Written in 68 minutes. Went a bit over because I ended up adding some stuff with Danny I wasn’t planning, but I’m happy with it, sooo….

See you on Monday!

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Danny fidgeted as they approached the front entrance of the Quartermaine mansion, and looked back at his father. “You’re sure he’s not here?”

“I’m sure,” Jason repeated, reaching around Danny and pushing the door open. “Tracy wouldn’t let him through the door—”

He stopped when he realized the foyer wasn’t empty and that the double doors to the living room were open where more people were waiting. He glanced back at Elizabeth, Jake and Aiden. “Did Michael say something to you?”

“No, but I’m not surprised—”

“It’s about time you got here,” Tracy said sauntering forward, one hand on her hip. “We need to talk strategy.”

“Be afraid,” Michael warned coming from the hallway behind the staircase, Amelia in his arms. “Grandma gave her free reign.”

Dante ignored all of this and came forward to hug Danny. “Hey kiddo, you okay?” He ruffled Danny’s hair. “Chase and Mac took good care of you?”

“Yeah. Yeah. It wasn’t so bad. I was a little—” Danny made a face when Lois appeared at Dante’s side and turned his face to the side.

“That’s one hell of a shiner you’ve got there. Drew thinks he can get away with goin’ after you, he’s lost his mind—”

“Ma, you’re crowding him,” Brook Lynn said, trying to tug her mother back.

Jason swallowed the urge to turn around and leave, the memories of how overwhelming this family could be rising up. He felt a hand on his shoulders, and looked down to find Elizabeth at his side.

“On the bright side, every single person in this room hates Drew as much as we do,” she said. Then she made eye contact with Michael, lifted her brows meaningfully.

“Right. Right.” He handed Amelia to whoever was standing next to him — it happened to be Gio, then came to the center of the foyer. “Okay, I know everyone wants to show Danny our support, and to figure out what to do next, but we really don’t need everyone for this.” He folded his arms. “Danny, why don’t you and the rest of the kids head upstairs. Scout’s upstairs in the nursery with Wiley.”

“But this is about me—” Danny started to protest.

“We’ll catch you up,” Jason promised. “But we need to get your things. Drew is probably filing an injunction against that order right now, and if that happens before your charges are dropped, you can’t come back.”

“And I can’t see Scout.” Danny nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

“Good.” Michael looked at the rest of the crowd. “And honestly, while everyone’s opinion and input is important, the only people who need to be involved in this are Jason, Elizabeth, Dante, and Aunt Tracy—”

“And you,” Jason said to Michael. “You said you and Brook Lynn were going to try to keep custody of Scout if the judge didn’t want to leave her in Monica’s care.”

“Right. Then, I guess Brook and I should stay.”

“But—” Lois began.

“I really think I could be helpful,” Ned said at the same time.

“If we’re talking about character witnesses—” Olivia added.

“I think I could add some insight,” Chase argued.

“Michael’s right,” Gio said, hitching Amelia higher in his arms. “The fewer voices in this, the better for everyone. I, for one, am going to bother Sasha in the kitchen for some snacks for the kids upstairs. Amelia, you wanna help?” he asked the toddler, not waiting for her answer as they headed back down the hallway towards the kitchen.

“I’ll go help them in the kitchen,” Aiden said. “Sasha said she had a baklava recipe she wanted give me anyway.”

“The only ones with any sense around here aren’t even related to this family. What is this world coming to?” Tracy muttered, turning and heading for the living room.

Jason just shook his head, took Elizabeth’s head, and reluctantly followed. Danny, Jake, and Rocco jogged up the stairs, their heavy thudding footsteps rumbling through the room.

“I did not miss the sound of teenagers in this house,” Tracy grumbled. She gestured at her granddaughter. “Make yourself useful and get me a martini.”

Brook Lynn rolled her eyes, and obeyed as Michael pulled the doors shut.

“I saw Alexis pull you over after the hearing,” Michael said to Jason. “What did she say?”

“She wanted to talk to me, but I told her getting Danny settled was more important. I don’t know if she’s changing her mind about me, but I expect her to double down on getting custody of Scout from Drew.”

“You’d think that would work in our favor,” Tracy said, taking a seat on the sofa and accepting the martini. She sipped it. “But I don’t trust her. And you shouldn’t, either. Look at how she turned on you after everything you did for that guttersnipe daughter of hers—”

“Granny, is that really necessary?” Brook Lynn demanded. “The woman’s dead.”

“And I popped the champagne out of the sight of the children. I’m not a monster,” Tracy said with a snort. Dante scowled.

Jason grimaced, then rubbed his temple. “Look, I don’t know what the point of any of this is. Alexis isn’t going to win in family court. Not with Danny.  He’s made it clear to her where he wants to live, and—”

“And you and Liz are pretending to be engaged, which is only going to strengthen your case,” Michael added.

“Pretending to be what?” Tracy got back to her feet. “When did this happen?”

“That’s risky, don’t you think?” Dante asked. “You don’t think a judge is gonna figure it out?”

“No, because we’re not pretending,” Jason said.

“Wait, you’re actually engaged?” Brook Lynn demanded. “Holy crap.” She whacked Dante’s chest. “I told you!”

“Never going to let this go,” he muttered, casting his eyes to the ceiling. He removed his wallet from his pocket, flicked out a ten. “Yeah, yeah. You win.”

“Should have bet double—”

“Can we please get back on topic?” Elizabeth interrupted. “As much as I hate to agree with Tracy—and I do,” she added when Tracy just raised her martini glass. “I don’t think we should bank on Alexis changing her mind. We’ve thought she’d see reason after what happened at the penthouse, and nothing changed. And Drew is going to fight the order.”

“And he’ll win if we can’t convince him to let Scout stay with us. Grandma isn’t…her health isn’t what it used to be,” Michael admitted. “She’s resting today. And Aunt Tracy—well, she might work, but we have to be ready.”

“We’ve got two offers on the table,” Brook Lynn told Jason. “One is obviously to just award emergency custody to Michael on his own, but we’re worried, ah, that the rumors about Willow will sour that situation. Sorry,” she added with a wince.

“Which is why Brook Lynn and Chase are a good substitute. Our first choice was Dante since he’s been her stepfather for the better part of two years, but—”

“But I’m not a blood relation,” Dante said, his voice a bit rough. “Sam and I…we were engaged for maybe an hour. I don’t think that’d help us in court.”

“I think Brook Lynn and Chase are a really good idea,” Elizabeth said. “You guys were so wonderful with Violet, and you already know Scout. I’d be happy to say so in any affidavit supporting the petition.”

“Good, that’s settled. Scout will stay here where she belongs.” Tracy sipped her martini. “Now. How do we destroy that pathetic excuse of a man she calls a father?”

—

Danny felt like he was moving at half speed, bunching up clothes and shoving them in a duffel bag. He’d barely brought anything here in the first place, and now he was packing them up again to go somewhere new.

Scout was sitting cross-legged on the bed, watching him with quiet, dark eyes, while Jake lingered by the window, one hand in his pocket.

“What was all of that in court?” he finally asked, drawing Jake’s attention. “I know what Dad said at the police station, but, like, are they serious? Are they actually getting married?”

“Who’s getting married?” Scout wanted to know.

Jake sighed. “Yeah, Aiden and I had questions last night. They told us it’s for real. That it’s something they’d been talking about, and I guess I’m not that surprised. I mean, you used to say it all the time, that I couldn’t get away with anything because my parents check with each other on everything.”

“I guess. I just—I’m gonna live with you guys? Like all the time? Even after you go back t Spain?”

“Danny’s supposed to come back here,” Scout said, her voice small. “I thought he was going to stay overnight. Y-you’re going away again?” Her eyes glimmered.

“I don’t have a choice, Scout. Your dad wants me to go to jail, so the judge only let me out if I go stay with Jake’s mom. Because they’re getting married and she’s supposed to be my stepmother.”

Scout’s lower lip trembled. “You…you’re gonna live with Jake and Aiden and ‘Lizabeth? You’re gonna have a new mom?”

“No!” Danny said forcefully. “It’s just for right now, okay? Dad bought a house, and we’re gonna live there. And Elizabeth isn’t my mother. She won’t ever be my mother.”

“Hey, come on—” Jake came closer. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen when this all cools off, but I think my parents are serious about the getting married thing. I don’t think living with Dad is gonna happen — not the way we talked about. But it’ll be okay. You like my mom—”

“I liked my mom—” Danny threw off the hand his brother tried to put on his shoulder. “This isn’t what we talked about! This isn’t fair! You guys are changing everything!”

“Hey, calm down—” Jake grimaced when Danny shoved him again. “Hey, dickhead, my mom stayed up half the night worried about your dumb ass, and Dad only, like, slept for ten minutes. All they could talk about was bringing you home—”

“It’s not my home! Scout won’t be there, will she?” Danny demanded, gesturing at his sister. “Rocco and Dante and my mom! They’re not there. So it’s not my home!”

“Fine, it’s not your home! But you’re the idiot who took a swing at a Congressman, not me! And all anyone can talk about is how to clean up the mess you made—”

“Shut up—” Danny shoved Jake again, and Jake pushed back, sending his brother towards the post of the bed.

“Stop stop stop stop stop stop!” Scout  scrambled off the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Stop fighting! Stop fighting!”

Gio appeared in the open doorway, frowning. “Uh, we can hear you down the hall—whoa—” he backed up as Scout flew past him. “What’s going on?”

“You happy?” Jake demanded, shoving Danny again, then taking off after his cousin.

Danny’s chest was heaving, his eye was burning, and his lip stung like a mother fucker. He swiped at his eyes, his shoulders hitching, and the sob that crawled up his throat couldn’t be swallowed. He crumbled to the side of the bed, drew his legs up to his chest.

—

Ric knocked at the door, and had to act fast to stop Alexis from slamming it in his face. “Give me five minutes—”

“I wouldn’t give you five seconds, you filthy son of a bitch—”

“I withdrew as his lawyer,” Ric interrupted, and Alexis closed her mouth. She didn’t shut the door — but didn’t hold it open more than a foot. “I tried to get him to drop the charges last night, and I couldn’t convince him. And this morning—well, I can’t get into a lot of it. But I realized if I stayed on this case, if I helped him even a little—Molly would never forgive me.”

“That’s if she forgives you for taking the case in the first place,” Alexis said flatly. “After you took Ava’s—”

“Ava is innocent,” Ric added, and Alexis rolled her eyes. “But that’s not what I’m here to do. I just—I want to see my daughter. She’s not at home, or answering my calls. Is she here?”

—

“Hey man…” Gio’s voice was closer now, and Danny peered out of his one good eye to see that Gio was crouched down next to him. “Not having a great twenty-four hours, huh?”

“What do you know?” Danny said sullenly. “You just play the violin and smile all the damn time.”

Gio grinned then sat down, stretching his legs out. “My mom died, you know that, right?”

Danny grimaced. “Shit, I forgot—”

“You’re good, dude. It’s not easy, I get it. You have this world that seems perfect, you know? Especially when you got a good mom, like me. We were a team. Me and her against the world.” Gio hesitated. “Then she got sick, and the world stopped making sense. We thought she was gonna get better, and then she just—” He gestured with his hand in a descending motion. “It went bad, like, overnight, or at least that’s how it felt to me. I was twelve. A little younger than you,” he added. “And I had to leave everything. One second, I had a mom, and a life, and room, and a world. And then the next, I was living with Aunt Lois and Aunt Gloria, tryin’ to figure out a whole new situation. And none of it was fair.”

Danny sniffled, rested his forehead against his knees. “I like Jake’s mom. I just don’t want her to be mine.”

“Felt like Aunt Lois was trying to be my mom when I first came to live with them. She still hovers too much, and smothers me. But no one is ever gonna be your mom, Danny, except your mom.”

“It’s happening too fast. Too much. Mom was here, and then she wasn’t, and now I gotta move again, and m-maybe I-I gotta go to jail—” his breathing hitched again.

“You won’t go to jail. I overheard the last part of what your brother said. His mom up worrying all night with your dad? So was everyone here. You got a lot of people in your corner, Danny. Except the one person you want the most in the world because she’s gone. It sucks. And it never stops sucking, I’m sorry about that.”

Danny swiped at his eyes, wincing when he hit the bruised skin. “I know everyone just wants to help. I should—I should have been the one to go after my sister. It’s my job to take care of her.”

“Yeah, but you’re not the only one who can do that. It’s okay to let someone else clock in on that job. It’s okay not to be okay, Danny.” Gio got to his feet, held out his hand. Danny took it, let Gio pull him to his feet. “You can sit up here and keep sulking, or you can go down to check on your sister.”

—

“I can’t come back to this house for at least a week,” Jason muttered, folding his arms at the bottom of the stairs, tossing another dark glare at the closed double doors.

“Yeah, they’re a lot on a good day. And today—” Elizabeth sighed. “Today is not a good day.” She stroked his biceps. “But they’re on your side right now. We can avoid them later.”

“Yeah. And Michael’s plan is crazy enough to work, I just—I don’t know what Alexis is gonna want to do—” Jason stopped when they heard footsteps above them. They both looked towards the staircases in time to see Scout hurtling herself down the steps, Jake hot on her heels.

“Whoa, whoa—” Elizabeth met them at the bottom of the stairs, snagging Scout’s shoulder as she came past. “What happened? Are you okay?” The little girl’s face was swollen from crying, and Elizabeth snapped her fingers at her son who sighed and trotted over to fetch a box of tissues. “Scout, what happened?”

“D-Danny and J-Jake were f-fighting, and I wanted them to stop, and I want Danny to stay, and I don’t wanna go to DC, and you can’t make me! Danny’s getting a whole new family and a n-new mommy, and I don’t have a mommy anymore, and he has a daddy who likes him, and mine h-hates me—” the words poured out in a jumbled mess that ended on a wail, and Elizabeth instinctively pulled Scout into her arms, looking at Jason with alarm.

“Jake?” Jason prompted. “You and your brother were fighting?”

Jake grimaced. “I should have kept my cool, but I was tired, and he was being a jackass—it’s just a lot, Dad, you know? Getting arrested, in jail, and then finding out about you and Mom, then he has to go live with us—I know you guys didn’t want it this way, and he’ll get that it when he has a chance to cool off, but Scout’s…” He looked down at his cousin with a grim expression. “She’s getting a shitty end of the stick, you know? At least Danny’s got you on his side. Her dad sucks ass.”

Jason exhaled slowly, put an arm around Jake’s shoulders. “I know. We’re working on all of that—”

“Why can’t she come with us?” Jake wanted to know. “I mean, Scout’s not wrong. Her dad’s awful to her. And if Grandma Monica can get emergency custody, why can’t you and Mom? So Danny and Scout can stay together?”

Scout looked up, her breathing hitched. “C-Can you do that?” she asked Elizabeth. “I wanna stay with D-Danny. I don’t wanna go to DC, I wanna stay home. I w-want my mommy. Please don’t make me go! Please!”

There was another set of footsteps and Jason lifted his eyes to find Danny at the top. He shuffled down slowly, stopping a few steps above Scout, sitting down. “I know you’re all doing this because of me and what happened with Uncle Drew. But I don’t wanna come live with you. Not without Scout. You said I could stay with her until she went to DC.”

“Danny—”

“And I know you said things have changed, but not the one thing that should. Scout needs to be here. With me and people who love her. She needs to be with us.” Danny lifted his chin. “So either we come to live with you together or I don’t wanna come at all.”

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