Written in 56 minutes. Didn’t get as far as I wanted, but we’re okay. See you tomorrow!

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Wednesday, October 2, 2024

General Hospital: Parking Garage

“Diane knows she can call if they find something, right?” Elizabeth asked, rummaging through her purse for her ID. “Willow’s already offered to cover any time if I have to run out early, and—”

“Diane knows.” Jason reached for her hand, squeezed it. “You’re her first call. But—”

“But she told us not to expect a miracle today.” Elizabeth closed her eyes, leaned back against the car seat. “But we deserve one, don’t we? Why can’t Spinelli just open a file and the first thing he sees is my trunk opening when I’m nowhere my car? Why can’t the first video show someone planting the gun—” She broke off, took another deep breath, then looked at him. “I just want this over. I know that’s not brand new information. I know you feel the same. But I’m just—I’m tired of putting Cameron on a plane. I’m tired of going to Syracuse every damn week for a drug test. I’m tired of the ankle monitor. I’m just tired of all of it.” She bit her lip. “And none of that is your fault, so I’m sorry—”

“Don’t apologize,” Jason said with a quick shake of his head. He leaned over, kissed her, intending the embrace to brief, reassuring, but she threaded her fingers through his hair to draw him in closer. When he pulled back finally, slightly breathless, he leaned his forehead against hers. “I want the rest of our lives to begin,” he said softly. “But until it does, you don’t need to apologize for being angry. For telling me how you feel.”

“I just—” She smiled weakly, her fingertips brushing his temple. “I guess I’m just used to you blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong. I know they’re coming after me because of you, because of Pikeman, but I don’t hold that against you. I would never blame you for this.”

“This is happening because of me,” Jason said slowly, and she wrinkled her nose, “but you’re right, that doesn’t make it my fault. It’s not easy to separate that in my head. Not when I think I should be able to fix it.”

“Sitting around, doing nothing, it’s hard for you, I know. We keep talking about it, but…” She stroked his hair. “I just needed you to know that I know it’s different this time. I can feel it. I can feel that it’s not just getting me out of trouble fast that matters. It’s making this over in a way that keeps us together. That keeps you with me, with the boys—”

“I love you,” Jason said. He kissed her again. “I’ve wasted too many chances with you. I’m not wasting another.”

“I’ll see you after work. I love you, too.”

Hanley Federal Building: U.S. Attorney’s Offices

Gia gestured for Noah to wait another minute as he stood near his desk, a folder in his hand and an irritated expression on his face, then turned her attention back to the phone in her hand. “No, I understand. I’m just hoping to get the analysis back sooner than that — is there anything we can to hurry it along — we’re really only interested in location data and the use of her trunk—okay. Okay. I’ll wait for your call.”

She set the phone back on the base, then twisted in her chair to face the other man. “The techstream data from the car is already with the expert you contracted, but he really can’t promise anything sooner than three to four weeks. The videos — we might get more information back sooner—”

She stopped when Noah dropped the folder on the her desk, furrowed her brow. “What? What’s this?

“Open it,” he said tightly. “And then you tell me.”

With dread in her stomach, Gia picked up the folder — it was thin — nothing more than a few sheets of paper at best. She lifted her gaze to his. “Noah—”

“Open it.”

She flipped it, then exhaled with some relief. It wasn’t some surveillance or tip report about her trips to Chase’s apartment —

It was an article about the Face of Deception contest more than twenty years earlier — with Gia and Elizabeth’s photos side by side, and a headline announcing Elizabeth taking the title.

“I told you, I lived in Port Charles. I’ve never hidden my time modeling.” She closed it, tossed it aside. “I knew Elizabeth briefly, but we haven’t talked in years. Not since I went to law school—”

“If it doesn’t matter, then why didn’t you say anything?” he demanded. “This is a massive ethics violation—and damn it, it’s more than just a modeling run-in. Carly Spencer recognized you. I knew there was something to it when she gave you a dirty look yesterday. I had no idea you had a history with our defendant—”

“A history that Elizabeth Webber knows very well, and if she had an issue with it, I’m sure her lawyer would bring it up.” Careful to keep her expression bland and uninterested, she offered a careless shrug. “I haven’t thought about any of that in years. Carly was running Deception at the time with the former mayor—Elizabeth won the title and resigned within a weeks. I took over and had a very short, successful career. There’s no bad blood there. Don’t you think Diane Miller would have mentioned it?”

“She doesn’t have the duty to the court—”

“Noah—” Gia sighed, rubbed her temple. “There’s no conflict here. I never represented her, we knew each other briefly in an ancient, closed chapter of both of our lives. Neither us are models now, are we?”

“Did Jason Morgan get to you?” Noah demanded. “Did he pay you to offer a second chair?”

Gia scowled. “No! Of course not! You can check my books — check anything you want! Are you crazy?”

“I’m crazy?” Noah repeated, his voice raising, pulling the attention of others around him. Her cheeks heated. “You’re cozy with the defendants in my murder trial, the same defendants that screwed us on Pikeman—”

“Knowing Elizabeth Webber twenty-four years ago has nothing to do with Pikeman, and I spoke to Jason Morgan maybe twice the entire time I lived in Port Charles — in fact, he wasn’t even living there at the same time! How dare you suggest—and he isn’t even a defendant in this case. That’s your goddamn bias, not mine! He’s not charged with this murder, Elizabeth is!”

“They’re the same person—”

“Not in the eyes of the law they’re not, and you damn well know it. You can’t prove these charges against her, not at trial. You only let her out on bail to catch Morgan in a cover up, but you have nothing! And you’re panicking—”

“You’re fired,” Noah cut in. “Clean out your desk.”

“You can’t fire me, I don’t work for you!” Gia shot back. “Go ahead. Report me. I can’t wait to tell Freedman everything I know. Do you really want her looking at your cases? At your tactics?”

Noah’s scowl deepened. “You’re off this case—”

“You’re wasting time and resources prosecuting someone you know didn’t commit the damn crime! Good luck getting anyone to help you.  Anyone who looks at it will know it’s a pile of shit.”

Bobbie’s Diner: Courtyard

Kristina sailed through the double doors, then stopped cold when she saw Dante near her car in the parking lot. She wanted to turn around, go back inside, to claim that she hadn’t seen him — but their eyes had already met, and she knew he wasn’t going away.

She didn’t know what to think the fact that she hadn’t heard from her mother or Sam all morning — she’d assumed if Alexis had thought about Kristina’s connection, that Sam obviously would.  But maybe she’d talked her mother down the day before — and maybe Sam didn’t think Kristina had anything to do with it.

But Dante had a look in his eye —

“Everything okay?” Kristina said, slowly approaching him. She shifted her coffee to the other hand so she could fish her keys from her coat pocket. “You look like hell.”

“Well, I got suspended, so we can start there.”

“Sus—” The keys fell to the ground with a plink of metal as she blinked at her brother with surprise. “What?”

“Yeah. Anna thinks I abused my authority to get Dex to cover up evidence.” Dante folded his arms. “So I’m under investigation until she can decide I’m clean.”

“I—” Kristina pressed her lips together. This was crazy! Everyone was getting in trouble — except for Elizabeth. What the hell was going on? “That’s stupid. Anna should know better—”

“She’s not the only one.” Dante lifted his brows. “Did you tell the feds about that night?”

“Are you kidding me?” Kristina rolled her eyes, then put her coffee on the hood of her car. “That’s so stupid. Why would I do that?”

“To help Sam get Danny back.”

“I—I didn’t have anything to do with it—”

“I don’t believe you,” Dante said flatly, and Kristina felt her heartbeat begin to pick up. He sounded so unshakeable. “You’re impulsive, Kristina. You don’t think—” He rapped his head with a fist. “You think — let me get rid of Elizabeth for Sam, but it doesn’t occur to you that there are consequences, that your one stupid little action ripples out to everyone else! Danny was in court yesterday, and now he thinks his mother has turned him in to the Feds for drinking and doing drugs—”

“Whose fault is it that he was there?” Kristina demanded. “That’s Jason, not giving a damn about anyone but  himself. This is exactly why Danny belongs with Sam! Jason and Drew are selfish bastards—”

“What about Rocco?” Dante demanded, and Kristina stopped, stared at him. “He’s in those reports, too. Did you even think about your other nephew? About me? About Aiden Webber? None of us asked for any of this.  We were all just trying to protect our sons — Elizabeth and Jason, too. Do you think Danny and Rocco having to testify and tell everyone Elizabeth never knew a damn thing — did you think that was a good idea?”

“I—” She licked her lips. “I didn’t do this—” But her protestation was weak. “I didn’t do this—”

“No one else knew,” Dante said. “No one else knew about Aiden and Elizabeth. Just you.”

“I—he was arrested. Dex knew—and Dex has betrayed you before—betrayed Dad—”

“Dex talked to Aiden that night. He knew Elizabeth and Aiden were clean. Why would he go after  her this way? He’d go to Anna directly. Someone wanted to hurt Elizabeth.” Dante stepped closer. “And that leaves two people in my book. Sam. And you.”

“I—” Kristina swallowed hard. “Sam was really angry—” She stopped when she saw Dante close his eyes, shake his head again. “She was—”

“All she’s done for you— all she’s sacrificed—and you’re going to stand here and blame her.” He shook his head. “Maybe you really thought this would help. Maybe you didn’t think past any of that. There’s part of me that really wants to believe that. But I can’t.”

“Dante, I didn’t do any of this—I didn’t,” Kristina insisted. “It’s not fair for you to accuse me with no evidence—”

“No evidence? Damn it, Kristina, no one else knew. Just the people involved, Dex and his partner, and you. The only question I have is—is getting Elizabeth away from Danny the only goal?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, shook her head mutely. What was he insinuating? What could he possibly mean?  “I didn’t do this,” she said again.  “I didn’t—”

“You did. You know it, I know it, and pretty soon, everyone else will know it, too. And don’t think about going to Dad with this,” Dante said when Kristina stooped to pick up her keys. “He can’t save you. He won’t—”

“There’s nothing to save—” Kristina stopped, took a deep breath. “I did nothing wrong. Nothing wrong,” she repeated. “I don’t need Dad to fix things that aren’t broken. You’ll see. You’ll all see. Get away from the car, damn it. Go find out who really did this.”

Dante took a few steps back, said nothing else when Kristina got in her car, then backed out—the container of coffee left on the hood tipping over and going flying as she took off. He took out his phone, lifted to his ear. “She just left. Do you have her? Okay. I’m heading over to my father’s now.”

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