Written in 61 minutes.

Saturday, September 6, 2024

Miller & Davis: Office

Diane flipped through another section of the law text she was studying, barely doing more than holding out her hand for whatever the paralegal standing next to her held — hopefully the case law she’d damn well asked for thirty minutes ago—

But instead of a sheaf of papers, she heard a throat clearing, and she lifted her gaze to Alexis, finding her partner and friend holding out a mug of coffee. Diane straightened, took the cup, and waited for Alexis to return to her seat on the other side of their double partner desk. “Do I look that tired?”

“A little worn around the edges.” Alexis sipped her head. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Diane. Your legal brief is already solid for dismissal—”

“Solid isn’t good enough.” The paralegal finally arrived, and Diane snatched the case law citations, skimming them. “Someone wants Elizabeth to be on the hook for this. Even if I get the case dismissed, this isn’t going away.”

Alexis shifted again. “Still — she’s got a credible alibi—”

“And the FBI arrested her anyway. Michael, the ELQ ceo and doting husband and father, is very credible. Michael, the son and nephew of notorious mobsters with a felony record of his own—” Diane scratched some notes in the margins of her drafted brief. “A jury could disregard it in seconds once they investigate the relationship between Michael and Jason, and how much Jason’s sacrificed. Michael had a reason for Cates to disappear—” Diane paused, then looked up. “Just be grateful that Kristina wasn’t standing there with Michael that day.”

Alexis jolted. “What?”

Diane sat up, reached for the preliminary forensics report. “Trajectory suggests the assailant was shorter than the victim, no taller than 5’5. Put her in Elizabeth’s place at the Quartermaines, and you’ve got motive and opportunity.”

“I don’t think this is very funny—”

“Neither do I, Alexis. And I’m not suggesting Kristina did this. Of course not. With the gun being found in the trunk—that shifts this completely into unknown territory. I can’t begin to think who had access to Elizabeth’s car, had a reason to want Cates dead, and would frame her.” Diane took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just—I stood in that living room with Jason and those boys, and I don’t know if I can keep the promises I made them. The FBI wants blood, and it looks like they’re willing to take it where they can find it.”

“You don’t have to tell me how aggressive the FBI can be. The fact they’re still going through these charges against Kristina—” Alexis slid her reading glasses on, picked up the security photos from Sonny’s private investigator. “My daughter can’t help herself. Did you see how horrible these photos are?”

“She looks like the aggressor. Like she’s attacking Ava, yes, I know. If not for those, none of this would be happening. You at least have a built in defense—the state is prosecuting Ava.”

“That’s in my brief as well, but—” Alexis removed her glasses, sat back. “I don’t know if I can trust Kristina to hold it together in court. She’s so impulsive — so out of control — I can’t even stop her from calling the baby Adela—” She closed her eyes. “If you could have seen the look on Molly’s face—”

“I don’t envy you Kristina as a client, I really don’t. At least mine can follow orders.”

“Don’t remind me of that either,” Alexis muttered, then took another breath. “There’s another benefit to having Elizabeth as your client right now. You at least get to argue actual innocence. It’s not usually one of the tools you get to play with when Jason and Sonny are your clients.”

“There is that,” Diane replied with a smirk. She reached for her phone, frowning slightly as she saw the identification screen. She clicked to accept, lifted the phone to her ear. “Molly? Are you trying to reach your mother—” Across from her, Alexis sat up, alert.

“No, I’m—I just left the courthouse. I didn’t want anyone to overhear me making this call. I was just checking the docket—”

“On a Saturday? Honey, you need to take a vacation—”

“You’ll be glad I did. The only time they update the docket on Saturday is prisoner transfer.”

Diane closed her eyes, braced for impact. “What do you know?”

Quartermaine Estate: Driveway

Molly dropped the phone in her purse, then slid out of her car, navigating the gravel-lined driveway with her low heels, arguing with herself every step of the way.

But she hadn’t changed her mind by the time she was admitted entrance into the foyer. “Mr. Chase is just right through there,” the maid said, and Molly nodded, heading for the double entrance. One door was partially open.

Inside, she found Michael and Willow talking fervently with Brook Lynn and Chase. Molly hesitated just inside the door, grimacing when Willow noticed her first, got to her feet.

“Molly. It’s so good to see you.” She crossed the room, took Molly’s hand. “How are you?”

“Um, fine. This is more of a—well, I can’t say professional because I am absolutely not here on business. Not officially.” She found Chase’s concerned gaze as he rose from the armchair, turning to face her. “I just took a huge risk, and I’m taking another right now but I can’t say silent while this happens.”

“What’s going on?” Michael wanted to know. He looked at Chase, then back at Molly. “What’s happening?”

“Chase was with Anna when I updated them on Elizabeth’s case last night — the last official update I could give since the DA’s office agreed to the jurisdiction transfer—Robert would have lost in court, and I was outvoted,” she added when Michael’s scowl deepened. “I wanted to delay and fight. But we couldn’t — and now I see why the FBI was pushing so hard to get jurisdiction dealt with. They’re transferring Elizabeth out of county. She’s being taken to Jamesville Correctional Facility—”

“Where the hell is that?” Brook Lynn demanded, fisting a hand at her hip. “Why can’t she stay here?”

“They’re transferring her to federal court.” Chase exhaled on a low breath. “They’re serious about this. Her hearing is in an actual federal court house?”

“Yes. Wednesday. They’re doing this on purpose, Chase. There’s no other reason. Kristina has federal charges pending and her bail hearing was held within hours in a local court. They filed late last night, making sure the delay would push things to Tuesday, and transferring her puts another day in.”

Michael rubbed his mouth, considering. “Does Jason know?”

“I called Diane first. If there’s any chance to stop it or delay it or something, she needed to know first. She said she’d handle all of that, and it’s better if it comes from her. I don’t want Jason to be asked who told him and put any of you on the spot. Not until we talked and decided on a strategy.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “Wait, I mean, I know it’s bad that her hearing is delayed, but what’s the difference about court houses and jails—isn’t it all the same?” she said to her husband, then looked to Chase. “Why do we all look so upset?”

“Diane won’t know those judges, so that makes her job harder. Visitation is more strict, and you know Caldwell is going to refuse visitors as much as possible,” Molly said. “And Caldwell honestly believes Jason did this, and that you and Elizabeth are protecting him. That Jake and Danny are lying. He’s aggressive and he cuts corners, but I think he honestly believes she’s involved. He’s trying to break Jason and Jake by making this as painful for Elizabeth as possible.”

“Jason would have already confessed,” Brook Lynn said, folding her arms. “If he’d done it — which he didn’t,” she added hastily when Michael shot her a look. “Either way, knowing him, he might still confess if it looks like it’s going south.”

“I believe Danny and Jake,” Molly said, lifting her chin. “I believe Michael. Which means Jason and Elizabeth are both innocent. I can’t—there’s a lot I can’t fix, but my job—my job is to do right. To do justice. I don’t care what Robert or Anna say. I’m going to find a way to fight this. I just—” She smiled weakly. “I guess I need to know I’ve got a powerful family backing me.”

“Oh, hell yeah,” Chase said. He paused. “Not that I speak for the rest of the family—”

“You do. One hundred percent.” Brook Lynn rubbed her hands together. “Where do we start?”

PCPD: Conference Room

“You son of a bitch!”

Caldwell rose from his seat at the table, smiling faintly as Diane pushed past one of the officers at the door. “I thought I heard your dulcet tones—”

“Shove it, Eddie.” Her hair slightly disheveled, her face clean of makeup, Diane looked like she hadn’t slept in days but she was still ready to do battle from the fury in her eyes. “How many laws you wanna violate? Due process, federal rules of procedure, New York state law—”

Caldwell lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Do you want to tell me what horrible thing I did before you sentence me?”

“You’re transferring Elizabeth Webber to federal custody,” Diane snarled. “And you didn’t even bother to tell me—”

“I don’t have to tell lawyers anything, Diane. That’s the beauty of my job. It’s not my job to inform you, and look, you already know, so we’re good—”

“She could have stayed here—”

“That was my call, Ms. Miller.”

Diane stumbled to a stop as the other man in the room slowly rose, buttoning his suit jacket. “Who the hell are you?”

“Assistant U.S. District Attorney Noah Reynolds. I’ll be prosecuting your client.” Reynolds came around the table to their side of the room. “Now, if you have a complaint about your notification, I’m not legally liable to notify you until the transfer is complete for security reasons. As long as you’re told where your client is when you wish to see them—”

“You’re skirting the lines, and you damn well know it—”

“Complain to the judge. The one you’ll meet in Syracuse. Not one of your friends here who lets you walk all over them in your quest to let criminals walk the stret.”

“Oh, come off your high horse—”

“Your client had the murder weapon in her car—”

“Alleged. Without ballistics, you’ve got a gun that could have been—”

“With the same ammunition—” Noah smiled, but there was no humor in the expression. “Your DA’s office agreed to our jurisdiction—”

And oh boy, would Robert be hearing about that. “He doesn’t get to make the final ruling on that. You and I both know this will be dismissed in court—”

“We’ll see about that. But until then, Ms. Webber is in our custody. She murdered an FBI agent, Ms. Miller. Or she’s protecting the killer. Either way, she doesn’t get to enjoy special treatment.”

Webber House: Living Room

Jason was already regretting opening the door without checking who was on the other side when a furious Sam sailed past him, stopping for a minute when she saw Jake and Aiden sorting items from the book case. “You’re cleaning? After everything that’s happened? You’re cleaning?”

She whirled around to glare at Jason. “You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

Jason let out a slow breath, searched for patience, then closed the door. “What do you want, Sam?”

“I want to know why the hell the FBI is still coming after Danny?”

Jake straightened, setting down one of his mother’s knicknacks. “What are you talking about?”

Jason’s expression was grim. “They’re trying to break my alibi.”

“Of course they are! Your alibi is a pair of teenagers! What were you thinking?”

Jason stared at her for a moment, bewildered. “When?”

“Letting them be your alibi—”

“I didn’t let them do anything—”

“Is she for real right now?” Aiden said a hushed whisper to Jake who just muttered something under his breath.

“Are you happy now? Are you happy with what you’ve done? Elizabeth’s in federal custody and your sons are being targeted by the FBI! Is there anything you touch that doesn’t immediately get ruined?” Sam retorted. “I’m not letting Danny be another victim—”

“Are you going to stop her?” Jake demanded, shoving his way between them, his glare hot  towards his father. “You never stop her when she starts—”

“Jake,” Jason began, but Jake just shook his head, and turned to his brother’s mother.

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, and Dad’s too much of a wuss to tell you to shut the fuck up, so let me do it.”

Sam laughed derisively, shaking her head. “Jake, you do not want to get in the middle of this—”

“You put me there, Sam, so if you want to blame anyone, blame yourself for making me and Mom baby sit Danny and Dad on their visits. Dad didn’t do anything! Neither did me or Danny. And Mom is innocent of her charges, okay? We sure as hell can’t say that about you, can we?” Jake retorted and Sam’s eyes went wide.

“Jake—” But Jason’s protest wasn’t that loud, and neither Jake or Sam acknowledged it. If he’d wanted to stop it—he could have. But Jake was angry, he was holding a lot of it in—

And Sam was going to start treating Jake like the adult he almost was — he wasn’t the little kid who would sit by and let someone insult his mother or anyone his family.

Sam narrowed her eyes. “What the hell does that mean?”

“How do we know this isn’t about you? Maybe that FBI guy is coming after you. I remember where I saw him. He was the guy investigating you for Shiloh’s murder. Maybe he’s coming after you because you didn’t serve longer in jail. I mean, he’s questioning Danny, not me? You’re here blaming Dad, well, he’s not the only one who’s committed crimes, is he, Sam?”

PCPD: Holding Cell

Diane rushed past the officer to find Elizabeth pacing back and forth in her cell. “I’m sorry—”

Elizabeth turned, darted to the edge of the cell, wrapping her fingers around the bars. “Diane, they said they’re transferring me. Where are they taking me?”

“I—” Diane took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. They’re taking you to a federal facility near Syracuse. And this is going to delay your hearing another day—you’ll be there until Wednesday—”

Everything inside her started to shake, and Elizabeth shook her head. “No. No. No that’s not—that’s not possible—stop them—I didn’t do anything—”

“I know. I know. Listen to me, Elizabeth. We’re going to do everything we can—”

“I want to see my boys. Will they let me see them—” Elizabeth looked over when the cell opened and officers came in—U.S. Marshalls. She swallowed hard, backing away. “Diane.”

“I’m going to do everything I can. Elizabeth, you have my word—Everything—” Diane closed her mouth, backing away as Elizabeth’s cell opened, and the marshalls put the handcuffs around Elizabeth’s wrists—and the shackles around her ankles, the other woman pale and trembling.

“I promise—trust me—” She watched them take Elizabeth away, then pressed both hands to her cheeks, took a deep breath. Oh, God, she’d have to tell Jason this was only getting worse—

Webber House: Living Room

 Instead of infuriating Sam further, Jake’s taunt just made her smile, with a tinge of sadness in her eyes. “We all start that way, you know. Defending him.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “You’re impossible—”

“No, we do. I did. Your mom still does, doesn’t she? Defends him at very turn,” Sam continued when Jake hesitated. “When he came home and didn’t tell us a damn thing about where he’d been, she defended him. She hasn’t learned her lesson yet, and look where she is, Jake. Look! I got out, and I’m getting my son out. Your mother? She’s just fine to go down with the ship.”

“It’s time to go, Sam,” Jason said, stalking past her, dragging the door open. “Don’t come back—”

“I won’t. You and Danny are done. Do you get it?” she told Jason, then looked back at Jake. “I hope with everything I have that your mother learns from this. Otherwise, you’ll be driving a lot further than Syracause to see her.”

“Syra—” Aiden frowned. “She’s at the PCPD. We’re going down to see her this afternoon—”

Sam smirked, then looked at Jason. “Oh, you haven’t told them? They don’t know?”

“There’s nothing to know,” Jason retorted. “Elizabeth will get released at her bail hearing—”

“Oh, sure, maybe here in Port Charles, when Diane knows the judges and you can whisper in their ears. But you’re pissing off a whole new level of cop.” Sam looked at Jake and Aiden. “Your mom’s been transferred to federal custody. Good luck getting in there to see her.”

+33

This is half as much as I had planned for this chapter, but I ran out of time. Sorry 😛  I don’t know why, other than my keyboard keeps sticking. I need to get it fixed.

Saturday, September 6, 2024

Webber House: Kitchen

It hadn’t been a terrible nightmare, Jake thought, coming around a corner from the living room the kitchen and finding his father at the sink, pouring water into the coffee carafe.

He was used to being the first person in the kitchen on mornings their mother didn’t work — she was only a morning person when the scheduled forced it, she’d say, then laugh, hugging Aiden to her side, because his youngest brother would sleep through an earthquake, and maybe even a tornado.

“Mom always said you’re the reason I’m a morning person.”

Jason turned at the sound of his voice, smiling faintly, then set the carafe back in the machine, pressed start. “I never needed much sleep. It drove her—” He paused, took a deep. “It drives her crazy.”

Right, because they weren’t going to talk about his mom like she wasn’t coming home.

“Did she tell you that I also like to drink coffee?” Jake said, sliding onto the stool on the other side of the island. “I think I get that from you, too. Mom didn’t start drinking it until she became a nurse.”

“I made enough for you,” Jason confirmed, retrieving two mugs from a cabinet. “And I remember. She and my sister used to split two packets of hot chocolate.” There was another faint smile, this one sad. “Whipped cream and sprinkles.”

Jake didn’t know what to say to any of that — there were a few pictures of his aunt around, most of them with Cameron who didn’t remember her other than saying — “She was warm. Hugs. Smiles.” She’d died when he was a baby, and he wondered what that was like for his dad, for his mom, to lose someone who must have been so essential to them both. He knew he’d been “dead” for the years he’d been with the Cassadines, but that all felt like a bad dream now, and he’d been home longer than he’d been gone.

His aunt was never coming back.

“Uh, I remember Aiden liked to sleep in until some around noon,” Jason said, facing Jake. “Is that still true?”

“Yeah. I mean, maybe not today because I couldn’t sleep much, and I know if he wakes up, he might not roll over and go back to sleep. If you have to do something—”

“No, I—I mean, there are things I want to check on. But I was hoping we’d have a little time before he got up. Not that we can’t talk about any of this with him around,” Jason said. He retrieved the carafe and poured coffee into both mugs. “But I thought maybe it would be easier for you.”

“Talk about what?” Jake asked, turning the mug in his hands, waiting for it to cool. “We know what’s happening. Mom’s in jail. Diane’s gonna get her out. She’s innocent, so we’re good.” He didn’t like how grim his father looked when Jake raised his gaze. “Dad? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“They took you and Danny into the station on Monday because of me.” Jason waited a beat. “But they couldn’t do anything because I had an alibi.”

“Alibi makes it sound weird. You don’t have an alibi, Dad. You didn’t do it. Danny and I saw you come out of the house after the shots.” Jake pressed his lips together. “An alibi makes it sound like it was something we came up with.”

“I know. The thing is—” Jason paused. “They didn’t have to charge your mom with the murder. Not on Friday. They could have waited for tests to come back. Because they charged her on this evidence, it’s almost sure to get dismissed at the bail hearing.”

“Yeah, Diane said that. So it’s all for nothing—” Jake paused. “But it’s not, is it?”

“No. I think the FBI wants to make it very clear that they have the power. Maybe we should have let you and Danny give statements, but it just seemed—” Jason hesitated. “They twist your words, you know? So it’s just easier not to talk to them. Let them prove their case. So we made sure they can’t talk to you or your brother without a lawyer.”

“So as long as that holds, we’re good. Good. Okay, well, I’m glad we’re on the same page. I’ll—you know, keep my distance until this finishes out. Tell me if you need anything.”

 Sonny’s words from the night before echoed in Jake’s mind, and he wondered about them all over again.

“So then what we do have to talk about?”

“They’re holding your mother over the weekend, and Diane thinks they’re going to push bail as far as they can, at least until Tuesday or Wednesday. We think it’s put pressure on you. And to a certain, extent, me,” Jason added.

Jake squinted. “Because they think you did it.”

“Yeah.”

“And they think I’m lying.”

“They do.”

Jake sipped his coffee, pondered that theory. It made sense, in a way. And his mom was the one person he and his dad had in common. “But you didn’t do it, and I’m not lying.”

“Which is why they’re going to fail, but that doesn’t change how this is going to be. You did a good job on Monday,” Jason continued. “You kept your cool and didn’t say anything. And they shouldn’t be able to talk to you again, but if they do get you in the room—”

“I’ll tell them the truth—”

“They’re going to play with what a truth is,” Jason said. “They’ll play mind games. Did you really see this, did you hear this? You’re a kid, it’s okay to make mistakes.” He rested his hands on the counter. “He’s going to try to make you feel like he’s on your side. He’s not. He’s on his side. Not yours.”

All of that sounded right to Jake, and yet — “It doesn’t matter. I know what I heard and saw.”

“I know. And you’re a tough kid. Tougher than you should have to be. But we need to do everything just right to make sure they can’t play games with your mom during her hearing. We have one goal, right? Get her home.”

“Right. But that’s just the first goal, right?” Jake asked. “Because someone put a gun in her car. We need to know who did that. Don’t we?”

“That comes later, yeah. First, your mother.”

“I know, but until she’s here—” Jake paused. “Do you know who could have done this? Where do we start looking?”

Jason opened his mouth, but stopped when Aiden stumbled in, rubbing his eyes. “I’m gonna make pancakes,” he mumbled. “Blueberries.”

Penthouse: Living Room

 Dante set his half-finished coffee on the desk, and started to rifle through the stack of mail. “I was thinking maybe Danny might wanna come with me and Rocco today. Out to the shooting range—” He sighed when Sam shot him a look. “We’ve got guns around the house, Sam. There’s nothing wrong with teaching them safety—”

“Danny can be safe by not using it,” Sam grumbled.

Dante just shook his head, and was grateful at the knock on the door. He went over to check who was on the other side, then took a long beat to steady himself, and pulled open the door. “Agent Caldwell,” he said.

Sam folded her arms, tensing, and Dante remembered it wasn’t the first time they’d met. “Agent,” she said in short clipped tones.

“Miss McCall. I see you’ve returned to your maiden name. Wise choice considering your decision to cohabitate with an officer.” Caldwell lifted his brows. “Can I come in?”

“I’ll call my mother,” Sam told Dante, heading for the phone on the desk. “She’s my lawyer—”

“I remember, but I’m not here for that,” Caldwell said, and Sam paused. “I mean, surely, there’s no harm in letting me talk to your son. Dante here can vouch for his rights, don’t you think?”

Dante pressed his lips into a thin, angry line but remained silent. He couldn’t disagree with the FBI agent, and Sam knew she’d been neatly boxed into a corner. She set the phone back on the base, looked towards the stairs.

“Danny, come down here!”

A few beats later, footsteps thundered down the steps, and as Danny turned the corner on the landing, he was already complaining. “Did you find another piece of my soul to take away?” he bit out, then stopped dead halfway down the last set up of steps when he saw the FBI agent by the desk. “Am I being arrested or something?”

“Of course not.” Caldwell smiled broadly. “We didn’t have a chance to talk on Monday before your dad took you home. I thought we could have a conversation.”

Danny slid nervous eyes to his mother who dropped her gaze. “Mom? I’m not supposed to talk to him without Diane. Dad said. And Jake’s mom was super pissed that he didn’t have a lawyer. Can we call Diane or Grandma?”

“It’s okay,” Sam said slowly, but still couldn’t meet Danny’s eyes. “Dante and I are here. You’ll be fine. You didn’t do anything wrong, remember?”

“I know, but—” Danny sighed, looked at Cadwell. “Lawyers are supposed to protect your rights.”

“You don’t think Dante, a decorated police officer is capable of that?” Caldwell asked, and Dante’s featured creased into a scowl.

“Ask your questions, Caldwell.” Dante came over to stand by Danny, put a hand on his shoulder. “And if we don’t like them, you’ll leave.”

“Fair enough. I’d like to start with Monday, just before eight in the evening—”

“You already know this. Jake and I talked to the cops at the Qs.”

“Then tell me,” Caldwell pressed, and Danny rolled his eyes.

“You wanna waste your time, fine. Jake and I were on the terrace. Rocco and Aiden went inside, and we were just waiting. Dad was supposed to meet us there with Jake’s mom. She was down talking to Michael—”

“Could you see her?”

“Uh, no,” Danny said, creasing her brows. “They were in the rose garden. You can’t see that. Jake and I heard gunshots—”

“How many?”

“I don’t know, dude, I wasn’t counting. Stop interrupting—”

“Danny,” Sam said softly, and Danny scowled at her.

“Well, he is, and you always yell at me when I do it. Whatever, man. Rules are just like suggestions for everyone else but me. We heard the shots, Jake and I were just like — is that what we heard, and then Dad ran out — he came over to us, making sure we weren’t, like, hit, you know? And then we told him that Liz and Michael were in the direction of the shots, and he took off — jumped right of the terrace. Not as cool as when he jumped that bridge last spring,” Danny told his mother who closed her eyes. “But I didn’t get to see that, so this was pretty lit—”

“Lit?” Caldwell questioned.

“Sorry, let me speak old dude.” Danny cleared his throat and spoke slowly, exaggerating his tone and facial expressions. “My father jumped—” He made a gesture with his hands that mimicked the motion, “—over the terrace railing and I was very pleased with the visual experience. My brother and I were quite impressed since my father is, how do you say, from the ancient times.” He raised his brows. “Do we understand each other now?”

“Your resemblance to your brother is uncanny,” Caldwell said dryly, as Sam rubbed her temples, and Dante looked away to hide his smile. “You’re sure it was after the gunshots?”

“Yeah. Like I know it makes your job easier if I don’t say that, but like, truth is truth. Dad was freaked out. You know, gunshots and like, the four people you like most in the line of fire, right? So yeah. It happens like this—” Danny lifted his finger, counting as he continued to speak. “One, we hear the shots. Two, Dad runs out. Three, he checks to see if we’re okay. Four, he finds out gunshots are coming from the same place Michael and Liz went, and five, he leaps terrace railings to get to them. I dunno how much more clear I can be.”

“But you don’t remember how shots they were,” Caldwell continued.

“It was more than one, my guy. Like you know how many hit the dead guy, right? How do I know that?”

“But Elizabeth Webber did go in the direction of the boat house prior to the gunshots?”

Danny’s eyes narrowed into little slits. “You think she hid a gun in her sundress? Dude. Have you see how tiny Jake’s mom is? Where’s she putting that thing? How’d you get to be in charge?”

“Danny,” Dante said, with a shake of his head.

“Well, this is all just stupid. Michael called in the whole thing! How’s he gonna do that when he’s standing next to the murderer? I don’t wanna do this anymore,” Danny said with a scowl directed at his mother. “I don’t want to do this anymore. He’s trying to make it like Dad or Jake’s mom did something wrong, and they didn’t. I’m not doing anything that hurts them, so leave me the hell alone. And I’m not talking to you again without a lawyer. Dad was right.”

“Danny—” Sam started towards him, but he sprinted up the stairs, then they heard the door slam a short time later. She pursed her lips, looked towards the FBI agent. “He wasn’t very articulate, but he’s not wrong, Agent. You’re looking at the wrong people.”

“Well, I suppose we’ll see about that. I’m not trying to hurt Danny or anyone else, Miss McCall. But I have a job to do. And Danny’s right to worry about his brother. Miss Webber is facing some serious charges—”

“Flimsy charges Diane will have dismissed in five minutes,” Sam said flatly. “And I know they’re flimsy because no one is dumb enough to hide the murder weapon in their own trunk and talk about it around people who can hear. My God, how do you not smell the setup?”

Caldwell smiled thinly. “Well, I’m sure your support will be a great comfort to Miss Webber from her jail sail in Syracause.”

He started towards the door, but Dante put out a hand. “Whoa, what?”

Caldwell turned back, lifted a brow. “You didn’t hear? We’re having her transferred out of Port Charles. She’ll be at Onondaga County Holding Center in Syracuse until the hearing on Wednesday.”

When the agent had left, Sam dragged her hands down her face. “Oh my God. They’re really serious about this—”

“Yeah, well, the murder charge sort of indicated that. Sam—”

“She’s in federal custody. Not just the PCPD—It was one thing when I thought—” Sam folded her arms. “And now Danny’s more furious than ever, and he’s pissed off the FBI—and they probably think Jason told him not to cooperate—”

“Because he did,” Dante said. “Not saying he was wrong—” he added when Sam snapped her head head. “But Jason absolutely coached those boys not to talk to cops or authorities.”

“Which only makes him look more guilty! Everything he does, even when he’s trying to help — it just makes it worse.”

“Come on, Sam.”

“No, I’m going to handle this. Once and for all.” She snatched up her  keys, and was out the door before he could stop her.

+34

Written in 63 minutes.

Friday, September 5, 2024

 PCPD: Processing Unit

Elizabeth flinched at the flash of the camera, only dimly registering the command to turn — the flash less startling when it wasn’t head-on.

An arm tugged her towards the table across the room, and she followed rotely, remembering Diane’s instructions.

 Be cooperative. Smile. Yes, sir, no, sir. Be the model prisoner. I need you to be perfect. They see you as Jason Morgan’s woman. They’re expecting you to resist, to give attitude. Don’t give them a reason to think you’ll do anything but what they ask. You’re ready, willing, and able to work in the system to see your name cleared, even if that means staying in custody. The Feds are going to argue the combined resources of the Quartermaines and Jason’s connections, especially after he was gone for two years, make you a flight risk. But you are a law-abiding, upstanding, beloved member of the community. Former daughter-in-law to the mayor, mother of a Quartermaine. Mother of a Spencer. Mother of all-star collegiate scholarship-winning athlete. You are Elizabeth Imogene Webber. We’re going to make them see you, and not an extension of some man.

She forced her expression to remain bland as her index finger was shoved harshly into an ink pad, then rolled on a finger print pad. Why weren’t they using digital — hadn’t they switched ages ago? She’d remembered when Jason came home all those years ago, they couldn’t match his prints without finding the physical ones and those were in storage.

Did they think Spinelli would mess with the files? Were they that paranoid?

She kept her mouth closed.

I need you to be perfect.

Harborview Towers: Corinthos Penthouse

“Thanks,” Carly said to the guard as she came through the door he held open, then scowled when she found Sonny at the window, sipping a bourbon. “You’re just sitting here? How can you just be sitting here?”

Sonny turned, squinted. “What?”

“Jason’s in trouble.” She tossed her purse on the sofa, planted her hands on either side of her hips. “Why aren’t you doing something?”

“How do you know I’m not?” He crossed to the mini bar, and she had a vision of them, twenty years earlier in this room, screaming and fighting, the glass crashing to the floor as Sonny lashed out, sweeping his arm across the top—

“Well, then what are you doing? Jason wouldn’t give me anything to do, and I—” She pressed her lips together. “Michael said there’s nothing we can do right now. Diane has to work her magic, but that can’t be right, Sonny—”

“Carly.” Sonny held a tumbler out to her — clear with her preferred vodka, and she snatched it from his hand. “It’s under control. Diane’s handling it. Jason’s with the boys. You don’t even like Elizabeth, so I don’t really know why you’re so upset.”

Her scowl deepened, and she nearly threw the glass at his head for old time’s sake. “Are you kidding me? You think this is because of Elizabeth? I mean, okay, no, we aren’t fans of each other, and I’m not sending her a freaking Christmas card, but Jason’s had one goal since he got himself out of that horrible deal with the FBI. Spend time with his kids. Elizabeth is letting him do that, so for right now, we’re good.” She tossed back half the glass, wincing at the burn. “But we both know she’s just a patsy. They’re going after Jason.”

“Carly—”

“Michael was with Elizabeth when they heard the shots. She has an alibi. I mean, so does Jason, but Jake and Danny are teenagers. Michael’s—”

“Jason’s nephew who would absolutely lie for him,” Sonny finished and she sighed, looked away. “Carly, I’m not unaware of the facts. I just think we need to follow Diane’s instructions for now—”

“Okay, maybe we can’t do anything, but why can’t we jump start the next step? Because, okay, getting Elizabeth out of jail, that’s first. Second, finding out what scumbag did this? Who would hate Jason so much he’s using a woman to hurt him?”

Sonny studied for a long moment. “You’re not even considering maybe Jason did this?”

“Okay, you’ve lost it. Officially. Because I know you didn’t just suggest that Jason, our best friend, who has over and over and over again sacrificed himself for us. For our kids — you’re not suggesting Jason murdered John Cates less than a hundred feet from his kids, from our son, and then hid the murder weapon in Elizabeth’s car? I thought we got your meds fixed.”

Sonny exhaled slowly, stroked his chip. “I didn’t say I thought he did—”

“Well, you sure as hell were insinuating it. I know you’re still ticked Jason played dead and worked for the FBI, and maybe you  resent him because he found a way out that didn’t take anyone else down with him. He didn’t have to snitch. But that’s no reason to abandon him when he needs us—”

“I think he’s made it very clear that he doesn’t need us for this. He wouldn’t want us talking about it—”

“Well, if I only did things Jason approved of, I’d be a lot more boring. Now stop arguing with me and let’s figure this out. Okay, who wanted John Cates dead?”

Sonny sighed, then sat on the sofa, still sipping his drink. “You first.”

“Well, you did,” Carly shot back, and he glowered at her. “But you have an alibi. Alexis probably wouldn’t have cared if Cates disappeared, but I don’t see her doing this. Maybe when she was younger, but—” She blew out an exasperated breath. “Kristina, I guess, had a reason to hate him, and if we’d found Cates pushed off a cliff, maybe she’d make the list—”

“Oh, that’s nice of you to eliminate my daughter,” Sonny said, his eyes darkening. He leaned forward. “Maybe we’ll talk about your daughter next. Joss is dating a cop. She suddenly hates my guts even though she was happy to enjoy my lifestyle until we got divorced—”

Carly hissed. “Why are you like this? I wasn’t talking about Kristina seriously! I’m starting with the logical place. Who wanted John Cates dead? Every fricking body, that’s the problem. I didn’t kill him, you didn’t kill him. Neither did Alexis or Kristina. Maybe Ava did it.” She brightened. “You know what? I like that. She’s my suspect.”

“There you go.” Sonny raised the glass, then finished the last of his bourbon. He got to his feet, intending to fill it again. His phone vibrated, and he tugged it from his pocket. A message from Jason, he saw, over the Signal app that erased all texts automatically. Need to talk. Tonight. At the house. 1am.

 Sonny exhaled slowly, then turned to look at her, lifting the phone. “Here. Jason’s asking to talk to me. I’ll get it from him straight, and give him your Ava theory. I know you’re worried, Carly, but Diane will handle this. And if she can’t get Liz out of this, Jason and I have a lot of options on the table.”

“And if one of them is sending Elizabeth to Timbuktu, I can’t even support that since Jason would just go with her and the boys,” Carly said sourly. “Fine. But I’ll be checking back.”

“Looking forward to it.”

PCPD: Processing

 It was freezing in the small room with nothing more than a table, a female officer, and Elizabeth standing shoeless on the concrete floor, wearing nothing more than lacy pink bra and panties set she’d picked out for her rendezvous with Jason. She’d felt sexy and excited, sliding into them, thinking about Jason seeing her that way, peeling them off her skin—

Instead she stood in the middle of the harshly lit room, and the only person who’d see them was some anonymous officer she’d never met before.

“Here’s the uniform,” the woman said. Her tone was brisk, not unkind, but it wasn’t exactly patient or kind. “Bra and panties go in here—” She flicked the gray tub on the table. “You’ll have jail-issued set. I’ll leave you to change—” There was a smirk now, just a curve of her lips. “No need to worry about a strip search. You don’t have enough meat on you to hide a needle, much less a weapon.”

Her cheeks flushed, Elizabeth folded her arms over her — as pointed out, small lace-covered breasts, her skin crawling from the idea that she was being studied that way or the idea that if she’d had carried even a little more weight, she’d be subjected to something even more violating.

Be perfect. Have to be perfect. Have to go home.

When she said nothing, offered no repost, the guard sighed, then pulled the door open. When Elizabeth was alone, she quickly changed and banged on the door. Please let this nightmare be over soon.

PCPD: Comissioner’s Office

 Molly set her briefcase down on the conference table in Anna’s room, her expression grim. “Elizabeth was officially booked into holding, but the paperwork got delayed — they’re not going to get her on the docket for Monday.”

Chase shot to his feet, his scowl spreading across his handsome features. “So she’s going to be stuck in there longer? When can they get her out?”

“I don’t know. Tuesday, most likely, but Syracuse is a smaller courthouse. They might not be able to get her on the calendar sooner than Wednesday—don’t give me that look, Chase. Federal cases are different. They run on different rules.”

“This isn’t right,” Chase said. He looked to Anna, jabbed a finger. “You should have fought harder to keep this case. He wasn’t killed in the line of duty. You should have made them prove they had jurisdiction.”

“Chase—” Anna held up her hands. “I appreciate your concern—and I know you feel loyal to her with what happened with Finn a few months ago—”

“It’s not just that, but, okay, sure it’s part of it. She stuck with Finn until he didn’t give her a choice but to leave him. And she still supported me in getting him into rehab.” Chase dragged his hand down his face. “She’s a good person, Anna. And she doesn’t deserve this. Not when we know she’s innocent. This isn’t the job. We don’t go after innocent people.”

Molly sighed, sat at the table. “Chase. I’m sorry. No one had any idea in our office they were even looking at Elizabeth. I thought, like everyone else, that she, the boys, Michael, Jason, they were all in the clear. But—” She looked at Anna. “The FBI has kept this investigation so closed. But I guess this tip — it was exactly what they needed—”

“Awfully convenient, if you ask me.” Anna lifted her reading glasses, then picked up the transcript. “A nurse at the hospital? Who’s worked with Elizabeth? I imagine Diane will want to nail that down. Anyone who thinks Jason Morgan would be discussing the murder weapon in a public setting with Elizabeth doesn’t know them very well—”

“But they did find the gun,” Molly said softly and Anna sighed. “Anna, let’s put aside the fact that a gun consistent with what we know was used in the murder was found in her car, okay? I’ve seen crazier things — I could believe someone is framing her. But why? And why is the FBI so convinced she or Jason are involved? Isn’t his deal with the FBI over? Why would he even be around John Cates or kill him?”

Anna pressed her lips together, considered what to share. “I did have a conversation with Caldwell the other day, and he was willing to share their theory of motive. Apparently, Cates was unhappy with how the Pikeman case ended. The FBI got their answer and enough to break down the organization, but Cates wanted Pikeman. He wanted that arrest, that splash.” She sat down, her lips pursed. “So he stayed here in PC and continued with his side plan to go after Sonny Corinthos.”

“Well, I know that much considering what he’s done to my family,” Molly said tightly. “He’s using my daughter’s death to go after my sister.” She closed her eyes. “He was using,” she corrected softly. “What does any of that have to do with Jason?”

“Cates told Caldwell that he’d made a new deal with Jason. That Jason would turn against Sonny, all Cates had to do was get Sonny to give Jason an order that they could nail him on. So—he arrested Kristina in a deliberately aggravating fashion, using Ava Jerome — someone Sonny loathes — as the primary witness. He was hoping to goad Sonny into giving Jason an order to execute Cates.”

“But that’s insane,” Molly said, her eyes wide. “How could anyone think that would work?”

“I don’t know. Without Cates here to explain it to us, we may never know. Certainly Jason won’t tell us anything. And even then, I have my doubts that Cates struck any such deal. Jason gave me the impression when he came home that he wanted to be done. That he wanted to focus on his kids. And that’s exactly what he’s done since the charges against Carly were dropped.” Anna waited a beat. “We may never know the full story without John Cates here to speak for himself. But the FBI believes they have the motive for Jason. Now they appear to have the means. All the stands between them and proving opportunity is the testimony of Jason’s own sons.”

PCPD: Holding Cells

Elizabeth flinched when the cell slammed shut behind her, and she turned around to look at her new surroundings. She’d seen these cells more than once — but she’d never been on this side of them.

She wrapped her fingers around the cold metal bars, her eyes burning when she saw the ink beneath her fingers. She pulled her hands back, picking at the ink, looking around — but there were no sinks in these kinds of cells.

When she saw the officer patrolling the area, she raised her voice hesitantly. “Can I—Can I use the bathroom?”

The guard stopped, looked at her with bushy brows frowning. “Already? I don’t have time to be coming in here every five minutes with any of your women problems. You go now, you’re not going again tonight.”

She shrank back, curling her fingernails in her palms. Stupid to waste her one trip just to wash her hands when it wouldn’t work anyway. “N-No, n-ever mind. I can wait.”

Be perfect. Have to be perfect. Have to go home.

“Damn right.”

Webber House: Upstairs Hallway

He couldn’t sleep.

They’d come home from dinner, his grandmother smiling forcefully, reminding them over and over again that it was going to be okay. That their mother would come home and this would  be a funny story they told themselves one day.

Grandma Laura had to believe things like that, Mom had told Jake once. She’d seen too much in her life — had gone through years of catatonia after a nervous breakdown, the kidnapping when she was younger by Stavros Cassadine, forced to have their uncle Nikolas, and now, in the last few years, watching her only daughter waste away in a coma.

Grandma Laura had more right than most people, Mom said, to try to find the good in life, and to hope for happier days. It wasn’t their job to rip that away from her.

So Jake and Aiden had let Grandma paint those pictures, pushing around the food. After she’d left, they’d helped Jason put more of the house to rights — and he’d had to give his father some credit — his dad had made a list of food items that had been destroyed, and Spinelli had delivered a box to the house so that Aiden would still have his baking ingredients.

No matter how frustrated he got with his dad, Jake thought, there was no arguing that he listened and he paid attention to what mattered. Aiden dealt with stress by cooking, burying himself in difficult recipes, blocking out the outside world. Jake had his painting, so how could he argue?

In fact, Jake was gonna go downstairs, grab some water, and go back to work on some projects. He had a restless need to get it all out on paper.

But he stopped at the top of the stairs — he heard the door open downstairs, and voices. Wondering if his dad was going to say something that he didn’t want Jake to know, Jake decided to creep down the steps slowly — he knew just which steps to avoid —

The voices became a little more clear, so Jake paused — no need to give himself away by getting closer.  And was that…that was Michael’s dad, wasn’t it?

“—no, I agree with you,” Sonny was saying. “Best to just do exactly as Diane asks. Get Elizabeth home and worry about the rest of it later.”

“I’m not messing around with the Feds. I’ve done that enough,” his dad said. “Diane said the case had holes in it. And we’ve got alibis.”

“Right. And you know Michael will hold up. He’s been through this before. He knows how to handle this, and but, uh, you know Jake and Danny—they’re still young—”

“The Feds can’t touch them without Diane present. I’m not worried.”

“Okay. Okay. So as long as that holds, we’re good. Good. Okay, well, I’m glad we’re on the same page. I’ll—you know, keep my distance until this finishes out. Tell me if you need anything.”

He heard his dad say something, but when the door closed a second later, Jake got to his feet and crept back upstairs.

He knew his dad hadn’t done this. He knew he and Danny weren’t lying. And Jake knew his mother and Michael weren’t lying.

But did Sonny know who had done it? And…

Did his dad know? Were they just going to try to get Mom’s case dismissed and let the real bastard get away with it?

Jake swallowed that thought, took a deep breath. No. No. His dad had promised to take care of his mother. And Mom trusted him. One hundred percent. He was just making things up in his head.

It would be okay. It had to be.

PCPD: Holding Cell

 Elizabeth lay on the cot in her cell, staring straight up at the concrete ceiling. She might as well have been laying on the floor — the thin mattress gave no comfort at all. And the lights were still on in the entire block.

It would be impossible to sleep.

Not that she thought she’d be able to anyway. There was no closing her eyes and forgetting any of this. She wasn’t going home tonight, tomorrow, the next day —

And maybe not even after that.

She fisted her hands at her side, took a deep breath.

She would get through this. She’d figure it out.

Be perfect. Have to be perfect. Have to go home.

+38

Written in 65 minutes.

Friday, September 6, 2024

Webber House: Living Room

“Arrested?”

“For what?”

Jake and Aiden spoke at the same time, still just inside the house, the door lightly swinging back and forth from the force of their entry. Jake’s eyes kept scanning the house, growing more and more grim with every sweep.

“I don’t know yet exactly,” Jason said, hesitantly. “I only know what Diane told me. They found a gun in the trunk of your mother’s car.”

Aiden absorbed that information like a body blow, flinching and swallowing hard. He looked towards his older brother. “They took her car, didn’t they?”

“Yeah. And destroyed the damn house—” Jake touched the door. “Diane’s going to get Mom out, isn’t she?”

“You know as much as I do now,” Jason said, folding his arms. “And we need to do exactly what Diane says. She’s been with me for as long as you’ve been alive, Jake. I trust her with my life.” He paused. “With your mother’s life.”

“So we’re just supposed to sit here and wait? No! Mom didn’t do anything wrong! I don’t even need to know what the charges are, I know they’re bullshit—” Jake turned but Jason came forward, snagging his elbow. Jake shook him off, but didn’t make another break for the door. “Maybe you can sit here and do nothing, maybe that’s easy for you—”

“Jake—” Aiden tugged at his brother’s sleeve.

“It’s okay.” Jason extended his hand, reassuring Elizabeth’s youngest son before looking at Jake. “You’re angry, and I don’t blame you. When I got here, and I saw—” He looked around, his jaw clenching at the baskets again— “Believe me, I want to do damage, too. I want to do something. None of this is easy, Jake. But this isn’t about us. Or our anger.”

Some of the fight went out of Jake, and as his cheeks lost that flush of anger, he looked younger, more scared. “It’s about Mom.”

“Exactly. Diane reminded me that we’re not dealing with the PCPD. Cops that know you, know your Mom, who worked with your dad,” he added to Aiden. “Who know Laura and respect her. We’re dealing with the FBI, and every step we take from here has to be deliberate, and it has to be the right one. The only goal right now is to get your mother home.”

Jake nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. “So what did Diane say to do?”

“She’ll do whatever she can to get your mom out tonight. So until we hear from her, we just—we wait. We—” He stopped, pulled out the cell phone, saw the name on the screen. “We take phone calls from people who have heard the news. And—”

“And we clean this place up,” Aiden said. “Because Mom will be pissed if she sees it like that.”

“That’s what we’ll do. Let me take this—” Jason answered the phone, his tone already beleaguered. “Carly — no, it’s under control, listen—”

He turned away to take the call, and Aiden pulled at Jake’s arm. “Hey, uh, what do we do about Cam? If he hears about this, you know he’ll be on the first flight home, and Mom will be so mad if he misses classes because of this.”

“I’ll text all the friends still in PC, let them know not to say anything right away,” Jake said, pulling out his phone. “But if Diane can’t get Mom home, then I’m not sure we can keep him away.”

PCPD: Squad Room

Diane closed the door to the interrogation room, fixed her face in her most bland expression, then sauntered across the room where Caldwell was waiting. “Well, Agent? My client would like to get home before dinner.”

“She’s in for a rude awakening.” Caldwell handed her a folder. “The charging document my USADA intends to file. Your client isn’t going anywhere tonight.”

Diane pursed her lips, flipped through the folder. “The judge will kick this on Monday, you and I both know it. You don’t have anything more than simple possession, and—” She’d been skimming the charging paper, then lifted her brows. “And I’m sorry, ballistics is expected to take several weeks, if not more? That doesn’t bode well for you, my friend.”

“Don’t get cute, Miller. The slugs they pulled from Cates are damaged, but not destroyed. We’ve got the best techs in the world. We’ll match it to the gun and when we get the serial number raised—”

“Oh, and you can’t even tie this gun to my client beyond finding it in her car on the basis of some anonymous tip?” Diane smirked. “This just keeps getting better.”

“If it helps you sleep at night to think so. Do you want to tell your client she’s about to be booked for murder or do you want me to do it?”

Diane’s smirk dipped into a scowl. “You’ve got the wrong person and you damn well know it. She’s alibied for the time of the crime, Eddie—”

“Alibied by a guy with his own murder under his belt who’s had ties to the mob his whole life? Sure. Let’s call that an alibi. Have a great weekend, Diane.”

Diane clenched the folder tightly, then turned to head into the interrogation room to deliver the bad news.

Quartermaine Estate: Gatehouse Kitchen

Michael hitched Amelia on his hip, leaning to one side to reach for the door, only to find Willow pulling it open on the other side. “Hey. Good timing.”

“I saw you pull up out back here. Hey, baby girl.” Willow lifted their daughter in her arms, rubbed her nose against Amelia’s. “Did you have fun at daycare?”

When she’d satisfied herself with Amelia kisses and cuddles, she turned her attention back to Michael. “Have you talked to your uncle today?”

“Which one?” Michael asked, tugging at his tie and heading for the fridge. “If Drew wants another political function—”

“No, Jason. I just came down from the house. Elizabeth was arrested today. A few hours ago,” she continued as Michael slammed the fridge shut and turned her, stunned.

“Arrested for what?”

“No one’s really sure. They’re freaking out up there, of course. Drew went to find his campaign manager, Brook Lyn is trying to get information from Chase, but it’s—it’s the FBI. It has to be connected with Agent Cates, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, yeah, I do.” Michael grimaced, took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. I’m going to call Jason now. If he’s not at the PCPD, he’s probably at Elizabeth’s with the boys. Or I hope he is. Someone needs to be there when they get home.” He pulled out his phone. “I’m going to start over there, make calls. Can you do me a favor? Run interference up at the house? Keep them from making anything worse.”

“It’s nice that you think I’m capable of miracles,” Willow said dryly, and was rewarded with a half smile from her husband. “Michael, whatever’s going on, Diane will figure it out. Jason and Elizabeth have alibis. They didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You and I both know that doesn’t mean anything,” he said, brushing his lips against her forehead. “I’ll call you when I know something.”

Pozzulo’s Restaurant: Office

Sonny leaned back in his chair, exhaled on a low irritated sigh. “What do we have?”

Seated across from him, Brick made a face. “Not much. The FBI is keeping this close to their vest, but my guy was able to get copies of the preliminary autopsy and ballistics report. Before today, they’d identified the bullet as a SIG-branded 115-grain V-Crown hollow point bullet, though there’s some wiggle room in there for a defense attorney to play with since all the slugs pulled from Cates were damaged. That let them narrow it down to a group of guns.”

He got to his feet. “And what we know right now is that they found a gun in Elizabeth’s trunk. The SIG Sauer P365, which is consistent with the ammunition. They also found that brand of ammunition in the gun.”

Sonny scowled. “Sloppy to leave ammo in the gun,” he muttered. “Not an experienced shooter.”

“Which rules out Jason. Even if we hadn’t already,” Brick added when Sonny shot him a dark glare. “Putting aside the character of the man and if he’d hide a weapon in his babymama’s trunk in the first place — Jason’s not going to the trouble of using a gun with the serial number filed down and leaving the ammo in the chamber.”

“No, he’s not.” Sonny let the information shift around in his head, fitting pieces together. “Can they hold her?”

“Tonight? Yeah. To be assholes. Does it get kicked at the first hearing? Without ballistics matching it more firmly, it’s tough to miss Elizabeth having an alibi — an alibi who called in the crime. But if they’re filing tonight, Sonny—” Brick rested his hands on the back of the chair. “That means they want to hold over the weekend. I can think of only a few reasons they charge a case with evidence this flimsy.”

“They want to see if they can get Elizabeth to flip on whoever gave her the gun. Or to scare her into doing something stupid when she gets out — Jason,” Sonny added. “Something that gives them more evidence.” He shook his head. “It smells rotten, Brick. From the top to the bottom. Someone planted that gun.”

“Without a doubt. I’ll keep my guy on it, see what else we can get. Let me know if you turn up anything on your own end.”

Sonny walked Brick to the front door, then returned to the office, troubled by something in what Brick had laid out. He went over the facts in his head again — the gun, the ammunition, what they’d need to put the gun in Elizabeth’s hands—

“No serial number,” he murmured. Who would go to the trouble of filing down the serial number if they didn’t know enough to destroy the gun after using it?

He looked over at the wall, behind the painting where his own safe was hidden. Without much thought as to why, Sonny took down the picture, spun the dial, and looked inside.

Two handguns, a few stacks of cash, some identification documents —

There should have been three guns.

Sonny stared at the space where he knew he’d last seen his own P365, then closed the safe, replaced the picture.

Then went to pour himself a drink.

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam paced the length of the living room, rushing to Dante when he came in. “What’s going?” she demanded. “My mother just called me before Danny could hear it about — Elizabeth was arrested? For what?”

Dante’s mouth was grim, and he closed the door. He set his badge on the desk, removed his gun from his holster, checked the safety, then stowed it in the lock box on the top shelf in the closet.

“Dante—”

“She was arrested for John Cates’ murder,” Dante said, turning back to Sam whose eyes were wide. “They found a gun and ammunition consistent with the one used in the crime in the trunk of her car. It’s enough to hold her over the weekend.”

Sam’s lips parted, and she looked to the stairs, then to Dante again. “That’s…that’s crazy. I mean, I know I’ve said a lot of things about her—”

“Don’t remind me.”

“—but she didn’t do this. She wouldn’t have. She’s not that stupid. How the hell did the gun get in her car?”

“The question of the day.” Dante sat on the arm of the sofa. “Someone wants to make damn sure that gun was found. They called in a tip this morning, and the FBI snapped it right up. Gun was exactly where they expected it to be. Diane’s handling it—but I can’t—” Dante paused. “I don’t understand any of this. If it’s the murder weapon, how the hell does it get in her car?”

Sam didn’t say anything right away, then—reluctantly—asked, “The kids? I mean, Danny—we have to tell him. But—her boys must be scared.”

“I caught Diane as she was getting ready to leave, after Elizabeth was booked. Jason’s at the house with them. As for Danny — maybe we give him back his phone so he can talk to his brother.” Dante lifted his brows. “Jake’s gonna need support if this goes south on them.”

“Yeah, I remember how scared Danny and Scout were when I—I mean, they were younger. But I don’t think that kind of thing gets easier.” Sam pressed her lips together. “This all goes back to Jason. Whoever’s doing this is trying to get to him.”

“Probably, sure.” Dante tipped his head. “Does that matter?”

“Only that I was right to keep Danny away from him. This kind of thing just…goes wherever Jason does. I’ll let Danny have his phone back, but I want to check it every night.”

“Sam—” Dante called, but she didn’t want to hear his opinion on that idea. He shook his head. “Yeah, that’s not going to go well.”

Webber House: Living Room

By the time Diane arrived at the house early that evening, Jason and the boys weren’t alone in waiting for answers. Laura had stopped by, offering support and whatever else the boys needed, and Michael had arrived to get more information and strategize — after all, he was the alibi, so did the FBI think he was lying?

Jason had managed to keep Carly out of the house, only with promises to catch her up as soon as possible, but by the time Diane arrived — alone — Jason was ready to come out of his skin.

As soon as she came into the house with no Elizabeth behind her, he knew this wasn’t going away without a fight.

“The charges are flimsy,” Diane reassured the room. “Michael’s alibi is credible and compelling. If he doesn’t call in that 911, the time of the murder gets much harder to pin down. It’s only because Michael and Elizabeth responded so quickly and were so close that we know anything.”

“Never pays to cooperate with cops,” Michael muttered, and Laura rubbed his shoulder, comforting.

“Combined with a preliminary ballistics report that’s inconclusive at best and a strong alibi, I have no doubt I’ll be able to bring Elizabeth home on Monday,” Diane continued. “I’m not saying this isn’t serious or that we can celebrate after that, but I promise you—” she looked at the boys. “I’m doing everything I can.”

“Can I see Mom? I mean, we can go to see her before Monday, can’t we?” Aiden asked.

“I don’t—” Diane paused. “I don’t know. I’ll find out.” She looked meaningfully at Jason, but Laura caught it as well, and reacted.

“I think that Michael and I should take the boys out to get us all something to eat. And you’re not arguing,” she told Jake who opened his mouth. “Jason and Diane need to talk alone, and us being in the room breaks privilege.”

Jake made a face, then nodded. “Whatever needs to happen to bring Mom home faster.”

“Thanks,” Jason said to Laura as she herded the boys towards the door, Michael on their heels.

“And that’s why I voted for her,” Diane said with a nod once the door was closed. She focused on Jason. “We have a problem.”

“I thought you said—”

“They know she didn’t do this. Of course she didn’t do this. They think you did this, and that hid the gun in her car that night. They already thought your boys were lying to protect you. What’s the fastest way to break a teenaged boy who made it very clear on Monday that he depends on his mother. What did Jake say? They kept talking to him and he just kept asking for his mother.”

The realization sunk in. “They’re holding Elizabeth over the weekend because they think Jake will break. And if Jake changes his story, Danny is less credible on his own.” Jason took a beat. “I didn’t think of that. I thought they were doing it to scare Elizabeth—”

“An added bonus. That’s why they’re holding her over the weekend. The good news for us is that there’s no story for Jake to change, and he’s not going to sell you down the river if it’s a lie. They don’t know that, but we do.”

“Then what’s the problem—”

“They’re still convinced you did this. And if they have to go after Elizabeth, they will. The ballistics could sink us, could free us. We won’t know. But someone out there wants you or Elizabeth to pay for this crime. I have a terrible feeling they won’t give up until they get what they want.”

+33

WRitten in about 62 minutes.

Friday, September 6, 2024

Corinthos & Morgan Warehouse: Parking Lot

Jason nearly didn’t answer the phone vibrating in his pocket. He had somewhere to be and wasn’t interested in anything that would derail his plans —

But he caught sight of the name on the locked screen as he tugged it from his pocket, intending to toss it on the dashboard, and Diane didn’t usually call him to chat.

He switched on the engine, let the phone connect to the SUV, and started to pull out of his spot. “What is it, Diane? I’m in the middle of something,” Jason said, half his attention on the back up camera because all he’d need is to rear end someone and make him even later.

“I’m not on speaker phone, am I? You sound strange.”

“I’m in the car, and I’m alone. What’s going on?” Jason asked. He shifted from reverse to drive, then headed for the street exit. “I’m on my way somewhere—”

“Let me begin by saying you absolutely cannot come to the PCPD.”

Jason braked at the STOP sign, but Diane’s opening salvo had him taking pause, and instead of pulling into traffic, he shifted to park. “Diane, why would I go there?”

“Because this situation isn’t going to get better with you down here—”

“Diane.”

“Elizabeth’s been arrested.”

The words sounded so ridiculous that he almost laughed. “What? No she hasn’t. She just—I just talked to her—”

“Jason. You need to listen to me. About five minutes ago, Elizabeth called me. The FBI showed up at her house with a crime scene unit. They had a warrant for her car. They found a gun in the trunk.”

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “What the hell—”

“I’m on my way there now. I will get all the answers and get to the bottom of this, but you need to follow my directions very carefully. We both know this is bullshit. That gun isn’t hers, and she didn’t put it there. We both also know that you didn’t either. But someone sure as hell wants it to look like you did.”

“Diane—”

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this is a setup, but I need all the facts — no, don’t take that turn, Charles. Damn it—” Diane’s voice faded for a second. “My assistant is driving me and can’t follow directions, so I don’t need one more person who doesn’t listen—”

“Diane.”

“Elizabeth asked me to tell you to go to the house and be there for the boys. I would have told you that anyway, but I’m hoping since the request came from her, you won’t argue about it.”

Of course not. But— “I don’t understand. She—” He couldn’t think, couldn’t make sense of any of this. “Diane. You have to get her out of there—”

“I will. I promise you. Tonight if at all possible. It’s a gun possession charge at best, so she’ll be home by dinner. But this is the FBI, not the PCPD. We cannot step a foot out of line, Jason. We must be very careful about what we do next. They’ve found a gun. The chances of it being anything but the murder weapon are slim to none. Okay, we’re pulling up now. Go to the house, stay with the boys. Keep calm. Be a dad and a worried partner. Not a vigilante hero, do you understand me?”

“Yeah.” Jason exhaled slowly. “Yeah, I got you.”

“Good. I’m going work all the magic I have at my fingertips, Jason. I’ll call when I know more.”

The line went dead, but Jason didn’t move. Couldn’t. The SUV remained at the STOP sign, engine idling, turning blinker still flashing. They’d found a gun in Elizabeth’s car — and Diane was right. No chance that it wasn’t the murder weapon. And Jason wasn’t allowed to do a damn thing but wait. And find a way to explain the inexplicable to Jake and Aiden.

But Elizabeth had asked this of him — to be there for the boys because she couldn’t. And he wasn’t going to let her down.

He shifted the SUV back into drive, and made the turn.

PCPD: Interrogation Room

“I’m surprised. Your son had a lot to say when he was here,” Caldwell said, leaning back in his chair. “Nothing truthful or useful,” he added, “but he was running his mouth the entire time.”

Because it had been Jake’s first arrest and he didn’t know enough to be afraid. Being a smart ass came naturally, and his nerves had probably kept the shots flying at every chance.

“Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be. After all, I’ve read over your file. Strange, an upstanding citizen like you has such a long, thick record—” He touched a packed manila case folder at his side. “But you’ve been trained by Jason Morgan since you were barely legal. And no convictions at all, so clearly, he did better with you than he did his other baby mama.”

Now she smirked, tipped her head, and leaned forward, the metal chain linking her cuffs together sliding against the table top. “I see you didn’t get to the bottom of that file, or else you’d see that my first arrest came long before I met Jason. Luke Spencer taught me everything I needed to know. Which is until my lawyer walks through the door, I have nothing to say to you.”

She leaned back, crossed one leg over the other, knowing that he couldn’t see or hear the pounding of her heart, only the expression on her face. She might be terrified right down to the bone, but she would be damned if he’d know it.

The door flew open behind Caldwell, and like a manna from heaven, Diane stalked in, one hand on the door knob, the other on a briefcase. “You better have a damned good reason why you’ve arrested my client.”

Caldwell got to his feet. “Ah, Miss Miller. It’s so nice to see you. It’s so generous of Mr. Morgan to lend out his lawyer to all the women he’s involved with. I’m sure you hope for better results than Miss McCall experienced.”

Diane arched one brow. “I’m still waiting for you to answer my question.”

“All right.” Caldwell handed her another file, much thinner than Elizabeth’s PCPD record. “You’ll see everything’s in order.”

“An anonymous tip,” Diane said. “Came in ninety minutes ago. Someone overheard their supervisor at GH speaking with Jason about a gun in her car and identified Elizabeth Webber.” She looked at Caldwell. “That’s it?”

“That’s enough for a warrant, which we received twenty minutes after we heard that tip. It took another thirty minutes to get the team together, and then we served the warrant. At which time, we found a SIG Sauer P365 handgun in a locked box in Miss Webber’s trunk. The ammunition inside matches the ammunition pulled from John Cates. It’s cut and dried—”

“A SIG Sauer P365 is the most common handgun sold on the market, and let me see—ah, yes, the SIG-branded 115-grain V-Crown hollow point bullet which is also the most common  ammunition for that gun—”

“You have that information right on the top of your head, do you?” Caldwell asked.

Diane snapped the folder closed. “I like guns. It’s upstate New York, Eddie.  We all have guns up here. Oh, except Miss Webber. No gun registrations in your name, Elizabeth?” she asked, not breaking eye contact with the agent.

“No,” Elizabeth said.

“Which means, at worst, you can charge my client with possession of a gun. Oh—” Diane widened her eyes. “No, you can’t because that’s a state crime. The FBI can’t charge her with anything. Furthermore, that’s a Class E Felony. So, tell the DA we’ll take our ticket to appear whenever they choose, and I’ll be taking my client home.”

Caldwell just smiled, then looked at Elizabeth. “Worth every penny you’re not paying her. Why don’t you have a conversation with your client while I talk to the Assistant U.S Attorney and see if he shares your understanding of the situation. You may want to tell her to make some arrangements for her minor children — or we can call the Office of Children and Family Services to take care of them —”

“Don’t do us any favors, Eddie,” Diane said sweetly. “Why don’t you go have that meeting?” She fluttered her lashes, but as soon as the door was closed, she scowled, dropped into a chair. “What the hell is going on?” she asked Elizabeth.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Elizabeth said, folding her arms. “I don’t understand — someone said they work with me at the hospital and Jason and I were talking about a gun in my trunk? Where people could hear us? How stupid does the FBI think we are?”

Diane pursed her lips. “I’m sorry, are you insulted because the tip didn’t even try to make you into a smart criminal? Or—”

“No, it’s just—” Elizabeth shifted, wishing she could use her hands. “I don’t understand. I’ve only been at the hospital twice since the murders. I took this week off because the boys were starting school, but there was a call out on Wednesday, so I went in. And I ran by there yesterday for a meeting, but—”

“There will be time to do that. You and Jason will have to account for every movement between the murder and this morning so we can find out when someone would have had access to your car. Let’s put that aside for right now. There will be a time and place for exoneration, and we’ll get there.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together, realizing now why Diane looked so grave. “You can’t get me out tonight, can you?”

“I don’t know. It will depend on what the U.S Attorney’s office says. They can’t link this gun to the murder outside the ammunition matching. That’s not the same thing as saying it’s the murder weapon. If we were going to a bail hearing tonight, I would almost certainly get a murder charge dismissed. There’s no ballistics, no other information about this gun, including registration — it’s not enough to hold you for murder. They can’t even prove you used it.”

“But?”

“But it’s a federal charge on a Friday. Elizabeth, if they charge you with murder, I can’t get you out before Monday. Not without a miracle.”

Charlie’s Pub: Dining Room

 “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Kristina said, smiling as she joined her mother at the table. “Everything okay?”

“I—I went into the office—” Alexis paused, still seeming scattered. “Diane and I were in a meeting, and—I don’t understand how any of this happened. She had to rush out to the PCPD. Elizabeth Webber was arrested. They found a gun in her trunk.”

“A gun? Why would they arrest her for that? A gun is legal—”

“I don’t think Elizabeth has any licenses. I can’t say—” Alexis hesitated. “I’m sure she knows how to use one. And I wouldn’t put it past Jason to give her a gun for protection. But I would have expected him to register it. He was always so careful to keep anything he had on him registered and above suspicion.”

“Well, maybe he’s out of practice. Or she was supposed to put it somewhere. I mean, it’s not that big a deal, is it? It’s just a gun. Diane will probably have her out before the sun sets.”

Alexis nodded. “You’re right. You’re right. Diane will handle it. I just—I heard an arrest, and a gun, and I just—I thought it might be the FBI. But there’s no point in worrying until we have to, right? Let’s go ahead and have lunch, and we can talk about your hearing.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Kristina smiled again, pleased with herself. She hadn’t expected them to jump on her tip so quickly, but it was all going exactly the way she hoped it would. And as soon as they realized they had the gun used in the shooting, Diane would tell Elizabeth it was a slam-dunk case, and Jason would feel obligated to step in to keep Elizabeth with her kids. Just like he always did.

She handed a menu to her mother, congratulating herself on a rock solid plan. John Cates was gone, Jason would pay for bringing him to town, and when the time was right — Ava Jerome would get what was coming to her.

Things were starting to look up.

Webber House: Living Room

It hadn’t just been a warrant for her car.

By the time Jason pulled onto Elm Street, there were still several crime scene vans and other vehicles he figured were unmarked FBI personnel. He watched as people filed in and out of the house, his blood boiling. They’d find nothing. He knew that — there was nothing to find.

But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t leave their mark all the same. Boxes were carried out, and Jason saw electronics carried out. They’d likely seized anything they could, hoping to find a shred of something to force Elizabeth into confessing, into turning on him — and they didn’t care who they hurt.

When the last crime scene van finally left, almost an hour after he’d arrived, Jason pulled the SUV closer to the house, parking at the curb — where Elizabeth’s car usually was.

He’d been looking forward to coming her since the moment he’d left the night before, spending uninterrupted hours with just Elizabeth—

And now he was striding up to the front door, pulling out the spare key she’d given him weeks ago — only to see there was no reason for it. The door lock had been shattered, and was hanging partially open.

He swallowed hard, put the keys back into his pocket, and pushed it open.

Inside, cushions from the sofa were strewn everywhere, unzipped and insides pulled out. Books and other things had been pulled from shelves, left on the floor, cabinet doors left open. The kitchen was a mess — they’d torn open cereal boxes, and the cabinet where he knew Aiden kept all his specialized baking ingredients was hanging open, with products forced open and half emptied on the floor.

Jason turned back to the living room, found an overturned basket with sheets and a comforter strewn around it, and he crouched down — looking for an easy fix — then realized it still smelled fresh.

Like it had just been pulled from the dryer.

Elizabeth had been washing her sheets, and though it was not nearly as infuriating as all the food they’d destroyed or the disaster he’d find upstairs — seeing this evidence of the afternoon he and Elizabeth had planned — this time they’d wanted to take for each other, and that she’d been as excited and maybe as nervous as he’d been to see what it was like to be together after all this time—

It had been stolen from them, and it couldn’t be repaired or replaced.

Jason slowly got shoved everything back in the basket, left it on the floor, and got to his feet, trying to shift himself mentally from the rage into something productive. Jake and Aiden would be home soon, and the last thing they needed was to come home to this.

He’d tried to repair the damage in the kitchen first, resolving to tell Aiden to make a list of every thing he needed, though he knew the teen wouldn’t be worried about that once he found about his mother. And he’d gone to Jake’s room to check on the art supplies — they had been strewn around the room, too, but other than a mess, he didn’t think anything was destroyed. He tried to clean that up first.

But the house was still nowhere near where he knew it had been that morning by the time school finished for the day, and he headed downstairs for the difficult task of talking to the boys.

“Mom!” Jake raced through the front door, Aiden on his heels. He stumbled to a stop when he saw his dad, relief stark. “Where’s Mom? What happened to the door? Where’s her car? What—” He stopped looked around, and with his face white, asked again. “Where’s Mom?”

“She’s—” He wanted to reassure him, say she was okay, but it wasn’t something that sounded right even in his head. So Jason opted to go straight for the truth. “She’s been arrested by the FBI.”

+34

Written in 71 minutes. Sorry 😛

Friday, September 6, 2024

Port Charles High School: Industrial Arts Classroom

“You know what, maybe Danny doesn’t get to run the saw—” Rocco took his stepbrother by the shoulders, physically tugging him away from the scroll saw, when Danny’s fingers slipped for the fifth time lining up the wood for their project.

“I can do it,” Danny muttered, jerking out of Rocco’s grip. “Leave off.”

“Whatever, man. If you don’t need ten fingers to get through life, who am I to argue?”

“What’s his problem?” Jake asked, raising his voice over the saw, keeping one eye on his brother because he had a feeling if Danny went home with a mark on him from the class Jake suggested they take together, he’d never hear the end of it.

“Oh.” Rocco made a face. “Big meltdown fight with Sam last night. He’s dead in the water for the rest of his life.”

Danny hissed, finishing the cuts. He shoved his goggles up his forehead. “She’s fucking crazy, and I’m sick of her shit. She took the Switch. And found my burner cell, so now I’m really locked out.”

“Look, just play nice with your mom and she’ll cool down—” Jake closed his mouth when Danny shot him a dirty look. “Why are we pissed at me now? I didn’t do anything—”

Rocco made a face and Danny shot him the finger. “What? Either tell him what’s burning your ass or shut up. It’s my turn on the saw. You talk to your brother. Figure it out.” He yanked the goggles down over his eyes, picked up another piece of wood.

“Danny?” Jake pushed. “I know I was a smartass at the station—”

“It’s not you. Mom just treats me like I’m gonna commit a crime at any second. I broke curfew twice, and she’s treating me like I’m in Alcatraz. Your mom barely blinked when Cam got nabbed for the weed—”

“Because he was buying it for our cousin with cancer,” Jake reminded him, “but yeah, I guess your mom would have peeled your skin off if you’d done that. I’m sorry. Maybe Mom might have done more restricting if I’d shown any interest—” He stopped when Rocco snorted. “What?”

“First, no. Aunt Liz spent all summer forcing you to spend time with him. Also, Danny, I’m sorry, you know I love Sam most of the time, but she’s crashing out over this whole thing. I don’t think she likes Aunt Liz very much.”

Jake furrowed his brow. “What did she say about my mom?”

Danny scowled. “Dude, don’t—”

“If someone talked about my mom the way Sam talks about Aunt Liz, I’d wanna tell the guy. ” Rocco folded his arms. “I think if Aunt Liz was keeping you from your dad, Sam would go the opposite direction. She just wants to fight. She said something about your mom always settling for whatever crumbs your dad gives her.”

Danny’s face flooded with color and Jake went still. “What does that mean?” he asked flatly.

“Exactly what I said. I don’t know what’s gotten into her these last few weeks, but ever since Carly didn’t end up going to jail or whatever when she got arrested, but Sam’s been the worst to live with.” Rocco picked up his wood, slid into place and started the saw, drowning out any other conversation.

Davis House: Living Room

Alexis waved at Kristina as she came down the steps from the entrance, then turned away slightly to continue speaking on the phone at her ear. “No, my answer remains the same, Agent Caldwell. We have nothing to say. Not without a warrant. Goodbye.” She ended the conversation, looked at her daughter, exhaled on a short exasperated breath. “The FBI wants us to come in for an interview.”

Kristina carefully set her purse on the desk. “Why? We gave a statement already. You were here, I was at my apartment, and Dad was at the MetroCourt. There’s nothing else they need.”

“Precisely what I told them.” Alexis set her phone on the charger, then picked up her coffee mug. “I think the case has gone colder than they’d expected five days out. Their only real suspects all have alibis, and without a weapon or a witness, they’re circling back to try us again. It’s nothing to worry about.” She lifted her mug. “I still have half a pot. Want any?”

“No. I’m okay.” Kristina watched her mother head into the kitchen, bit down on her lip. If the FBI was coming back to her, they were definitely not focusing on Jason or her father. And if they wanted to confirm alibis, they might ask for phone records, pinning their locations. Kristina had turned hers off after leaving the house — but that would be suspicious wouldn’t it? And they might go for the security records?

She forced herself to smile when Alexis returned, but in her head, she was already planning her excuses to leave.

Time for the next step.

Corinthos & Morgan Warehouse: Main Floor

Jason had never been one to keep an eye on the clock, but this morning, he kept looking up, then at the cargo dock. He had to sign for a shipment due today, but after that?

Nothing was going to keep him from heading straight for Elizabeth’s and picking up where they’d left off the night before. He hadn’t exactly planned to dive in head first, though his mind had wandered there a time or two over the last few weeks, as they’d spent more time together, and those familiar feelings, never far from the surface, had begun to simmer.

But Elizabeth was giving him the green light, and he wasn’t going to wait another minute. No more stops or start, he told himself, checking his phone again for the time because maybe the warehouse clock was off. But it wasn’t, unfortunately, and the truck was late.

“Dad?”

Jason turned, frowning when he saw Jake approaching him, having entered through the one of the other doors. “Jake. You’re—is something wrong? Aren’t you supposed to be at school?”

Jake made a face. “Yeah, I cut after first. Don’t snitch, okay? I’m going back after—but—” He  paused. “I wanted to talk to you. Away from Mom. Do—do you have a minute?”

“Yeah.” He gestured to his nearby office. “They’ll come get me when the truck gets here. What’s going on?”

“I don’t even know where to start. This whole thing is stupid,” Jake muttered, following his father into the office, waited for him to close the door. Jake shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Me, Danny, and Rocco, we got a class together. Industrial Arts—it’s like woodshop, you know? The only elective freshman and seniors can even get together. We tried to get Aiden in, but he just had to take French—never mind. That’s not the point.” He huffed. “Why is Danny’s mom such a bitch?”

Jason lifted his brows, and Jake’s cheeks flooded. “Maybe I shouldn’t call her that, but it’s hard to say anything else, I guess. Mom tries to be nice about it, though I don’t know why she bothers since Sam is the reason the old house blew up—long story,” he added when Jason scowled. “You were still, you know,” he wiggled his fingers. “Coma. Anyway. Danny comes in today really pissed off, and his mom basically took everything away from him. I guess she found the cell he’s been using to text you.”

Jason took out his phone again, winced. “I should have realized Sam wouldn’t let him have that much freedom. Not even over the phone.” He looked at Jake. “Look—”

“We can talk about why you’re not being a bigger dick to her later because I got thoughts on that, too. My thing is that Sam is the one that put me and Mom in the middle, okay? She got this bright idea for supervised visits, and made Mom the babysitter. And she and Mom were mostly okay when you were dead. But now it’s like there’s a switch flipped, and it’s a competition. And Danny gave her attitude about it, because you know, Mom doesn’t do the same for me. She’s always told me I could have as much time with you as I wanted, and—” He shuffled, looked away for a minute. “I didn’t want much until the last couple of days. I only did it for Mom and Danny.”

“You’re not telling me anything I didn’t know, Jake,” Jason said, and Jake exhaled, seeming to be relieved Jason wasn’t holding that against him.

“Maybe that’s why his mom tried to force it. Because I didn’t want it. But then the PCPD happened which isn’t anyone’s fault except whoever killed that guy, and his mom is back to thinking you’re the bad guy.” Jake paused. “But I don’t get why she did this in the first place if it’s not to make me miserable. Or make me lose it around you and Mom. Danny tried to tell her that I didn’t want to. And she didn’t care. And she said some rude shit about Mom in front of Rocco last night, and I just…I wanna know what her damage is so we can—” He waved a hand. “Make it stop.”

Jason let out a low breath, set aside his clipboard. “You never ask the easy questions,” he said. “A long time ago, before you were born, Sam and I were engaged. We broke up for a little while. At the same time, your mom was married to Lucky, and they separated.” He paused, unsure exactly how to phrase the next part.

“And then I happened,” Jake supplied. “I fucked everything up, I know. I did the math once—”

Jason straightened. “No. You were a miracle. Don’t ever think anything else. It doesn’t matter what else was going on around us,” he continued when Jake looked down, uncomfortable. “Your mom went through hell to have you. She was in a car accident, the hostage crisis, a bomb that trapped us in an elevator—we almost lost you both when you were born. She nearly died. And then when you were a month old, you were kidnapped, and we were both terrified out of our minds.” And one day, somehow, he’d have to find the words to explain everything else to Jake.

Jake wrinkled his nose. “I know. When Cam got nabbed by that Cyrus guy a few years ago, me and Aiden told him he could finally join the club since both me and him were already kidnapped. But I’m still in the lead — three times,” he said, holding up three fingers.

Jason rubbed his face. “I’m glad you can joke about it,” he muttered.

“The Webber way,” Jake said. “Whatever doesn’t kill you, laugh at it so it doesn’t suck so much. Anyway. Right, I’m awesome, you and Mom both love me, and I didn’t mess up anything. How does that explain the stick up Sam’s ass?”

Jason considered his words carefully. “At the time you were born, Sam thought she couldn’t have children. We ended up breaking up again after you were born. We…I guess you could say we worked things out again a few years later, but I don’t think she never forgave me for having a son, your mother for giving me one, or you for existing.”

Elm Street Pier

It was a shame payphones didn’t exist anymore, Kristina thought, huddling by the stairs on the pier, ripping the plastic from the burner phone. She’d worn sunglasses, gone to a store she’d never gone to before, used cash, and still — there was always a chance they’d track this call down.

But — she thought — removing the phone from the package, and skimming the directions to activate it and use the limited calling plan she’d bought. They’d have to find the phone, and pretty soon, it’d be at the bottom of the harbor.

She fished her actual phone from her purse, scrolled through her files until she found the audio file she’d created using one of those stupid websites online. Maybe payphones would have made things easier, but technology did have one upside—

She dialed the tipline for the FBI, and when it connected, pressed play on her phone file. A voice came out that sounded exactly like that annoying twit, Amy Driscoll.

“Hello. I have a tip about the murder of that FBI guy. The one on Labor Day. I’m a nurse at GH, and I overheard my supervisor, Elizabeth Webber, talking with that mob guy she’s always with. Jason Morgan. She said that he didn’t need to worry. No one was ever  gonna look in her trunk, and when the smoke died down, he could get rid of the gun.”

She clicked off the audio, ended the call, then hurled the phone as far as she could into the harbor. She deleted the file from her phone, then hurled that, too.

Then hurried back to the parking lot and her car.

As soon the FBI found that gun in Elizabeth’s car and accused her of the murder, Kristina knew Jason would jump in to protect her. He’d do exactly what he’d done for Michael. Confess to a crime and go to jail.

Confessing meant waiving appeals. It would be over.

And everyone and everything could go back to normal.

Corinthos & Morgan Warehouse: Jason’s Office

 Jake absorbed his father’s statement, squinting as he fit that theory into the puzzle. “I mean, I guess that makes sense. But it’s been years. I’m—you know—” He gestured at himself. “I’m basically an adult. And she got to have a kid with you. One that she’s royally fucking up, if you ask me. Danny’s ready to gnaw off his own leg to escape her. You gotta do something.”

“I wish I could,” Jason said, and when Jake scowled, his father continued, “It’s not that easy—”

“Well, it should be. And if you ask me, you downgraded hard when you and Mom broke up. She never treats Danny like she resents his entire, you know, existence. I always knew Sam didn’t like me, and I guess it makes sense, but can’t you tell her to get over it?”

“I could. But you said it yourself. Sam is doing her best to cut off contact, and I don’t like my options,” Jason added. “I’ve been trying to work with her because I don’t want to go to court. I’ve seen it happen with Michael and his brother when they were younger. I’ve done everything I can to avoid it. It’s complicated—”

“Uncomplicate it. Because this is screwing with me and Danny, okay? He’s my brother, and as annoying as the little shit is, I love him. And if you and me are going to see each other, she’s not gonna let him hang out with me anymore either. It’s stupid, Dad. Don’t you hate it.”

“Yeah. I do.” His dad sighed. “And you’re right. I’m going to call Diane. We’ll start talking about options.”

“Good. Thanks.” Jake let out a rush of air. “But I better get back to school before they figure out I’m not there, and Mom gets that look. You know the one, right? Where you’ve disappointed and made her sad all the same time, and you just wanna curl up and die?”

“I am familiar with it,” Jason said dryly, holding the door open for him.

“Diabolical. Uh—thanks.” Jake turned to him. “For, you know,  talking to me. Really talking to me. I’ve…missed it.”

“Me, too. Get back to school before I call your mom.”

Webber House: Living Room

She’d already washed the sheets. And changed the comforter. Which was ridiculous, Elizabeth thought, snatching her phone from the charger as she headed for the door again. Jason wouldn’t care about any of that — or the fact that she’d done her hair, adding those curls she knew he liked—

“This is ridiculous,” Elizabeth muttered, then plucked at the underwire of the lacy pink bra that she rarely pulled out of the draw. “I am an adult, and I should be acting like it—” Her phone beeped and she looked down at it, pulling up Jason’s texts.

Truck is here. I just have to sign.

She grinned. Don’t break any speed limits. She heard brakes in front of the house, looked up, confused because he couldn’t already be here—

And her heart stopped. An SUV had pulled up in front of her car, parked halfway across the street, blocking access. Another van came up behind it, and people started to get out, dressed in crime scene gear.

Numbly, Elizabeth went out to her front lawn, her phone still in her hand. “What—” she murmured as the FBI agent from Monday night got out of the SUV by her car. The crime scene techs were heading for her car.

“Ah, Miss Webber.” Agent Caldwell met her at the curb, handed her the warrant. “To search, and if necessary, seize your car.”

“My—” Her throat went dry. Elizabeth gripped the warrant, backed up to her doorway and frantically scrolled through her contacts until she found her lawyer.

“Elizabeth?”

“Diane, the FBI is at my house searching my car.”

The voice on the other end was quiet for a beat, then in a careful voice, Diane asked, “And do we think they’ll find anything?”

“No, of course not!”

“Then say nothing, let them search. Did they bring a warrant?”

“Yes.” They popped her trunk, and the ice was sliding through every single vein, her fingers starting to tremble.

“Okay. I’m getting my things together. I’ll be right over—”

They pulled out a box — no, a lock box, Elizabeth realized with horror. Just like —

“Diane, they found a box that looks like where Jason used to keep his gun. I think—oh, God, I think there’s a gun in my car.”

“What?” Diane demanded. “How the hell—”

“I don’t know, but I—” Her vision blurred slightly. “I have to hang up. They’re coming towards me. Um, can you call Jason. Someone has to be here—the boys. They won’t understand. Diane.”

“I’ll meet you at the PCPD. Say nothing without me, Elizabeth. Do you hear me? Say nothing—”

The phone fell to the ground, Elizabeth’s fingers boneless, barely listening as Caldwell began to recite her rights.

“You have the right to remain silent, the right…”

+34

Written in 75 minutes. I highly doubt you’ll argue with me when you get to the end.

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Webber House: Living Room

Jake thumbed through the battered pages of a travel guide to Barcelona. “How many of these places did you get to see?” he asked his father. “Did you have a lot of time there?”

Jason shifted in the chair,  leaning back to let Elizabeth pass in front of him with a few of the remaining dishes from dinner, then focused back on Jake. “I think I ended up spending about a week there before going to Madrid. My Spanish wasn’t that great back then, but it wasn’t so bad to get around if you at least tried a few phrases.”

“Yeah, that’s what my Spanish teacher always says.” Jake flipped to another page. “It’s gonna be awesome being in Europe. Everyone always says it’s super cheap to travel there once you’re in the EU.” He looked up when Elizabeth sat next to him. “I keep telling Mom if I get into this school she should come over next summer and we’ll, like, totally backpack through Europe.”

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “That means hostels and shared bathrooms. No thanks.” She twisted the cap off a bottle of water. “And I can’t leave your brother—”

“Ship him off to his dad or something. Or grandma Laura.” Jake closed the travel guide, looked at his dad. “You know she’s never been to Europe. I mean, other than a trip to Greece that was five minutes long. I bet you didn’t even sight-see.”

Elizabeth sighed, tucked her hair behind her ears. “No, since we were going to track down Helena and you’d just come home,” she told him, “sight-seeing didn’t seem like a good use of my time.” She picked up the travel guide. “Are these still the same ones you had before?” she asked, sliding her fingers over the worn corners. “You always had a shelf of these at the penthouse, and crammed onto the dresser when you had the room at—” She bit her lip, looked at their son — who didn’t know yet that he was named after a dive bar. She focused on Jason who had a teasing glint in his eye because, of course, he knew what she was thinking.

“Yeah. They were in storage. I stopped by Carly’s to see what, if anything, was saved when…” He grimaced, then continued, “when I guess Sam cleaned out the penthouse.”

“Yeah, that was a fun time,” Jake muttered. “Danny went ballistic because she didn’t even tell him she was doing it. But I guess she didn’t throw everything away.” He took the guide from his mother. “I’m glad you brought it. I didn’t want to get one until I got accepted, and I’m still finishing my portfolio. I don’t even know if I’ll get in—”

“You will. Your art teacher wouldn’t have recommended you if she didn’t think you could do it,” Elizabeth reminded him.

“Yeah.” Jake looked at his dad. “You…I don’t think I showed you anything before. I can go get it—” He jerked a thumb towards the stairs. “If you want to see it.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth to change the subject, but Jason spoke first, “I would but there’s something I should tell you. You know about my accident, when I was a little older than you.”

“Yeah, you lost all your memories.” Jake furrowed his brow. “What about it?”

“It wasn’t just the memories,” Jason said. “I…have trouble with two dimensional images. It’s better than it used to be, but I might not see what you want me to see. I’m—I’m sorry—”

Jake looked at his mother, furrowing his brow. “I thought you said you and Dad used to talk about your art all the time.”

“We did—”

“Your mother would explain the pictures to me,” Jason interrupted. “What the colors were supposed to do, what I was supposed to see. And then I could make it out. I just—I didn’t want you to be disappointed.”

“Well, if Mom can explain stuff, so can I. She always said I got her habit of talking too much.” Jake got to his feet. “I wanted to get Mom’s opinion on my portfolio before I take it to my teacher tomorrow.”

When he disappeared up the stairs, Jason exhaled slowly. “I don’t want to mess this up. Or insult him—”

Elizabeth slid down the sofa so that they were closer. “You couldn’t. You wouldn’t. He’s so talented, Jason. It’s incredible to see what he can do. And he just lights up when he talks about it. And it’s his favorite subject. I never have enough time to listen to him as much as I want to, and Aiden’s not interested. You’ll listen to him the way you listened to me, and it’ll be fine.”

“You painted landscapes mostly. Places I’d seen. What—” Jason swallowed hard. “It’s important. What does he paint?”

“He’s more abstract than I was, but I promise—” She covered his hand, squeezed it. “You’re not going to disappoint him. He loves you. He was so nervous about tonight.” She smiled, though it was a bit sad. “You don’t even really need me around now to keep things moving—in fact, maybe I should—” she started to slide away, but he snagged her hand. She looked back.

“Don’t go,” he said, and she smiled hesitantly. “I like—I like being around you, too. I’m not just here to spend time with Jake. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” He held her gaze for a longer beat, and her heart began to beat just a little faster. Then they heard Jake on the steps, and she slid back to her original seat.

Penthouse: Danny’s Bedroom

“Oh, come on, Mom! Not the Switch—” Danny dove for the handheld game, but Sam scooped it into box she was carrying. “What the hell!”

“Watch the language,” Sam said, heading for the doorway, with the box of Danny’s treasured Switch, Playstation 5 console, and iPad tucked inside. “And if you hadn’t been caught with a phone I didn’t give you in school today, we wouldn’t be having this problem—”

“If you weren’t a nutjob—”

“You wanna make it two months?” Sam demanded. “We had an agreement, Danny. I take away the phone, and you get to keep the rest of this — you broke it!”

“Oh my God. I did not break anything! Do I have the phone? No! You never said I couldn’t get another one—”

In the hallway, leaning against the wall, Dante’s mouth twitched and she threw him a dirty look. He held up his hands, then walked towards the stairs. Sam huffed, turned back to her son.

“This is for your own good—”

“Because you think keeping me from my father is a good thing. It’s not fair, and I—I’m gonna get Grandma to represent me and sue you for—” He scowled. “I don’t know, but I’ll find something.”

“You’ll find that your grandmother isn’t a fan of your father, either. I don’t get it, Danny. Because of him, you got dragged into the police station—”

“Who cares! I didn’t even get questioned! Jake was giving them hell, so they never got to me,  then his mom got him out. And Dad got me. Nothing happened!”

“A man was murdered!”

“I didn’t see jackshit, Mom. I heard gunshots, big deal. I hear them on the news all the time.” Danny flopped back on his bed. “I wish I had Jake’s mom. She lets him see Dad all the stupid time. I wanna go live with them.”

“Well Jake’s mother can set all the low standards she wants for her son,” Sam retorted. “She’s always settled for his crumbs, this isn’t any different.”

Danny jerked up, his brows furrowed. “You’re such a bitch.”

“And that’s two months.” Sam left the room, slamming the door with one hand, and awkwardly carrying the box with the other.

She made her way down the stairs, irritated beyond measure with her son for pushing her to the edge and making her lash out that way. Where had her sweet little boy gone?

“Don’t you think you’re making this a little more difficult than it has to be?” Dante asked. Sam dropped the box on the coffee table, planted her hands on her hips.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You and Elizabeth were getting along fine before all of this,” Dante said, and she sighed, looked away. “It was your idea for her to supervise Danny’s visits with his dad so that you’d stay out of it. It’s not wrong for Danny to be jealous that his brother doesn’t have any limitations. And you knew that before you came up with this idea.”

“I told you—” Sam huffed. “Monday changed everything. Violence will always find Jason. I don’t want Danny around it. Yes, Elizabeth and I have been friendly. Yes, we’ve found common ground to bring our boys up as brothers, and I don’t regret that. But this always happens when she gets anywhere near Jason. She makes it into a competition. She knew from the getgo I was being strict about Danny, so she lets Jake do whatever he wants—she’s never forgiven Jason for choosing me and our family—”

Dante lifted his brows, and her cheeks flushed. “Before. When the choice needed to be made. I walked away from all that. She’s still chasing him, and she’s making things more difficult with Danny because of it—”

“Look, I wasn’t around for all of that, and I’m not weighing in.” Dante lifted his hands. “I’m just saying that the more you try to keep Danny from Jason, the more Danny’s gonna want that contact. You’re gonna have to fight him every step of the way.”

Sam pressed her lips together, looked away for a moment, then focused on Dante. “Then that’s what I’ll do. My son is not going to make his father’s mistakes. One day, he’ll thank me.”

Webber House: Kitchen

“Funny how Jake always seems busy when it’s time to do the dishes,” Elizabeth said with a smile, rinsing the plate and handing it to Jason who stowed it in the dishwasher. “I told you that you didn’t need to help—”

“You cooked. That’s enough.” He closed the dishwasher when she’d handed him the last utensil, then leaned against the back counter. “Thanks for inviting me tonight.”

“Thanks for coming on such short notice.” She dried her hands, then tossed the towel aside, leaning against the opposite counter. “I can’t believe we’re talking about where Jake is going to college.” She tipped her head back, closed her eyes, arching her neck, stretching. “Aiden’s in high school, Cameron’s going to be a senior this year. Oh, it all went so fast.”

“I know. It seems like yesterday—” Jason raised his hands, trying to picture exactly how they’d been arranged. “He was so small. So light.”

Elizabeth opened her eyes, smiled at him, tipping her head to the side. “I’m so glad you were there that day. I mean, I could have done with that life-threatening complication, but that you got to hold him first. That we got to have that moment.” The corners of her mouth dipped slightly. “For all the moments we didn’t get to have.”

He didn’t like it when her eyes dimmed like that — when he knew she was castigating herself for the way she’d handled her pregnancy and Jake’s early years. “It’s okay—”

“It’s not. And it’s not just the moments you lost with him, though—God, it’s awful.” She folded her arms. “It’s the ones we lost to Helena Cassadine. When he came home, he didn’t believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. I didn’t—” She shook her head. “I know it sounds stupid.”

“It doesn’t—” Jason reached for her elbow, tugged her towards him, and she came easily, lifting her chin to meet his eyes. “I look at him, and I can’t believe he came from us. What he’s been through already in his life—and you’d never know it.” He cupped her jaw, catching a tear as it slid down her cheek. “You didn’t get to have those moments with him, but look at the magic you made anyway. What an incredible kid he is. The dreams you’ve given him.”

“You were part of that, too. Don’t—I’m not saying that to make you feel better,” she added when he let his hand drop. She caught it. “I mean it. I see you in him all the time. The way he teases his brothers, he gets that—” She touched the corner of his eye. “That glint you get sometimes when you’re laughing at me with just your eyes. A-and your intensity. The way you can focus on something or-or someone—he’s disciplined in a way I could never be. Jake’s all the best pieces of both of us, Jason.”

He nodded, his throat tight at just the thought he’d given anything good or worthwhile to his oldest son. “I just wish I’d made better choices. You said it. He’s…he’s grown up. He’s going to college—”

“And we still have a lifetime of memories to make with him.” She waited for him to look at her again. “Ask Carly — was her love for Bobbie any less because they found each other when Carly was older? Or Dante and Sonny. Emily came to your family  half-grown, and that didn’t stop you from squeezing a lifetime in only a few years. He’s going to graduate high school, and then college, and we’ll get to be there for all of that. I’m so excited for him and this school in Spain—”

“We’ll go see him,” Jason told her, and she laughed, shook her head, but he caught her chin, turned it back to him. “We’ll go to see him. When he moves in. Holidays. I’ll take you. You should get to see Europe. And we’ll take Jake wherever he wants during the summer break. Aiden can come, too. Like you said, it’s not too late.”

Elizabeth’s lips parted, and she swallowed hard. “It’s not?”

“No.” His thumb stroked the soft skin along her jawline, then swept across her lower lip. Something pulsed between them, something that was always there, simmering beneath the surface, but that they had ignored for years. But there was no reason to pretend anymore, and if it wasn’t too late for him to have a life as Jake’s father—

Well, then it wasn’t too late for anything else. His other hand rested at Elizabeth’s waist, tugging her just a little closer, waiting for her to protest, to put the brakes on, to tell him he’d mixed up the signals—

But he hadn’t because she came into his arms easily, as if she’d been waiting for him to make the move—they both leaned in at the same time, their lips meeting in a kiss that should have felt more hesitant, more soft for two people who hadn’t crossed this line for more than a decade—

It was like coming home all over again, sinking into her mouth, his hands sliding through her hair, the silky tresses that had always obsessed him, curly, straight, short, long, he’d always ached to touch her hair—the soft skin just underneath her jaw, one of his favorite places to touch, to kiss, the sounds she made when his teeth nipped at the spot. She stumbled backwards, and he automatically caught her, his fingers sliding over her denim jeans, down to her thigh, to coax it up.

She broke off, her eyes wide, breathing heavy, looking at him a bit dazed. When she licked her lips, he kissed her again, unable to stop himself. He’d had to hold himself back too many times, had to crawl inside and be anyone else for years, and he didn’t want her to tell him it was a mistake, that they shouldn’t do this—

She kissed him again, and he felt her fumbling at his belt buckle—then her hands stilled, and she broke away again, nipping at his earlobe. “I don’t want to stop. But we can’t. Not here.”

Because not here wasn’t the same as not at all, Jason drew back, cupping her jaw with his fingers, everything inside him clenching when she drew his thumb into his mouth, and she grinned. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist—” She slid her hands down her chest. “This is—” Elizabeth took a deep breath, and a short laugh escaped her lips. She dropped her forehead to chest, and he ran his hands down her shoulders, wanting to touch as much as he could before he’d have to stop. “This is so not what I was planning tonight.”

“Me, either,” he admitted, and she looked up at him. “But I’m not sorry.”

“I’m only sorry that we have to put this on pause, but Jake’s home. And he’s got excellent hearing.” Her lips quirked. “Something he inherited from you.”

“Too much to hope he’s already asleep and sleeps the way you do? Like the dead?” he asked, and she grinned again. “You’re right. This isn’t the time.”

“No, but I’m not working tomorrow.” Elizabeth lifted her brows, when he just looked her, a bit surprised. “You think you can make time to come over tomorrow, and we can—” She tilted her head to the side, that wicked glint in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in so long. “We can pick up where we left off.”

“There’s no where else I’d rather be.” He drew her towards him, kissed her again, then broke away. “But I’d better go before I forget why I have to.”

“And before I forget why I can’t let you stay.” She stroked her cheek. “I’m so glad you came home.”

He leaned his forehead against hers. “I won’t ever leave again.”

+45

Written in 62 minutes.

Thursday, September 5, 2024

PCPD: Commissioner’s Office

At the light knock on her office door, Anna lifted her gaze — then, seeing who had arrived, straightened, removing her reading glasses. “Agent Caldwell, what can I do for you? Do you need additional space?”

“No. No.” Caldwell grimaced, then fully crossed the threshold, closing the door behind her. “I might have been a little hasty in rejecting PCPD assistance.”

Anna, to her credit, didn’t smirk and show any other outward expression. “You had a dead FBI agent on your hands. I’ve lost men under my command before. I know the emotions run high. And while Detective Falconieri is one of my best men, I can understand your reluctance.” She paused. “What can we do for you? Some uniforms? I can make a call to one of the other precincts—”

“No. No—” Caldwell held out his hand. “It’s your input I’m looking for. While in many respects, your connection to the players in this situation might make it difficult for you to run the investigation, it can also provide some valuable direction.”

Oh, he was laying it on thick now, but she still didn’t express any emotion that might indicate just how much she was enjoying this moment. “While Port Charles is a decently sized city, in many ways, it’s a small town. And the important families know each other.” She gestured towards the chair in front of her desk. “Please. Tell me what I can do.”

He didn’t take the offered chair, but instead wandered towards the window, a hand in one of trouser pockets. “John Cates was a good agent for a long time.”

“I’m familiar with his record—”

“Three years ago, we put the Pikeman investigation on his desk. He’d more than earned it — working alongside the CIA, Interpol, and the WSB. We all wanted a piece of him. Not to mention more than a dozen local agencies.”

Anna’s heart picked up a beat or two, but her tone was even when she spoke, “Including ours. Dante Falconieri was nearly killed in that operation last April. And we suspect Pikeman in a few other cases.”

“Yes. Pikeman specialized in assassinations. Good guys, bad guys, politicians, cheating spouses—they weren’t picky about their contracts.” Caldwell tipped his head. “All they care about was green.”

“That’s what our intel suggested as well. Agent Cates was…dedicated to the Pikeman case.”

“He was. And while we were all disappointed that it didn’t result in the arrest of Valentin Cassadine himself —” Caldwell paused, but when she added nothing, he continued, “We were satisfied with what his informant had turned up. The fact that evidence Cates used to gain Jason Morgan’s cooperation went missing when it was needed to prosecute Carly Spencer—” He lifted a shoulder. “It’s just as well. As far as we were concerned, Morgan held up his end of the bargain. And up until Monday, we thought he’d held up the other terms.”

“The other terms?” Anna questioned. “I’m not aware of anything other than gaining Valentin’s cooperation.”

“As long as Morgan kept himself out of trouble, the FBI agreed that we had no interest in anything in his background. In short, Commissioner, the FBI gave him unofficial immunity for any federal crime for which the statute has not yet expired.”

“Unofficial.” Now Anna did smile. “I can’t imagine Jason Morgan felt bound by that since it’s not worth the paper it isn’t written on. And he has kept himself out of trouble. Your men let him leave on Monday evening, didn’t they?”

“Being able to prove something is different than knowing it,” Caldwell retorted. “I don’t know how Morgan pulled it off on Monday, but John’s blood is on his hands.”

“Agent Caldwell—” Anna rose to her feet. “I’m not suggesting that Jason Morgan isn’t capable of taking a life. His name is in more than a few of our cold case files as a primary suspect. But here’s what I know about him — he’s never been accused of murdering a law enforcement officer. In fact, I know that he went out of his way to ensure the safety of Dex Heller last spring when he left the employ of Sonny Corinthos for no other reason than Sonny couldn’t afford the heat it would bring.”

“There’s a first time for everything—”

“Of course. But you’re forgetting a few things. One, the deal was over. You said so yourself. Agent Cates had, as far as I know, moved on to Sonny Corinthos. What reason would Jason have to break the terms of his deal if the FBI was no longer interested in him? Two, the crime happened on his family’s property. Three, the crime was committed when several people close to Jason were nearby—”

“People who would lie for him.” Caldwell grimaced. “It’s diabolical, actually. He must have known we’d suspect him, and he didn’t care. His nephew, ex-lover, and his sons are with hearing distance of the shots. No one should believe them that Morgan was in the house and came to the scene after.”

“But they do. Because that nephew is the scion of the Quartermaine family and CEO of the largest employer, ELQ. That ex-lover is an extremely beloved head nurse at General Hospital, and those sons are relatively clean-cut and troublefree, one of whom has been known to be unhappy with his father for the years he was gone—”

“At best his alibi is a wash,” Caldwell said. Anna made a face, and sighed. “A jury could believe other side. The gun? The make and model doesn’t match anything he has access to, though Sonny Corinthos does—”

“And his alibi is rock solid,” Anna said, “so you likely can’t even demand to see it.” She lifted her hands. “As I said, Caldwell, you need to consider other suspects. You can’t prove means or opportunity for Jason Morgan, and we’ve already established the motive is nonexistent—”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

Anna frowned. “How do you figure?”

“Because Morgan made a new deal. To keep the FBI from investigating whoever hacked into our systems to delete the evidence against Carly Spencer.” Caldwell paused. “Cates was pushing Sonny until he had no choice but to order his execution — an order he would give to no one other than his trusted right-hand man. John told me before he went to the meeting on the property that he was meeting Morgan there that day to confirm the details — that Sonny had issued the order, and it was time to organize the arrest. Instead, he was double-crossed. Sonny issued the order, and Morgan carried it out.”

Pozzula’s Restaurant: Dining Room

Kristina paced from the bar to the office door, then back again. “I don’t understand! If Cates is dead, then why haven’t they dropped the charges yet?”

Sonny sighed, exchanging a look with Alexis, before returning his attention to their daughter. “I’m doing what I can to find a source in the FBI office or federal court, but it’s locked up right. If we could get it moved to the local courts—” he looked at Alexis.

She threw up her hands. “How many times do I have to repeat myself? They’re accusing her of trying to kill a witness. That’s a federal crime—”

“But it doesn’t have to be—and come on, a witness in a custody battle?” Kristina clenched her fists. “It’s just a ploy to target Dad—”

“We know, sweetheart. And we feel sure we’ll get this dismissed.” Alexis comforted her daughter, rubbing her shoulder. She looked at Sonny. “And if someone thought getting rid of Cates would eliminate our problems, someone was very wrong.”

Sonny scowled. “Someone better stop looking over here, because I didn’t do this. I was at the damned hotel with a dozen witnesses.”

Kristina huffed. “He’s an FBI agent. A hundred people must have wanted him dead.”

“Which is probably they backed off Jason that first night. I talked to Diane — Danny and Jake both put Jason in the house when the shots are fired. The FBI might not believe them, but a jury probably will.” Alexis folded her arms. “They’ll go down the list of suspects until they run out. You and Jason were top, so—” She looked at Kristina. “And you were at your apartment. They can get footage from the lobby, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure—” Kristina pretended to hesitate, thinking about it. “I think there’s a camera pointing at the elevators. I don’t remember. I’ve never needed to know. But if they want it, they can request it. That’s where I was.”

“Exactly. We’re all good,” Sonny said. “All we have to do is let them run in their circles. We’ve all got alibis, and without more evidence, we’re probably fine.”

More evidence. The thought lingered with Kristina, tugging at her as she sat in the passenger side of her mother’s car, returning to the house after the meeting. Her father was right — if no other evidence turned up, they might be fine. But if the FBI started looking deeper into her — if they investigated her alibi—it wouldn’t hold up. Damn it. Why had anyone been that close? She’d made sure to wait until the party was over, until the kids had gone back to the house. She knew you couldn’t hear almost anything from the house from the boat house —

If Michael and Elizabeth had been where they were supposed to be — Cates would have been dead and they wouldn’t have a firm time for the shots, making everyone’s alibis more fuzzy. But now she’d have to make sure suspicion stayed away from her. She’d gotten rid of the murder weapon, and she knew Elizabeth had found it, she’d have just told Jason who’d  destroy it. And if someone else had found it — well, it was in Elizabeth’s car without Kristina’s prints. Since it belonged to Sonny, Jason would be the primary suspect.

But if Kristina wanted to make sure the heat didn’t come back to her, she’d have to find a way to make the FBI find that gun before Elizabeth did.

Webber House: Kitchen

Jake dumped his backpack on the floor, slid onto a stool to watch his mother stir something on the stove. “I can’t wait for graduation. I’m so over high school.”

“I know the feeling.” Elizabeth reached for the usual first day paperwork, started sorting through it, hesitating when it came to the emergency contact update, then lifted her gaze back to Jake. “What would you think about putting your dad on here?”

“Sure. Not like it’s ever been needed.” Jake rested his elbows on the counter. “Um, on the subject of Dad, I—I wanted to apologize.”

“For what?” Elizabeth asked, already filling in the information, scribbling in Jason’s new cell phone number, making a note to let him know.

“The day of the barbecue. For being an ass. I mean, I know Dad and I—we sort of—I guess we’re okay now. I’m not happy that he was gone for so long or that he went. But I get it. He was protecting someone, and that’s kind of his thing, you know? But I wasn’t just a dick to him.”

Elizabeth finished the updated paperwork, handed it to him. “It’s okay—”

“It’s not. I took it out on all of you guys, and it’s not okay. I—I just—” He grimaced, color rising in his cheeks. “Charlotte left with her dad, and I haven’t heard from her. She just…left. Like I didn’t mean anything. Any maybe I didn’t. Maybe I thought—” He looked away, muttering something before focusing on his mother. “Plus, Danny’s on complete lock down. He apparently called his mother a lunatic or something and so she took away his phone. I get to see Dad whenever I want, and you didn’t go postal on my ass when I mouthed off.” Jake made a face. “I don’t get his mom. Danny said she almost called the school to, like, put Dad on a no-contact list, but he managed to talk her off that ledge. She was so—I just remember when I got home, and we thought Drew was Dad—now it’s like the opposite. What’s her problem? Why is she so anti-Dad?”

Elizabeth considered her answer carefully, biting back the response she wanted to give. “I think it’s probably because she used…well, I guess the best way to put it, is that she used to run with Jason. The way he lived her life, she made it hers, too. And it’s part of the reason your dad and Sam went after the Dawn of Day cult a few years ago. I don’t know if you remember—”

“It’s why she’s got a record now. She went to jail. What is she mad that you got the immunity thing with Esme, and she ended up in jail even though that Shiloh guy definitely deserved it?”

“I think,” Elizabeth said slowly, “that Danny’s mom got burned by the life she was leading, and blamed your dad for it. And is worried Danny might go down the same path she did. That she and your dad did,” she clarified because it was only fair.

“But you’re not?” Jake said, furrowing his brow. “Why not?”

“I don’t know. Your dad is who he is, and I knew that when we met. And I’ve never worried about you. Your dad and I raised you to think for yourself, to go after what you want, and I like to think we’ve given you a good moral compass.” She lifted her brows. “Do you feel like you wanna make some of your dad’s choices?”

“Uh, no, I’m good.” Jake hesitated. “I mean, sometimes the law is wrong, and sometimes it can’t help you. But I don’t think you should go out there and actively do the bad stuff.”

“Your dad made choices when he was just a little older than you,” Elizabeth told him, “that made it difficult for him to do anything else and stay here in Port Charles. At least — not at that time. He tried to navigate a very thin line for a long time, to be a good man who wasn’t living on the right side of the law. He’d be the first to tell you that he doesn’t want any of that for you or for Danny.”

“Yeah, he’s said that a lot. Especially when we were going through the Franco stuff.” Jake slid his school papers back in the folder, then shoved it in his bag. “Um, do you think Dad’s really serious about being done?”

“Yeah, I do. Why?”

“I was thinking. Um, I got that package from Spain about the school I wanted to go to. And you said Dad’s traveled a lot, right?” Jake asked. “Do you think…he’d come over for dinner and we could talk about it?”

Pozzula’s Restaurant: Office

Jason knocked lightly on the office door, and Sonny turned away from the minibar — a familiar sight, even if in a different location. His expression looked wary, Jason thought, which was fair since they hadn’t exactly reconnected, even with Jason’s FBI deal over. He’d made it clear he was done with this life, and that meant a certain amount of distance.

“Hey,” Sonny said. He sipped his bourbon. “I figured you’d be by eventually.” He went to his desk. “I hope you’re not here to ask if I had anything to do with Monday.”

“Yes. And no,” Jason added when Sonny scowled. “Because I know the answer.” He hoped he did, anyway. “I didn’t do it, and—”

“I’m not stupid enough to do with a Congressional candidate a few hundred feet away.  Not to mention Michael, his kids, your kids, Lois, Olivia, my grandson—” Sonny grimaced. “I don’t know what the hell happened. They’re looking at Ava, but unfortunately, I think she had an alibi, too.”  He looked at Jason. “You got any ideas?”

“No. We both know it would have been stupid to pull this job that way, so would anyone else we know. I don’t—” Jason paused. “I don’t want to be in this. I told you that—”

“And I get it. You’ve, uh, sacrificed enough, I guess.” Sonny paused. “But if I hear anything—”

“I’d appreciate it.” Jason pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket, and immediately answered it when he saw it was Elizabeth. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He could almost hear the smile in her voice. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Nothing important,” Jason said, and Sonny smirked. “What’s up?”

“Well, Jake’s got some college paperwork, and he’s thinking of going international. He knows you’ve seen a lot more of the world than I have. So we were hoping you could come for dinner tonight—or tomorrow,” she added hastily, “because I know it’s short notice or any other day—”

“No, today’s great. I’ll be over.” When he hung up, he looked at Sonny. “Sorry. I was making plans with Elizabeth for dinner with Jake.”

“We’re all good here, Jason. Go be with your son.”

+34

Written in 72 minutes. Went over because I sort of over-planned this part, lol, but I didn’t want to leave you guys hanging if I don’t get back to update tonight.

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Webber House: Living Room

It was a morning for confusion, Elizabeth decided, when she pulled open the door and found Kristina Corinthos-Davis on her front step. She’d only just confirmed plans with Jason to talk more about the Pikeman investigation, and he’d offered to pick her up on the bike rather than just coming by and sitting in her house. She didn’t really know what to think about that — and now Sonny’s daughter was on her front step.

Elizabeth stepped back. “Um, come in. How are you?”

Kristina smiled, and breezed past her, her fingers wrapped around the strap of a large black purse slung over her shoulder. She turned back to face Elizabeth who closed the door, leaned against it. “You’re probably thinking — what is Kristina doing in my living room?”

“Well—” Elizabeth made a face. “Yeah, actually. Sorry, it’s just—”

“No, it’s all right. We’ve sorted…” Kristina gestured. “Floated past each other. We know all the same people, but—” She took a deep breath. “Anyway. That’s kind of why I’m here. I talked to Sam today—” She gestured at Elizabeth. “And now you’re thinking is she here to make my day worse?”

“Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t—” Elizabeth came away from the door. “Sam and I usually get along these days, but—”

“But it’s been harder later. Yeah, Sam is—she was still really mad this morning. And I did tell her I thought she was being unreasonable. To all of you, but definitely. And I just—” Kristina sighed. “I really love my nephew, and Danny loves his brother. I want them to be okay.”

“Well, that’s…that’s nice of you.” Still a little bewildered, but oddly touched, Elizabeth came forward, passing Kristina, and went to the sofa where she busied herself straightening pillows and throw blanket. She didn’t notice Kristina’s quick sweep of the room — or how they landed on her keys by the door, sitting next to Elizabeth’s purse. “I know you’re dealing with a lot, so I appreciate you even being interested.”

“Well, that’s part of it, I guess,” Kristina said, clasping her hands together. “It’s so hard right now for all of us, and Sam’s under so much stress. Between worrying about Danny, she feels like she’s in the middle between me and Molly, and I think she’s taking it out on you.”

Elizabeth nodded, folded her arms. “I only have maybe ten or fifteen minutes because I’m going out in a little bit, but I would absolutely love to figure this out. I know last night was upsetting. Believe me, the last thing I wanted was for Jake or Danny to end up at the PCPD. You have to know what it’s like, being Sonny’s daughter. They see the last name or they know who your father is, and it’s all they need.”

“No, and I definitely said as much to Sam. I mean, Jason and my dad are great, but being in their lives — it carries a lot of weight. You get targeted for no reason other than who contributed DNA.” Kristina shook her head. “I mean, that’s what I’m going through now which is making things worse for Sam. Agent Cates arrested me just so he could harass my father. When Sam factors that in, and how much extra stress it’s putting on me, on my mom, and then she remembers that Cates was part of everything with Jason being gone—”

Elizabeth furrowed her brow, and Kristina pressed her hand to her mouth. “Oh. You didn’t know? That Jason was an informant for the FBI?”

“No, I knew. I just—I didn’t realize that you did, too.” Elizabeth didn’t continue right away. “Like I said, I appreciate that Sam’s under a lot of stress. I really do. What you’re all going through—it’s awful, and just getting a taste of being targeted that way last night — ”

“Exactly. And it’s not making it easy — yesterday, Mom and I were talking about my case, and Molly just—she’s really not handling this well, either. We’re all a mess, Elizabeth. And Sam was trying to fix things, but Molly basically threw her out. We’re just—losing a child. It’s—” Kristina looked away, tears shimmering in her eyes, and Elizabeth softened.

“It’s the worst experience in the world. I know. And I’m so sorry. I don’t know if I said so before. But my heart goes out to you and your sister. For what you’ve faced. I know how hard it can be to breathe some days—”

Kristina swallowed hard, looking away. “Yeah, well, it’s different for us. Jake came home, didn’t he? Adela never will.”

Elizabeth jolted. “Oh. Well, yeah, but I didn’t know—I didn’t know it then—” She frowned. “I thought—I thought the baby’s name was Irene.”

Quartermaine Estate: Family Room

 Michael approached the double entrance, then nearly made a u-turn back to the kitchen when he realized Drew and Willow were talking about his political campaign. Again.  But Willow noticed him, smiled and gestured for him to join them.

“Hey.” She came over to him, kissing his cheek immediately which was a little strange, and her smile seemed a little forced now she was closer. “We were just talking about yesterday. Drew was asking if he thought he’d get some heat for putting out a poll.”

“About what?” Michael asked. “Yesterday? It’s Port Charles, Drew. People have already moved on—”

“Well, maybe yesterday was a regular Monday to you,” Drew said, coming to his feet and holding out that day’s newspaper. FBI AGENT MURDERED; MINOR WITNESSES REFUSE TO COOPERATE. “They didn’t print Jake and Danny’s name because Curtis held it back—”

“Because they’re minors and you’re not allowed to.” Michael tilted his head. “And you literally lived as my uncle Jason for over a year, Drew. I don’t think you get to pretend yesterday was shocking and upsetting.”

Drew lifted his brows. “I only meant that we have to think about the rest of the family. Which Jason never does. I know that because I used to be him, and still remember a lot of it.” He shook the paper in his hand. “Why wouldn’t Jake and Danny just tell the truth? Why didn’t you go to the station with them?”

“I would have, but I barely had time to toss Elizabeth’s bag in the window before Jason peeled out of the driveway.” Michael folded his arms. “And all they needed was Diane. Drew, they dragged two teenagers into the PCPD to intimidate them. They weren’t interested in the truth. They just wanted Jason.”

“Well, if they’d cooperated, this would already be over and they’d be on to the next suspect.” Drew tossed the paper on the table. “It’s gonna come back to haunt all of us.” On that parting shot, he left the room, and Michael scowled.

“I hate the way he’s been since he decided to run for office,” he muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. “Like he’s above us.”

“I don’t think that’s what he’s doing. But he’s not wrong, Michael. I get why Jake and Danny didn’t stay to give statements, but it’s going to make it worse.”

He wanted to argue with her, tell her she was wrong, but — he couldn’t. He knew it wasn’t over, he just didn’t know where the danger would come from.”

Webber House: Living Room

Kristina bristled. “Well, that’s what TJ and Molly put on the paperwork, but it wasn’t my choice.” When Elizabeth pursed her lips — judging her, obviously, Kristina went on. “I lived with that baby for eight months, you know. I just—I called her that in my head sometimes.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “I was a surrogate once,” she said softly, “and all the literature, all the prep — they suggested anything that created a connection like that would make it harder.”

“When were you a surrogate?” Kristina asked, folding her arms. “I never heard anything about that.”

“You wouldn’t have, I guess. You were young. Jax and Courtney — I miscarried In the first trimester. But—”

“Well, that’s different then,” Kristina retorted. “My daughter was almost full-term. She died. She wasn’t just a clump of cells my body rejected.”

Elizabeth stiffened, and her eyes went cold. “And she wasn’t your daughter. As long as we’re correcting each other.”

Shit, shit. Kristina forced to dial back her own irritation because wow, Elizabeth was really being a bitch right now, but if she kicked her out before Kristina had a plan to get those damn keys — she held up her hands, took a deep breath, worked up some tears. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You’re right. A-And I know she wasn’t. It’s j-just so hard.”

Elizabeth looked away, and sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject. I just—it’s awful what you’re all going through, and I guess there’s no easy way to handle it. Let’s just—let’s get back to what you came here for.” She checked her phone. “Because I only have about five minutes before Jason comes to pick me up.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t going to be using her car? Interesting. Could that work? How could she get the damn key fob from the keychain without Elizabeth knowing? “I was thinking maybe if we could find a way to get everyone in the same room, but now that I’m considering it — maybe that would make things worse.”

“Probably—” There was a beep from her phone and Elizabeth made a face. “The washer’s done. I need to change over the laundry before I go. I’ll be right back.” She went into the kitchen, and Kristina heard the basement door a few seconds later. When it closed, Kristina  snapped into action.

She scooped Elizabeth’s keys off the table, carefully detached the keyfob from the rest, keeping the metal circle intact. She set the rest of Elizabeth’s keys in her purse, making sure they were visible, so she’d see them. Since she wasn’t driving her car, she might not do more than check for them.

She slid the key fob into her bag just as Elizabeth came back. “Sorry about that,” she said. “But the boys are starting back and they never do their own laundry.”

“No problem. Um, you said Jason would be here soon, and I don’t want him to know I’m meddling. He hates when I do that, which is fair. I usually make things worse.” Kristina forced a smile. “And I’m sorry again. Really. It’s just—my family’s a mess. And I’m kind of at the top of it. I just really wanted to fix one thing.”

Elizabeth walked her to the door. “I get that. But you can’t fix something that’s been broken for a long time. We’ll have to trust Sam to calm down. Take care of yourself, Kristina.”

When she closed the door, leaving Kristina alone, she smiled. “I intend to.” Then went to wait in her car until Elizabeth was gone.

Vista Point: Observatory Deck

Jason curled a hand around the metal railing, chipping beneath his fingers, and turned to look at Elizabeth who was still combing her fingers through her hair, disheveled from the helmet. “I guess you’re wondering why I wanted to talk today.”

“Well, you said it was about Pikeman, and it’s been so long since we were out on the bike—I wasn’t gonna ask too many questions.” She leaned against the railing, looking out over the lake, to Spoon Island in the distance, then looked at him. “So what’s up?”

“I really didn’t think about you and Jake not knowing,” he said, and she made a face. “But once I realized it, last night wasn’t the time to get into everything. I just—other people know.”

“I know.” When he frowned, she continued, “Kristina came by today, and mentioned it. I guess she wanted to apologize for her sister, and talk about pressure Sam’s been under or something.”

“Kristina—” Jason grimaced, looked to the lake, searching for patience maybe. “I don’t know why Sam would have told her. And I only told Sam because she —” He stopped.

“Because she was keeping Danny from you.” Elizabeth tipped her head. “And I wasn’t keeping Jake from you, so no reason to tell me.”

“It sounds—” Cold. Flat. Transactional. “I guess that’s the way it was, but I didn’t think about it that way when it was happening.”

“Because you take things as they come. One step at a time. Jason, I’m not angry. I’m here for you tell me whatever you need to tell me. And if I decide to get mad, I’ll let you know.” She turned, leaning her back against the railing, folded her arms. “Sam knows. I’m going to guess Sonny knows because of what happened with Dante. I would imagine ‘I’m an informant’ would be the first thing you’d tell him.”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah—and—”

“Carly, for sure, knows. She’d have pried it out of you with an icepick if she had to.”

He exhaled. “Yes. But that’s it—well, Anna Devane knows,” he muttered. And Elizabeth looked amused for some reason, and he looked at her. “Why are you smiling?”

“Because you’re more angry with yourself for not telling me than I could ever be. Is that it?”

“I think so. I mean, if Kristina knows, I’m sure Sam told Dante and Alexis. So that’s—” He’d have to look into that. “But I think that’s it.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth waited. “So now I know I’m at the bottom of the list—” when he scowled, she laughed, gently tapping his chest. “That’s a joke, Jason. Seriously. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what else should I know?”

“The why.” Jason looked at her, knowing that this would be the deal breaker. He braced himself. “What they had on me to force me into the deal at all.”

Elizabeth drew her brows together. “You mean, what the charges were? Jason, you really don’t have to—”

“They had Carly dead to rights on RICO charges.”

She closed her mouth, absorbed that information, and he tensed, waiting for her reaction. Elizabeth straightened, looked out to the horizon, then finally at him. “So you did this to protect Carly.”

Webber House: Street

 Kristina pulled her car to the curb, just behind Elizabeth’s silver sedan. She rustled in her bag for the gloves, pulled them on.  Then, with the key fob in her hand, and her purse over her shoulder, Kristina took a deep breath and got out of her feet. She clicked the trunk twice so it would pop open.

The trunk wasn’t as messy as she’d hoped for, but it would do. There was a large cardboard box pushed towards the back that looked as if it had been there for a long time. She tugged it out of place, drew out the lockbox she’d purchased that morning, then slid it to the back of the trunk, put the box back in place, then locked the car.

She hurried up the drive, pulling at the metal ring until it was mishappen, so it would look as if it had come loose from her keychain as Elizabeth had left the house, then dropped it by the door.

By the time she pulled away from the curb, it had been less than ten minutes.

And now Kristina just had to wait to take the next step.

Vista Point: Observation Deck

 Elizabeth’s expression wasn’t giving him any clues, but she wasn’t flipping out, accusing him of anything, or storming off. She was quiet, watching him. Waiting. And with some relief, he realized he would get to explain.

“I know it seems that way, and I guess that’s how it starts,” Jason continued. “But RICO charges are about individuals.”‘

“No, they’re about conspiracy. It’s how they started prosecuting the mob in New York City,” Elizabeth said, and he frowned. “You think I’m not going to learn anything about the world my son’s father lives in?” she asked, folding her arms. “Okay. So Carly got herself in trouble, and the FBI was threatening RICO. What happened next?”

“That’s—that’s it. I didn’t need anything else. RICO—it’s—you said it yourself. It’s how they took apart families that had survived decades. It’s financial records and legal papers—everything gets scrutinized.” Jason grimaced, shook his head. “The warehouse and the coffee business — that’s gone. Any thing our money ever touched? Gone. The hospital could come under fire. Sonny’s donated so much money over the years. The hotel. They’d probably try to get into ELQ, which would kill Michael and Monica. And it would be everywhere. The boys—” Jason shook his head. “I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t—I couldn’t let everyone get destroyed. The hospital — it’s so important to you, and it’s where Emily and Alan and Monica—” He exhaled slowly. “If playing dead for a little while and getting this guy for the FBI was what it cost me to keep everything the people I love built safe, then it was an easy price to pay. And I’d do it again.”

He finally looked at her, and she was looking back at him, steady, her eyes soft. Not— “You’re not mad.”

“Not even a little bit. And anyone who thinks you would have made a different choice doesn’t know you very well.” She stepped towards him, setting a hand on his chest. “You’ve spent your entire life taking care of people, Jason. And the FBI handed you a way to take care of everyone at once. All you had to do was go away. I hate that we didn’t know. I hate we thought we’d lost you. Again. I hate every night you lost with your boys and with your mother. But when you weigh those two years against what we might have lost—I don’t see how anyone would expect you to do something different.”

He covered her hand with his, swallowing hard. “Thank you. That’s—Carly would have been the first domino. I did what I had to do. I found the name of Pikeman, and I handed it over. Cates — it wasn’t enough for him. He didn’t get the collar at the end of the job, and he had no leverage over me because the evidence against Carly disappeared.”

“And I’m guessing Agent Caldwell knows that.”

“Yeah, and he’s not exactly new to this. He investigated Shiloh’s murder. The one that put Sam in jail. I know he was angry about the sentence. He wanted her to go away long.” He grimaced, looked away. “And that he couldn’t rope me into it.”

“He’s going to have to get over it. You didn’t do anything, and there’s nothing they can do about that.”

“Yeah. Yeah. I know he’s not going away, but I can’t see how they pin this on me.” He squeezed her hand, and let it fall between them, so that he was still holding it. “I hate that this has set me back with Danny. I was close to convincing Sam to let me have more time, and I hate it. I don’t want Danny to feel like he has to choose between us, and I don’t know how it would go in court.”

“I mean, your criminal records would probably comparable,” she said dryly, and he managed a half smile. “But—”

“But there are those two years. I can’t really go around saying I was an informant. I just—” Jason shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if she’s just more upset because of what’s going on with her sisters. But…she and Spinelli were just hacking into the FBI to find out what the leverage was, so I don’t know why she’s insistent on keeping me from Danny.”

“She’s a hypocrite, Jason. But she has been since the day she decided you were too dangerous to be around Danny when she spent years convincing you the opposite.” Elizabeth made a face. “But I’m not going to let myself get in the middle of that.  For Danny — just keep making sure he knows you want to be in his life, the way you have for Jake. That’s all you can do right now.”

“I know. Thank you,” he added. He tipped his head towards the parking lot. “You ready to go?”

“Home? No. To take those turns really fast like we used to?” Elizabeth grinned. “Always.”

+36

Written in 65 minutes. Went a bit over, but hey 3k in 65 minutes ain’t bad, right?

PCPD: Conference Room

Anna leaned against the door frame of the room, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. “I’ll accept your apology any time you’d like to offer it.”

Caldwell, standing at a whiteboard already pinned with crime scene photos and dry erase marker notes, merely glanced at her, then returned to his reports. “What do we know from the preliminary autopsy?” he wanted to know.

“I’ve got the angle of the bullets—”

“Agent Caldwell, I could be a great asset if you’d allow it—”

“Well, I’m not intending to.” Caldwell turned to face her, gripping the back of a chair. “You’re too close to this situation, and you’ve been known to fraternize with all our major suspects, especially Jason Morgan.”

Anna lifted her brows. “I fail to see how Jason is a suspect, Caldwell, seeing as how two witnesses place him inside the house and have him running towards the crime scene after. But of course, you know that — you have the statements—”

“Unfortunately, thanks to you and the delay tactics at the Quartermaine estate, I was unable to finish my interrogation of even one of those boys. I could have cracked them like a nut—”

“Yes, Jake Webber appeared to very intimidated. I know this is a sensitive topic, Caldwell, seeing as how John was a federal agent, but you are absolutely racing down the wrong street if you think Jason Morgan would execute a man this way — on his family’s property and use his sons as alibi—”

“Yes, I know, I know, the honorable mobster. I’ve heard it all before.”

“An intelligent mobster,” Anna corrected. “And there’s a difference. You must know his work with the FBI these last two years — you can’t survive inside the Pikeman organization without common sense.”

Caldwell hesitated. “I would say that this doesn’t match the profile of anything else he’s been involved in,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be willing to change his tactics if he wanted someone dead. And believe me, Commissioner, Jason Morgan wanted John Cates dead.”

Anna straightened. “Why would he care about Cates? The Pikeman deal is done. Jason is free—”

“And he wanted to stay that way.” Caldwell came towards her, reached for the door. “Thank you for your input, but we’ll take it from here.” Then closed it in her face.

Webber House: Living Room

Jason could tell from Elizabeth and Jake’s started expressions that they’d had no idea what he’d been up to while he was gone — and that working for the FBI was obviously at the bottom the list.

Elizabeth recovered sooner, shifting slightly so that she was standing next to Jake, facing him. “Cates was your handler? The entire time?”

“Yes. It’s why he was so aggressive when things went bad in March,” Jason added. “Why he was so intent on finding me. I made a deal with him to find the identity of someone, and I did that. He just wasn’t happy how things worked out.” He folded his arms, cognizant of the fact that Valentin had taken Charlotte on the run with him, and that, in a way, Jason was the reason she was gone. He didn’t want to give Jake one more reason to resent him.

“But you were done. It’s over,” Elizabeth said. “So why would they suspect you now?”

“Because Cates has been trying to get me to keep going. He didn’t get the ending for his career that he wanted,” Jason clarified, and hesitated. “I’m sorry, maybe I should have run this past you before saying anything to Jake,” he said to Elizabeth.

“No, I trust—Jake’s your son, Jason. I trust you to know what to tell him, and what not to tell him.” Elizabeth looked at their son. “Jake—”

“All that time you were gone—” Jake rubbed his mouth. “You—you were working with the government? Like—like undercover?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry—”

“So that’s why you couldn’t tell us.” Jake swallowed hard. “Because it would have blown your cover. And maybe me or Mom or anyone here would have been in danger.”

“Yes, but—”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” Jake asked, bewildered, his voice a little thready. “Why would you—you didn’t even argue with me when—” He closed his hand into a fist at his side, shook his head. “I don’t get you, Dad. I don’t. You never defend yourself. Even when you should. Danny’s mom went nuts on you like she didn’t just serve time for a murder a few years ago—”

“Jake—” Elizabeth said softly, touching his shoulder, but Jake shook his head.

“You don’t stand up for yourself, and you just let us all think these awful things—except I guess I’m the only one who did. Right? Because Mom knew you’d never leave us unless you had to, a-and Danny knew, but I didn’t—”

“Hey.” Jason stepped forward, took Jake by the shoulders. “You had every right to feel that way, Jake. Look at me,” he said, when his son dropped his eyes. Jake lifted his gaze to meet Jason’s. “I have never been here as much as I should have, and we both know that. But being away from you for two years, knowing you and your brother and your mom and my family were here, thinking I was dead, I made a promise to myself that if I could get the chance to come home, I would make you my top priority. Nothing and no one would be more important than you and Danny.”

Jake pressed his lips together, nodding. “I know. I know. A-and y-you’ve done that. I’m sorry—”

“It’s all right.” Jason jolted when Jake hugged him, squeezing tight, the way he had when he was younger. “It’s all right.”

Jake stepped back, clearing this throat, running a hand through his hair. “Um, so I guess even though me and Danny would be your alibis, they’ll probably try to talk to us again, right?”

“Right. But don’t talk to anyone unless Diane is with you. Do you have her number?” Jason wanted to know.

“I send you her contact information,” Elizabeth told her son. “You did such a good job today, Jake. Really. And I’m sorry you had to go through any of this. That you were interrogated that way—”

“It’s okay.” Jake shrugged, jerking one shoulder and shoving his hands back in his pocket. “Better than me than Danny. He’s got no chill, you know? Me, I get mad and I just start being a smart ass, like Mom. Danny? He’s his mom. Just zero to sixty rage bomb. It was kind of fun watching that guy’s vein throb.” He indicated to his neck. “You know the one? Like when he was trying to piss me off and I just asked him for a soda.”  He snorted. “Really thought he was gonna turn me against Dad because of our last name. What a dork.”

“Some people take names very seriously,” Elizabeth said, when Jason just shook his head at Jake’s nonchalant attitude towards being interrogated by a federal agent.

“But we don’t. I mean, Dad loves his mom and he doesn’t have her last name anymore, right? It’s just a label.  You make it what you wanna make it, and I’m cool with mine.” Jake lifted his brows. “Do you guys have anything else you want to run by me, or do you want me to go away so you can talk without me?”

“I—” Elizabeth looked at Jason. “I don’t have anything, do you?”

“No. No, I don’t.” Still thrown by Jake’s reaction to the news about his FBI status and being interrogated by the FBI, Jason continued, “You did a good job tonight. With any luck, they’ll get a hit on who really did this, and we won’t have to worry about any of this after tonight.”

“I’m gonna go crash. Night, Mom.” He kissed his mother’s cheek, then jogged towards the stairs. “Night, Dad,” he called over his shoulder.

As if it were any other night.

Jason and Elizabeth looked at each other for a beat, then back at the stairs, and then Elizabeth sighed. “Well, he’s been unpredictable since before he was born, I don’t know why he’d change now.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Dante could hear the raised voices before he even pushed open the door, revealing Sam and Danny in the middle of an argument, Danny’s face was so florid with frustration and anger that Dante scarcely recognized him.

“You don’t get to be in charge of me!” Danny thundered.

“Whoa, whoa—” Dante tossed his keys on the desk. “What’s going on here?”

Sam whirled on him, and her expression didn’t ease one bit. “What the hell were you doing when the feds hauled Danny into the station? Why didn’t you stop them?”

Dante lifted his brows. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me! Danny’s being questioned by the FBI, and you don’t stop it, you don’t call me. What the hell, Dante? Why didn’t you protect him?”

“She’s been unhinged all night. Yeah, that’s right,” Danny retorted when Sam spun back. “I called you a raging lunatic you lunatic!”

“Danny, first—don’t talk like that to your mother, even if it’s accurate.” When Sam turned him, her nostrils flaring, Dante pointed at her. “And we’re going to start this conversation over because I sure as hell know you didn’t just accuse me of leaving Danny out to dry or demand I obstruct a federal investigation.”

Sam scowled. “Then what’s your excuse—”

“My excuse is that I didn’t know Danny was a damned witness when I got to the house,” Dante cut in, and she closed her mouth. “I follow orders, Sam. That’s what you do when you have a boss. Anna sent me and Chase down to take statements and to investigate the crime scene before the Feds took it over. No one told me Danny was a witness.”

“And the Quartermaines tried to stop it, I told you! Brook Lynn almost got arrested when they grabbed my arm—”

“They grabbed your arm—” Sam hissed. “I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him. I knew letting you see him was a bad idea—”

“This wasn’t Dad’s fault! I told you, crazy lady, Dad was in the house! The opposite direction, or are you so mad at him that you’ve lost your damn mind!”

“Danny,” Dante said sharply, and Danny closed his mouth, but his eyes were glittering with furious tears, and Dante softened slightly. “Danny, why don’t you go upstairs, let me and your mom sort this out.”

“It’s not fair—” Danny’s voice broke now. “My dad loves me, and I want to be with him, and you’re making it impossible. She started insulting Jake’s mom, and it’s not fair—”

“Go upstairs,” Dante said, again and this time, Danny listened, lurching towards the stairs, and thundering up the steps. A moment later, the door slammed. Dante looked at Sam, with her own tear-stained cheeks. “Where’s Scout?”

“W-What?” Sam frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“She’s still with her father. Who lives on the Quartermaine property. Who was in jail a year ago for committing crimes. If what happened today is Jason’s fault, it has to be Drew’s, too, doesn’t it? Isn’t anyone who was in the house complicit—”

“It’s not the same and you know it. Dante, damn it, we were on the same page about this—”

“We were on the same page when I wasn’t sure what Jason was gonna do when he got home. When he was asking Danny to hide him while he was a fugitive. When he was  getting shot up in the warehouse,” Dante continued, and Sam lifted her chin. “But the case is over. Jason’s deal with the FBI is done. And you know that because Carly’s charges are gone. But, hey, let’s say we’re wrong. Let’s say Jason’s still wrapped up in this life. There’s zero evidence that what happened today has anything to do with Jason. He was in the house, Sam. Unless you think Jake and Danny are lying.”

“I don’t.” Sam exhaled slowly. “I don’t,” she repeated. “And I know—I know Jason would never do something like this, involve his sons. I know all of that, but Dante, I’m not wrong. Violence always seems to find him. That explosion at the Floating Rib that put Lulu in that coma—Danny was inches from losing his life, too. I can’t forget that. I won’t.”

“No one is asking you to.” Dante went to her, kissed her forehead, and she leaned into his embrace. “But Danny’s getting at an age where you don’t get to be in charge of his world anymore. He’s going to push back at every boundary you set. And he’s not going to be nice about it. He’s got your temper.”

“I know.” Sam sighed, rubbed his arms, then stepped back. “But it’s not going to stop me from trying. I waited for years to have children, I waited for a miracle, and Danny’s my miracle. I won’t let anything get in the way of keeping him safe.”

Webber Home: Kitchen

Elizabeth set the mug of coffee down in front of Jason and slid onto the stool next to him with her own cup. “Sorry, instant isn’t nearly as good the real stuff, even if it’s Corinthos brand.”

“It’s fine.” Jason sipped, then set it on the counter. “I’m sorry. Again. For not telling you about the FBI earlier.”

Elizabeth didn’t answer right away, concentrated on stirring sugar into her coffee. “I think you probably would have told me if I’d pushed you. If I’d demanded answers.” She glanced at him. “Am I wrong?”

He thought of Sam and Carly and Sonny, all of whom had known for months because he’d had little choice but to tell them. Not that it had helped. “No. But—”

“I wanted you to tell me,” Elizabeth said, cutting him off. “Not to drag the information from you, but for you just…tell me. I’ve seen you, Jason, when people push at you. You shut down, and you start to avoid them.” Her lips curved into a slight, sad smile. “I’ve been there. And I’ve learned my lesson.”

“I—” He had no argument for that line of attack. “I know—I know that. I’m trying to be better. About…being open. I mean, if I’d told Jake sooner—” He looked towards the direction of the stairs, though he couldn’t see them from this angle. “I was never very good at telling people anything. But the last few years…” He picked up his coffee.

“Working undercover must have been difficult. Painful,” Elizabeth added.

“I was a mercenary,” he told her bluntly, but she didn’t flinch, and her eyes didn’t change, so he continued. “The job was to infiltrate Pikeman and find out the leader of the organization. To do whatever I had to do to get that name.”

“Pikeman,” Elizabeth repeated. “Valentin. That’s why Cates was angry. Because Valentin got away.” She tipped her head. “Am I supposed to think less of you, Jason, because of what you had to do? That you did what was needed so you could come home?”

“I was good at what I did,” Jason said. He met her gaze directly. “I had to be. No room for mistakes.”

“No room to be yourself,” she murmured. His hand was loosely fisted on the counter between them, and she laid her own over it, her skin soft and smooth against the roughness of his own. “If you’d let anything slip—”

“They’d have used it against me. Killed me, come after my family, the boys, you, Monica, Michael, anyone who mattered—” Jason looked at their joined hands. “Sometimes…sometimes,” he said quietly, “I’d almost forget who I was. Where I came from. What I was trying to get back to. But then someone would say my name. The name I chose.” He met her eyes again. “Alan. Alan Jacobs.”

Her eyes filled, and her thumb stroked the back of his hand, sensations sliding up his arm, then down again. “I’m glad you came home to us. We were surviving, but it’s so much better with you.”

“All the time I spent being terrified that someone would found out about Jake, about Danny, you, Michael—” his throat felt tight. “I wasted so much time. So much of my life thrown away because of a choice I made when I was too stupid to know better. I’m done with that. All of that. I’m not going back what I used to be. I’ve got a second chance with the people that matter, and I’m not going to let anyone take it from me.”

Davis House: Kristina’s Bedroom

Kristina closed the door behind her, then leaned against it. Sam had called only a little while earlier — Danny had been released from the station, though she was worried and so was Dante — that the FBI wasn’t going to let go of Jason that easily.

She hadn’t thought about the boys being at the estate. Hadn’t thought about any thing other than somewhere she knew her father wouldn’t be, but of course Jason was there.

And maybe that would be the key.

Kristina dropped her bag on the bed, then slid her hand inside until her fingers touched velvet. Drawing out the pouch, she pulled at the string, then slid the gun out into her hands.

Could she…was it possible?

She slid her fingers over the cold metal, then looked up, finding herself in the mirror. If she didn’t find a way to keep suspicion off herself or her father —

And wasn’t it Jason’s fault John Cates had come to town at all? Isn’t that what Sam had told her in a rage? That Jason was working for Cates?

Jason had brought that man into Kristina’s world. Maybe it was time he paid for that.

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