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.”

+35

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.”

+37

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.

+36

Written in 64 minutes. I need to go over a little, sorry 😛

Port Charles Police Department: Squad Room

He’d introduced himself as Special Supervisory Agent Edward Caldwell, but Jake hadn’t heard much after that — he’d been too busy worrying if they were waiting to talk to Danny or if his younger brother was in another room being questioned. Danny knew to be quiet, but he was also impulsive, and he had a temper. Would he handle this or would he crumble?

And how pissed was his mom going to be when she found out Jake had been hauled down to the station in the back of a squad car—

“Are you listening, young man?”

Jake blinked, focused on the man with the shiny bald head and sour expression sitting across from him. “Is my mom here yet?”

“Your mom can’t help you.” Caldwell leaned forward, his eyes dark, intense. “It’s a crime to lie to the FBI. To obstruct the investigation into the murder of a federal agent.”

Jake folded his arms on the table, leaned forward until their eyes met. “Cool story, dude. Is. My. Mother. Here. Yet.”

Caldwell clenched his jaw. “You think this is a game?”

“I think I asked if my mother was here yet.”

“Mr. Morgan—”

“My name is Jacob Webber. I don’t have my father’s name. Not that it matters to you. If you’re going to hold me against my will, you can at least address me properly. Can I get a soda or something while I’m waiting for my mom?”

“Ah, some tension between you and your father. Did he not want to give you his name—”

Jake rolled his eyes, leaned back. “Oh, man. If this is the best you can do, no wonder you’re wasting your time with me.”

“You think you’re smart, young man? Offering me nothing but attitude—”  Caldwell broke off when he heard something outside the door. Raised voices.

Jake grinned. “I think you’re about to meet my mother.”  He leaned back. “She does not like when people mess with her kids.”

“I can handle your mother—” Caldwell retorted, but then the door flung open, and Jake’s mother stormed in, the carefully coifed curls of the late morning disheveled, her cheeks flushed, and — was she wearing sneakers?  Behind her, Jake could just make out his father and Diane arguing with a couple of uniforms.

“Sorry, sir—” An agent rushed up behind Elizabeth, reached for her but the heat in her eyes had him lowering his hand. “She, uh, ducked underneath my arm and I couldn’t catch her.”

“Short but feisty,” Jake said. He got to his feet. “Hey, Mom.”

“Jake.” Elizabeth lifted her chin when Caldwell also rose, taking a step towards her. The man naturally towered her, but Elizabeth didn’t back up even a centimeter. “Let’s go, Jake. We’re leaving.”

“I’m not finished with him yet. Now go and wait outside before I have you arrested—”

“You’re not finished with him? He’s not free to go? Great.” Elizabeth looked back to the squad room. “Diane, Jake’s in custody. He needs you.” She turned back to Caldwell. “If you’ve arrested my son, then he has the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. We’re invoking it, aren’t we, Jake?”

“You bet.” Jake shoved his hands in his pockets, enjoying the way the federal agent swallowed hard, as if biting back something nasty.

“He’s not under arrest, but—”

“Then he’s free to go. Jake, we’re leaving.” Elizabeth gestured to Jake who started across the room, but Caldwell stepped between them. “Get out of his way and let us leave. Or you and I will leave this room so Jake can speak to his attorney alone. I know my rights.”

Caldwell reluctantly stepped aside, grimacing. “Mr. Webber, you’re free to go.”

“Don’t I know it.” Jake looked at his mother. “Danny?”

“Where’s Danny Morgan?” Elizabeth wanted to know.

“Daniel Morgan is not your son—”

“But he is mine,” his father said, stepping up behind Elizabeth. Diane wedged in between Elizabeth and the door. “And you’re getting him right now.”

“Unless he’s under arrest—”

“Simmons!” Caldwell bit out, interrupting Elizabeth. The agent who had tried to stop his mother came back to the door. “Fetch the other kid. They’re leaving.”

“Uh, okay, sir.”

Elizabeth gestured for Jake to follow them, and he gratefully exited the interrogation room. “We’ll talk outside,” she murmured to him, taking his arm, squeezing it. “But you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t in there more than a few minutes. And I mostly just gave him a headache.”

“That’s my boy,” Elizabeth said, looking back to the doorway of the room where Jason and Diane were still waiting. Jake exhaled in relief when Danny appeared a moment later, still looking bewildered.

“And Agent Caldwell—” Diane turned, smiled at him sweetly. “In addition to not speaking with Danny and Jake again without notifying me in advance, you should also consider their parents off limits.”

“Ms. Miller,” the agent said flatly.

Jason and Elizabeth hustled both boys into the parking lot, and Jake was dying to debrief the whole situation, find out what Danny was up to, reassure his parents he’d kept his mouth shut other than being a smart ass—

But they’d no sooner reached the exterior steps of the police station then Danny made a face. “Oh, damn it. Dad, it’s been nice knowing you—”

He’d spotted his mother charging towards them before anyone else, and with her flushed cheeks and glittering eyes, furious didn’t even begin to describe it. “What the hell is going on? Why were you dragged into the PCPD?”

She met them at the bottom of the steps, snagged Danny by the elbow and pulled him away from the group, towards her. “What the hell is going on, Jason? I let you take our son for one day, and you’ve got him arrested—”

“They weren’t arrested,” Diane began, but Sam silenced her with one glare.

“Mom, Dad didn’t even do anything,” Danny began.

“This wasn’t about me—” Jason said at the same time.

“You might not give a damn if our son spends time in a squad car, but I sure as hell do! I don’t want him to make the same mistakes you did and end up with a felony record,” Sam broke in. “You can’t even handle Danny with supervision, though I don’t know what I expected—didn’t Cameron get arrested?” she snarled at Elizabeth. Jake bristled but his mother just rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, and I got immunity for kidnapping a few years ago—no one’s a saint here.”

“I mean, I am,” Jake said, and Elizabeth pinched. “Ow, well I am! This was my first arrest—well, fake arrest. But Danny, this is like your third trip in a squad car, yeah? Didn’t you get busted a bunch of times last year for curfew?”

Danny brightened. “Yes, yes I did. Before Dad came home,” he finished in a mumble when his mother turned her glare on him. “Well, you can’t blame him for that—”

“We’re going home, and this is the last time—”

Jason stepped in front of Sam before she could drag Danny to the parking lot. “That’s enough. I’ve done everything you’ve wanted since I got home. I’ve limited my time with my son, I’ve even let you push Jake and Elizabeth in the middle of this by agreeing to these supervised visits. I’ve done everything you’ve asked—”

“Do you want a cookie or something—”

“Nothing about today is my fault. I didn’t kill that man, and I sure as hell didn’t want the boys to be taken in for questioning—”

“What did you think would happen when the FBI found out they could question Jason Morgan’s sons?” Sam retorted. She stepped towards him. “You make their lives worse just by existing. And you know it. Elizabeth can do whatever the hell she wants with her kid, but you’re done ruining Danny’s life—”

“Mom, come on!” Danny protested. “This is so unfair! Dad wasn’t even there! He was inside—”

“Wherever he goes, violence follows. We’re done here.”

“Danny, it’s okay. For tonight,” he added when Danny looked at him, hurt. “We’ll fight about this later. Not in front of the PCPD.”

“Okay. I—they never got to talk to me, Dad,” Danny called as Sam started to drag him towards the parking lot.

Elizabeth exhaled slowly, folding her arms. “She’s lost her damn mind,” she muttered. “Jason—”

“Let’s just go,” Jason said, and started for the car. Elizabeth looked at Jake, who felt pretty awful now. His dad hadn’t done anything wrong, and Danny’s mom had just suggested it would have been better off if he’d stayed gone.

If he’d stayed dead to them.

“Can I call her a bitch now or wait for you to be out of earshot?” Jake wanted to know. Elizabeth sighed, but he saw the hint of a smile.

“Come on. I want to get out of here as much as your father does.”

Davis House: Living Room

Alexis whirled around when the door opened, and she exhaled in relief when she saw Kristina coming in. “Oh, thank God. Your phone, you didn’t answer, and I realized you left it here—”

Kristina set her bag down, and rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left the way I did. I was just upset. A-and—” Her eyes watered. “I went to the apartment. It…it was the first time since…and Ally’s stuff—” She closed her eyes, pressed her hands to her mouth. “It’s gone. I knew it would be, but—”

“Sweetheart.” Alexis came to her, embraced her. “I’m sorry. It’s been a lot, and God, I hate to add to it, but your sister got a call a little while ago—someone killed Cates. At the Quartermaine barbecue—”

Kristina jerked back, her eyes wide. “What? Oh my God! What was he doing there? Who did this? And oh—Sam got a call—did something happen to Dante or Danny—”

Alexis took Kristina’s hands. “Nothing. Nothing. They’re both fine. Except Danny apparently heard the gunshots, and the FBI is already involved. They went to take Danny in for questioning—”

Kristina gasped. “Oh my God! Why? Why? How could they get away with that—why aren’t you on your way to the station—”

“Jason had already called Diane, and I know she’ll get Danny out of there. And your sister was too angry to wait for me anyway.” Alexis pressed two fingers to her lips. “This is just awful. The feds will be asking you questions, they’ll be coming after me—and your father—Christ, who knows where he is—Sam said he wasn’t at the penthouse when she was looking for you earlier.”

“He’s—” Kristina stilled. “Mom, he would never do this. Not like this,” she insisted when Alexis shook her head. “I mean, the kids were there! Michael was there! He wouldn’t.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean they won’t look at him for this. That’s why they took in Jake and Danny. They apparently heard the gunshots — and then saw Jason coming out of the house. They’re his alibis.”

“Oh.” Kristina hesitated. “They’re never going to believe them. The Feds. They never believe anyone connected to the family.”

“No, they won’t. It’s such a mess—and to make it worse for Jason — Elizabeth and Michael found the body, and Jason was on the scene a few minutes later. Both of them have lied for Jason before, and would again.” Alexis combed her hands through her hair. “But I can’t think about this anymore. I can’t. I just need to hear from your sister that Danny is okay.”

“She’ll call any minute. It’ll be okay.” Kristina hugged her mother with one arm. “You said it yourself. Diane will take care of everything, and Danny will have a crazy story to tell at school.”

“God willing.”

SUV: Interior

The sun had completely set by the time they were back on the road, and Elizabeth sat in the passenger seat, her mind racing. Since the moment she’d heard the gunshot until right now, she’d been on a mad adrenaline rush, with very little downtime other than standing next to a dead body.

Now that it was over, that Jake was safe, and that they were all together again — she couldn’t shut down her thoughts. She picked up the phone, slid through the contacts until she found Laura. Waiting for the call to connect, she looked at Jason, his face almost completely in shadows, lit only by a passing street light.

What was he thinking? That horrible scene with Sam—

“Elizabeth, thank Heavens. Please tell me everything is okay!”

“Hey. We’re okay. We’ve got Jake—” Elizabeth rested her forehead on her palm. “Thank you for taking Aiden with you. I didn’t know how long things would be, and I didn’t even think about it until I saw your text—”

“No, honey, of course. You did exactly what you should have. Did you want me to run him home—”

“Can you—” She looked at Jason again, and he glanced at her, then faced forward again. Turning her attention back to Laura, she said, “Can you keep him tonight? We didn’t really have a chance to talk to Jake afterwards, and we really just want…we need to talk to him.”

“Of course. Tell Jake I love him, and let him know if he needs anything, anything at all—”

“I will, thanks.” She clicked the phone off, laid it in her lap. “Jake—”

“I didn’t say anything to him,” her son interrupted. “Ned told us at the house not to say anything until we talked to him, and, you know, I know not to say anything without Diane. It’s just—we didn’t do anything. We were just standing on the terrace.”

“They know. Your father gave a statement back at the house. He heard the shots, came out to talk to you, and then left you there. I’m sorry—” Elizabeth looked at Jason again, but his profile was still, his hands tightly wrapped around the steering wheel.

“That guy—Caldwell—you should have seen his face when he found out who we were. Like a kid on Christmas,” Jake said bitterly. “Just because of our dad, he put us in squad cars, and put me in an interrogation room.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said, speaking for the first time, his voice a bit rough, uneven. “I never—”

“I kept asking him for you, Mom, but it’s like he didn’t get it,” Jake went on. “And he tried to make me mad at you, Dad. Like, he called Mr. Morgan, and I corrected him because well, he’s an ass, but then he was like, oh, your dad didn’t love you enough to give you his name—”

“What?” Elizabeth twisted in the seat. “What?”

“Jake, that’s not—”

“Which is stupid,” Jake continued, interrupting them both. “I have Mom’s last name because she’s my mom and it was her last name. Why shouldn’t I have her name? I mean yours is fine, Dad, and I guess I don’t never thought about it. But if that’s the best he could do—”

Jason pulled the SUV up to the curb at Elizabeth’s house. “Jake—”

“I don’t care, Dad. About what he said. You should just know what he was trying to do.” Jake unsnapped his belt buckle, and slid out of the car, but his parents sat for another minute.

Elizabeth looked at Jason, her throat tight. “Jason—”

“Because of me, my sons were hauled into the station, and treated like criminals.” Jason fisted his hand, hit the steering wheel once, and then got out of the car.

Elizabeth reached for her bag, and got out as well. Jake had already unlocked the door, and Jason waited for her before he went in.  Once inside, she kicked off the uncomfortable sneakers, and tossed her bag on the chair.

Jake stopped by the sofa, looking at them both. “You told Grandma Laura that you wanted to talk. About what?”

“I—” Elizabeth bit her lip, looked at Jason who rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry about tonight,” Jason said. “All of that—you’re right. It’s my fault—”

“What? No it’s not.” Jake shoved his hands in his pockets. “Danny’s mom was way over the line with all that shit. You had nothing to do with what happened today. You were in the house.”

“I know that, and you know that,” Jason said, sounding pained, “but—”

“It doesn’t matter to them, and that’s crap. I want to tell them what I saw and I heard, and I should be able to do that, but I can’t because they don’t care. They already think they know everything, and it makes them stupid. First, you wouldn’t do what they said because it’s Grandma Monica’s house,” Jake said, “and second, me and Danny were right there, and Mom and Michael, too. Anyone who thinks all four of us have to be lying are just assholes, and if it wouldn’t give Mom a headache, I’d tell them that.”

Jason opened his mouth, but had nothing to say, so completely stunned by his son’s defense. “I—”

“Look, we got our problems, okay? I’m—” Jake looked away, and some of his bravado slipped. “We’ve got our problems,” he repeated, in a quiet voice. “But that doesn’t change the basic facts of who you are. I just think it’s shit that they don’t need anymore evidence other than you breathing the same air to accuse you. I mean, did you even really know the guy who got killed?””

“I—” Jason shook his head slightly, still thrown by the direction of the conversation, then looked at Elizabeth, who was smiling at her son, her eyes shimmering with tears. And realized he’d never told them anything about Cates. About why he’d be a suspect.

He’d never told them anything they deserved to know.

“There’s a reason they’ve put me on the list, and you—you both should have known a long time ago.” Jason paused. “The two years I was gone—I was working an informant for the FBI. And Cates was my handler.”

+45

Written in 58 minutes. This story is so much fun to write, I actually can’t wait to write another update tonight 😛

Quartermaine Estate: Boat House

Elizabeth watched Michael disappear when the trail curved around a group of trees, then looked back at her hands, still streaked with blood. And barely three feet away, John Cates’ dead body lay crumpled on the terrace, his lips gone slack.

M-m-my s-son—

The sob rose so quickly in her throat that she nearly choked on it, and she had to turn away. Jason’s hands came up again, resting on the shoulders left bare by her strapless sundress. “Hey—”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry—I know he wasn’t a good man—” She looked at him, feeling the hot trail of tears as they slid down her cheeks. “I know what he was d-doing to K-Kristina—and I’ve had patients die before, but—”

“He wasn’t your patient,” Jason reminded her gently, with none of the condemnation she expected reflected back at her. “And you’re not at work. You didn’t come here today expecting—” He looked past her, and even his face seemed a bit colorless. “None of us expected this.”

“His last words—they were about his son—and I just—” She waved a hand near her face as if it could stop the flood of emotions. “Oh, God, our boys were just a hundred feet away and they were just here—” She went to swipe at her eyes but inhaled sharply remembering the blood on her hands. “Damn it.”

Jason cupped her jaw gently with both hands, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. “When I heard the shots—all I could think about was finding Jake and Danny. I knew it came from the lake, I was afraid—” He shook his head, curled an arm around her shoulder and drew her against him. She pressed her forehead against his chest, feeling some the tension ease when she felt his heart pounding beneath her cheek. “And then he said you and Michael were down here—this isn’t supposed to happen here.”

“Who could do something like this with so many witnesses?” she murmured.

“I don’t know.” She felt his lips briefly against her forehead. “I’m so damn glad it’s not you laying on this deck. Or anyone that matters to me,” he added. His arm tightened a bit around her shoulders.

“I can’t wait to give our statements and be done with this,” she said, drawing back slightly. “I mean, they can’t possibly think of any us would be involved. You were in the house. Dozens of people must have seen you.”

Jason opened his mouth, then pressed his lips together, and reached in his pocket. “I was alone when I heard the shots. I hadn’t reached the boys yet.”

“B-but you came out of the house.” Elizabeth watched him swipe something on his phone. “Jake and Danny saw you.”

“I know. But all the same—” He lifted the phone to his ear. “Hey, Diane? Just putting you on alert. No, I’m not under arrest…”

Quartermaine Estate: Living Room

Tracy Quartermaine paced from the windows to the fireplace, then back. “I need another—” A glass of wine appeared in front of her, and she offered Sasha a reluctant nod. “Thank you.”

“Of course. We’re all shaken up—” The Quartermaine cook hesitated. “Well, except maybe Drew—”

“Still closeted in with his damn campaign manager and Nina trying to decide how to spin the murder of a federal agent,” Ned muttered. “Took him five minutes to make this about himself.”

“That’s a record for this family,” his ex-wife Lois offered, lifting her own tumbler of liquor to her lips. “Are the cops here yet?”

Brook Lynn appeared in the doorway, a bit irritated. “You know, maybe there’s something to be said for children should be seen and not heard. I don’t think I want kids anymore.”  She frowned, noticing Jake, Danny, Rocco, and Aiden hovering by the windows, all looking out the window towards the gardens. “Hey! Didn’t you get the memo? Kids are upstairs—”

“Kids,” Danny repeated. “Not teenagers. I mean, if you want Rocco to go upstairs because he’s only thirteen—”

“For two more weeks,” Rocco argued. “No one’s making me go to the nursery!”

“Rocco,” Olivia hissed, making a beeline for her grandson. “Don’t make a scene. All of you—”

“I think maybe Danny and I need to stay down here,” Jake said, and Brook Lynn looked at them, furrowed her brow. “We’re…we’re the ones that saw Dad come out of the house. After we heard the gunshots.”

“Of course—Jason needs his sons to be his alibi—you see this is why you don’t bring criminals to the house—” Tracy began, but broke off when Laura Collins came in, with the deputy mayor, Jordan Ashford, on her heels. “Laura. Please tell me the authorities are here—”

“I know the PCPD are enroute, but I’ve just had a call from the FBI field office.” She sighed. “They’ve already been informed and will be taking over the case the second they arrive.”

The doorbell rang, and few minutes later, Anna appeared in the doorway flanked by Dante and Chase. Chase immediately headed for his wife, while Dante went to his son. “Michael is taking the uniforms down to the boathouse, but I’m told there were some witnesses up here.” She made a face. “I wish he hadn’t left the body alone—”

“Oh, he didn’t.” Tracy lifted her brows. “He left it with Jason.” She sipped her wine. “I said it was like putting the butcher in with the dairy cows, but no one thought it was funny.”

“Mother.” Ned offered her an irritated glare before looking at Anna. “Elizabeth is down there. From what Michael said, she offered first aid, but Cates was beyond her help. Jason arrived a few minutes later.”

“I’ll let Jason establish his own alibi, thank you,” Anna said dryly. “Dante, Chase, I want you to go down to the crime scene. Handle it and take statements. Uh, Chase, make sure you’re the one who takes Jason’s statement.”

Dante squeezed Danny’s shoulder before exiting the room with his partner in tow.

“Where are my other witnesses?” Anna asked.

Danny raised his hand. “Uh, that’s us. And we’re Dad’s alibi, too, I guess.”

Anna looked at them, exhaled slowly. “Just the two of you?”

“I mean, I guess so, right—” Danny looked at Jake, then back at Anna. “Why?”

“Nothing. All right, the two of you need to be separated immediately and will need to have a uniform with you at all times.”

Ned stepped in front of the boys. “That’s not really necessary, is it—”

“Either they go to separate rooms or we take them in for questioning. That’s it.”

“Questioning!” Danny repeated with a nervous laugh. “What? Why? We were just—” Jake sent him a look, and he closed his mouth.  Ned turned to them.

“That’s right. No talking,” Ned told him. He looked at Jake. “You, either. Wait for your parents.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Jake said, grimly.

Quartermaine Estate: Boat House

The uniforms that had followed Michael down to the boat house had already separated Jason and Elizabeth for whatever good it did, and Dante went inside the boat house where Elizabeth was waiting, staring down at the now-dried blood on her hands.

“That’s the Quartermaines for you,” he said with a forced light one. “Never a dull moment.” She smiled weakly, then got to her feet. “So, what happened?”

“I don’t really know. I—I was with the kids on the terrace. We called them up from the lake when the sun started to set. You know, the, uh, lifeguard wasn’t there and—” She curled her fingers in her palms, not wanting to see the blood anymore. “I was getting ready to pack up.”

“Which kids were with you?” Dante asked, pulling out his notepad.

“Well, mine — Jake and Aiden. Danny and Rocco. Rocco and Aiden went into find Laura, and Michael asked me if we could talk for a few minutes.” It couldn’t have been more than hour, she thought, but it already felt like a lifetime. “We went down in the gardens, and left Jake and Danny on the terrace.”

“How far did you get with Michael?” Dante asked, scribbling.

“Oh, somewhere near the center of the rose garden, I guess. We stopped, and I think we were gonna start walking back, but then we heard the first sound.”

“And you recognized it?”

“Yes. We heard one shot, and we both started running.”

“Toward the gunfire?” Dante said dryly, and she wrinkled her nose.

“I didn’t think—for all we knew, there were just some kids leftover, Dante. I’m a nurse—” She shivered. “But it was just—it was just Agent Cates. He was alone—laying pretty much where—” She looked towards the door of the boat house. “Right where you saw him. I tried to help him—I knew it too late—” She looked at her hands. “He died. Before Michael could finish the 911 call.”

“And you didn’t see any evidence of anyone else? You didn’t hear any footsteps? Sounds in the trees of someone hiding?” Dante asked, and she looked at him. “How long did it take you to get down here?”

“Oh. God. I don’t even know. Maybe a minute? Two? I don’t know. How long does it take to walk down here? It wasn’t more than five minutes. I’m sure of that.”

“And when did Jason show up?”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “A few minutes after Michael and I did. After…after Cates took his final breath. He didn’t say anything—I mean, he just—he said ‘my son’ but even that—” She closed her eyes.

“Did you hear Jason coming?”

Puzzled, she opened her eyes, looked at him. “What?”

“Jason. Did you hear him coming through the trees? You said he came after you guys. Did you hear him?”

“I wasn’t listening. I was just—” She gestured with her hands. “But I probably wouldn’t have. They keep the pathway really clear, Dante.”

“Yeah, I know.” Dante flipped his notepad back. “But I gotta ask these questions, Liz. You know that. Otherwise, they start talking about objectivity. And the better my interview is, the less chance you got of having to do it twice.”

“What do you mean?”

“The feds are gonna take it over. But me and Chase taking these interviews — we might be able to make sure they look in the right direction.” He gestured towards the sink in the corner. “Because you and I both know, that while Jason’s gonna be on the list, there’s no way in hell he’d do any of this with you and the boys on the property, much less Michael and the rest of the family. Go wash up. I’ll see you outside.”

When she emerged from the boat house, she saw that Dante hadn’t been kidding — mingled with the PCPD uniforms, were coats with FBI emblazoned in bold yellow letters across the back. Michael and Jason had already been released and were waiting by the head of the path.

She flicked her gaze around — Cates was still laying there, photographs were being snapped. Her stomach lurched, and she knew she had to get out of there. And even more — she wanted to get Jason off the property before agents could think of a reason to detain him.

“You okay?” Jason asked when she reached them, his hand outstretched. She took it, gratefully, navigating the dirt awkwardly — one of her heels had snapped at some point, and she was limping from the uneven height.

“Yeah, I want to get the boys, and I want to get out of here,” she said.

“Before the feds decide to make all of this worse,” Michael said grimly. “Let’s go.”

Quartermaine Estate: Kitchen

Jason held the door open so that Michael and Elizabeth could go in before him. Elizabeth paused to yank off both her shoes. “So much for these,” she muttered, shoving them in a nearby trashcan.

“I’m sure we can find something to get you to wear home,” Michael said, as they traversed the long hallway towards the main sitting room. “Willow or Brook should be in your size, maybe.”

“I’m fine. I’ve got sneakers in my tote. I always—” Elizabeth broke off when they crossed the threshold into the sitting room. Tracy’s face was flush, Laura was on the phone, and Brook Lynn was in tears.

Jason looked around — and only saw Aiden and Rocco. The dread that had only started to ease when they’d made it out of the crime scene roared back. “Where are the boys?”

“W-we tried to stop them—” Brook Lynn managed, and Ned put an arm around his daughter.

“Anna tried to get them questioned here, separated them into rooms,” Olivia said, wringing her hands. “But some Fed came in here, barking orders, and the second he found out it was your boys who were witnesses—”

“Where did they take them?” Elizabeth demanded.

“The PCPD for questioning,” Tracy bit out. “And when we tried to interfere—”

“They threatened us with arrest. I thought—I thought maybe it was better not to make things worse,” Brook Lynn admitted. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry—”

His sons had been hauled into the police station on nothing more than who they were. Jason curled his hands into fists, took a deep breath, then looked at Elizabeth who was already fishing her phone from the pocket of her sun dress.

“I’m calling Diane,” she said. “Michael—”

“You left your bag with your sneakers on the back terrace. I’ll get it.” Michael took off in that direction.

“Meet us in the car,” Jason said, and Elizabeth nodded, heading for the foyer. He snagged his keys from his pocket, and when they reached the gravel lined driveway with still no Michael in sight, Jason didn’t even hesitate. He crouched down slightly, plucked Elizabeth up, and carried her over to the SUV.

Elizabeth curled one arm around his neck for balance, and with the other — “Diane? No, he’s still not under arrest but you need to get down to the PCPD. The FBI has the boys.”

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Written in 57 minutes.

Monday, September 2, 2024

 Quartermaine Estate: Hallway

There had been a time when Jason would have done anything and everything to avoid this house and nearly everyone in it — and when his mere presence would have encouraged questions rather than haphazard acknowledgment as he walked his mother to the elevator installed decades earlier for his grandmother, and his offer to see her to her room was politely rebuffed.

“Go find Elizabeth and the boys, and make your escape like you’ve been planning for hours,” she said to him with a smile. “Thank you for coming.” She squeezed his hand and he kissed her cheek. When she was safely on board, and the doors closed, he headed for the library in the back of the house which led out onto the garden terrace. The boys had spent the majority of the day down at the lake, and he figured he’d run into Elizabeth at some point.

He was alone in the hallway just outside the library when he heard a muffled, but familiar sound. Pop—

He was already halfway across the library when another round of shots, louder now, sounded. Pop, pop—

He flung the doors open, startling Danny and Jake who were looking out over the edge of the terrace, and he had only a moment to take in their shaken expressions as the relief flooded through him. His sons were safe — whatever it was, it hadn’t taken them—

“You’re both all right?” He took Jake by the shoulder, forgetting that his son loathed him, and Jake obviously didn’t remember either as he nodded his head.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re good—but—” He looked out towards the gardens which stretched down to the trail leading down to the lake. “M-Mom and Michael went that way—”

Elizabeth and Michael — His stomach dropped, but he looked at Danny, his hand still on Jake’s shoulders. “You both stay right here. Do you understand me? Don’t move.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Don’t move!” Jason ordered again, and then — because it was quicker than going to the other side of the terrace where the steps were, he hopped the fence, fell to the ground in a crouch and took off towards the gardens.

Jake took a step forward, as if to follow his father, then Danny grabbed him. “If you go after him, Dad’s gonna fry you. And if he leaves anything left over, your mother will kill you.”

Jake grimaced, looked back — his father had disappeared — “Yeah, okay. But you can’t go either. Because same.”

“So we’ll stay right here. It’s all probably fine,” Danny said, weakly. “An accident or something.”

“Or something.”

Quartermaine Estate: Boat House

Michael stumbled to a stop at the end of the dirt trail that connected the estate proper to the boat house and lake—then swallowed hard. On the deck outside the building, a man laid on his back, his hand raised in air in loose claws—

Oh, God. I know who that is.

Elizabeth nearly crashed into his back, then darted around him, her heeled sandals clicking across the wood, the sound breaking Michael’s stupor. He reached her side as she crouched next to the man—

“It’s Cates—” Elizabeth pressed one hand into the wound in his chest, grabbed his wrist to monitor his pulse with the other.  “Michael—”

“I’ve got it—” He fumbled for his phone, and it nearly slipped from his hands. He dialed with shaking fingers, waiting for the dispatch to pick up.

“John, John—” Elizabeth kept her voice even as she spoke the federal agent’s first name, and he looked at her, blood coming from his mouth, his chest barely moving. Just a flick of his clouded blue eyes, pupils dilated. “John, stay with me, we’re calling for help—”

Michael had turn away because he knew — he knew — the bloodstains — two shots to the gut, one to the chest — no matter how good a trauma nurse Elizabeth was, the paramedics wouldn’t be in time.

But he stepped away to give directions to the dispatcher, closing out his mind to man behind who had sworn war on his father—had his father done this, had he committed this heinous crime on Quartermaine property?

“John, listen to me, I need to you focus on me,” Elizabeth said, pressing hard on the chest wound, the one dangerously close to his heart. He choked, coughed, his lips parted, as if trying to say something. “John—

“M-m-my s-son—”

“We’ll get your son to the hospital, John. Just hold on—hold on—” Her voice faltered when the blood beneath her hand stopped spurting, his eyes closed—and his body went limp. She looked up at Michael, his back turned to her, then back at the dead man laid out in front of her.

Her hands trembled as she gently laid the hand she’d used for his pulse across his chest. “Michael.”

Michael turned to her, the phone still in his hand. “He didn’t make it, did he?”

“No.” She sat back on her heels, wiped her forehead with her forearm, trying to avoid smearing her face with blood — but it was all over her hands. She stared at the red streaks, only looking up when she heard footsteps thundering up the steps, and saw Jason.

He bypassed Michael, clearly seeing the younger man was on his feet and unharmed, but he saw Elizabeth on the ground, blood on her hands before he saw the body. He reached her, nearly sliding to his knees, so he could take her shoulders. “Are you hurt—” he asked, his voice rough—and then Jason stopped, took in the full scene, and his grip on her shoulders tightened for a moment before he flexed his fingers, and released her. “It’s Cates.”

“He just—” Her voice thickened, and she curled her bloody hands into fists. “It just…I couldn’t stop it—”

Jason got to his feet, then helped her up, his hands gripping her elbows, nearly half-lifting her. He kept an arm around her waist, drew her away from the body, his eyes still on the body, taking in the damage. “What happened? What—” He looked at Michael, then at her. “What’s he doing here?”

“I d-don’t know.” She took a deep breath, gathering herself. When she spoke again, her tone was even, almost normal. “Michael and I heard—we weren’t here.”

“We were in the gardens,” Michael said, and Jason scowled.

“And you ran toward the gunshots?” he demanded.

“I wanted—I thought—there might have been kids down here—” Elizabeth looked at him, the color fading from her already pale skin, leaving her almost chalky white. “I didn’t know—” But the realization of what he said, the danger she’d put herself in with her sons just a few hundred feet away. “Probably not the smartest thing I’ve done this year.”

“You think?” he muttered, then pulled her a little closer, thinking of how reckless she could be when she thought she could help someone.  “What’s your excuse?” he demanded of his nephew.

“It’s my property,” Michael said almost fiercely. “You ran towards it, too. And unless you decided to carry a weapon to the family barbecue, you’re as unarmed as we are.”

Jason grimaced because of course, Michael was right. “You called 911?”

“Yeah, they’re on their way—and—I told them we knew who it was. They know it’s an FBI agent, so they won’t take long.” His nephew looked down at the crumpled form. “I’ll go up and direct them down here. I’d—I’d suggest Liz come with me, but we shouldn’t…I don’t feel right leaving him alone, and—”

“Jason can’t be on the crime scene alone,” Elizabeth finished with a sigh. “This is such a mess.”

“And it’s just getting started,” Michael said. “I better get up to the house.”

Davis House: Living Room

Sam closed the door, then leaned against it, finding her mother standing by the fireplace, staring at the dark ashes. “I might have made it worse.”

“Not possible.” Alexis rubbed her temple, then looked at her daughter with a weary smile. “Kristina was so angry with me when she left—I don’t know why she thinks I can work miracles. Just because these charges are ridiculous, we still have to move through the system.”

“Well, I didn’t actually find Kristina. Her cell went straight to voicemail, and she wasn’t at any of her usual places, and no one’s home at Sonny’s penthouse. Or at least that’s what the guy at the front desk said.” Sam sat on the arm of the sofa. “Molly was home, and I thought—well, she’s just always been the reasonable one. I thought I could help her see Kristina’s perspective—”

“I’m sure that went over well,” Alexis muttered. She rubbed her face with both hands. “I’m not sure it’s fair to rely on Molly being reasonable in this situation. Not with Kristina going around talking about how the baby was her daughter—and God, if Molly knew Kristina was calling her Adela—”

“I don’t think it would surprise her,” Sam said, going to her mother’s side. “Look, we just have to ride this wave. Kristina’s charges will be dismissed, and she’ll be able to take a breath. And Ava—well, who knows how long this will take to go to trial, but with any justice in the world, Ava will be found guilty. We’ll get them through this, Mom. If we just stick together.”

Alexis pulled Sam in for a hug, kissing the top of her head. “What would I do without you?”

“Good thing you don’t have to find out.”

PCPD: Squad Room

 Anna Devane stepped into the squad room, and the grave expression had Dante rising from his chair. Across from him, his partner Harrison Chase looked up with a furrowed brow, then turned to see Anna approaching them.

“Anna?” Dante asked.

“We’ve had a dispatch call from the Quartermaines. Rocco and Danny are fine—” Anna said, raising her hands as they started to talk. “As is Brook Lynn. As far as I can tell, no one from the family itself is injured. But Michael reported a shooting down by the lake, and identified the victim as…John Cates.”

“Cates?” Chase grimaced. “Oh, hell. That list of suspects is going to be awful—” He winced, looked at Dante, likely remembering some of those suspects were family members. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. We’re not going to be the ones handling this, are we, Anna?” Dante said to the commissioner.

“What? Why?” Chase asked.

“The murder of an FBI agent is almost always a federal case. We can respond, and uniforms and paramedics are already en route, but I can guarantee you — the FBI will be taking this case over in a matter of hours.”

“Well, what if we didn’t tell them right away?” Dante asked. “Couldn’t we—”  He winced. “Not that I’m trying to protect anyone—”

“No, I don’t like the idea of the federal government coming into our jurisdiction either, but we require their cooperation with the gambling ring and smuggling operation—I can’t be risking our ability to use their resources to buy us a few hours. I want you both to head out to the estate, get a lay of the land, and I’ll contact their office.”

“Let’s go,” Dante said to Chase, picking up his call. “Let’s get as much as we can before the feds take over.”

Anna watched him go, wondering if Dante was asking out of curiosity or self-preservation—after all—his father and sister would be at the top of the list.

Then she picked up a nearby phone and dialed a familiar number. “Yes, I need to speak with SSA Edward Caldwell. No, it’s urgent. There’s been a murder. Agent John Cates is dead.”

In case anyone cares, I looked up this law, and it’s actually true that the murder of an FBI agent is almost always treated as a federal case, which I thought would be an interesting way to approach this story for reasons that will be made clear later 😛 You know me, I always try to go for as much realism as possible. See you tomorrow for a double update!

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See you on Thursday with another update of this story!

Quartermaine Estate: Kitchen Terrace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—

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

“Mols—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You don’t mean that—”

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

Quartermaine Estate: Garden Terrace

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

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

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

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

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

“Sure, what’s up?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And one more pop!

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

Quartermaine Estate: Gardens

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then silence.

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