Written in 63 minutes.

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Syracuse, NY: The York Restaurant

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Gee.”

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

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

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

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s rude.”

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

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

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

“Yeah.”

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

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

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

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

PCPD: Conference Room

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

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

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

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

“Who’s eliminated because of his alibi.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Your dad would know—”

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

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

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

PC High: Cafeteria

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Miller & Davis: Diane’s Office

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Penthouse: Living Room

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

+33

Written in 65 minutes. For those of you worried about Thursday and Liason’s plans, listen — you can do a lot with a free morning and kids in school.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

PCPD: Conference Room

“Nothing surprising with the re-interviews,” Chase said, peering at their whiteboard. They’d written the original statement information with black marker, and added any extra notes in red.

There was very little of that.

“Other than Jake thinking there was a pause between the first shot and the rest, it didn’t give us anything. I mean, that’s not a bad thing. Their stories didn’t change.”

“But they didn’t recite them,” Chase added. He tapped Jake’s interview. “Dex sent me his recording of Danny’s interview, and Danny doesn’t really remember a pause, but he does remember they both thought it was fireworks until they heard more shots, so there’s an argument that there had to be some sort of break.”

“Like someone who wasn’t planning to shoot, but once they had—” Dante folded his arms, walked over to the new board they’d added, detailing the victim and his ties to the various suspects. “I don’t know what to do with Cates manufacturing evidence against Jason. Or the computer evidence suggesting he was planning his own assault.”

“And it was all recent — created that day. So it’s not like anyone had time to find out. But it does tell us our vic wasn’t a shining beacon of truth and integrity.” Chase furrowed his brows. “He could have gone to the boathouse to bait Jason into taking a swing. It’s difficult but not impossible. But no one puts Jason anywhere near the lake until after the shots. So was Cates interrupted—”

“The Quartermaine barbecue was common knowledge, and anyone who’s keeping track of Jason’s movements would know he was there,” Dante pointed out. “What if Cates was planning to leave some evidence that he’d been hurt there. You know, cut himself and leave some blood or something. He’d have that voicemail to go with it — it’d be enough to pull Jason in for questioning, probably an arrest.”

“Automatic federal jurisdiction. Probably run the same playbook Caldwell did — get him moved somewhere away from family and support. Try to get bail denied. Maybe  Cates wanted to force him into the deal.” Chase blew out an exasperated breath. “But this doesn’t get us any closer to who killed him.”

“Just makes the list of suspects longer,” Dante muttered. He stroked his chin. “Okay. Let’s take another look at the reports. There has to be something we’re missing.”

Penthouse: Living Room

“I’m guessing this isn’t a social visit,” Sam said dryly, accepting her mother’s kiss on the cheek. She met Kristina’s worried gaze. “What happened?”

“Nothing yet—” Alexis removed her jacket and set her briefcase on the desk. “But Diane gave me a heads up. Some paperwork is getting filed in family court tomorrow.” She hesitated. “Jason’s filing an emergency petition to make medical decisions for Danny — and a more straightforward request for full custody.”

She’d half-expected that news, but even as Sam absorbed her mother’s words, she realized now there was a piece of her that had expected Jason to back down. He always did when it came to Danny — always deferred to her decisions.

But that was before Elizabeth had come roaring back into their lives, determined to meddle in Danny’s life.

“Well, he’ll lose on both, so—” Sam stopped when she saw her mother’s expression. “Mom. They can’t seriously think a judge will give him custody. He’s living with a woman suspected of murder—”

“She’s out on bail and hasn’t been convicted yet. And you’ve allowed that situation to continue,” Alexis pointed out. “Because you haven’t exactly dragged Danny home.”

Sam grimaced, looked at Kristina. “And I guess you’re here for moral support.”

Kristina perched on the arm of the sofa. “I know this has been hard, Sam. And I hate that Jason thinks he can swoop in here after all this time and decide what’s right for Danny.”

“I can hear the ‘but’ coming from a million miles away,” Sam muttered. She pursed her lips. “And I’m sure walking out of the PCPD on Saturday night is mentioned. So much for keeping all of that under wraps—”

“Saturday night got written up as two intoxicated teenagers brought in and released to their parents, which is better for everyone,” Alexis stressed. “Yes, Elizabeth’s name was kept out of it, and so was Aiden’s. But no one’s mentioning the marijuana Rocco and Danny were carrying — and that’s not something that gets swept under the rug. Unless you think it would be a great idea for us to swing back by mentioning your drunk, high son badgered a sober teen into leaving his house in the middle of the night, and caused all three of them to get picked up.”

“I’m just sick of Elizabeth somehow walking out of every situation smelling of roses. I shot and killed a terrible, awful predator and ended up jail with a felony record. She helped Nikolas keep Esme hostage for months, and got to walk away with immunity. And now she’s  telling me my son needs therapy — what would she know about it?” Sam huffed and stalked towards the fireplace, boiling.

“Sam—”

“Twenty years, Mom. You realize it’s been almost twenty years that I haven’t been able to turn and not deal with her. Always there. The perfect woman. The perfect mother. Jason put her on a pedastal, shoved that kid right up there with her, and then there’s me and Danny, the family he settled for. You think Danny doesn’t know that? You think he doesn’t feel that, living in that house with the golden child and his precious, perfect mother?”

Alexis pressed her lips together, took a deep breath. “I’m telling you that a judge is going to take one look at Jason’s petition and wonder why you don’t want Danny to see a substance abuse counselor—”

“He’s not an addict, Mom! Oh my God, he’s been drinking on the weekends. So did half of the kids I knew grew up! Kristina—”

“I mean, she’s not wrong, Mom,” Kristina offered. “Kids experiment. There’s no reason to trot them off to therapy. Danny shouldn’t be forced into this if he doesn’t want it—”

“Danny has been drinking and getting high for the better part of the year,” Alexis cut in sharply. “And addiction runs in his family. On both sides of the blood line,” she added with Sam opened her mouth. “And the counselor in question has a great deal of accolades. Whatever the motivation, the judge isn’t going to care about that. They’re going to see you denying your son access to health care. Jason will win, at the very least, the right to send Danny to this doctor. And if we end up in an actual custody hearing, do you think Diane doesn’t know exactly what buttons to push to make you look unfit?”

Sam’s eyes burned. “So I have no choice? Danny is my son. He has no right—”

“He has every right, Sam. Danny is his son, too. And if you go in front of a judge with that attitude, even I won’t be able to save you.”

Webber House: Cameron’s Room

“Do I have to testify?” Danny sat cross-legged on the bed, his Switch discarded next to him, tossed aside as soon as his father had knocked on the door. “I mean, do I have…to like pick where I want to live?”

Jason sighed, lowered himself onto the desk chair. “I think, if  your mom refuses to sign the paperwork, it might come to that. I don’t like it. I’ve done everything I can to keep that from happening. I never wanted that for you or Jake, to have your parents fighting over you.”

“That’s why you kept going along with Mom all summer, and why you agreed to let Elizabeth supervise visits.” Danny made a face. “Because you’d rather let her have her way than fight?”

“It’s part of it,” Jason admitted. “I watched Michael and Morgan be used in Sonny and Carly’s divorce case, and they were miserable. They’re not bad parents, but they could be…” He hesitated, trying to think of another word, but he really didn’t have one. “They could be selfish. For me, you and Jake always came first. But your mom loves you, and I could understand that she was worried about my time as an informant following you. I understood her fears, and decided to put up with it as long as she wasn’t completely keeping me from you.”

“But you don’t feel like that now.”

“No. I don’t think her refusal to sign the treatment paperwork has anything to do with you, Danny.”

“It’s because Elizabeth found the doctor. Rocco said it’s what she and Dante argued about.” Danny stared at his hands. “That’s it. She’s saying no because she hates Elizabeth.”

Jason scratched his cheek, uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation, but finally nodded. “Yeah. I think that if your grandmother had found him or Dante, this wouldn’t be an issue. I’m sorry, Danny. I think going to this guy could help. And to make it happen, I have to force your mom say yes or ask a judge to do it for me.”

Danny nodded, then met his dad’s worried gaze. “We’re staying here because you and Elizabeth are, like, together, right? It’s not just because of her case. Or because of me. And Mom’s mad about that. Even though she has Dante and has for years. She doesn’t want me to live here.”

“I don’t think she does, no. And if that’s her main problem, we’ll find somewhere else to live. Elizabeth will understand—”

“I don’t—” Danny stopped, bit his lip. “I don’t want to find somewhere else. I like being here. I never got to live with Jake before, and his brothers—I dunno. I like how he and Aiden are. And when Cam was here. They’re, like, real brothers. Me and Jake aren’t like that. So if it’s okay, I want to stay. Even if it makes Mom mad. Because it shouldn’t. You should get to be happy, too, right? Like she and Dante are. I don’t think she should get to mess that up.”

“Elizabeth and I can be together even if we’re not living together,” Jason assured Danny. “But yeah, I like being here, too. With you and Jake. I never had that before, either.”

“Mom’s throwing a tantrum. Like she’s toddler. Scout used to throw things and cry and scream when she didn’t get her way, and Mom never gave in, and eventually Scout would stop crying and now she doesn’t do it anymore. So we can’t give in or Mom will just keep doing stuff like this. Maybe it’s a doctor this week, but it could be something else later.” Danny seemed to be a bit more sure of himself and lifted his chin. “So it’s okay if you have to get a court to stop Mom from kicking and screaming like Scout. Maybe she’ll learn and won’t do it again.”

Maybe, Jason thought, but he had his doubts. Sam never seemed to learn her lesson, and even if he won this fight, there would be other confrontations. But he couldn’t keep giving in because Sam was Danny’s mother. Couldn’t keep letting her win just to keep the peace.  It wasn’t right for Danny, and it wasn’t right for him.

He was Danny’s father, and he had every right to make decisions for his son. Sam would have to get over it.

Webber House: Jake’s Bedroom

Though they hadn’t planned it, Elizabeth had come up the stairs with Jason, hoping to get a temperature check with Jake, and instead of had found him finishing another pencil sketch at his desk, and not really in the mood for a heart to heart.

“I told you, Mom, I go with the flow.” Jake reached for his sharpener. “Things are fine right now. As long as I don’t think too hard about the ankle monitor on your leg.” He glanced down at the plastic barely visible beneath her pant leg. “Doesn’t that bother?”

“It’s not my favorite accessory,” Elizabeth admitted. “But it’s a small price to pay to be out and back home. I know you’re pretty easy-going, Jake, and that things are better with your dad, but I don’t take any of that for granted. I hope you know that.”

“Mom—” Jake looked at her, then shook his head. “I don’t know how you can be so calm or up here asking me if I’m okay. I should be asking you that. These last few weeks — I was being an ass, and then you got arrested, and you were gone—” He stared hard at the surface of his desk and didn’t speak for a minute. “And you were home for five seconds before my idiot brothers caused you a bunch of problems, and now Sam is being a bitch—sorry,” he muttered.

“I’m not worried about Sam. Or the charges against me. I have months before I’d go on trial, and I trust Diane and Spinelli to find out what really happened long before that.” She tipped her head. “As for your idiot brothers, I’m glad Saturday happened. Maybe not the way it went down,” she clarified when he snorted. “But I’m relieved to know what they were doing. And why. I can’t help you guys if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

“I guess. And Danny needed the kick in the ass.” Jake exhaled in a huff. “Cam never would let me get away that vaping crap. I should have came to you. I would have maybe, but then Finn caught me with it, and it was a whole thing—” He looked at her again. “Can I tell you again how happy I am he’s gone?”

“Only if I get to tell you again how proud of I am of you for how you handled that. And don’t pretend Cameron always got it right with you and Aiden. You boys did plenty of fighting, especially you and Cam. But you stick together when it matters, and that’s what we’re doing for Aiden and Danny.”

“Yeah, I guess. But if I’d said something months ago, maybe Danny wouldn’t need to talk to a counselor.” Jake looked at her again. “Thank you. For never treating Danny like he’s not my brother, too. I know you and Dad have a weird, tragic history that I’m not asking about or anything, but like, I can do math. You and Dad had me, and then he got married to Sam and had Danny. You could resent him. The way she doesn’t like me, I guess. But you didn’t. Danny can’t go to his mom with this stuff, obviously. But he’s got you, and I know he’ll be okay because of that.”

“There’s a lot to unpack in that,” Elizabeth said, “and most of it, I’m not going to address. I’m sorry if you’ve felt Sam’s feelings toward you. She hid it most of the time, but I guess it wasn’t as well as I thought. As for resenting Danny—” she bit her lip. “There was a time when I resented the idea of him,” she admitted. “But never Danny the person. You could have resented him, too. For living with his dad more than you have.”

“Maybe. But he lived with Sam, so—” Jake grinned, and she felt her lips twitch. “It all worked out. Now we both have Dad, and, I guess, now we both have you.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Kristina handed Sam another glass of wine, then sat next to her on the sofa. “Mom’s right about the legal part of it, Sam, I know that sucks to admit it—”

“Oh, if you were  going to take her side, you could have left with her,” Sam muttered. She curled up into the corner of th sofa, her fingers curled around the stem of the glass. “I don’t want to hear it. I agreed to sign the stupid paperwork, didn’t I?”

“I just meant that legally, we don’t have a lot of choices, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find another way to play this.” Kristina leaned forward. “Elizabeth is trying to steal your son from you. It’s so clear to me, I don’t know why Mom doesn’t get it. So if she won’t help you fight back, I will.”

“Maybe we’ve both had enough wine,” Sam said, sitting up. “I don’t—I don’t think Elizabeth is trying to steal Danny from me. I think she’s just showing off, trying to get Jason to cut me out. She’s never liked having me around. And she’s not above stooping to playing dirty.”

“Well, neither am I.” Kristina smirked. “You might have lost this battle, Sam, but we’re going to win the war. You’ll see. Elizabeth isn’t going to be in the picture very long.”

+36

Written in 61 minutes.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

General Hospital: Hallway

Elizabeth turned a corner just as the elevator doors slid open and Sam walked out. Elizabeth paused, considered backing up and turning around but before she could make a decision, Sam turned and their eyes met.

“Good. Now I won’t have to look for you.”

Elizabeth bit back the first thing she thought, forcing a smile. “My lucky day.”

“I need you to take a break.” Sam shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket — the leather one Elizabeth hadn’t seen in a while, not since she’d started dating Dante. A shot across the bow, Elizabeth wondered, or just a coincidence?

“I don’t have more than a few minutes. I have a meeting in—”

“This won’t take long.” Sam walked past her towards the conference room around the corner, and Elizabeth grimaced then followed. Better to have whatever this was in private than make a public display.

Elizabeth closed the door once they were both inside and turned to face the other woman. “Is this about what Dante and I talked about?”

“I don’t know where you get off talking about my son to anyone, so yeah, we’re going to start there.”

Elizabeth exhaled slowly. Okay, so it was going to be that kind of confrontation. “I understand, and I’m not looking to get in the middle—”

“Don’t do that. Don’t play that innocent, America’s sweetheart act with me. We’ve known each other way too long for that. You knew exactly what you were doing—”

“And what did you think you were doing, Sam?” Elizabeth cut in sharply. “Danny’s staying at my house. Where did you think he would end up after you walked out on him? Across the hall from Jason at Bobbie’s? No, don’t bother answering that because you’re right, we’ve both known each other too long. You didn’t give a damn. You made a mess, and walked out, expecting everyone else to run to your rescue.”

“Don’t you dare suggest I don’t care about my son—”

“Then why are you here picking a fight with me instead of signing the paperwork I gave Dante so we can get Danny the help he needs—”

“Because I’m such a terrible mother, he needs to go to therapy?” Sam demanded. “No. No, if Danny wants to talk to someone, I can find him someone. I came here to tell you that my son is none of your business—”

“I cannot believe you’re doing this right now! Are you so insecure that you’d delay getting Danny treatment? Counseling? My God, Sam, I thought it was  bad enough when you ran around creating problems for Jason to save you from, but you’re a mother now! You’re supposed to be putting him first!”

“How dare you!” Sam seethed, stepping towards her, her eyes narrowed. “I have always put my son first—”

“Then prove it,” Elizabeth said flatly. “Sign the paperwork. Raymond Fletcher is one of the most well-respected doctors at his field, and we’re lucky enough to have him practicing at GH. He’s written journal articles and edited chapters about teenage substance abuse—but I bet you didn’t know that, did you?”

Sam scowled, but pressed her lips together, looking away, tears glinting at the corner of her eyes.

“No, you didn’t. I bet Dante didn’t get any further than telling you I found the doctor. He owes me a favor, so he’s taking Danny on even though he’s not accepting new patients. But you don’t care about that. You just care about proving that you’re better than me. You’ve been doing it for two decades, and I’m sick of it.”

“I don’t need to prove I’m better—I know it—”

“Why? Because Jason put a ring on your finger? Please,” Elizabeth scoffed. “We’re beyond that, aren’t? We were supposed to be. We had an understanding, Sam, didn’t we? That we might not like each other, but our boys were brothers and they loved each other. We wanted them to have each other—”

“Because their father was dead. He’s not anymore, is he? And here you are, chasing after him, trying to make yourself look good, trying to play mommy to his son. Well, Danny doesn’t need you,” Sam growled. “I am his mother—”

“It must be so sad to be you,” Elizabeth said. Sam’s eyes ignited, but Elizabeth continued. “To be so constantly convinced that you have to win a race no one asked you to enter. We’re not in competition, Sam, for anything. You’re Danny’s mother, and I’m—”

“Nothing to him. You’ll never  be anything to him—”

“There’s no point in having this conversation. You’re not even listening. Twenty years ago, you were so desperate to prove you were better for Jason and keep us apart, you made me your enemy even when I was married to someone else.” Elizabeth shook her head. “And now you’re doing it again. If you think Danny might care about me more than you, you should probably look in the mirror. This has nothing to do with me. Sign the paperwork or don’t, Sam. Either way, I’m not going anywhere. You’d think you’d know that by now.”

Davis & Miller: Alexis’s Office

Molly retrieved a folder from her bag and held it out to her mother. “I don’t really know when or if the U.S. Attorney’s Office will give this to you, but you should know what we’ve turned up.”

Alexis rose from her desk, sliding off her reading glasses. “Molly! I wasn’t expecting you today-” She took the file, set it on her desk. “Come in. Sit down—”

“I don’t really have time—” Molly started to turn away, but Alexis reached out, her fingers catching the sleeve of Molly’s blouse.

“Oh, please—just a minute. We’ll—we’ll talk about what you brought me—” She set her glasses back on her face, flipped open the folder and lifted the first report to skim it. “This is a digital analysis for John Cates’ computer—” Her voice faltered and she looked at Molly. “Are you serious?”

“The FBI took the evidence in themselves. The audio analysis is in there, too. But it’s pretty clear. Cates was researching ways to punch himself in his face so that it wouldn’t look self-inflicted, the best way to stab himself without causing damage—”

“And creating a file to lure Jason to the boathouse—” Alexis exhaled slowly. “My God, he was insane—”

“Desperate, definitely. He was so angry at Jason about the end of Pikeman. You could ask Jason, he’d probably give you a statement. Cates wanted to get Uncle Sonny, and wanted to force Jason into being his informant. He was probably maneuvering Kristina to turn on her dad in exchange for dropping the charges.”

Alexis sat in her chair, still clutching the report. “Which calls into question his investigation and credibility — he’s the only one who named Ava as a material witness. I could attack his motives and get the case dismissed.”

“And give the FBI headache by going public with it. I thought—I thought you’d need that. So—” Molly nodded. “There you go.”

“This is—this is a very nice thing you’ve done. We might have gotten this report in a few weeks, but I wouldn’t have known to ask for it. You—you’ve saved your sister a great deal of grief and worry.”

“I did it for you. Not her. Don’t, Mom. Don’t—” Molly’s voice faltered slightly. “I brought this to you because I love you, and it’s the right thing to do. But I can’t be around Kristina. Not after what I know she was planning.”

“I wouldn’t have let her do it—”

“You were planning to help her, Mom. Please. Please. I can’t do this. I have too much—there’s too much I have to do.  Take this. Make the FBI and the feds miserable. That’s all I need from you.”

Warehouse: Main Floor

“No, the overnight shift was supposed to—” Jason trailed off when he saw a trio of familiar faces on the other side of the warehouse, by his office. “Excuse me,” he said to the worker, then headed over to find out what would bring Jake, Danny, and Aiden to the warehouse after school.

“Did something happen?” Jason asked immediately. “You were supposed to take them straight home,” he said to Jake.

“I promise, we have a good reason,” Jake told his father. “Aiden, let’s go. Meet us at Bobbie’s when you’re done,” he said to Danny.

Jason frowned, but looked at his younger son. “What’s wrong?”

Danny lifted his chin slightly, but his eyes were miserable. “Mom’s not going to let me go.”

“Let you—okay, come in—” He took Danny’s shoulder, guided him to the office. “What’s going on?”

“Rocco. He told me Mom and Dante had a fight when he tried to get her to sign the paperwork so I could go to the counselor. She doesn’t want me to go.” Danny dropped his backpack on the ground, flopped onto the chair by his father’s desk. “She started a whole huge fight, and that’s my fault now, too. Rocco said his dad is starting to get really annoyed with Mom, and if they break up, it’ll be because of me—”

“That’s not how any of this works,” Jason said, then dragged a hand down his face. “Look, just—what exactly did Rocco say?”

“That Mom doesn’t a doctor that Elizabeth found. If I want to talk to someone, it has to be someone she found, but I don’t get it. Mom doesn’t even know any doctors. Elizabeth works at the hospital. And Mom was really mad, like I did something wrong asking to go. Or did I do something wrong talking to Elizabeth? Is that why she’s so mad at me?”

“She’s not—” Jason bit off the words that nearly spilled out. Sam’s goddamn inferiority complex. Who cared how good the doctor was? All Sam cared about was who got the credit for finding him. For helping Danny. He took a moment to consider his words carefully. “I didn’t think your mom would have any issues, and I guess I should have found another way to talk to her instead of passing the paperwork through Elizabeth and Dante. I just—” Elizabeth had the details and knew how to explain the process to Dante. And Dante had always been able to talk sense into Sam—

But it seemed even that bond was starting to fray at the edges.

“I’ll handle this, okay?” Jason told Danny. “I don’t want you to worry about anything—” He glanced up at the knock on the office door. “Just wait a second. Let me get rid—” He stopped in mid-sentence when he pulled open the door to find Elizabeth on the other side. “Hey.”

“Hey. We have a problem. Sam came to see me—” She stopped when she saw Danny in the office, her eyes troubled. “Never mind.”

“Mom came to see you?” Danny wanted to know. “About therapy right? She said I can’t go. I told you, Dad. It’s just like Rocco told me. Mom doesn’t want me to go unless she’s in charge. She’s always like this. It always has to be her way.”

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth mouthed to Jason, and he shook his head lightly. It wasn’t her fault. Or Danny’s. It was his. For not handling it himself.

“Danny, you weren’t sure yesterday if you really wanted to go,” Jason said to him. He closed the door when Elizabeth came all the way inside. “I don’t want you to feel forced into going. But I also don’t want you to say no because you’re worried you might upset anyone. This is about what you need. No one else.”

Danny grimaced. “I don’t want Mom and Dante to fight. A-and I don’t want to make problems for you. Or Elizabeth. Jake said maybe we could just stay because you were back together, and I don’t want to mess anything up—”

“All that matters is you,” Elizabeth repeated. “And what you need. Your father and I will will make sure you get what you need. And I know your mother loves you. We just need—we need to find another way to talk to her.” She looked at Jason. “Another person who can help us make her understand.”

Someone like a lawyer, Jason thought grimly. Sam might have the right to make medical decisions right now, but that was about to end. “You don’t need to decide right now, Danny. We can talk about this later—”

“I—I don’t know. I just—I know this all sucks. And—” He looked away, down at the floor. “Can you promise not to tell Dante something?”

“It depends on what it is,” Jason said. “Within reason, yes.”

“Rocco…figured out how to get away from his grandmother at the Q estate when he’s supposed to be working. He wanted me to come work there, too, so we could—” Danny’s cheeks flushed. “You know. We had some stuff still stashed. Not at the boathouse. Somewhere else. And—and I was gonna say yes. But then I thought about your brother, and how you got in that accident. And Jake’s accident—and how he was gone, and I don’t remember that, but I just—” His eyes glittered. “I got in so much trouble and I made so many of you mad, but I almost said yes, and that’s so stupid. Why did I do that?”

Elizabeth took a step forward, then looked at Jason who had to take a deep breath to steady himself, then met his son’s troubled gaze. “I’m going to take care of this, Danny.” He retrieved his wallet, removed a few bills. “Why don’t you head over to the diner? Tell your brother and Aiden to order something for dinner. Elizabeth and I will make some calls. I’m going to make this okay.”

“Okay.” Danny took the money. “You’re not mad?”

“No. I’m not. Thank you for telling me. That was—” He put a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “I know that was hard, and it means a lot that you knew you could tell us. I’m not going to tell Dante.”

“Okay. Okay. Thank you. I don’t want to get anyone else in trouble, okay? I’ll—I’ll get dinner.”

Danny snatched up his backpack, and headed out. Jason dragged both hands down his face, then looked at Elizabeth.

“You’re really not going to tell Dante?” she wanted to know, skeptically. “Because I don’t think me telling him is a loophole—”

“No, but I’m going to tell Michael to have someone keep a very close eye on Rocco, and catch him doing something stupid before he can actually do it.”

“I can’t believe Rocco hasn’t learned anything since Saturday,” Elizabeth said, and Jason just shook his head as he pulled out his phone.

“I can. He’s a Spencer.” He lifted the phone to his ear, and when the call connected, he said, “Diane. Hey. I know you’re dealing with a lot, so you can give this to someone else or recommend another lawyer. But I need an emergency petition in family court. Full custody of Danny and the sole power to make medical decisions. I need it as soon as possible.”

+41

Written in 65 minutes.

Monday, September 16, 2024

Webber House: Aiden’s Bedroom

Chase knocked on Aiden’s partially open door, stopped at the threshold. “Hey. Your mom said you were expecting me?”

Aiden sat up, closing his Chromebook where he’d been staring at his math homework for nearly twenty minutes, tossed it aside. He cleared his throat. “Um, yeah. She said you were, like, redoing the investigation. Because the feds screwed it up. I said that last part,” he added when the corner of Chase’s mouth curved in a half-smile. “Not her.”

“I figured.” He gestured to the desk chair, half pulled from the desk in the corner. “Can I sit?”

“Yeah, okay.” Aiden slid to the edge of the bed, dangling his legs over the side. “How does this work? Do I repeat my statement? I don’t remember what I said the first time, like in exact words. Does that matter?”

“All you have to do is tell me what you remember honestly. It’s natural if you don’t use the same words or if some details shift,” Chase said. He pulled out his phone, tapped a few screens. “I’m going to record this so that I’m not worried about taking notes, is that okay?”

“Yeah. Um, do you start? Or do I—”

“It’s okay. Relax, Aiden. We’re just having a conversation, okay?” Chase shifted so that he faced Aiden fully. “You were going to the Quartermaine barbecue with your family. Do you guys go every year?”

“No. I mean, Jake usually does, but I don’t. Mom didn’t used to go, I guess, because of Franco. But we started going after…after Jason went away. Mom wanted Dr. Quartermaine—Jake’s grandmother—to have her family close.”

“Is there a reason you went this year?” Chase wanted to know. “Anything special?”

“I guess because Danny was coming with us. His mom was being, like, super strict,” Aiden said, “and said Jason could only see Danny with my mom around. We’re in the same grade, and we hang out a lot.”

“So you went to keep company with Danny?” Chase asked. “What about your brother?”

“Oh, Jake went because Mom told him to, and he likes his grandmother. But he doesn’t really have any close friends in the family. I mean, we’re friends, but—I mean, you have an older  brother. You get it.”

“Yeah, I do. When you were at the party, were you with Danny the whole time? A group of you?”

“Um, I guess all the kids our age were down at the lake. The Qs hire a lifeguard for big parties like this. And it was, like, the last party before school started. But he was done at six, so a lot of people left.”

“What time did you start up towards the house?”

“I don’t know really. The sun was still up, I guess, but it was kind of getting a little pink. I We were the last to walk up to the house and we went to the terrace. We were drying off when my mom came out. She was collecting damp towels. Jake’s grandma always told her to leave those or use the family ones, but Mom’s weird about things like that.”

“Your mom came out to you guys? Who was with you?”

“Yeah, she came out after we were already there for a few minutes, I think. It was me, Danny, Rocco, Georgie, and Jake. Georgie’s brothers went in before us, they wanted to get cookies from Sasha in the kitchen.”

“Okay, just the five of you then. Then what?”

“Michael came out and asked to talk to my mom, so they went to go take a walk, and we—me, Rocco, and Georgie decided to go inside. Jake and Danny stayed.”

“Do you remember why you didn’t all stay together?”

Aiden hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, I mean, I don’t really remember what anyone said, but, like, Jake was in a bad mood. He’s been like that since Charlotte and her dad left town. They were sort of dating last year, and he was hung up on her for a while. He was kind of a jackass to my mom, who was about to kick his ass when Michael showed up. And he and Danny were fighting about their dad. I didn’t really wanna be around it, and I guess Rocco felt the same way.”

“Fighting about what?”

Aiden pressed his lips together. “Does it matter?”

“Is it a secret?” Chase asked  instead of answering.

“No, but, like—it’s over now. Jake and Jason are cool now, and Danny—well, Danny’s okay, too. I don’t wanna it written down in a report somewhere because maybe someone will think Jake liked it better when his dad was gone, and he didn’t, he just—”

“Was unhappy that he’d been gone at all,” Chase finished, and Aiden nodded reluctantly. “So things were still a little frosty with Jason and his boys.”

“Not Danny. Not then. Just Jake. And it’s just stupid stuff. It has nothing to do with the gunshots. Which I never heard.”

“I know.” Chase picked up his phone, then hesitated just before he stopped recording. “You know what your mom’s accused of doing, don’t you?”

“She’s accused of killing that FBI agent and hiding the gun in her car. She wouldn’t. She didn’t.”

“I didn’t say she had—”

“She’d never do that to us. I mean, she’d never do it at all,” Aiden added in a rush, “but, like, she’d never do anything that would take her away from us. She promised. After everything that happened with Esme, she said she made mistakes, and she promised she’d never do anything that might separate us. She’d never hurt that agent.”

“I believe you—” Chase hit stop on the recording. “And I know she didn’t, Aiden. It’s up to me find out who did.”

Webber House: Jake’s Bedroom

Dante knocked lightly on the open door, and Jake barely grunted from his spot by the window where he was bent over his artist’s desk, a piece of charcoal in his hand. “Sorry to interrupt—”

“It’s fine. I can work while you ask your questions. Mom said I had to cooperate, and I guess I trust you not to twist anything I say like that guy from the FBI.” Jake looked at him. “But there’s nothing I’m gonna tell you that’s different from what I said that night, so this is a waste of time.”

“Humor me,” Dante said. He sat on the bed, took out his phone and set the recording up. “You went to the barbecue, right?”

“Yeah,” Jake said, and reluctantly let Dante guide him through the day — admitting to arguing with Danny prior to leaving, spending the day mostly tucked away in his phone, thinking about Charlotte, and then being on the terrace. “Mom was asking about towels, I think, and Michael came out. He wanted to talk to her.”

“Okay. And then it was just the kids again out there, right? What made you and Danny stay outside?”

Jake hesitated. “I was being an asshole. To everyone. Rocco was over it, and so was Aiden. Georgie just went with them. Danny and I weren’t out there long before we heard the gunshots.”

“How many?”

Not expecting that, Jake frowned. “I don’t know. Definitely more than one. We heard the first one, and then there was, like, some space. Long enough for us to look at each other. I wanted it to be fireworks,” he admitted. “But then we heard more. I don’t remember—it might be have been two or three. But at least three altogether.”

“A hesitation between the first and second shot?” Dante asked, lifting his brows. “You said it was long enough for you to notice. Was it long enough for a conversation? Did you and Danny say something to each other?”

“I—I think maybe one of us said something about being fireworks. I don’t remember who. Then we heard the shots again. My dad came out right after. Like literally the gunfire stopped, and the door was opening, and he was running over to us.”

“What did he do after that?”

“Made sure we were okay. When we told him Michael and Mom were down in the gardens—in the direction that the shots came from, Dad got scared. Like really scared, I guess. He jumped over the railing and took off running.” Jake looked at Dante. “He was scared she’d been hurt. Or that Michael was. He wasn’t down there shooting anyone. And neither was my mom. He was in the house when the shots were fired. And my mom didn’t have a gun. She was wearing a stupid sun dress and heels. Where would she have put it? How would she have made it back to the house with it? Everyone is being so stupid.”

“Your dad wasn’t scared because maybe your mom was getting in the way of something that might be going on? Something he’d set up?” Dante prompted, and Jake’s nostrils flared.

“You really think my dad would set up someone to get murdered on Grandma’s property? With all those people around? You’re supposed to be smart. Michael got shot in the head when I was a baby because he was standing too close to his dad. Dad would never, ever put me or Mom or my brothers or anyone else he cared about in that kind of danger. I don’t want to answer any more questions.”

Dante sighed, clicked off the recording. “I have to ask questions, Jake. And I can’t go easy on you because I believe you or like you,” he added, and Jake grimaced. “For what it’s worth, your statement largely matches what you said that day and it matches the evidence. Chase and I eliminated your parents the first day. Just like the FBI did. They only came back to her because they were out of leads, desperate, and someone dropped a false tip in their lap.”

“It’s not stopping them from trying to put her in jail. They’re going to keep trying because they want my dad, don’t they? They think she’s covering for him.”

“I think that’s their working theory, yes,” Dante said.

Jake scoffed. “Well, they’re stupid. Mom might lie for my dad, but he’d never ask her to. And he’d never put a gun in her car. In the car me and my brothers use. Whoever is trying to frame her — they’re trying to get Dad, too, aren’t they? They don’t even care about my mom or me. Or my brothers. She’s just a pawn.”

“Right now, yeah. That’s how it looks.”

“Well, it looks stupid,” Jake bit out. “So don’t be stupid, too. Mom’s innocent, and so is my Dad. Go find out who did this and leave us alone.”

Webber House: Cameron’s Bedroom

“I should wait downstairs,” Elizabeth said, pausing just before they reached the bedroom across from Jake. “You and Danny don’t need me hovering around—and I should check on Aiden. He has math homework he’s avoiding—”

“He’s fine,” Jason said, snagging her by the elbow as she headed towards the steps towards the second floor. “I checked on him after Chase left, and it was just a question about inequalities. I took care of it.” She made a face, and he was oddly amused. “Didn’t you have to pass science and math classes to get your nursing certification?”

“I did. Twenty years ago,” Elizabeth added. “I don’t use ninety percent of it now, so it’s—” She made a gesture. “Just gone. How do you keep all of that in your head?”

“I like math. Now who’s procrastinating?” he asked, and she sighed. “You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to. I just thought that since you’d made the appointment for him and talked to Dante, he might have questions you’d be able to answer better than me. And—” he stroked his jaw, a little embarrassed. “We just seem to communicate better when you’re in the room.”

She softened, touched his forearm, just above his elbow, her fingers lightly tracing one of the lines on the tatoo that wound around his arm, disappearing beneath the sleeve of his blue t-shirt. “You’re doing fine with him. You’re doing great with Jake, too. And Aiden. But all right, I’ll come in with you. Even though you don’t need me.”

“Good.” Jason knocked lightly on the door, and Danny jerked it open a second later. “Hey—”

“My homework’s done,” Danny’s said, pulling it open all the way to reveal a room that was still sparsely decorated. Cameron had taken most of his things with him, and boxed others, telling his mother to use his room for visitors, though Elizabeth had refused until Danny.

The duffel bag Elizabeth had picked up the night before sat by the closet, open with clothes spilling out of the top. And his backpack rested against the desk, with a Chromebook and a textbook open on top.

“That’s good. I wasn’t checking on that, but—” Jason paused. Cleared his throat. “Elizabeth found a counselor. If you still want to do that.”

“Oh.” Danny looked at her, then back at his father, a bit surprised. “I didn’t—you did that already?”

“You don’t have to go,” Elizabeth said. “It’s up to you.”

“I guess I didn’t think about…” Danny sat on the desk chair, which spun slightly from the force of his body hitting it. “How does it work? Do they tell you everything?” he asked his dad. “Like, I’m a kid. I don’t have any rights, do I?”

“Everything you say in session is private,” Elizabeth assured him. She sat on the edge of the bed. “But as a minor, yes, there is some level of parental involvement. Your dad — and your mom — will go to a presession Thursday so the therapist has some history to work with, and then you’ll go on Friday. If you think it’s working, you’ll keep going. And occasionally, your parents will meet with him to talk about generalities. Goals, themes. But everything he says to them would have to be approved by you.”

“Mom—Mom is going?” Danny asked. “She knows?”

“Dante’s talking to her tonight. She needs to sign some paperwork because you were with her until this weekend. Danny, there’s no pressure here. You don’t have to go on Friday. Or if you do go, you don’t have to go back,” Elizabeth said.

“But—but the reason you didn’t really flip out on me is because I said I’d go to this,” Danny said to his dad. “If I say I don’t want to, are you gonna ground me? Or make me work like Rocco?”

Jason sat on the other side of Elizabeth, between her and Danny. “Something has to change,” he said. “What happened this weekend—what’s been going on for months — we have to address it, Danny. If therapy isn’t the way, we’ll find another. You seemed interested in this yesterday. What’s changed?” he asked.

“I dunno.” Danny used his feet to gently push the chair back and forth, staring at the floor. “I guess maybe I think about telling someone the dumb things I did or said, and then they just look at me like Mom did. Or—” he looked up, met his father. “Like you did. You were so mad. And then you were disappointed. Dante’s mad, too. And Mom’s—” His voice faltered. “She’s so mad she left me with you. And she used to think me being with you was the worst thing ever.”

“I’m disappointed, Danny, in what you did because it was risky and you could have gotten hurt. You and Rocco. And the three of you could have gotten into real trouble. You’re getting old enough so that the choices you make now could affect you the rest of your life,” Jason told him, and Danny nodded, his head still bowed. “I want you to make better choices than I did. I want better for you. You deserve better.”

“I guess. I just—” Danny shrugged. “I dunno. I guess I could go. And try it out. So you’d know I was serious about being sorry and wanting to be better. So Mom just has to sign paperwork, and…that’s it? I’ll go on Friday?”

“Yeah. And if it doesn’t work, Danny, or you don’t want to keep going, we’ll figure out something else. We’re in this together, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam threw the forms back on the desk, scoffed. “There is no way in hell I’m signing papers for my son to go to a therapist that Elizabeth Webber picked for him.”

Dante rubbed his forehead. “I’m going to regret asking this, but why does it matter who found the guy?”

“Danny already blames me for everything. Jason thinks I’m a terrible mother — and you think there’s a chance that some doctor Elizabeth found isn’t going to make all of this my fault?” Sam shook her head. “No. If Danny wants to do therapy, fine. But I’ll find the doctor. He’s my son, not hers.”

“He’s Jason’s son, too, Sam,” Dante called even as Sam headed for the stairs. “And—never mind,” he trailed off when she disappeared around the corner. He looked at Rocco, sprawled on the sofa. “You didn’t hear any of that, got it?”

Rocco sat up. “I’ll make you a deal. Five minutes on my phone, and I’ll forget that entire conversation like it’s history class.”

Dante hesitated, then nodded. “Deal. I’m serious—” he said as Rocco came towards him. “Danny’s got enough going on, and so does Aiden. He doesn’t need to know things are bad with his mom and Elizabeth.” He pulled the phone from a drawer, handed it to Rocco who immediately started scrolling.

“Dad, I hate to break it to you, but Sam hating Aunt Liz and Jake isn’t news. But your secret is safe with me.”

He told Danny the next day at lunch.

+30

Written in 60 minutes.

Monday, September 16, 2024

Warehouse: Jason’s Office

Diane held up a hand before Jason could continue speaking. “I don’t know if I should hear anything about this,” she said. “You know how I feel about plausible deniability—”

“Nothing is ongoing,” Jason assured her, and Diane pressed her lips together. “And if it’s true that the FBI is holding a grudge over the Pikeman investigation, then it would be unfair to keep you in the dark. Either of you,” he said, looking at Elizabeth. “You already know most of it,” he added.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know they’re angry about Valentin fleeing town just as the FBI closed in.” Diane pursed her lips. “Did you have something to do with that?”

“I did, yes.” Jason paused. “Anna and I started to work together almost as soon as I came home. She didn’t trust Cates to tell her the whole story. We were trying to identify Pikeman — or at least who was at the top after Brennan went to jail.”

“But I thought they cleared him,” Elizabeth said. She folded her arms. “They released him, didn’t they?”

“They did. Another reason not to trust the FBI. Or WSB. We didn’t suspect Valentin — there was no reason to. As far as Anna knew, he was out of all of that. But he got involved after Brennan’s arrest last year — and he hired the shooter that came after me in June. That’s how we found Valentin. He picked up the shooter’s phone call. Still—” Jason grimaced. “Anna wasn’t certain, and I thought we’d probably need more. She decided to go undercover to get more evidence against him.”

“I’ll bet she did,” Diane muttered. “I can’t believe you trusted her to investigate him—”

“I didn’t have a lot of options,” Jason cut in, and his lawyer fell silent. “And I didn’t know how close they were. They weren’t exactly together when I…when I left,” he finished awkwardly. “But she spent the night with him, and I didn’t really know what to do then. She had access to his house, and whatever else you think about her, she brought me the evidence that confirmed his identity as Pikeman.”

“But she told Valentin you were going to tell Cates,” Elizabeth said, and Jason exhaled slowly. “Did you know she was going to do that?”

“I—yes. She wanted to give him a chance to take Charlotte and run. I let her convince me. All I did was delay turning over the phone and name,” Jason added when Diane just rolled her eyes. “I regret it, Diane, but I can’t do anything to change it.”

“My life would be a lot easier if someone would put that woman in jail or stop giving her access to commit crimes,” Diane muttered. She huffed. “So Anna is the accessory. She’s the reason the FBI is pissed at you. Great. Tell them, and make a deal—”

“They’re never going to dismiss the charges against me,” Elizabeth said with a shake of her head. “And it’s Jason’s word against Anna. Maybe if we find out who did this—who really killed Cates—”

“You’re not finding out anything,” Diane said when Jason straightened. “Either of you,” she added. “We’re not dealing with the locals who might drop the charges. The FBI hates you,” she told Jason. “Going after Elizabeth is their best revenge. Because now—now we know why they didn’t arrest you after finding that voicemail. They must have suspected it was fake. So they went after someone close to you. For the same reason whoever killed Cates put that gun in Elizabeth’s car. Everything we do has to be above board. Spinelli has to be the one to find the evidence. Or me. You can’t even question anyone — or it might be seen as witness intimidation.” She lifted her brow.

“I don’t like sitting on my hands—” Jason began.

“You’re not. You have an important role to play in all of this. The FBI is going to be watching you both closely. Your job is be innocent. Luckily for you, this time, you actually are. We’re on the side of the angels, Jason. Trust me to let you down.”

“I trust you, Diane.”

“So do I,” Elizabeth added, and Diane released a sigh. “It’s hard to accept that the best thing we can do is live our life when my freedom, when our futures are tied to this. But if that’s all we can do—”

“It is. You didn’t do this. Either of you. And somewhere, somehow, we’ll find the evidence that proves it,” Diane said firmly. “I won’t stop until we do.”

PCPD: Squad Room

Molly set her briefcase down, and sat down next to the desk where Dex was tapping at the computer keyboard. “Hey, did you have a minute?”

“Sure. I hate this part of the job anyway.” He turned towards her. “What’s up? I’m good on the Kramer case. That’s on the docket next week, right?”

“Right. And I’m still hoping we get that to plead out. I talked to Dante a little while ago,” she continued and Dex’s smile remained fixed on his face, but his eyes went a bit wary. “He figured I should be in the loop since it involves the murder case. And I guess I just wanted to get your take on it.”

“Nothing to say, not really. Two teens messing around with alcohol, and got picked up. We brought them in, released them to their parents, and didn’t write up the citation.” He paused. “We’re not required to, and if anyone needs it, we’ve got half a dozen kids we’ve brought it on similar charges and released that way. None of whom are cops’ kids.”

“So there is some paperwork with Danny and Rocco’s name on it?” Molly asked.

“Yeah. I thought that be the safest—most accurate way to handle it. We were called out on a disturbance, found two clearly intoxicated teenagers.” Dex paused. “I just didn’t mention the third teenager. He wasn’t under the influence and we only brought him in for questioning. We were satisfied he wasn’t involved, and his mother picked him up. And the address is the dispatch address.”

“That…that is actually really good. Thank you.”

“It was the right thing to do. Graber and I both agree—she’s my partner and was there that night,” Dex added. “So you don’t have to worry. There’s a paper trail that’s accurate. It has all the facts. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyone who asks questions can do that. I don’t see the point in dragging innocent people into more trouble. We’re covered, Molly. Don’t worry.”

Webber House: Living Room

“I know this is a little awkward,” Dante said as Elizabeth stepped back, allowing he and Chase to enter the house. “I didn’t know if you wanted Diane or anyone here.”

“I talked to her earlier,” Elizabeth said. “And we agreed that the best thing for the case is if you talk to the boys on their own. Just the way they gave their original statements. Um, I had them wait upstairs in their rooms. I can bring them down, I can send you up —”

“Why don’t we start with Aiden and Danny?” Chase wanted to know. “I’ll talk to them, and we’ll switch.” He gestured towards the stairs. “Aiden’s still in the same room, right?”

“Yeah, and Danny’s staying in Cam’s room.” Elizabeth watched him head towards the stairs, before turning back to Dante. “Jason’s at the warehouse, finishing up a few things. I don’t know if you were going to talk to him again—”

“I don’t really need to at this point. And we’d probably get a third detective in. Chase is related to him, and I, ah—” Dante flashed an uneasy smile. “I think it’s awkward enough.  How’s…how’s Danny? I wanted to call him, but—” he sighed. “I didn’t really know if that was a good idea.”

“He’d probably like to hear from you. He woke up the next morning feeling embarrassed.” Elizabeth gestured at the sofa. “I wanted to ask you to pass something on to Sam. About Danny. I talked to him on Sunday – he seems to do better with someone he doesn’t see as an authority figure in his life,” she added when Dante winced. “He was getting into the same arguments with Jason that he was with Sam, and I just—I wanted to help.”

“No, I don’t—I don’t doubt Danny’s had enough all of us. I just wish I could figure out where we went wrong. Or how this got so messed up. He’s such a good kid, Elizabeth. He and Rocco. I don’t know they got Aiden mixed up—”

“Aiden got himself mixed up. They were three kids who just fell into some stupid decisions, Dante. I don’t hold Danny or Rocco any more responsible than I hold Aiden. We can look back and see there were signs that they weren’t being honest with us, but I don’t blame any of us for not seeing it. Not you, not Sam and not myself.”

“It’s good to hear that. Rocco’s an idiot, and I’m trying to navigate this, but it’s not easy. I don’t know what to do with him.” Dante blew out an irritated huff. “He’s putting in hours at the Quartermaines, working with the landscapers, and I’ll find something else to exhaust him. There’s room for Danny or Aiden if you want in.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I think — and Danny has expressed some interest in — talking to a therapist. I’m worried — ” Elizabeth paused. “Aiden’s told me he was drinking and smoking weed to fit in so no one would go after him for being gay—” Dante scowled. “Not Rocco or Danny. Other kids at school,” she added quickly. “They were all given a beer at a party — and they drank to fit in. And they kept going. Aiden said Rocco thought it was like a game. What could they get away with? And they kept escalating until—”

“Until they were drunken, high morons wandering the streets.” Dante made a face. “Yeah, I think that’s a good description of my idiot. But Danny—”

“I think he liked the way it made him feel. That it would make everything go away for a while. And so he kept going to get that feeling.”

“You think Danny’s addicted?”

“I think he’s in the early stages. I have nothing but my own experience to go by,” Elizabeth said. “Maybe Sam might be able to say differently. She saw her mother go through this, but I—I saw Lucky with the pills. And addiction runs in the Quartermaine line just like it does with the Spencers. Alan, Jason’s father, had a serious drug addiction. You know about AJ. I’m worried if we don’t do something now—”

“Danny’s starting down a dark road.” Dante nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right. Talking to someone who specializes in this—how do we do it? Where do we start?”

“I have an appointment for Danny on Friday. Jason’s going to a pre-session Thursday afternoon. But we need Sam to sign for the treatment, and the therapist wanted to meet with her on Thursday as well. I know things are difficult with them, but I know Sam loves Danny as much as Jason does. I was hoping you could talk to her, start the conversation.”

“Absolutely. And maybe this will be exactly what Jason and Sam need to help them communicate. I don’t love the idea of talking about their son without them.”

“Neither do I,” Elizabeth admitted. “But after this weekend — I just want to help Danny, Dante. He’s not just Jason’s son or Jake’s brother.  He’s part of my family, too. And if we just remember that, I know we can get through it.”

Miller & Davis: Spinelli’s Office

“We need to add another layer to this investigation,” Diane declared, jerking Spinelli from the paperwork on his desk. “Sorry. Were you in the middle of something?”

“Finishing my affidavit for the subpoena on the hospital footage. And for the neighbors’ cameras.” Spinelli pushed it aside. “I got into Elizabeth’s Ring account, but the view is limited.”

“We knew that was a long shot. The neighbors are more promising. I can’t see this happening in the hospital garage.” Diane sat across from him. “We’ll come back to that. Valentin Cassadin. I don’t suppose you know where he is.”

Spinelli furrowed his brow. “No. Was I supposed to?”

“No. But he just might be the key to this investigation. I know you have a lot on your plate, and we can bring on more eyes, but knowing where Valentin is might be useful later on.”

Spinelli made some notes. “Do I get to know why?”

“Let’s just say Jason has a card he can play when the timing is right. Beyond that, I can’t get into it. Confidentiality,” she added and Spinelli nodded. “Did you see anything on the Ring Camera?”

“Nothing that we didn’t already know.” Spinelli shuffled the documents on his computer, found his notes. “We have the night after the murder — Jake comes in the house with Jason and Elizabeth, and Jason stays a while. Leaves later.”

“Alone?” Diane said.

“Yeah.” Spinelli sighed. “That’s a window of opportunity for him to put the gun in Elizabeth’s car. She didn’t take it with her, so it was parked outside, and we wouldn’t have that view yet. That’s what the FBI would say — and until we have the techstream back telling us when the trunk opened—”

“Which won’t be for at least a month,” Diane said with a sigh. “All right, what about after that?”

“Next morning. Jake and Aiden leave in the morning. Kristina comes over, which we knew about. She stays a little bit, but then she leaves. Elizabeth follows shortly after — we know she was meeting Jason. And then — this was weird at first. Kristina came back to the door.”

“She did?” Diane said. “Why?”

“I called her, and she said she’d completely forgotten. She went back to see if she could get Elizabeth not to mention her visit to Sam, but she was too late.” Spinelli hesitated, and Diane leaned forward.

“What is it?”

“I think Kristina’s lying,” Spinelli said carefully, and Diane blinked. “I think she went back for another reason. I just didn’t…I didn’t believe her. Maybe she didn’t want to get into it with me.”

“Maybe. I’ll check in with her. I know the conversation with Elizabeth was very upsetting. Kristina—” Diane paused, searched for the right word. “Kristina isn’t calling the baby by the name Molly and TJ chose. She’s…chosen her own name. And I think she used it during her argument with Elizabeth. I wouldn’t be surprised if she went back to ask Elizabeth not to mention that fact. And she’s certainly not going to admit that to you. Or maybe even to me. But I’ll try.”

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t think it’s anything important,” Spinelli said, scrolling to his next set of notes. “I don’t think she planted the gun.”

“No, of course not. Now, if we’d found Cates with his head bashed in with a baseball bat,” Diane said dryly, “that’d I believe. Kristina has a temper just like her father. But everything else? Planting the gun? Creating an AI tip? No. This is someone who is cold and calculating. Kristina would have already fallen apart and tipped someone else. Let’s move on to the rest of the Ring footage.”

+30

Written in 63 minutes.

Monday, September 16, 2024

PCPD: Conference Room

Diane paused at the threshold of the conference room, lifted her brows at the sight of Molly, Dante, and Chase standing in the middle of the room, staring at one another. “You all look as though you’ve seen a ghost.”

Molly blinked, then took a deep breath. “Diane. You’ve got great timing. The, ah, audio reports are back. And the digital forensics.” She looked at Chase. “I asked them to be sent in duplicate to save time turning over discovery to Diane.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Chase shook himself slightly, then handed Diane a second manila envelope.

“Am I in for a surprise?” Diane wanted to know. She set her briefcase on the table and slipped the first report out of the envelope.

“Well, yes and no, I guess. Um, both files are AI generated. We thought the tip was fake, especially after Chase and Dante chased down the voice on the line—” Molly reached for the report from Chase. “Amy Driscoll.”

“Amy? Well—” Diane paused, skimming the second report, then lifted her eyes to the trio. “I’m sorry, the second audio file is an AI generated file of Jason telling Cates to come to the boathouse? And it specifically mentions the deal? Are you kidding me?”

“So this is the first time you’re hearing they had this audio file,” Dante said, and Diane just made a choked sound of frustration. “Right. Of course it is. You’d have been shouting to the heavens that you had exculpatory evidence.”

“No, they most certainly did not mention this,” Diane said with gritted teeth. “They are absolutely shameless!”

“How does that work? Aren’t you representing both of them?” Chase wanted to know. “Could the FBI claim that they didn’t turn it over because you also represent Jason?”

“If I wanted to use this to free Elizabeth, I’d have to drop Jason as a client. And let me tell you, he’d fire me if it meant he could make this go away for her. But fortunately for us all —”

“It’s fake,” Molly finished. “Which means it’s neither of them. But that doesn’t change the fact the FBI kept it from you. And Diane, there’s more. That second report—it’s a digital analysis—Chase, you read it. Why don’t you tell her you found?”

“I’m not done,” Chase began as Diane shuffled papers, “but the conclusion was that John Cates’ laptop shows evidence that he generated it. There’s apparently some searches or trails in the cookies. Traces that he deleted it. We don’t have the full dump of his phone yet,   the FBI put a rush on that file—”

“Before Elizabeth’s arrest,” Diane finished. “I don’t understand. I don’t—” She looked at them. “I was so sure they were going hard after Elizabeth because they didn’t have the evidence to arrest Jason. They wanted her to testify against him. They tried so hard to break Jake and Danny’s alibi. But if they had this—”

“They had a tip that put Jason with knowledge of the gun and its location, and a voicemail luring Cates to the scene of the murder. They have more on him than they do on Liz when you add in the motive.” Dante squinted. “But they not only left him free—”

“They didn’t put up any obstacles to Jason being named as Elizabeth’s custodian even though his felony record ought to have disqualified him,” Diane finished that. “I knew it was a gamble, but I thought the FBI couldn’t resist being able to keep him under surveillance.”

“And there’s no risk since they’re innocent,” Molly said, and Diane tipped her head in acknowledgment. “Okay. Okay. So they’re playing games. Why? And how does that get us to the murderer? Because that’s what matters.”

Dante leaned against the table. “The voicemail would have answered the big question — why did the murder happen there? Cates set up his own murder. Why?”

“Anna said something about the Pikeman case. That it blew up in Cates’ face and he wanted to force Jason back into service, to take down Sonny,” Molly said. “And I think we can all agree that Cates was…a little unhinged by the end. He went after my sister, and he was the driving reason Ava gave that statement blaming Kristina for the fall—” Her voice wobbled slightly, and she took a minute. “They had some sort of ridiculous story that Cates wanted to push Sonny into ordering an hit — and giving the job to Jason. But that never worked for me.”

“You’d have to be in the inner circle to know Jason and my dad are keeping their distance. Jason said he wanted to be out. Dad’s respecting that,” Dante said, “but Cates might not know Jason was serious about that new leaf.”

“It all seems to come back to this Pikeman case,” Chase said. “The FBI didn’t know that this file was AI, so Cates was going rogue—”

“Good news for our jurisdiction,” Molly cut in, and Chase nodded.

“And they would have buried this file,” Chase continued. “Not put a rush on it. My sense is that thought this would come back genuine. And maybe they wanted to use that to push Elizabeth into changing her story. Let’s say Caldwell is working the theory that he believes Jason did this. He has enough to arrest him, sure. But he doesn’t have the smoking gun. He needs Liz to say Jason was on scene or that she knew about the gun. And they need the boys to drop their alibi. That voicemail? Might have swayed some people.” He paused. “They wanted to use it, Diane. They didn’t want you to explain it away. And yeah, it’s crappy they didn’t turn it over right away, but—”

“They could argue they were waiting for confirmation of its veracity. I know. Still—” Diane huffed. “But why would John Cates want to make someone think Jason lured him to his own murder?”

“Because it wasn’t supposed to be a murder,” Dante said. He straightened. “He wanted revenge. It’s about Pikeman. It’s always been about that.”

Davis House: Living Room

“I don’t know what I would have done,” Alexis admitted, taking a seat next to Sam on the sofa, handing her a mug of coffee. “But walking out on him—”

“Mom, you haven’t heard the way Danny talks to her,” Kristina piped up from her perch on the armchair across from them. “It’s brual. Sam’s allowed to have a breaking point.”

“I keep thinking—” Sam sighed. “I keep thinking that I gave up, and that Danny will never forgive me. Should I just go get him? I could do that. I have custody—”

“And Jason’s already threatened to go after you in court,” Alexis reminded her daughter, gently.

“He won’t do that. He’d have to tell them about me leaving the PCPD, and it would just bring up everything Dante tried to bury.” Sam chewed her bottom lip. “It would all be for nothing, you know? And if my kid is the reason Elizabeth ends up in jail again, well, that’s not going to help anything.”

“But they wouldn’t really do that, would they?” Kristina asked. “The government, right? I mean, you said they weren’t even at her house—”

“They were on her property,” Alexis said. “It would be enough for her bail to be revoked, pending a hearing. They could lock her up, delay the hearing a few days. Anything to make this situation even worse. I gotta tell you, there’s something almost personal about the way this is happening,” she told Sam. “Ever since Valentin went on the run and the Pikeman case blew up, Cates was looking for a way to fix his career. But it’s not just about him. You’d think with him gone, they wouldn’t push this ridiculous case against Kristina. But it’s going full force ahead. I still have to fight in federal court to get the case tossed, and it’s not a lock to make that happen.”

Kristina grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”

“You’ll be acquitted. I’ll destroy Ava on the stand and it’s her word against yours,” Alexis reminded her, and Kristina nodded. Alexis returned her attention to Sam. “I know it’s hard to step back, to let everyone cool down. Jason wants to take a whack at being Danny’s dad, let him. He won’t be able to handle it.”

“He hasn’t been a full-time dad in years,” Kristina added. “He’ll be calling by the end of the week, begging you to get Danny.”

Sam sighed, sipped her coffee. “I hope you’re right.”

Hanley Federal Building: U.S Attorney’s Offices

“Knock, knock.”

Reynolds lifted his gaze from the absolutely brutal reports that had just landed on his desk about the Cates murder, and immediately straightened, grinned. “Hey! You weren’t supposed to be back until next week!”

Gia Campbell smiled coolly. “It turns out I’m just that good.” She edged the door closed behind her as she came across the threshold. “I heard through the grapevine you’ve got some cases in Port Charles.”

“Don’t remind me.” Reynolds grimaced, returned to his seat. Gia lowered herself elegantly into the chair across his desk. “You know the city?”

“A little. My brother was a cop there before he went with the DEA, and then he did a few months as an interim commissioner last year. He’s relocated since…” Gia’s smile tightened. “A few family setbacks. I lived there for a little while before law school. I thought I might be able to offer some insights. You’ve got the FBI agent murder, right?”

“Yeah, and an attempted murder. It’s a mess.” Reynolds lifted his brows. “I could use a second chair. Because—” he lifted the reports. “It just got worse. And my day didn’t start that great.”

Gia smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Port Charles High: Cafeteria

The cavernous room was practically deafening as teenagers milled around, checking out friends’ tables, grabbing lunch, screaming across the room to people they knew — the usual chaos.

Except for the end of the table where Aiden, Rocco, and Danny were sitting, the trio of teenagers reunited for the first time Saturday night. Rocco had been pulled out of the one class he shared with Danny for his interview with Chase, and neither of them saw Aiden until lunch most days.

“So, ah—” Danny cleared his throat, looked at Rocco. “How’d it go with Chase?”

“Fine. Not much to say. Just telling the same story I did then.” Rocco shifted. “You know, that I saw Aunt Liz leave the terrace with Michael. Did—are they interviewing you again?”

“I don’t know. I doubt it. Dante was there when the FBI asshole interviewed me, and I didn’t say anything new.”

“He’s supposed to come to our house tonight,” Aiden said almost dully. “With Dante. I guess Chase can’t talk to Jake because of his dad. They’re related, I guess. And Dante’s my uncle, so—they’re—” He made a gesture with his hand. “I hate it. Why do we have to keep telling them?”

“Because they wanna prove your mom didn’t do it. And Michael’s her alibi. That’s good,” Rocco offered. “Because no way Michael’s gonna crack.” He paused. “I’m sorry. For messing with your mom’s bail. I, uh, I didn’t really get it until yesterday. I didn’t…” He stared at his lunch tray. “I mean, it was cool getting away with shit when it comes to my dad, and Sam, but like, your mom’s in real trouble, and I don’t wanna mess that up. Did we?”

“Jason says things are okay. But I know they were really scared. I don’t know if they’re not saying it because we’re kids, but I—I don’t want my mom to go back to jail. Your dad was cool,” Aiden added in a hurry, “and, like, I’m super grateful that he came to stay so I didn’t have to go to Grandma Laura’s, but all the same—”

“Yeah. I—I’m really sorry, too. I told him that yesterday,” Danny said to Rocco, then looked back at Aiden, but  I kind of feel like I should keep apologizing. Like daily. It didn’t seem like such a big deal, and then it was, and it’s…it’s not…” His voice faltered at the end. “Did my mom say anything about me?” he asked, though his gaze was trained on the vegetable medley on his tray.

“Your mom’s not saying much of anything. I think she and my dad are ticked at each other. Maybe they don’t know how to handle this. We really fucked up, man. Between putting Aunt Liz on the chopping block, my dad having to pull favors from other cops, and now Dad and Sam are fighting—” He grimaced, shook his head. “It all sucks, and we’re the problem. I hate it. I just wish I knew how to fix it.”

Warehouse: Main Floor

Jason got his second surprise visitor of the day a little after three — but this time, he didn’t mind the interruption.

Elizabeth weaved around workers on the floor, flashing friendly smiles at some of them until she reached him near the edge of the cargo dock. “Hey. I’m not catching you at a bad time, am I?”

“No. And even if you were, I wouldn’t care.” He gestured towards his office, and she followed him inside. “How was work?”

“Good.” She set her purse on the table. “It was nice to be back in my routine. Getting the boys to school, handling patients and my nurses…” She leaned up to brush her mouth against hers, and he caught the edge of her jaw before she could pull back, deepening the embrace briefly. “And I liked the additions to that, you know. Waking up with you. Hearing Danny bickering with Jake over the shower.”

He rubbed her shoulders. “I liked that, too. Thursday, though—” he tipped his head when she just grinned. “I made sure I don’t have to be here.”

“And I am definitely not covering anyone’s shift.” She kissed him again. “I came to tell you that I got Danny an appointment on Friday with one of the counselors. It’s in the afternoon, so you’ll have to sign him out of school early.” She bit her lip. “You can do that, right? I mean—”

“I…should be able to do that. But—” He sighed. “Dante’s coming tonight to talk to Jake. So maybe he can make sure. I hate that I have to do that. I should have been here. I should have always been available to him.”

“We can’t go back, right?” She stroked his chest lightly, and he covered her hand. “All we can do is move forward. Dante will get it done. He loves Danny, and wants what’s best for him.” She bit her lip. “There was some other news — I assume Diane is finding out today — but the PCPD found out who left the tip about me — or who was supposed to have done that.”

“They did? Who?”

“Amy Driscoll. A nurse at GH. You don’t really know her,” Elizabeth added, “but I think they picked her because she’s got a reputation for being a gossip — and lied for months about being the writer being a gossip column pretending to be a male writer. It was before you came home from Russia,” she clarified when Jason furrowed his brow. “Huge scandal.”

“That’s…an interesting choice,” Jason said, and she nodded.

“That’s what I thought. It was a big story — seven years ago. It’s ancient history. If that’s why Amy was picked, I think—I think it means that who ever is doing this—” She paused. “It’s someone who knows us. Who knows the people around us. It’s terrifying, really.”

“I agree—” Jason paused, when he heard a knock at the door. “Hold on—” He went to open it, and stepped back. “Diane. Good timing—”

“Oh, and Elizabeth is already here—I just finished sending you a message to meet me here—” Diane set her things on Jason’s desk. “We have had some big developments today. I just came from the PCPD —”

“I know they found the voice behind that tip,” Elizabeth volunteered. “Chase and Dante did a great job finding that so fast—”

“It wasn’t hard. The FBI never bothered to look,” Diane said. “Which is one thing I’ll be mentioning when I file my reply to whatever nonsense the state says this week in response to our motion to dismiss. And yes, I know they found the voice — but they also confirmed the file was AI.” She paused. “And so is the second one.”

“Right, the mystery file. What is it?” Elizabeth wanted to know.

“A voicemail luring John Cates to the scene of the murder,” Diane said, then paused, almost for dramatic effect, “a voicemail that sounds exactly like Jason.”

“What?” Jason demanded and Elizabeth scowled.

“That’s ridiculous!”

“You haven’t even heard the most insane part — John Cates manufactured the voicemail. He was luring himself to his murder. Because it wasn’t supposed to be a murder,” Diane said. “We think—”

“He was trying to set me up for something,” Jason said grimly. “What, was he planning to punch himself or something? To get me on assault? Something to get leverage on me so I’d be forced to work for him again?”

“That’s the working theory, yes. We think he wanted revenge for the Pikeman investigation. And I think…I think that’s why the FBI has targeted you, Jason. Even with the evidence that says neither of you did this,” Diane continued. “They want Pikeman. They want Valentin, and  they blame you for the investigation’s failure. For Valentin getting the jump on them and escaping arrest.” She tipped her head. “You don’t look surprised, Jason.”

“It’s not the first time that Pikeman has come up in the investigation. Or today. I think—” Jason leaned back against the desk. “I think we need to talk about what happened. And how Valentin got away.”

+42

Written in 58 minutes.

Monday, September 16, 2024

Miller & Davis: Spinelli’s Office

Diane rapped on the door frame to Spinelli’s office, then lifted her brows as she took in the bulletin boards on three of the room’s four walls, all cluttered with photographs, index cards, and reports. “This is surprisingly low tech for you, isn’t it?”

Spinelli clicked a few keys, then got to his feet. “I wanted to have all the information laid out. I used to think digital was all I’d need, but—” he went over to the wall next to Diane. “But sometimes you don’t see a connection until you see it physically.”

“And do we have any connections?” she wanted to know.

Spinelli made a face. “Not yet, but we should see progress this week. I’m interviewing Jake and Aiden later — I had to schedule around Chase and Dante. They’re doing the same thing. Georgie has to be interviewed again.” His face was grim. “I hate that she’s even a little bit wrapped up in this. But she’s a witness to Michael and Elizabeth leaving the terrace together shortly before the shooting.”

“And her testimony, along with all the children, is key. Because either Michael is an accomplice or Elizabeth is innocent. There’s no getting around those facts.” Diane skimmed the walls, tapping the index card about the tip to the FBI. “I’m headed to the PCPD on this call later today. The audio reports are back, and I’ll be able to get copies for ourselves.”

“It’s going to be AI—”

“Knowing it and being to prove it are different, but if we can prove it — it’s compelling proof Elizabeth was framed.”

“Will that help in the motion to dismiss?”

She paused, considered the question. “If we had a different prosecutor, maybe. But they moved on that tip very quickly — it was received only a few hours prior to the search. That suggests they did nothing to vet the information, and they really ought to have. The transcript suggests she’s an ear witness to our client admitting her knowledge  — they should have used it and the gun to arrest Jason, with Elizabeth as an accomplice. They chose not to. And I find that very interesting. But Reynolds will just argue that someone didn’t want their voice recognized. A jury will be more interested, I think.”

“You think we’ll get that far?” Spinelli asked, surprised.

“I think that I’m going to prepare for all possibilities. I’ll call if the reports come back anything interesting.”

PCPD: Conference Room

“No reports yet,” Dante said without looking up from his paperwork, then heard his cousin sigh. He looked at her. “I told you, I’d call when they got here.”

Molly came forward, dropped into a seat across from him,  her lips curved into a pout. “I was hoping we’d know something. There are so many pieces of this puzzle, and they’re all with the lab—”

“We’ve made progress, Mols.” Dante sat up. “We’ve created a timeline based on witness statements, and scheduled another round to reverify the statements. We played the tape for Amy Driscoll who acknowledges that it was her voice, but not her call, so we know it was faked.” He ticked the items off on his fingers as he continued. “Portia has given us Elizabeth and Amy’s schedules for that day — they didn’t work the same floors, with different break times and lunch times. So no evidence that Amy was anywhere near her. We’ve got witnesses that put Morgan at the warehouse for the bulk of the day — the only free time he has is in the evening — when Elizabeth was in surgery. That conversation could have only happened on Wednesday, and there’s no evidence that supports it.”

“But the car—”

“Ballistics is a wash right now. Slugs are too damaged on their own, but we might want to see about getting another search. Problem is—”

“If the Quartermaines let us on the property, whatever we find could be used by the FBI. And I think we both know that no one goes to this trouble to plan a gun that wasn’t used in the crime.” Molly paused. “We should still do search, shouldn’t we?”

“Yeah,” Dante admitted. “If we’re being above aboard, yeah, it’s my first call. But that missing casing won’t tell us anything we don’t already know. That’s the gun that killed John Cates. I don’t feel great about handing the FBI more ammunition to use against Liz when everything in my gut says she’s innocent.”

“Let the Qs play out their injunction in court,” Molly said after a beat. “I’ve got cover on that, and I’m sure the Q lawyers will advice Michael and his family not to let any agency on the property. Any idea what this mystery audio is?”

“Nothing. The FBI isn’t returning our calls and we only  have access to the evidence we collected. We didn’t process Cates’ room at the Metro Court or his car. But if there was anything against Elizabeth, it would have been used in their probable cause motion, right?”

“I’ll make sure to mention it to Diane. I’m sure she’ll pick up the hint that she should specifically request it in her discovery motion.” Molly made a notation in her files. “Where’s Chase today?”

“At the high school. He’s taking most of the kids’ interviews, other than Jake. I’m handling that one. And I’ve got Dex taking Danny’s. It’s not ideal,” Dante admitted. “We probably weren’t the best choices for this assignment—”

“Well, you were drafted by Chase, and honestly, I don’t know many other detectives that would have gone up against Anna that way,” Molly said. “I did look into other options.”

Dante nodded. “Yeah, I guess. And this has been hell on Danny and his brother. I like that I’ll be part of making it stop.” He paused. “I should probably mention something that happened this weekend. Just to cover all the bases.”

General Hospital: Hallway

Portia walked Elizabeth from her office suite into the hallway, a reassuring hand rubbing Elizabeth’s shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about anything, Liz. The hospital is behind you.”

“I appreciate that.” Elizabeth turned to face her. “It feels good to be back in scrubs, back on the floor. Diane said the hospital’s attorney had been really helpful — I know some things have to go through subpoena—”

“The board isn’t interested in putting up any more roadblocks than we need to. Some of the hesitant members got a very clear phone call from Tracy who made it clear she was speaking on behalf of the entire family,” Portia said dryly. “You just let us know whatever you need, and we’ll get it done.”

“Thank you—” Elizabeth paused when she saw Amy down the hall stop at the sight of her, widen her eyes, and dart towards another door. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t—Oh!” Portia snapped her fingers. “Chase and Dante. They were trying to chase her down last week to talk to her. They said she was related to the case in some way—”

“Oh really?” Elizabeth pressed her lips together, nodded. “Excuse me, won’t you?” She left Portia and followed Amy through the door she’d used, and found the nurse in the breakroom, pretending to study  the vending machines. “Amy.”

“Oh. Hey. Hello. Hi.” Amy’s cheeks were bright red. “How are you? It’s good to have you back where you belong. I just know this is all gonna get fixed because no one thinks you would do anything this horrible. I just—”

Elizabeth held up a hand. “Chase and Dante came to talk to you. They  think you left the tip that led to the search on my car, don’t they?”

“No. I mean, they did, but they don’t now. Because it wasn’t me. I told them I never saw you that day.” Amy clasped her hands in front of her. “And I would never snitch on you without warning you or asking you because the call they played for me is insane! Who would ever think you and Jason would talk about a murder where anyone could hear?”

“Especially a former gossip columnist,” Elizabeth added. Her lips twitched. “Don’t worry, Amy. I can’t speak for Chase or Dante, but my lawyer has thought from the beginning it was a fake call. I’m just sorry they used your voice.”

“Why would they do that? Didn’t they know it would be investigated? I mean, how could they have—” Amy closed her mouth. “Oh. They did it because it was me.” She swallowed hard. “Because I lied for months and months about the column.”

“I don’t know, but yeah, I guess maybe they figured no one would believe you. I’m sorry,” Elizabeth repeated, gently.

“Me, too. I hope you find out who did this to you. Because they’re just evil.”

PCPD: Conference Room

Molly sat back, rubbed her forehead. “That is—this is not what I thought you were going to—” She exhaled slowly. “Have you talked to Danny?”

“Not since the station. I’m hoping to touch base with Liz on that. I know that complicates things — me and her communicating about Danny, but it’s the only option, Mols. Jason and Sam can’t talk without arguing, and I gotta put Danny first. So if you need to take me off the case—”

“No, no, that would—that would create more questions, and we’re already ethically shaky. I don’t want it to be seen as us doing a favor for a key eyewitness—Oh, this is such a mess. You were barely involved before. Danny is little more than an alibi for someone who isn’t even charged, but now you’re telling me he’s staying with Jason and Elizabeth, you’re talking to the FBI’s primary suspect—” Molly took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. All that matters is Danny. And I—I need to find a way check on him.”

“I’m sorry. I honestly wasn’t thinking about anything other than making this go away. I figured if the FBI found out they got arrested on Liz’s property—”

“They wouldn’t care about context. They’d pick her up for violating her bail, and toss her back in lockup pending a hearing. And who knows if the judge will be as kind this time—” She paused. “You’re sure Dex and his partner are going to keep this quiet?”

“As sure as I can be. Right now, anyone who asks — they think the kids were picked up for a curfew. No one knows anything else.”

“Let’s keep it that way—” Molly stopped when she saw Chase at the door, a folder in his hands. She got to her feet. “Tell me that’s our audio reports.”

“Yes.” Chase held it up. “Good news or bad news first?”

“Oh, hell.” Molly held a hand to her forehead. “Good, I guess.”

“They’re both AI. No doubt about it. All the hall marks — crappy meta data, unnatural pitches, and a whole bunch of other things I don’t understand.”

“If that’s the good news, then—” Dante frowned. “What’s the bad?”

“The mystery file is a voice mail from John Cates file. Someone pretending to be Jason Morgan setting up the meet at the boathouse about the deal.” Chase paused. “And that’s not the worst part.”

“Not the—what?”

“We got another report—a digital analysis of John Cates’ computer — including evidence that he’s the one that created the voicemail luring himself to his own murder.”

Warehouse: Cargo Docks

Jason recognized the commissioner stalking towards him out of the corner of his eye, and sighed. He handed the clip board to the shift manager. “I’m about to be busy and annoyed for a little while. Finish handling this and fax the invoices to customs.”

He turned just Anna reached the cargo door. “Do I need a lawyer?”

“No, but we need to talk. Alone,” Anna added, then turned and headed for his office. He considered ignoring because he didn’t take orders from anyone anymore, and definitely not from the police commissioner.

But he was mildly curious about her visit, so he followed her and closed the door to his office behind them. “What’s going on?”

“Who did you tell about Valentin?” she demanded, her tone more clipped than usual.

Jason squinted. “What?”

“Who did you tell about Valentin?” she repeated.

“I heard your question,” he said flatly. “It didn’t make any sense the second time you said it.”

“Don’t play games—”

“I don’t know what you want, Anna. I don’t talk about Valentin.”

“Not even to Elizabeth?” she demanded. “You didn’t tell her how the Pikeman investigation ended?”

“Anna, she didn’t even know I was involved in that until two weeks ago—” He shook his head. “I’m not doing this. Tell me what you want to know, and I’ll decide if I want to answer you.”

“Robert and Molly forced me into supporting their suicide mission,” Anna retorted. “They’ve cut off cooperation for the Cates murder and they don’t seen to give a damn that the FBI has retaliated and derailed several investigations we were working together on—”

“And you think I’m going to give a damn about that?” Jason asked, skeptically. “Molly believes Elizabeth was framed. The FBI doesn’t care who killed Cates, and she knows finding that out will exonerate Elizabeth. I don’t give a damn about anything else—”

“Not even your own freedom?”

Jason went still. “What are you talking about?”

“Robert, Molly, and Chase dropped some very obvious hints that my failure to go along with their plan would result in an investigation into how Valentin eluded capture. What did you tell Elizabeth? What have you told Diane?”

“Nothing. It’s not relevant,” Jason added, and Anna scowled.

“Oh, so if you deemed that information to be relevant, you’d turn it over?”

“If I thought the FBI would drop the charges against Elizabeth in exchange for me telling them that you told Valentin to run, I’d already have done it.”

Anna went white, fell back a step. “What?”

“Are you asking me if I’d protect you over Elizabeth? I wouldn’t even think about it. I don’t know what makes you think any differently.”

“That—we worked together—” Anna’s voice was a bit weak, as she fumbled to collect herself.

“And you begged me to let Valentin have a chance to run. I never promised anything else, Anna. You made the choice to do it.”

“I—” She brought two fingers to her lips. “You’d turn me in? Even if it meant you’d go to jail, too?”

“Yes.” Jason squinted, tilted his head slightly. “Why would that be a surprise? I barely know you. I don’t owe you any loyalty. You pushed yourself into my investigation, I didn’t ask for your help. Elizabeth is—there’s just not a debate, Anna. If it’s  down to you, me, or her, I’m always going to pick her.”

+46

Written in 60 minutes.

Sunday, September 14, 2024

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam rose to her feet when the door opened and Rocco came in first, with his father’s hand firmly on his shoulder — not precisely shoving him, but also not giving the teenager much choice in his direction.

Rocco’s shirt was grimy, stained with soil and grass, and there was a new rip in his jeans. His curly hair disheveled, falling over his eyes. “Can I get a shower? Or is sleeping in filth part of the punishment?”

Dante closed the door, flipped the lock. “No point in punishing all of us with that smell. Upstairs. And stay there.”

“No worries. I’m gonna sleep until I’m dead,” Rocco muttered, trudging up the steps.

“Scout’s all good with her dad, no idea any thing happened,” Dante told Sam, tossing his eyes on the desk. He folded his arms. “I, uh, got a text from Elizabeth. She wants to pick up some of Danny’s clothes after she drops Cameron off at the airport.” He lifted his brows. “I’m guessing it didn’t go well with Jason.”

Sam pressed her lips together in a thin, unhappy line. “It started okay, I guess. But we just…we can’t seem to talk to each other anymore.” She rubbed her shoulder. “I just get so frustrated with him pretending this isn’t at least partly his fault because he wasn’t here. How do we know Jason being gone isn’t what screwed Danny up in the first place?”

Dante didn’t answer her right away, and Sam fidgeted. “What, you think this is my fault?” she demanded. “You know how hard we’ve been trying to reach Danny this last year, and we had no idea they were up to this—”

“I know that. I just don’t know if laying blame at anyone’s feet is going to help things.” Dante kicked off his sneakers. “It is what it is. We just gotta fix it. I don’t know if keeping Rocco too tired to drink or lie to me is the answer, but it’s what I got right now. And maybe—” He walked past her towards the sofa. “Maybe Danny staying with his dad for a little while is his answer.”

“So it is my fault.”

“Sam.” Dante turned back to face her. “I get it. I do. I wanna know what I did wrong with Rocco, too. We trusted them too much, I guess. We should have checked with Liz the nights they said they were with Aiden. She should have checked with us. But Rocco had never pulled anything like this, and Danny might have been giving us attitude with terrible grades, but that’s anything like this.”

“But if I’m not the problem—”

“Maybe you are. Maybe Danny is. Maybe Jason is—” Dante threw up his hands. “Maybe Danny builds up his dad in his head to be this perfect guy, and he measures you against that, and now he’ll realize Jason’s not the guy in his head. I don’t know, Sam. None of us do. I don’t even think Danny knows. But if you’re looking for someone to reassure you that you’re not a terrible mom, okay, fine. You’re not a terrible mom.”

Her eyes glimmered and she looked away, biting her lip. “Jason said that. He said that he wasn’t going to hold my  hand and reassure me. He wanted to fix the problem. And you’re doing the same thing. Neither of you understand, okay—”

“Sam—”

“Because you’re both judging me because I walked out last night. Aren’t you?” Sam challenged when Dante just shook his head. “You think I’m a terrible mother for leaving him—”

“It’s not like you left him without anyone. His dad was there, and I just told you I think it’ll be good for Danny to spend time there. Look — Sam — I’m not the guy who’s gonna hold that against you. I left my family, didn’t I? I walked away from Lulu and Rocco because I wanted to protect them, because I thought it was the right thing to do. And I came home as a broken mess that could barely keep my head up. Maybe Rocco’s reacting to that. A delayed reaction, you know. I was gone, then Lulu was gone, and then we moved in here, and he’s a teen—” Dante paused. “I left my family, too, Sam, so if you’re looking for me to tell you what’s wrong with Danny is all on Jason, I’m not gonna do that. I’m not gonna tell you Jason was wrong for what he did. Because I did the same thing.”

“You’re not answering the question,” Sam bit out. “Which means you think I’m the problem, and that I’m ruining Danny’s life—”

“Not what I said—” But Sam had already snatched up the keys, flipped back the lock, and stormed out.

Dante sighed, then went to pack a bag for Danny.

Port Charles Airport: Departures

Cameron looped the strap of his backpack over his shoulder and turned back to face his mother. “I’ll be back in two weeks. We’re not arguing about that, are we?”

“No.” Elizabeth reached up to hug him, sighing when he had to bend down slightly to return the embrace. When did her baby get so tall? “No arguing from me at all. I hate why you came home, but I’m always happy to see you.” He drew back, and she brushed his hair out of his eyes. “You should get a trim.”

“Nah, the girls dig it.” He tipped his head to the side. “Listen, I want to tell you that if you’re trying to hide that you and Jason are dating, you’re not doing a good job. Well, with me. Aiden and Jake were clueless.”

“What?” Elizabeth blinked, then laughed a bit nervously, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Oh. Well, that’s—I mean, I guess that’s true. But it’s new. I mean—” She blew out a huff. “But yes. We are.”

“See? I always know. I want you to know I’m good with it. Really. I never thought Finn was good enough for you, and I’m not sure Jason is either, but he’s always treated you well. That’s all I want for you, Mom. You deserve the best. And make sure Danny knows I’m cool with him crashing in my room when I’m not here. I don’t know what he’s dealing with,” Cameron continued, “but I figure it’s a lot, and he might need some space of his own. He’s in good hands now.”

“I hope so. And I appreciate that.” Elizabeth touched his face, just  briefly. “Sometimes I think about how much I miss my little demon with the grimy hands and messy curls—” Cameron grinned, “— but then I’m reminded of what an amazing man you’ve grown into, and I couldn’t be more proud of you. I don’t want you to worry about me, or your brothers. I trust Diane and Spinelli to handle this.”

“So do I. But I’m still coming back to make sure.” He kissed her cheek. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too.”

Webber Home: Jake’s Room

Jake flicked the shavings from his colored pencil, and barely glanced up at Danny standing hesitantly just outside his room. “You gonna stare at me all night, or…?”

“I don’t wanna bug you if you’re, like, in the zone.”

“You won’t. I’m just layering and shading.”

Danny came more into the room, trying to peer at the sketch bad across Jake’s desk. “What is it? Or, like, is that rude?”

“Only if you’re gonna be an asshole and be like, why don’t you make things I can understand?” Jake lifted the sketchpad, aimed it towards his brother. “It’s my mom. Coming home.”

“Oh.” Danny furrowed his brow. “I don’t get it. It looks like blobs. Sorry.”

“No, it’s like—” Jake paused. “It’s the way I saw it, it you know, because I’m—I’m standing there, and I gave her the phone—” He gestured. “This is the door. It’s still open. I don’t know if it was, but it is when I remember it. It makes me feel like it happened all that fast. ”

“Oh. The room’s tilted.” Danny craned his head. “Okay, yeah, I sort of see it now. And the people are like—in motion.”

“Yeah.” Jake stared at the sketch. “Mom got home, and we were so happy to see her, we didn’t even—I don’t even know if me and Aiden even saw her, you know? We just hugged her, and then I went to call Cam, and then I gave her the phone, and she just—she just saw my brother and she started to fall, to cry, and I took the phone before it fell—Dad caught her.”

Danny sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m really sorry if I messed up her bail. I promise I didn’t want to do that.”

Jake set the sketch aside, twisted on his stool to look at his brother. “I get that. You’re an asshole, but you’re not a dick, you know? You just don’t think.”

“Not until it’s too late,” Danny muttered. He stared down at his hands. “My mom walked out. She just…I said something awful to her, I don’t even remember what, and she left. I guess I deserved that.”

Jake slid his colored pencils back into their case, said nothing. Danny’s smile was grim. “You never did like my mom much, so I guess you don’t agree.”

“I don’t know. I mean, you’ve said some pretty awful things to her when I’ve been there, and I know she was pretty much at the end of the rope. I guess—” Jake squinted. “I don’t know. I guess I can’t think of much me or my brothers could do that would make my mom leave us in a police station to fend for ourselves. Even if my dad were there,” he added. “I mean, Cam got arrested a few times. Shoplifting, the weed thing, just being an idiot. Mom was ticked, but she handled it.”

“She doesn’t want me back. Dad went to talk to her, and he was just like — you’re staying here. He won’t tell me what happened, but—”

“He’s never gonna tell you anything that might make you think bad about your mom,” Jake cut in. “But maybe your mom thinks it’s a good idea for you to hang out with Dad for a few days.”

“I guess. Are…are you okay with it? I mean, until Dad gets a place with a bedroom or something—”

“I—” Jake leaned back in his chair. “What if he didn’t?”

Danny furrowed his brow. “What?”

“What if he didn’t? What if he…and you just…stayed here.” Jake paused. “Cam thinks Dad and my mom are back together. He’s already here all the time because of her case. Maybe you guys could just stay here.”

“Oh.” Danny let that sink in, considered the new information. “I like your mom. Even when I was an ass to her, she was really nice to me. And, like, I could talk to Dad because she was  there. I—I’d be okay staying here.” He paused. “Are you okay with it? You and Dad were fighting so much.”

“It’s…better now,” Jake admitted. “I don’t know if I think it’s fixed, but when Mom—when this all went down, Dad stepped up. He didn’t have to. I mean, yeah, I’d go with him, but Grandma Laura could have taken Aiden. But Dad knew Mom wanted us to stay together. So he moved in. It’s—I don’t know if I’m ever gonna forget about those two years, but…I don’t know. It’s stupid to let that ruin the rest of our lives, right?”

“Yeah, probably. I’m not gonna do anything that screws Dad up with your mom either. I promise. I’m gonna be on my best behavior.”

“Should be interesting since you’ve never tried that before,” Jake said with a grin. “First time for everything.”

Webber House: Master Bedroom

 Elizabeth rubbed lotion into her hands, watching in her vanity mirror as Jason pulled back a comforter, and smiled. “By the way, not that we were keeping anything a secret, but Cameron figured out we were back together, and told his brothers, and I’m sure Danny knows by now.”

“Yeah?” Jason tipped his head. “What did he say?”

“That he was okay with it. He’s always liked you.” Elizabeth slid into her side of the bed, sat crossed legged. “And only some of that reason is how many times you got him out of trouble.”

Jason slid in next to her, his legs stretched out. “He’s an amazing kid. He always was, but you have every reason to be proud of them. All of them. It took a lot of guts for Aiden to open up like this morning. Even when he knew he’d messed up.”

“Well, I’m not sure how it happened, but I do feel kind of smug at how great they are.” Elizabeth’s smile dimmed slightly, and she looked at the comforter, picking at a loose thread. “I picked up Danny’s bag from Dante, and he thinks maybe communication should go between us. Me and him,” she clarified. “I told him I’d talk to you, but that I sort of agreed. I know you didn’t want to get into it with the boys around, but…I guess it didn’t go well?”

“I thought we started out okay, but—” Jason sighed. “I guess it was my fault. She’s blaming herself, and I just—I got impatient with her. I don’t care who’s fault it is. I mean, okay, we need to talk about how it got to this point because that’s how we help Danny. But am I supposed to say, no, Sam, you’re amazing, this is one hundred percent on me? Are we supposed to negotiate blame? She gets twenty, and I get eighty—what does that matter? But she needed me to reassure her and take the blame, and I don’t want to do that. I don’t know why I should have to.”

He looked at Elizabeth. “And look, it’s not her fault. Not one hundred percent. Because Danny’s not the only kid who ended up in trouble last night. Aiden’s been part of this, does it make it your fault? Rocco was there, too. All three of them were lying, drinking, and smoking, probably egging each other on because I know grown men who act that way.”

“I think that’s probably a big piece of it. Because, sure, mistakes were made. I definitely had blinders on — Aiden’s never been one to lie to me, so I don’t question him. I’m sure Dante and Sam felt that way, too. Aiden’s my sweet baby — who grew up into a teenager when I wasn’t looking. I absolutely think they thought — we’re getting away with this, what else can we do, and just kept pushing the line.” She sighed. “So you and Sam just couldn’t get any further than that?”

“No, not really. Because I said that, and she threw the last two years in my face, which, okay, she gets to do. But it doesn’t solve anything for us to take shots at each other. I got frustrated, told her I was keeping Danny, and left. And I guess she’s not arguing with me.”

“No, Dante said he thinks Danny and Rocco were feeding into each other a little, and right now, his only idea is to keep Rocco too tired with chores,” Elizabeth said. “But I mentioned counseling to him — but I made sure to tell him it’s happening. Maybe that’s—maybe that’s me overstepping. But I just—Danny absolutely seemed so into the idea, I didn’t want Sam to shoot it down. Maybe that was wrong—”

“It’s not. I—” Jason paused. “When he asked me, I had a moment where I thought — I can’t say yes. I need to talk to Sam. I thought I’d be overstepping to make a choice for my own son.” He exhaled slowly. “That’s the habit I need to break. Just because you and Sam have been handling the decisions for so long, that doesn’t mean you should have to do it forever. It never should have been entirely on your shoulders.”

Elizabeth smiled, her eyes a bit sad. “I’m glad you’re recognizing that — I appreciate the confidence you have in my abilities, but you’re a great father, Jason. I just don’t think you trust yourself to be one.”

“Maybe not. But that’s going to change.” He reached for her hand, traced a line in her palm. “I’m sorry your weekend with Cam got ruined like this—”

“Don’t be. I mean that,” she added when he sighed. “Those days I was gone — I was miserable. And when I got home, I couldn’t—it was so hard to get back to myself. But then Cam came home, and I got my boys in one room — but it was still about my case. But last night and today? I got to be a mom again. The boys got to be kids again. Idiots, in Danny and Aiden’s case,” she added and he smiled briefly. “And I got to be me. Not someone being framed for murder. But me. It reminds me of everything I have to fight for. Because no one is taking my family away from me again.”

+44

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.”

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