Written in 58 minutes. Some more scenes that took forever to write – and then Lizzie came over to lay on the keyboard, so it’s not as long as I wanted it to be.

Sunday, September 14, 2024

Quartermaine Estate: Terrace

Olivia pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, then squinted into the distance where her grandson was sweating profusely, pushing a wheelbarrow filled with soil from one path to another.

“So what’s the plan? We work him until he’s too tired to drink?” she asked. “Because I like it.”

“I’m going to fill every single minute of his day, and I don’t care if he hates me.” Dante folded his arms. “He’s gonna remember this the next time he lies to me.”

Olivia slid him a look out of the corner of her eye. “What are we more mad about here? The lying, the drinking, or the smoking?”

“It changes every few minutes. Honestly, Ma, I don’t know what to do with him. I never—” He shook his head. “I never saw this coming.”

“He’s not a bad kid—”

“Don’t.” Dante held up a hand, and Olivia closed her mouth. “I get it. Kids push boundaries, and that’s part of growing up. And I’m not trying to pretend I didn’t get into my fair share of trouble, but I like to think I didn’t go out of my way to disrespect other people. I didn’t do it to prove I could,” he added. “Rocco — trying to talk to him — it was like he was proud of himself for getting away with it for this long. I think he’s more pissed he got caught than anything else.”

“Well, yeah, but even the best teenagers are little sociopaths. They don’t care about other people until we force them to—”

“Well, I’m gonna force him,” Dante interrupted.

“Fair enough.” Olivia waited a beat. “And is the reason Danny’s not out here doing the same because Sam doesn’t agree with you?”

Dante looked back at the gardens, watched Rocco for a long moment. “I don’t know. Danny went home with Jason last night. Sam — she’s still…” He stopped. “She’s upset, she’s blaming herself—at least when she’s not blaming Jason— and I don’t think she’s really moved onto the next step step yet.” When his mother said nothing, he narrowed his eyes. “No opinion on that?”

“Well, you do have a type,” Olivia said dryly.

“Ma.”

“You know, that’s not right. It’s not fair. Lulu only liked to point the finger at other people. Sam always struck me as a victim.”

Startled, Dante turned to face his mother fully. “What?”

“You know, woes me, oh no, I messed up again, please come and save me—” Olivia wrinkled her nose. “She’s better with you, I think, but you know, old habits die hard. Hey, I didn’t hear anyone say you were done!” she called, raising her voice when Rocco laid back on the lawn, his legs and arms sprawled up. “Back to work!” She looked at Dante who was still staring at her. “What? You asked.”

“Never mind,” Dante muttered, then strode towards his son who hadn’t moved despite his grandmother’s command.

“Dying,” Rocco managed when Dante reached him. “Water.”

Dante nudged his son with his shoulder. “I don’t know. You got energy to talk, you can still lie. Maybe we need to pull some more weeds.”

Rocco grunted and rolled to his side. “I hope Danny’s scrubbing toilets somewhere,” he muttered.

Webber House: Living Room

Danny turned the page in the photo album, his fingers sliding across the smiling face of his aunt on her wedding day, twenty years earlier, posed with his father in the Quartermaine foyer. “I don’t think I’ve seen pictures of Dad this young before. Mom…she doesn’t really have any out at the penthouse.”

“Well, your dad didn’t take a lot of photos,” Elizabeth said. They sat next to each other, one of her large scrapbooks opened on her lap. “We usually had to corner him at a special occasion. I think there’s some of your mom in here—”

“That’s you and Dad—” Danny said, stopping her from turning the page. “This was before Jake was born right?”

“Mmm—” Elizabeth smiled, looking down at the photograph of her in the deep red dress she’d worn to Emily’s Christmas themed wedding,  clutching the bridal bouquet in her hands, Jason standing next to her, with a slightly bemused smile, his sister’s garter just visible in his fist. “Cameron would have been about six months old here, so about two and half years before Jake was born.”

The twist of the door knob drew both their attentions, and Jason came in a moment later. Elizabeth closed the scrapbook, setting it on the table. Danny rose to his feet, fisting his hands, then flexing them before closing them into a fist again.

“Hey. Um, Elizabeth was showing me pictures from Aunt Emily’s wedding. I—I never saw them before.”

Jason closed the door, came in further. “I haven’t seen them in a long time,” he said. “But it….it was a good night. How’d that come up?” he wondered, looking to Elizabeth.

“Just one of those things.” Elizabeth came around the sofa, and opened the cabinet to set the album back on the shelf. She bit her lip. “You weren’t gone as long as you thought you would be.”

“What did Mom say?” Danny asked. “Do I have…I mean, I have to go home, right?”

Jason hesitated, looked at Elizabeth for a moment, then back at Danny. “We’re going to stay here a few more days. Until I can get something permanent for us,” he added. “If that’s okay?”

“Of course. Why don’t I let you guys have some time?” Elizabeth suggested, taking a step backwards, but Danny shook his head.

“No. I—I, um, can you stay? I—I don’t wanna mess up what we talked about, and you—you can stop me if I do.”

“You’re not going to mess anything up, Danny.” Elizabeth rubbed his shoulder. “And I told you, your dad’s really great at listening. Just be honest with him, okay?”

“But—” Danny looked at his father. “You’re really angry with me.”

“I was angry last night,” Jason admitted. He tucked his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Mostly because I didn’t know you were that unhappy. I was angry with you, yes. And myself, for not being there for you. I can’t undo the last two years, Danny. I would if I could. But I’m going to be here from now on.”

“I—I know. I mean, you said. But…” Danny waited for a minute, as if searching for the right words. “But you said that before. When you came home from Russia. And when Mom went to jail. And before the Floating Rib. But then you went away. And I didn’t see you much.”

“I—” Jason nodded. “You’re right. I’ve never been here as much as I should have been. I’m sorry for that, Danny, and I’ll take responsibility for my actions. But you have to own yours. Because no matter how angry you are with me or your mother, it doesn’t excuse what you’ve done.”

Danny dropped his gaze. “I know.”

“I’m disappointed that you were lying to your mother and Dante, and I don’t like the way you’ve been speaking to her. I know—” He held up a hand when Danny jerked his head up, his eyes suddenly hot with indignation. “I’m not saying your mother handled all of this well. I’m not even saying you didn’t have a right to be upset with her. But there’s always going to be someone who pisses you off. Your mother, me, Jake, someone at school—” Jason paused, lifted his brow. “Are you going to attack all of them?”

“If they deserve it,” Danny muttered.

“I get that. Being angry, wanting to lash out when someone’s hurting you. Making your anger everyone else’s problem.” Jason took a step towards him. “I dealt with that after my accident. When I didn’t know anyone, and I couldn’t be the person they wanted me to be. I spent a good year of my life, doing whatever I wanted, and not giving damn who I hurt. I hurt people who didn’t deserve it, but you know who I hurt more than anyone?” he asked. When Danny shook his head, Jason continued, “Myself. Because I was so determined to run as far as I could from the Quartermaines, I made choices I couldn’t take back. I don’t regret the choices,” Jason added, “because without them, you and your brother wouldn’t be here. But that doesn’t mean I wish I could have done things differently.”

Danny folded his arms. “But you do wish you hadn’t married my mother, right? Because she said that about you, and I heard you say that once.”

Jason hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Marrying your mother was a mistake. But you weren’t,” he added.

Danny didn’t look particularly convinced, and just shrugged. “Yeah, okay. I guess divorced people always have to say that.”

“We can talk about that all you want, Danny, but we’re not finished talking about last night. About the last year. I get that you’re unhappy and angry, but that’s no reason to ruin the rest of your life. You could have been picked up by officers who didn’t know Dante, and you might still be in juvenile detention right now. You and Rocco could have been seriously hurt—hit by a car. You could be at the hospital. Or the morgue.”

“I—I know. Um, Elizabeth told me about Jake. I didn’t…I didn’t really know about all of that. I mean, I knew he’d been kidnapped, and gone for a long time, but I didn’t know it was a drunk driving accident. And I guess what happened with your brother—” Danny’s voice faltered. He looked at Elizabeth. “Can you tell him what we decided, I mean, what you said I could do?”

“I—” Elizabeth bit her lip, then met Jason’s gaze. “I thought maybe Danny might want to talk to someone. There are therapists that specialize in teens with a substance abuse problem. I can ask at the hospital. If that’s okay with you and Sam—”

Jason came forward a few steps. “Is that what you want to do?” he asked Danny.

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, at least, maybe try it,” Danny said. He let his hands drop to his side, then folded them again, shifting his weight from one foot to another. “B-Because I…really like the way it feels when I’m…you know. And it makes everything go away. And I probably…shouldn’t be thinking about doing it again, but I am. Even after everything.”

Elizabeth’s throat felt tight as she watched Jason absorb Danny’s startling admission — something she’d suspected, but that he hadn’t even said to her. Jason’s eyes seemed slightly damp as he looked over at her. “I’ll get the name tomorrow,” she said. “And I’ll call in any favors I can. I know—I know a lot of people.”

“Thank—thank you.” Jason took a deep breath, then stepped towards his son. “Thank you for telling me that. For trusting me. We’re going to make this okay, Danny. Whatever we have to do. Whatever you need me to do. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re really okay with me staying here?” Danny asked, looking at Elizabeth. “You—you don’t think I’m gonna screw up Aiden more?”

“You didn’t screw up Aiden even a little bit,” Elizabeth assured him. “But the two of you are going to have to follow some rules.”

“Okay. What do you need me to do?” Danny asked his father. “I want to fix this. So just tell me the rules, and I promise. I’m not gonna screw up again.”

They heard voices outside the door, and Elizabeth went to go check, confirming her sons had pulled up out front. “Jason and I will talk it over tonight, and let you guys know tomorrow.” She looked at Jason. “Um, maybe I’ll text Dante to put together a bag for Danny and I’ll pick up after I drop Cam at the airport?”

“Yeah. That’s—” Jason’s expression was a little grim, and she wondered just how badly the conversation with Sam had gone. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

+36

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.

+34

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.”

+40