Elizabeth,” Spinelli corrected, and Diane pressed her lips together, looked away. “I agree that framing Jason would be a long shot, but let’s remember how how loyal Kristina might feel towards Sam. Who has never hidden her resentment of Elizabeth. And who has been fighting with Jason for months about Danny.”

Diane closed her eyes, slumped back in her chair. “I don’t like any of this.”

“You asked me to investigate every lead, Diane. And I did. I promise you. I went down every rabbit hole, and the only person I can’t take off the board is Kristina. Even Ava has someone else verifying her alibi, and Trina isn’t known for lying.”

Diane took a careful breath. “This stays between us. Take her off that board—no, take her off the board, Spinelli. Alexis works here, and if—” Her throat was tight. “If this is true, and Sonny or Alexis find out before we could prove it — Kristina will be out of the country before we can blink, and there goes our chance to prove Elizabeth’s innocence. And that’s—that’s all I can think of right now.” Her voice faltered on the final words. “It needs to be someone else. It has to be. Keep looking. I won’t believe this until we have no other choice.”

“We need the neighbor’s footage from across the street. I think they have the best view of the street—” Spinelli stopped when Diane’s phone buzzed. The lawyer dug in her purse to retrieve her phone. “Diane?”

“The government’s response to our motion to dismiss was filed.” Diane rose. “I need to download and print it. Keep me in the loop, Spinelli, and make sure you eliminate every possibility, no matter how unrealistic. And I mean it—no visible evidence that we’re investigating Kristina. From now on, we discuss this outside the office—and—” Diane paused. “It stays between us.”

General Hospital: Eighth Floor

The nurse behind the desk smiled. “Dr. Fletcher will be with you in just a moment,” she told Jason. “If you want to have a seat, we’ll call you back when he’s ready.”

He didn’t want to sit, Jason thought, but turned away from the desk to find Elizabeth had already taken a seat by the door to the office suite and was flipping through a magazine she’d picked up. His chest eased slightly at the sight of her, and he took a seat next to her. “You didn’t have to come.”

“I wanted to.” Elizabeth closed the magazine, reached for his hand. He laced their fingers together, and smiled faintly when she squeezed. “I know this kind of thing isn’t easy for you. I know first hand how hard it is to get you to talk about anything,” she teased, and now his smile deepened.

“You could come in with me,” he asked, but he already knew she’d refuse before she shook her head.

“If I do that, you’ll look to me to answer the questions so you don’t have to. If we were here about Jake, that’d be different. But as much as I want to help Danny, I have to respect that Sam doesn’t want me to be part of it.”

“Do you?” he muttered, and she wrinkled her nose.

“Yes. I’d be livid if she pushed herself into Jake’s therapy without my consent.”

“That’s different—” Jason said.

Elizabeth tilted her head. “Is it? Maybe you never told her, but we both know I played a part in keeping Danny from Sam—”

“For twenty four hours,” Jason retorted, his voice pitched low. “If you think that in any way compares to what she did—”

“It does for me,” she said softly, and he sighed. “Then I lied about Jake Doe—it doesn’t matter that he wasn’t you,” she added when he opened his mouth to object. “Sam and I have played a lot of games with each other. Maybe in this latest round, I didn’t start it, but I won’t pretend to be innocent. Right now, all that matters is Danny. I don’t want to create more problems with his mother.”

“I know you’re right, but I don’t like it.”

Elizabeth leaned in close, rubbing his shoulder with the hand that he wasn’t holding. “I know. When he’s talking to you, just remember that it’s for Danny. We can do anything we have to do if it means he’ll be okay.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but the nurse called his name, and he kissed Elizabeth’s hand before releasing it.

“Good luck,” she said as he rose to his feet and followed the nurse through the door.

He’d never liked psychiatrists or psychologists or whatever they called themselves, not since Kevin Collins had attempted to interrogate him after his accident, trying to measure how damaged Jason really was. Kevin might have meant well, but the entire experience had left a bad taste in his mouth.

But Elizabeth thought this might help, and he knew that despite Andre Maddox’s crimes, therapy had helped Jake to adjust after everything that happened to him because of Helena and the kidnapping.

“Jason Morgan?”

The man on the other side of the door was older than him, maybe by about ten years, his dark hair shot with silver. He rose from a chair by a desk that had been turned to face a sofa and armchair set against the office’s opposite wall. “Dr. Raymond Fletcher.”

“Hello,” Jason said, a bit reluctantly, shaking his head and sitting in the armchair, perched on the edge, as if it would make an escape faster.

“I received your message that Danny’s mother won’t be joining us.” Fletcher took his seat, and made a note in a little book that sat on a table next to the chair. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, it’s…” Jason shifted. “Complicated.”

“Families usually are.” The doctor waited a beat. “Tell me a bit about what brought Danny here. I have some of the information, but I’d rather hear it from you.”

“Uh, well—” Jason cleared his throat, fought the urge to get up and pace. “Saturday night, I got a call from Elizabeth. She’d heard from the police that they had the boys. Aiden, Danny, and Rocco,” he added. “Aiden is Elizabeth’s son, which is why she’d been called. They’d been picked up for drinking, and they found weed on them. Danny was high and drunk.”

“He’s fourteen?” Fletcher asked, his pen scribbling a note.

“Yeah. In May.”

“How long has the substance use been happening, as far as you know?”

Jason clasped his hands between his thighs, leaning forward slightly. “A year, almost. Aiden told me first, and Danny confirmed. They started at a party, and they’ve been doing it every weekends. The weed came later.  Last few months, according to Aiden, it’s been during the week, too.”

“Did you notice any changes in his behavior?”

Jason exhaled slowly, then shook his head. “I wasn’t here to see it. I’ve…I’ve never been here. Not enough. And not the way Danny deserved. I’m the wrong person to do this. His mother should be here.”

“But she’s not.” Fletcher laid the pen down, met Jason’s gaze with his own. “Is he living with her right now?”

“No. He’s—he’s with me. Since Saturday. We’re—we’re at Elizabeth’s.”

“And he lived with his mother prior to Saturday?”

“Yes. She…was frustrated with the way he’d been speaking to her and he left. I don’t blame her for that,” Jason added. “They’d been fighting a lot.”

“All right. You said you live with Elizabeth. You’ve mentioned her a few times. Now, I know who she is, of course. I work at the hospital. But let’s pretend I don’t.” Fletcher looked at him again. “Who is Elizabeth to you and to Danny?”

+44

Written in 58 minutes. Not as long as I wanted it to be, but it’s the general idea.

Thursday, September 19, 2025

Webber House: Living Room

Elizabeth dangled the keys to the second car, and Jake heard the clink of the metal from across the room. He dropped the book he was shoving into his bag and nearly shoved Aiden over the back of the sofa to get to his mother. “Seriously? You don’t need it?”

“Not today. But—” Elizabeth jerked the keys from Jake’s grasp just as he was about to snag them. “You have to bring your brothers home before you can go anywhere else.”

“No problem. I’ll slow down in front of the house long enough to push them out.” Jake snatched the keys before his mother could change her mind. “Didn’t think I’d get my car back for a few more weeks.”

“Well, it’s looking like the government is never giving back mine, so I guess we’ll have get a second car. Because even after you’re in Spain next year because you’re applying,” Elizabeth added when Jake made a face, “your brother needs to drive something or Cam might need it.”

“The thought of Aiden behind the wheel is terrifying,” Jake quipped. He grabbed his bag. “I’ll be in the car,” he told his brothers. “I’m leaving in thirty seconds.”

Aiden rolled his eyes but followed Jake out the door. Danny hesitated, his hands on the strap of his book bag over his shoulders, and waited for his father, who’d been loading the dishwater to emerge from the kitchen. “Um, is…I mean, am I still supposed to go tomorrow?”

“Diane filed for medical decisions this morning,” Jason told him. “We should hear something on that within twenty-four hours. So yeah. I’m meeting with the doctor today. Is there anything you wanted me to ask him?”

“I don’t know.” Danny hunched his shoulders. “Like, is he gonna tell you everything I say?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works, but sure—” They all looked towards the door at the sound of an impatient honk.  “You’d better get going or you’ll be late.”

“Yeah, okay. Um, I guess, thanks.” Danny ducked his head and hurried out the door, closing it behind him.

Elizabeth flipped the deadbolt lock, then turning back to face Jason. “I’m tempted to pull the cord on the phone, but maybe—” Her words cut off abruptly when Jason’s hand curled around her waist and tugged her forward until his mouth covered hers. She sank into the embrace, sliding her hands up to cup his jaw. “So you remembered we had plans for today?” she managed when he released her, his hands slowly stroking her back in small circles.

“Did you think I’d forget?” he murmured, nipping at the line of her jaw. “I told Diane not to call unless it was life or death.”

“I left the same message at the hospital—” Elizabeth stifled a surprised giggle when he lifted in her the air. “It’s like I’m twenty-five again—” she said as he carried her towards the stairs. “But Carly doesn’t have a key to this door, so we’re probably good—not that it would stop her—”

“You’ve got a lock on your door, too, don’t you?” he replied and she laughed, leaning down to kiss him again, her hair swinging forward, falling across his cheek, the strands like silk.

“You’re right. Let’s not take any chances.”

—

She curled up against his side, her fingertips dancing across his chest. “This scar is new,” Elizabeth murmured, tracing a small, jagged line that was still a bit pink. “And not very old.”

“A year maybe,” Jason said, his own hand caressing her back, from her shoulders, dipping towards her waist, then back again. “Ran into the wrong end of a knife in an alley.” He tensed, because wouldn’t she ask more questions now? What alley? Why had he been there—

“I thought it would be different.”

His hand froze. “Different?” Jason repeated. “What do you mean?”

“Different’s not the right word,” she said. “But I don’t know. We haven’t been together in…” She sighed, her breath sliding across his skin. “So long. I was worried.”

I was worried. Past tense? His mind started to race. It had been years, she was right, but—

“I’m probably not saying any of this right,” Elizabeth said, and she sat up now, pulling the sheet up to tuck beneath her armpits. Her hair, disheveled, and a little damp at the roots from sweat. She bit her lip. “You know, I said it downstairs. I’m not exactly twenty-five anymore, and you know—” She lifted her eyes towards the sunlight pouring through her bedroom windows. “Lighting’s not always kind—”

The tension rushed out of him and now he almost smiled. Jason reached for her, curling his hand around the nape of her neck to kiss her, long and slowly. “You’re perfect. You always were. You always will be.”

“I’m not perfect. I don’t want to be—” Elizabeth grunted when he rolled her across his body so that she was on the other side of the bed, flat on her back and only protested slightly when he tugged the sheet down to reveal her abdomen.

He traced the faint stretch lines, maybe not entire visible to someone who hadn’t memorized their existence, and then the scar low on her belly, the evidence that she’d carried and risked her life to become a mother, to make him a father— “You’re perfect to me.”

“See, now you think I was fishing for compliments and I wasn’t,” Elizabeth insisted. He didn’t protest, when she pulled the sheet back, but relaxed back into his side. “I just meant — I was worried we couldn’t…that it wouldn’t be like before. I mean—” She bit her lip, tilted her head up. “Are you gonna be irritated if I mention Lucky?”

“No.” Probably not, he admitted to himself.

“You know, we were back and forth until we got married, and then the divorce — I don’t know. We kept trying to get it back. And it was never the same. Not the way we felt — or anything else,” Elizabeth admitted. “And maybe part of the reason I didn’t…that I was okay with waiting for today…was I liked how things were. And I didn’t want to mess it up if we’d…” She sighed. “If we’d lost this part. If it wasn’t the same. Or better.”

His lips curved into a smile, and he was glad she couldn’t see his face right now. “You can’t help but worry, can you?”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not.”

“You are!” She huffed, and snagged one of the decorative pillows from the floor to whack him with it. “I’m being vulnerable here—”

“Okay, okay—” Jason caught the pillow and tossed it behind him, sitting up and pulling her with him to sit against the headboard. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not.” But she was biting at her lip, trying to stifle the smile. “It’s silly to worry about it, I guess. We’ve got so many bigger problems—” Some of the color in her face faded, and he was sorry now that he hadn’t distracted her in the right way.

“Hey.” Jason caught her hand. “We don’t have to talk about any of that right now.”

“I don’t want to, but it’s hard to close it out entirely. It’s…it hasn’t even been three weeks, do you realize that?” Elizabeth said. “I’ve spent almost a week in jail, you’ve been living here for almost two weeks, your son lives with us—Jason, we’re literally living together and it’s just…I blinked and everything is so different. I never, not in a million years, thought we’d be back here.”

“Neither did I,” Jason admitted, and she leaned back against his chest, letting him wrap his arms around her. He kissed her shoulder. “I’d given up on this dream a long time ago,” he told her, his voice almost too quiet to be audible. “You and Jake. I didn’t deserve you, I thought. Not with the choices I made. And all the steps I kept taking, it took me further away.”

“I know.” She sighed, long and wistful. “I built a whole other life, and I was happy enough. I put this — you and me, and being a family — I put in a box on a shelf in a room, and lost the key. It was enough, I told myself, to have you in Jake’s life. To have your friendship. We’d missed our moment. I’d thrown it away a long time ago, and then you walked away—”

“Our timing really sucked,” he said, and she laughed, the words echoing a sentiment he’d expressed the night they’d created Jake.

“But it’s different now. Your life is different, and we’re both free—” Elizabeth tilted her head up so that their eyes met. “I guess I was scared that everything was going too well. That maybe we might be able to live together, and be a family, but that we weren’t going to be able to have this part, too.”

“Are you still worried about that?” he asked.

Elizabeth her lip, then sat up to let the sheet fall to her waist. “I don’t know. I think we might need to run a few more tests.”

+41

Written in 63 minutes.

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Syracuse, NY: The York Restaurant

Gia pressed her lips to her brother’s cheek, then sat across from him with a broad smile on her face. “I’m so glad you decided to drive up for lunch! We don’t see each other enough.”

Marcus Taggert’s smile was faint but genuine. He’d missed his baby sister — but this wasn’t a social call. He waited until after they’d placed their lunch orders and exchanged basic pleasantries before diving into the reason for his visit.

“Mom called me last night. She said you’d picked up a new case.”

Gia made a face, reached for a piece of bread from the basket that had been placed between them. “I bet she did. Probably didn’t wait five seconds after hanging up with me.”

“You know how she feels about Port Charles—” Taggert shook his head when Gia rolled her eyes. “She’s not wrong. Nothing good has ever come from living in that city—”

“Good thing I’m not living there.” She popped a piece of the roll in her mouth.

“Gee.”

“Marcus.” Gia lifted her brows. “Did Mama send you or is it the case itself? I know you still have a soft spot for Elizabeth. Just like everyone else she’s tricked with her Snow White routine. I always told you she’d snatch Nikolas up if she had the chance, and what happened?”

“You mean what happened seven years after you and Nikolas ended your engagement amicably and you left for law school?” Taggert leaned back in his chair. “I know you’re a champion at grudges—”

“It’s—” Gia took a deep breath. “It’s not the grudge. Marcus, do you really think so little of me? You think I’m gonna take a loser case just because the suspect screwed my ex?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s rude.”

“Maybe, but it’s accurate. You’ve been stewing over that ever since you found out. You don’t really think Elizabeth Webber murdered an FBI agent.”

Gia folded her arms on the table, leaned forward. “I don’t know, Marcus. You tell me. Do you think Elizabeth would cover for Jason Morgan?”

Taggert exhaled slowly, looked away. “I should have known he’d be wrapped up in this,” he muttered. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Is that the theory? Evidence points at her because he’s the shooter and hid it in her place?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you’re not nearly as smart as I thought you were. Or you didn’t pay attention back then. Because only one of us has actually seen either of them in the last two decades, and Gee, there’s no way in hell he’s involving her. You got your facts wrong. Morgan might be the shooter, but she’s not involved. Not a chance.”

“Like I said, you’re just another one of Snow White’s merry men, running to her rescue.  Only one of us has actually seen the evidence. She’s not innocent.”

Taggert reached for his water. “And when you’re wrong, I won’t even rub it in your face. Much.”

“We’ll see.” Gia waited as the waitress placed their orders in front of them, then left the table. “Now, talk to me about the new job in Buffalo. How is it going?”

PCPD: Conference Room

Dante stared at the new whiteboard he and Chase had been putting together that morning — with columns of suspects arranged across the surface and dozens of notes written in black marker. “You ever think Port Charles is turning into Alabama?”

“Because we’re related to every person that board by blood or marriage?” Chase wanted to know. He sat on the edge of the table. “Look, it’s not like Molly had a lot of choices, Dante. Everyone knows Anna isn’t in favor of this investigation. You and I are the only ones who aren’t afraid to piss her off.”

“Still.” Dante folded his arms. “We spent all morning putting this damn thing together. Let’s start eliminating people or figuring out the loose ends.”

“Okay, well, until the FBI gives us more info about Cates’ recent cases, we’re kind of out of luck on any enemies, so we had to start with people he pissed off in Port Charles. It starts with Jason—”

“Who’s eliminated because of his alibi.”

“Right. Then we’ve got Sonny — also eliminated by an alibi. But we know Cates wanted to get your dad pretty bad. He was willing to falsify evidence to get a case against Jason for leverage — which brings us to another trio of suspects. Ava Jerome, who he needed for the case against Kristina to go forward.”

“Says she was at the gallery, but the only camera footage we could get was the parking lot. Her car was there—”

“Security company is sending over fob access to the building — but that would only tell us if her key card was used. She could have given it to someone else. But I don’t know a lot of people who would cover for Ava.”

“Trina Robinson might. Without realizing it,” Dante added. “Did we talk to her? Or Joss Jacks? They’re together a lot.”

“No. I’ll put her on the list. Ava’s a good suspect, and I don’t think the FBI did much to eliminate her.”

“Especially since she’s got a record of murdering people who get in her way,” Dante murmured, thinking of his aunt. “But if the FBI had any evidence that Ava was planning to withdraw her statement, I gotta think they’d have gone after her. She’d be useful against Sonny, too.”

“Which is why I think they bumped her down. Her record makes her interesting, but for right now, she and Cates were allies. Still, she’s worth a re-interview.” Chase made another note.

Dante stared at the next two names. “Alexis Davis.”

“She’s also killed before. Luis Alcazar,” Chase said when Dante looked at him. “Long time ago. When Kristina was a baby. She, uh, claimed DID — after Jason and Brenda Barrett were convicted of the crime. She lost custody for a while, but regained it and kept her bar license.”

“Her alibi’s shaky. She was at home alone. She’d been with her daughters earlier that day, but they’d all left by then. Do we know why the FBI eliminated her?”

“I don’t know if they did. Without their records—” Chase jerked a shoulder. “No way to know for sure, but I figure they eliminated her because they only have motive. Remember, we got the impression they were pretty dead in the water because all they had was motive. Until that gun showed up.”

“Yeah. And, uh, Kristina.” Dante gestured, though the words were painful. “She said she was at her apartment. Did anyone verify that?”

“I don’t see any notes about it. We can talk to the apartment management. See if there’s lobby footage.” Chase paused, look at his partner. “Are we doing that to say we did it, or…?”

“Do I think Alexis or Kristina are guilty?” Dante exhaled slowly. “The brother in me says no way. Not with Elizabeth being on the hook for it. But you just told me that Alexis let Jason get convicted of a murder before this. What do we know about that case? How it went down?”

“Nothing really. You want me to pull it?”

“Maybe. I just—” Dante scrubbed his hands over his face. “I don’t know. I can’t see Kristina doing this. Not like this. If we’d found Cates beaten to death, maybe. Run over. Pushed out a window or something. It’s hard to see Kristina with a gun. But she’s got a temper. She wouldn’t frame Jason. She’s always loved him—”

“Because of his relationship to your dad or with Sam?” Chase wanted to know. “Didn’t you say there’s been friction with Jason and Sam—”

“Christ, Chase. Nothing serious enough that Krissy would want Jason tossed in jail for murder, and let’s remember — Jason’s not on the hook for this. Elizabeth is, and I just don’t see Kristina creating fake AI tips and hiding murder weapons.” Dante was quiet for a long moment. “But I’d feel better if we could eliminate Kristina entirely. Let’s get the apartment manager on the line. And pull that Alcazar file. I want to know if Alexis just sat by while Jason was convicted or if maybe she did something more than that.”

“Your dad would know—”

“We even hint to anyone that we’re tugging this line—” Dante was grim. “We’re dead in the water. Won’t even matter if Krissy is innocent. My dad will have her in a country without extradition before we can finish the question. Let’s eliminate them first. In fact—” He ripped down Kristina and Alexis’s photos, and crumpled them in the trash. Then he erased their profiles from the board. “Until we have a solid reason to put them back, this stays between us.”

“Yeah, I think Molly’s having enough trouble with her family. No point in telling her her mom and sister are prime suspects.”

“If anyone asks, Ava’s our target. Let’s get moving.”

PC High: Cafeteria

“But do you even wanna go to therapy?” Rocco scooped up a forkful of mac and cheese. “Like, what’s the point?”

Danny hunched his shoulders. “I don’t know. Do we have to keep talking about it?”

“Since this whole thing might mean me and Dad have to find another place to live, yeah. Come on, dude, what did we do that was so bad?” Rocco pointed at Aiden. “Don’t bring up being arrested.”

“Since you’re doing it for me, I won’t bother, and stop being such a dick. Danny’s gonna go to the doctor to get his dad off his back and get him out of trouble.” Aiden forced himself to sneer. “Don’t be jealous because you didn’t think of it and you’re stuck sweating your balls off at your grandma’s.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re a real genius.” Rocco rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna go snag the math homework from Stevie. I’ll be back.”

When he’d gone, Danny cleared his throat. “Uh, thanks, I guess. I didn’t—I didn’t know what to say to him. I mean, I didn’t think of that angle.”

Aiden tipped his head. “That’s not why you’re doing it? I figured my mom brought it up and you jumped on it.”

“Oh.” Danny waited a beat. “I mean, your mom did bring it up.”

“But it’s not why you said yes?” When Danny didn’t immediately answer, Aiden shook his head. “Never mind. It’s not my business. Or Rocco’s. It’s between you, your parents, and I guess my mom and Dante. You do what you gotta do, and I’ll have your back.”

Miller & Davis: Diane’s Office

“Are you sure you don’t want to give this to someone else?” Jason asked. “I don’t want to do anything that takes your focus from Elizabeth’s case—”

“Right now, I’m just waiting for the government to reply to my motion to dismiss and for Spinelli to unearth something I can use. Plus, I can do this petition in my sleep. Now sit down, you’re making me crazy with your pacing.” Diane gestured for him. “Would it be unprofessional of me to mention that I’ve had a custody petition prepared for you since you came home and Sam started denying your right to see Danny?”

Jason just sighed. “No. Did you have to change much?”

“Just adding a section about denial of mental healthcare to a minor with substance issues that began under the custodial parent’s nose—”

“Diane, I’m not looking to blame anyone—”

“Well, I’m looking to win. Or did you want me to file this for giggles?” Diane peered at him over her reading glasses. “Now, you’ll just sign here and here — and I’ll have Sam served as soon as possible. I’ll even make a house call.”

“Don’t enjoy this so much. You used to like Sam—”

“I thought she’d grown up, so yes. But she’s running the same games she did the first time I met her. She had no problem using your name, your bank account, and every other privilege that came her way thanks to you — she wanted that child desperately, Jason, you remember that. Your child. And now that she has that permanent lock on your bank accounts—well, she just can’t be bothered to share him. Not only that, but she’s using petty grievances to deny Danny the help he needs—and wants.” Diane sniffed, shoved the petition towards him. “This isn’t going to court, Jason. Alexis will put the fear of God into her idiot daughter, and you’ll have permission by the morning. That’s a promise.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam stalked across the room, then whirled back to face her mother and Dante. “I’m not interested in making any compromises. If Jason wants to go to court, he can go to court—”

“I’ve tried everything,” Alexis told Dante with a sigh. “She won’t see reason.”

“I don’t know why you’re looking at me. I’m not having this argument again.” Dante leaned against the desk, folded his arms. “Sam knows where I stand on this—”

“That’s because he doesn’t know Elizabeth like I do.” Sam scowled. “She’s trying to steal my son from me. That’s how she does it. It’s how she crawled into Jason’s bed in the first place and created her precious Jake. She pretended to be on my side, to support me and Jason—”

“Got herself arrested to make sure Sam got a surgery she desperately needed,” Alexis told Dante. “She doesn’t like to remember that part—”

“She did it for Jason. Please. Mom. You know I’m not wrong. She’s got Jason back in her life, and she doesn’t want me anywhere near it, so she’s trying to cut me out.”

“I’m going to get Rocco from my mom’s. When I get back, can we be done with this? Either go to court, or not. I’m tired of this, Sam.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I’m inconveniencing you—” Sam began, but Dante jerked the door open.

“Danny got arrested for being drunk and high, Sam. And he’s been doing it for almost a year. That’s long enough to get addicted. Elizabeth and Jason want him to talk to a professional. And the best argument you got for why you’re saying no is your ex-husband’s girlfriend made the appointment. You’re being selfish, and you know it.”

Sam flinched when the door slammed behind her, and she looked at her mother with miserable eyes. “Mom.”

“You’re going to lose. A judge will grant Jason the right to make medical decisions, and that’s one more step towards full custody. He’ll drop the custody suit if you sign the paperwork.” Alexis tapped the paperwork on the desk. “Sign this, Sam, and this goes away.”

“Sign this and let Elizabeth have a permanent role in my son’s life, sure. That’s easy for you to say. But you know what? Fine. Fine. But I want Danny to know I was forced do this, so when it blows up in all your faces, Danny will know who had his back. I know what my son needs better than anyone else.”

“Then sign it, and sit back for your moment of glory, Sam.” Alexis held out the pen and Sam jerked it out of her hand, scrawling her name at the bottom. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. When this ends in disaster, I’ll be ready to say I told you so.”

+35