Written in 60 minutes. I feel like I’m writing slowly for some reason, lol. Or the scenes are longer than they were meant to be in my outline. Anyway.

Sunday, September 14, 2024

Webber House: Kitchen

 “Feeling a little better?” Elizabeth asked, taking the empty cereal bowl from Danny and rinsing it in the sink.

“Yeah, I guess.” Danny, seated on the stool on the other side of the counter, fidgeted. “When is my dad getting back?”

“Soon, I would think.” Elizabeth put the bowl and spoon in the dishwasher, then reached for a dish towel, leaning against the sink. She tipped her head. “Any plans for what you want to say to him when he does?”

“I dunno.” Danny jerked one shoulder. “I already tried I’m sorry. Didn’t seem to make a difference.” He lifted his sullen gaze to hers. “Any suggestions?”

“I don’t know. I’m still trying to think of what to say to Aiden. Usually when I don’t know what to do, I think about my parents.” She tossed the towel on the counter. “And then do the opposite.”

Danny frowned, sitting up slightly. “Your parents? Aiden’s never mentioned them.”

“Because they’ve never met.” Elizabeth came around the counter, and headed into the living room, making a show of folding blankets, tidying up some books and magazines, counting on Danny to follow her.

“Never?” Danny came to the threshold of the kitchen, his brow still furrowed. “Are they, like, dead?”

“Might as well be.” Elizabeth shook her head slightly. “That’s—that’s an awful thing to say, but you know, you can’t help how you feel. My parents haven’t really played a role in my life since I was about your age. I came to Port Charles to live with my grandmother, and well—” She sat in the arm chair, one leg folded beneath her. “That was pretty much it.”

Danny sat on the sofa. “So you don’t like them.”

“Can you say that you don’t like someone you don’t really know?” Elizabeth wondered. “I never got the chance to see them as anyone other than my parents. Jeff and Carolyn Webber? Never met them. Mom and Dad, the parents who never understood me or bothered to try? No, I didn’t like them very much. And I don’t know if they liked me. I used to be angry about that,” she added. “But then I had kids of my own, and I just…I felt sorry for them.”

“Why? If they don’t like you, that makes them assholes. You’re supposed to like your kids.”

“You’re supposed to love your children,” Elizabeth corrected. “Like? That’s different. I loved my grandmother, and I know she loved me. But she absolutely had phases of not really liking me very much. Usually when I was hanging around your dad.”

“Dad has that effect, I guess.” Danny pressed his lips together. “So maybe my parents don’t like me very much right now.”

“Maybe not. But they love you. Very much.” When he just scoffed, she smiled faintly. “You don’t think they do?”

“I don’t know. They hate each other. I know my mom—” Danny paused, then looked at her. “I don’t know if I should talk about my mom with you. She doesn’t like you very much. And I guess you don’t like her either.”

“That’s true. Sam and I have disliked each other for a very long time. And you don’t have to talk to me, Danny.” She propped her elbow on the arm chair, then rested her forehead against her fist. “I think it’s hard to be a child of divorced parents. I was around Michael and Morgan when Sonny and Carly were going in their circles — Morgan was too young, I think, to remember, but I know it was hard on Michael. They argued over everything, including custody of him.”

“You and my dad are pretty good,” Danny muttered. “Maybe it’s because Jake’s so much easier. He doesn’t cause any trouble.”

“That’s not why,” Elizabeth said. “Jason and I were friends long before we had a child together. We were friends first, and I think that helps, you know? We respected each other before, during, and after our relationship. And our son always came first for us.” She paused. “That’s not to say you don’t come first for your parents—”

“Yeah, Jake comes first for Dad, you don’t have to tell me that—” Danny started to rise, and Elizabeth got up with him, holding out a hand.

“I have three boys, Danny. And I can put each of them first. Even when they’re arguing. Your dad isn’t playing favorites. He knows he’s made mistakes. Especially the two years he was gone. I won’t defend him on that. But he’s trying to make up for that now.”

Danny’s lip trembled, and he looked away. “I guess. But he didn’t really fight Mom when she was keeping us apart. He didn’t care—”

“He cared. He just also respected your mom’s boundaries. She was worried that your father’s choices would come back to haunt you. I don’t have to agree with her to understand. Please remember, Danny, what your mother and I have seen being in Jason’s life. Michael was shot in the head. Jake was kidnapped. Morgan died in an explosion. None of these were your dad’s fault, and Morgan was a terrible tragedy — but we’ve seen a lot of violence. Your mother and I? Kidnapped. Both of us,” she added when Danny stared at her, eyes wide. “I’ve got a scar—” She drew up her sleeve on her right shoulder. “It’s faint now—but I was grazed by a bullet. Your mother was actually shot and nearly died.”

“I—” Danny swallowed hard. “I didn’t know all of that.”

“I’m not telling you that to scare you or upset you. I always knew who your father was, and so did Sam. We made our choices, and we’ve lived with the consequences. We just…we took different lessons from it, that’s all. I believe him when he says he’s left that life behind. I don’t think your mother does. And that made her scared for you. Jason has always respected that. When it was me—” Elizabeth paused. “When Jake was younger, I wasn’t sure I wanted everyone to know he was Jason’s son. Not because he isn’t an amazing father who loved our child. But because there were people who would take advantage of that. Jason respected my choice then, and he was respecting your mother’s now.”

Danny sank back onto the sofa, cleared his throat. “Does—does Jake know? I mean, what you just told me?”

Elizabeth took her seat again, leaning forward, her forearms resting on her thighs. “No. It’s a conversation we’ll probably have to have at some point, I’m sure. But there are people who will tell you that Jason doesn’t love his sons. That he loves Carly’s kids more. I’ve heard it for years,” Elizabeth said, and Danny nodded. “You, too?”

“Mom. She’s…” He made a face. “It’s been mentioned. I guess I didn’t ever see that—”

“Sonny made different choices.” Elizabeth hesitated. “He thought he could protect his children better by being in their lives, providing security. And most of the time, he was right. But Michael and Morgan, and to a lesser extent, Kristina and Joss, they grew up with armed  guards, bulletproof cars, private schools, and the constant fear that this would be the day things changed. Jason was involved in their lives because of Sonny’s choice. Not his own. The choice he made for his kids was different. And while it frustrated me sometimes, too, and I didn’t always like or accept it, I understood it.”

She scooted to the edge of the chair, waiting for Danny to look at her. When he did, she continued, “I’ve known your dad for almost my whole life, and almost from the beginning, if your dad thought I was safer without him, he chose that option. Waiting, hoping that Sam would see things were different, your dad waited. He played by her rules. You don’t have to like or agree with his choice, that’s okay. I usually disagreed with him, too. But I used to make the mistake of thinking that his ability to walk away from me, from Jake, meant he loved us less.” She reached out, touched Danny’s forearm. “I hope you don’t make that same mistake.”

Danny drew in a shaky breath, then swiped at his eyes. “Why are you being n-nice to me?” he asked.

Elizabeth sat back. “Because I like you, Danny. Not just because you’re Jason’s son or Jake’s brother. But you remind me of who I was when I came to Port Charles.”

“I do?” Danny frowned. “How?”

“I was angry all the time. At the world, at my family, strangers on the street — I was miserable. I felt like I was a square peg being jammed into a round hole, you know? And I just wanted to do some damage. Maybe I wanted to make my parents stop trying to fix me. Or see me. I smoked. Cigarettes,” she added when he stared at her. “I drank a little. Not a lot. It wasn’t easy to get alcohol. Or weed. But I’d have done pretty much anything. Maybe I wanted a reaction from my family. Trying to get their love hadn’t worked—”

She leaned back. “I look back now, and I don’t know what I was so angry about. Or why I was so willing to trash my own life to feel better. I don’t know where I would have ended up if I hadn’t come here. If I hadn’t met people who seemed to like me just the way I was. My grandmother — some of the time. Your aunt Emily. Your dad. Aiden’s dad, sometimes,” she added. “I don’t know what’s making you so angry,” she continued. “I can make some guesses, but only you can really answer that. I just hope when your dad gets back, the two of you can really talk. He’s a great listener, Danny. I promise you that. Whenever my life seemed like it was falling apart, I went to him, and he always made me feel better.”

Danny hesitated. “But I got Aiden in trouble—”

“Aiden got himself in trouble. He could have, and should have said no. But he felt loyal to you, to his cousin. He told me—well, he told your dad—that there’s been trouble at school.” When Danny looked away, Elizabeth sighed. “And you won’t tell me either, that’s fine. But he said you stood up for him. Shoved a kid into a locker?”

“Deserved it,” Danny muttered.

“Yeah, he probably did. But I’ll tell you something — my best friend? Emily? I would have—and did—commit a few crimes for her. And she did the same for me. We got into trouble together and we were there to get each other out. Though sometimes, we needed an assist from your dad. You’re going to make mistakes, Danny. This? This was a big one. You’re the only one who can decide what happens next.”

Bobbie’s: Courtyard

“You’re so lucky Mom wanted to talk to Danny one-on-one,” Cameron said, dropping into a chair, and reaching for the menu tucked between the napkin canisters. “Because if it were up to me, you’d still be jail.”

“Ha,” Aiden muttered, snagging a menu of his own though it hadn’t changed much in his entire life. “I didn’t actually get arrested.”

“Perfect sons. What part of that didn’t you get?” Jake wanted to know. He leaned across the table. “Believe me, I’ll be kicking Danny’s ass the second Mom and Dad turn their backs, and then you’re next—”

“Hey. I said I was sorry, okay? I was stupid. I messed up—neither of you were perfect,” Aiden retorted.

“Neither of us were trying to be.”

Cameron grimaced. “Look, I have to go back tonight because I promised Mom, and unlike other people at this table, I keep my promises. But I swear to God, if either of you dicks fuck Mom’s bail up while I’m gone, I’ll make you both sorry you were ever born.” He jabbed a finger at Jake. “And you, give Danny a break.”

“What? Are you freaking kidding? He’s the problem—”

“I’m sorry, what part of Sam’s his mother is hard for you to understand?” Cameron wanted to know. “Aiden’s not old enough to remember, but you and me? We damn sure are. Danny’s lucky he’s made it this far with half a personality. If you ask me, his mom dumping him in a police station because it got too hard, best thing that could have happened to him.”

Aiden scowled. “How is getting abandoned by your parent a good thing? I have to look at a picture of my dad to remember what he looks like—”

“Well, now that Jason and Mom are back together, she can fix whatever damage Sam did to him, and we’ll get a new little brother to torture.” Cameron lifted his eyes to see his brothers staring at him. “What?”

“What do you mean, Mom and Jason are together?” Aiden asked.

“Dad’s just helping out because of the jail thing,” Jake said.

Cameron looked at the sky. “What did I ever do to you?” He rolled his eyes. “How can you dorks live in town with them and not see it? Please. Don’t vote. You scare the hell out of me.”

Jake flicked a straw wrapper at him. “What proof do you have they’re together?”

“Fine. Doubt me. And why are you fighting me so hard? Don’t you want them back together?

Jake closed his mouth. “I—I never thought about it. I guess—I mean, I guess it would be good. Aiden?”

“Jason made Mom less mad at me this morning. I am on board for that.”

“Glad we could straighten that out. Back to the rules—” Cameron jabbed a finger at both of them. “Either of you screw up, I’m catching the red eye back to kill you. No more crimes. One Webber out on bail is more than enough.”

+41

Written in 63 minutes.

Sunday, September 14, 2025

Penthouse: Living Room

Kristina dropped into the chair next to Sam at the dining table by the terrace. “Please tell me there’s more coffee,” she said, stifling a yawn.

“I’ll get you a cup,” Dante volunteered. “I need a refill anyway. You good?”

“I drink any more coffee, I’m going to be up for another twenty four hours.” Sam looked at her sister. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Mostly. I woke up though when I thought I heard some doors slamming. I looked in the hallway, but maybe I dreamed it.” Kristina plucked a muffin from the plate in the middle of the table. “You look like hell. Dante keep you all night?” she teased.

“I wish.” Sam rubbed her face, sitting back in the chair, drawing one leg up. “God, Krissy. I don’t know how Mom did this. How she raised teenagers and didn’t murder them.”

Kristina furrowed her brow. “What happened? Weren’t Rocco and Danny at Elizabeth’s or something? I thought that’s what Dante said when he picked me up yesterday. He’d just dropped them off. Oh, did they get into a fight? Molly did that once, made Mom come get her—” She stopped when she saw her sister’s face. “No. No, something worse happened. But they’re okay or you wouldn’t be sitting here.”

“Yeah, they’re alive. For now.” Sam smiled wanly when Dante returned, setting down a coffee for Kristina and taking his seat. “I was just telling Krissy about our horrible night.”

“Oh. Well, don’t spread it around,” Dante warned. “I mean, you’ll probably tell your mom,” he said to Sam, who acknowledged that with a nod. “And I gotta talk to mine. I don’t know—”

“Okay, now you’re freaking me out. What happened?” Kristina demanded. “Did they murder someone or—”

“Got picked up for being drunk and high,” Sam bit out. “When you told me about the weed in the vape pen, I just about—I’m so upset.”

“Drunk—” Kristina’s eyes were wide. “Oh my God. Picked up? The cops are involved?”

“They would be if Dante didn’t work some magic. Should I call Jason?” Sam asked. “Or wait for him to call me? I should call him,” she said, answering her own question before Dante had a chance to.

“Danny might not be awake yet. Rocco was still dead to the world when I checked on him, and the only reason I’m not dragging him out of bed is because I don’t know what to say to him yet.”

“Wait—is Danny not here?” Kristina said. “Did they keep him overnight?”

“I left him at the station.” Sam bit her lip, looked down. “I’m not really proud of that. I just—I didn’t know what to say to him. And Jason was there—he was so angry,” she told Kristina. “At all three of them, but especially at Aiden. Are you sure this isn’t going to mess with Elizabeth’s bail? If Danny’s the reason she ends up back in jail, it’s going to be one more thing Jason blames me for—”

“Whoa, whoa—” Kristina held up her hands. “How would this affect Elizabeth? Don’t tell me Aiden was out with them. Did Liz think he was here, or something?”

“I think they usually run that trick, but Aiden was home last night. But our idiots showed up at his place, looking for a place to crash.” Dante grimaced. “I think we’re probably in the clear. I don’t even know how much this would mess with her. Aiden wasn’t drunk or high. But I don’t trust the feds not to screw her on this. I’ll run it by—” He closed his mouth, cleared his throat. “I’ll talk to the DA’s office and loop Chase in, see what they think.”

Kristina decided to ignore the implication that DA’s office meant Molly, and looked back to Sam. “This is just—it’s wild. I can’t believe—I know you said Danny’s been getting in trouble but this on another level.” Kristina leaned forward. “So I guess he’s with Jason?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I got a text from him last night. They went to Elizabeth’s. I guess that makes sense. He’s been staying there since she got arrested, and it’s not like there’s space in his room at the diner. I just—I don’t know what to do. More grounding? More rules? More control? Nothing works.” She looked at Dante. “What about Rocco? They’re getting in trouble together.”

“And I used to think Rocco and Aiden wouldn’t have much in common.” Dante sighed. “If Jason doesn’t call you by noon, get in touch. Maybe Danny staying with his dad wouldn’t be the worst idea right now. Not because I don’t think you can handle this,” he added when Sam looked at her hands. “But something’s gotta change, right? We can’t keep going the way we have.” He reached out for her hand. “We’ll get through this, Sam.”

Kristina reached for her sister’s other hand. “Whatever you need, you know Mom and me, we’re here for you. Danny’s gonna get it together, and one day, we’ll look back at this and laugh.”

“I hope so. Maybe you’re right. Maybe some time with his dad is exactly what he needs.”

Webber House: Living Room

“Transformers? Really?” Aiden made a face. “Are you sure this isn’t a punishment?”

Elizabeth tapped a few keys on the laptop Spinelli had loaned her. Her cell phone was a temporary burner that almost no features — including her bank app to transfer cash. “What was my password?” she muttered.

“See, this is why I tell you not to let the phone save everything,” Cameron said. “I just hope when our robot overlords take over, they remember I was kind—”

“No, I know my username but I had to change the password after someone left my debit card at the store—” she looked at Jake who looked up at the ceiling. “And I don’t remember it now. I wrote it down somewhere—”

“Here—” Jason came out of the kitchen, his wallet in hand. He passed Cameron some bills, then looked at a scowling Elizabeth. “Add the bank password to the list. Right under the security video.”

“Mom, you forgot your Ring password?” Cameron demanded.

“You know what—” Elizabeth planted a hand on her hip. “I have to remember the schedules of more than fifty nurses under my supervision. I run an entire hospital and we’re considered one of the best in the state. I remember everything I have to remember. When you get back from the movie, you can help me get the rest of my passwords back. Because I don’t think I’m getting my phone back from the FBI any time soon.”  She pulled the door open. “Go. Enjoy the movies.”

“It’s Transformers,” Aiden muttered. “No one enjoys those—”

“Oh, you’re too good for trucks that turn into aliens?” Cameron was saying as he pulled the doors closed after himself.

Elizabeth sighed, dragged her hands through her hair. “I didn’t even think about my bank information on that phone. There’s so many things—I hate this.”

“I know.” Jason kissed her forehead, and she sighed. “You had everything completely under control before all this happened. We’ll get everything back.”

“There’s just always one more thing—” Elizabeth saw Danny out of the corner of her eye, stepping hesitantly around the corner of the steps, onto the landing. “Hey.” She stepped away from Jason. “How’d you sleep?”

“Um, okay, I guess.” His hair was wild, though it looked like he’d made some attempts to tame it. He wore a pair of Aiden’s sweat pants, and the t-shirt he’d arrived in. His eyes were still a little red, and there deep shadows under his eyes. “Um—” He cleared his throat. “I don’t—I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.”

“That makes two of us,” Jason admitted. He went into the kitchen, retrieved a bottle of water, then held it out to his son. “That will help. You got a headache?”

“Yeah.” Danny twisted the cap off, took a long gulp, then swiped at his mouth. “Um, thanks, I guess. For not leaving me at the PCPD last night.” He looked at Elizabeth, then dropped his eyes. “I guess you really couldn’t. It’d mess things up more than they already were. I’m—I’m sorry.”

Jason looked at the miserable teenager in front of him, then sighed, rubbed his face. He couldn’t really find the same anger he’d felt only hours before. Not when Danny had shifted from a belligerent jackass to…whatever he was right now. He wasn’t entirely sure that Danny was actually sorry or just embarrassed. “How much do you remember about last night?”

“I don’t know. Stuff. Um, coming here. That…that was stupid. And then Dex. And mom leaving—” His voice shook slightly on that one, and he had to take a moment before he continued. “Then I know I said some stuff here. I think—” He looked up, his cheeks flushing red when he looked at Elizabeth. “I think I said something really awful to Jake about Charlotte.”

“You did.”

“And—” Danny swallowed hard. “You guys know about the…vaping.”

“And the weed,” Jason added. “You also were rude to Elizabeth who let you stay here last night even after you showed up and got her son arrested—”

“Aiden got himself arrested,” Elizabeth cut in gently. “With an assist from his cousin and Danny.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t—” Danny dropped down, sitting on the landing. “I don’t know what else you want me to say. I screwed up. Everyone knows it. Mom walked out, right? She doesn’t want me. You’re stuck with me.”

Jason exhaled on a slow breath, looked at Elizabeth. “I think maybe we should do what we talked about.” When she nodded, he returned his gaze to Danny. “I’m going to talk to your mother about what happens next.”

“And while he’s gone, why don’t you take a shower? I’ll get you something from Aiden to wear. You guys seem to be mostly the same size. I’ll get you something to eat, and you’ll feel better when your dad  gets back.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Jason squeezed Elizabeth’s hand, kissed her temple, then headed for the door, hoping that she was right — that Danny might open up to her the way Aiden had talked to him. Or that this conversation with Sam wouldn’t go as badly as all the rest of them.

They needed a miracle.

“I was going to call you,” Sam said, when she pulled open the door, saw him standing on the other side. “Come in.”

Jason came into the room, hesitantly, sweeping his eyes around the interior of the place that had been his home longer than anywhere else in the world. Sam had done so much redecorating since he’d moved out all those years ago — not that he’d lived here much after he’d come home from Russia.

“How’s Rocco?” Jason asked.

“Oh, nursing one hell of a headache. Dante got him up, took him and Scout to the Quartermaines. He figured his mother would know what to do.” Sam’s smile was thin. “I get it. I wanted to  call my mother, too. I still might.”

“Yeah, I—” Jason folded his arms. “I found myself thinking about Alan and Monica. And how they handled AJ’s drinking. I don’t remember before the accident — but after —” He looked away. “Danny was just waking up when I left. He was sorry, he said, but I’m not really sure  he gets it. I think he’s embarrassed, I think he’s sorry he got caught.”

“But not sorry he got drunk and high and got arrested.” Sam shook her head. “Why am I not surprised? He never seems to get it. Always blaming someone else for his problems—” She pursed her lips. “We don’t have to wonder where he got that from.”

“I talked to Aiden this morning. It’s…they started this before last Thanksgiving. They’ve been going back and forth between using the boathouse and other parties,” Jason added.

“Yeah, Rocco said something about a year. I don’t know whether to be relieved or angry that we can’t point to one of them as the cause, you know? I mean, thank God our kid didn’t  drag Aiden and Rocco down a path by giving them their first beer, but now I don’t know who to blame.”

“Why do we have to blame anyone?” Jason wanted to know, and Sam made a face. “Look, I haven’t been here. That’s—that’s obvious. And I can’t change that. I don’t know what it’s been like with him every day. But I’m here now. And I don’t really care why they started or who started it. I care about why our son is getting drunk and high almost every weekend, and the way Aiden described it, maybe during the week, too.”

“Oh—” Sam pressed a fist against her mouth, her eyes glimmering with tears. “Right? Because it’s me. He hates me. He’s made that very clear. Everything I’ve tried to tell him, he just ignores me—”

Jason shook his head. “I don’t—” He pressed his lips together. “I need you to stop that. I need you to stop looking for someone to blame. Rocco, Aiden, Danny, me, yourself — just stop. Because I’m not going to hold your hand and reassure you that you’re a good mother. I don’t know what kind of mother you are.”

Sam’s mouth dropped, and he winced. “That—that didn’t come out the way I wanted it to—”

“And you’re some legendary father, right?” she snapped. “Because your other son isn’t a drunken mess? Well, you didn’t raise that one either! So don’t go taking credit for the success if you don’t want to take accountability for the failure!”

“This was a mistake.” Jason shook his head, started past her. “You’re still looking to win some kind of war I didn’t sign up for. I never said I was a good father—”

“Because that would be a lie. You did a great job raising Carly’s kids,” Sam spat. “But you couldn’t be bothered with your own. Not when Carly needed to be protected—”

Jason pulled the door open, looked back at her. “I’m sorry I thought we could find a way to work this out. Danny’s staying with me. You have a problem with that, call Diane, and we’ll have a conversation in court.”

“Staying with you or staying with Elizabeth? You don’t even have a room for him,” Sam retorted.

“I’ll get an apartment for us, but yeah, we’re staying with Elizabeth until I get that arranged. And don’t—” Jason held up a hand when she opened her mouth. “Don’t make this into another competition with her.”

“Why bother? I’ll lose. I always do. Go. You think it’s so easy to fix Danny? Have at it. Don’t call me when you fail at this, too.”

He just shook his head and walked out, not even flinching when he heard the door slam behind him.

+35

This scene took a turn, lol, and it wasn’t the plan. But I like it. I just thought I’d be able to write 4 more scenes. Written in 62 minutes.

Sunday, September 14, 2024

Webber House: Kitchen

When Jason heard the footstep on the stairs, he thought it was probably Cameron or Jake. H He switched on the coffee pot, then turned to find Aiden in the threshold. Elizabeth’s youngest son stood hesitantly at the threshold, his hair still tangled, dressed in the same white t-shirt, gray basketball pants, and white socks he’d gone to bed with.

Jason looked at the clock over the oven — just after seven in the morning — then looked at Aiden again. “Didn’t expect you up for a few more hours.”

“I, uh, set my alarm. I wanted to—” Aiden swallowed hard, and came forward a step or two. “I figured you might be awake before Mom. You…you were always the first person down here last week. Can, um, can we talk?”

“Maybe we should wait until your mom gets up,” Jason said. No matter what Elizabeth had said the night before, he knew he’d overstepped. Aiden wasn’t his son to discipline, and considering the state of Danny, Jason didn’t have much success in that area anyway.

“I’m gonna talk to her because I have to, but I—I really wanted—” Aiden pressed his lips together. “But it’s okay if you don’t want to talk to me. I messed up—”

“That’s not—” Jason came around the island, held out a hand as the teen started to turn away. “That’s not why. Come on. Take a seat, and we’ll—you can say what you wanted to say.”

“Oh. Okay.” Aiden slid onto a stool, then stared at his hands for a long moment. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that. They dropped their phones here, and that was gonna be the end of it.” He forced himself to lift his eyes, to meet Jason’s. “They’ve done it before. A few times. And sometimes I’d leave mine at the penthouse. It’s never…that’s never happened before.”

Jason leaned against the fridge, folding his arms. “But they came to the house last night.”

“I still don’t even know why. I was trying to get them to leave,” Aiden explained. “But they—” He exhaled in a huff. “I know it doesn’t change anything. I still messed up. They were going to be drinking and getting high, and me being involved at all comes back on Mom. I didn’t think about it like that. Will—” He swallowed hard. “Is she going back to jail?”

“No.” Jason shook his head. “Dante made sure the whole incident was off the books. And most of the heat would come down on me — Danny’s my kid. I’m the one who’s supposed to know what he’s up to. I don’t know what the FBI would do with what happened last night. Or what we’ll say to them if they look at the GPS records.” He tipped his head. “You said you’d done this before. How many times?”

Aiden jerked one shoulder, looking at his hands again. “I don’t know. I didn’t really count.”

“So more than a few.” Jason saw Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye, and opened his mouth, but she pressed one finger to her lips, shook her head. She leaned against the door frame, not making her presence known. “You said something about last Thanksgiving. What happened? How did it start?”

“I—” Aiden stopped, then looked up, looked at him. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess I do. Like the facts. We went to party. Me, Dante, Rocco, my—my friend Tobias. And, um, Georgie, too, but she doesn’t do any of this,” he added hastily. “Someone gave Rocco a beer, and we split it. I figured — it was just what you did, right? A-and—” He swallowed hard. “I didn’t really want anyone to say something if I didn’t.”

The coffee machine beeped, and Jason went to the cabinet, took down two cups. He filled only his, and leaned against the counter. “What do you think they’d say?” Jason asked.

“I dunno. Like, maybe something about me…and Tobias.” Aiden looked at him. “You, um, know, right? About me.”

“That Tobias is your boyfriend, yeah.” Jason sipped his coffee. “Is that why you drank that beer? And kept doing it?”

“Sort of. I think. I don’t know. I—I’ve been lucky I guess. Mom pretty much always knew, and I never really worried about telling her. Not with her bringing Felix around all the time when I was younger, and sometimes Uncle Lucas. They’re both—I mean, not together—anyway—” Aiden made a face. “It’s mostly okay at school, but sometimes you get—I mean, there’s always a couple of jerks who think it’s funny to call someone a fag.” His voice wobbled just a little on the final word, and he dropped his eyes to the counter again.

Jason tensed, met Elizabeth’s eyes over Aiden’s bowed head. She’d tensed, her hand fisted against the wall. “So you drank the beer so no one would call you names.”

“Yeah. I guess. It sounds stupid when you say it like that. Me and Rocco — we weren’t really that close, you know? Not until we got to middle school. Then we were in the same math class, and when his dad got together with Sam, we started hanging with Danny more. No one calls me anything when I’m with them. Danny’s got a temper, and one time, someone said something and he shoved them into a locker.” Aiden shifted on the stool. “Anyway. We drank at that party. We finished the beer, someone gave us another. And then we got our own. And we got—well, we thought we got drunk. We didn’t really know what that meant.”

“But you do now,” Jason said.

“Yeah. Um, Thanksgiving last year. We went to the Quartermaines, I think, the day after? Or sometime during the break. And Danny stole a bottle of whiskey from the mini bar. We went to the boathouse, and we drank the whole thing. I don’t think I like it much,” he muttered.

“Danny and Rocco were  high last night, and there was weed in the vape pens. When did that start?”

“Around Christmas, I guess. I don’t remember where Rocco got the first one, but it’s the same guy, I think, that we get the beer from. We started going every weekend to the boathouse. Sometimes we said we were at my house, and then sometimes at Rocco’s, and then sometimes at the Quartermaines because Rocco and Danny’s grandmoms live there, I mean, you know that.” Aiden made a face. “And sometimes there were parties.”

“Every weekend,” Jason repeated, with a sinking feeling. “That’s…a lot.”

“I guess. I didn’t always go. Sometimes I really was at someone else’s house. I didn’t like getting high like—” Aiden flushed, stopped.

“Like Rocco and Danny.”

“Yeah—they—they started doing it in the middle of the week. Danny thought he was screwed when Jake saw him, but he promised Jake it was the first time, I guess, and he was a little more careful. We didn’t go to the boathouse as much. I didn’t want to do it all the time. It was like..it was all they wanted to do. But I didn’t want them to get mad or stop being my friends. So I started covering for them when I didn’t wanna go.”

“Which brings us to last night. You didn’t want to go,” Jason said.

“Right. I don’t really know why.  I mean, the last two weeks, yeah, because of Mom. But I don’t—I think the last time I went was in July or something.” Aiden paused. “Can you…I mean, can you be here when I talk to my mom? I wanna apologize to her—I mean, I wanted to apologize to you, because you were really clear about staying out of trouble, and Jake and Cam are going to kill me—”

“I’ll be here,” Jason said, but he nodded to Elizabeth who had crept slowly into the kitchen. “But your mom already knows you’re sorry.”

“She does—” Aiden looked up, caught Jason looking past him, then turned on the stool. “M-Mom—”

“Hey.” Elizabeth gently combed through Aiden’s disheveled locks. “You’re still in trouble, kiddo. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m really sorry.”

“I know you are.” Elizabeth kissed the top of his head. “I’m sorry, honey, that things were hard at school. I wish you’d told me.”

“It’s mostly fine. It’s only sometimes.”

“Sometimes is still too much. And we’ll talk more about what exactly your punishment looks like once we talk to Danny. I appreciate that you were honest with Jason,” Elizabeth said. “But you’ve been lying to me for almost a year. I can’t let that go.”

“I know.”

“Why don’t you go back upstairs? Get some more sleep.” She rubbed her shoulder. “Cam and Jake are going to wake you up a little later, and you’re going to the movies today.”

“I am?” Aiden frowned. “Are you picking the movie? Is that the punishment?”

“Ha. No. You guys need some time together on your own before Cam leaves tonight. Your punishment starts tomorrow.”

“Fair enough.” Aiden slid off the stool, then hugged his mother. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

“I know.” She rubbed his back, and watched him leave the kitchen. When his footsteps thudded up the stairs, she turned to Jason, then swept her hands through her hair. “He was drinking so he wouldn’t get called filthy names.” She squeezed her eyes closed.

Jason came to her, and she went into his arms, needing just a minute to gather herself. “I’m sorry. I know that was hard to hear.”

“And he was loyal to Rocco and Danny because they stuck up for him? Protected him? How do I get angry with him? And how do I stay angry at them when Danny’s apparently shoving bullies into the locker?”  She pulled away from him, went to make herself a cup of coffee. “Everything about this situation feels unreal.”

“I’d like think last night scared Danny and Rocco straight, but—” Jason shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess we won’t know until Danny gets up and he’s sober. I’m sorry. For how he spoke to you last night. I should have done something—said something. I just—” He leaned against the fridge again. “I didn’t know how to handle any of it. The closest I ever came to any of this was Michael, after the coma. And he wasn’t my son.”

“You and Danny are welcome to stay here as long as you need to.” She tipped her head. “Any idea on how long that might be?”

Jason shook his head, reached around her for his coffee. “No. I’ll go talk to Sam. I don’t know—” He hesitated. “You were able to talk to him last night. Get him to listen when I couldn’t. He’s angry with his mother, angry with me. I don’t know whether we should bulldoze through that and just ignore how resistant he was, or—”

“Why don’t you go talk to Sam?” Elizabeth suggested. “Part of the reason I’m sending the boys to the movies was to give you and Danny some space. But you can go talk to Sam at that point, and I’ll see where I can get with Danny. I mean, maybe it’ll help that I’m not one of his parents. Look at how much Aiden told you. I’m not sure he was ever going to tell me there were issues at school.”

“Your boys—” Jason paused. “They’re very protective of you. I don’t think Aiden wanted you to worry about him.”

“It’s my job to worry—” Elizabeth grimaced. “What is it with men and treating me like I’m going to break at any minute? Jake, at least, I could say, it’s genetic, because you’ve done that since the day we met—”

“That’s not—”

“But Cam and Aiden have no excuse. They know what I can handle. Why does everyone seem to think I’m weak?” she demanded.

“I don’t think that—” When she just snorted, Jason shook his head. “You know, you never did try to see it from my side of things—”

“Excuse me?” Elizabeth scowled, folded her arms. “What does that mean?”

“I just—” Jason took a moment, considered his words carefully. “Wanting to protect you isn’t about you being weak or not being able to handle things. I know what you can handle. I’ve been watching you do it for more than twenty years. Aiden didn’t tell you about what happened to him at school because you can’t stop it. You can’t fix it. And it would just hurt you to know it’s happening. He doesn’t want to see you hurt when he can do something to stop it.”

“He’s my son. It’s my job to hurt for him—no, not a job—it’s literally—” Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m here to share the hurt. To take some of it off his shoulders—”

“He’s reached an age where you can’t do that,” Jason said gently, and she pressed her lips together in mutinous line. “You can hug him, you can feel sorry for him, you can even go to the school, and make a scene. You could take him out of the school so he doesn’t see these kids again. But he’s always going to be part of a world that treats who he loves as something that’s wrong. You and I can’t fix that. Even if I want to do what Danny did and punch someone.”

Her eyes watered. “I know that. And I hate that. I hate that I can’t control the world, that I can’t stop it from hurting him. I don’t understand why anyone would give a damn who he loves, and I thought we’d come so much further than this. I thought—I thought when he and Tobias were out and open at school, that it meant he was safe there—but he’s not.” She swiped at her eyes. “I know you’re right. I know that he’s not telling me so I don’t have to have this reaction.”

“He can’t control his world, only how he reacts to it. And he’s trying to do it in a way that protects the people he loves most,” Jason told her. With the pad of his thumb, he brushed away another tear. “I understand what he’s trying to do.”

“Oh, right. Because this is the same thing as a bomb in my studio,” she muttered.

“You think Aiden wanting to protect you is about you not being able to handle things. You think me walking away that day, and all the other days, was you not being able to handle my life.” He tipped her chin up. “I knew you could handle it. I was the problem. I couldn’t handle the possibility of you being hurt. Aiden—and Jake and Cam—you’re the center of their world. And they’re going to do whatever they have to do to protect you.”

+41

Written in 61 minutes.

Sunday, September 14, 2024

Webber House: Living Room

Danny was on his feet, his face flushed, his fists clenched at his side. “You promised!”

“That’s before I found out you were dragging Aiden down with you!” Jake shot back, and Danny started to make a move around the sofa towards his brother.

Jason stepped in quickly, snagging Danny by the shoulder as Cameron held Jake back by his arm. “Knock it off,” he ordered his son, “and sit down—”

“What are you going to do about it, huh?” Danny demanded, shaking off his father. “Nothing! You never do anything!”

“What are you trying to do, dare Dad into slugging you? Because I’ll do it for free—” Jake tried to break free from Cameron’s grip but his brother wasn’t budging.

“Everyone, calm down—” Elizabeth stepped in between her sons and Jason and Danny. Aiden had also stood, but remained frozen by the sofa, his eyes wide. “It’s late, and I think we’re all—” She looked at Jake, then at Danny. “I think we’re all tired, upset, and, Danny, you’re still drunk—”

“And high,” Jake muttered. “You promised me you weren’t going to do this shit anymore! Or I wouldn’t have kept my mouth shut!”

“Yeah, well, it’s not my fault you’re a gullible moron. I mean, you’re still waiting for Charlotte to text you back, right?”

Jake made another move for his brother, momentarily breaking loose of Cameron and getting past Elizabeth, but Aiden dragged Danny back as Jason stopped his oldest son, wrapping one arm around his front and pulling him back, even as Jake struggled against his hold.

“No, just let me get one shot! One! He needs to get his ass kicked—”

“And when you lay him out flat because he’s drunk and high, you gonna feel better about that?” Jason demanded, and Jake pressed his lips together. “Let me and your mother handle this, okay?” He looked over at Cameron. “Both of you. Go back up to bed.”

“Please,” Elizabeth added when Cameron looked like he wanted to argue. “We’re not going to let this ruin your visit, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” Cameron looked at Jake. “Come on. Jason’s right. It’d just be a cheap shot to kick his ass tonight. You’re better than that.”

“Charlotte didn’t think so—”

“Dude—” Aiden slapped Danny in the back of the head. “Are you trying to speed run death tonight? Shut the hell up!”

“I’m going upstairs,” Jake bit out. “You can let me go, but if you don’t get him together, I’m gonna kill him.”

“Understood.”

When both had disappeared upstairs, Elizabeth exhaled slowly, turned back to the idiots by the sofa. “You’ll be sharing Aiden’s room,” she said, folding her arms. “Go upstairs, go to bed. We’ll talk in the morning—”

“You’re not my mother. You can’t tell me what to do—”

“You don’t have any choices here, Danny.” Jason crossed a few steps to stand next to Elizabeth by the base of the stairs. “Go upstairs or you can go find someone else who wants to put up with you tonight. Your mother’s not an option. And I’m willing to bet you don’t want to tell either grandmother why you need a place to sleep.”

Danny’s eyes glittered with furious tears. “So I’m stuck with you, that’s what you’re saying?”

“Danny, nothing is going to get resolved by continuing this right now,” Elizabeth said softly, and he looked at her. “You’re upset, you’re angry, and we’re just going to keep going in circles. And I’m willing to admit that I’m furious right now with both of you, so furious that I’ll probably say some things I regret. You lose nothing by just going upstairs, taking a deep breath, and trying to get some sleep.”

Jason exhaled slowly, watching Danny weigh Elizabeth’s words, his eyes squinting as he considered whether to reject her suggestion with more anger or if he’d go along with it. When his shoulders slumped, and he looked away, Jason knew his son had given in.

“All right. Fine. I’m not going to feel different tomorrow. Everyone sucks, and I’m done pretending they don’t.”

“Then at least, you’ll be able to say that without looking like you’re going to vomit on your shoes. Go—” Elizabeth stepped aside, and Danny slunk past her, his feet heavy as he passed her.

“Mom, I’m so sorry—” Aiden stopped in front of her, his eyes damp. “You gotta believe me—”

“Tomorrow, Aiden. When I’ve had time to calm down. Because right now, I am so disappointed in you I can barely breathe. Go to bed.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Dante lightly shoved Rocco to the sofa where the teen bounced, and groaned, clutching his middle. “Keep your voice down,” he told his son. “Your sister and your aunt are asleep.”

“Not a problem,” Rocco grunted. “I’m never drinking again.”

“You’re damn right you’re not. You’re not seeing the light of day again—”

“Who started it?” Sam asked, flipping the lock and approaching the sofa. “You? Danny? I know it wasn’t Aiden—”

“Because he’s gay, he can’t drink? Where’s that rule?” Rocco sat up, grimacing. “Everyone thinks he’s perfect—”

“Hey, moron—” Dante leaned over, bracing his hands on his thighs. “Shut up and answer the questions. You don’t get commentary. Which one of you idiots started this shit?”

“I dunno. I don’t,” Rocco repeated when Dante just rolled his eyes. “We went to a party last year. Someone gave us beer. We all got trashed. It was fun. So we kept going it.”

“God, that’s just stupid enough to be true.” Dante shook his head. “Well, I hope you enjoyed the outside world. You and Danny are gonna be lucky if we don’t homeschool you.”

“Uh, is Danny gonna come home, or—” Rocco looked over at Sam. “I mean, I know he’s said some rotten shit, Sam—”

“Watch your mouth,” Dante snapped, and Rocco made a face.

“Danny wants to think life with his dad is so much better,” Sam said, folding her arms. “Well, he’s gonna learn, isn’t he?”

“Bold strategy, Cotton.” Rocco laid back, closed his eyes. “Can I go to bed? Like maybe we yell at me tomorrow when the world stops spinning?”

“If you wake up Kristina or Scout, I’m going to kick your ass—”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rocco lumbered to his feet, and slowly made his way towards the stairs. He stopped at the landing, touched the wall. “Hold on, I think—yep—” He covered his mouth, and Dante lunged forward, tugging Rocco from the carpeted steps just in time so that the vomit hit the hardwood instead.

“Fantastic,” Sam muttered, heading for the kitchen and the mop.

Webber House: Living Room

When both boys had gone upstairs, when they’d heard a door slam, Elizabeth closed her eyes, scrubbed her hands down her face, then looked at Jason. “A year. They’ve been drinking and smoking weed for a year.”

Jason pulled her into his arms, needing the comfort as much she did. “I didn’t know what to do with him,” he admitted. “I never saw this coming.”

“You and me both. Aiden—my sweet baby—” Her voice wobbled slightly, and he stroked her back. “I’m just hoping we’ll get some sleep and it’ll make sense in the morning.” She stepped back, sliding her hands down his chest, tipping her head up. “I’m sorry if I overstepped with Danny—”

“You didn’t. And I don’t know if I should have said what I did to Aiden back at the station, or here about Luke—”

Elizabeth smiled sadly. “He needed to hear it. They both did. Addiction—God, it’s destroyed so many of the people around us. I hadn’t—I hadn’t thought about Emily being so young. She  had just come from rehab when I moved here.”

“Alan was addicted to pills, too,” Jason said. “I don’t usually put a lot into genetics, but—”

“Hard not to. And the years we lost with Jake because of Luke. If that accident hadn’t happened—” Elizabeth sighed. “Anyway. You didn’t overstep. Not when you’ve been the one with Aiden while I was in jail. We both tried to tell him how important it was that I didn’t get in trouble right now, and—I know he’s young, and he’s impulsive. He doesn’t always think — but they both need to see consequences from tonight. And—” She paused. “Aiden and Danny are in this together — I don’t see how we’re going to be able separate this. You, me, Sam — and Dante with Rocco. We’re going to have to handle this together.”

“Thank you. For letting Danny come here tonight.” Jason exhaled, stroking her upper arm, then taking her hand to draw her over to the sofa where they sat down. “I can’t believe Sam left like that—”

“We’re not the ones dealing with Danny day in and day out,” Elizabeth reminded him. “Maybe you or I couldn’t see doing it, but I gotta tell you, if my kid talked to me the way Danny did tonight every day for months, I’m not sure I wouldn’t leave him in jail overnight either.” She smiled thinly. “Not that I want to defend Sam or anything. I don’t. But none of this was easy tonight. We all lost our temper. With each other, with the boys—”

“You didn’t,” Jason said, and Elizabeth sighed, leaned her head against his shoulder.

“I almost did. I’m trying to remember that they don’t think before they act, but this is—this is so beyond what I ever expected to be dealing with. Cameron was caught stealing once, and even that didn’t scare me—Danny and Rocco were wandering the streets drunk, Jason! They could have been hurt! How many times did I believe Aiden about being with Dante, and that could have been him! It probably has been him, and we just don’t know—” She pressed two fingers to her lips. “I’ve never felt more like a failure as a mother than I did standing in that police station tonight.”

“We should take your advice,” Jason said, and she looked at him. “Sleep. Maybe we’ll have a better handle on it tomorrow.”

“I know. I know.” She got to her feet, then held out her hand. “Come on.”

He lifted his brows. “What?”

“You’re not staying on the sofa. If Aiden’s old enough to drink and get high, he’s old enough for you to come upstairs. Not that anything—” she flushed, and he smiled, getting to his feet. “You know. Just to sleep—”

He covered her mouth with a brief kiss, and she sighed against his lips, relaxing into his arms. “I know, Thursday,” he murmured, stroking both her arms. “Come on. Let’s get some sleep.”

Webber House: Cameron’s Bedroom

Cameron and Jake shared the third floor of the brownstone, and they’d retreated to Cameron’s room facing the back yard.

Jake was pacing from the window to the door, and back again. “I’m going to kill him. I’m going to break him into little pieces—”

“Uh huh.” Cameron sat cross-legged on the bed, scrolling through his phone. “Let me know when you’re done.”

“We just told him—we literally had this conversation today—and when Mom came home—” Jake turned, stabbed a finger at Cameron. “We told him — perfect son. I figured you’d be the unpredictable one—”

“Hey, I bought my weed for medicinal purposes,” Cameron reminded him. “You’re the one that let Danny get away with having a vape. You gotta snitch in times like this—’

“Oh, shut up. You act like you have any experience in this. You’re the only one in this family that’s been in trouble for drugs.” Jake dropped into Cameron’s desk chair.

“First—how dare you. Second, uh, I think I’ve got a decent amount of experience in keeping morons out of trouble. First, you’ve met Joss. You think it was easy to get her through high school?”

“Couldn’t get her out of college—ow—” Jake rubbed his arm when Cameron slugged him.

“I’m not the one that ended up getting my girlfriend shot, so maybe—”

“Okay. We’re getting off track—” Jake held up his hands, and Cameron smirked. “The point is our little brother is gonna get Mom tossed back in jail—”

“Brothers,” Cameron clarified. “Danny’s just as much my problem now as he is yours. He’s staying here right, obviously. I gotta wonder what’s going on with that,” he added when Jake frowned. “Sam let that happen? After all the crap she pulled the last few weeks? I have questions.”

“Oh, Danny probably ran his mouth again. You heard the way he talked to Mom. He’s been  talking to Sam like that for a while.” Jake paused. “Probably should have said something, but you know—”

“You agree with him,” Cameron finished, and Jake shrugged. “Yeah, fair. Look. We’re not allowed to kill either of them, and you know Mom’s disappointed face is gonna have Aiden begging for mercy in five minutes. The question is — will her magical powers extend to Danny?”

“He might be immune,” Jake said. “We might need a backup plan. Can I put him in your suitcase and you deal with him in California?”

“Let’s leave kidnapping as a last resort. Though—” Cameron raised his brow. “Has he been kidnapped before? That would make him a real member of the family. Might be a good way to haze him.”

“Oh, no, you’re the only one that had to wait until they could remember being kidnapped for his first one.” Jake flopped on the bed next to Cameron. “Danny’s got us all beat. Kidnapped at birth. Aiden at least made a day or two, I think.”

“See? Never had a chance.”

Penthouse: Dante & Sam’s Bedroom

Sam gripped the curtain tightly, staring moodily out over the blinking lights of the harbor. “You think I was wrong to leave Danny there.”

Behind her, Dante threw back the comforter, slipped into bed. “I wasn’t there, Sam. I don’t know what Danny said—”

“Nothing more than he usually does. Didn’t even call me a bitch—” Sam turned, folded her arms. “I just—I don’t know. We walk in there, and you go to pull strings—thank you by the way. Neither of them deserve it, but I’m glad it’s not going to mess things up for Elizabeth. I don’t need that on my conscience.”

“What happened after I left you?” Dante asked.

“Called me a raging lunatic,” Sam muttered. She pressed her toe into the carpet. “Aiden’s falling over himself to apologize, and I guess it’s because he wasn’t drinking, and Rocco didn’t even give you attitude. My kid? He’s still taking shots. It’s just—I know I’m not perfect, and I know I didn’t handle any of this right. Not since he first started getting in trouble, or when Jason came home—” She tiled her face up, trying to blink back tears. “But you know, you can only hear your kid talk to you that way so many times, right? I’ve got pretty thick skin—”

Dante got out of bed, crossed to her. “Hey.” His voice was soft and when she met his gaze, she couldn’t hold back the tears. “I’m sorry. We should have done something sooner. I was hoping we could ride through it. Get him to the other side, but it turns out there are deeper problems. With both of them.” He rubbed her shoulders. “But we’re in this together. You, me—and if you’re up to it, I think we’d benefit from letting Jason and Elizabeth in on this. Team work. Our trio are idiots are who on the verge of making some really awful mistakes, Sam. We gotta find a way to work together. No matter what’s happened before now. Our kids deserve the best version of us.”

“You’re right. You usually are.” She leaned her forehead against his. “What would I do without you?”

“Good thing you don’t have to find out. Come on, let’s get some sleep so we can plot how to make their lives miserable tomorrow.”

+40

Written in 69 minutes. Sorry, I ended up combining two parts, and then needed to find a way to end the scene.

Sunday, September 14, 2024

PCPD: Squad Room

Dante strode just ahead of them into the squad room, shoving the double doors open so forcefully they slapped against the walls and nearly came back on them.

The targets of his ire were seated in a trio of chairs lined up next to a pair of desks, facing out towards the rest of the room. Aiden was at the far left, slouched down, his head propped up on his elbow. When the adults arrived, he snapped up straight, his eyes wide, his cheeks flushed. The only one of the three of them that seemed to have any sense—

Danny was sitting in the middle of of the trio, grinning and cracking jokes with Rocco who looked a little queasy, but had no problem snickering. Both boys had flushed cheeks, too, but Dante knew it came from whatever they’d put in their systems — their eyes were glassy, and they were still clearly riding something other than just alcohol.

And neither of them seemed all that concerned when their parents had arrived.

Dante scrubbed his hands down his face. “If I talk to him right now, I’m going to lose it,” he told Sam. “Let me grab Dex and the other arresting officer and see what I can handle. Sam, I’m tagging you in. Kill him for me.” He made eye contact with Dex, then nodded towards the interrogation room.

Sam folded her arms, took a deep breath, then shook her head. “I can’t—I can’t look at them—” She turned away, looked at Jason and Elizabeth. “They don’t even care—they’ve got to be high or something.”

Jason saw Danny point in Sam’s direction, then say something to Rocco and snort with laughter. He scowled, pushed his way to the front. “What do you have to laugh about right now?” he demanded, and Danny’s eyes went a little wide at the tone in his father’s voice. Some of the flush dissipated and he fidgeted.

“Mom, none of this is my fault—” Aiden snapped to his feet. “You gotta believe me—”

“Oh, you mean like every time I believed you were spending the night with your cousin?” Elizabeth wanted to know, lifting her brows. “I’m supposed to believe that Danny and Rocco’s phone just happened to show up at your house? What, did they chuck them into the bushes without you knowing?”

Aiden swallowed hard. “Okay, so some of this is my fault, but no one told these morons to come over. They were supposed to be somewhere else—”

“Aiden, sit down,” Jason cut in, his tone only slightly less harsh than it had been with his own son. Aiden obeyed, swallowing hard, and dropping his head slightly. “When I told you how important it was that every single person in that house had to be very careful, that the feds would use whatever excuse they could to put your mother back in jail, did you think that didn’t mean you?”

Aiden opened his mouth, looked at his mother. “Mom—”

“Don’t look at me. I want to hear your answer,” Elizabeth retorted, and his cheeks paled. He  clearly hadn’t counted on her backing Jason’s anger. “Because you have been lying to me for almost a year. Even if I wasn’t wearing this—” She jerked up her jean leg to reveal the ankle monitor. “I would still be angry. How am I going to explain an early morning trip to the PCPD, Aiden? How do I explain two drunk teenagers on my lawn at one in the morning?”

Aiden folded his arms, and seemed to fold in on himself. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“Don’t smile,” Sam snapped at Danny, whose slight smirk faded. “You wipe that goddamn smirk from your face right now, or—”

“Or what? You’ll take my phone from me again—” Danny began.

“Shut up,” Jason said, and Danny looked at him, swallowed again. “I don’t care what’s going on between you and your mother. You’re not going to talk to her that way. You think it’s funny that the three of you might have put Elizabeth’s freedom in jeopardy? That she might go back to jail? You think Jake would be happy if you got his mother locked up again?” he demanded of Danny.

“Right, because it’s all about Jake, right.” Danny scowled, got to his feet. “All summer, you’ve been obsessed with him because he was pissed at you, and it was like you didn’t even care about me—you didn’t even fight Mom when she said I couldn’t see you—”

“Oh, then what was stopping you this week?” Sam cut in. “Because I lifted all of those restrictions last Monday, didn’t I? You’re done playing me, Danny. You fought me all summer because you thought your dad would let you run wild, but the second you got the chance to see him, you didn’t even bother to call him. Why is that?”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Oh, my God, I told you! The FBI was on my ass — they literally stopped me in the park. I didn’t want to deal with it! Okay? Dad made sure to protect Jake from being harassed, but I guess he couldn’t be bothered to make sure I didn’t have to either—”

“I—” Jason looked at Sam, sharply who flushed.

“Danny—”

“You both actually suck, so how about that?” Danny retorted. “Mom let the FBI talk to me even though I didn’t want to, and Dad didn’t stop her. Didn’t fight her. You never do. It’s always whatever she wants, and you don’t give a damn about me! You never did! Don’t lie! I know Jake’s the one you care about, the only kid you actually wanted—and you left me with this lunatic who tries to control everything I do! Nothing is ever good enough for you!” he shot at his mom, who pressed her lips together, her eyes glimmering with furious tears.

“Don’t bother—” Sam said when Jason started to speak. “He’s made himself the victim. First, your dad was fighting to see you more and was going to get lawyers involved. Why do you think I dropped the restrictions?”

Danny looked at his father, then back to Sam. “That’s not true—”

“Whatever. I’m—I’m just done. I’m done. You want to destroy your life? You want to follow in my footsteps, in your dad’s? You want a felony record that will make your life harder? You want to get drunk and high? Go ahead. I’m done.” She looked at Jason. “He’s your problem. Good luck.”

And then she just walked out.

PCPD: Interrogation Room

Dante smelled the vape pen Dex had given him, and his stomach lurched. “Both of them?”

“Yeah.” Dex shifted, his thumbs tucked into his belt, clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation. “I guess we can’t say for sure, but it’s definitely weed.”

“High and drunk.” Dante dragged out the metal chair, and sat down, put his head in his hands. “And it’s not the first time. Clearly.”

“I don’t think so. But we have no record of it here. I ran their names.” Dex looked at his partner, then back at Dante. “Listen, I want to help. It’s just—if was just alcohol, you know we could just release them. With a warning. But the weed—”

“We got called out on a 911,” his partner said. “Reported two kids walking along Elm Street, laughing, giggling. Nearly got hit by a car. The driver called it in.”

“Oh, man. I had—” Dante nodded. “Okay. Okay. I get it. And I promise you, a month ago, these idiots pull this, I’m ready to scare them straight with whatever we throw at them. But my idiots—they showed up at Elizabeth’s house. And her son didn’t do anything illegal. He was trying to get them to leave.”

“I know she’s out on bail. Joss said it’s pretty strict. They’d run her for this? Even though her kid didn’t do anything—”

“They’ve got her on murder charges, Dex. Charges that Chase and I debunked within an hour. They’re gunning for her. Or for Jason. Either way—this—this isn’t right. Aiden’s not just her son. He’s my nephew—he’s Lulu—” Dante looked away, thinking of his comatose ex-wife who was sleeping away their child’s life. “He’s Lulu nephew. And he doesn’t deserve to bear the guilt for something happening to his mom because he was a moron.”

Dex rubbed his mouth. “We didn’t do any paperwork,” he said slowly. “And I’m the only one who smelled—I didn’t right that down. I know—” he looked at his partner. “I know it’s asking a lot—”

“I’m not asking as a cop,” Dante said. “And I swear, Rocco and Danny — this isn’t going to happen again. I got a wake up call, and I’m not about to let him mess up his life. Please.”

“I guess we can just note that we found the teens on Elm Street, called parents and released them with a warning. We don’t have to mention the weed,” Dex’s partner said reluctantly. “It would just be me and Dex who know.”

“Thank you. Thank you. This is—okay. Thank you—” Dante gestured at the vape pens on the table between them. “Do you want me to get rid of these—”

“Yeah, let me get you an evidence bag.”

After Dex had sent Dante back to the squad room, his partner just looked at him. “If this blows back on us, I’m gonna blame you,” she said.

“It won’t. Dante’s good people. I just hope he can get those kids under control.”

PCPD: Squad Room

Dante emerged from the squad room, the plastic evidence bag in hand, then stopped short when he saw Jason and Elizabeth in the squad room, all three boys still sitting down. “Uh, did Sam need a break, or—”

“I think she’s waiting in the car.” Elizabeth paused. “Danny’s going home with us,” she added. “Sam needs a break from him, and honestly—” she blew out a breath. “Hard to blame her.”

“Uh—” Dante nodded. “Okay.” He looked at Rocco who was holding his middle. “Stand up. We’re going home, and I don’t want to hear a single word from you. Got it?”

Rocco got up, swayed slightly. “Yeah. Sorry that was a word. Does that—” He closed his mouth when his father lifted his chin.

Then Dante looked at Danny, staring hard at the linoleum floor. “You and your mother have been going round and round for weeks, and she’s taken a lot of crap from you. I sat back, I let her handle it, but I should have slapped you upside the head the second you started with the insults. I don’t even have to know what you said to know it was out of line, and remember this, Danny. You’re the one that started this. You became someone we couldn’t trust, and your mother’s been reacting to you. So maybe it’s a good idea for you to take a  break from each other.”  He looked at Jason and Elizabeth. “I got it handled. This goes away. Not because they deserve it, but I’m not letting you or Aiden take the fall for any of this.”

“Thank you. I’ll still need to explain the PCPD trip,” Elizabeth said, “but my address won’t be on a police record?”

“No. And Aiden’s a minor who didn’t do anything wrong. At worst, he’s a witness.” Dante wrapped a hand around Rocco’s upper arm. “Let’s go. And if you vomit in my car, I’m going to make you clean it up.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Jason said to Elizabeth. “Before anyone else sees us.” He looked at Aiden and Danny. “Get up.”

Aiden nearly leapt to his feet. “Mom, I am so sorry—”

“You haven’t even begun to be sorry,” Elizabeth said, taking his arm and steering him towards the doors.

Danny lifted his chin at his father. “You can’t make me go with you—”

“You want to stay here? Face charges for whatever was in that bag Dante was carrying?” Jason bit out. “Go for it—”

“You’re just mad because Elizabeth might get in trouble—”

“I’m mad because my son is drinking and doing drugs,” Jason said. “I’m angry because you’re a selfish, self-centered idiot who can’t think of anyone but himself. Because, yeah, this disaster put her in jeopardy. And it’s made trouble for Dante where he works. Your actions? They affect the people around you. What you did tonight, the position you put Aiden in—”

“Please, don’t let him fool you—” Danny began but Jason silenced him with one look.

“I’ll have a conversation with Aiden. His mother will have a conversation with Aiden. Let’s go. Now. Or stay here, and I’ll tell Dex you want to be booked. Your decision.”

Webber House: Living Room

Cameron and Jake were sitting on the landing when Jason and Elizabeth arrived home. Elizabeth came in first — holding the door for the teenagers who trudged in with Jason following.

“Sofa,” Jason said. “Both of you.”

“I’m tired, I just—” Danny saw the look in his father’s eyes and scowled. “Fine. Whatever.”

“What did you do?” Cameron wanted to know, getting to his feet. “Where were you guys? I woke up—”

“I don’t even know where to start.” Elizabeth wrapped one arm around her middle, rubbed her temple with the other. “How long?”

Aiden blinked up at her. “How long?” he echoed.

“How long have you been drinking?”

“What?” Jake exploded, lunging to his feet. “What do you mean drinking—”

“Jake, don’t start,” Elizabeth cut in sharply. “Or we’ll have another conversation about the Brown Dog and what you were doing there.”

Cameron frowned, looked at him. “What?”

“Later,” Jake muttered, dropping back to the landing, Cameron slowly sitting next to him.

“How long?” Elizabeth repeated, and Aiden made a face, obviously hoping his mother had been distracted from remembering the question.

“I dunno.” He picked at his sleep shorts. “Like since last Thanksgiving.”

“Last—” Elizabeth nodded. “Great. That’s—that’s great—”

“Maybe you were too busy kidnapping people to notice,” Danny said.

Jason stepped forward, and Jake both stood up at the insult, but Elizabeth held up her hand and met Danny’s gaze head on.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” she said, and he scowled at her. “When you lash out, slap someone. When you call your mother a lunatic, or a bitch, or any of the other lovely things I’ve heard you say to or about her. Did you feel good when you did that?”

“What does it matter?”

“You think that because I’ve been in trouble with the law, because your mom and your dad have records, that somehow you’re better. That you get to use it like a weapon to bludgeon your way out of trouble, but that’s not how it works in this family. And don’t—” She held up a finger when Danny opened his mouth. “Don’t you dare say you’re not in my family. Jake is your brother. Whether you like it or not, that means I give a damn about what happens to you.”

Danny swallowed hard, looked away. “Whatever.”

“The drinking, the drugs, it stops now. For both of you,” Jason said, flatly. “My sister nearly died from a drug overdose when she was your age. I was almost killed in a drunk driving accident caused by my own brother.” He looked at Aiden. “Your grandfather drove drunk and nearly killed your brother.”

“And your father is a recovering pill addict,” Elizabeth offered. “Addiction runs in the Spencer bloodlines. And the Quartermaines.”

“It was just a couple of beers,” Danny complained. “You’re acting like I go to school drunk or whatever—”

“You vape during the day. I’ve seen it,” Jake said, and Danny shot to his feet, betrayed. His brother got to his feet. “I’m done covering for you.”

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