Written in 60 minutes.

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Saturday, September 28, 2024

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

Sonny scratched the edge of his brow, wincing as the guard closed the door leaving him alone with his surprise guest. “Uh, I thought we were avoiding each other until this was all over.”

“We are.” Jason’s eyes swept over the familiar space, though it looked very different than the last time he’d been inside the penthouse. “I told Wally at the front desk that I was here to see Sam.”

“Oh. Right.” Sonny frowned towards the door. “I never see her. Or the kids. Not that there are any over there anymore, so I guess I mostly forget she’s even there.” He focused on Jason. “What happened? Has to be something big if you’re taking the chance of coming to me directly. And might explain Carly’s visit earlier.”

“Carly?” Jason echoed. “What did she want?”

“Oh, she’s worried you’re going to do something stupid like confess to get Elizabeth out of these charges.” Sonny had already crossed to the mini bar and missed the wince that crossed Jason’s expression. “I’m not saying you wouldn’t do that, but we’re not even at the trial yet.” He turned, lifted a brow. “So what’s happening?”

“The FBI searched the boat house again. And the woods around it.” Jason walked towards the windows that overlooked downtown. “They found the fourth bullet.”

Sonny grimaced, poured himself a bourbon. “The one that will match the gun from the trunk definitively, I’m guessing.”

“Probably.”

“That’s…not great, but you had to know that was a possibility.” Sonny joined him at the window. “You’re still months away from trial. Anything could happen between now and then—”

“Elizabeth was let out on bail after being charged with the murder of a federal agent.”

“And with you as the custodian so they could keep you under tight surveillance.” Sonny sipped his drink. “I may not be talking to you, but I’m keeping my hand in to know what’s going on. It was a gamble for Diane to name you, but she knew the Feds would never be able to resist the chance to catch you or Elizabeth red-handed. What’s changed?”

“There’s nothing to catch us in. We’re innocent. I don’t know what the hell happened to John Cates,” Jason bit out. “Other than he was trying to set me up for something. The Feds aren’t getting what they want from her out on bail. The bullet changes her flight risk. The gun goes from consistent to —”

“An almost certain match.” Sonny’s mouth tightened. “You think they’ll file to revoke the bail and put her back in jail.”

“I think it’s a possibility. So does she. They moved her into federal custody, Sonny, when they could have left her in Port Charles for the bail hearing. They did it to isolate her from me, from the boys. From everyone. They wanted to scare her into flipping on me. And they went after Jake and Danny. Questioning neighbors, the school — Sam let them question Danny.”

“Probably felt like she had no choice with Dante involved.” Sonny set the tumbler back on the mini bar. “You think they’re back to their first plan. Isolating and scaring the crap out of her until she tells whatever she knows.”

“Yeah. The FBI wants blood for what happened to the Pikeman investigation, and I don’t think care much if it’s mine or Valentin’s anymore.” Jason waited a beat. “You said you’re keeping your hand in. Do you know anything that Diane or Spinelli wouldn’t? Something I can work with—”

“There’s nothing to know. There’s not,” Sonny insisted when Jason scowled. “I had Brick pull Cates’ files — you know, the ones the FBI refuses to turn over to Diane. I thought we’d find something in there I could, you know—” He wiggled his hand. “Slip to her in some sort of safe way. But Cates had a pretty normal caseload. We couldn’t find anything that would explain the way Elizabeth’s been set up.”

Jason’s brows drew together. “What? What does that mean?”

“It’s not just that someone shot the bastard, Jase. Someone shot him, then dumped the gun in Elizabeth’s trunk. And they did it within days of the murder. This isn’t someone who came to town and then watched everyone for a while to get the rhythm of things. Elizabeth isn’t an obvious target for a frame job. On paper, she’s mostly clean. That business with Esme Prince a few years ago — no one really knows all the details outside the inner circle. Most people think Cassadine threatened her into cooperating and that’s why she turned on him. Might be why the Feds think she’d turn on you. She had a long history with him, too.”

“Maybe, but—”

“You’re talking about someone who knows Elizabeth can be used against you. Now that? Sort of common knowledge. If you’re in our world. But who would know you and her are around each other enough that it makes sense you’d put the gun in her car? You only started seeing Jake and Danny regularly these last few weeks.”

“I—” Jason blinked. “I didn’t think about it that way.”

“I’ve been thinking about it since Carly showed up here earlier. Talking about how you’d confess to protect Elizabeth, and we both know that’s a choice you’re rolling around in your head. Because Carly and me watched you do it for Michael. And what you did to protect Carly.” Sonny picked up his drink again. “People who know you, Jason, they know you’ll put yourself on the line for the people who matter. But most of the world thinks you’re Jason Morgan, violent thug. Who thinks that putting a gun in Elizabeth’s trunk is going to get you to confess? Because that’s what they want. You to confess and close this case so people stop looking.”

Jason exhaled slowly, then sank onto the sofa. Put his head in his hands. “I knew before I came back if I got the chance, I wanted to be done with all of this. I wanted to be out. I threw away years with my boys because of this life. Because of the danger and violence. I threw away a life with Elizabeth for it.” He lifted his head, looked at Sonny. “I thought I was done. That I was out. But it’s just another kind of danger, isn’t it? Because the Feds are never going to leave me alone. We get Elizabeth out from under this, Pikeman’s still going to be out there. There’s always going to be someone who wants to use her, use my kids—” He grimaced looked away.

“Don’t do that. Don’t talk yourself into confessing to something you didn’t do because the Feds are corrupt bitches,” Sonny said flatly. “You’ll just piss me off. Elizabeth will never forgive you. You’re lucky she’s even given you a chance after all this time. And Jake and Danny? They’re not going to understand.”

“Jake needs his mother with him. And Danny—” Jason hesitated, then took a deep breath. “Sam will calm down. She’ll figure things out if I’m not around. She’s a better mother when I’m not—”

“Bullshit.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Jason shot back to his feet. “The choices I’ve made — they’re always going to follow me—”

“So fucking what?” Sonny demanded. “I’ll tell you what I should have told you twenty years ago if I’d had the chance. Those choices follow you — and the people around you, they get to decide if they want to sign up for that. You think Elizabeth doesn’t know exactly what she’s in for when she hooks up with you for the fifteenth time? The same woman who took on the whole world to save your worthless life when she was eighteen years old?”

“We have children—”

“Yeah. You do. Two great boys who love you, despite how hard you’ve tried to throw that away. And they get to decide if not having you around is what they want. You’re gonna stand there and tell me you think Danny is better off without you?” Sonny demanded.

“I don’t—no. But—”

“Elizabeth has had a thousand chances to walk away from you. She took some of them, sure. And sometimes it was about the danger around you. If she wanted out of this, she’d be out. If she wanted her freedom more than you, she knows plenty about you that the Feds would love to know. Don’t be an idiot, Jason.  Neither of us deserve any of the women in our lives. What does that have to do with anything?”

Quartermaine Estate: Garage Apartment

Trina checked her watch, then went over to look at the driveway leading up to the garage apartment. Cameron had told he was just going to look at the boat house, but he was taking his sweet time, and they were coming up on the time she was supposed to return Scout to the house.

She jolted when there was a knock at the door, and spun around, confused. No one had approached their building from the main house, so—

“Hey—” Willow’s head appeared around the door. “Sorry, it was open, and Drew told me you’d volunteered to look after Scout this morning. He just called because he has to cancel the afternoon meetings, and wanted me to grab her.”

Willow. Coming from the gatehouse behind the garage. Crap. Trina’s heart pounded as she forced herself to smile. “Oh, yeah, she’s um—”

“I don’t want to go back there!” Scout cried, leaping up from behind the sofa where she and Danny had dropped down at the knock on the door. “You can’t make me!”

“Why are you—” Willow frowned, then took a few steps forward and grimaced. She closed the door. “Danny. I can see the top of your head.”

Danny slowly rose to his feet, gripping the back of the sofa. “You can’t tell Drew I was here.”

“I—”

“You can’t make me go with you. Especially if you’re going to tell on me,” Scout cut in before Willow could say anything. “I won’t go.”

Sensing disaster was imminent, Trina stepped between Willow and the younger children. “Hey. Can we talk in the hallway for a minute—”

“I—”

“Great.” Trina took Willow’s arm and because the older woman was taken by surprise, Trina was able to steer her backwards, yanking the door open.

“Trina, what are you doing with Danny here?” Willow hissed when Trina had closed the door. “Drew was very clear that he didn’t want Scout to be around—”

“Her brother? Her stepbrother? Come on, Willow. You and I both know he’s just trying to save face. He doesn’t want anyone to connect him to bad things, which is wild since I remember the time he was cosplaying a mob enforcer.” Trina folded her arms. “You can’t tell him.”

“He deserves to know what’s going on with his daughter—”

“Danny used to be his kid, too. Did you know that? No, because you weren’t really around back then. I was,” Trina added. “When Drew was acting like a real person. Even after he found out about the memory switching, and Jason was back, Drew loved Danny and Jake like they were his own kids. And then his plane went down, and he came back like a zombie. Okay? Danny’s not just some stranger off the street. Drew raised him. For years.”

Willow swallowed hard. “I — I hadn’t thought about that. It seems like a lifetime ago—”

“Because you were an adult when it happened. Danny was three when Drew found out he was supposed to be Jason. And then seven when Drew disappeared in that plane crash. Scout’s age. Can you imagine how Danny feels with the way Drew walks around talking about him? Like he’s some kind of dangerous animal who’s gonna hurt his sister. Danny’s made mistakes, Willow. Does that mean he doesn’t get to have his sister in his life?”

Willow nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay. All right. I won’t say anything. But Scout has to come with me or Drew will have questions, okay? We can’t have him wondering why when he knows how much Scout usually enjoys hanging out with her cousins.”

“All right, fine. Thank you. This sucks for everyone. All I’m trying to do is make it a little better.”

Bobbie’s Diner: Dining Room

Jake snagged the brown bag with his order from the counter and turned, only to wish he’d gone anywhere else for lunch. “Oh. It’s you.”

“Jake.” Sam stepped up to the counter, nodded at the waitress who went in the back to pick up her order. “I—I’m glad we ran into each other.”

Jake squinted, considered all the responses that sprang to his lips and decided this wasn’t really the best time for any of them. “That makes one of us. Excuse me—”

“Wait—” Sam snagged his arm, and Jake twisted out of her grasp. “Please. I just—I wanted to check on Danny—”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have been such a bitch when you had your visitation,” Jake said, turning to face her. “Actions have consequences, you know. That’s my mother always says. You know my mother, right? You tried to have her arrested last week?” he continued, enjoying the way Sam closed her eyes, wincing. “Yeah, karma’s a bitch, I know. Can I go now—”

“I’m sorry. I am. I wasn’t thinking when any of that happened, okay? I didn’t think about your mother’s case—”

“Why do you think I care what you have to say?” Jake demanded. He stepped closer to her. “You don’t like me. I always knew that, by the way. You hated me. Now we don’t have to pretend anymore.”

“I never hated you,” Sam insisted. “Please. Not you. You’re a good kid. You are. And you’ve been a good brother to Danny. You know that I believe that or I would have done more to keep you apart. It’s just—”

“My existence,” Jake finished, and Sam winced again. “You hate the fact that I exist. Which is an insane thing to say to me after seventeen years. You think that matters. That you  hate the idea of me, and not the person. Maybe it helps you sleep at night, I don’t know. But you’re the one that has to live with that, not me. I’m just sorry for Danny.”

“I love him—”

“You love the idea of him,” Jake corrected, almost sarcastically. “The miracle baby you always called him, right? The one you weren’t supposed to have, your chance to be a mother. Because that’s all that matters to you. Being a mother. Not Danny. But don’t worry about him, Sam. Because I’m going to be here for him. Me, my brothers, and when we figure out how to make it happen, we’ll be there for Scout, too. Because Danny knows who you are now.” He smirked. “Good luck with that.”

Webber House: Living Room

The house was empty when Cameron and Danny returned early that afternoon. “I don’t know where your dad is,” Cam said, dropping his keys on the table. “But Jake’s out getting lunch, so you think you can stay out of trouble for a little while? I’ve got some work to do upstairs.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to get homework done before I go back on Monday,” Danny said, following Cameron towards the stairs. “You sure you don’t want your room—”

“Nah, man, I told you.” They reached the landing on the third floor. “I don’t mind sharing with Jake right now. You need your space. Get your work done. I’ll talk to you later.”

When Danny had disappeared into Cameron’s room, Cameron snagged his laptop from the charger and sat on Jake’s bed.

He flexed his fingers and then pulled up his email account.

Dear Dr. Bernstein,

I am writing to let you know I will be missing class on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Some family business came up while I was home, and I need to stay longer. Can you tell me who I should contact in the event that I need to take a longer absence from classes?

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