Heaven help me for the way I am
Save me from these evil deeds before I get them done
I know tomorrow brings the consequence at hand
But I keep livin’ this day
Like the next will never come
– Criminal, Fiona Apple

---

May 5, 2011

Cemetery

When Jason had asked Elizabeth if he could be with her the day Jake’s stone was installed, Elizabeth hadn’t asked him if he’d planned to bring Sam. She hoped he knew that the last person she wanted to see at the resting place of their son was the woman that had caused Elizabeth so much pain when her son had been alive—

And the woman Jason had chosen over a life with her.

Still, she realized now as she stepped out of her car and felt the dizzying relief of seeing Jason standing by himself.

That relief evaporated almost as soon as she registered it and the numbing reality sank back in. They were here because their little boy’s grave would finally have a stone marking his short time in the world.

They stared at one another for a long moment, and Elizabeth knew he was waiting for her to say something. To set the tone for how today would go. Hanging back. Letting her control everything.

Like he always did.  The only time Jason had made an active decision was when he walked away from her.

All the times he’d walked away.

She didn’t have the energy to hold his hand today. She could barely keep breathing. If it hadn’t been for Cameron and Aiden, she would still be in bed today. And all of the days.

So without a word, Elizabeth turned and walked towards the path that led to her son’s grave.

Her son. Her beautiful baby was six feet beneath the ground in a coffin. In the cold, in the dark—

She stopped abruptly, her lungs seizing as it hit her again. Every day, she had to remember all over again he was gone. Every morning, he died again as she woke up and found his room empty.

Jason stepped up beside her, gently placed a hand at her elbow—just the brush of his fingertips. He said nothing.

She wanted to sink into the ground. She wanted to disappear.

She wanted to be with her son.

“What do you need from me?” he asked her, his voice hushed and nearly inaudible as she stared blindly at the patch of flowers beneath a nearby tree. How could spring be here? How could anything grow?

How did the rest of the world keep turning?

What did she need from him? What an absolutely stupid question. Once, she’d needed everything. Now—

“Nothing. I just needed a minute.” Elizabeth took a deep breath, then looked ahead to the patch of dirt that still looked out of place. It was newer and fresher—the grass was just starting to sprout in the soil. And the stone was there. She could see it now— It hadn’t been set into place just yet, but it was sitting there, next to the men who would set it into place.

Jake’s smiling face, the pearly white baby teeth, and the shock of blond hair and bright blue eyes. The image of his father as a child. She wanted his image on the stone—she’d wanted his memory not to fade—for him never to be just words etched into the rock—but she hadn’t anticipated how it would hit her—

Jake’s face on a grave stone. Because he was dead.

“It’s my fault,” she said. She looked at him. “I looked away from him—”

“No.” Jason shook his head. “You loved him. It was just a second, Elizabeth.”

“The third time I looked away, the world took him back.” Her voice faltered. “First Maureen, then the Russians, and now—now I never get another chance.”

“It’s mine,” Jason said. She blinked and looked up at him, their eyes meeting for the first time since that terrible night in the hospital when he’d asked her for their son’s kidney to save one of Carly’s children. “You looked away for a second, Elizabeth. I was never there. Blame me.”

He would say that, and some days, she did blame him. But Jake had been hers. Her baby. And she hadn’t protected him. Her lips curved into a faint smile. “There’s room for both, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.” Jason exhaled slowly. “I loved him. You know that.”

Not enough to stay, to raise him, but she nodded. Neither of them wanted to have that conversation.  “You did what you thought was right.” She faced forward, then squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath. “He was a gift to both of us,” Elizabeth said softly. “And we wasted it.” She paused. “This is the last time we’ll do anything together for him.”

“I know.”

She drew out a motorcycle from her purse. It was a small yellow toy that Jake had adored. Jason blinked at it. “I know you gave it to Cameron,” she said, “but he gave it to Jake at Christmas, and he loved it. I should have—I should have—” Her chest squeezed. “I meant to put it with him, but—”

“It’s okay. We’ll take care of it today.” Jason put an arm around her shoulder. “Are you ready?”

“No.” But she walked forward anyway. She knew she should go over to talk to the men who had been waiting patiently, but she couldn’t. She was afraid if she said one more word—

Instead, Jason took care of it. He spoke to them, his voice quiet and then joined Elizabeth. They both watched slowly as the stone was gently settled into its final spot. Her baby. Gone forever.

She waited for the tears. For the shaking. For the trembling. But maybe there were no more tears. Maybe she’d finally reached the bottom of the well and all that was left was nothing.

The workers left, and finally they were alone, standing in front of Jake’s grave, his precious face staring back at them, almost mocking their failures to be good parents.

She gently knelt down and with shaking hands, she dug into the dirt to bury the motorcycle. Jason knelt next to her and helped fill the hole back in.

This was it. The last item on the list of burying her son. Arranging for the services, the burial, the coffin, the stone—

There was nothing else to do.

Jason stood and held out a hand. She thought about ignoring it, about pulling herself up. After all, she’d raised Jake alone. How dare he come in here at the end and pretend—She swallowed the hateful thoughts, the angry, bitterness that always threatened to overwhelm her.

She took his hand and let him help her. He kept one hand at her elbow, and the other at the small of her back, his body turned towards her, nearly holding her. And being this close to him—feeling the slight shake in his hand as it had wrapped around hers—

Elizabeth looked up at him. “He was beautiful, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah.”

“He would have grown up to look like you,” Elizabeth told him, and he blinked at that. “But I hope he would have smiled more.”

Jason’s lips curved. “I smile.”

“Not enough.” She sighed, then looked back at the image of her son—their son. “Thank you. For giving me that beautiful little boy.”

“I didn’t—” Jason exhaled slowly. “We gave him to each other. Thank you for being his mother. I’m sorry I didn’t hold on tighter.”

“So am I.” Elizabeth stepped away, and his hands fell to his side. “Thank you for being here today. You were here the day he came into this world—and—it’s right that you’re here when we—” Her voice broke but she forced herself to finish. “When we say goodbye.” She looked at him, this man that she’d loved for so long—would always love. “I have to get home to the boys.”

“If you need anything—” Jason hesitated. “You know where to find me.”

“I’ll see you later.” She turned and started back down the path, his response nearly inaudible.

“See you later.”

Friday, November 3, 2017

Metro Court Hotel: Restaurant

Jason stepped into the restaurant, scanned the tables, grimacing when he didn’t see his mother anywhere. He wasn’t much for eating out, but Monica had asked him to lunch, and he’d wanted to spend some time with her.

Now she was late, and he was stuck waiting for her—

“Jason?”

He turned to find Ava, a hesitant smile on her face, standing by one of the entrances. “Ava.”

“I saw in the papers that the identity situation is cleared up,” she said, gesturing with a hand that had a black clutch in it. “I’m relieved it could be so quickly. I thought it might take weeks to figure it out.”

“Not with fingerprints and DNA,” Jason said, the echo of Michael and Elizabeth’s cautionary words in his ears. He shoved them aside — he was sure they had their reasons not to trust Ava, but he couldn’t bring himself to cast her aside. She’d risked her life, and he was back with his family because she’d done so. Whatever her crimes, Jason couldn’t—and wouldn’t—forget that. “How are you?”

“Oh, fine.” Ava flashed him another smile. “Are you waiting for someone? We could—” She started to turn towards the tables, when a hand wrapped around her wrist and turned Ava almost violently to face the angry blonde who had come out from the stock room without warning.

“Over my dead body,” Carly snapped. “What the hell is wrong with you? Trying to sink your claws into someone else in my family? Morgan wasn’t enough for you?”

Jason exhaled slowly. “Carly—”

“No! No! I don’t care what Michael and Sonny said,” Carly retorted, not even sparing him a glance. Her eyes burned into Ava’s. “You need to know what this piece of trash did to my son!”

Ava lifted her chin, almost defiantly. “Go ahead,” she said. “Tell him.”

“Oh, I will,” Carly declared with relish. “I’ll tell him about the brilliant young man who was troubled and taken advantage of by someone without a soul, without a single care for the damage she was doing to him—you killed my son!”

“What?” Jason demanded, his eyes widening as he whipped his head around to look at Ava who said nothing, a flush staining her cheeks. “I thought it was a car accident—”

“It was,” Ava said with a sigh. She opened her eyes. “Morgan stole a car with a bomb meant for someone else,” she continued.

“And why did he do that?” Carly snarled. “What did you do to him—”

“I made a mistake—” Ava turned to Jason, her blue eyes pleading with him. “I thought he needed more help. He needed to go back to Shadybrooke to get more therapy. I thought if others could see it—”

“You switched his medication,” Carly interrupted. She dug her hand into Ava’s shoulder, forcing Ava to look away from Jason. “He was vulnerable! He was in trouble! And you only thought about yourself!”

“I see you’re telling your own life story again,” a new voice said dryly, and the trio turned—as well as everyone else in the restaurant who had long ago stopped pretending to listen.

Monica stepped down from the elevators as the three of them stared at her. “A brilliant, troubled young man,” she echoed as she drew towards Carly and Ava. “How terrible for you—”

“Monica—” Jason began with a wince because he was sure he knew where this was going — but then—

“It wasn’t enough that you drove my son to the brink of sanity time and time again,” Monica said, ignoring Jason. “You and that husband of yours—it was never enough for you. You drugged my son. You made him think he was drinking again. And you lied to him over and over about Michael. You stole his son from him and threatened to kill him—” Her voice broke. “And you—”

“Monica—” Carly began, with a worried glance at Jason that confused him. “You don’t understand—and you should just—Jason doesn’t—”

“And just when he was getting it together—when he was finally with Michael again, with his son, and building a new life—” Monica hissed. “You and your husband—and you—” She said to Ava with another murderous glance at the blonde who just stared at the floor. “You framed him for murder—and both of you helped Sonny get away with killing my son!”

“What are you talking about?” Jason demanded. “AJ died after he went after Alan, after I—” And then he stared at his mother, at Carly and Ava as the realization sank in. “He didn’t die then.”

“No,” Carly said dully. “He didn’t. He came home after you…were gone. And told Michael things. It’s not—I know how it looks, Monica—”

“Sonny shot my son in cold blood!” Monica raged. “He and Ava left him to bleed to death on the floor—if it wasn’t for Julian, I never would have been able to say goodbye—and you—you knew who killed him! You knew, and you lied to me about my son’s final words! You let Sonny walk around for months, pretending he gave a damn about what happened to AJ—what Michael was going through—”

Jason stared at Carly, dumbfounded. “Is that true?”

“It’s not—” Carly hissed. “It’s not that simple. I just—”

“Ava is a terrible person without any moral compass,” Monica snarled. “Who took advantage of someone who was struggling and trying so hard to do better! Well, how does it feel, Carly? To watch your son destroyed by someone he trusted? You destroyed AJ long before Sonny and Ava finished the job! You couldn’t stand that Michael loved AJ—that he’d found a place in my family—”

“No! I wanted him to be happy—” Desperately, Carly turned to Jason. “Jason, please—”

“Michael knew AJ,” Jason said slowly. He felt numb. Like he was sinking in water and couldn’t swim. He couldn’t get his brain to focus, to really process what was happening—what was being screamed at him.  “That’s why he’s working at ELQ. At the mansion. Because he’d decided to get to know his biological father.”

“Yes, but—it wasn’t like Sonny was going to kill him—like he planned it!” Carly stepped towards Jason. “It wasn’t like that! He didn’t mean it—”

“But then he lied about it!” Monica raged. “He sat by Michael’s side and pretended to give a damn for months! And you covered it up! You let an innocent man go to jail—another innocent man was arrested—”

“Julian and Carlos are hardly innocent,” Carly scoffed.

“And what about the lies to Michael?” Monica demanded. “How many times did you lie to him and break his heart? Kiki and Morgan lying to him—everyone in his life lying to him—”

“But it’s okay now!” Carly said, her voice rising high with desperation. “Michael forgave us—Jason—” She looked at him again, then stopped to blink in confusion at the empty space where Jason had been standing. “Jason?”

“He left,” Ava said. She looked at Monica. “Monica—”

“Save it,” Monica retorted. “Both of you deserve to make each other miserable for the rest of your lives.” Then she turned and left.

Carly closed her eyes, pressed a fist to her mouth, then glared at Ava. “This is your fault!”

“Really? Because I was minding my own business before you attacked me. Stop pretending you’re any better than I am.” Ava tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Because we both know you’re worse.”

General Hospital: Hallway

Elizabeth made a face, reaching the elevator just as it slid closed. “Figures,” she muttered. She reached out to press the button to bring it back up to the floor, but a hand wrapped around her wrist.

She scowled, turning to find Franco standing behind her. “Let me go,” she said, her teeth gritted.

“Your savior isn’t here,” Franco said pleasantly but released her wrist. He arched a brow. “I read that everyone knows which twin is which. I wonder if they’re planning to share Sam—”

Elizabeth walked away from him in mid-sentence, deciding to take the stairs, but she should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. He followed her.

“I don’t understand how you can just shove me aside this easily,” Franco demanded. “I made a mistake—”

“You’ve been making mistakes for months,” Elizabeth seethed, “and I’m tired of pretending that they don’t matter. You lied to me about the painting, and then you lied to me about what your mother said—you wanted me to lie to Jason—”

“Well, in my defense—”

“It does not matter — you thought he was Jason,” Elizabeth cut in before he could finish that ridiculous excuse. “I let all of that go, Franco. Even as you humiliated me repeatedly by lying and making me look like an idiot. I let it go. I thought I knew another side of you—I thought you were a better man—”

“I am—”

“You’re not. You put your hands on my son,” Elizabeth retorted. “End of story. You don’t get another chance.”  She pushed past him and turned back towards the hub, not wanting to be near stairs or an elevator with this man. Not ever again.

A hand slapped down on the counter, and she jumped, looking up to find Franco in front of her. “What now?”

“You keep walking away from me, Elizabeth.” Franco leaned in. “Nobody walks away from me.”

Something inside her trembled as her stomach rolled. Oh, God. She’d let him touch her. She’d let him into her life, into her home, her children’s life, into her bed—

How could she have let this happen?

“You lied to me,” Elizabeth said slowly. “You hurt my son. And you tried to make it my fault when I confronted you. I deserve better—”

“Do you?” Franco scrunched his face as if he was thinking it over. “Do you really? The selfish bitch who slept with her brother-in-law and destroyed his family? How about the woman who lied to a man for months about who he was supposed to be, keeping his kids from him—”

Elizabeth kept her lips pressed together even as the familiar crimes washed over her in new humiliating waves of shame. “I made mistakes—”

“There’s mistakes, and then there’s you, Elizabeth.” He smirked. “But that’s your entire life, isn’t it? Just one giant mistake. You were a mistake to your parents. To your family. No man has ever stayed with you, and judging by your history — the minute your kids don’t need you—they’ll leave you, too.”

He leaned in closer. “Because isn’t that the truth, Elizabeth? There’s something wrong with you. No one stays. Haven’t you figured that out yet? All these people running as fast they can from you? You keep telling yourself you deserve better. Keep telling yourself they’re the ones with the problem.”

He smirked again. “We both know better. And when you figure out I’m the only person damaged enough to want to stay, you’ll be back.”

Franco sauntered away as Elizabeth closed her eyes. Didn’t matter if parts of what he said were right. That was how emotional abuse worked. She knew that. She’d read the books. She’d had the training. Take something small and make it her fault.

Maybe she was too damaged for anyone else to love. But that didn’t mean she should settle for someone who had nowhere else to go. She didn’t deserve much, but she was almost sure she deserved better than Franco.

As long as he kept to his little games of torturing her with words and left her boys alone, Elizabeth could deal with anything he threw at her.

ELQ: Michael’s Office

Michael stared at the intercom on his desk, then pressed the button again. “I’m sorry, Sarah. Who’s here to see me?”

“Uh, Jason Morgan, sir. Should I tell him you’re not available—”

“No, no—” Michael shoved himself to his feet. “No, send him in.” He picked up his cell phone and stared at the six voice mails from his mother that he’d ignored, then two more from Sonny. He exhaled slowly, wondering what he had missed.

Jason stepped into the office, then glanced around the dark interiors with a squinting look. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. “I should have called,” he said.

“No, you’re always welcome—” Michael came around the desk and gestured at the seating area in the corner of his office. “You never turned me away when I just showed up and wanted something.” He frowned when Jason didn’t make any attempt to sit. “Jason?”

“You told me not to trust Ava,” he said slowly. “And Elizabeth agreed with you when I asked. But neither one of you told me about Morgan.” Jason looked at Michael, their eyes meeting. “I knew there was something you were all keeping back. It was AJ, wasn’t it?”

Michael closed his eyes. “That talking about Ava and her part in what happened to Morgan might open the door to AJ. We’d start talking about Morgan and Ava’s past—and AJ was part of it.” He leaned against his desk. “How did you find out? Who told you?”

“Monica walked in on Carly screaming at Ava about Morgan,” Jason told Michael. “I don’t—I’m still not sure what happened.”

“Well, then let me give you a crash course.” Michael folded his arms, wincing because all of this was probably the worst way for Jason to find out that his brother had been alive, then murdered. He’d warned his mother, but Carly could never manage to focus on the big picture. “After you went into the water, it only took a few days before PCPD gave up the search. Spinelli and Sonny—they looked as long as they could, but we all thought—” His throat tightened. “We thought your body had been pushed out to the river or was just too deep to find. Grandma made a call at that point—she wanted to tell AJ that you’d died.”

“So she knew he was alive?”

“She and Steven Webber faked AJ’s death and got him out of the country,” Michael told him. “Grandma didn’t want him to come back, but—” He shrugged. “AJ was worried about her. And I think—maybe part of him thought with you gone—he might finally be able to talk to me.” When Jason said nothing, Michael nodded. “He made contact on Halloween and told me that my mother had drugged him to make him think he was drinking again.”

“That’s true,” Jason said slowly. “AJ had been living across the hall from Carly and Tony. They were friends. And after the night they slept together, AJ got sober. He told her if he ever relapsed again—”

“He’d leave town forever,” Michael finished. “Yeah. Mom tried to lie to me at first, but it made too much sense. So she drugged him, then lied to him for months. Lied to Tony Jones, too.” He paused. “Anyway. She and Sonny didn’t handle AJ being back well. Mom even turned him into the police. AJ got the charges dropped, and I decided I wanted to get to know him. So I did. And for about six months, AJ was good. He was in charge of ELQ, he and I were working together to make the company a success, and he was even—” Michael managed a smile. “He dated Elizabeth for a minute.”

“Of course he did,” Jason muttered, looking away. Then focused on Michael. “What happened?”

“Connie Falconieri happened—don’t ask—” Michael said when Jason frowned. “Long story short — Connie was working at the Sun and published a story revealing that Kiki Jerome wasn’t Franco’s daughter, which meant the deciding vote she’d cast to give AJ control of the company was invalid. AJ lost ELQ.” He sighed. “And he blamed himself. He spiraled, made threats against Connie, and then she turned  up dead. AJ was the prime suspect.”

“Monica said—”

“Ava killed Connie and framed AJ,” Michael said. “But AJ was blackout drunk and didn’t remember. He nearly pled guilty, but I convinced him to go to trial. I didn’t think he was guilty, and it took everything I had to convince Sonny not to hurt him. Sonny agreed and left him alone. AJ was acquitted, and eventually—” He closed his eyes. “Eventually, he remembered Ava had done it. When he confronted her, Sonny came in, saw him yelling at Ava, and shot him. Then left AJ to bleed out while he and Ava worked on their alibis.”

Michael looked at Jason. “Then while I was agonizing over AJ’s medical care, making decisions, Sonny sat with me and lied to me. He looked at me, and he told me he hadn’t done this. And I believed him. Because he’d raised me. Then AJ died. For months, I thought someone else had killed him. I thought that I had justice for my father.”

“Michael—”

“Mom knew from the beginning that Sonny had done it. AJ told her at the end. And instead of telling me, she lied. She was with Franco at that point, and they covered it up. And Franco found out the truth about AJ, and to get back at Mom for her affair with Sonny, he played it on a video at the Haunted Star so that I could see it.” Michael turned away from Jason and walked across the room. “Sonny murdered my father, and my mother helped him get away with it. He went to prison and got pardoned. I spent a long time being angry about it, but—” He sighed. “I had to let it go. It was killing Joss and Morgan, it was killing me—”

Michael turned back to his uncle, who was standing silent, as quiet as he’d been since he’d arrived. He hadn’t said more than a few words. “I let it go. And I lied to Mom and Sonny. I told them I forgave them. And sometimes, I think I have. But then I look at my grandmother and think about how much she’s lost. How much has been taken from her, and I remember. So I pretend to keep the peace, Jason. It’s easier.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said after a long moment. “I wish—I wish I could have been here—”

“Why?” Michael said. “What would you have done differently?” He shook his head. “You helped them keep me from AJ all my life. The day I found out the truth, it was the first time—” He pressed his lips together. “It was the first time since we’d lost you that I was glad you were dead. Because you just would have helped them get away with it, too. ”

Jason stared at Michael. His face didn’t change—it never did—but there was something in his eyes—Michael grimaced. “I’m sorry. That’s not—I didn’t mean that—”

“I always—” Jason swallowed hard, looking down at the carpet. “I always told myself that I would tell you the truth one day. That I just wanted you to be able to make your own choices.”

“Jason—”

“I’m glad you did.”

“Jason, wait—”

But by the time Michael had crossed the office, his uncle had left, and he wasn’t able to stop him before the elevators closed. “Damn it,” he swore, slapping his hand against the wall. “Sarah, cancel the rest of my day. I have to deal with something.”

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Drew stepped into the bedroom just as Sam emerged from the bathroom, towel drying her hair. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She waited, then sighed when he said nothing else. “Is this how we’re going to live now?” Sam asked. She sat on the edge of the bed. “Just not talking to each other? You in the guest room?”

“No,” he said. He sat down next to her, leaving a foot of space between them. “I don’t know how to handle this,” Drew said finally. “I’m angry at you for not being honest about what you believed—and I’m angry at everyone else who didn’t even bother to pretend—”

“Ja—” Sam stopped. “Drew,” she said slowly. “Would it have been easier for you if I had told you that I had doubts? I wanted to protect you. And I wanted to protect myself. To protect the kids.” She stared down at her hands, at the wedding ring—Lila’s ring—that he’d put on her finger the year before. “We were so happy before all of this. Finally happy.”

“I know. And maybe that’s why I fought so hard,” he said quietly. “I always knew something felt wrong, and I ignored it. Because I wanted this. I wanted you and the kids. I wanted it to be mine. With the memories—it was something. Before they came, it was just that year as Jake Doe. And now—I know neither of those identities was mine. But I still don’t know who I am. Not really.”

“Your name does not matter to me,” Sam insisted. “I don’t care what anyone else says. I love you. I married you. Scout is our little girl. And, look, Elizabeth gets to do whatever she wants with Jake—she always does—but Danny is my son. Jason was never a father to him. He didn’t even want him—”

Drew winced, and Sam knew he wanted to argue based on his memories, but she was relieved when he didn’t. “He loves you. You’re his father. Jason being alive—that’s great for him. Really. And he’ll get to be with Jake. But it has nothing to do with either of us.”

“But I’m not alone,” Drew said after a minute. “There’s a past. A wife and son that I don’t remember.” He stared ahead at the closet doors. “When I was Jake Doe, Hayden showed up, telling me I was her husband. And I went to be with her. I thought I should live that life. That I was obligated because that was who I had been.”

“But—”

“It was different,” Drew said finally. “That was almost three years ago. The accident, the lack of memories, it was fresh. And I thought I’d only been gone a few months. That if I went back to my real life, I’d get my memories back.”

“But the accident wasn’t why you lost your memories,” Sam murmured.

“No. They were stolen from me. I might never get them back. That doesn’t change the fact there’s a woman out there who married me. That I have a son.”

Sam hesitated. “So what do you want to do? Do you—do you want me to leave? Do you want to leave?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess I should start by talking to Kim Nero and finding out…I don’t know.” Drew looked at Sam. “I know that I still love you. That hasn’t changed for me.”

“And I love you,” Sam insisted. “We’ll figure everything else out. As long as we remember that we love each other, it’ll be okay.”

“Maybe,” Drew said with a faint smile. He glanced over at the baby monitor. “Scout’s awake. I guess I’ll go check on her.”

General Hospital: Hub

“I am so ready to be done with this shift,” Elizabeth told Lucas and Felix as she handed the last of her paperwork over to Felix. “I’m going to go home—”

“Elizabeth, thank God—”

With a wince, Elizabeth turned to find Michael rushing up to her, slightly out of breath. His dress shirt was rumpled and his hair disheveled. “Michael—what’s going on? What happened—”

Michael took her by the shoulder and pulled her away from Felix and Lucas, towards a seating area. “Have you talked to Jason in the last few hours?”

“No, I figured he’d be busy with Spinelli and I think he said something about lunch with Monica.” Elizabeth frowned. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I—” Michael grimaced. “He apparently got in the middle of Mom screaming at Ava, and Grandma took the opportunity to remind Mom about AJ—”

Elizabeth made a face. “Oh, no. He didn’t know—”

“No. And then he came to see me—and I didn’t—” Michael dragged his hands through his hair. “Damn it. I didn’t mean it. I was just—talking about this always brings it back, and I start to feel guilty all over again that I let Mom and Sonny back into my life, and I think about—”

“Michael, just calm down—” Elizabeth put out a hand. “Tell me what happened.”

“I told him that I was glad he’d been dead when it all went down,” Michael admitted, “because he just would have helped Mom and Sonny get away with it, too.”

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open slightly as she stared at Michael in disbelief. “You didn’t! Michael!”

“I didn’t—I didn’t mean it to the sound the way it did—” Michael sighed. “He left before I could apologize, and then he didn’t answer my calls. He doesn’t have that tracking app on his phone yet. I thought for sure—”

Elizabeth sighed. “No, he didn’t get in touch with me, but—” She bit her lip. “I think I know where he might go. And it’s not going to make anything easier.”

“What? Where? Elizabeth—”

“Go home,” Elizabeth told him. “I’ll take care of it.”

Floating Rib: Parking Lot

They’d renamed the bar six months before Jason had been shot and shoved into the frigid waters of the harbor, but somehow he’d let himself forget that fact. Even so, the interior had always looked the same, and Jason just wanted to go inside and lose himself the way he’d used to—

But someone had redecorated it, and the dingy color and broken down furniture had been replaced by newer and brighter colors. It wasn’t the same. It wasn’t Jake’s.

Nothing was the way it was supposed to be, and Jason just stared at the building for a long time, feeling more lost than he had a right to be. It was just a bar. Just a place.

But it had always been his safe place. The one spot in the entire world he could count on—

His phone rang again, and Jason looked down at it, expecting to see Michael or Carly’s name flash across the screen. Michael had given up almost an hour ago, but Carly had called every few minutes.

He didn’t know what to say to anyone. How to handle it. How to process what had happened or why it had hit him so hard—he’d never liked AJ, that was no secret. Why did it twist something inside of him so hard to learn that AJ had been alive all that time, that he’d returned to rebuild his life—

That Sonny had killed him, and Carly had helped to cover it up?

But the call wasn’t from Sonny, Carly, or Michael. It was Elizabeth. Thinking it was about Jake—if he could see his son, maybe that would help—

“Elizabeth?”

“Hey. Are you busy right now?”

Jason looked at the sign over the bar, then shook his head. “No. I’m not.”

“Great. Can you meet me at the corner of Van Ness and Arnold? There’s something I need to do, and I could use your help.”

Relieved at the distraction, Jason agreed, “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He hung up the phone, then got back into the SUV.

When he arrived at the street corner Elizabeth had given him, he pulled up behind her car, then stepped out to find her leaning against a chain-link fence. “Hey. What’s up? Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said. She gestured towards the building behind the fence—the building he hadn’t noticed before now. And the parking lot out front. Jason took in the lines of motorcycles, swallowing hard.

She’d brought him to a motorcycle dealership.

“Elizabeth—”

“It’s been a long time since we went nowhere fast,” she told him, “and I had a really bad day. I thought maybe you might need a ride, too.”

Am I hiding behind my doubts?
Are they hiding behind me?
I’m closer to finding out
It doesn’t mean anything.
I remind myself of somebody else now
Feeling like I’m chasing
like I’m facing myself alone
I’ve got somebody else’s thoughts in my head
I want some of my own
– Somebody Else’s Song, Lifehouse

---

May 2015

Cassadine Estate: Lab

Jake practically skipped into Andre’s lab and smiled broadly as he climbed up onto the examining table. “Hi, Dr. Maddox,” he said cheerfully. “Guess what?”

“Good morning, Jake.” Andre smiled over at his patient, but it was a bittersweet smile. In the last five months, he and the little boy had spent a great deal of time together as Andre had perfected the programming he’d been asked to create for him—along with Andre’s additions.

He and Kita hadn’t been able to have children, but Andre had wanted them. He’d looked forward to being a father, and he thought that these last few months might be the closest he’d ever come to being one.

Today, however, was Jake’s final visit. Andre had completed his work and would be performing a final act that would erase Jake’s memories of him. It was necessary, Helena had told him, since she planned to send Andre to Port Charles in a few months if Jason Morgan hadn’t regained his memories. Once Jake was sent home, Helena had plans for the boy and his family. She hadn’t cared about the man running around Port Charles calling himself Jake Doe, but she’d used him to run errands and commit crimes. Now, however, with his obedience chip removed, it was time for Helena to start the clock on whatever revenge she’d cooked up.

Andre only hoped he’d done enough to stop it from hurting Jake.

“Today is my birthday.” Jake’s grin deepened. “I’m seven.”

“I know. I saw the date in the chart.” Andre returned his smile. “Are you having a party?”

“No. Tana said Mrs. Cassadine was too busy, but she also said that maybe I was going home soon. Mrs. Cassadine is really close to finding my mother.” Jake practically vibrated with excitement. “Do you think my mom misses me? Why do you think she doesn’t know where I am?”

“I don’t know what your mother knows or what happened,” Andre said as he approached the child with the sensors to place at his temple. “Lay down. You know the drill.”

“I think maybe I just got lost, and maybe my mom is looking for me, too. And that’s why Mrs. Cassadine thinks she’s found her. I bet my mom misses me.”

“I’m sure she does.”

“I wonder if I have brothers or sisters. Or if I ever had a dad. I wish Mrs. Cassadine knew more about me.” Jake sighed and laid down, ready to let Andre start the procedure. “She said she found me wandering the island, but I don’t know Greek. So I’m not from here. She tried really hard, but the police didn’t know who I was either. So she took care of me. You think Tana will come with me?”

“Probably not,” Andre admitted as he returned to his work station. There wouldn’t be any place for a Greek governess. “Has she been with you long?”

“Oh, yeah, for a really long time,” Jake said. “She was always here. And Mrs. Cassadine’s family is always nice when they visit.”

Andre frowned. “I didn’t realize you’d visited with her family.” He wished Helena had told him more about Jake’s time on the island. It was so hard to pinpoint which memories he needed to suppress.

He wasn’t going to erase a single minute from this child’s memory—only shove it down for as long as possible. One day, when Helena’s plans had been foiled, Andre hoped that Jake would remember him. Or remember his time on the island. He’d been happy here. And maybe one day, his mother would want to know that he’d remembered her all along. Would that comfort the mysterious Elizabeth Webber?

“I met her son. The creepy one,” Jake clarified. “There are two creepy ones, but one of them looks mean, and the other one is just really stuffy.” He shrugged. “And her grandson. But he only came once.”

Andre frowned. He’d only met Valentin—who—

“The stuffy one went away, though. That happens a lot,” Jake said sadly. “There was a tutor I had before, but he went away after he tried to help me find my mom. I had a second nanny once. But she left, too. I thought she’d found my mom, but I guess not.” Jake was troubled now. “That’s weird, isn’t it, Dr. Maddox?”

“What is?” Andre asked gently.

“Lots of people wanted to help me get home, but then they left me. I wonder why.” Jake closed his eyes. “Are we almost done?”

“Almost. You’ll feel sleepy, and then when you wake up—” Andre hesitated. “You’ll feel better when you wake up.”

And he would remember nearly nothing about anyone he’d met over the last four years. He’d only remember Helena.

“God help us all if this doesn’t work,” Andre murmured, and pressed the button.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Greystone Manor: Driveway

Joss waved at the guard at the gate who let Jason through. “Thanks again for the ride home,” she told him, popping her gum, “but, like, you should know that you are not going to be very popular with my mother when we get inside.”

Jason winced, glancing at the blonde teenager in his passenger seat. “Because I didn’t take her to the PCPD?”

“Yup. I mean, I know what you were doing, and, like, totally the right call, you know, but—” she shrugged. “Thwarting Carly is never a good idea. This can only lead to tears.” She frowned when he didn’t say anything. “You never saw Anastasia, did you? That’s, like, a reference—” She huffed. “Man, I forgot you don’t do pop culture.”

“Why do you call your mom by her first name sometimes?” Jason asked, ignoring the pop culture complaint. “That’s the third time I’ve heard you do that.”

“Oh, well, it helps me keep her in perspective, you know? Like — Mom is my mom. She’s the person that I can go to with problems and stuff. The woman who raised me and all that,” Joss said as Jason parked the car behind one of Sonny’s cars. She pushed open the door, waiting to continue until Jason came around to her side of the SUV. “Carly is a production. An event. The hurricane. And sometimes—” Joss folded her arms, stared at the ground, and kicked at a piece of gravel. “She’s not really the same woman. It helps to keep them separate. Does that sound stupid?”

“No,” Jason admitted. “That’s…actually the way I’ve been able to stay friends with her for so long.” Joss raised her head, her eyes widened. “Because your mom is my friend, but sometimes—yeah, Carly isn’t always fun to be around.”

Relieved, Joss nodded. “So you get it. Cool. You won’t, like, snitch on me?”

“No. But you’re about to miss curfew, so—”

“Frick on a stick,” Joss muttered and hurried inside. She flashed a bright smile at Max, who opened the door. “I made it!” she declared.

“You’re thirty seconds late and you know how your mom gets,” the guard said dryly. “She’s in the living room. Hey, Jase.” Max paused. “Uh, you are Jason, right?”

“Yeah, Max. We got the results back,” Jason said. “Sonny in there, too?”

“Ah, no. Mr. C went over to the restaurant for a few hours.” He glanced at the double doors where Joss had disappeared. “He and Mrs. C had some words earlier, and he left.”

Jason made a face, then nodded. “Thanks.” He looked at the entry to the living room and decided to just get it over with.

“You can’t just decide you’re going to break curfew without permission,” Carly was saying when he came in while Joss muttered something about thirty lousy seconds. She huffed, then met Jason’s eyes. “And I am mad at you,” she snapped.

“Of course you are,” Joss said dramatically. “He just found out he has a secret twin brother who was magically implanted with all of his memories and living his life, raising his kids—oh and the evil doctor behind it all also tried to screw with Jake— but, hey, let’s make this about you.”

Carly’s mouth dropped as she stared at her daughter. “Excuse me?” She looked at Jason again. “What’s going on?”

“Actually—” Grateful to the teenager whose eyes were sparkling with mischief. “It’s pretty much what Joss said. “I’m Jason, he’s Drew Cain. Andre Maddox did something he calls mapping to take my memories and put them into Drew’s brain. He wanted to do the reverse to me, but the brain damage from the accident meant he couldn’t. He worked for Victor, who was also working with Helena, and he put some sort of trigger in Jake to make the Nurse’s Ball happen.”

“I—”

“So you’re up to speed now. I’m going to go find Sonny.”

“Wait, Jason—”

But Jason had already walked out, leaving Carly watching him with stunned hurt while Joss fought the urge to cackle behind her. She almost never got to be around for the good stuff.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

General Hospital: Nurse’s Hub

“I’m so sorry I missed your cake last night.”

Elizabeth looked up, frowning at her former mother-in-law and the hospital administrator, Laura Spencer. “Oh—that’s okay. I ended running out after we ate.” She hesitated. “I went to the PCPD with Jason. You heard about Andre—”

“I did.” Laura folded her arms over the folders she held against her chest. “I saw his hasty resignation letter, and Robert paid me a visit last night to make sure I knew who was working at the hospital.” She shook her head. “We trusted him with Jake. That’s the most upsetting part of all of this. It’s terrible what happened to Jason and Drew, but Jake—”

“I took my son to Andre to help him, and he was the reason Jake was going through any of it in the first place.” Elizabeth made a face. “And now I have to find a way to tell Jake that his friend, that the man he trusted was the bad guy.” She paused. “I thought about not telling him, but—”

“It happened to him, and he’s been through enough. He deserves the truth,” Laura finished with a nod. “I agree. Luke and I might not have done everything right, but we tried to be honest with Lucky when we needed to be about things that put him in danger. Speaking of our ex-husbands,” she added, smiling grimly when Elizabeth made a face, “Luke called me as well. Sonny asked him and Lucky to try to track down Faison.”

“Oh, yeah, that was my idea.” Elizabeth signed a chart and set it aside. “Jason’s trying to find out if Faison was only working for Victor. If we can be sure that Victor and Helena were behind everything—if Andre was just tying up loose ends, this could be over—” She bit her lip.

“But you don’t think that,” Laura pressed gently.

“Honestly, I think every third word out of his mouth was a lie or a half-truth. It would be great if Helena and Victor were the bad guys,” Elizabeth admitted, “but it doesn’t explain why Andre showed up after we knew Helena was dead. Or who sent the men after Jason when he escaped from Russia.” She waited. “And there’s the fact that Nikolas told me Jake Doe was Jason.”

“Now you’re wondering what Helena knew and what she told Nikolas.” Laura closed her eyes.

“I just—he was so far from the man I knew—from the friend that I had counted on for so long,” Elizabeth continued. “What happened with ELQ—and Hayden—I just can’t seem to wrap my mind around any of it. I don’t know why Helena would lie to Nikolas or why he’d lie to me. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there is one Cassadine left who could be responsible for taking over after Helena died.”

Laura’s lips thinned as she pressed them together. “Valentin. I want him to pay for what happened to Nikolas. If you need anything—anything,” she stressed. “Please promise that you’ll come to me. Valentin is a dangerous man, and I can’t bear for him to get away with one more crime.”

“I will,” Elizabeth promised, flashing Felix a smile as he stepped up into the hub, and Laura walked away towards the elevator.

“Everything okay?” Felix asked as he traded one chart for another.

“Yeah, Laura and I were just catching up—” Elizabeth frowned when she saw Felix’s face go still. She turned toward to follow his gaze, grimacing as she recognized Franco by the elevators. Staring at her. After a moment, he turned and walked away.

“It would be great,” Felix said, “if he wasn’t so damn creepy.”

“Felix—”

“You watch your back, Elizabeth,” he cautioned her. “Because that man isn’t going down without a fight.”

Davis House: Living Room

Sam frowned when she found her sister lying on her back on the sofa, her phone in her hands. “Where’s Mom?”

Kristina didn’t look away from the screen. “I think she went into work today or something. She said something about needing to deal with paperwork.”

“Oh.” Oddly disappointed, Sam sat on the edge of the armchair. “Why aren’t you in class?”

“Canceled today. Prof had a conference in Rochester, so we gotta write a paper.” Kristina sat up, tossed her phone on the table. “I can’t wait to be done with this semester. One more month. You know, I was thinking — now that you own a huge media corporation, you should just, like, hire me.”

Sam raised her brows. “You hated it when Sonny pulled strings for you—”

Kristina shrugged. “Yeah, well, I also hate business school, but if I just drop out without a plan, Mom will, like, totally set me on fire.” She folded her legs, then wiggled her eyebrows at her sister. “So, how’s it going?”

“Is that supposed to be funny?” Sam asked darkly.

“No, it’s a legit question with a snarky tone of phrase. You and, uh, Drew sticking together? Or are you gonna throw your hat into the Jason ring again?”

“Why does everyone think I’m going to leave my husband?” Sam demanded. “And don’t say Patrick—”

“Okay, well, there’s also the fact that you trash every relationship eventually to be with Jason. I mean, you and Lucky were solid—”

“He was still in love with his wife—”

“Well, that is the danger of seducing a married man,” Kristina said prosaically. “Sometimes they’re screwing you for nefarious reasons—” Ignoring her sister’s growl, Kristina continued, “and you can’t discount Patrick. You didn’t even like Jake Doe before you found out who he was supposed to be. Any time you think you have a chance at Jason, you take off running to him. So, I mean, what are people supposed to think?”

“They’re supposed to think that I’m not who I was twelve years ago,” Sam said, darkly. “Or that I’ve learned my lesson. I married Jason—” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. “I married Drew. I married the man. Yes, I thought we had a history together, and maybe, I don’t know—if we had found this out a year ago—I don’t know. I think maybe it would be harder. But he’s Scout’s father, and he loves Danny. He’s a good man, and he deserves my support.”

“Maybe,” Kristina said, “and, like, great for all that, but, you know, Jason isn’t gonna wait around for you to figure this out. You pick Drew now, you’re gonna have to live with that.” She picked up her phone and started to flick through it again. “I heard from Joss that Elizabeth Webber broke up with Franco, so you know—”

“I’m so glad we had this conversation,” Sam retorted, getting to her feet. “Drew’s pissed at me because maybe part of me knew the truth, and it was hard for me, and Mom’s looking at me like I’m crazy, and you don’t seem to respect me—”

“I love you, Sam,” Kristina told her quietly. “I have no room to talk, and I barely have it together, so, like, what’s my opinion worth, you know? I just—I’ve watched you for a long time. I’ve watched you screw up and hurt yourself. Hurt others. And, like, I get it. Drew’s a good guy. I like him. But you’re addicted to danger. Absolutely addicted. And it turns out Drew’s a good guy who wants to run a media company. He’s never gonna give you the high you want. So if you pick him now, really pick him. You don’t get a do-over on this.”

“You,” Sam said carefully, “don’t know what you’re talking about. You said it yourself—you’re a mess who can barely keep it together. You’re not better than me, Krissy—”

“No, but at least I’m not approaching middle age still trying to figure out who the hell I am!” Kristina called after her, but Sam had already slammed the front door before she finished her taunt.

Quartermaine Mansion: Foyer

“Oh, I wish I could stay to talk,” Monica complained as she let Jason in. “I have a board meeting—”

“It’s fine,” Jason told her. “We can catch up later.” He paused. “Michael told you the results came back?”

“Yes,” Monica said with a nod, “and I’m glad it was sorted out so quickly. We’ll have to reach out to Drew and Oscar, but—” She grimaced. “I really do have to go—”

“It’s okay,” Jason told her.

“Call me,” Monica said, buttoning her coat. “We’ll talk—” When his mother left, Jason went to meet Michael in the office, his shoulders itching as he walked into a room he had stayed away from when he’d lived in the mansion. This room reminded him of Edward and the angry disappointment of his grandfather.

He’d wanted Edward out of his life and shoved him out—but now Jason thought he might not mind one more run-in with the old man.

“Hey.” Michael grinned as he got to his feet. “Sorry—I was swamped and couldn’t get away from work.” He gestured at the paperwork on his desk. “Contracts. And I’m trying to get our corporate lawyer to work on ELQ shares now that you’re back and Drew is also a blood relative. Not to mention Oscar—” He dragged a hand through his sandy blond hair. “Not that Drew is ready for that, but I wanted—” He stopped, stared at Jason. “Why are you smiling? What’s funny?”

“Nothing. I just—” Jason sat down and Michael returned to the desk. “I never pictured you doing this, but you look happy. It’s what you want?”

“It is,” Michael said, carefully. “And it made sense with Ned in New York and Aunt Tracy retiring to Amsterdam. It wasn’t easy, but I’m where I want to be.” He tapped a pencil against the desk. “Spinelli still coming today?”

“Supposed to be here this afternoon. Said something kept him in Portland,” Jason added. He paused. “Have you talked to your mother yet?”

“Yeah, I got an angry voice mail last night, and then a crying one this morning.” Michael tipped his head. “She can’t decide if she’s angry at you or at herself, but you know Mom. She’ll come back to being angry at someone else entirely before it’s done.”

Jason did know that, and it was part of the reason he was here. He didn’t need Carly running around, feeling hurt and betrayed because she wasn’t included in every part of his life. “I can’t go back in time and change what I did,” he said. “And I wouldn’t. I just wanted answers last night. And once I knew that Andre Maddox had been arrested—I knew Elizabeth would—” He stopped, shook his head. That wasn’t how it had happened, and Jason didn’t know why he was telling Michael this. He hadn’t known Andre was being arrested when he asked Elizabeth to go with him. He’d just known he wanted her there, not Carly.

But once Jordan had told him that Andre had been arrested, Jason knew it was a good idea to take Elizabeth and leave Carly and Sonny at home.

“You knew that Mom would make a scene, go after Andre, and make it about her. Dad might have been okay, but you couldn’t take him without her.” Michael raised his brows. “And Elizabeth was invested because of Andre and she’s good at doing the moral support thing. You don’t have to sugar coat it with me, Jase. I know—” A strange shadow crossed his face as he took a deep breath. “I know how level-headed she can be in a crisis. And the last thing you need is Mom pulling her Carly tricks—”

He paused. “The thing is,” Michael continued, “that this has been a bad year. I mean—insanely bad,” he added. “I’m not trying to make excuses for her. There’s usually not an excuse for Mom. Believe me. But it’s barely been a year since Morgan—” He leaned back in his chair. “Has Mom talked to you about Nelle?”

“Your girlfriend?” Jason shrugged, shook his head. “No. I know she doesn’t like her, but I wouldn’t expect her to like anyone you were dating.”

Michael’s smile was brief, but humorless. “Well, yeah, but with Nelle, she’s got good reason. Nelle is Mom’s….you know Frank Benson? Her adopted father?” When Jason nodded, Michael continued, “After he left Carly’s mom, Virginia, he had another daughter. Nelle. And it was Nelle’s kidney that saved Joss.”

“Nelle’s—” Jason hesitated. “I didn’t—with Jake being alive, of course—I didn’t even—” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “How did that—”

“Jax bought her kidney on the black market. Nelle was just a kid. She came looking for Mom, and…well, she might not be related to Mom, but I guess revenge grows in the Benson family anyway.” Michael twirled a pen in his hand, staring at it. “She, ah, tried to ruin Mom’s life by going after Dad. You know, pulling one of Mom’s old tricks.”

Jason stared at him, then frowned. There had been so much information in that sentence—how had Jax known about Joss needing a kidney from the black market? And he had the feeling that, once again, Jason was only getting half the story with this Nelle person. “And you’re dating her?”

“I am. Because I saw who she really is,” he said. “You know, how you forgave Mom for all the crap she’s pulled over the years? Sometimes people do insane things and lash out.”

“Okay—”

“The point is that me dating Nelle, losing Morgan, and a few other things—Mom is just—she’s doing the best she can. But Jason—Drew—” Michael grimaced. “He was pulling away months ago, and he was never the kind of person Mom could depend on. She’s…had a rough time. It doesn’t make it right,” he repeated, “but I just thought—I don’t know—she’s gonna start crap with Elizabeth because since the Jake Doe stuff and finding out Jake didn’t donate the kidney—”

“She doesn’t feel as obligated to be nice,” Jason finished. “Michael, I’m not trying to hurt your mother. I just—”

“You need to handle all of this in a way that works for you,” Michael said with a nod “Yeah, I get that, Jase, and I’m here to help. Whatever you need. I’m glad you’re back. That you’re safe. That you get to know Jake. I don’t know Danny as well,” he continued, “Sam’s kind of kept him away from us, but I know Jake and his brothers really well thanks to Joss and Grandma bringing them around. He’s a great kid who’s been through hell. He deserves to have you in his life. Just like me and Morgan.”

“I wish I’d been here for Morgan,” Jason said, his throat tightening at the thought that the little boy Carly and Sonny had named after him had died so violently.

“Me, too,” Michael murmured. He flashed his uncle a smile. “But you’re here now, and all we can do is move forward.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

“Hey, man.” Curtis nodded at Drew as he closed the door behind him. He grinned at the little girl in the bouncy chair trying to scoot across the room. “Oh, man, every time I see you, kid—” Curtis knelt down, and Scout giggled, bouncing up and down. “She’s getting big.”

“Yeah.” Drew sighed. “I’m sorry I should have called—I shouldn’t have left like that. I guess I don’t really know what I’m doing yet—”

“You’ve been smacked down hard, man. You gotta get back up however works for you.” Curtis straightened, then held out a folder. “Didn’t know if you’d want this now, but it’s the background you wanted on Andrew Cain.”

“On me.” Drew took the folder, stared at it, then over at the little girl with the dark eyes and dark curls. His little girl. He walked over to the desk, set the folder down, then flipped it open, finding the same photo Alexis had shown him a few days ago.

“Distinguished career,” Curtis said. “Lots of medals and honor. And those Navy SEAL skills—explains how you were able to live the Morgan life. And why you didn’t really fit into the crime part of it.”

“Maybe—” Drew picked up a photocopy of a marriage license. Andrew Cain had married Cara Sanders on June 12, 2000, in Rochester, New York. Beneath the license lay a photograph of a couple in wedding gear — Drew in the uniform again, and the woman — a beautiful brunette with light blue eyes and pale skin — staring into each other’s eyes. “Oscar’s mother?”

“Yeah. Born here in Rochester, abandoned as an infant. She had some medical issues that kept her from being adopted. Andrew Cain showed up as a eighteen-month-old abandoned at a firehouse. Tucked in his little basket was a birth certificate and paperwork surrendering him to the state,” Curtis continued. Drew looked at him sharply.

“A birth certificate?”

“Had the right birth date — September 19, 1974 — but a bogus father, and changed your mother’s last namer. Susan Cain is listed as the mother and Scott Maine as the father. I figure—”

“Combination of Scott Baldwin and Alan Quartermaine. She was married to Scott when she was murdered,” Drew said faintly. “They changed the last name, but close enough to the truth if anyone was looking for it—”

“I got curious,” Curtis interrupted. “Because I remember you telling me the story about Franco being the twin brother, and I wondered what the plan was. How did you end up in Rochester? How was he involved? Why did Heather give his name? And you were born in New York City—so I did a search—”

He took out another folder from his bag and handed it over to Drew. “I did a deep background on Susan Moore — and found the birth certificates registered in New York on September 20, 1974, the day after you were born. Jason and Andrew Moore. There’s a box on the long-form certificates—single, twin, or triplet. Both are marked as twin.” He paused. “Susan Moore had both of you long enough to name you. She put herself on the birth certificate — but the father was left blank. If you had Jason’s original birth certificate, you’d have seen him marked as a twin, and if you saw that—your cert was easy to find.”

“But that’s proof she knew there were two of us.” Drew frowned. “I don’t get it. She went to a lot of trouble to get a million-dollar trust for me—” He squeezed his eyes shut. “For Jason. If there had been two—”

“She’d have taken the Quartermaines for double. So why didn’t Susan bring you home with her?” Curtis lifted his brows. “It’s a shame that she’s not around to ask, but you know there are a couple of people who knew her. And only one of them is psychotic.” He paused. “Well, I guess that depends on how you feel about Scott Baldwin.”

Kelly’s: Courtyard

“I know,” Elizabeth told her youngest son as they trudged towards the diner, “I know she’s a pain, Aiden, but if you’re going to call her names, you need to do it where the teacher can’t hear you.”

“Why am I not surprised that the Maternal’s One advice is so practical?”

Elizabeth turned and grinned at the lanky younger man as Damien Spinelli entered the courtyard from the opposite side, a little girl with curly blonde hair clutching at his hand. “Spinelli! Hey!”

“It’s good to see you.” Spinelli embraced her and kissed her cheek before giving Aiden a high-five. “Where’s the rest of the crew?” His eyes fastened on hers. “Has Little Stone Cold met his namesake?”

“He has,” Elizabeth said, smiling brightly. “It’s been hard, but I think it’s going okay. And look at you, Georgie! How grown up you are!”

“Mommy’s got a baby in her tummy,” Georgie said before ducking behind her father’s pant leg.

“Oh, man, uh, that is not public information—” Spinelli winced. “Maximista is not telling people that yet—”

“I’ll keep my lips zipped,” Elizabeth promised. “What are you doing at Kelly’s? I thought you’d be glued to Jason’s side—”

“Ah, I’m meeting Stone—” Spinelli stopped as he stared straight, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Stone Cold,” he finished in a quiet voice. Elizabeth turned to find Jason standing in the slightly open doorway. “It’s—” He couldn’t finish.

“Daddy?” Georgie said, tugging on his hand. “You ‘kay?”

“I am beyond magnificent,” Spinelli told his daughter before grinning, releasing Georgie’s hand and hurtling himself across the courtyard like the twenty-year-old slacker he’d been once. Jason grunted as Spinelli threw himself into his arms.

“Daddy’s happy,” Georgie told Aiden. “He was very bouncy at home.”

“It’s good to see you,” Jason said, drawing Spinelli back slightly, then fully stepping into the courtyard, letting the door close. “Thank you for coming.”

“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away,” Spinelli told him, his voice thick. “I thought you were back—and I’m sorry I married your wife to your brother, my bad—but you weren’t back, and I can see it now, I don’t know why I didn’t before—and I looked, and I looked—I looked so hard for you—” He turned to Elizabeth. “Didn’t I?”

“For days,” Elizabeth said softly. “He was diving in the harbor long after the rest of the world had given up.”

“But you weren’t there to find, and I’m so glad. It kept me up thinking of you like that—” Spinelli took a deep breath. “You’re here. My Yoda is home, and you’ve come to me, the Jackal, for assistance—” He blinked, then turned to put a hand out. “My daughter. Georgie, come meet Daddy’s best friend in the entire world. He saved my life.”

“Spinelli—” Jason began, but Spinelli picked Georgie up and shoved the little girl at him. “Uh, hey.”

“I’m Georgiana,” Georgie said. “Mommy named for my aunt who is in heaven. Do you know anyone in heaven? Daddy says it’s nice and that Aunt Georgie is happy.”

“I know a few people,” Jason said. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jason.”

“I know. Daddy talks about you a lot.  My middle name is Morgan. Did you know that? Georgiana Morgan Spinelli.”

“That is…” Jason paused. “A lot of name for someone so little.”

“Daddy says I’ll grow into it,” she said confidently as Jason set her on her feet. “Ellie says my mouth already did, but Mommy thinks I’m perfect just the way I am.”

“You remind me of your father,” Jason said dryly.

“Why don’t I take Georgie inside for a milkshake?” Elizabeth suggested. “Aiden and I were picking up dinner for everyone back home, and you two definitely need to catch up.”

“Oh—” Spinelli nodded. “Yeah, that would be great.”

“Thanks,” Jason told Elizabeth. “Hey, Aiden.”

“Hey,” Aiden said glumly. “I got in trouble again at school,” he told Jason. “Did you know that even if someone calls you names, it doesn’t count because the teacher only hears you?”

“I didn’t—”

“Charlotte said I was a bastard, so I called her a brat—” Aiden looked at Spinelli and Georgie as if looking for some extra support. “I think she was worse, but Miss Tait says she didn’t hear it and I should have came to her. But I did that last time, and nothing.” He kicked the ground. “I coulda used one of the words Cam does, but—”

“Let’s go inside and discuss new ways to deal with your cousin,” Elizabeth said hastily. “Georgie? What kind of flavor of milkshake do you want?”

“Oh, I like all flavors—” The doors closed as the three of them went into Kelly’s, cutting off Georgie’s answer.

Spinelli wrinkled his nose after them. “That Charlotte kid—Maxie has the worst stories to share—” He shook his head, then focused on Jason. “It’s really you.”

“It’s me.” Jason shoved his hands into his pockets. “I need your help,” he said. “No one follows the money like you do.”

“Well, then,” Spinelli drew up his shoulders and grinned wildly. “The Jackal is reporting for duty.”

Cut me down
But it’s you who has further to fall
Ghost town, haunted love
Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones
I’m talking loud not saying much
– Titanium, Jasmine Thompson

---

Mykonos, Greece; December 2014

Cassadine Estate: Nursery

The boy was clearly too old to be cooped up in the suite of rooms that had served as the estate’s nursery for more than a century. Andre didn’t know a lot about the little boy that Helena Cassadine had kidnapped almost four years earlier, but he knew the child was approaching the age of seven.

He was a bright and cheerful little boy with sandy blonde hair, kind blue eyes, and a smile for anyone who offered him one first. He seemed somehow untouched by his time in Greece—almost as if Helena had kidnapped him, set him up in this room with a tutor and a governess, then had forgotten about him until the time came when he would be useful.

That day had finally come.

“Hi.” The boy waved at him and got to his feet, pushing aside the truck he was playing with. “My name is Jake. Who are you? Does Tana know you’re here?”

“Yes,” Andre said. He took a chair from the table and sat down. “I’m a doctor working with Mrs. Cassadine. Can you sit down, talk with me for a minute?”

“Sure. I haven’t seen Mrs. Cassadine in forever,” Jake said. He joined Andre at the table, taking a minute to climb into the adult-sized chair. “She’s nice, though.”

“Is she?”

“Tana says she’s very busy looking for my family.” Jake squinted at Andre. “Do you know where I came from?”

“No,” Andre said, slowly. This was mostly true. He didn’t know much about the boy in front of him, other than the fact he was the son of Jason Morgan and a woman Helena obviously loathed. She wanted to make this woman—Elizabeth Webber—pay for some slight, for some crime she’d committed. “Do you know?”

“Tana says I used to have a mommy, but not a daddy. She says my daddy left.” Jake furrowed his brow. “I don’t know what happened, though. Tana says I shouldn’t ask questions.”

“How long have you been here?”

“With Mrs. Cassadine?” Jake paused, clearly thinking over his answer. “A few years. I think. I don’t know. I didn’t always live here because I remember what my room looked like before. I had lots of posters. And trucks. I like trucks. And motorcycles. And cars,” he added.

“You remember your old room? What about your mother?”

Jake paused, then dipped his head. “I sort of remember her,” he said in a small voice. “But Tana said it was a dream.”

“What do you remember?” Andre asked gently.

“She was crying, and I missed her, and then someone took me away.” Jake rubbed a hand over his eyes. “She tried to come after me, but—I don’t remember anything else.” He pinned Andre with his bright blue eyes. “Do you know my mommy? Why are you asking all these questions?”

“I don’t know your mother,” Andre said, “but I’m here to help you get ready to go home. Mrs. Cassadine—'” He closed his eyes. He’d done so many terrible things in his search for answers—what he’d done to this little boy’s father and uncle was beyond anything else—

But Andre knew what he was about to do to this child—the lies he would tell—the things he was supposed to put into his brain—

It was too late to get out. Too late to turn back. But maybe he could try to help. Maybe he could—

He was the expert, after all. Helena didn’t have to know—

“You missed your mother?” Andre said quietly. “So you remember loving her.”

“It’s weird,” Jake admitted. “Because I can’t really remember what she looked like except she had shiny brown hair and a nice smile. But I remember that I loved her. And I know she loved me. It’s like—” His face scrunched up. “You know how you can remember a feeling?”

“Yes,” Andre said slowly. “I do.”

“I’m going home to her?” Jake asked. “They found her? Where is she? Where has she been all this time?”

“We haven’t found her yet,” Andre told him. “But Mrs. Cassadine thinks we’re close, so she wants you to be ready.” He smiled at Jake. “And that’s my job.”

If Jake could remember the feeling of his mother’s love after all this time, then maybe Andre could use that love as a failsafe.

If Helena was determined to use this little boy to trigger a biological weapon, then it was up to Andre to do whatever he could do to protect him. There was obviously no one else who could.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

PCPD: Squad Room

Sam didn’t know what she was expecting when she and her husband arrived at the department that evening — but she certainly was not expecting Elizabeth Webber with the other man.

She felt her husband stiffen as he saw the two of them standing by Dante Falconieri’s desk, talking with the detective.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Sam told her husband, tugging on his coat sleeve. “Let’s find Jordan—” Then her eyes widened when she saw Dante’s partner, Nathan West, strolling out of the back room with Andre Maddox in handcuffs. “Andre? What the—”

The doctor looked away, and Elizabeth glared at her colleague. “How could you?” she bit out. “How could you do that to Jake?”

“Elizabeth—” Andre began.

“He trusted you—we all trusted you—”

“I swear, since I started treating him—”

“What the hell is going on?” Her husband declared, shoving his way forward. “What happened to Jake? What did you do to my son?”

Andre stared at the other man, then closed his eyes, and fear licked at Sam’s throat. Oh, God, oh God—

“You didn’t tell him the results yet?” he asked, turning to Dante. Her husband’s face stilled, and Sam pressed her fist to her mouth. Oh, God, she’d known, but she hadn’t wanted to—

“No, not yet,” another voice sounded from the other side of the room. Jordan Ashford strode forward, her boyfriend just behind her. Curtis’s eyes were averted, and Sam turned to look at the man who was about to lose everything.

“I love you,” she told him. “Please remember that.”

“What do the fingerprints say?” her husband asked, ignoring her. He swallowed hard, nodding at the file in Jordan’s hand. “You have them, don’t you?”

“I do,” Jordan said. “And advanced DNA results. I know which one of you is Jason Morgan, and we can say—for certain now—that the other man is Andrew Cain, his twin brother.”

Greystone Manor: Kitchen

Carly charged into the kitchen, waving her phone. “Look at this text message!” she told her husband.

Sonny frowned, stepped back from the stove, and wiped his hands on the dishtowel hanging over the oven handle. “What?”

“Just read it—”

Sonny squinted at the text.

hey mom gonna go to cams hes got leftover cake and his mom went with jason to pcpd to resolve the whole jase-face drama will prolly make curfew unless something interesting happens.

Sonny knew exactly why his wife was irritated, but he really didn’t want to have this argument. “Jason will probably let us know what happens when he gets a chance—”

“Why didn’t he call us?” Carly demanded. When she didn’t take the phone Sonny held out to her, he tossed it on the island counter and went back to the simmering sauce. “Why is he with her?”

“Because he probably got the call while he was at her house. You knew he was going there to do cake with the boys—” Sonny reached into his own pocket, then nodded. “Okay, yeah, he sent me a text a half hour ago. PCPD called, he’s going with Elizabeth. They arrested Andre. Well, that makes sense—”

“How—”

“Jason told us that Andre was involved up with the Chimera situation,” Sonny reminded her. Carly pressed her lips together, mutinously. “Elizabeth probably wants to hear Andre’s reasons or something.” He shrugged.

“Fine, then why didn’t he also call us? He called you, but he didn’t ask you to go. And he didn’t call me—”

“Maybe because he didn’t want to have this argument,” Sonny muttered, wincing when he realized he’d spoken loud enough for Carly to hear him. “Carly—”

“He came home four days ago,” she said. “I am the same person I’ve always been, but it’s like he hates me. He refuses to talk to me, to let me be there for him—” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I thought I was getting my best friend back—”

“Maybe,” Sonny said, reaching for patience, “he’s not interested in the same friendship you had before. He’s been spending time with Elizabeth, and that always gets you mad. You have no idea how much time he used to spend with her because he kept you out of that.”

Carly stared at him. “But—”

“He’s not pretending anymore, Carly. And you and I can’t be everything he needs. We never could.”

“I’m not trying—” She squeezed her eyes shut. “We should be able to do this. We should be there for him when he finds out out the truth about what happened to him. Why is it her? Why isn’t me or you? Or Sam? Spinelli—anyone else—”

“He’s known Elizabeth almost as long as he’s known the two of us,” Sonny reminded his wife. “And you haven’t liked her since the second you realized she was competition.”

“That—” Carly squeezed her hands into her fists at her side. “Yes. At first. But later—”

“Later, she never did anything to either of us to deserve the way you’ve treated her. No, Jake didn’t donate the kidney that saved Joss’s life, but Elizabeth did not know that. She thought he was dead.”

“I know—”

“Jason buried his son. We have buried a son,” Sonny said roughly. “It could have broken us, you and me. It nearly did. We don’t get a chance at a miracle with Morgan. And part of me—yeah, maybe part of me is angry that I don’t get to have another chance with Morgan. To save him this time. Maybe it’s not Elizabeth you resent Jason spending time with—”

“Sonny—”

“Maybe it’s Jake. Maybe it’s the son Jason gets to have in his life when he wasn’t supposed to. I don’t know what’s worse, Carly.”

“It’s neither of those things,” Carly said tightly. “Why do you always think the worst of me? Of course, I don’t resent Jason for getting to be with Jake. I want him to have his son. Both of his sons—”

“Right now, he can’t be with Danny. Sam isn’t opening that door. It might change after the truth comes out, but Jake—Elizabeth is not only opening the door, she’s pulling Jason through it. After all the sacrifices Jason made for our family—for Michael—” Sonny paused. “He went to jail to protect Michael, Carly. He couldn’t even see Jake around town. You don’t like his mother. Fine. But whether you like it or not, Elizabeth Webber is here to stay.”

“You’re telling me it doesn’t hurt that Jason didn’t want you with him when this happened today?” Carly demanded. “That you’re not upset he pushed you out—”

“No,” Sonny said, honestly. “Because I already know the truth. I know who he is. And everything else, Jason can tell me later. Jason has been through hell, Carly. He lost the first twenty-two years of his life to his alcoholic brother, then sixteen years later, someone else stole five more years. I think Jason gets to handle this whatever way he wants. And right now, he wants Elizabeth to be the one standing next to him.”

“It should be me—”

“Why?” Sonny challenged. He switched off the sauce. “Why?” he repeated. “You can’t be first in his life. I’m tired of this argument, Carly. I’m not doing this again. Every time you complain about a woman taking your place in Jason’s life, I—” He stopped, biting back the angry words.

“What?” Carly retorted. “Finish it—”

“It makes me wonder if maybe the only reason you and me are still here is because Jason doesn’t want you.”

Carly stared at him, her eyes wide. “Sonny—”

“I’m going to the restaurant to wait for Jason to call me. Don’t wait up.”

“Sonny—”

PCPD: Squad Room

It felt like forever before Jordan spoke again, but it was probably no more than a few seconds. “According to the DNA tests, the fingerprints in our archives and what the Navy sent over—”

She turned to Sam’s husband, and Jason thought he could see the truth in the other man’s eyes even before she spoke.  “You are Andrew Cain,” Jordan said.

“Are you sure—” Drew began, his face blanching. He stopped abruptly.

Jordan looked at Jason. “And you are Jason Morgan,” Jordan said. “But—” An ironic smile played on her lips. “You already knew that.”

Jason tipped his head to that, then looked at Drew. “I’m sorry—”

“Don’t—” Drew put a hand, looked away from his brother, focused on Jordan. “How can you be sure?”

“The DNA was performed by GH and the outside lab. The outside lab isn’t back yet,” Jordan said, “but combined with GH’s results, the marker tests, and these prints—the two of you are twin brothers. GH’s testing says that you’re Oscar Nero’s father and that—” Jordan nodded to Jason. “He is Jake Webber’s father.” She held the folder out to Drew. “This is a copy of your military file with the prints and the tests. If you want to do an independent conformation.”

Drew stared at the folder but didn’t take it. Instead, he slid his hand into the pocket of his pants and drew out a wallet. He flipped it open, and one by one, he dropped plastic cards onto the ground. A driver’s license. Two credit cards. A bank card.

“Am I going to be arrested for desertion? They told me that’s what happened to Drew Cain. He went AWOL in Afghanistan,” Drew said flatly, his eyes staring at the ground, at the cards.

“No, I’ve been in contact with the Navy. They might send a JAG officer to wrap things up,” Jordan said, “but I assured them that whatever happened, it wasn’t voluntary. Drew—”

“Don’t—” Drew bit off whatever angry words he’d been about to say. He looked at Sam. “Well, he’s right over there. Isn’t that what you do when Jason Morgan shows up? You drop everything and run?”

“That’s—” Sam’s voice faltered. “That’s not fair—”

Drew turned and stalked out. After a moment—a moment longer than Jason expected—Sam looked at him, their eyes met. Then her eyes drifted to Elizabeth before she turned and followed Drew, only pausing to take the folder from Jordan.

Jason exhaled slowly, ignoring the ache in his chest as he turned to the other man in the room—the one in handcuffs. “Did you do this to us?” he demanded. “Why does he think he’s me?”

Andre closed his eyes, looking vaguely ill. “Because I put your memories in his brain,” he admitted.

“You played with his mind,” Elizabeth said, vibrating with anger, her voice shaking from the fury. “Just like Jake. And you must have done it to Jason. How else could you get the memories? Why?” she demanded harshly. “Why did you do this to them?”

Andre sighed, and Nathan shook him slightly when the doctor said nothing. “Talk,” he ordered, “or you’re going back to your cell—”

“Detective West,” Jordan said, but Andre shook his head.

“I’ll tell you what I can,” he said finally.

Webber House: Living Room

Joss refreshed her Twitter feed again, scowling. “How much longer is this going to take?”

“What makes your dumb ass think it’s going to be on social media?” Trina demanded as she sat down with a slice of cake. “It’s not like the launch party where everyone is gonna start sharing—”

“Cam said you weren’t supposed to fight at our house,” Aiden told Trina very seriously as he sat on the sofa. “He said you gotta have neutered ground, but I don’t get that because when Mark’s dog got neutered, he got this cone—” He peered at Joss. “Which one of you wears the cone?”

“Neutral ground,” Cam corrected. “It means they don’t fight here because this is a safe place.” He handed Jake the bowl of popcorn before perching on the arm of Trina’s chair. “Won’t your mom tell you?” he asked Joss.

“I don’t think Mom got invited,” Joss said carefully. “She called me when she got the text demanding to know how I knew Jason was at the PCPD and how long ago he was called—”

“Whoa, your mom wasn’t asked to go?” Oscar shuddered. “I’m glad we’re hanging here and not at your place.”

“Right?” Joss repeated, her eyes widened. “When Carly gets left out of things, it’s drama city. I mean, maybe we could have been there because it would have been fun to see her flip out, but she usually just insults Cam’s mom, so, like, I’ve heard it before.”

Trina shrugged. “Then I guess we’re waiting on your mom and Jason to come back.” She leaned back in the chair. “I wonder how that’s going.”

“Maybe,” Oscar said. “But I mean, I guess we already know, don’t we? Your mom seems so convinced,” he said to Cam and his brothers. “I mean, she told Jake the new guy is his real dad.”

Jake made a face. “I know Mom is right, and the new guy is nice, but I like my other dad, I mean your dad, I mean my uncle—” He scowled. “This is annoying. Why can’t people just be who they’re supposed to be? Why does everything gotta be all weird?”

“I wish I could tell you it would get better,” Joss said with a sigh, “but as long as you live in Port Charles, this is pretty much the way things are.” She frowned at Oscar. “But why didn’t you think it was Jason yesterday at the hospital? I mean, he looks just like your dad.”

“I know, and that was weird, but the more I thought about it, the more I just didn’t feel it. And I think I’d feel it. He’s my dad. And he didn’t know me—”

“But the other guy—Drew—” Cam said, “he won’t know you either. Not until we figure out what’s wrong with his brain—”

“He’s my dad,” Oscar argued. “Maybe he won’t know me like he remembers teaching me to throw a baseball or whatever, but he’ll know me. You know? Like he’ll feel a connection once we know the truth.” He focused on Jake. “Didn’t you feel it with your dad?”

“Well, no,” Jake said slowly. “He doesn’t feel like my dad yet. I’m sorry,” he said when he realized Oscar’s expression had soured. “That’s not the right answer.”

“It’s fine—”

“Oscar,” Joss began.

“No, I know you guys think I’m insane, but it’s like—you said your mom knew Jason was who he was supposed to be,” Oscar said to Cam. “So did your mom and stepdad,” he said to Joss. “That’s what I mean. He’s gonna know me. He’s gonna see me, and part of him will recognize me. I know it.”

“Maybe he will,” Trina suggested, shooting a glare at Cameron as if to remind him not to argue. “I mean, brains are weird, right? Maybe seeing you will trigger something. But it also might not, Oscar. We just—” She bit her lip. “We like you, you know. We don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

“I won’t be,” Oscar said confidently. “He’s my dad. I’m finally gonna get him back.”

PCPD: Squad Room

“Well?” Jordan said sharply when Andre didn’t continue speaking. “What did you do? And why?”

Andre looked away from his ex-girlfriend, but if he was hoping to avoid the bitter disappointment in someone’s eyes, he shouldn’t have looked at Jason and Elizabeth standing to his left. Jason’s expression was carefully controlled, but anyone could see from the way his hands were clenched into fists at his side that he was furious — and Elizabeth’s rage was written all over her face.

If he told them everything he knew right now, there was every chance that this man would end his life. Even if Jason Morgan could be convinced to show him mercy, Andre would lose any and all leverage.

He’d never be able to finish his work.

“I don’t have all the answers that you want,” he said slowly. “I worked for the people who did this—”

“You’re a doctor,” Jordan snapped. “How could you—”  She stopped when Curtis put a hand on her arm.

“Who?” Elizabeth demanded. “Was it Victor? Helena? Faison? Someone else?”

“Victor brought me into the experiments because of the research I had suggested in mapping memory.” Andre paused. “My wife,” he said after a moment. “She suffered from young-onset dementia. We hoped we could slow the disease, but by the time she was thirty-eight—” His voice faltered for a minute. “I needed to find a way to stop it from happening to anyone else. I changed my research focus to the development of memory. I thought—if we could map memories, maybe we could reverse—”

“And the Cassadines were the only people crazy and unethical enough to give you live patients,” Elizabeth hissed. “Is that it?”

“Victor wanted to experiment with a set of twins,” Andre said dully. “He brought you to me. You and Drew. I never knew the names or histories. You were just—” He closed his eyes as Jason Morgan’s blue eyes burned into his. “You were numbers. Five and Six.”

“Five and Six,” Curtis repeated softly. “And Patients One through Four? Were there any after Jason and Drew?”

“What was the plan, Andre?” Elizabeth demanded. “What did you do to Drew? Can he get his memories back?”

“I don’t know,” Andre lied. “I couldn’t finish the project. Not at first.” He looked at Jason. “I could map both of your memories, but the transfer—it failed with you. The brain damage—” He shook his head. “You shouldn’t be alive, much less walking around—”

“But you went ahead with Drew,” Jason interrupted, drawing Andre’s focus. “You gave him my memories—”

“How was Helena involved?” Elizabeth cut in. “When did she get there? And what about Jake?”

“Maybe if we stop interrupting,” Curtis suggested gently, for which Andre was reluctantly grateful. Jordan and Elizabeth were liable to rip him into shreds, and if anything was left—he avoided Jason’s eyes—he still wasn’t convinced he would survive a run-in with Jason Morgan.

“I don’t know much about Helena’s involvement,” Andre lied. “She was interested in the work I was doing with the memory mapping. And she and Victor were…I think collaborating on some other projects I wasn’t part of. She wanted me to implant subliminal suggestions into Jake’s head. I didn’t want to do it, at first—” He grimaced. “But I didn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” Elizabeth bit out.

“You’re right. I just didn’t have a good choice. I didn’t know Jake. He was Patient Three. And no,” Andre said with a shake of his head. “I didn’t run the other experiments. I can’t tell you anything about them. I was barely involved with Jake, but once Helena decided to return him to you—to Luke—” he corrected, wincing as Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed.

“What about me?” Jason said quietly. “Who put me in that clinic in Russia?”

“I don’t know,” Andre said. “When I told Victor I couldn’t complete the experiment, he was supposed to end it. That was maybe eight months after I started. Originally we were supposed to put Drew here in Port Charles and send you to San Diego. To get a sense of how much memory implantation could actually affect the people you were,” Andre said.

“And that’s why Drew got Jason’s memories after you came to Port Charles?” Elizabeth said, lifting her chin. “Is that what you did? Why did anyone let him walk around without those memories for a year?”

“I wasn’t part of that,” Andre said, choosing his words carefully. “I just know that it suited Helena’s plans. After Victor died, Helena called the shots, and she didn’t tell me very much. She wanted to return Jake, so I finished the work. She wanted me in Port Charles—and I thought—”

“Well, you’d come this far,” Jordan growled. “You might as well finish your experiment.”

Andre closed his eyes. “Yes,” he admitted.

“And that’s all you know,” Elizabeth said, lifting a brow. “You don’t know what else Helena and Victor were doing—but Helena’s been dead for two years, Andre. She was dead before you put those memories into Drew for the second time. Who were you taking your orders from then? Who are you taking them from now?”

“No one. There’s no one.” He stopped. “I didn’t realize how wrong I was until I came here. Until then, they were just numbers, but then they became people—you showed me those pictures of Jason before the accident—”

“You treated my son,” Elizabeth said in a low, dangerous tone. “You looked at him every day, trying to make his nightmares and trauma go away, and you were the one that put the trigger in his head that nearly killed him. That nearly killed my entire family—” Jason put a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped to take a breath. “Spare me your newfound regret and remorse,” she retorted. “You knew exactly what you were doing—what I was up against last spring with Jake, and you stayed silent. You left town instead of coming to me. I am sorry for what happened to your wife, but you had no right to destroy Jason and Drew’s lives for research. To destroy my son.”

“I know,” Andre said. “I wish I could take it back.”

“You can’t.” Elizabeth turned to Jason. “I’ll wait outside—”

“I don’t have any questions he’ll answer,” Jason said with a shake of his head. He leveled one more look at Andre that made it clear Jason didn’t believe that Andre was telling them everything.

Which meant Andre would live a little longer.

“Take him back into lockup,” Jordan told Nathan. When the two of them had left, she turned to Jason and Elizabeth. “You should know he’s only here on loan from the WSB. They want to debrief him about the research he did with Victor.”

“So he’s not even going to pay for what he did,” Elizabeth said. “How is that fair?”

“It’s not, but my hands are tied. The DA already agreed to extradition, and if we hadn’t signed the paperwork—” Jordan nodded at the door through which Andre had disappeared. “You wouldn’t have had that much.”

“Then thank you,” Jason said, taking Elizabeth by the elbow. “We can talk to Anna and Robert,” he reminded her. “If Andre was still working for the WSB with Jake—”

“They might be able to find out more,” she murmured. “I just feel sick to my stomach. I want to go home and see the boys.”

“Then let’s go.”

Penthouse: Living Room

When Drew stormed into the penthouse and yanked off his coat, Alexis stood up from the sofa, her eyes going to Sam behind him, closing the door more quietly. “Well?”

“It’s true,” Drew bit out. “I’m Andrew Cain. Not—” He closed his eyes. Scrubbed his hands over his face. “Not Jason.”

“I’m sorry,” Alexis said. When he just scoffed at her, she just sighed. “I am. You didn’t deserve this. Any of this.”

“Mom—” Sam sighed. “Maybe you should—”

“I’ll call you in the morning.” As she grabbed her coat and passed her daughter, Alexis kissed her cheek. “Good night.”

When her mother was gone, Sam turned to her husband—to Drew—and waited. “It doesn’t change anything for me,” she told him, even though she wasn’t entirely convinced that was true. It felt true. She knew she loved the man in front of her, and she knew they’d been through hell in the last two years—in the last year, they’d pulled their lives together—rebuilt their family— had their little girl—

And yet—it also felt like a lie. And Sam didn’t really know what to do with that. How to handle it. Since she didn’t really know what she was feeling, she decided to focus on what she could do. She could figure out what her husband needed and do that.

He’d just had his entire life ripped apart, and he needed someone to help him get through it. He needed her.

“You know what really kills me?” he murmured, so quietly she almost didn’t hear him. Sam shook her head wordlessly. He focused on her, his eyes rimmed with red and exhaustion. Neither of them had been sleeping well. “I knew.”

“You knew,” Sam repeated, frowning slightly. “What—”

“A voice in my head,” Drew continued. He turned back to the fireplace, unlit and dark. He stared into it blindly. “At the church. Carly told me who I was, and I turned around to look at Elizabeth, and by the time I’d gotten all the way around—my brain was on fire. Screaming at me that it wasn’t real.”

“Jas—Drew,” Sam said, testing out the name on her lips. “Drew,” she repeated. “This is…a lot. And it’s okay not to know what you’re feeling—”

“I refused to be him,” Drew continued. “Remember? I wanted to know what happened to me, but I wasn’t going to be Jason Morgan. I wanted Jake Doe. That felt right. I almost hated you for forcing it on me—”

Her stomach twisted, and a sour taste rose in her throat. “What—”

“But then—” He exhaled slowly. Shakily. “Then the memories started. And the voice just got louder. Because the memories were just…there. They didn’t feel right. I thought it was just all the trauma, all the things I’d been through. I drowned it out. I ignored it. But it never went away.”

“I—”

“And now I know I was right. That I should have listened to those voices. I’m not Jason Morgan. Jake is not my son. Danny is not my—”

“Yes, he is,” Sam snapped. “Jason didn’t want him! You know that!”

“I—he—” Drew squeezed his eyes shut. “He changed his mind—”

“He felt guilty,” Sam retorted. “You’ve loved Danny. You’ve been his father. He knows you. Not Jason. You’re not losing Scout or Danny. Or me. And you’ve got friends. Friends who love you,” she reminded him. “Curtis. We have Aurora—”

“How much of that is really mine?” he asked roughly. “I can’t—” Drew shook his head. “I can’t deal with this right now. I have to—I’m sorry.” He exhaled slowly. “I can’t. I need to go.”

“Drew—”

“Don’t—” He turned back to her, his hand outstretched. He drew it back, curling it into a fist. “I need to be alone. I’ll call you in the morning.”

Sam watched him leave, the door closing behind him, and had no idea what she was supposed to do next.

Webber Home: Living Room

Elizabeth was unsurprised to find all three boys up when she came home with Jason that evening. Oscar and Trina must have gone home because only Cam and Joss were sitting on the sofa. Aiden and Jake were lying on their stomachs in front of the television. “I thought you were supposed to watch Hocus Pocus last night,” she said, making a face.

“Mom.” Cam jumped up, and Jake rolled over into a sitting position. “Hey. What happened?”

“Basically what we thought,” Elizabeth said. She and Jason exchanged a look. They had already decided to keep what happened with Andre to themselves for the moment. “Jason is Jason…and Drew is the other man. Jason’s twin brother.”

“And Oscar’s dad,” Joss said with a sigh. “Well, that’s good, I guess. Do you know what happened yet?”

“Not all of it,” Jason said.

“Jake?” Elizabeth asked. “What are you thinking?”

Jake paused, then looked at his father. “I’m glad you came home,” he told him. “It was really mean what they did to you. And you seem nice.” He paused. “I just…I really love my other dad.”

“I know,” Jason said with a nod. He crouched down so that he was at eye level with Jake. “And it was really mean what they did to him. I told you, Jake, I don’t want you to lose anyone that matters to you. I know he’s been important to you. He should keep being important if that’s what you both want.”

“And hey,” Cam said. “He’s still your uncle, Jake. He and Jason are brothers. Like us. Well, not like us,” he corrected. “But maybe like—”

“Like Charlotte and Rocco?” Aiden suggested. “Rocco hates his sister—”

Cam eyed him. “Uh, yeah, maybe not so much like Charlotte and Rocco. I just—”

“Drew and I are brothers. We have the same father,” Jason told Jake. “The same biological mother. But we didn’t grow up together like you and Cam and Aiden. We don’t know each other yet.”

“Oh. Well, sometimes, I wish I didn’t know my brothers either,” Jake admitted. “But he’s a nice guy.” He got to his feet. “Maybe I could help you guys be okay if he still likes me now that he’s not my real dad.”

“I’m sure he’s still going to love you,” Elizabeth assured her son. “It’s just hard right now. Because everything is changing for him, and we need to be patient with him.”

“Right.” Jake smiled at Jason. “But I’m glad everyone knows the truth.” He stepped forward and gingerly wrapped his arms around Jason’s waist. “Welcome home…Dad.”

“Thanks,” Jason said, his voice a bit rough as Jake stepped back with his shy smile still intact. “It’s good to be home.”