Written in 55 minutes.

General Hospital: Waiting Area

When Emma, Joss, and Trina stepped off the elevators doors the next day, Elizabeth was waiting for them. Joss’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, Aunt Liz, what did I do now?” she groaned. She planted her hands on her hips, then glared at Trina. “What did you snitch on me for this time?”

“Cool it, Barbie—”

“You have a guilty conscience,” Emma said with a roll of her eyes. “You’re always up to something so you’re always on the defense—”

Elizabeth hid a smirk — Joss got that from her mother, of course. Carly had spent so much time plotting, planning, and manipulating that any time anyone looked at her sideways, she went on the attack to hide her own misdeeds.

“No one is in trouble,” Elizabeth said, holding up her hands. “I just wanted to grab Emma for a few minutes. Epiphany knows you’ll be late to your shift,” she told Emma.

“Yeah, my mom always says no one is in trouble, and then I get grounded anyway,” Joss muttered. But they continued down the hall to get the assignments, and Emma hung back.

“Aunt Elizabeth, what’s up?” Emma asked. She shoved her hands into the pocket of her jeans jacket, then wrinkled her nose. “Did Cameron tell you to talk to me? Because it won’t work. He was wrong, and he needs to apologize.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth shook her head, steering her niece towards the sofa in the waiting area. “No, Cameron didn’t say anything. What happened?”

“He thinks he doesn’t have to ask me to Homecoming.” Emma flopped onto the sofa with all the drama a fourteen-year-old girl could muster. “Honestly! He’s taking me for granted and we’re not even married—”

“I—”

“And so I told him he had to put in the work, and then he got mad at me for taking him for granted, like why didn’t I ask him?” Emma demanded. “Does he think I’m not worth the trouble? Don’t I deserve to be asked?”

Elizabeth’s hands felt clammy. Hearing Emma and Cameron arguing about a dance — God, it took her back to nowhere she wanted to go. “I think,” she said carefully, “that maybe you both have a point.”

“Aunt Elizabeth—”

“You absolutely do not deserve to be taken for granted, so no, I don’t think it’s fair for Cameron to just assume you’re going to the dance together. But—” She forced a smile. “Cameron’s not wrong. If you want to go so much, why didn’t you ask him first?”

Emma folded her arms, then kicked at the floor. “I dunno. Maybe because I always have to do everything,” she grumbled. “He’s so slow. I kissed him first. And I asked him out first. I make all the plans. And he just shows up.” She bit her lip. “It’s okay because I like to plan things and I like being in charge. But, like, sometimes I just wanna be asked.”

Elizabeth smiled, squeezed Emma’s knee. “That doesn’t sound unreasonable at all. And in another day or so, if you tell him like that, he might listen.”

“Maybe. I never told him any of that, so maybe I should. Anyway, if you didn’t know about our fight, what did you want?”

“Oh, I just wanted to check in with you,” Elizabeth said. “We haven’t talked since, well, since you found out and told Cameron what happened to me as a teenager.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Are you mad?”

“Of course not, sweetheart. Never,” Elizabeth assured her. “I just wanted to talk to you. Cameron was upset about it, and I know you told your mom you felt okay, but I still wanted to know for myself.”

“Oh. Well, I guess I’m okay. It was more like—you know, you see it on television and stuff, and sometimes we see women at the hospital, and like—” Emma shrugged a shoulder. “It’s weird to think of you going through it. But, also, I know you. And you’re okay. Better than. You got a family and a job, and I don’t know—once you get past feeling bad about it, I don’t know. I didn’t think about it.” She frowned. “Is that okay? I mean, should I be feeling another way—”

“Absolutely not. I want you to feel whatever way you want. I just wanted to us to have a minute.” Elizabeth smiled. “You’re right, though. I am okay. I have an amazing family. Not just the boys and my husband, but I have your parents, and I have you. You all make my life so much better.”

“Same, Aunt Elizabeth.” Emma’s smile was more genuine now. “I remember when Mommy was gone. You helped so much and you let me cuddle and hug you when I missed her so much. Sometimes, I pretended you were my mom. I’m glad I have her back,” Emma added quickly. “But I know it was easier for me and my dad because we had you.”

“We’re all better off for your mom being back in our lives.” Elizabeth smiled and they both got up. “But I’m even more glad that we didn’t lose each other.” She pulled Emma in for a quick, brief hug. “And I’m glad you’re not settling for less than you deserve. Cameron might be my son, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be wrong. Keep standing up for what you want, baby.”

“I will, Aunt Elizabeth. Thanks. It helps to hear that I’m not overreacting. At least, not a lot.” Emma grinned at her. “I better get to work before Epiphany tracks me down.”

General Hospital: Patient Room

Robin fidgeted in the chair, twisting her hands in her lap. Patrick leaned over, placing a hand over hers. “Relax—”

Robin slitted her eyes at her husband. “You keep saying that, and it just makes me want to bash your head in—”

“If it doesn’t take this time, we’ll try again—”

“I know, but—” Robin huffed. “I’m already forty. How much longer do I even have?”

“Saw a woman in Spain get pregnant at sixty-five—”

“Shut up,” Robin muttered, but cracked a smile. “I just want this so much. I want to do so much better with this baby—” She broke off when the door behind her opened, and her doctor came in.

Britta Westbourne took a seat behind the desk, setting a chart down as she did so. Then smiled widely. “Congratulations. The test came back positive.”

Robin exhaled on a whoosh of hair as Patrick grinned. “I’m pregnant? It’s not a mistake?”

“Absolutely not. We’ll monitor closely for a few weeks to make sure the embryo has fully transferred and we’ll continue some of the hormone shots—” Britt picked up a pen. “But you’re pregnant.”

Robin turned to Patrick, her own smile spreading. “We’re pregnant.”

“We are—”

“We’re going to have another baby!”

“That was the plan,” Patrick laughed as she pulled him up, hugging him tightly. “I love you,” he murmured into her hair, still marveling after all this time that she’d come back to them. That he got another chance to be the best husband and father he could be.

“And I’ll get to do this with Elizabeth.” Robin swiped at her eyes, as tears slid down her face. “We get to do it together—oh, I have to call my parents. And Brenda! Brenda will want to know!”

“We can take it one step at a time,” Patrick told her. “Dr. Westbourne, what do we have to schedule next?”

Morgan Home: Kitchen

Elizabeth swirled a spoon in the spaghetti sauce. “I made an appointment with the OB,” she told Jason as he came into the room and headed for the fridge. “Two weeks from Friday.”

“I’ll be there.” He cracked the top from the bottle of beer. “You hear from Robin yet?”

“No,” Elizabeth muttered, staring at her phone as if it were the enemy. “Not yet. I hope the IVF took. She was so excited when she was telling me about it, and I know how much Patrick wants it, too. And it’ll be so much fun to go through this together without any of the drama.”

Jason leaned against the counter. “You mean like being blown up in a explosion?” he said, dryly, referring to the Metro Court Hotel hostage crisis when she’d been pregnant with Jake.

“Not to mention the hotel fire—standing outside, hoping that everyone I loved came out—” And worried that the fire wouldn’t eliminate the evidence of Zander’s body inside. God, it felt so strange to remember that now. She’d believed him dead at her own hands while she’d waiting behind the police lines, a hand on her belly, knowing she’d murdered her son’s father. “And they did,” Elizabeth said finally.

At least that time. Then the hostage crisis at the hotel had cost Jason his father, while the Black and White Ball — “If we have a daughter,” Elizabeth said, “I don’t want to name her Emily.”

“You don’t—” Jason frowned. “I thought you would—I mean, I haven’t thought about it—”

“Emily wouldn’t want that for her,” Elizabeth said. “But I was thinking we could find another way to honor her memory. Maybe we could name her Paige. For Emily’s biological mother. And it was Em’s middle name.” She paused. “Unless you think that would hurt Monica.”

“I don’t think so. Monica always said she and Paige were close, and I think she’d understand.” Jason stroked the small of Elizabeth’s back. “I like the idea of Paige.”

“Paige Audrey.” Elizabeth paused. “I don’t know why I’m picking girl’s names,” she muttered. She turned down the heat. “What do you think about Drake for a boy?”

Jason shrugged. “Sounds good to me. You know that doesn’t matter to me. I mean, it matters—” He paused. “It’s a name. You put some letters in order, and then you write it on a piece of paper. The person makes it their own. I know how important Patrick’s been in your life.”

“I can just hear Steven now,” Elizabeth muttered, “asking where his namesake is. I keep telling him Cameron and Jake have middle names from our side of the family—” She rolled her eyes.

“And that’s why we only visit your brother for Thanksgiving,” Jason reminded her. “It was nice when he lived here, but we like him in Memphis better.”

“Drake Morgan sounds distinguished,” Elizabeth decided. “Or like a name from a soap opera.” She checked her phone again and made a face. “Still nothing from Robin. Ugh, I hate waiting—that reminds me—” She pointed the phone to Jason. “You need to talk to Cameron. If I do it, he’ll think I’m taking Emma’s side.”

Jason scowled. “What did he do?”

“Lets Emma plan all the dates and do all the work, then threw a hissy fit when she told him she wanted to be asked to Homecoming.” Elizabeth poured a glass of water. “Typical guy. Makes the girl make all the first moves, then pretends it was his idea—”

“I never did that,” Jason said, slightly insulted. “Did I?”

Elizabeth peered at him. “Uh, who showed up at who’s penthouse in the middle of a blackout?”

“Yeah, but I kissed you,” he reminded her. “And then after Sonny’s last wedding—I kissed you then, too—”

“Because I asked you to dance.” Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled. “I create the opportunities for you to make a move, and then let you think it was your idea—”

“Oh, yeah?” Jason grinned, then reached out to snag her arm and pull her flush against him. “Is that how it was?”

“Absolutely—” She smirked. “But it was nice of me to let you think it was you—”

“Sounds like we made a good team—” He leaned down to kiss her, sliding his fingers along her jaw, then through her hair. “Any complaints about how it turned out?”

“Not a one,” Elizabeth said, fisting her hands in his shirt, still smiling as he kissed her again. She really did have the best life — and she wasn’t going to let anyone or anything mess this up for her—especially not memories from before.

Kelly’s: Courtyard

 “I have about thirty minutes before Dr. Rob sends out the dogs,” Trina told Emma as they headed towards the doorway. “Why did I have to come anyway?”

“Neutral third party,” Emma said. She stood on her tiptoes to peer inside the diner, then found Cameron sitting at table with his cousins, Michael and Morgan. “He needs to see that I’m not thinking about him or waiting around.”

“But you are, and you’re making me do it, too—”

“Yes, but he doesn’t need to know that! Honestly, Treen—”

Emma turned away from the window at the sound of footsteps behind them, freezing when a man walked into the courtyard. He stopped, too, then smiled at them.

“Hello, ladies. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Trina scowled. “No. And who asked, anyway? Go about your business.”

The man’s smile dipped slightly at Trina’s attitude, but then brightened again as he looked at Emma. “Have a nice evening. Stay out of trouble.”

He went past them into the diner, and Emma swallowed hard. She rubbed her arms — they felt itchy all of a sudden, like she had insects crawling all over her.

“Adults are so weird,” Trina complained, drawing Emma’s attention back to her. “Right?”

“I’ve seen him before,” Emma said. “Um, at Kelly’s. A few days ago—” And somewhere else, hadn’t she? She couldn’t pick it out just yet, but— “Let’s go home before your mom starts calling and demanding to know where you are.”

She wanted to be as far away from Kelly’s as possible.

+4

Written in 54 minutes.

Morgan House: Backyard

Cameron was determined to end this fight with Emma, even if he wasn’t entirely sure what he’d done wrong. He’d invited her over to hang out in the backyard while he baby-sat his younger brothers (to remind Emma that she liked what a good brother he was), made sure to have her favorite soda and snack ready.

He was going to fix this. Somehow.

Emma sat stiffly across from at the patio table, her arms folded. “Well?”

“Uh.” Cameron shoved the drink closer. “You want some Dr. Pepper? I also got you Takis. You know, the purple kind—”

Emma pursed her lips—not a good sign—looked down at the soda and bag, then back at Cameron. “You said you wanted to apologize.”

He coughed lightly. “Uh, yes. I was wrong. And I’m sorry.” He flashed her a bright grin. “Did you get your dress for Homecoming—” He glanced over his shoulder when the back door opened and Jason stepped out. “Oh, hey, Dad. You’re home early.”

“Yeah. Your mom wants a burger. On the grill.” Jason went to light the gas. “So that’s what’s for dinner.”

“Oh, one of those cravings.” Cameron turned to Emma, confident that he’d taken care of everything. “Mom’s been cranky lately. On Monday night, like in the middle of the night, she woke up and was eating ice cream.”

“Which you wouldn’t have known about if you’d been in your room sleeping,” Jason said idly. “Instead of playing video games in the living room.”

Cameron hunched his shoulders. “Uh, yeah.”

“Your mother is having a baby. She’s literally creating life,” Emma said flatly, the tone indicating that perhaps he hadn’t done an adequate enough job of apologizing. “Men do nothing but complain—sorry, Mr.Morgan,” she said as afterthought. She got to her feet. “You have no idea why I’m mad, do I?”

“I do, too.” Cameron stood. “You wanted me to ask you to the dance, and I didn’t. I’m fixing that. You’ll go, right?”

Emma’s cheeks flushed, her eyes flashed, and she whirled around. Then she was gone, the kitchen door slamming behind her.

Cameron sunk back into his seat, glared at the Dr. Pepper and Takis. They were just mocking him because they hadn’t done a damn thing except make Emma angrier—he slid a glance at his father. “Hey, Dad.”

“Yeah?” Jason closed the grill and came over to sit across from him.

“You used to mess up with Mom a lot, right?’ Cameron brightened. “Like all the time. She used to cry a lot.”

Jason stared at him, and then Cameron’s grin faded. “I mean, Mom messed up, too, sometimes.”

His father sighed, then sat across from him. “Everyone messes up,” he said, pushing the snacks aside. “It’s normal. Yes, I made your mother cry sometimes. And she hurt me, too. That’s a relationship. It doesn’t matter how much you love or care about someone, it’s impossible to go through life and not cause pain.”

“Yeah, okay. I guess that’s realistic. It’s just—” Cameron gave up and cracked open the Dr. Pepper. It was his favorite, too. “We were all fine one minute, and then the next nope. It’s all about this stupid dance. She’s mad because I didn’t ask her. I just assumed we’d go together.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s just—we’re dating, right? You and Mom are married. You go to stuff sometimes. Does she wait for you to ask her? Like when Dante’s mom got married. You and mom went together. Did you ask her?”

“No. She—” Jason squinted. “No. She told me when it was.”

“Exactly. Because you’re married. Why can’t things just be understood in a relationship, you know? Why do I have to magically know that sometimes I’m supposed to ask.” He shoved the other soda at his father, hoping he’d drink it, and then it’d be like two guys hanging out. Jason accepted it, popped it open and drank. “Did you and Mom used to argue about this stuff?”

“No,” Jason said after a moment. “But sometimes she was hurt when I didn’t always say what I was thinking. She’d assume what I was thinking — and be wrong — and then she was upset.”

“But that’s her fault for assuming and not asking, right?” Cameron pointed out. “Wouldn’t it have been easier if Mom had just asked? Like, if Emma wanted me to ask her, and that’s the problem, she could have just told me. But now I’m in trouble because I didn’t know there was a rule.” He huffed. “Why can’t she just tell me why she’s mad so I can fix it?”

Jason opened his mouth, then closed it. Cameron felt the sweet sting of victory. “I’m right, aren’t I? If Mom asked you, you would have told her. If she gets upset then, okay. But it’s not your fault if she created a whole argument out of nowhere—”

His father hesitated. “Well, that’s not really it, but—” Jason paused. “I know you’re not right. And that I was wrong,” he continued, “but I can’t really remember why. Your mother explained it better.”

“Mom knows?”

“Yeah. I don’t know if I was supposed to say that—” Jason scrubbed his hand down his face. “Okay, listen. Sometimes we have to do things that don’t make sense. I’m pretty straightforward. Logical. You’re like that, too. You like things to just be said straight out. No guessing.”

Cameron tightened his hand around the soda can. He liked the idea of having something in common with his dad. Even better, like maybe Cameron had this trait because they’d been a family, and this was something that was theirs. “Yeah. That’s all I want. Why am I wrong?”

“I don’t know. You are,” Jason added. “But—” He sighed. “Maybe you both are. She’s not wrong for wanting to be asked, but you’re not wrong for wishing she’d tell you why she’s really mad.”

Cameron perked up. “So, like, she owes me an apology, too.” He got to his feet, chugged the last of his soda. “Thanks! I knew I was right.”

“Uh, that’s not—” Jason winced as Cameron went into the house. Damn it. He’d understood what Elizabeth meant when she said it, but Cameron had made sense, too. He was just going to turn the whole mess over to her. She would fix it.

General Hospital: Hallway

Patrick opened the staff locker room door for Elizabeth. “After you, madame.”

“Thanks. I’m so excited for you guys,” she said as they headed for their lockers. “I’ve loved Cameron and Emma growing up together, and the idea that we get to do it again—”

“And that we’ve got built in baby-sitters.” Patrick rubbed his hands together in glee. “Grandparents, brothers, sisters. This is much better than when we were doing this alone.”

Elizabeth laughed, and spun the dial on her locker. “Have you heard about Cam and Emma’s fight?”

“They’re fighting?” Patrick frowned. “I knew she was upset over something, I just figured it was Joss again.”

“No, that’s been quiet since the blue dye fiasco.” Elizabeth pulled out her street clothes. “It’s not that serious. Cam didn’t ask her to the Homecoming Dance because he assumed they were going to go together.”

Patrick wince. “Rookie mistake, man. You hate to see it. I blame Jason. He doesn’t remember being a teenaged boy. Number one rule — you never assume when it comes to occasions where a girl’s gotta  buy a dress.” He sighed, pulled open his locker. “That explains her rotten mood.”

“I told Jason to talk to him, but you know,” Elizabeth smirked, “I’m not sure Jason doesn’t agree with Cameron’s stance. He thinks Emma should have just told him she wanted to be asked.”

“That defeats the purpose of being asked in the first place.” Disgusted, Patrick opened the locker. “And there’s no way Jason doesn’t agree with the kid. He’s too logical. Are you sure there’s emotion in there?”

“Ha—” Elizabeth tugged off her scrub top, then pulled on a sweater. “I just thought if I tried to explain it, Cam would think I was taking Emma’s side.”

“You are.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t need to know that. If Jason tags me in, and I mess it up, you’re on deck.”

“Got it—” Patrick stopped abruptly. “That’s weird. The picture from Labor Day—” He tapped the inside of his locker where he’d taped photos. His wedding day, a picture of Emma as a toddler, a shot of Emma and Cameron dressed as Rapunzel and Flynn Rider with Aiden as a pumpkin — and there had been a group shot from the Labor Day barbecue at Patrick’s house with Patrick, Robin, Robert, Anna, and Emma.

“Maybe it fell off and got swept up by the janitor.” Elizabeth looked around the staff room, checking the other aisles. “I don’t see it. I’m sure Robin can just print another one—”

“Yeah, I guess. It’s the second picture that’s gone missing in the last few weeks,” Patrick admitted. “I should start paying attention.” When she frowned, he continued, “Last week. The picture in my wallet? The day I bought you Doritos.”

“Oh, yeah. That is weird.”

Patrick closed his locker. “You doing anything for dinner?”

“Jason’s grilling — I made him,” Elizabeth said. “You ready for Robin’s cravings?”

“Can’t wait.”

Morgan House: Kitchen

Elizabeth hung her keys up on the hook, smiled at Jason pulling out a bag of buns from the cabinet. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He paused, pulled her in for a kiss that lingered.

“Mmm, what was that for?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I missed you.” Jason kissed the tip of her nose, then winced. “And I talked to Cameron.”

“Oh, no.”

“Yeah, it didn’t go well.” Jason sat at the island. “He takes after you. You talk in circles until I agree with you, and I don’t know how I feel about being manipulated by a fourteen year old.”

Elizabeth laughed, went to the fridge to grab some tomatoes to slice for the burgers. “It’s also just possible you agree with him. Cameron thinks Emma just have just told him she wanted to be asked, and it’s not his fault if she gets mad because she didn’t tell him what she wanted.”

“Uh—yeah.” Jason nodded. “That sounds fair to me.”

“Me, too.”

“Then—”

“Because I’m a thirty-six year old woman who has has a lot of life experience, and I know that sometimes—” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter, their eyes meeting. “Just because someone doesn’t say something, it doesn’t mean they don’t feel it. But I had to get hurt a lot of times to get here. Cam and Emma—they’re just learning these things.”

“But you still think Emma’s right,” Jason said slowly. “That Cam should have asked?”

“I think—” Elizabeth paused. “I think she’s not wrong for wishing Cameron thought this dance was a special occasion. That it means as much to him as it does to her. They’re freshman. It’s the first year in high school. And it’s a real dance. Not like the middle school stuff. She’s starting to feel grown up. And mature. And all she wants in the world is the boy she’s crazy for to think she’s special. To treat her that way.”

Jason tipped his head. “And not asking her makes her think she’s not.”

“Yeah. It’s not just the movies on a Saturday night or grabbing dinner at Kelly’s. It’s their first formal dance since they started dating. And she’s probably bought a really pretty dress, and thought about her hair, and—” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I was the same. And I wish I could tell her that it’s not that serious. That it’s just a dance, and that Cameron has proved how much he cares in other ways. But she’s just a girl, Jason. And maybe it’s wrong not to want her to have this sweetness as long as she can. Robin and I—we didn’t get to have that. Not really.”

“You did all that for your dance, didn’t you?” Jason asked. “The dress, the hair—”

“Yeah. I searched for hours—” Elizabeth laughed again, but it was a little derisively. “I knew Lucky thought we were just friends, but I thought — if I find just the right dress, he’ll change his mind. I’ll look so beautiful and better than Sarah, and he’ll fall in love with me.” She swiped at a tear. “He only saw the dress after it was torn and dirty.”

“Elizabeth—”

“I’m fine. I am. I didn’t—maybe it’s why I understand Emma so much. I wanted that dream. I wanted to matter to someone. I had the dress box in my lap when Lucky came to tell me he was going with Sarah. I was crushed. Embarrassed. Humiliated. I lied to cover it up.”

“Maybe you’re just a little worried that this is all over a dance,” Jason pointed out gently. “And you’re feeling protective of Emma because of that. You don’t want her upset enough to lie and not  go.”

“That’s part of it, I think.” She exhaled slowly, put the sliced tomatoes in a container. “But I think it’d be a good lesson for Cameron to learn. Being in a relationship doesn’t mean you get to stop taking care of each other. Look at you—you were at work, and all I did was mention I had a craving for a burger. It’s the little things that matter, Jason. Because when you don’t do the little things, they pile up and explode into one big problem. Today, he doesn’t think it’s a big deal to not to ask her to a dance. Sure, he’s got a point. It’d be easier if Emma explained this to him. But maybe she can’t. Maybe it’s too big and it hurts too much to put in words.”

Jason rounded the corner to take her in his arms. “Hey.” He brushed at a tear sliding down her cheek with his knuckle. “You’re right. Cameron might not be wrong, but I don’t want him making the same mistakes I did. It took me too long to say what needed to be said, to do what needed to be done, and you shouldn’t have had to wait for me to figure that out.”

“I should have been able to find the words. I didn’t try hard enough. I let the pain and hurt swallow me whole.” She rested her forehead against his chest, and let him put his arms around her. This would always be her safe place. The one place in all the world where nothing could hurt her. “I’ll talk to him.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I can do it now.” She kissed him, cupping his face. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

+22

Written in 62 minutes.

Lexington Avenue: Driveway

If anyone had told Jason Morgan after his accident that he’d find happiness in the small details of life, he’d have rolled his eyes and flipped him off. The man he’d been then had wanted to live fast and dangerous, the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he crept up on an enemy or took turns too fast.

Not that the adrenaline didn’t still flow just fine these days, but Jason also liked the little things about living in a house and raising a family. A wife who loved him (all the parts of him, including his job), three wild and rambunctious boys who never remembered their chores, and the swirling excitement that he’d get to do it all from the beginning. In just under seven months, a new baby would come home that would start the chao all over again.

It was the third time in as many weeks that Cameron had forgotten to take out of the trash, but Jason decided that he wouldn’t bother to remind him. He’d gone upstairs to sulk after dinner, and they’d heard him strumming on the guitar he’d gotten a year ago for Christmas. Jason knew something about heartache and that he hadn’t quite hit the mark on their talk earlier, so he and Elizabeth split up — she went talk to their son and Jason took on the chores.

As Jason settled the cans at the edge of the driveway and removed the plastic tops to store in the garage, he saw a car zip down the street and slide into the driveway directly across. He smiled faintly. Robin had always driven just a bit too fast.

“Hey!” The brunette waved at him, stepping out the car. She glanced back and forth down Lexington Avenue to assure herself there was no car on its way, then crossed the street. “I haven’t seen you since Elizabeth told me the news.” She hugged him tightly. “Congratulations!”

“You, too.” He held on for just a moment longer, then drew back.

“Seems crazy to me,” Robin said. “How far we’ve all come. Remember? When we were kids and neither one of us thought there’d be kids in our future? You’re about to add number four, and I’m on to two—”

“You always wanted it. I’m glad there’s a way for you to have it.”

“You, too. Especially—” she sighed. “With how things Michael ended.” Robin wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, I’m just feeling nostalgic, I guess. Looking through Emma’s baby things. Did you hear our kids are having their first fight?”

“Yeah, and it’s not over yet,” Jason admitted with a wince. “I tried to help today, but I’m not sure I did any good.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t think I was supposed to agree with Cam.”

“But you do,” Robin finished with a grin. “So do I, actually. Patrick was horrified when I told him, but—” she shrugged. “Cam’s a boy. A great kid, but still just a boy. He doesn’t get the dance thing, and Emma should have just told him how much it meant to her.” She tipped her head. “But I am fascinated that you agree.”

“Why not?” Jason shrugged. “She’s mad. Cam doesn’t know why. She should tell him.”

“I just think it’s funny that you, Jason Morgan, want someone to use their words,” Robin teased.

“Ha,” he muttered. He sighed, looked back at the house, at the light shining from Cameron’s room. “Elizabeth explained it to me, and it made more sense. She wants to feel special, and it’s not the same if you have to tell someone you’re special.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, from that perspective.” Robin nodded. “Emma’s…she’s a dreamer. I think I’ve forgotten what that’s like. I’m too serious for that kind of thing.”

“You had your moments.”

“So did you.” Robin smiled at him again. “It’s nice, isn’t it? After all we’ve meant to each other, that we get to stay friends. I’m glad we got here.”

“Me, too.” He kissed her cheek, and they both returned to their respective families.

Morgan House: Cameron’s Bedroom

Elizabeth knocked lightly on her son’s door. “Cam, you got a minute?”

“Yeah,” came the glum reply. She edged the door open, then closed it after herself. Cameron was hunched over the side of his bed, the guitar in his hands. “I was trying to write something to tell Emma I was sorry but it’s not working.”

She sat next to him. “I talked to your Dad.”

“Yeah, I felt better after I talked to him, but then I thought about telling Emma she was wrong—” Cam winced, looked at his mother. “I don’t know a lot about girls, but that’s probably not a good idea.” He made a face. “You’re on her side, aren’t you?”

“Well—” Elizabeth hesitated. “Yes and no. I understand your point of view, Cam. I do. It’s hard to know you’ve hurt someone and not understand why. Because then you’re sorry, but you can’t really apologize. How do you stop yourself from repeating the mistake if you don’t get it?”

“Yeah. But if you’re on her side, can you maybe tell me why I’m wrong? Because I’m okay with being wrong.” Cam unhooked the guitar and set it on the stand, then sat cross legged on his bed. “I don’t care anymore. I just don’t want her to be mad at me or break up with me. That would be the worst.”

“Well, before I give you my perspective, let me ask you something to see if it confirms what I think.” Elizabeth tucked one leg underneath her body and turned so that she faced Cameron. “Was the fight the first time Emma mentioned the dance?”

Cameron screwed his face up, thinking over the question. “We talked about it when school started and we got the fall schedule. I was looking at the soccer schedule, and she said something about Spirit Week. It was going to be fun because it was our first high school dance—” He stared his mother, then put his head in hands. “Oh, shit.” Then winced. “Sorry, Mom.”

“No, I think it’s an oh shit moment.”

“She didn’t mean our  first dance because, like, chronological. But, like our first dance. Couple first. She was telling me it was special but like, I didn’t hear it.”

“Well, you did, baby. You’re remembering it now. You just didn’t make the connection.”

“Crap. I’m an idiot.”

“You’re fourteen.”

“But I’m still an idiot!” He groaned and flopped back on his bed, his arms spread out at his sides. “Prettiest girl in the entire grade picks me and I can’t even ask her to the dance right.”

“Cam—”

“No, listen.” Cameron sprang back up, his blue eyes hot. “Listen. Maybe I’m a kid, but I love her. And I know that means. I know what love is, and I love Emma. But I hurt her, and she’s really mad. Why didn’t I just see it?”

“Because you’re just a kid,” Elizabeth said gently. “And you weren’t wrong to think maybe she should have told you. But she’s just a kid, too.” When he scowled, she added, “And I don’t doubt that you love her. But love isn’t easy. It doesn’t run smoothly, you know? Youre going to hurt her again. She’s going to hurt you. It’s just being human. You didn’t see it, and she couldn’t explain it because you needed to have this fight. It’s how you build life experience.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Well, if Emma decides to forgive you,” Elizabeth said gently, “will you ever, in your life, forget to ask her to a dance?”

“No!”

“Lesson learned. And Emma might think to be more clear in the future. Maybe,” Elizabeth added. “That one’s a harder lesson. Because she wanted to be special to you, baby, without being having to tell you.”

“She is!”

“And I don’t doubt it. But sometimes we don’t see our own worth,” Elizabeth told him. “I wasn’t always sure your dad loved me. And he wasn’t sure I did. We didn’t know how to show it, and we didn’t always say it when it mattered. I’m sure you show Emma in a lot of ways how you feel about her, but she might not see it. And she shows you in lots of ways you might not realize.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Your birthday party last year. We were going to do something at the house, but Emma said we should have it at the soccer field so you could play a game. She knows how much you love it.”

“I didn’t know that.” Cameron frowned. “She never told me that.”

“Because it’s not a scorecard. Not at first,” Elizabeth admitted. “You do things for each other that maybe they don’t notice. But they feel it. She saw how much fun you had. It was all she needed. Your dad? Left work early today to grill because I mentioned I had a craving. And he took out the trash for you.”

“I forgot—”

“It’s the little details. They add up, and they make someone feel loved. But if you ignore them, it creates a debt. And that adds up, too. Your dad isn’t much for grand gestures, so I used to think that meant he didn’t love me. But his love was always in the details. And that’s so much better. The every day stuff to make you feel special.”

“Yeah.” Cameron exhaled slowly. “You’re right. It would have just been a small thing. Hey, Emma, you want to go to the dance with me? Just a question. But I didn’t do it, and it just got bigger.” He looked at his mom. “I love her, Mom. I don’t want to hurt her. It’s not a stupid crush or whatever.”

“I would never be one to knock first love,” Elizabeth told him. “First love can, and does, last forever. It’s just harder. People who fall in love at your age still have so much life to live, so much growing to do. And if you don’t grow together and in the same direction, it’s harder to harder hold to. I’ve been there, baby. And holding on to something that doesn’t fit who you are can hurt so much.”

“You’re talking about Lucky,” Cam said. “Because you guys got together when you were my age.”

“A little older, but yeah. If that fire hadn’t happened, I like to think we would have grown together. But it took us too long and caused too much damage to see that we hadn’t. I want you and Emma to be happy. Whatever that ends up looking like.”

“Now that I know what I did, I won’t do it again.” Cameron looked more confident. “I can fix this, Mom.”

“I have no doubt. I’ll leave you alone to work on that.” She squeezed his hand. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

She left him scribbling in his notebook and went down the living room where she found Jason explaining for maybe the millionth time that the night they’d been able to play video games upstairs had been the exception, and not a rule change.

“Ugh.” Jake flopped onto the sofa. “This is like prison.”

“You’d better never get arrested if you think that,” Elizabeth said, passing behind the sofa, and ruffling Jake’s blond hair. She grinned at Jason. “Dad can tell you about that when you’re older.”

Jason left Jake and Aiden arguing who would take the first turn and followed her to the kitchen where she was pouring herself some water. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. He’s writing her a song to apologize,” Elizabeth said. “And he’s sorry about the trash.”

Jason shrugged, sat at the island and took the beer she handed him. “It’s fine. I ran into Robin. He’ll remember next week. Probably.”

“Probably not.” Elizabeth came around the island and stepped between his legs to put her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He tipped his head. “You okay?”

“Just reminded of all the ways you show me how me how you felt. I was afraid when we got back together,” she admitted. “That it wouldn’t last. But we’re still here.”

“I’m exactly where I want to be,” Jason told her. He set the beer aside and drew her closer. “I don’t blame you for needing time to believe that.”

“Well, I do.” She kissed him, long, lingering, sliding her fingers through the nape of his hair. “How long before bedtime?” she murmured, his hands stroking her spine.

“Too long,” he admitted. “But we’re pretty good at pressing pause.”

“Good. Because I have plans for you later.”

Scorpio-Drake House: Backyard

The next day, Cameron walked his brothers home from the bus stop, a few steps behind Emma who ignored him and flounced off across the street.

“Man, you really screwed up,” Jake said, watching her go.

“Shut up,” Cameron muttered. He took them into the house, and went upstairs to get his guitar. If this didn’t work, he was going to ask his mother for a script because he didn’t know what else to do.

Patrick opened the door, eyed the guitar, then nodded. “Excellent choice. She’s upstairs.”

As Cameron started up the stairs, Patrick called up. “Hey, leave the door open!”

Emma was at her desk and turned with a scowl as Cameron knocked. “What?”

“I figured it out.” Cameron came in and set down his case. He took out the guitar, and her eyes widened. “I, um, don’t really know how to say it, but I did this. So I hope it explains it.”

He strummed a few times, then started to sing.

You’re my light when I’m lost
You’re my warmth in dark
I feel you after the sunlight is gone
You always bring me back home
When I’m lost on the road
My heart is wherever you go
Because you are
My north star

He didn’t look at her, couldn’t, so he just stared down at the guitar, until it was over. Then he looked up. Emma was staring at him, tears streaking her cheeks.

“Oh, crap. I made it worse—”

“N-No—” Emma’s lips trembled. “Did you—is that—I mean, did you write that?”

“Uh.” He unhooked his guitar and set it down. “Yes. Last night. For you. Mom—I mean, I get it now. You told me the dance would be our first high school dance. I heard it when you said it, but I didn’t, like, hear, you know? But I get it. And you need to know you’re special. And I didn’t show it. But I am now. I think. I hope. I tried.” He smiled, but it felt a bit lopsided because it was pounding so hard.

Emma flew across the room and hugged him so hard that Cameron had to take a step back. So relieved he was almost dizzy, Cameron hugged her back. “You’ll go to the dance with me, right? I wanna take the prettiest girl, and that’s you.”

“I’ll go. Will you—will you play it again?” Emma asked, drawing back her eyes shining. “I wanna hear it again.”

“Anything.”

Outside, in the hallway, Patrick edged away and pulled out his phone to text Elizabeth and let her know the crisis had passed. It was painful to admit his little girl was growing up, but, oh man, if she had to fall in love and leave him, then Patrick was grateful it was with someone who treated her right.

Baker House

That same night, across town, Tom Baker whistled as he reached into his pocket and drew out the photo that Patrick Drake had once hung in his locker.  Pretty little Emma and her family. Shame he didn’t have one of her with his first sweet girl, but there was always time for that.

And eventually, soon, he’d get to have that first taste. He’d been thinking about it for years and just hoped it would live up to the first time.

Song is William Lipton’s North Star. He’s Cam on the show, so I couldn’t resist. Couldn’t find lyrics online while writing, so had to transcribe from the song while listening. Please excuse typos.

+28

Written in 60 minutes.

Morgan House: Front Lawn

When she’d shown up in Port Charles nearly twenty years earlier, Elizabeth had felt completely alone in the world.  Her parents barely noticed her, her siblings didn’t understand her, and the best Audrey had ever managed was gentle disapproval.  Today, standing on the sidewalk outside the home where she’d raised her boys, surrounded the family she had created, it was hard to remember that brittle, rebellious girl.

She lifted her phone to zoom in on Cameron shyly sliding a wrist corsage onto Emma’s wrist, then watching as Emma twirled, showing off the soft pink dress with the sweetheart neckline. A few steps away, Portia was adjusting the spaghetti straps on Trina’s sleek purple dress while the teen sent discreet looks to Spencer, who was grimacing while his grandmother adjusted the knot on his suit.

And off to the side, just slightly apart, Carly stood with her daughter. Elizabeth’s heart had skipped a beat when Joss had stepped out of the car, her blood red dress not a far cry from another dress worn on a night like this.

No one but Elizabeth would make the connection. There were few left who remembered that dress. Audrey had passed away, Lucky might as well be in another universe, and it had been a crumpled pile of fabric when Bobbie had come to the Spencers house that night.

“You good?”

Elizabeth jerked to attention when Patrick bumped her shoulder. “What?”

“You’re just staring—” Patrick followed her gaze. “I feel a little bad for her,” he admitted. “I know Joss struggles to make friends, and Spencer and Trina aren’t really going together, but—”

“But,” Elizabeth murmured. She exhaled in relief as Jason approached Carly and Joss, and Joss’s plastered smile became more genuine. “Emma looks beautiful,” she told Patrick, looking back at their kids.

“Cam cleans up nice, too.” Patrick exhaled slowly. “He wrote her a song, Webber. Just for her.” He folded his arms. “I’m still not sure I want to let her out of the house, but if she has to date someone, I’m glad it’s someone like Cam. He’ll be good to her, and maybe she’ll have high standards the next guy will have to work hard to meet.”

“You never know,” Elizabeth teased. “Maybe first love will be forever this time.”

“Maybe.” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Okay, let’s get the group photos done so we can hit the road.”

The teens complained but it was mostly good-natured, and Elizabeth was sure to encourage shots of just the girls to make sure Joss didn’t feel left out, and only Cameron and Emma took photos as a couple.

“All right, Elizabeth and I are the drop off,” Patrick said as they moved towards the cards. “And—”

“Robin and I are picking up,” Jason confirmed. He opened the door so that Emma could slide into Patrick’s backseat, along with Cameron.

“Call if you want to come home early,” Elizabeth said, her stomach twisting as Trina and Spencer argued over who was going with Elizabeth and Joss. Trina won — and went with Cameron and Emma. Joss’s eyes dimmed a little, but she got into the car anyway.

Jason watched as the two cars pulled out of the driveway, wondering if he should have gone with Elizabeth. He knew the dance was weighing on her mind — it wouldn’t have if Tom Baker hadn’t shown up all those weeks ago and brought back the nightmares.

“Maybe I should have driven Joss,” Carly said, standing at his side. He frowned at her. “She’s having a hard time. You know, Emma and Trina only tolerate her because of Cam.” She sighed. “It’s my fault.”

“They’re just kids,” Jason said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “And they get along better than when they were kids.”

“I guess. And it hasn’t been that bad this year. Not like middle school,” Carly added. “But I’m just—I feel like I set all the wrong examples for Joss. I don’t have any female friends, so she couldn’t even see what it looked like.” She forced a smile. “Maybe I should have been nicer to Elizabeth.”

“Well, yeah, but that’s for other reasons,” Jason said, and she smiled. “Joss is a good kid—”

“But she goes after what she wants and doesn’t always look to see who she’s stepping on. It’s me all over again, Jase, and I’m just worried. I don’t want her to be like me. I want her to know she’s enough, just the way she is.” She exhaled slowly. “But you’re right. It’s better than it used to be.” She flashed him a smile, then poked him in the stomach. “Congratulations, by the way. I haven’t seen you since you told me about the baby.”

“Yeah, we wanted to wait a little while before we told a lot of people,” Jason said as they walked towards the house, following Jake and Aiden in. “But she’s out of the first trimester, so the worst miscarriage risks are past us.”

“You have to tell me everything.”

Port Charles High School: Parking Lot

Elizabeth backed her car into a space so that she was facing the doors. She was only meant to do a drop off, but Joss had been so quiet in the car that Elizabeth didn’t feel right just leaving her. Instead, she was parking and watching the entrance. She didn’t want another girl with sad eyes to be broken.

There was a rapping against her passenger side, and Elizabeth smiled faintly. She unlocked the door and Patrick slid in. “Hey.”

“Hey. You, uh, wanna tell me why we’re staking out the dance?”

“Joss,” Elizabeth murmured. “I’ve been thinking so much about this dance. About Cam and Emma fighting about going — it’s brought back some memories.” She looked at him. “For me. The Valentine’s Day dance. It happened that night. I asked Lucky to go as friends, hoping he’d see me in my dress and realize it was me he wanted all along. But then my sister asked him.”

She stared straight ahead as the sky, pink and orange when they’d arrived, sank into darkness, the streetlights illuminating the parking lot. “He came over to tell me that he was going with her. Like it wasn’t a big deal.”

“Asshole,” Patrick muttered. “He had to know you weren’t asking him as friends. I mean, guys are dumb, but we’re not that dumb. If a girl asks you to do go somewhere as friends, she’s testing the waters.”

“I can’t be angry at him. He’d fantasized about Sarah for months, and had a chance finally.” Her fingers tightened around the wheel. “He went after it. But I was so embarassed and upset, I made up a date to the dance. And I didn’t go. And tonight, I watched another girl feel like she wasn’t wanted hide her misery.” Tears burned at her eyes. “I always felt out of the place. A changeling in the Webber household who didn’t fit the mold and could never meet the expectations my parents set for me.”

“Their loss.”

“It is. It absolutely is. They’re missing out on so much. Not just because I turned out just fine without them, but my boys are special, and would have made their lives so much better.” Elizabeth sighed. “I guess I was scared Joss might want to leave and walk home. Which seems silly—”

“It absolutely does not.”

“I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her. Or any of them. Not just Cam. They’re all mine. Trina has been in and out of my house since she was a kid. Her dad took such good care of me during my rape investigation. And Emma—you know how much I love her. Spencer—he’s lost both his parents and there’s so much anger he tries to hide. But Joss — she’s the one that reminds me the most of who I used to be. She’s just like her mother, too.”

“You’re comparing yourself to Carly?”

Elizabeth smirked. “That’s one of the reasons we couldn’t get along for long. Too much alike. I just got broken at an earlier age. I was selfish, petty, and spiteful. Without the rape, I would have grown up to be a self-centered, vindictive woman who couldn’t make friends—”

“I don’t believe that for a minute.”

“I never did make friends that well,” Elizabeth said. “Emily, Nikolas—they were Lucky’s friends first. Jason,” she murmured. “He was the first friend I made that was all mine. You were the second.”

Patrick reached for her hand. “Hey. Quality over quantity. And you and me, we’re platonic soul mates, you know that right? Robin’s the love of my life and it’s a miracle I get to keep her. To have more kids with her. But you kept me moving through losing her. You helped me raise Emma when I thought I’d screw it up.”

“Best friend I ever had,” Elizabeth said, turning to smile at him. “You don’t have to stay.”

“Nah, I’m with you. Joss reminds me of me, too,” Patrick said. “You’re not the only one who was a selfish teenager who didn’t make friends well. We’ll just tell Jason and Robin that we’ll take the Kelly’s drop off and they can pick up the kids there. I’m sure Laura and Portia will be relieved to have the break.”

“Let’s do that.”

Port Charles Hotel: Gymnasium

The fast beat of Little Mix slid into the slow strands of Ed Sheeran, couples began to gravitate towards one another, and Joss edged her way from the dance floor, her throat tightening as she watched Cameron draw Emma into his arms—and then Spencer hold out a hand to Trina.

And her current crush, Oscar Nero, asking Molly Bainbridge to dance. Joss wandered over to the punch table. It wasn’t like she wanted to date Cameron or Spencer — the passing crush she’d had on Cameron in grade school had mostly been because he’d always been nice to her. Probably because his mother made him.

So honey now
Take me into your loving arms

She lifted the punch to her lips, sipped it and winced at the sugary sweetness.

‘Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it’s evergreen
Baby your smile’s forever in my mind and memory

She didn’t even want a boyfriend, Joss told herself, even as she wistfully watched the other couples swaying to the music.

But baby now
Take me into your loving arms

She’d been so excited for this dance, so sure that she’d pick out this dress and that every guy would want to dance with her. She was pretty, wasn’t she? And she was trying harder to be nicer. Emma had been right — the truce with Trina made things easier.

But a truce didn’t change a decade of rivalry or erase some of the things Joss and Trina had done or said to one another. And she knew they still really didn’t like each other. And Emma and Trina were popular. People liked them.

And nobody, except for Cameron and sometimes Spencer, liked her.

I’m thinking out loud
That maybe we found love right where we are

Finally the song changed into an upbeat Justin Timberlake, and Joss went back to the dance floor because you didn’t need a partner for these songs.

Kelly’s: Parking Lot

“Thanks for the ride,” Cameron told his mother as he held the door open for Emma. “You’re going home this time, right?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said with a roll of her eyes. The group had been mystified to find Elizabeth and Patrick waiting for them after the dance, and Cameron had complained that maybe his mom didn’t think he was old enough to go to a dance.

So this time, Elizabeth promised — and she’d promised Jason, too, who was worried about her for other reasons. So she watched the kids head into the courtyard, then followed Patrick out of the parking lot and away from the diner.

Kelly’s: Dining Room

Everyone who had joined them at Kelly’s after the dance had someone with them, Joss realized. Or maybe the other groups of kids were just evenly divided. Even Nancy Ohlendorf had a date. Joss huffed as she sat at the table. When girls who liked other girls found a date more easily than she did, that just reminded Joss that she was the problem. Not that she wasn’t happy for Nancy and Julie. She just wanted someone to sit with. To talk to.

She sipped her soda, picked at her French fries, smiling when she was supposed to. But she just wanted to go home. Her house was too far away, but her grandmother’s Brownstone wasn’t, Joss decided.

She got up from the table and went for her coat, her throat tightening when she made it all the way into the courtyard without anyone coming after her. She waited for a moment — but no one came.

They hadn’t noticed she was gone. Wasn’t that a kick in the face? She lifted right out, didn’t she?

Joss turned and headed towards Elm Street, the street quiet with only her footsteps echoing. She dragged her coat more tightly around her, tears burning at her eyes. Her phone wasn’t even vibrating. No one, not even her best friend, knew she was gone.

Your best friend should always notice, Joss thought bitterly, but Cam had been so worried about Joss—

There was a crack—and Joss stopped. Turned to look at the broken lot across the street where the sounds had come from. Then she heard footsteps. Heavy ones. She swallowed hard, straight ahead, and started to walk more quickly. Two more blocks until she got home Two more blocks.

The footsteps were closer now, and Joss was scared. What if she turned around and someone was right there—

There was a honk of a car horn, and then a car was siding to a stop. Joss stopped, recognizing it. “Aunt Liz,” she said breathlessly. “You came back.”

“I had a feeling you’d need me,” Elizabeth told her. She flipped the locks. “Get in.”

Joss yanked the door open, then took a moment to sweep her eyes around the surroundings. There was no one at all. She must have just been more nervous than she’d thought. She slid into the passenger seat, and flashed a smile at Elizabeth. “How’d you know?”

“I just did.” Elizabeth squeezed her hand. “One day, you’re going to look around and you’re going to be surrounded by so many people who love you that you’re not even going to remember tonight,” she told her. “You are a great kid, Joss, and you deserve the world.”

As Elizabeth’s car disappeared down the road, Tom stepped out from the scraggly blushes, grimacing. He’d been so close.

Then he smiled. The pretty blonde with the sad eye was special to Elizabeth, too? Well, well, well. There were just so many options to choose from.

+31

Written in 62 minutes.

Elizabeth’s Car

“It was stupid,” Joss said, her voice a bit tired and dull. “We were only going to be there for like an hour. Maybe two. I could have stuck it out.”

Elizabeth remained silent, listening to the teenager punish herself enough for the both of them.

“It’s just…everyone had a date or a best friend, you know? They were all paired off. And it’s not like I want anyone to be miserable. I don’t.” Joss paused. “Okay, maybe I enjoyed Cam and Emma fighting more than I should have. Mostly because he called me, and we hung out a few times.” She looked out the window. “We don’t do that anymore. Just us. We were best friends. And now we’re not.”

Elizabeth made the turn to Carly’s house, and Joss sighed again. “And I know that makes me a bad person. That I wanted my best friend to be sad and alone because I am—”

“It does not make you a bad person. It makes you human.” Elizabeth drew to a stop in front of Joss’s house, switched off the engine. “I know what it’s like to be in a crowd of people and feel completely alone. I give you a lot of credit, Joss, for going in the first place.”

“Really?” Joss frowned. Looked at her. “Why?”

“Because I didn’t. I couldn’t. When I was your age, and the boy I liked went to the dance with my sister, I couldn’t face it. I wasn’t brave enough to go alone. We were supposed to go as friends, but I was so…” Elizabeth smiled ruefully. “I was so hurt and embarrassed that I had gone all out on this night. I’d bought a new dress, and I’d had these silly little day dreams that when he saw me all dressed up, he’d forget all about Sarah. I lied to him. I told him I had a different date, and then I just didn’t go at all.”

“You think it’s brave I went to the dance alone?” Joss asked skeptically. “It’s pathetic—”

“It’s brave,” Elizabeth repeated. “And you stuck it out as long as you could. Were you going to walk all the way home?”

“No, just to Grandma Bobbie’s. Is that…um, is that how you knew? Why you came back?” Joss wanted to know. “Because I looked miserable? Did everyone else notice?”

“I can’t answer that, but I just—I worried what might happen if you couldn’t stand it and walked out. You matter to me, Joss. You’ve been such a good friend to my son. I’ve watched you grow up, and I know it’s been hard. But you’re a great kid. The next time you just want to get out, when you just want to walk away—” Elizabeth held up her cell phone. “Call me. No questions asked.”

“Thanks, Aunt Liz. I was only a few blocks away from Grandma’s, but—” Joss shivered. “I heard these footstps—probably nothing but my own mind,” she added, “but it was scary. I’m glad you came to find me.”

“Always. And if you don’t call me, call your mother. You know she’d show up in a heartbeat for you.”

“Yeah, but then she’d go to war against someone. Sometimes it’s not worth the drama.” Joss grinned at her. “But yeah, you’re right. Next time, I’ll make sure I have a ride. Bye, Aunt Liz.”

Morgan House: Master Bedroom

Elizabeth was still thinking of Joss when she got ready for bed, the teen’s words echoing in her mind as she rubbed lotion into her hands.

Footsteps. Joss had heard footsteps behind her. Had she just been imagining things? How many times had Elizabeth heard people who weren’t there? In the days and weeks after, she’d been haunted by sounds that didn’t exist.

Behind her, the door opened and Jason came in. “Hey.” He came up behind her at the vanity table, dropped a kiss on top of her head, his hands warm on her shoulders. “Everyone’s home.”

“Did Cam have a good time?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yeah,” Jason said, sitting on the edge of the bed, kicking off his shoes. “He walked Emma to her door.”

“Good.” Elizabeth looked down at her hands, still rubbing in lotion that had long ago dissolved. “Did he even notice Joss was gone?”

Jason frowned. “What?”

“Did Cameron notice Joss left Kelly’s?” Elizabeth twisted on the stool. “Because her phone never rang the entire time I drove her home.”

“I didn’t ask,” Jason admitted. “I knew you’d picked her up—” He tipped his head. “She’s all right. You were there.”

“Yeah, I guess. I just—” Elizabeth sighed, twisted her wedding ring. “It was so much the same,” she murmured. “A sad, miserable girl feeling left out. Walking in the dark. I suppose I wanted to know—Lucky noticed. I never came to the dance, and he noticed. He went looking for me.”

Tears stung her eyes. “I don’t know what would have happened if he didn’t find me. I didn’t know where I was—I was so outside myself—” She rubbed her arms. “A complete mess. I never found my coat—my shoe was broken—I don’t know how Gram didn’t see. I used to hate that he knew. In the beginning. When I didn’t want anyone to see me. I hated that he knew. But now, even after everything we’ve been through, thank God he found me. I don’t know if I would have survived. I might have just stayed in the park.”

“Hey,” Jason said softly. He reached for her hand, and drew her to sit next to him. “It’s okay.”

“I used to have nightmares about it,” Elizabeth confessed. “Laying in the snow, letting it numb everything, and just drifting away. I was so cold, it didn’t hurt yet. But I heard my name. I heard his voice. And I started to crawl towards it.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to keep going back—”

“You never, ever have to apologize,” he said roughly, bringing her hand to his mouth, kissing the inside of her palm. She smiled at him, even as the tears slid down her cheek. “Ever. You’re right. If you’d stayed there all night, you might have died. So, yeah, Lucky gets the credit for finding you. For helping you that night. But that’s where it ends. You know that, right? Because you heard his voice. You made the decision to go towards it. Not him.”

She sighed, leaned her head against his shoulder. He put his arm around her, held her close. “I know. I just—and you know, I don’t think about it anymore. Or at least I didn’t until a few months ago. But that feeling—laying in the cold, waiting for it to make everything go away—I never lost that.”

“I know.” He tipped her chin up. “I’ve been there, too. Remember? You dragged me out of the snow. Made me open my eyes and drowned me in soup.”

“I—” Her eyes widened. “I didn’t even—”

“I was nearly dead when you found me. I don’t feel the cold,” he reminded her, “but I can still freeze to death. If you hadn’t come that morning, if you’d been even a day later, I would have.”

“It’s just…I don’t want to think about any of these things anymore. I don’t want to be that girl, crawling out of the snow. I want to be stronger. And before you tell me I am,” Elizabeth added, “I know. But it can come back so fast. In a moment, and tonight, it just felt so real again. If anything ever happened to Joss, to Emma, or Trina—or even the boys—” She shook her head.

“It didn’t. You took care of Joss just the way you take care of everyone.” He brushed his mouth against hers. “Let me take care of you.”

“You always do.”

Port Charles High: Library

Cameron dropped his books next to Joss’s and sat down. “You’ve been avoiding my calls since Friday night,” he declared. “And you skipped the game on Saturday.”

Joss wrinkled her nose and went back to her geometry homework. “Sorry I got busy.”

“I texted you when I saw that you left. I was worried,” he added. “I almost went looking for you.”

“It’s fine. I just went home early. Your mom was still hanging around and picked me up. No big deal.”

“Joss—” Cameron scowled. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I just—I was like the fifth wheel all night, and it kind of sucked. I thought it’d be fun to go alone,” Joss continued, “because I figured Spencer and Trina were solo, too. So it wouldn’t be weird. But I guess Emma was right about them, because they got all paired off, and I just…” She tapped her pen against her notebook. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Joss—”

“It’s fine,” she repeated, this time with an edge to her voice. Then she forced a smile. “I’m glad you and Em are okay again. I know she still totally hates me, but we’ve got a truce going mostly, and I know you, like, worship her. I just…I need to find that, and then we’ll be good.”

“You’re still my best friend, Joss.”

“Sure.” Joss jerked a shoulder. “Now let me finish my homework before homeroom, okay?”

General Hospital: Cafeteria

Elizabeth eyed the food on her tray with suspicion. “Why did this look better before I bought it?”

Patrick rolled his eyes, took her salad and switched it with his burger. Then, noticing Robin’s arched brow, took the salad and switched it with Robin’s chili. “There. Everyone’s happy now.”

Robin sniffed, but snagged the dressing packets from Elizabeth’s tray while Elizabeth took the ketchup from Patrick.

“This is why I keep him around,” Robin said.

“Same.” Elizabeth grinned at him, then her smile faded. “I’ve been thinking about the kids.”

“The dance was fine,” Patrick reminded her. “And everyone got home safely—”

“No, I know. But I’m worried about Joss. I know she and Emma haven’t always gotten along,” Elizabeth continued. “And some of it’s been deserved.”

“Emma gives as good as she gets. The blue hair dye might have been in defense of Trina, but I know my daughter came up with it. And the pool party last summer—” Robin stabbed a fork at Patrick. “You know Emma started that fight.”

Patrick frowned. “Who was arguing with you?”

“I know we can’t force them to be friends. I don’t want that. I guess—” Elizabeth ripped her French fry apart. “I don’t know. I keep thinking that she’s going to end up like me, and that’s not fair. I’m just overreacting, I guess.”

“Parallels, I told you,” Patrick said. “And  you were right to hang out. Joss probably would have been fine, but you were there, and she’ll remember that. They’re kids, Webber. Teenagers. We were horrible, but we turned out okay.”

“I just want them to be okay without trauma,” Elizabeth told him. “Your mother died, and you spent ten years being a man whore before Robin slapped you upside the head.”

Patrick made a face. “I don’t know why she’s getting all the credit—”

“And I—” Was raped and grief-stricken. “Well, we know what I went through.”

“They’re going to get hurt, Liz,” Robin reminded her gently. “And our kids have had plenty of trauma already. Cam lost Jake for two years, Emma lost me. Joss has Carly for a mother. Trina’s parents are always at war. And Spencer is an entire mess. People get hurt. It’s a fact of life. All we can ever do is hope that we gave them all the tools to get through it. So far, I think we’re good.”

“What she said—” Patrick said. “And they’ve got something we didn’t get. Family who gives a damn. No drunks for a dad, no dead parents, no parents off helping other people and forgetting they’ve got kids—we’re right here. To annoy them and ground them. So don’t worry. We got this.”

PCPD: Commissioner’s Office

Jordan scowled at the latest surveillance report, then looked up at the detective who delivered them. “How is it possible that it’s been two months since Baker got out and he’s still alive?”

“Uh—” Nathan West squinted. “Clean living?” When Jordan’s scowl just deepened, he rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, Commissioner. Maybe Morgan and Corinthos just aren’t interested in revenge. If they’d wanted this guy dead, they would have done it. He spent all those years inside, didn’t he? Alive and kicking.”

“Maybe Morgan just wanted the satisfaction of doing it himself.” Jordan shoved away from her desk and started to pace. “I can’t justify the expense much longer,” she muttered. “If they don’t make a move—”

“We know that they’re criminals,” Nathan said slowly, “but this is personal. When was the last time either of them were accused of committing a crime for personal gain?”

“Oh, don’t give me that—” Jordan whirled on him.

“I’m not saying they’re good people,” the detective said, holding up his hands. “I’m saying they’re not idiots. You start letting personal grudges take over, it’s the start of the end. I grew up watching mafia movies. They’ve been in power a long time, Commissioner. You don’t survive all those hits without some sort of intelligence.”

“Luck,” Jordan muttered. “Just luck.” She dragged her hands through her hair. “All right. I can authorize this for another month. Maybe. But I’ll have to pull the guys watching Baker himself. Keep the others on Jason and Sonny’s guys and at the warehouse. We don’t need to watch them both. Baker has to report to parole every week, and he wears an ankle monitor. We’ll know if he gets grabbed or goes anywhere he shouldn’t.”

Port Charles Park

Elizabeth avoided this area of the park like the plague and had for years, but today, as she headed towards Cameron’s soccer’s practice, she took the path towards the fountain at the center of the park.

It was different in the daylight, she thought. In the fall, with the harvest color leaves flooding the tone path, laying in the water of the fountain. The stone bench covered in a blanket of them.

She slid her hands over the slight bulge of her belly, her pregnancy just beginning to show. She couldn’t wait until the baby quickened inside, when she could feel the flutters and kicks. Being pregnant was mostly a miserable experience, but when the baby was inside of her—

They were safe. Protected. No one could hurt them.

She didn’t want to think about it constantly. Had always hated when Jason used that terrible word. He’d wanted her safe from the dangers of his life when she wasn’t even safe from the danger of the real world. It was nothing more than a four letter word.

She exhaled slowly, then went past the bench, took another turn, then another—then stopped when she saw a movement. When she saw someone in front of her taking a turn. Elizabeth walked in that direction, moving slowly, careful not to step on any leaves.

And just in front of her around, the curve, she saw him.

Tom Baker, crouched behind a bush, his camera in his hands. Her heart began to pound and she looked in the direction he was pointing his camera. She couldn’t see what he was looking at, but she knew there were tables there.

Knew that kids from the high school sometimes hung out there to do homework while practice was held on the field attached to the park.

Elizabeth turned and ducked down another path, one that would wind around towards the other side of clearing.

The only teens there today were hers. Trina was laughing, showing Emma her phone while Joss sat across from them, concentrating on her homework.

Tom Baker was watching her girls. With a camera.

She didn’t think through the next step, didn’t even register what she would do until she was already in the clearing. “Hey, girls!” she said brightly, hoping she sounded somewhat normal. “It’s getting too cold to hang out here, isn’t it?”

“Definitely by Thanksgiving,” Joss said, looking at her in relief. “But we like to hang until Cam and Spencer are done—”

“Well, I’m here to pick them up, and we’ve got plenty of room for you guys.” Elizabeth avoided the bush. Didn’t want to tip her hand. “Come on. You can come to my place. We’ll get pizza or something for dinner.”

“Sounds good to me,” Trina declared, standing up. “I’ll text Dr. Rob in the car. Thanks, Mrs M.”

“Thanks, Aunt Liz,” Emma said, shoving her things into her bag. “You’re the best! I didn’t want to walk home anyway.”

“You really are,” Joss said, smiling shyly at Elizabeth. “Thanks.”

Elizabeth waited until the girls had gone ahead of her, then followed them.

She never looked back.

+30

Written in 60 minutes.

Morgan Penthouse: Bedroom

Elizabeth didn’t know how she’d managed it, but she got the girls to the soccer field, found Spencer and Cameron, got them all back to the house where they were going to spend the rest of afternoon — and never let on that everything inside of her was on fire, her brain practically screaming.

Tom Baker had been in the park watching the girls. Her girls. Every single one of them had grown up in front of Elizabeth’s eyes — from Emma, the daughter of her best friend, to Trina, the daughter of the man who had worked so hard to get Elizabeth justice, to Joss, the daughter of Jason’s closest friends —

The girl with the sad eyes who had walked home alone after a terrible dancing in a red dress — who had talked about hearing sounds.

Had they just been in her head or had Elizabeth prevented something terrible?

That night, as she sat in her bedroom, rubbing lotion into her hands, listening as Jason did the usual sweep of the boys’ rooms for their phones and tablets—she debated her next step. She hadn’t called Jason in a panic, urging him to come home. She hadn’t called the police.

She’d done nothing but ensure that the kids were safe with her, then tucked away at home later. She’d watched Emma cross the street, had texted Portia and Carly to be sure—

And now—

Jason came in, closing the door behind him, setting a tablet on the dresser. She forced a smile. “Who’s the culprit tonight?”

“Jake. Said he wanted to try out a drawing thing, but—” Jason shrugged as he exchanged his jeans for a pair of sweats. “I told him that’s why we got him a sketchpad and art supplies for his room.”

“I was thinking we might—um—with Cam in high school, maybe—” Elizabeth’s stomach was jittery—she pressed against it, and he frowned.

“Are you okay? Are you—”

“No. No, it’s fine.” She exhaled slowly. “No pain. Just a bit unsettled. I—” She twisted on on the stool to face him. “Maybe we should adjust the rules a little. Cam’s in high school. And we have to start trusting them at some point. And it would give Jake and Aiden something to look forward to.”

“Yeah, we can do that—” He tipped his head. “What’s wrong?”

“I—” It was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it. “I guess I’ve still be thinking about Friday. Um, I haven’t asked in a while — but is the PCPD still looking at you and Sonny?”

Jason scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. We actually just a got a call from our guy today. I was going to tell you. Jordan’s getting some pushback on the budget. It’s been two months since she started all this surveillance, and nothing to show for it.”

Her chest eased a bit. If Jordan was going to dump the surveillance, then—

“She’s dropping the guys watching Baker,” Jason said with a scowl. “And keeping them on me and Sonny. I guess she figures there’s a better chance of getting us on something—” He shook his head and went towards the bathroom. She heard the water running a moment later.

Elizabeth went to the doorway of the ensuite bathroom. “Is there a better chance of that?”

“No. You know Sonny and I aren’t really in it the way we used to be. Not a big market for Russia anymore, so we don’t really do shipments out of the warehouse.” Jason turned to her, his brows creased. “We’re mostly in Miami—you don’t usually worry about that.”

“The PCPD doesn’t usually breathe down your neck.” She folded her arms. “And you don’t like talking about it.”

“No, I don’t.” Jason paused. “Is something wrong?” he asked again.

If she told him now, Baker might be dead by dawn and she wanted that. She wanted to hand this over to him so it could stop be her problem. So that there was no chance that Baker would slither into her dreams and haunt her—

But the PCPD were still watching Jason and Sonny. Still waiting for them to make a mistake. And they weren’t watching Baker. Telling the PCPD wasn’t going to get her anyway — even with surveillance, they hadn’t noticed Baker stalking her girls.

No, this was her problem to fix and she knew exactly how to do it.

“Just my mind working overtime,” Elizabeth said. She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’ll tell me if it changes, won’t you? About the PCPD? I don’t like the idea of them watching you and Sonny this way. You’re with the kids so much—”

“I promise.” He dipped his head, kissing her as his hands slid down her bare arms, then up again. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

General Hospital: Parking Garage

The next day, Elizabeth clocked out of her shift early, getting Epiphany’s promise to cover for her. Right after Baker had been released from jail and begun working at the hospital, Jason had given Elizabeth enough information to avoid him — including the information that Baker took a bus to work and would only work the night shift, thanks to intervention from Laura.

And once, weeks ago, without telling anyone, she’d followed Baker on that bus route, driving behind the bus, trailing him across town, to the rundown neighborhood. She’d wanted to know where he lived so she could avoid it. And now she would use all of that information to destroy him.

The shift change was at seven that night, so Elizabeth wanted to be ready. She wasn’t driving her car — she’d rented one that morning in case Baker or anyone else knew her license plates. Maybe they could run it later and tie it to her, but it wasn’t all that likely. She was across the street and a few houses down, waiting.

At 6:30, Tom stepped out of his house, locked the door, then strode down the street. Elizabeth waited until the bus would have left the stop to be sure he hadn’t missed it. The night was inky dark and the street had few lights illuminating it.

Still, she was cautious. She had a winter coat she rarely wore, in a dark green, and a matching hat which she used to tuck her hair up and away. She left her car, walked around the block to a cluster of trees that backed up to the cluster of houses. She’d studied the map on her phone, poring over the satellite views —

Then she crept through the backyard—the stingy six feet of space—to the back door. One of the benefits to marrying Jason Morgan had been lessons in lock picking — she’d been kidnapped enough, he’d told her, she needed to be able to get out of places.

The house was dark and bare — the kitchen where she stood was small, the tile cracked and stained. One lamp had been left lit in the living room, which she reached through an arch. There was one  bedroom in the back of the house, and a bathroom. Though her hands were gloved, she kept them in her pocket as she walked around the small space, studying the layout. Becoming familiar with it.

She’d need to be able to get in and out of it within minutes if this would work — if alibis were to be established and hold.

In the bedroom, there was a single twin bed with a ratty mattress and a thin comforter that was little more than a scrap of fabric. Remembering that Baker had once been the photographer to the stars — he’d been Brenda Barrett’s go to choice when she’d been the Face of Deception — he’d fallen so far it brought her a bit of joy.

But it wasn’t enough. Across the bed was a dresser and a bulletin  board where a mirror might be. A bulletin board with pictures scattered across it. Her heart seized. Emma was in most of the photos — a pretty, young brunette. And there were photos of Elizabeth—her stomach lurched at the thought of Baker watching her without being noticed. And a photo of Joss. Outside of Kelly’s the night of dance.

He’d been there.

She left the photos, though she’d wanted to set fire to the house. No, it was important that those photos were found just the way they were. So that when the PCPD finally found his rotting corpse, it would be in the same room where he clearly plotted his next crime. So that they would see their own failures.

Elizabeth believed in the system some of the time, but in her experience—when she’d really needed it, justice was nowhere to be found. And justice could never truly be delivered by bureaucrats in their suits in robes.

Justice was in the blood and brain matter that spurted when she’d murdered Stavros Cassadine after he’d tried to kill Jason. In whatever manner Luke had killed Helena — though it would never be enough suffering.

The only justice in the world was the justice you made for yourself.

And Elizabeth had every intention of making sure that this time, Tom Baker would pay.

She left the house, having timed her visit. No more than five minutes. It was three more minutes to the car. Everything would have to be meticulously planned if this was going to work.

And she wouldn’t be able to do it alone.

Drake House: Living Room

“Hey.” Patrick grinned as he stepped away from the door. “I thought you were working today.”

“Sorry to bother you on your day off,” Elizabeth said. “I asked Epiphany for the day of, but I volunteered to work the morning shift on Thanksgiving to make up for it,” she told him.

“Oh, man, you must have been desperate. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Robin and Emma are gone, aren’t they?” She followed Patrick into the kitchen. “And Anna still does those sweeps for electronics?”

Patrick paused as he poured himself a cup of coffee, then looked at her, the humor fading. “What’s wrong?”

“First, answer me.”

“Yes. Mikkos Cassadine is still out there. Anna doesn’t think he cares about us, but—” He leaned against the counter. “You’re scaring me. Have there been threats?”

“No.” Elizabeth took off her coat, laid it over the back of the chair. “Not from the Cassadines. Patrick, I’m about to ask you to do something. If you can’t or won’t, it’s okay. But I need your promise you’ll never tell anyone about this conversation.” She swallowed hard. “I’m not telling Jason, so you can’t tell Robin.”

His eyes were dark and sober. “You know whatever you need, I’m here.”

“The night of the dance, when I found Joss—” Elizabeth’s throat tightened. Was she really going to do this? Drag her best friend into this nightmare?  “She told me she’d heard sounds. I thought she’d made it up.”

Patrick’s shoulders straightened. “But she didn’t.”

“I don’t think so. Monday—this Monday. Just three days ago—” Her chest ached. “I went to the park to get the kids. The boys were on the soccer field, and the girls—they were studying. Like they always do.”

“Elizabeth—”

“He was watching them,” Elizabeth said softly. “He didn’t see me. At least I don’t think so. But he was watching them. From behind the bushes.”

“He.” Patrick exhaled slowly. “You mean—”

“Tom Baker. The man who raped me. He was watching the girls. Our girls. My girls. Joss, Emma, and Trina. But I didn’t know. I wasn’t sure. So I waited for him to go to work, and I broke into his house—”

“Jesus Christ—”

“He has photos, Patrick.” She swallowed hard as he focused on her like a laser. “Of me. He said it that first day, didn’t he? He said I put him in jail. I didn’t. Not alone, but I did it. There are photos of me. But not just—he has photos of the girls. Of Emma. Trina. And Joss—he was there at Kelly’s, in the parking lot that night. She wasn’t wrong. He was following her.”

“Oh man—” Patrick shook his head. “Why aren’t you telling Jason?”

“Because the PCPD are watching him. They want to use this as a way to get to Jason and Sonny—Patrick, they’ve had men watching Baker and they either know about this and are ignoring it or they’re missing it. I don’t care. If Jason goes after him — I won’t take that risk.”

“You—” Patrick paced to the double doors that opened out to the backyard, staring blindly at the pool, long since covered up for the season. “Because he might get arrested and put in jail.”

“Baker’s coming after the girls because of me. This is my problem to fix. I won’t risk my husband or our life together. Besides—” She took a deep breath. “We work in medicine, don’t we? We know how to end a life.”

“We.” Patrick turned to her, his expression unreadable. “You’re asking for my help.”

“Yes. I know—” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I know it’s a terrible thing to ask. But I can’t—I can’t let it happen to them. I can’t let one of those girls go through it—I was so broken, Patrick—Shattered. All these years later, it’s still—it’s still there. It still haunts me. It sneaks up and chokes me when I least think of it—I can’t let it happen to them.”

“No,” he murmured. “No we can’t.” He took a deep breath, then met her eyes again. “I’ll take care of the how. You’ve run around the Spencers, Cassadines, and the mobs enough to take care of the rest of it. The when, the alibis, the whatever else we need to pull this off.”

“Yes.” She stepped towards him. “Patrick—”

“I saw you that day—at the hospital, when he spoke to you. I saw the way it broke you into pieces.” His voice was rough as he continued. “And the police have been following him? There’s no way he could take pictures of the kids and them not know. Or they’re too stupid to notice. That’s not a system I want to take my chances on. Not wit the sanity and safety of my little girl at risk. You’re right. We can do this. We have to do this. Together. There’s no way I’m letting you do this alone.”

He jerked out a chair. “Let’s get started.”

+31

Written in 57 minutes.

Pozzulo’s Restaurant: Back Office

Jason shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. “You sure you’re okay with Frankie taking the Miami run this weekend?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sonny leaned back. “I told you—you don’t need to be doing that crap anymore. Let the younger guys do the runs.”

“I don’t mind in the summer,” Jason said, with a shrug. Once a month he did a weekend in Miami, overseeing a shipment as it passed from Cuba and went to Venezuela. He usually took Elizabeth and the boys to the island and made it a vacation. But— “It’s just—I wanna stick close right now.”

“Yeah? This Baker stuff still bothering her? I know it’s pissing me off. You hear what our guy at the PCPD said about the surveillance?” Sonny got to his feet, went over to pour himself a cup of coffee. “Actually dumping the tail on that asshole and keeping them on us—is that what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Just—” Jason squinted, unsure how to articulate it. “I guess it was the dance. It stirred a lot of things up. Especially since Joss took off and tried to walk home on her own.” Sonny scowled at him. “Yeah, Carly said she’s having some issues. You know she’s like her mother. Doesn’t really make friends that easy.”

“Yeah, I know. Michael was saying something about it. Glad she got Cam, you know he’ll stick. But she was gonna walk home? All the way to Carly’s?”

“Elizabeth found her before she got far, but it’s just—she’s not telling me, but I know it’s bothering her. More than just the surveillance.”

“Look, it’s just rotten luck Baker got out this year. The kids are about the same age Elizabeth was—” Sonny shook his head. “It’s gonna be in her head. All you can do is be there when she needs you.”

“I know, but—”

“You like to fix stuff,” Sonny finished. “But this isn’t something that gets fixed. Even if we take care of Baker when the dust settles, it doesn’t turn back time. You, me, all the money in the world doesn’t get us back to that night and stop her from going to the park. She’ll deal and put it away. You know she’s stronger than the both us. You’ll get through this and in a year when you got a cranky infant keeping you up at night, you won’t even think about any of this.”

Scorpio-Drake Home: Living Room

Robin felt the sofa next to her give way, but she didn’t look up from her laptop, keying in a few more edits on the medical article that was due at the end of the month. She heard a NASCAR race on the television—

“Did you need something?” she asked Patrick sweetly as he sipped from the bottle of Rolling Rock. “Is there something wrong with any of our other televisions?”

“You weren’t there.” Patrick flashed his dimples, and instead of melting, she just narrowed her eyes.

“What do you want?”

“Always so suspicious. I can’t just hang with my wife?” He wiggled his brows. “Emma is at Trina’s tonight. Neither of us have to be at work—”

“Uh huh. Cut the crap.”

“You know me so well.” The dimples flashed again, but then Patrick took a deep breath. “Thanksgiving. You said you wanted to invite Sonny because Michael was doing something with his girlfriend’s family, and Morgan’s away at college.”

“And because Sonny’s a good cook and it’ll give Jason to talk to—”

“I thought maybe, in the spirit of cooperation and kindness—” Patrick paused. “We could extend the invite list. You know Portia has the evening Thanksgiving shift, so we’ve got Trina—”

“Patrick—”

“I’ve been thinking about Joss,” he cut in. “I told you about the dance. About her feeling left out and walking home.”

“Oh—oh, absolutely not.” Robin shook her head. “You are not asking me to invite Carly to Thanksgiving. Patrick Drake—”

“Hear me out—” He held up a hand and she closed her mouth. “I’m not asking you to be friends with Carly. I’m not even asking you to be friendly with her. Jason will be here, and Elizabeth gets along with her more—”

“And what am I supposed to do until you and Elizabeth are done work? And how did you end up copping an overnight shift on Thanksgiving morning?” Robin wrinkled her nose. “You both should have more seniority than that—”

“We both traded away a holiday ages ago. I think she’s covering Felix, and Griffin needed to get to the airport early—that’s not the point—” Patrick took a deep breath. “You have legitimate reasons to dislike Carly. And if you say no, it’s cool. I get it. It’s just—I know Elizabeth has been messed up over this Baker stuff—and then Joss walking home from the dance—”

“Right.” Robin sighed. “It upset her, I know that. And I know Carly’s worried about Joss. I overheard talking to Jason after you guys left with the kids. It’s just…” She paused. “She and I have stayed out of each other’s way for a long time, and it suits us. I was almost relieved when Emma and Joss didn’t hit it off. I can live with seeing her sometimes for Jason and Elizabeth’s stuff. But you’re asking me to invite her into my home.”

“I know. I know it’s a big ask, and I don’t do it lightly. I promise.” Patrick was quiet for a long moment. “I think of our little girl, you know. Of Emma feeling left out and taking a walk. I want to hope someone is there for her. That someone will notice. I want to protect her for as long as we can from the world. No one was there for Elizabeth until it was too late. It kills me, Robin, to think of her all these years later, still tormented by it.”

“And you think inviting Joss to Thanksgiving with kid who already make her feel left out will help,” Robin said, her tone skeptical. “It’s a sweet idea, but I don’t think shoving her down their throats—”

“It’ll be a lot of people. Laura, Spencer, your parents, Mac, Felicia—” Patrick shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess it’s a stupid plan.”

“I like Joss, I do. And I know she’s had a harder road  because of Carly.” Robin made a face. “And I guess if all those people are here, Carly won’t really have anyone to spend Thanksgiving. I don’t mind her eating alone, but it probably won’t make Joss feel better. All right. But I’m not talking to her.”

“Understood.” Patrick put an arm around her shoulder, drew her close for a kiss, then rested his hand on her belly, just beginning to curve. “How are you feeling?”

“Amazing. I can’t believe we get to do this again.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You know, you’re right. Emma’s gone all night—let’s go do something more fun.”

“I could get my race cars out,” Patrick offered as Robin tugged him off the sofa.

“Not exactly what I had in mind, Dr. Drake.”

Parking Lot

The next afternoon, after Robin buried herself in the study working on her article, Patrick drove across town to the run down lot of a drug store that looked like it had seen better days. He parked his car next to the dark blue sedan in the lot, got out and slid into the passenger seat of the other car.

Elizabeth handed him a ski cap and he tugged it over his dark hair. Then she put the car into drive and drove the two blocks to Baker’s street, parking across the way and a few houses down. “I’ve been coming for three days. It’s like clockwork,” she told him as they watched Baker lock up, then amble down the street towards the bus. “He gets home around 7:30 and goes right to sleep.”

“Do I want to know how you know that or is it going to make me mad?” Patrick wanted to know.

Elizabeth smiled grimly. “I went back after the first time. I left a camera in the bedroom. Just to know.” She handed him a phone and showed him the app. “And thanks to Spinelli, I have an encrypted phone. I know how to delete this so it never shows up anywhere.”

“Thank God you married a mobster,” Patrick said taking in the view of Baker’s room, the camera trained on the bed. “I still want you to stay in the car—”

“No. It’s a two person job.” She took the phone back. “Did you get your hands on the records?”

“Yeah, the security at the hospital is pretty crappy. Baker had a physical as part of the hiring process. He had heart issues in prison. He’s being treated for arrythmia — they’re trying to hold off on a heart attack.” He stared straight ahead at the back of a rusted Mercedes. “I thought about something that would trigger a heart attack but there’s no guarantee it would finish him off.”

“And we don’t know how long it’ll be before he’s discovered. He works Tuesdays-Saturdays. I’d say we do it on a Saturday morning, no one knows he’s missing until Monday morning—”

“But Thanksgiving is the only day we can make sure of the alibis. We have small window  between leaving the hospital and when we’re expected at the house—” Patrick paused. “But since we decided to have a huge dinner with literally everyone—”

“Including three former police commissioners—stroke of genius on your part—”

“It’ll be hard for anyone to say exactly when we get there. Only Jason and Robin would know for sure, and—”

“Spousal privilege keeps them in the clear. Plus, Jason and Sonny will be seen by at least a half dozen people the entire day.” Her hands tightened on the wheel. “Jordan can’t come near them. And we both know she’s not even going to think of us.”

“No. But that’s why we’ve got the alibi.” He sighed. “It has to be Thanksgiving. All we can hope is that follows up on a missed shift. The longer we have between time of death and the autopsy, the better off we’ll be.”

“So you have an idea on the how?” Elizabeth looked at him.

Patrick leaned into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. She took it, read over the label. “Succinylcholine,” she murmured. “It’ll paralyze his respiratory system. How did you—”

“You’re not the only one getting lessons from Spinelli. Let’s just say it’s untraceable. The only caveat is that they can test for that. It’s just not going to show up on any normal tox screen. You have to go looking for it. Jordan might.”

“Maybe.”

“And if we can get at least twenty-four hours, we got a better shot of the sux not being traced in the tissues. An autopsy will probably come back undetermined or, best case, the heart issue will get blamed.”

Elizabeth exhaled. “So you’re all in.” She looked at him again. “If you want to pull out, I won’t think less of you, Patrick. You know that, don’t you? I love you. But—”

“I think about that day you saw Baker again,” Patrick murmured. “I’ve known you for years. I’ve seen you collapse from grief. I’ve seen you angry. I’ve seen you broken. But I’ve never seen you that way. And it’s been almost two decades. He’s watching the girls. Waiting for the chance. He might have taken it from Joss. I think of any of those kids being broken for twenty years—” His mouth was grim. “The justice system isn’t built for this. Some things can’t be forgiven. We’re doing this protect them, sure, but I’m doing this to protect you.”

Her eyes stung with tears. “Patrick—”

“Because I think when he’s gone, when you know he’s gone and maybe you get a hand in seeing it done you’ll be able to sleep at night.” He took the bottle from her and tucked it back in his pocket. “And that will be all I need. So, yeah, I’m all in. When we do this on Thanksgiving, you stay behind me. You’re pregnant. If I had my way, I’d do it on my own—”

“I’ve been through worse pregnant, but yeah. You’ll go first and you’ll be ready if the injection does wakes him up before the drug takes affect. I’ll do it between his toes,” Elizabeth decided. ‘They never look there.”  She switched the engine back on. “Let’s go. I need to trade this car back in. I’ll get us a new one for that morning. Nothing to track back to us. I’m buying one in cash, and then I know how to get rid of it.”

“I bow to you, the woman married to the master criminal.”

Elizabeth smirked as she turned away from Baker’s street. “Please. Luke taught me how to get a car clean and dump it afterwards. I led a very interesting life before I married him.”

+28

Written in 50 minutes.

Scorpio-Drake Home: Backyard

Sonny checked the temperature on the deep fryer, then stepped back with a grin on his face. “Always wanted to try one of these.” He accepted the bottle of beer Jason offered.

“I’m just glad Dad’s making one in the kitchen if this one gets burnt to a crisp,” Robin said as she stepped out from the double terrace doors. She folded her arms, drawing her cardigan sweater more tightly around her torso. “I know you don’t feel the cold,” she said to Jason, “but you can still freeze to death.”

“Fryer’s keeping us warm,” Jason offered. He glanced down towards the patio, and the teens clustered around the electric heater. “And I wanted to keep my eye on them.”

“Mmm. Patrick said there was more tension than usual. Not pranks or anything, just a general unhappiness.” Robin peered over the railing, watching as Emma and Trina talked to each other enthusiastically, their hands flying. Cameron was showing Jake something on his Nintendo Switch, and Joss was staring down at her phone.

“You can’t force kids to like each other,” Sonny said. He bumped Robin’s shoulder. “But thanks for trying. Even if you had to invite Carly. Never thought I’d see the day.’

“Me either,” Robin muttered. She straightened as Joss said something to Spencer, and Trina narrowed her eyes. None of the adults could hear what was said, but there was no mistaking  the expression on Trina’s face or the flushed cheeks on Joss. Cameron set his game aside, but it was too late. Joss was already on her feet and dashing across the yard towards the house.

“Mayday,” Sonny said.

Joss charged up the stairs and into the house. Robin winced, started to follow but Jason held out a hand. “Let me try.”

“I guess. You always talked sense into Carly. To the extent anyone could,” Robin added as Jason went inside. He closed the door behind him and set the beer on the island counter.

“Did anyone see where Joss went?” Jason asked Robert and Mac, busy working the second turkey.

“Uh, towards the front of the house,” Mac said.

Jason found her in the entry way, shrugging into her jacket. “Joss—”

“Don’t even start, Uncle Jase. This was stupid. Okay? Just stupid. I didn’t even want to come—” Joss looked at him, her blue eyes shimmering with tears. “I get it. And I’m tired of pity invites.”

“Okay, but—”

Joss yanked open the door, and lit out, running down the front walk. Jason grimaced, jogged to catch up with her. “Didn’t you promise not to walk anywhere alone?” he called as Joss reached the sidewalk.

“Oh—” Joss stopped, closed her eyes, and huffed. “That was after dark. And I was just imagining those sounds, okay?” Her lip trembled. “Don’t make me go back. Please.”

“I won’t,” Jason said carefully, wishing Elizabeth was here. She’d know what to say. “If you really want to go home, I’ll take you myself. It’s too far to walk—”

“Emma hates me, and her mom hates my mom, so I know I only got invited because Aunt Liz made her parents do it—” Joss folded her arms. “I know I pulled some nasty pranks on Trina, and I shouldn’t have tried to make her miss the cheerleading tryouts or tell Oscar that thing  about her hair, but I was just so mad at her—”

“Joss—”

“Like, Trina and Emma just walk into a room and everyone loves them. They don’t even have to work at it. Do you know how how annoying that is? I’m pretty. I’m rich. I’m supposed to be the popular one—” Joss sucked in breath. “God, I hate myself. Emma’s right. I’m just a spoiled entitled princess who couldn’t make friends if someone tied a meat chop around my neck.”

Jason frowned. “Is that what she said?”

“The princess part. I added the rest of it. They only put up with me because of Cameron. I used to be able to count on Spencer, but now he’s dating Trina, so I’m the fifth wheel, and it sucks. I don’t want to be here anymore, okay?” Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and Jason didn’t know the first thing to say to make her feel better. “I hate it. I hate them, and I hate my mother, because let me tell you, being her daughter hasn’t helped either.”

“Joss—”

“I want to leave. Please. I want to go home.”

Jason opened his mouth to say something, but Carly stepped up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Next to her stood Cameron, a distraught expression on his face.

“Thanks for the invite, Jase. Really. Tell Patrick when he gets home I appreciate it,” Carly said. “But Joss and I are gonna head out.”

“Joss, don’t go—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Joss forced a smile on her face, swiped at her tears. “It’s fine. You’ll have more fun when I’m not here.”

“That’s not true—”

But Joss just followed her mother to the car, leaving Jason and Cameron the sidewalk. Cameron exhaled slowly. “I didn’t even realize they were fighting,” he told his father. “We were all fine, and then I looked away to help Jake with the game—next thing I knew—”

“I know.” Jason put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go back inside. Grandma Laura’s watching TV with Aiden in the living room, and she’s probably ready for a break from the puppy parade.”

General Hospital: Locker Room

When the clock struck noon, Elizabeth and Patrick were already in the locker room, changing from scrubs to street clothes. She checked her phone, showed it to him. He nodded grimly. As expected, Baker was still asleep, and would be for at least another three hours if he kept the schedule they’d carefully monitored.

Elizabeth sighed when a text flashed on the screen. “Joss and Carly already made a run for it,” she told Patrick. “The girls got into a fight.”

Patrick winced. “I was really hoping that wouldn’t happen.”

“Me, too—” Elizabeth got to her feet, then braced her hand on the locker, pressing her other hand to her abdomen. “Whoa.”

“You good?” Alarm flashed over his face. “Do you need something? I can go get Britt—”

“No, no—” She exhaled slowly. “The flutters,” she murmured. “It’s the first time I’ve felt the baby.”

“Oh.” Patrick shoved his hands in his pockets. “You know, we can cancel our plans—”

“No. No.” Elizabeth let the moment wash through her, the sensation of the life growing inside her. This baby was going to have everything she could offer — a world safe from Baker. “No, let’s go.”

They had a small window of maybe a half hour before anyone at the house realized they were late. From this moment on, there would be no speaking. Only carrying out the plan they’d carefully orchestrated.

Nothing could go wrong.

Scorpio-Drake Home: Living Room

Cameron tried to distract himself by watching the Puppy Bowl with his youngest brother who was positive that this was the year he’d convince their parents he was old enough for a dog.

Just like he had been for three years.

But he couldn’t get Joss’s face out of his head, and the way she’d run away. Cameron had only heard part of the words Emma had flung at Joss — the spoiled princess part — but there had to be more for Joss to flip out. They were always sniping at each other, weren’t they? Why was it suddenly different? Joss had been moody for a few weeks, ever since the dance—

“I’ll be back,” he told Aiden when he saw Emma through the archway to the kitchen. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Emma bit her lip. “You never came back,” she said, pitching her voice low so her grandfather and uncle didn’t hear her. “Where’s Joss?”

“Don’t tell me you actually care,” Cameron found himself saying, then winced when Emma narrowed his eyes. “We need to talk.”

“Yeah, fine.” Emma led him up the backstairs to her room, leaving the door open a few inches. “Look, it wasn’t my idea to invite her, so don’t be mad at me—Trina is tired of putting up with her—”

“You know, I get why Trina and Joss have their issues. Joss has said and done some stupid thing. But not lately—”

“Oh, then I guess everything’s forgiven—”

“But Joss is still my best friend. Okay? Outside of you,” he added. “And she’s always been there for me.”

“One time she tried to steal her dad’s plane—”

“How about when Deenie Masterson turned me in for cheating on that science test last year? When Mr. K found that cheat sheet on the floor, and she blamed me—”

“Joss got up, made a scene, and demanded a lawyer.” Emma made a face. “She’s good at making a spectacle of herself—”

“What did she do today that was so bad?” Cameron wanted to know. “You called her a spoiled little princess. What did she even say?”

“Trina was talking about her dad being out of town and missing him. Joss, like always, decided make it all about her.” Emma rolled her eyes. “Talking about how she understood and missed her dad. Like it’s the same thing! Trina got mad—”

“Dude, Joss’s dad lives on a different continent—”

“And Trina just reminded her that Joss’s dad chooses not to be with her,” Emma said with a shrug, “and Trina’s dad is doing important work. Joss got mad at her, and I told her to stop being a spoiled little princess and just be glad we let her in the house after all the crap she pulled—”

Cameron stared at her blankly. “Trina said what? Are you serious? You don’t even think it’s messed up that she told Joss her dad didn’t want her—”

“Oh, come on, Joss’s dad worships her—”

“You wouldn’t get it,” Cameron retorted. “You never had a parent abandon you—and don’t bring up your mother. She didn’t walk away from you, okay? And she fought hard to come home. My dad didn’t. He didn’t want me. And Joss thinks that all the time about her dad, so yeah, I think it’s a shitty thing to say when Joss was probably just trying to find something they had in common.”

“Oh, come on! Why do you always see the best in Joss?”

“Why do you always see the worst?” Cameron shook his head and started for the door.

“Cam, wait—” Emma reached for his arm, but he shook her off.

“No, I’m pissed. You co-signed something really mean. I spent years wondering what I did to make my dad—Lucky—stop loving me. And sometimes I still think—” He stopped, took a deep breath. “It messes with your head when someone who is supposed to stick doesn’t. I got lucky, okay? I got a new dad and it’s great. Joss doesn’t have that. I don’t care what pranks or crap she pulls with Trina, it’s mean to say what you guys did, and I don’t like either of you right now.”

Cameron stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Parking Lot

This time it was Patrick who bought the car in cash, using the instructions Elizabeth had given him. If anyone ever noticed the strange cars on the street, the descriptions wouldn’t lead to the same person – and Patrick had used a wig to buy it so they wouldn’t even have the right hair color.

They parked the car at a drug store halfway between Baker’s house and the hospital, far enough away that it wouldn’t be tracked. They parked their own car on opposite sides of the lot, then went to the car. Patrick slid into the driver’s side, Elizabeth into the passenger. They exchanged the coats and hats they’d worn from the hospital, for a different set  — deep maroon for Elizabeth and navy blue for Patrick.

“Twenty minutes,” Elizabeth said. “That’s the window. We have to be back in this parking lot in twenty minutes.”

“Got it.” He put the car into drive, then they traveled in silence. He wished it was dark for the cover of night, but broad daylight would have to do. Most of the people on the block worked, he thought. And they were parking a block away, walking through the cluster of trees. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best they could do.

Waiting for perfect meant another day Baker could plot to hurt one of their girls, and Patrick would gladly go down for this if he knew he’d kept them safe.

They got to the woods, and made their way towards the spot that backed up to Baker’s house. His hands were in his pockets, wrapped tightly around the bottle and accompanying syringe.

Then they were at the edge of the woods, Baker’s dumpy, run-down rental house in front of him, the back door six feet away. “Last chance,” he murmured.

Elizabeth slid out the lock picks from her pocket. “Let’s get this over with.” She showed him her phone with the other hand showing Baker still asleep.

Show time.

+29

Written in 49 minutes.

Scorpio-Drake Home: Emma’s Bedroom

Trina knocked on Emma’s open door. “Hey. You never came back down—” She paused. “Are you crying? What happened?”

Emma sniffled, swiping at her tears. She shoved herself off her bed. “I’m fine. Let’s go downstairs—”

“No, did you and Cam have another fight?” Trina folded her arms. “What did Joss tell him? Because if she made it sound worse—”

“I don’t know what she told him,” Emma said, “but it’s not—” She drew in a shaky breath. “I don’t know. Do you think we were fair to her today?”

Trina shifted, staring at the ground. “I don’t know. We’ve been mean to each other since kindergarten—”

“Yeah, I know.”

“But—” Trina winced. “The thing about her dad might be a low blow. I’m a kid of divorce, too. And Spencer gave me attitude about it. I just—Joss is always talking about her dad and how rich and important he is—” She closed her mouth. “Which might be her way of explaining why he’s never around.”

“I just—Cam talked about how his dad—his mom’s last husband—just left him. You don’t remember him, I don’t think.”

“No, but I know the story. He’s Aiden’s bio dad, but Jake’s dad adopted Cam and Aiden, so it’s all legal.” Trina leaned against the door frame. “And I know Spencer’s sensitive about the dad thing.”

“I’m not saying we have to be best friends with her,” Emma said, “but you guys haven’t pulled any pranks on each other since the blue hair dye. I don’t really know why I snapped at her today.”

“Me either. And I feel bad that she left like that. She must have been really upset. And like, yeah, my dad does really important work, but—” Trina pressed his lips together. “Sometimes it’s like that work is more important than me. So if that’s what Joss feels about her dad, I guess maybe we got something in common.”

“We’ll call her and make it right,” Emma said with a nod. “I know we can.”

Baker House: Kitchen

The house was silent as Patrick and Elizabeth crept inside. She closed the door, keeping the handle twisted until the door was nestled inside the frame, then releasing it so that there was no sound of tumblers clicking.

They’d done a test run during one of Baker’s night shifts a few days ago to time themselves. Just one. Any more than that, they risked getting caught.

She looked at her phone one more time  — Baker was still asleep, resting on his stomach, the thin blanket shoved to the side, his face turned towards the camera. Elizabeth nodded, then Patrick took the lead.

They kept their arms at their side, their hands were gloved, and they’d taken off their shoes at the back door. It had added maybe a minute to their time, but Patrick didn’t want shoe prints from the mix of dirt and snow. It had to look like no one had been in the house.

Patrick rounded the corner out of the kitchen, then down the short hallway connecting the living room to the one bedroom and bath at the other end of the house. Mercifully, the bedroom door stood partially ajar — though during their test run, Patrick had oiled the joints on both doors to avoid any creaking.

He paused outside the bedroom door, looked back at Elizabeth, then at the door — carefully pushing it open.

Scorpio-Drake Home: Backyard

Robin stepped out onto the deck. “How’s the turkey going?” she asked Sonny. “It hasn’t exploded yet, so that’s a good sign.”

“Ye of little faith,” Sonny replied good-naturedly.

Robin smirked, then looked at Jason. “Hey, did you hear from Elizabeth yet? I thought and Patrick would be done at noon. He promised he’d come right home so I wasn’t on my own with Carly—and he doesn’t know she left—” she added when Sonny opened his mouth.

Jason checked his phone. It was nearly twelve-thirty, maybe ten or fifteen minutes after they could have expected them to be home. “She didn’t call.”

“Maybe they got called into an emergency surgery,” Sonny suggested.

“Yeah, that’s true. Still—” Robin made a face, looked back at the teens. “Cameron didn’t come back out?”

“No, he’s inside with Aiden.” Jason followed her gaze. Emma and Trina had returned to the group around the electric heater, but it was more sullen.

“I’m sorry Joss got hurt,” Robin said. “But maybe it’s for the best. If they don’t get along, we can’t force it—”

“Joss gets along fine with Cameron,” Jason said without thinking, and Robin’s eyes narrowed.

“So, it’s my kid that’s the problem and not Carly’s?” she asked coolly.

“You know, I think it’ll be more comfortable inside with the former commissioners,” Sonny muttered, ducking between them and disappearing inside.

“That’s not what I said,” Jason shooting Sonny a dirty look just as the mobster slid the door closed. Coward. “I just said Joss has no issue with Cameron.”

“Which is something she gets from her mother. Carly always managed to make friends with the guys, but I never met a woman who could stand her—”

“Joss isn’t her mother,” Jason cut in sharply and Robin’s cheeks flushed. “And Carly was friends with a woman. Sonny’s sister. And she and Elizabeth get along fine now—”

“Which means it’s me and my kid who are the problem—”

“You’re putting words in my mouth,” Jason said, trying to find the patience. “I know Carly isn’t for everyone. I know that you have legitimate issues with her that go back a long time. And no, I don’t think we should try to force Emma or anyone else to be friends with Joss.”

“Then why bring up Cameron if you agree with me?”

“Because it’s—” Jason took a minute. “Elizabeth and Carly couldn’t stand each other. But they figured out how to be civil because of me. Cameron and Joss have been friends since they were kids. I don’t see how it’s different—”

“You wouldn’t. You’ve had a blind spot to Carly since the day you met her, and it looks like your son picked up your bad habit of expecting everyone to put up with someone just because they—” Robin closed her eyes. “I don’t want to fight about this. I don’t even know why we are.”

“You don’t have to like Carly. No one said you did. I just don’t see what’s so wrong with Joss that justifies making her cry.” Or making her feel so left out she walked home alone.

“Maybe it’s just striking a nerve,” Robin said slowly, “listening to you talk about my daughter having to put up with someone she doesn’t like because her boyfriend does.” She looked back out over the yard. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I am. Because I forced Carly on you back then, and I never really apologized. I messed up, and I hurt you,” Jason told her. “I’m sorry.”

Robin smiled then, a bit more genuinely. “It’s silly, really, for us to get involved with their problems. I would have been mortified if Uncle Mac was fighting my battles for me behind my back.”

“I don’t remember being a teenager, but I don’t think I’d like it either.”

“I’ll go get Sonny and tell him it’s safe to come back out. I don’t want this thing exploding on my deck.”

Baker House: Bedroom

The room was dark, lit only by the weak November sunlight filtering in through the grimy windows, but Patrick and Elizabeth had practiced this too many times in their minds and in conversations.

Patrick drew out the bottle of succinylcholine and syringe. He stuck the needle inside the top, drew out the dosage required and handled it to Elizabeth. He returned the bottle to his pocket and went to stand at the top of the bed while Elizabeth went to the foot of the bed.

She gently drew back the blanket where it covered Baker’s foot. It was long, skinny, the big toe sticking out like a finger. Her heart was pounding. It was the first time she’d been this close to him since that day at the hospital, when she’d been catapulted back to that horrible moment, to being on her back, the freezing snow and ice seeping into her back, spreading through her limbs, numbing her, strangling her throat she couldn’t even scream—

The sight of him, the way his voice sounded — it had brought back her worst nightmare. Pandora’s Box had been blown to smithereens and every terrible thought and feeling was pouring out. She couldn’t shove them all back in again, and maybe she’d never get that before feeing back.

But it would be better. She would exist in a world where she and every other girl walking alone would be safe.

Her heart might be pounding, but her fingers were steady as she leaned down, angled the syringe between Baker’s toes. She plunged the needle in, his foot jerking just slightly. Then Elizabeth depressed the plunger, watching as the medication left the syringe and entered his body.

Patrick waited with baited breath at the end of the bed, ready to leap into action if Baker did more than jerk his foot—but nothing.

The succinylcholine was a quick-acting drug, which made it perfect for this, really. Elizabeth watched as Baker’s chest stopped rising. They waited a full minute, then Patrick pressed two fingers to Baker’s neck. He looked at Elizabeth, nodded.

It was done.

Tom Baker was dead.

Elizabeth slid the used syringe into her pocket. It, along with the clothes they wore, would be burned at some point. But for now, it was time to go.

On their way out, Patrick stopped, his eyes falling on the photographs across the room, pinned up. He’d recognized them that first day — the missing photos from his locker. From his wallet. His little girl on the wall.

Elizabeth touched his arm, and he looked at her, the rage simmering beneath the surface. She tilted her head. They were on a tight schedule if their alibis were to hold.

After another moment, Patrick turned his back, leaving the evidence behind so that all the world would know that while someone had died here today, nothing of value had been lost.

Scorpio-Drake Home: Front Step

Still a bit unsettled after the argument with Robin, Jason stepped out to the front of the house, scanning the street. He and Robin had been distracted from the question where their spouses were.

It was twelve-forty-five. A half hour later than he would have thought Elizabeth would be home from work. He wasn’t really that worried—after all, she was Patrick’s go-to surgical nurse and it wouldn’t be the first time they’d worked overtime.

He took his phone out, and looked at the find app, expecting to see Elizabeth’s phone at General Hospital. He frowned. It wasn’t — it was in a shopping center. Curious, he called her.

“Hello?” her voice, a bit breathless. “Jason?”

“Hey. I was just wondering what happened.”

“Oh—” Elizabeth laughed. “I got the weirdest craving while I was clocking out. I wanted this brand of pickles. You know those bread and butter ones you hate?”

“Yeah—”

“Patrick offered to come with me, and then we got distracted in the store, because I wanted candy, but they were out of Starbursts, and I couldn’t decide what would taste right with the pickles.”

“Candy,” Jason repeated. “With pickles.”

“Mmmm, when I was pregnant with Jake, all I wanted was Starbursts soaked in pickle juice. I can hear you making a face from here—shut up, Patrick, it’s disgusting but I love it.”

Jason’s chest eased. He hadn’t been around for any of those pregnancy cravings, but he’d be here for these, and he’d make sure the house would be stocked with the disgusting combination.  “I would have gotten those for you—”

“It’s fine. We’re leaving now, and we’ll be home in like five. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

+29

Written in 57 minutes.

Scorpio-Drake House: Living Room

Patrick hung up his coat and turned to Robin with a grin. “So, I hear Carly made a run for it. You get all the good karma and none of the blame. It’s a good day.”

“Very funny.” She frowned when a pack of Starbursts fell from his coat pocket. He stared at it for a long moment, then scooped it up. He ripped off the top and popped a pink one in his mouth. “I thought they were out of those. That’s what Jason said.”

“Elizabeth spent forever in the candy aisle trying to find the big bag—” He wagged the little package.”I got the last one up at the register. Don’t tell her, though. There wouldn’t have been enough.”

Robin furrowed her brow and he returned her gaze with a bland expression. Be cool, he reminded himself. You’ve got nothing to hide. You were once a master of saying nothing to women and getting away with it.

“Stealing candy from a pregnant woman.” Robin shook her head, then held out her hand. “I’m gonna need a penalty.”

“She finds out, I’m coming for you,” he warned, dropping a yellow in her palm.

In the kitchen, Elizabeth twisted the cap off the jar of pickles and poured some of the juice into a glass tumbler. Then she set it aside and dug back in the white the plastic bag for a bag of gummies.

Crowded around the kitchen island were a crowd of men who were appalled when she dropped several pieces into the glass. “I know pregnancy cravings are bad,” Sonny said, slowly, “and listen, Carly and her pickled turnips—it violated some laws. But that is disgusting.”

Elizabeth pursed her lips, glared at him, then looked at Mac and Robert. “You have an opinion to offer?”

“Nope,” Mac said. “I learned from Felicia not to argue. Or judge.” He winced as she plucked one out and ate it. “It’s a choice.”

“I’m taking my appetizer somewhere where I’ll be appreciated.” She picked up the glass and went to the dining room where Anna and Felicia were laughing about something.

“They bring new life into the word,” Robert said solemnly. “It is not for us to understand or question. But merely to support.”

After leaving Patrick the kitchen, Robin went outside to find Jason checking the deep fryer. “Hey. I have a question for you.”

“No, I can’t explain what Elizabeth’s eating. Don’t ask me to try.” He’d buy her whatever she craved, but even his stomach had rolled when he passed through the dining room and watched her eat the pickle juice soaked candy.

“Oh. No. Not that. She said they went to a drug store right?” Robin asked. “That’s why they were late?”

Jason frowned, looked at Robin more closely. “Why?”

She pulled out a crumpled receipt. “This was in Patrick’s pocket. They bought the candy ten minutes ago.”

“She said—” Jason took the receipt, studied it. A bag of gummy bears, a jar of pickles—and Starbursts. “I thought they were out of these.”

“Patrick said he grabbed the last package, and not to tell her. But it’s all on the same receipt —and it’s not one of our cards.”

“No, it’s Elizabeth’s—” He looked at Robin. “Why did you check his pocket?”

“I don’t know. He just seemed weird. And trying to hard not to be.” Robin bit her lip. “It’s strange, isn’t it? I don’t think they were at the drug store the whole time.”

“What do you think was going on?” Jason handed the receipt back. “There’s no reason for them to lie—”

“It makes sense. Elizabeth got a craving at work, and Patrick tagged along. But then he takes the candy she specifically told you she was looking for. And you said she ate it with Jake. But Emily used to tease her about the gummy bears in pickle juice.”

He couldn’t answer that. He hadn’t been there. He didn’t know what she’d craved. “Robin—”

“I think she panicked when you called. And she said the wrong thing.” Robin looked at the receipt. “I don’t know why, but I think they’re lying.”

“To hide what?” Jason demanded. “I trust Elizabeth—”

“And I trust my husband. They would be the last people to have an affair. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be hiding another secret.”

“I think,” Jason said after a long moment, “that you’re overthinking this. Elizabeth probably misspoke on the phone—”

“So Patrick lied to me about it, not wanting me to tell her he had them? Jason—”

“You two look serious,” Sonny said, sliding open the door. “We’re not fighting again, are we?”

“No.” Robin forced a smile. “No. We’re not. How’s the turkey? It hasn’t exploded yet, so that’s a good sign.”

Morgan House: Master Bedroom

He’d brushed Robin’s concerns off and had actually managed to forget them entirely as they finished cooking dinner and sat down to eat early. Sonny’s deep fried turkey had turned out better than anyone had expected, but most of the food had disappeared by the time people started heading home.

They brought the boys home, but there was no bedtime. It was a holiday which meant all three boys would be up until dawn playing video games in the living room.

Elizabeth poured mouth wash into a cap and swished it around her mouth. After spitting it into the sink, she smiled at Jason who was already stretched out in bed, one of his travel books in his hands. “There. Pickle juice gone.”

“I wasn’t going to ask—” And then Jason remembered the strange conversation with Robin, and the receipt. “You know, Patrick got the last pack of Starbursts and didn’t tell you,” he said.

She flicked off the light, and crawled across him to her side of the bed. She flashed him a confused smile. “I bought them for him—” Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “Oh. I wasn’t thinking when I talked to you earlier. He was trying to convince me the Starbursts would taste better, and I guess I just—” She shrugged and picked up the remote from her nightstand. “I got mixed up.”

“Oh.” He fell silent, looked back at the page in his book, but his attention was unfocused. She hadn’t sounded confused on the phone, and Robin had seemed pretty clear about Patrick’s words.

But what was the alternative? To believe she was lying to him? Elizabeth never lied to him.

Elizabeth leaned back against the pillows, and he let it go, letting her relax and watch one of her shows, and he went back to his book again. Trying to focus.

“I felt the baby today,” Elizabeth said, and that got his attention. Jason set the book side. “Not like—kicking. Obviously—” She took his hand, rested it against the gentle curve. There was nothing yet, and he was a bit disappointed. “It was just a flutter really. But it’ll be soon.” She sighed happily. “And I think maybe I might be further along than I thought,” she continued. “Because I’m bigger now than I was with any of the boys at four months.”

“We can find out next week,” he told her. He leaned over, kissed her. “Mmm, no pickle juice at all.”

“I told you I’d take care of it.” She wound her arms around his neck and drew him over her. And he stopped thinking about Starbursts and receipts altogether.

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

“You know what I think is actually going to kill me?” Patrick asked Elizabeth the next morning as he stepped up inside the hub and reached for a chart. “The fact that we thought of everything except the cover story.”

“I panicked,” Elizabeth muttered. “I swear to God if this falls apart because I said Starbursts instead of gummy bears, I’ll deserve the prison sentence.” She clicked away at the keyboard, irritated with herself. “I distracted Jason, I think. What about you?”

“Maybe. It’s hard to tell with Robin. She’s sneaky.” Patrick leaned against the counter. “Uh, how you feeling this morning? I mean, we’re good, right?”

“Do you mean did I wake up feeling guilty?” she murmured, keeping her voice low but resisting the urge to whisper. Low conversations about patients were normal. Hushed whispers were suspicious. “No. You?”

“You’d think.” Patrick shrugged. “I’m off to my rounds.”

He disappeared down the hallway, then Laura stepped off an elevator a few minutes later, her brow furrowed.

“Hey. You okay?” Elizabeth asked. “You look upset.”

“Not upset. Concerned.” Laura leaned across the counter. “And I wanted you to hear it from me.”

Oh, damn it. Had they already found Baker? They should be fine, Elizabeth told herself. It was twenty hours. She’d wanted forty-eight, but—

“There’s a possibility Tom Baker has jumped parole,” Laura cautioned her. “He didn’t report for work this morning.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth tightened her fingers around her pen. “How—Maybe he’s sick.”

“Maybe. I spoke to his supervisor to see what we should do.” Laura said. “He has to miss an appointment with his parole officer.  and that’s not until Monday. Unless you want me to—if he violates parole—”

What would look less guilty, Elizabeth wondered? Encouraging Laura to push for contacting the parole officer and finding Baker’s body sooner? Or holding off to give the body a chance to sit longer, making cause of death harder to determine?

How would she have answered if she didn’t know exactly where Tom Baker was?

“I’d feel so silly if I asked you to push and he’s just at home with the flu or something. I mean, he lives alone, right? Maybe he’s just too sick to call out. You call his parole officer, and he finds him at home, I’ll just—” Elizabeth exhaled slowly. “I don’t want to live my life in fear. And I don’t want to think about Tom Baker. No special favors. If he violates on his own terms, that’s his problem.”

“All right. You let me know if you change your mind.” Laura patted her hand and walked away, leaving Elizabeth unsure if she’d made the right decision. Too late now, she thought, and went back to work.

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