The Courthouse --

Zander stormed down the hallway, and punched the first wall he came too with a closed fist. He pulled back his hand, the knuckles all red from the small drips of blood that seeped from the cuts the wall had made when his fist connected with it. He shook off the pain and stormed down the stairs, his temper still flared. As he walked down the front steps of the courthouse, the defenseless trash can that sat on the sidewalk found itself air born as Zander kicked it with his foot, trash scattered as the can flew and then hit the cement.

He was angry with at himself for giving Sonny's attorney the shadow of doubt to use from his testimony, and he was angry with Sonny for being a bastard of a father who didn't give a damn about him. His temper flared even more as he thought about so many years he had without a father because of Sonny, because of what he did and probably get away with. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he paced the sidewalk trying to cool down.

Emily was worried about her husband and went looking for him. She found him outside the courthouse and just watched him from a distance, keeping an eye on him so he didn't do something stupid. She knew what kind of temper Zander had, and anyone who would get near him during this time was in for alot more then they would bargain for.

Zander had release the anger he was feeling before going back into the courthouse, and he stood down on the sidewalk, his fists clenched at his sides. He looked up towards the sky and just left it all out. It came from deep inside him, he felt it in his gut as it built inside him and he released it in a loud scream. The anger, the pain, the hurt .. all of it left him and he shook off the little bit that was left.

Emily heard his cries from inside the doorway of the courthouse and rushed out the door to be with him. As she came down the cement steps, he turned to see her coming towards him. She ran into his arms hoping he was alright and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. His heart racing and his breathing erratic, she looked up at him and saw the pain still in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked as they stood together underneath a lit streetlight.

"Now that you're here with me, I am." he replied as he held her close and her head leaned in tight against his chest.

Emily noticed his blood soaked hand and knew something had happened. "Zander ... your hurt." she said as she took the bloody hand in hers and examined it for cuts.

"Yeah, the wall won." he chuckled and then winced as she poked at the cuts on the hand. "I'll be fine." he added and she looked up at him.

"We're going to take you to the hospital and get your hand checked out." she noticed his reluctance. "And I want no arguments." she said sternly.

Zander reached into his pocket for his cell phone to call Marcus to pick them up. Marcus was not too far from where Zander and Emily were and had told Zander he'd be there in a few seconds to pick them up. Zander and Emily waited underneath the street light for Marcus and Zander noticed his limo making the turn onto the street only a few short blocks from where he and Emily were standing.

Marcus pulled the car up to the curb and climbed out to go open the back door for Zander and Emily. He then opened the trunk and got a towel for Zander's hand. He handed it to Emily who applied pressure to Zander's hand, hoping to stop the blood from coming out of the wounds he had.

"Take us to GH, Marcus ..." Emily instructed when Marcus got back into the car. He nodded in acknowledgment and turned the car around and drove to the ER.

Meanwhile at Sonny's trial --

Inside the courtroom, Ric was about to call his next witness. "The prosecution calls Detective Jake Steele."

Jake got up from his seat and walked towards the witness box. He took a seat in the chair and waited for Ric to ask his questions.

"For the record, Detective .. please tell us your name, occupation and where you are from?" Ric asked.

"Jake Steele, I'm a Detective with the Miami Police Department, Miami Florida." the detective replied.

"Thank you. And what makes you involved in this case, Detective?"

"My father was the investigating officer on this case 15 years ago, Mr. Lansing. He retired a few years ago and I inherited his quest to find out what happened to the deceased, Frank Smith. My investigation led me here to Port Charles and to Frank's son, Zander Smith."

"Did you make initial contact with Mr. Smith when you arrived in Port Charles?" Ric asked of the Detective.

"I tried to but when I arrived there had been a shooting a few days prior and Mr. Smith was in the hospital, heavily sedated, so there was no chance to talk with him at that point, I had to wait a week or so till I got the chance to meet him with him face to face and to talk about the case."

"Can you tell us, Detective what led you to Port Charles and Zander Smith?" Ric asked.

"Most of the leads that my father had been investigating had been exhausted, but there were a few that he hadn't had the chance to chase after, and that's where I had begun my investigation. Zander's mother and her accusations against Michael Corinthos was a good place to start. I read through the reports from 15 years ago, hoping to find a report from Mrs. Smith, but found nothing which sent up a red flag for me as to why she hadn't reported the alleged crime. So my investigation with the death of Frank Smith, started 8 years prior with the alleged assault of Frank's wife. It all led me here to Port Charles to find Zander." Steele replied.

"So when you met with Zander, you already knew he wasn't Frank's son?" Ric asked wondering why Steele hadn't told Zander the truth from the beginning.

"I didn't have conclusive evidence of that fact, but I had my suspicions, yes. The reports that I had access to didn't give me much to go on, and there were things reported in the case file that didn't add up. I just needed to finish what my father had started, it just so happens it led me here."

"Thank you Detective Steele. Nothing further from this witness, your Honor."