Author Archives: Melissa

July 9, 2025

This entry is part 50 of 50 in the Dear Reader

WRitten in — well, honestly written in 26 minutes because until 2:34 my brain refused to work so this isn’t exactly what I wanted, but close enough. Its done.

Jason paused on the landing of the stairs, and as he’d done often in the last week, stood back and observed.

Scout sat on the sofa between Cameron and Danny, her hands clutched around a gray controller, her small brow furrowed. “And if I press this button and this one at the same time—”

“Yeah, that combination will activate the punch—” Cameron winced. “Okay, but without the  X, it’s just a punch to the air, so—”

Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen, a plate of cookies in her hands. “Okay, Aiden said these were better—”

“Since the last ones were black on the bottom—” Jake, sitting on the armchair sideways, his legs slung over the side and a sketch pad in his lap, leaned over to snag a cookie as his mother set them on the table. “We told you not to help, Mom.”

“That was not my fault,” Elizabeth huffed, then flicked Jake on the shoulder as she turned around, and spotted Jason. Instead of calling attention to him, she just smiled and came over to him. “Hey. Enjoying the quiet before we go to the Quartermaines tomorrow?”

Nothing about the house was quiet — Cameron hadn’t finished moving into the house around the corner yet so he and Jake were still sharing, and Danny hadn’t wanted Scout to be alone at the mansion anymore, so he’d dumped his things with Aiden. And then Elizabeth had insisted on a whirlwind twenty-four hours to redecorate Cameron’s bedroom to something more suited to a seven-year-old—

With four boys and one girl sharing the limited space, quiet wasn’t something Jason often found these days —

Or something he looked for.

He reached for Elizabeth’s hand and she came up the two steps to stand next to him. “No, just wondering how much longer they’ll all get along.”

“Don’t ask questions, just enjoy it for as long as we have it.” She leaned into his side. “Molly called while you were upstairs. The guardianship was approved by the court, and Drew cleaned out his office at Aurora.”

It had been little more than a formality, but with the holiday slow down, it had taken longer than expected to have the courts sign off on everything — it’d been the last loose end in the whole nightmare. It was over.

And yet—

“It feels strange,” Jason said, and she frowned at him. “Not that—it happened. This—it’s what I want. Being with you, having them together—all of this—” He paused, trying to find the right words. “I just—I don’t know. I didn’t expect it to come together so fast. I thought we’d be fighting Alexis for months. Or that Turner would force Danny to go to trial—but it’s over. And I didn’t—” He met her curious gaze. “I didn’t have to do much to make it happen.”

She smiled, then laced their fingers together again. “It must feel strange not to have to do the rescuing for a change.”

Jason made a face. “I don’t need to rescue people—”

“I know. But you’ve done it for so long, it’s hard to know how to react when you’re on the other hand.” She leaned up to kiss him briefly. “It must be hard to let everyone else save the day. It was our turn.”

“I guess. Or maybe I’m just surprised Carly didn’t make everything worse,” Jason admitted, and she laughed.

“No, not that hallway—” Danny tried to wrestle the controller from his sister. “You suck at this, and you’re gonna ruin the whole campaign—”

“You told me to hit that button—” Scout grunted, and tugged so hard that when Danny let go, it went flying and knocked Jake’s water glass over—sending the liquid casading onto Jake and his sketchpad.

He yelped, got to his feet. “Hey, watch it!”

Cameron dropped his controller, bored already with the game, and headed for the kitchen — where a few seconds later, Aiden yelped, “Don’t lick that! I’m not done with at spoon—”

“I guess the answer to your question was two minutes,” Elizabeth said, with a heavy sigh. “I’ll take the kitchen—”

“I’ve got this—” Jason gestured towards the trio, where cookies were now flying through the air.

“It was nice while it lasted,” Elizabeth said, backing into the kitchen with a grin. “But probably a good idea we didn’t have a dozen kids, right?” She turned back to the boys in the kitchen, where Cameron and Aiden were furiously fencing with a soup ladle and a chocolate-covered spoon.

Never a dull moment, Jason thought, snagging Danny’s hand before another water glass could go flying, and grabbing the tray of cookies with the other. A far cry from a year ago, when he’d been sitting in some dive bar in Malaysia, plotting another job to get him closer to Pikeman, to his freedom —

But there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

THE END

July 8, 2025

Update Link: You’re Not Sorry – Part 2

Phillies are playing at 9:45 again and I am draggging. I went to sleep late last night because of the game not getting over until after midnight, and I had to get up early to move the car to avoid a parking ticket. If I stay up again, and the Phillies lose, you’re gonna see me on the news.

Last double update until (maybe) Friday.

This entry is part 2 of 98 in the Flash: You're Not Sorry

See you on Thursday with another update of this story!

Quartermaine Estate: Kitchen Terrace

“Finally,” Monica said with a sigh of relief when Jason sat next to her on the terrace. “I thought we’d never have a moment to ourselves.” She reached out a hand and he squeezed it. “It’s so good to have you here. I know this isn’t your favorite place, and people—well, it’s appreciated.”

“It’s not that bad,” Jason said, and her smile widened. “I’m just glad you’re feeling well enough to be up for so long. It’s been…this is the first time since I came home.”

“Well, I’ve felt a renewed effort to get my get strength back.” Monica leaned her head back against the head rest of her mechanized wheel chair, looked out over the gardens and back lawn stretching towards the lake, the sun dipping towards the horizon. “I always enjoy being with my grandchildren, but getting you home—knowing that I hadn’t outlived all my children—”

Jason dipped his head, the shame spiraling up again. “I’m sorry—”

“I don’t want to dwell on that. I have you, and you’re back with your boys—” Monica paused, and must have seen something in his face. “What’s wrong?”

He nearly said nothing — too used to keeping things close to the chest, to not telling anyone, not even someone who could be trusted, anything that might reveal any vulnerability — but that was who he used to be. Who he didn’t want to be anymore. “It’s…hard. Sam insists that any visit with Danny happens with Jake and Elizabeth, which puts pressure on Jake because he still—” Jason sighed, look towards the lake where most of the teens had disappeared to go swimming and have their own small party. “He tolerates me because he wants to make Elizabeth happy.”

“It’s only been a few months, Jason. He’ll come around. You did,” she reminded him.

“Not until it was too late to make peace with my father,” Jason reminded her, and she sighed. “And I still didn’t have much to do with Edward. I’m trying to give Jake space because I want to respect his boundaries, but I’ve lost so much time with him. He’ll graduate in the spring, and he’s looking at international schools.”

“It’s hard not to push,” Monica acknowledged with a sigh. “God knows, I wish your father and I could have learned a little patience and grace. Your grandfather — he would never have admitted it, but he had regrets, Jason. About you and your brother. We pushed too hard, and then…we stopped trying at all.” Monica smiled at him. “But Emily kept you tied to us, and so did Lila. Someone we both loved. Just as Jake loves his mother enough to let you in — that toleration will fade, Jason, and he’ll forgive you.”

“I just hate that it causes problems with Jake and Elizabeth. And with Danny. They had a fight before we came here. We could hear them from the driveway.” Jason sat back, remembering the shadows in Elizabeth’s eyes. “Sam’s shoved her in the middle of this, and I hate it.”

“I won’t speak on Sam other than to say those kids are the only good she’s ever put in this world,” Monica said with a tinge of bitterness. “She has a lot of nerve pretending that you’re some sort of danger when those children lived with me while she served time in prison for murder.”

Jason had nothing to say to that — Sam had done her fair share of reckless, dangerous things over the years, but like always, she’d shed that skin and adopted a more sedate lifestyle to match the man she was living with.

“It’s starting to get dark,” Monica said. “It won’t be long before you can make your escape.” She patted Jason’s hand. “Tell me more about Jake. Where does he want to go to school?”

—

Molly didn’t slam the door in her sister’s face, but didn’t exactly welcome Sam over the threshold other. She simply left the door open and walked back to the dining table, where her laptop, legal pads, and law books were spread out. “I don’t want to hear whatever you’re going to say.”

“Mols—”

“Because you’re going to ask me to give Kristina a break because it’s hard on Mom, and I’ll just feel bad because I can’t.” Molly picked up her pencil. “So let’s say you tried, and you go back to Mom with a clear conscience.”

Sam closed the door, then pulled out a chair to sit across from her sister. “I know it’s hard when all the attention is focused on Kristina—”

“You think is about attention?” Molly’s head snapped up. “Why? Because of the funeral? You think I’m angry because Kristina made sure the day was about her, not my daughter?”

“I think there’s something to that. Kristina’s always demanded a lot of Mom’s energy—”

“And when she doesn’t, you do,” Molly cut in, and Sam closed her mouth. “Why am I always the one that has to give? To understand, to give the break—Kristina was planning to sue TJ for custody of our daughter. The day we buried her, Kristina picked a fight because we’d named our daughter without her—and tell me, Sam—” Molly leaned forward. “Has she called her Adela?”

Sam opened her mouth, then closed it, choosing instead to take an extra breath and moment to consider her response carefully. “She has—”

“Did you correct her? Did you tell her that my daughter’s name was Irene, that she was named for TJ’s family? That TJ had every right to give his daughter a family name, and that Kristina is just the surrogate—”

“Molly, you’re not being fair. Kristina went through such hell — she lost that baby before she could even hold her—if Irene had been born, if there had been space—hold on, don’t get mad at me—let me finish. If Irene had been born as planned, the three of you could have hashed this out. Kristina could have given her up more easily. But—” Sam shook her head. “The feeling of waking up, of having to be told your baby is gone—you can’t understand—”

“No, I can’t understand. Right? That’s something special only you and Kristina could ever share,” Molly bit out. She shoved back from the table. “I won’t ever know what it is to carry a child, to give birth. To hold my daughter. Thanks for reminding me—”

“Molly—that’s not what I meant—come on—” Sam stood, put her hands up. “You know that’s not what I meant—”

“Just stop. Stop. Go and tell Kristina that she should understand my pain, that she should give me a break. You won’t because I’m the calm one, the steady one. Because I won’t trash my life and join a cult when I don’t get my way—I won’t do something stupid that requires my entire family to rescue me—that’s why you’re here to talk sense into me. Because Kristina did something so stupid she destroyed my life—” Molly broke off, looked away. “I can’t help Mom with her case, Sam, and it’s not fair to ask me.”

“All right. All right. You’re not wrong, Mols. Kristina — and I — have been known to go a little crazy and throw ourselves at something when we’re convinced we’re right. She didn’t go to Ava’s to hurt anyone—”

“Why did she go there at all? After everything Ava’s done to this family, why would she go there at all? If she’d thought for just a second—” Molly pressed her lips together. “Maybe it makes me a bad person, but I’m glad Cates arrested her. That she has to go to a court and has to think about what she did. I’m glad this might ruin her life. She destroyed mine.”

“You don’t mean that—”

Molly went to the door, opened it. “I love you, Sam, but I’m tired of being asked to sacrifice myself at Kristina’s expense. Not one more minute. Please go.”

Quartermaine Estate: Garden Terrace

“Did you guys grab all the towels?” Elizabeth asked, taking the damp ones, and tossing them in the laundry basket she’d brought with her. “Aiden—” She looked at her youngest son, forever leaving something somewhere.

“Yeah, I double checked, Mom,” Jake said before Aiden could answer, still on his phone. “Are we finally leaving or what?”

“Put down the phone for five seconds and look at me, Jake.” Her son sighed, but looked at her. “We’re not leaving yet, but the sun is gone and we don’t want you down there alone—”

“Who’s we?” Jake said, and she clenched her jaw, and nearly lost her temper, but Rocco and Georgie and she closed her mouth. She’d deal with Jake’s attitude later.

“Elizabeth, hey—” She turned at her name, smiling when Michael exited the house, and crossed to her. “I was hoping to catch you before you leave.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Can we take a walk or—” Michael eyed the group. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, we’re just starting to pack up but I think Jason’s still talking to your grandmother—” When Jake snorted at that, Elizabeth sent him a scorching glare. When they got home— but first, she smiled again at Michael. “Come on. I would love to see Lila’s roses before the season changes.”

When their mother had disappeared from the terrace with Michael, Aiden whacked Jake in the arm. “Dude, what’s your damage?”

“Don’t mind him, he’s still pissed because Charlotte isn’t responding to any of her texts.” Danny made googly eyes at his brother, and Jake rolled his eyes.

“Dad’s been looking for her,” Rocco told Jake. “But she’s just dropped off the map. I hate it. If my mom were awake, none of this would be happening. Charlotte would be with us.”  He made a face, then looked at Georgie. “Come, let’s go find something to eat before Sasha packs up the leftovers.”

“I’ll come with you,” Aiden said. “Jake and his rotten mood can stay out here.”

When they were gone, Danny leaned against the railing, folded his arms. “Your mom is going to kick your ass when she gets you home. I know that look. You’re lucky Michael came along.”

“Shut up,” Jake muttered, dropping to the one of the chairs. “Mom will get over it because she knows why I’m pissed at her—”

“You don’t even care that you’re the only reason I get to see my dad. If your mom wasn’t so nice, I’d be shit out of luck, and that’s not fair,” Danny said. “You want to be a dick to him, whatever. But you’re gonna make it so your mom doesn’t want to help me anymore—”

“Relax, doofus.” Jake tossed his phone aside, irritated with the lack of responses. Nothing for weeks. She disappeared into thin air like he didn’t matter. Like they hadn’t been through something. Like his father had. “My mom isn’t gonna stop being Dad’s baby-sitter. All I want is for her to stop forcing me to do shit with him.”

“You were getting along better until Charlotte dipped out, and you’re taking it out on the rest of us. I’m sorry your girlfriend decided being a fugitive would be better than being with you—”

Jake shot his feet. “The fuck did you just say to me?”

“You heard me.” Danny lifted his chin, but his brother towered over him by at least a foot. “You got dumped like trash and you’re making it Dad’s problem, and mine and everyone else’s—” His head snapped to the side. “What was that?”

Jake had heard it, too, and shoved Danny to the side. “It sounded like—”

And there it was again. Two more pop, pop—

“Fireworks?” Danny asked weakly. “Right? It’s just—”

And one more pop!

“Gunshots.” Jake knew them after all — he’d heard the same sound the night Anna had shot Charlotte. “From the boathouse.”

Quartermaine Estate: Gardens

“I really wouldn’t worry,” Elizabeth told Michael as they swung back around towards the entrance of Lila’s rose gardens, still lovingly maintained after all the years since the matriarch’s passing. “Willow hasn’t said anything to me, other than she missed nursing more than she thought she would. I’m sure she was doing good work at the foundation, but patient care is where she shines.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Michael rubbed his chin. “I just—” He grimaced. “When Jason got hurt last spring, and he ended up hiding out here for a few days. I asked her to help him—” he looked at her. “I would have called you because I know you’ve got more experience with that side of it, but I didn’t know if there was time, you know?”

“No, of course. Willow was closer. And it was for the best — Cates definitely thought I’d helped Jason — because I would have.” Elizabeth tipped her head. “Do you think Willow’s upset because you asked her to hide him while he was a fugitive?”

“It was a lot of pressure to put on her—I mean, it was just a few days. When Jason found out Cates was starting to go after you for maybe helping him, he knew he had to give up.”

“And then he was cleared. I would think that would go a long way to making Willow feel better—” Elizabeth stopped, whipped her head around, her eyes wide. Because, unlike her son — she didn’t need to hear that sound more than once. “Where did that come from?”

“The boat house,” Michael bit out, then took off in that direction, and Elizabeth followed, even the gunshots rang out three more times.

Then silence.

Update Link: Dear Reader – Part 49

In Case You Missed It: You’re Not Sorry – Part 1

Also updated: Flash Fiction & Recent Updates

Hope everyone is having a good day! No melatonin overdose for me last night, and shockingly, I woke up on time at 7 and didn’t have to drag mself out of bed.

If you missed it, I launched the new Flash Fic last night as my bonus update to keep me awake (the Phillies lost, but we’ve decided to blame the umpire). I’ll update the new story again tonight if the schedule works out. Either way, Dear Reader finishes tomorrow, and I’ll be posting the new story.

I don’t usually like to write the same time period back-to-back like this, especially since I know a lot of you aren’t watching regularly. I’m working on plotting out a few other stories, and taking care to avoid 2024 next time. It’s just this idea just clicked, and it’s been a while since a story came together in my head like this.

This entry is part 49 of 50 in the Dear Reader

Written in 60 minutes.

TJ leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, tilted his head. “I guess we get our dining table back.”

Molly paused, a legal pad in her hand, with nearly every page scrawled on, littered with notes on all the depositions that never happened. “Yeah, I’m putting all of this in storage. My short foray into family law is over.” She stowed the legal pad in the box, on top of some of the legal papers she’d printed out and other law books. “Robert said I can start back as soon as I want, but, I—” She took a breath, looked at him. “I asked him to take some more time. The holidays, and maybe—maybe after Ava’s trial.”

He crossed to her, tugged her back against him with one arm around her shoulders, then kissed the side of her head. “I know what happened to Danny and Scout was awful, but this is the best possible ending, Mols. You and your mom aren’t going after each other, the kids are together in the home they both wanted to be in — you did what you set out to do.”

“I know.” Molly pressed her lips together. “I offered to fight for Jason on the principle, you know. Because I was so mad at my mother, at Kristina, at the world, for what we’d gone through—for what they wanted to put us through if we hadn’t lost Irene—” She turned in his arms. “But I believe now, in a way I didn’t before, that Danny and Scout are exactly where they should be. You’re right. This is the best ending.” She rubbed his arms, then stepped out of his embrace, and lifting the box.

“Then why do you look so sad?” he murmured.

Molly opened the door to the apartment, intending to head to the storage room in the basement, looked back at him. “Because my sister is still gone. I think—I think as long as I had something or someone to fight—I could hold on to her. But she’s gone. She’s buried, and it’s just—she’s gone. Just like Irene. And there’s nothing that changes that.”

—

Elizabeth slowed to a stop behind Jason’s SUV in the Quartermaine driveway, put the car in park, then hurried up to the front entrance where Jason was waiting for her. “Sorry, it was impossible to get out of the hospital on time, and then traffic—”

He reached for her hand to pull her in for a long, lingering kiss, cutting off her apology. “I just got here,” Jason said, drawing back slightly. “I thought about picking up Danny first to tell them together, but…” He stopped. “There’s a few things I thought you and I should talk to her about one-on-one, and I don’t want her to feel like she has to do what her brother wants.”

“Is this about the visitation Alexis wrote into the petition?” Elizabeth asked, following him inside where the foyer was, surprisingly deserted. “You think she might want Drew to come see her?”

“Maybe. I don’t like it, but I also—” Jason considered his words. “If Drew abides by the agreement, Scout’s ours. Not just Danny’s sisters. But ours. I thought maybe if we always talked to her with Danny or the other boys—”

“She’d always feel like we did this to make Danny happy. Like she doesn’t really belong.” Elizabeth leaned up to kiss him again, laying her hands at his collar. “You’re right. If we’re doing this, she deserves to feel like we’re listening to her, and what she wants is important.”

“I thought I heard voices—” They both turned, hearing both the voice and the whirring of a wheelchair. Monica came from the back hallway, trailed by Brook Lynn. “I’m hoping that seeing the two of you means this is over?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah, tell me that Drew’s been tossed out on his ass,” Brook Lynn added. “I just know he’s slimy enough to pick his career over that little girl.”

“He agreed,” Jason told them, and Monica smiled. “He’s leaving for DC as soon as it can be arranged, and he’s signed over guardianship of Scout. I don’t know if he’ll stay gone, but for now—it’s over.”

“We came to tell her,” Elizabeth said, shedding her coat and purse. “Is she upstairs in the nursery?”

“She is. Oh, I’m so grateful that this has worked out this way,” Monica said. She reached for Elizabeth’s hand. “So grateful that you’ll be part of this family. Officially. It’s taken long enough.”

“Long enough that Jason didn’t even make a face when you said that, Aunt Monica,” Brook Lynn teased, and now Jason wrinkle his nose, realizing the younger woman was right.

“Well, you’re not wrong. It’s taken long enough.” Jason reached for Elizabeth’s hand. “You ready?”

“Always.”

—

Willow extracted Amelia from her winter coat, smiling as the toddler skipped over to the play area next to the Christmas tree — still undecorated. They’d brought it days ago, intending to spend the weekend decking it out.

“Today went a little…crazier than we planned,” Michael said, closing the door behind her. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Willow forced a smile, folding her arms. “We got what we wanted. Drew’s gone, I don’t have to go public with what happened, which makes this easier for you and kids. I mean, for me, too, but—” She lifted her chin. “And more importantly, Danny and Scout are safe.”

Michael flexed his hand, still a little sore from slugging Drew. “Yeah, but I didn’t really expect him to throw you under the bus that way. It must have been hard to hear—”

“It was good to hear it. To know what he thought of me. I have a way of repressing the awful things people do and say.” She smiled wryly, looked over at Amelia. “Only way to survive living with Harmony and the Dawn of Day.” She returned her gaze to Michael. “I think we should separate. I mean, if you want to…file for divorce, I’d understand. But I was hoping we could just…take some time. To just take time.”

“I’m not in any hurry, Willow, to end our marriage. Maybe I should be, but—” He hesitated. “There’s a lot of good here. We both…we both slept with other people—”

“What I did was so much worse, Michael. Don’t—” Willow bit her lip, looked at her hands. “I think I should talk to someone. I mean we could try counseling, but I think I should — myself — talk to someone. Maybe Drew’s not wrong. Maybe there’s more screwed up in my head than I thought.”

“He was just trying to save himself—”

“I loved our life, Michael. Our family, our little world down here, the future we were building—” Her voice thickened. “And I threw it away. I can’t undo that. And I need to understand why I did that to myself. To us.”

“All right.” Michael stroked her arms, and her chest eased. He was always so kind — too kind. “You’re right. Separation — it’s the right way. But I don’t—I want to make this as easy as we can for the kids. So…I don’t want them to have to go back and forth.”

“No, me either.” Willow brushed the tears away. “I think I should stay with my mother and maybe we could take turns. You know, we’re the ones that switch and the kids stay here.”

“We can try that.”

“Good. Good. I, um, I’ll pack a few things—” He caught her arm when she started for the stairs. “Michael—”

“It can wait until after the holidays.  If we can’t—if we can’t fix this — then I want them to have one more holiday with the both of us. Can we do that?” Michael asked.

“It’s more than I deserve. Thank you.” She squeezed his hand. “Why don’t you go pick up Wiley at the main house? I’ll make dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

—

Jason knocked lightly at Scout’s bedroom door, already slightly open. “Scout?”

“Uncle Jason?” Scout climbed to her feet from where she was playing with her doll house. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Can we come in?” Jason asked, stepping aside to reveal Elizabeth with him.

“Okay.” Scout worried her bottom lip, her dark eyes wide. “You’re here to tell me I have stay. That I can’t come with you, aren’t you?”

“We’re here to tell you that we talked to your dad, and he agreed that you should stay with us and Danny while he’s in DC,” Jason said carefully. He waited for Elizabeth to sit down in one of the armchairs before sitting on the window seat. “So you can come live with us.”

“Oh.” Scout was quiet for a moment, absorbing that. “He didn’t want me?”

“He did,” Elizabeth said. “But we all agreed that it was better for you to stay here with your school and your friends and your brother. We thought that was what you wanted.” She looked at Jason, and he could tell she was worried.

Scout sat down, kneeling on the carpet, and picking up one of her dolls. “I guess. You went away,” she said to Jason. “For a long time, and Danny was really sad. Did you miss Danny? And Jake?”

“More than anything. I thought about them every day I was gone, and they were the first people I wanted to see when it was possible.” And safe, Jason finished silently.

“I don’t think my daddy misses me when I’m not there,” Scout said. “Before Grandma made him leave, we lived here for days and days and days, and he only saw me sometimes. He said he was really busy. Do all daddies go away? And mommies? Did you ever go away?” she asked Elizabeth. “For years and months and days?”

“I went to stay at a hospital for a few weeks,” Elizabeth told her. “And Rocco’s grandmother took care of my boys and kept them safe until I could come home.”

Scout considered that. “But my mommy can’t come home. She went to heaven. Do you think she thinks about me?”

“I’m sure she does. She loved you a whole lot,” Jason told her. “Scout, if you want us to make sure you can still see your dad, we can do that. We can take you to DC or —” He hesitated, then forced the words out. “We can do something here. This is up to you. Whatever you want.”

Scout turned the doll over her in her hands and was quiet so long Jason worried they’d made a mistake. Maybe she’d felt like she’d had to agree with what her brother wanted.  Finally, she looked up at him. “We’ll all live together in ‘Lizabeth’s house?”

“That’s the plan. You’ll have your own room there,” Elizabeth said.

“And we’ll see each other every day? Do I have to stay in my room all day?” Scout wanted to know. “Will the boys be mean to me? Sometimes Danny was mean to me. Not since….not since. But maybe he’ll forget and be mean again.”

“Well, if Danny’s mean to you again, you come and tell me, and I’ll handle it, but you already know Jake and Elizabeth’s other two boys are really great kids. Cameron lives in California most of the time, but he’s always been a pretty good older brother. And Aiden likes to bake.”

Scout brightened. “Bake? Like cookies?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Elizabeth said.  “And you know, he always needs an assistant in the kitchen. Jake and Cam were away at school, and I just know he’d love having someone to test all his cookies and everything else he makes.”

“That might be fun. Is he making Christmas cookies? I could help.”

“I’m sure he is. So you still want to come with us?” Elizabeth asked.

Scout took a deep breath. “Daddy was really mad at me. Maybe when he stops being so mad, he might love me again, and I can stay with him. But it was scary when he was mad. Is it okay if I stay with you until he stops being mad at me?”

Not really sure how he’d be able keep that particularly promise, Jason looked at Elizabeth, a bit helpless.

She slid off the chair and knelt next to Scout, stroking back her hair. “I think that we should check in with your Daddy once in a while, and see how you feel. And when you’re ready, we can make changes. But until then, I would love if you lived with us.”

Scout looked at her. “Okay. When can I have cookies?”

July 7, 2025

Update: You’re Not Sorry – Part 1

I was originally going to do a bonus update of Dear Reader to wrap it up faster, but I wasn’t really feeling a second update in me today (this usually happens to me as I wind down a story, the fun stuff is over, lol) but I still wanted to do something that keeps me awake for a late Phillies game, so…we’re launching the new flash series early!

I haven’t added it to the Recent Updates // Flash page yet, so I’ll do that tomorrow, but I’m very excited about this one. I’ve been plotting out the whole story, and I’ve got 10k of scenes and dialogue sketched out, and I’m a little past halfway through. Hope you guys enjoy this one 🙂

This entry is part 1 of 98 in the Flash: You're Not Sorry

This story is set in early September 2024. If you’re not watching the show, or you don’t remember, here are some of the big things to keep in mind –

  • Kristina was a surrogate for TJ and Molly. She fell out a window at Ava’s, was badly injured, and the baby did not survive. She’s gone off the deep end a little with grief, and has clashed with her sister and TJ because Kristina was planning to keep the baby — Kristina was also arrested by John “Jagger” Cates who was trying to use her against Sonny. So she hates Cates, and so does Sonny. Sonny’s meds were messed with for months, so he’s unbalanced himself.
  • Elizabeth broke up with Finn in June, and now we don’t care to remember he ever existed. Nothing much for her since then, other than trying to encourage Jason & Jake’s relationship — and Jake did not go to Spain. She’s spent some time with Jason, who’s keeping his distance from all things Sonny, trying to convince Sam he’s really out of the business so he can spend time with Danny, but Sam’s being a bitch. We hate her. This isn’t new.
  • Jason was an FBI informant under Cates because of Carly. That went away in July, but Sonny still hasn’t forgiven him because, well, fair.

Written in… 62 minutes.

Monday, September 2, 2024

Webber House: Living Room

Elizabeth Webber opened her front door with an exasperated smile. “I told you that you don’t have to knock—” she said, stepping to one side, allowing Jason Morgan and his fourteen-year-old son inside. “Hey, Danny. Jake’s upstairs. Tell him to stop whatever he’s doing and come down. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

“Got it.” Danny offered a two-fingered salute, then sprinted past her, thudding up the stairs.

Elizabeth looked past Jason, squinting her eyes at the clear, blue skies. “I don’t trust the weather forecast. Are they sure it’s not going to rain?”

“I thought I was the one trying to get out of this,” Jason teased, and she smirked. “There’s supposed to be a storm tonight, but unfortunately, it’s after the barbecue.”

“Oh, no, you might have to socialize,” Elizabeth said, pretending to be scandalized with a hand pressed against her chest. She closed the door. “I’m sorry, I tease, but I know how much you hate things like this.”

“As long as I can avoid ninety percent of the people there,” Jason said, “I’ll be fine. I really just want to see Monica. And Michael.” He squinted. “Maybe it’s more like ninety-eight percent.”

She laughed, and he trailed after her into the kitchen where the counter had a few different dishes — her famous brownies, and some fancy tart thing likely made by her youngest son, Aiden. “Who made the pasta salad?”

“You ask that like you should be scared. It’s from the grocery store,” Elizabeth said, unzipping a thermal bag to transport the dishes. “I know my limits.”

Jason picked up a flyer from the counter, and made a face. He held it up. “Drew Q for U?” That’s really the slogan?”

“I can’t even say it without snickering.” She plucked it from Jason’s hand. “It’s so gross, isn’t it? The way he’s using the Q name to get himself into office. I mean, Edward would probably love it, but there’s something about it that feels so slimy. He’s known he’s a Quartermaine for years, and didn’t bother to change his name until now.” When Jason opened his mouth, she held up a hand. “Don’t say it, I already know.”

“Michael and the rest of the family don’t seem to mind. Except for Tracy,” Jason added. “But she doesn’t like anyone.” His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he plucked it out. He clenched his jaw, reading the text.

“Everything okay? If you, um, have to cancel — I can take the boys—”

Jason lifted his gaze to Elizabeth’s, and knew she was thinking of all the other calls he’d received over the years. Calls and texts that had taken him away. “No, it’s nothing like that. And there’s nothing about my life now that would make that happen. I told you, it’s just the warehouse.”

“Right,” Elizabeth said, then smiled, but it was a brief, nervous one, and he knew she didn’t quite trust it. He didn’t trust it entirely either. It had been decades since he’d tried to leave the business, and being known as an informant for the FBI hadn’t made this attempt any easier — Elizabeth was right to be skeptical. “So everything is okay?”

“Yeah. Just—” Jason shook his head. “It’s Sam. Reminding me that Laura will be there with Rocco and Scout, so maybe I should leave Danny with her. I told her—” He tightened his hand around his phone, then exhaled in a slow, irritated breath. “It’s fine. She’ll get used to it.” She’d have to. He was  home, and his only priority now was making sure Jake and Danny knew they came first for him.

“It’ll get easier,” Elizabeth said. “I mean, Jake says full sentences in your presence now, and that’s not something that was true even a month ago. Sam will…” She wrinkled her nose. “You know what? I’m just going to stay out of it. You know how I feel about this. And so does she.” She opened the fridge, and started to remove a huge portable container of juice.

Jason hurried to take it from her, and she relinquished it without argument. “I know she’s angry about me being gone, and I don’t expect her to forgive me.” He set the container on the counter. “The Quartermaines can’t buy their own juice?”

“It’s sangria — and Sam can be as angry as she wants to be. It’s wrong for her to take it out on Danny or put me—” Elizabeth held up her hands. “Never mind.”

“I’m sorry. For letting her put you and Jake in the middle of this. And I should have told her no—”

“But you wanted to see Danny,” Elizabeth finished, and he sighed. “And we were going to the party today anyway, plus you’re great when it comes to the heavy stuff, so she did me a favor. I just don’t appreciate being made to feel like this is a supervised visit. And if I didn’t value Jake and Danny’s relationship so much, she’d hear about it from me.” She looked around the kitchen. “I think that’s everything. Let’s load up the car and then I’ll pry the boys from whatever video game they’re playing.”

Penthouse: Living Room

“I wish you were going today,” Sam McCall said, following Dante Falconieri to the closet where he took down the lockbox where he kept his gun. “I’d just feel so much better knowing you were there. Or if I were—”

Dante flipped back the top of the box, then looked at her a furrowed brow. “What exactly do you think is going to happen? It’s the Q’s annual barbecue—”

“There’s going to be triple the amount of people today,” Sam reminded him. “Because for some reason, my idiot ex-husband is running for Congress. Oh my God, every time I say it out loud, it sounds even more stupid.”

“Drew Q for U,” Dante quoted, and she snorted. “Hey, listen, he can get elected, head to DC, and he’ll stop pretending he knows anything about raising kids.” He stroked her arms, and she smiled at him. “We both know he didn’t come back as the guy we used to know. Whatever the Cassadines did to him, whatever happened in prison — the Drew you loved is gone.”

“And the one that adored our little girl like a princess is no where to be found. I know, I know.” Sam wrinkled her nose. “I don’t even care. He only remembers to be Scout’s father for photo opps these days, and now that he’s given up on boarding school, he doesn’t even ask about school.” She folded her arms. “It’s not him I’m worried about.”

“Sam—”

“I know you’re not on my side about this, but I’m not crazy to limit the time Danny spends with Jason. I’m not. Jason is still the same guy he always was, and Danny idolizes him. He’s gonna want to be just like him, with leather jackets, and motorcycles, and no respect for authority—”

“I think you’re not giving Danny enough credit — and you know, I don’t know if it’s fair to hold all that against Jason.” Dante lifted a brow. “It wasn’t that long ago you were fighting tooth and nail for that guy to stay in your life.”

“And where did it put me, Dante? In prison, away from my kids. And where did Jason end up? Working the frickin’ FBI, playing mercenary for over two years! One of us had to grow up, and he’s still the angry kid who can’t play nice with his family.” Sam huffed. “And you know what really makes me mad?”

“No, but you’re gonna tell me.” Dante clicked the magazine into his gun, then slid it into the holster at his hip.

“Why couldn’t Danny handle this like Jake? Jake understands what Jason did was irresponsible and unforgiveable. He said Jake only even talks to his dad because Elizabeth basically forces it.” Sam scowled. “You’d think she of all people would be on my side! Jason literally broke up with her because all his lifestyle, and walked away from being Jake’s dad for years—”

“So we’re mad at Danny because he likes his father, and mad at Elizabeth because she’s not as mad as you want her to be—”

“You’re using that tone that makes me feel stupid,” Sam muttered.

He kissed her forehead. “Jason seems to be staying out of trouble now that his FBI deal is over with, which is all you ever wanted. Danny is safe with him. What you should be worrying about is Kristina—”

“Oh, don’t get me started on that whole mess.” Sam scrubbed her hands through hair, sighed. “The funeral was so awful, and the only reason Molly is even considering a ceasefire is because of these awful charges. I just know Kristina’s going to say something insensitive and piss her off, and Mom will defend Krissy, which will make Molly lose her damn mind.” Sam looked at him. “Why can’t my family be as normal as yours?”

“Uh, Kristina is my family,” Dante reminded her, and she made a face. “And you really want to be more like to be more like my ma?”

“You know what, on second thought—” she shook her head, leaned up to kiss him. “Be careful at work, and I’ll see you tonight.”

Webber House: Jake’s Bedroom

Danny flopped into Jake’s desk chair, and used his foot to push the chair into a lazy spin. “How much longer are you gonna be?”

“Just finishing the shadow on this sketch,” came the mutter from the workstation under the window where his brother was crouched over an over-sized sketchpad. “If I lose the light, I’ll lose the perspective—”

“I don’t understand any of that, but your mom said ten minutes, and that was almost fifteen minutes ago. She’s gonna get mad.”

“She gets it. She used to be an artist.”

“Yeah?” Danny sat up. “Was she good?”

“Pretty good.” Jake flicked some pencil shavings from the drawing. “Besides, you only want to get there faster to see Georgie Jones in a bikini.”

Danny’s cheeks heated. “Do not. And ew, she’s basically family.”

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Jake! Let’s go!”

Danny turned towards the door and the muffled voice from downstairs. “See, told you. Let’s go before she sends Dad up—”

“She knows better.” Jake turned the pad slightly to get a different angle. “Then I just wouldn’t go, and she’d get pissed at me, and it would the ruin the whole day. She wants me to spend time with him, she can wait five more minutes.”

Danny scowled. “You’re such a dick, you know that? Your mom actually lets you hang out with Dad whenever you want and you can’t even be bothered! Meanwhile, I have to have you and your mom around like babysitters.” He slouched back in the chair, folding his arms. “We should just switch moms. That would fix everything.”

“Yeah, no thanks.”

“What does that mean?” Danny demanded, straightening. “You’d be lucky to have my mom—”

Jake just looked at him, then sighed. “Okay, five seconds ago you were trying to trade for my mother, so pick a struggle, moron. And your mom is just trying to protect you. At least she gets it. Dad left us, Danny. For over two years. Why aren’t you more pissed about it?”

“Because he used to be dead, dickwad.” Danny shot to his feet. “And now he’s not! I’m so sick and tired you wishing Dad was still dead—”

“That’s not what I said!” Jake shot back, shoving himself to his feet, his picture forgotten. “Don’t be an asshole—”

“You started it!”

The door opened then, and Aiden stood there, somewhat awkwardly. “Uh, not that you guys care, but Mom and Jason are now debating who’s gonna come up here and break up this fight because we can hear you from the driveway.”

Danny scowled, looked at Jake. “I hate you.”

Jake shot him the finger. “Right back at you.”

Danny stomped out of the room, and Aiden looked at Jake, beleagured. “Is it gonna be like this all day? Because Tobias is gonna be there—”

“Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you in front of your boyfriend. As long as Mom doesn’t want to pretend we’re all a happy family, we’re good.” Jake tossed his pencils back in their case. “Let’s get this over with.”

Davis House: Living Room

Alexis Davis pressed two fingers to her temple, counted to ten, opened her eyes, looked at her middle daughter, then repeated the count.

“I hate when you make that face, Mom! It was just a question—”

“It was a stupid question,” came the sound of her youngest daughter, and Alexis contemplated moving to Bali and changing her name. What a shame she’d given up alcohol, it would have been very useful for days like this.

“Can the both of you try not to ride my last nerve? This is already not an easy situation—” Alexis looked at Kristina. “No. We cannot move the federal court any faster. I’ve told you repeatedly — two weeks to the dismissal hearing is as quickly as I can manage.”

“I just don’t see why I have to be put through this.” Kristina’s eyes filled with tears. “Haven’t I gone through enough?”

“Honey—” Alexis looked at Molly, who sighed and leaned over, patted her sister’s shoulder.

“There, there.”

Kristina shrugged her sister’s hand off. “If you’re just going to be sarcastic about it,” she hissed. “I don’t need you!”

“Well, it wasn’t my idea to come over here!” Molly shot back. “You’re not the only one who’s been through a lot the last few weeks!”

“One of us went through a window and fell three stories!” Kristina retorted hotly. She sprang to her feet. “I’m being charged with attempted murder—”

“Okay, and Mom’s going to get this dismissed—” Molly looked at her mother. “Right?”

“The odds of this making it to trial, Kristina,” Alexis began, but Kristina rolled her eyes.

“I know, I know, Cates is just trying to aggravate Dad into doing something he can be arrested for, but it still isn’t fair that I’m going through this! First the window, and then Blaze left town—”

“You told her to go,” came Molly’s irritated mutter, accompanied by a roll of her eyes, but Kristina either ignored or didn’t hear it because she just kept going. “And Cates arrests me before I can even get out of the hospital—he arrested me before we could even have a funeral! I didn’t even get to put my daughter in the ground—” She closed her mouth, looked at her sister who had gone stony silent.

Alexis flinched when Kristina had said my daughter. “Molly, she didn’t mean it the way it sounded—”

“You know what? You don’t need me for this.” Molly snatched up her bag, started for the door, then whirled around to glare at her sister. “And for the record, Kristina, the world doesn’t revolve around you. Because on the day we buried my daughter, Irene, I had to watch my selfish sister suck up all the oxygen in the room. But you’ve been doing that since the day you were born, why should now be any different?”

Alexis winced when Molly slammed the door so hard, glass rattled in the windows. Kristina turned back to her mother with a scowl. “Well, now that she’s gone, maybe we can actually get somewhere.

I have never wanted a drink more than I do right now, Alexis thought, but took a deep breath. “All right, let’s start from the top.”

Quartermaine Estate: Kitchen

“Oh, thank you so much—” Sasha Corbin smiled brightly when Jason set down the sangria and Elizabeth unloaded her thermal bag. “There’s so many people here—I need all the extra food and drink I can get.”

“Emphasis on the drink,” Elizabeth said with a smirk and Sasha laughed. Elizabeth looked at Jason. “Now, are you going to try and have some fun or should I give up on that now?”

“Fun? At the Quartermaines?” Jason shook his head, but he had a slight smile. “I suppose anything is possible.”

Update Link: Dear Reader – Part 48

I’ve been feeling super tired and sleeping a lot lately — and last night, I went to bed around 10 because I really wanted to get up at a good time and get a lot of work done — but then I slept until almost 9AM and still struggled to get out of bed. I started to think well maybe with it being summer, I don’t need to take my melatonin — I usually take 2 10mg tablets because I struggle to sleep during the school year.

I look at the bottle today and it’s 40MG tablets! I’ve been taking 80MG of melatonin every damn night. NO WONDER I’m freaking tired. I didn’t look closely when I got this bottle, lol. So we’re going cold turkey for a few days to reset my system. Just wild, lol.

Anyway.

Phillies play at 9:45 three times this week, so if I end up doing bonus updates for Flash to keep myself awake, I’ll start writing at 8:30 and post at 9:30PM tonight, Tuesday, and Friday.

So I might be back tonight, I might not. Sign up for updates in the sidebar if you want emails 🙂

This entry is part 48 of 50 in the Dear Reader

Written in 61 minutes. Ending is a little awkward, but I was out of time 😛

Drew snorted, tossed the newspaper on the desk. “You’re really desperate if you think you something like that is going to tank my career or if you think I’d give up my daughter for that.” He folded his arms. “You can’t just publish something like without proof, and we both know Willow would never have anything to do with this. Unlike the rest of this family, she still believes in the truth.”

“Gee, Curtis, he seems very confident.” Michael leaned back against the desk, with a smirk of his own.

“Worst kind of politician,” Curtis replied. “He actually believes his own bullshit.”

“Do it, Curtis, and I’ll have my lawyers sue this paper for defamation and fire you so fast—”

“Oh—well, that’ll be a little difficult considering—” Michael lifted his brows. “You no longer own the majority share. Curtis?”

“There’s a new majority stakeholder in Aurora Media,” Curtis reported. “You know, the shares you put on the market to finance your run for office?”

“That wouldn’t be enough to tip the balance—”

“They would be if the shareholder in question already owned a substantial portion.”

Drew’s smug expression faded just a little at Michael’s interruption. “What?”

“I bought them,” Michael said. “As an independent shareholder. Because you were family, and you’d helped save Willow’s life. I wanted to support you. Over the last few days, I’ve made calls to a number of shareholders of Aurora Media, who were all happy to sell me their shares for market price. But the final piece I needed? That was easy. All I had to do was talk to the trustee of your daughter’s inheritance from her mother.”

Drew exhaled a slow breath. “Sam had stock—”

“Stock you gifted her when you purchased the company. Stock she gave to her children in her will. Stock controlled by the trustee of their trust fund.” Michael held out the contract. “After you brutalized her grandchildren, Alexis was only to happy to help fund your downfall.” He straightened. “So. You’re out, Drew. Of Aurora, of this family, and time.”

“This—this can’t—” Drew ignored the contract in Michael’s hands, whipped out his cell phone, and began furiously swiping to get to the stock app. “You can’t do this—”

“I can, and I have. Oh, and Aunt Tracy filed an injunction against your name change. It wasn’t permanent yet,” Michael added when Drew whipped his head up. “Did you think you could bulldoze your way through my family and walk away with everything you wanted?” he asked coolly.

“I know you’re angry about what happened with Willow, Michael. But I promise you—it just happened. It was one of those things—you understand. You’ve been in my place before,” Drew said, stepping towards Michael. “You had an affair with Willow, too. Monogamy—after what she went through in that cult—it’s just not the same to her—she has the morals of an alley cat—”

Drew’s words were cut off abruptly when Michael backhanded him, sending him flying, hitting a chair on the way down. “You dumb son of a bitch—” Drew hurtled to his feet, and his first clipped Michael in the jaw, but Michael had moved just at the right minute, so most of the force was wasted, and Drew went back to the ground.

Willow rushed in, drawing up short when she saw Drew on the floor, Michael standing over him, chest heaving. “I’m sorry, I know I’m supposed to wait, but—” Her voice was shaky. “I thought he was killing you—”

“Stay down,” Curtis advised, planting a foot on Drew’s chest.

Michael looked at Willow. “You don’t have to do this anymore—he doesn’t deserve the break we’re giving him—”

“Stealing my company and destroying my life is a break—” Drew grunted, shoving Curtis in the leg. He rolled to his hands and knees. “Willow, you know it wasn’t like that between us—”

“I don’t know why you’re appealing to me with my lack of morality,” Willow bit out, and Drew winced. “Is that the story you’re going with? Really? I seduced you? You son of a bitch. You gave me a job, booked trip after trip where we were alone! You kissed me! And when I told you to leave me alone, you kept showing  up everywhere I went. When I was out with Michael, at work—”

Drew climbed to his feet. “Oh, and you’re blameless—”

“No, I’m not—” Tears glimmered in Willow’s eyes now. “I thought I saw something in you, something that mattered enough to blow up my entire world, but you’re nothing but a selfish, greedy, evil bastard. What you did to your daughter, to Danny, to Michael—you’re right,” she said to Michael. “He doesn’t deserve this break, but Danny and Scout do. And this makes it over faster.”

Michael made a face, looked at his uncle. “Sign guardianship over to Jason. Keep Scout and Danny together. You can tell whatever political story you want. You can keep the goddamn name. But you go to DC, and after you’re done there, you take some lobbyist job that keeps you far away from this family.”

“You think I’m giving up Aurora and my daughter so your wife can save face?” Drew demanded. “Go to hell—”

“You’re going to lose your daughter anyway. Witness after witness will talk about how little you’ve given a damn about her since you came back from prison. Trying to send her to a boarding school against her wishes? Leaving bruises? Barely talking to her day after day?” Michael shook his head. “Once family services gets involved Drew, there’s no turning back. Sign that, and an investigation ends—”

“It’s in the papers—” Drew growled. “It’s already out there—”

“It’s the Port Charles Sun. You’re not even a Congressman yet,” Curtis said coolly. “Maybe it’s a scandal for a few days, but then something in DC will happen and it’ll go away. Or I can keep printing stories. Willow can give her side. Maybe a bigger media market picks it up—”

Drew scrubbed his hands over his face. “This is some bullshit,”  he bit out. “I didn’t do anything wrong—”

“Sign this, and the shares I bought in Aurora — they get turned over to Scout when she’s of age. That’s the deal, Drew. And it’s good for five more minutes.” Michael held out the agreement. “Take it or leave it.”

—

Sonny stirred some sugar into his coffee, glancing up only briefly when Jason appeared in the doorway of the restaurant. “Wondered if you’d come by today.” He held up the Sun. “Hell of a story, isn’t it? Drew’s going down in flames.”

Jason hadn’t seen a print copy of the paper yet, and pulled it from Sonny’s grasp. Scout’s face had been blurred, but Danny’s face, the bruises from the first night, stared back at him. “We just heard from Molly. The charges got dropped.”

“Is that so?” Sonny shrugged, went over to a booth, sat down with his coffee. “Not surprised. It was a bad case.”

“Yeah. We knew it would happen. Just—” Jason tipped his head. “We figured after the story hit the papers this morning. But Turner dropped the charges first.” He pressed his lips together. “Did you do something?”

Sonny hesitated, then looked at his old friend. “I made it worth Turner’s while to make the charges go away. And don’t worry, I got Spinelli to cook it up so that it’s above board. None of her financial obligations are gone. She just won’t be the one paying them. And the only deal is for Danny. She still gets to go after me — or you, though, uh, I’m guessing you’re pretty much done with that part of your life.”

“As done as I get to be with what it’s in my past.” Jason laid the paper table. “We were handling it—”

“And it would have worked out. Turner’s heart wasn’t in it — she barely even threatened to call the PCPD. But—” Sonny took a moment. “I didn’t like it. When you came down on me for the way I’ve handled my kids. I took it personally because if you think you shouldn’t be a father because your life, well, what does that say about me?” When Jason just looked away, Sonny nodded. “Yeah, well. I’ve got my regrets, like anyone else. And I don’t like to apologize. I double down. Which is what I did in court last week. I’m—” He made a face. “I’m sorry.”

“Do you really think that fixes everything?” Jason wanted to know.

“No.” Sonny sipped his coffee. “Because I did what I did. You were right, you know. About me not seeing your boys as part of my circle. As being on the same level as maybe Dante or Kristina or Michael. They didn’t matter to me the way they should have. I could blame you for making them part of your life—but that’s still not an excuse. Jake and Danny are your sons. And I should have been better.”

He stared down at the white tablecloth. “Danny’s about the age I was when I got rung up on my first charges. I was scared as hell, thought it was all over. I watched Michael go through that, Kristina nearly got pulled into it. And Christ, Morgan—my blood gave him nothing but darkness—” Sonny rubbed the side of his face. “I don’t want your boys to have the life I’ve had. The one you’ve had. We came out okay on the other side, I guess. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get wanting more. Wanting better.”

Jason shoved his hands in his pockets. “I wish I could tell you that we’re good now, but—”

“But I said what I said, and I did what I did. And I can’t imagine I’m Elizabeth’s favorite person right now. I, uh, heard about the engagement. Carly said it came up in court.”

Jason winced. “I didn’t think about her finding out that way. She hasn’t said anything—”

“We both got a wake-up call, Jase. Whether you care that we learned our lesson or not, we did. I can’t promise she won’t say something eventually, but —” Sonny got to his feet. “It’s a good thing you didn’t listen to me. Because you obviously know what you want and need better than I do. And from now on, I’m gonna respect that. You tell Elizabeth that if and when she’s ready for an apology, I’ll offer it, but until then, I’ll take my cue from you.”

“Thank you.” Jason paused. “For making sure Danny doesn’t have to have that hanging over his head. We were handling it, but it’s…it’s a relief knowing he doesn’t have to think about it again.” He started for the door, but he looked back when Sonny called his name. “Yeah?”

“You’re good now, right? Happy, I mean? With Elizabeth and the boys? This is what you want?”

“It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

—

Elizabeth flicked through a few screens on the computer screen, wincing at the schedule, wondering how to stretch the nursing schedule even further — then heard a familar voice clear their throat. She didn’t take her eyes off the screen. “Can I help you, Carly?”

“I went by the house, but the kids said you were at work. You…you must be happy Cam’s home.”

Now Elizabeth looked at her, saw that Carly’s expression was almost friendly. Suspicious, but almost intrigued, she turned to fully face her. “I am. I don’t get to have all three of them together much these days, so it’s always nice.”

“And Danny—he seemed to be—he seems to be okay. With…being there.” Carly made a face, and the first twitch of her lips that suggested she was trying very hard to be civil. “I’m…glad you were there. At court. To give the judge a place for Danny to go. I mean, I would have been happy to stand up—”

“But we wanted Danny to be with his brother and father,” Elizabeth finished, and Carly’s lips twitched again.

“Right. There’s that. Michael said you and Jason are….still getting married. Even with Alexis settling the custody case.” She pursed her lips. “And you’re after custody of Scout now, too.”

“Michael’s accurate.” Elizabeth picked up some charts. “Is there anything else—”

“All I ever wanted was for Jason to have his boys. He has them now,” Carly said. “And it has to be you, I guess I can live with that.”

“Gee, thanks, Carly—”  When Carly snagged her arm as Elizabeth tried to pass, she sighed, looked back at the blonde. “Carly—”

“We’re never going to be friends. Which is fine by me. But your kids are pretty great. Which means you can’t be that bad. I’m glad Danny has you. And I hope Scout gets to have you and Jason, too.”

Elizabeth tipped her head to the side. “Thank you. That means a lot, coming from you.”

Carly squinted, trying to find the insult, then her expression eased when she didn’t detect one. “Okay. So—how are we getting rid of Drew and is there anything I can do to help?”

—

Jason stepped inside Alexis’s living room, relieved when only Michael and Molly were in the room. He didn’t feel like going another round with Kristina. “Hey. How did it go this morning?”

“Well, Michael almost got arrested for assault,” Molly said, throwing her cousin a dirty look.

Michael shrugged. “Worth it.”

“But otherwise—” Molly extended a sheaf of legal papers. “He signed it. Guardianship of Emily Scout Cain, awarded to you and to Elizabeth. The papers say he’s supposed to have one visit a month, but unofficially—”

“He’s agreed that no visitation starts until Scout gives the okay.” Michael put a hand at his waist, his suit jacket falling back. “In return, a majority stake in Aurora Media  gets put in her name, all proceeds to go to a trust fund controlled by Alexis.  And no investigation with family services.”

“Which I hate,” Alexis muttered, folding her arms. “He should be raked across the coals and run from town by pitchfork for what he did to those kids—”

“I agree,” Jason said, and she smiled faintly. “But we all agreed that we needed to make this painless for Danny and Scout. They’ve dealt with enough since Sam died. At least now, we can finally get some normalcy for them. Thank you. Both. For everything you’ve done,” he said to Molly and Michael. He looked at Alexis. “I’m going to depend on you, Molly—and Kristina—to be a huge part of their lives. To keep Sam alive for them. I know you’d do it without asking, but I want you know that I understand how important it is for them to have their mother’s family part of their lives.”

“Considering the hell I’ve put you through—” Alexis’s voice broke for a moment, and she looked away. “Thank you. For keeping them together. It’s all I wanted.” Molly reached out, squeezed her mother’s hand.

“Do you want to come with me?” Jason asked. “To tell them it’s over and Scout’s coming with us?”

“No. No.” Alexis took a deep breath. “You and Elizabeth should do that together. They’re going to be so happy.”

There are only two updates left, and then Dear Reader moves into the editing phase. But since it’s part of the Taylor Swift Midnights collection, I’ll be editing it this fall, so please let me know anything you’d like to see flesh out, maybe scenes or characters you wanted more from, etc.

The next few flash fiction series will be from the Midnights collection because, A, I need to actually get some work done on the Swift project, and B, the theme of that album is Taylor writing about what she’s thought during sleepless nights, and ha, I tend to mostly only think about Flash these days 😛

See you in the next update!

July 6, 2025

Update: Dear Reader – Part 47

One my favorite things about summer is no Sunday scaries 😛 I overslept this morning, mostly because I stayed up too late last night. My schedule is all off, lol, and it won’t get better with 9:45 starts in San Francisco this week. There are three of them, so don’t be surprised if I pop up with updates here at at like 9 or 9:30. (These would be extra, not late updates)

See you guys tomorrow 😛