Went a little over because my keyboard is still having issues, and the final scene needed to end just right 😛

Written in 67 minutes.

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At the sound of the elevator bell, Elizabeth glanced up and immediately dropped her pen, smiling. “Hey! You got my message!” She stepped out of the nurse’s station just as Aiden reached her side. He kissed her cheek. “I hope you didn’t have anything else planned—”

“Nothing that couldn’t be moved.” Aiden reshifted the strap of his bookbag so it rested more comfortably on his back. “You said it was important.”

“Mostly because I knew I’d late tonight, and I definitely wanted to touch base with you today.” She led him towards the conference room, closing the door once they were both inside. “Um, we haven’t really talked a lot about…your dad. I mean, you haven’t brought him up, and I guess—” She winced. “Selfishly, I was avoiding the conversation.”

“I don’t know what there is to say.” Aiden dropped his bag on the floor. “I tried to talk to him, he avoided my phone calls, but couldn’t wait to track down Jake to give his side.” He paused, somewhat uncertainly. “I felt like maybe he was trying to say I didn’t really matter, but Tobias said something that sounded better. Dad wanted to tell Jake his side, but mostly he was just trash talking Jake’s dad, and he was starting to go after you.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “Yeah, I definitely got the feeling he feels like this entire situation has been a little lop-sided—or that he was getting hit by bullets not meant for him. He’s not wrong, I guess. Sonny never said anything about him, and I think if Jason and I had had a moment to really sit and talk about this, maybe we could have found a way out of this—”

“Mom.” Aiden looked at her with such patience that her throat felt tight. “Jason didn’t say anything about Dad that wasn’t true, right? He had an affair and was addicted to drugs. These were facts. He just doesn’t like that I know them. Or that maybe I know who he had the affair with. I don’t care about that part. Well not anymore,” he added when she lifted her brows. “I did. But I got over it, I guess. Tobias said it happened to you. Before I was born. Jake’s dad is right. None of this has anything to do with me or Jake.”

“Well, I don’t know about that—”

Aiden held up his hand. “I’m not talking about what happened after Jake was born. I’m talking about what Mr. Corinthos said. About you lying to Jason. He knew when Jake was born, right? So whatever happens after that, it’s not just you. Mr. C wanted to hurt you, just like Dad wants to hurt you by telling me more crap that isn’t about me.” He jerked a shoulder. “He tried again on Thanksgiving, to talk about when you guys almost got back together before I was born. I told him I’m not interested.”

Elizabeth exhaled on a rush of breath. “You—you know if you have questions—”

“Maybe if you wanna tell me one day. When I’m older. When you want me to know,” he said. “I don’t care about what happened before I was born, and I think Jake is starting to remember what matters. I remember who was there when I had trouble in school, when I got sick. Who eats everything I bake even when it isn’t good. I care about who shows up. That’s you. Jake—it’s more complicated for him. Because his dad made other choices sometimes, but you know what his dad is doing now? Trying. Listening. Not trying to make someone else the bad guy.”

“Aiden, I’m—I’m sorry. It’s—it’s never what I planned. I never wanted you not to have a strong relationship with your father—”

“You can’t miss what you never had, Mom. I came out to him, and he’s met Tobias, so that’s enough for me.” Aiden tipped his head. “We could have talked about this at home, you know. What was the rush?”

“Oh. Well, Lucas told me that Lucky is…he’s waiting on an assignment. He’s going back to Doctors Without Borders,” Elizabeth said, watching carefully to see how her youngest absorbed that information.

A muscle in his cheek twitch, and his shoulders seemed to tense, but otherwise — “Good. He likes his work, and it’s important. He should be where he’s happy, and it doesn’t seem like that’s here. If you’re asking me if I knew, no. But he’s been here for a few weeks, didn’t seem like he was planning to get a place or a job, so I kind of figured.”

“Well, I just—I want you to know that I love you. And I’m so proud of you.” She stepped forward, embraced him tightly, then drew back to cup his face in her hands. “My handsome sweet boy. You deserve the whole world. I’m sorry I can’t give it you.”

“You do okay, Mom. Don’t worry about me.” He kissed her forehead. “If it’s okay, I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you at home.”

“See you at home.”

—

Molly tapped her foot restlessly outside the court room, snapping to attention when Ric finally exited. He said something to Drew, who headed for the elevator, then came over to Molly. “Hello sweetheart—”

“Don’t do this.”

Ric sighed, switched his briefcase to other hand. “Honey, don’t make this personal. This is just business—you know that. You took Jason’s case—”

“I went to him,” Molly snapped, and Ric closed his mouth. “This is personal, Dad, and the fact that you don’t get it is why I don’t want you on this case. I love you, you know I do. But we both know you can be spiteful and vindictive. And petty. You’ve hated Jason my entire life—”

“Longer, but go on.”

At her father’s casual turn, Molly stopped, pressed her lips together mutinously. “This is just a joke to you, isn’t it? Just another way to dig at Mom, to dig at Jason, that’s all you care about—”

“Really? You think I don’t sympathize with Drew? Alexis is planning to drag him through the mud to get custody of his daughter? I know what her game plan is, Molly. I watched her do it to Sonny—hell, I helped her. And then she used the same playbook on me. Do you think I wanted to spend so little time with you?” Ric snapped.

Molly took a shaky breath. “Okay, okay. So you do get it. I’m doing the same for Jason. Because Mom wanted to do that to TJ. I told you that. She was going to file for custody on Kristina’s behalf. She wanted to take my baby—” She pressed two fingers to her lips, turned away, forcing herself to take a deep breath. “I know Drew and Jason hate each other, but we have a common enemy—”

“No, we have a common goal,” Ric interrupted. “Drew wants what’s best for the kids. So don’t think of asking to join the cases or try a joint defense.”

“Are you going to try to force a deal?” Molly asked. “In return for his support, Mom drops the case against Drew?”

“Well, we both knew Jason is the real wild card. The man has barely parented any child that  genetically belongs to him. Too worried about Carly and Sonny’s kids. Where do you think he was for two years while he played dead? While his boys mourned him? Something for one of them or Michael no doubt. No—” Ric shook his head. “Drew wants his daughter, make no mistake, Molly. But on the subject of Danny? We all agree. Jason is the worst possible choice, and we intend to do whatever we can to prove it.”

—

Jason had hoped to catch Jake before he left the courtroom, but as soon as the judge had completed the hearing, the teen had been on his feet and out the door. Jason started to follow, only for Sonny to step in front of him, Carly hovering somewhat behind, Michael at Jason’s side, a little wary.

“I was hoping you might take a minute—Jase—” Sonny said when Jason tried to walk past him. “Please. Just give me a chance to make this right. For all our sake’s, okay?”

Jason grimaced. “Yeah, fine. Five minutes.”

—

Jake had already loosened the top few buttons on his shirt, looking forward to shedding the entire getup. He’d gone as moral support, but it had been a supremely uncomfortable scene especially standing with Sonny Corinthos as if the man hadn’t come into Jake’s house and attacked his mother and upended everything Jake understood about his life.

He fished his keys from his pocket, jingling them in his palm as he approached his mother’s car, hoping that there’d be some time to talk to his parents about a car. He’d had one before he left for Spain, but he’d decided to sell it for extra cash to spend at school. Regretting that, he thought somewhat darkly.

There were footsteps behind him, scratching at the concrete texture of the parking garage floor. Figuring it was his father or maybe Michael, Jake turned, grimacing when he realized it was neither.

“Drew,” Jake said flatly, and the older man stopped a few feet away. “Are you parked nearby or following me?” When Drew didn’t immediately answer, Jake’s stomach rolled slightly. “What do you want?”

“To make a deal.” Drew slid his hands into the pockets of his suit pants.  “Right now, my lawyer is informing Molly that I intend to testify for Alexis. Against your father.”

“Wow, the endorsement of a scumbag politician. Can’t wait to see that story on the news,” Jake said with a sneer. “Is that before or after you screw your nephew’s wife?”

“Cut the crap, kid. If you’d planned to use that, you already would have. But you probably promised Scout you’d keep your mouth shut.” Drew tipped his head. “Right? You got her to trust you, and now look at you, using her against me. What would she think?”

“Believe it or not, the opinion of a seven-year-old isn’t really my top priority,” Jake retorted. “If Scout finds out I told, well, at least she’ll know she wasn’t imagining things. That’s what you told her, isn’t it? That if she wasn’t sure, she’d hurt so many people. And she might not be allowed to live at the Qs anymore. That her mother would be disappointed in her.”

Drew lifted his chin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“Yeah, you do. And I’m not going to waste my breath asking what happened to you, to the guy I knew, to the one who said I’d always be like a son to him. There’s no point in trying to find any shame in you.” Jake’s hands were nearly trembling from nerves, from rage, so she shoved them in his pockets. “I just wish you’d stayed dead.”

“Like your dad did? At least I was kidnapped. What’s his excuse?” Drew demanded. “You don’t get to sit and judge me, Jake. You’re supporting the deadbeat who refused to claim you, refused to even give you his name—even now. And who left you for two years—” He shook his head. “You’ll understand one day, Jake. After you spend years bending over backwards to take care of everyone else. I looked out for everyone but me my entire life. My country, my family, but no one was ever looking out for me. So I’m going to take what I want, and everyone else is going to get out of my way.”

“Well, that’s a really shitty way to go through life, but whatever, dude. Just stop being a dick to your kid and sleeping with your relatives. It’s kind of creepy.”

Jake turned away, reaching for the handle to the car, but Drew’s voice stopped him. “I said I wanted to make a deal.”

He turned back to face the other man. “You have nothing I want.”

“Don’t be so sure.” Drew stepped closer. “You keep your mouth shut, and I’ll tell Ric that we’ll cooperate with your dad. Hell, I’ll even testify for him. And then Danny will get what he wants – to stay with his dad. Everyone is happy.”

“You mean you’ll be happy, since you just said no one else matters.”

“In this rare case, what I want is what you supposedly want. Or did I mistake you sitting behind your deadbeat dad in court?” Drew lifted his brows. “What’s it going to be?”

—

“That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Kristina said, following her mother out of the courthouse doors. “And they didn’t even tell us we had to give the kids back.”

“I’m sure that will come soon enough,” Alexis muttered, reaching her car. “Kristina—that was the easiest part of all of this. You know that, don’t you? What comes next—” She shook her head.

“What comes next is proving that you and I are the best people to raise those kids. Sam would want them to stay together. She only wrote what she did in her will because it wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Kristina insisted. “She wasn’t living the same reckless life! She thought she’d live forever. She should have. So whatever we have to do, Mom, I’m ready for it.”

Alexis hesitated, then remembered the joy of the last few days, waking up to find Danny and Scout in her home. These sweet reminders of her precious daughter, all she’d ever have of her now. “And so am I. Drew might be a difficult case to win, but Jason? That won’t be difficult at all.”

“Exactly. Where do we start?”

“With our strongest witness.” Alexis slid into the driver’s seat. “Elizabeth.”

—

Carly poked Sonny in the back. “Go ahead. We practiced this,” she told Jason, and Michael shook his head.

“Mom—why don’t you and I go in the hall—” He took his mother’s elbow. “Dad’s a big boy and he can clean up his own messes.”

“Right, but—” Carly was still protesting when Michael half-dragged her away, leaving Jason and Sonny alone in the court room.

“Talk,” Jason said flatly. “I have things to do.”

“I’m trying to apologize, but you’re not making it easy—that’s not—” Sonny winced, rubbed his temple. “That’s not your job, I know. But if you could just try to understand that I wanted to help. You know I would never hurt you or your kids. Not intentionally—”

“You think because you weren’t aiming at Jake that it matters? You knew what you were doing. You had time to think when they came through the door. You could have backed down. But you didn’t.” The familiar rage bubbled again. “I deserve to know why.”

“I just—I lost my temper. More than two decades of watching you fall on the sword for that woman—” Sonny winced when Jason walked past him. “I didn’t mean it that way—come on—”

“You don’t run my life, Sonny. You don’t make my choices—”

Sonny snorted. “That’s for damn sure—”

Jason stepped closer to him, and the smirk disappeared from Sonny’s face. “And I don’t make yours. You want me to start listing all the mistakes you’ve made this year? In the last few weeks? All the ways you’ve hurt people? You want me to start talking about your worst choices in front of your kids? Let me go find Donna and Avery. We can have a conversation about Agent Cates.”

“Shut up—”

“You made a choice, Sonny. You wanted to hurt Elizabeth, and you didn’t give a damn that my son was in the crossfire—”

“You’re not pissed about what I said in front of him, you’re pissed I said it to her—because you can’t do anything but defend her—”

“Yeah, it’s called loyalty, Sonny. To the woman who raised my son without a whole lot from me because I was usually saving your life or taking care of your kids. You’re damn right I’m angry you said it to Elizabeth, and if Jake hadn’t been there, we’d still be having this conversation. But he was there, and you don’t get how that changes things. You don’t get it because you don’t feel a damn sense of anything towards my sons. Either of them. You don’t care that Elizabeth has put herself on the line for me over and over again. You’re not loyal to anyone but yourself, Sonny. And we’re done here.”

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