SoapQueen89

I have decided to return to SONBC and I am bringing with me a new fanfic. CUFFS is a Zander Smith centric fic that takes place 8 years after the accidently death of his true love, Emily Quartermaine. Zander's guilt made him flee the town of Port Charles to his home town in Florida. Over the past 8 years, he has cleaned up his act and became a police officer for the Miami Dade County Police Department. He was promoted to a Detective of the Narcotics Division only a few short years after being on the police force. Though the nightmare of losing Emily still haunts his dreams, he and his partner Det. Jack Keys are on a case that brings Zander home to Port Charles. Along with Zander and Jack comes a Narcotics Task Force which includes Detective Melissa Roberts (Rebecca Staab,) Detective Maria Rodriguez (Catherine Gardner,) Detective Erik Morrison (Eric Dane,) Detective Chris Baker (Nathon Fillion,) Detective Randy Williams (Mykel Shannon Jenkins,) and Detective Marc Cortez (Marco Sanchez.) There is someone special in Zander's life, although due to department policies, their relationship has hit a few snags. Special Agent Lorna Ortiz (Charisma Carpenter) will be brought in on the case, and with her now on board things between she and Zander are sure to heat up! Readers can look for most of the GH cast to make an appearance throughtout the story. Some old faces are expected to emerge as the story progresses, readers are asked to expect the unexpected with CUFFS. As with all my fics, this story will focus on the criminal element in PC, the mobsters are again mixed up in criminal activity that not only effects the residents of PC but they are also connected to Miami, FL. CUFFS begins on Thursday, November 1st. Casting news will follow shortly. As always, thanks for reading and I appreciate the comments and feedback.

Since taking a hiatus from writing my fanfic blog, I've had some time to create banners and sigs and other GH related graphics. Please feel free to use the sigs with proper credit. Thanks Signature Banners

BLINKIES ANIMATIONS

Due to specific reasons I am not at liberty to explain, my blog here at SON will be going on an indefinite hiatus, effective immediately. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting on the fan fic I have posted here at SON, if you'd like to read more of my work, you can visit my fan fic site at http://soapscorner.com/ghfanfiction.htm I will hopefully be back writing fic for my blog in very near future. Jen

The Reckoning will begin airing on SONBC on Monday October 1st. It will be a continuation of WICKED and will consist of the same characters/actors with a few minor additions. These additions are as follows: Amanda Welles will portray Chelle Barlow, a NY attorney who has been transferred to Port Charles and will begin working in the DA's office. She has ties to PC she is unaware of. She is widowed and has been raising her son alone for the past 10 years. Brad Hawkins will portray William (Will) Barlow. He blows into town with his mother, Chelle, and he's looking for trouble. He's reckless, he's defiant, and he's just looking for a fight. Though he's a rebel of sorts, he is well educated and after 10 years, he's still angry over his father's death. Roma Maffia will portray Camilla Cortiz, a specialist who has been asked to advise on a patient's case at General Hospital. She has studied at the best of medical schools and is the top in her field. Look for her to get involved with a select few doctors at the hospital. A Martinez will portray Martin Alvarez, an adversary of Sonny Corinthos from Miami, FL. He brings with him his two sons. Nicholas Gonzalez will portray Richie Alvarez, the eldest son of Martin Alvarez. He is the loose cannon of the family and the one who prefers brut force to get what he wants. He is also as an eye for a beautiful woman. A.J. Lamas will portray Nickie Alvarez, the youngest of Martin's sons. He is quite green in the business and the over achiever. He tries to make his father proud, which sometimes leads him into trouble. Readers of WICKED who will be continuing with The Reckoning can expect twists and turns throughout this new book. Sorrow, tragedy, and romance will be found, but the mob war will still remain the focus of the new book. The Reckoning will debut on SONBC on Monday, October 1st.

This is the final episode of WICKED. The Reckoning will begin on Monday October 1st, it is the 3rd book in this series. EPISODE 47 Zander and Alexis sat in the interrogation room with Ric a few hours as Zander told his brother everything that he knew about the dealings between Greg, Lorenzo and Jason. A weight had definitely lifted off his shoulders once he admitted to a few things he had initiated. As they sat and talked, Ric absorbing all the information Zander was giving him, there wasn't much Ric could charge Zander with, other then transportation and distribution of narcotics. And with the evidence missing from Zander's warehouse, it was just Zander's words Ric had against him. Jason was holding the evidence, and though Zander's shipment, it was in the possession of someone else, which left Zander off the hook. The hours passed and soon Ric stood up from his seat. He thanked his brother for his honesty and appreciated that Zander had told him what had happened in the penthouse before he got there. Zander saw that Ric was walking towards the door of the interrogation room and he opened up. "You're free to go ....." Ric said as he held the door open with his hand. "You're kidding right?" Zander asked shocked that Ric was letting him go, even after all he confessed to. "No, I'm not kidding. I have nothing to hold you on. The shipments are no longer in your possession, and the shootout at the penthouse could be construed as self defense." Zander stood up from his seat and walked towards his brother. "Thanks .... " Zander said as he stepped into the doorway. "Yeah, yeah ...." Ric grinned as Alexis brushed passed him. "Hey ..." Ric said as he gave a tug on Alexis's arm as she passed by. "Tell him to keep his nose clean ... okay." "You try to tell him that ... but I'll try." she smiled. Zander and Alexis stepped out onto the stoop of the PCPD once more. The snow had just begun to fall lightly and Zander pulled his overcoat up and over the scruff of his neck. "You need a ride home?" he asked Alexis. "No, I think I'll walk ...." she replied and gave him another kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the offer though." She started walking down the stairs towards the side walk and he watched her from the top step. "Hey .... " he called out to her and she turned around towards him. She saw the look in his eyes and knew what he wanted to say .. but the look was all she needed. She smiled, turned and walked away, leaving him standing alone on the stairs. He gave a tug at his overcoat and pulled out his cell phone to make a call, the snow falling harder now then before, he took a few steps towards the side walk as the person he called answered. "Hey sweetheart .... I'm at the PCPD ... yeah everything's fine. I just wanted to hear your voice, that's all. I'll see you soon." Marcus pulled the car up to the curb and Zander climbed into the backseat and closed the door, his coal black hair covered with snow, and he ran his fingers through it. "Where to, sir?" Marcus asked from the driver's seat. "To hospital, Marcus .... I'm going to spend some time tonight with my wife." Emily hung up the phone and sighed some relief. She looked out the hospital room window and saw the snow falling more heavy, the biggest snowflakes she had ever seen. She took comfort in knowing Zander had weathered yet another storm, she had just hoped good days were ahead for them. As Marcus drove down the snow covered street towards the hospital, he couldn't help but notice the blaring headlights from a car that seemed to come out of no where. He glanced from side to side and through the rear view mirror at the car that was following closely behind. Zander took notice to it as well. "Marcus, we have company." Emily's hospital room -- While Zander and Marcus tried to lose who ever was tailing them, Emily tried to get some much needed rest. The only light that shone into the room was that of the moon that filtered through the blinds on the hospital windows. It was peaceful and quiet now, she knew Zander would be there in a few minutes, everything was going to be okay she thought as she caressed her very pregnant belly. Unbeknownest to her, she was not alone and the nightmare was far from over. On the other side of town -- In cold dark night, shots rang out as gun fire was heard through out the quiet streets of the neighborhood. A new threat has arrived in the town of Port Charles and the day of reckoning would soon fall upon this quiet waterfront town.

EPISODE 46 The PCPD Squad Room -- "If he tells you everything, Ric .... Zander will be lucky to be out for his daughter's wedding! I have to defend and protect my client." "I know but ...." Ric began but was interrupted. "Alexis ... I love you, you know that .. and you have been the best thing that has ever happened to me, with the exception of Emily. The two of you have stood by me through it all and you've taken the heat for me on more times than I care to count. But this time .... this time if I don't do this, Ric is going to throw away everything *he* has worked so hard for. I can't allow him to do that." Zander confessed his appreciation. Alexis leaned in to him and kissed him on the cheek. "You do what you think you have to, Zander. I'll stand by your decision." "Thank you, Alexis." Zander spoke softly. "So .... are you going to get a statement here or not?" Ric spoke up. "Yeah you are." Zander replied as he sat down at the long metal table, Alexis sitting down next to him. "Are you sure about this?" she asked again. "Yeah I am, Alexis .... It's my only option. It's time I cleaned up my own mess." She not sure what he meant by that but went along with his decision to make a statement about Greg and the dealings over the past 6 months. Ric sat down across from him and pushed across the table a yellow legal pad and the pen from his shirt pocket. Zander pulled the tablet towards him and Alexis snatched the pen before Zander's hand reached it. "I'm sorry, but if you want me to defend your actions here, I need some promises made for you." she said and Ric sighed knowing what was coming next. "Like what?" Zander asked as Alexis and Ric exchanged looks. "Don't Alexis .... " Ric said knowing what she was about to ask even before she asked it. "Before he confesses to anything .... lay your cards out Mr. DA." she smirked as she looked over her black rimmed glasses. "No deals, Alexis!" Zander replied upset with her for even trying to make a deal for him. "Yes deals, Zander! I told you before we sat down that I would stand by your decision to do this, but for Pete's sake let me defend you!" she scolded. Zander sighed in defeat, he knew she'd get her way anyways, he caved early to save the time. "That's better." she grinned. "Alexis, it depends on what he tells me, I can't give you a blanket deal." Ric replied knowing that's what she was after. "Sure you can, Ric. Look, if Zander gives you what you want to know, and there's no charges to be filed on him then we'll save the deal for another time .... I'm sure there will be another mess and we'll need it." she smiled. Ric grinned. She knew darn well that he couldn't resist her charm and persuasive ways. "Okay ... because you know I can't resist your persuasive charm, I'll lay a deal out on the table." Alexis grinned because she knew she had it in her to charm the pants off that man if she wanted. Zander snatched the pen back from Alexis's hand. Before he had a chance to write anything down, Ric grabbed the pen back from him. "Now what? Are you two going to let me do this or not?" Zander now getting anxious to clear the air. "Forget writing to down, just tell me. I'll have to type up a report regardless. Besides the faster you tell me, the faster you can get out of here." Ric replied as he stuck the pen back in his shirt pocket. "What do you want to know?" Zander sighed. "I want to know everything ... the dealings with Lorenzo, Jason .... and Greg." Ric replied as he leaned forward against the table. "And if you had anything to do with Lorenzo's bank statements being sent here to me." "Bank statements, no sorry can't say that I can take credit for that one. You got bank statements?" "Yeah and a lot of money has been transferred, I mean a lot of money in and out of Lorenzo's account. I kinda figured they were transactions for the contracts he put out on you." "I wouldn't doubt it. I have to give that man credit though, he is persistent." "Don't give him too much credit, he almost succeeded." Ric replied.

Welcome to SON Baffleball! I look forward to reading more of your blog entries and hearing about what you find appealing about Days! It's a really good soap, rich in history, and some wonderful characters! I'm sure you'll enjoy watching it. Jen

EPISODE 45 The PCPD -- Zander and Alexis stood out on the stoop of the PCPD for a few moments, Zander deciding what to do next. He couldn't allow Ric to take the fall for him this time, Ric could lose the DA position over this, heck lose his license to practice law in NY. He couldn't let that happen. Zander stormed back into the squad room and saw Ric from across the room carrying an arm full of file folders, heading back to his office. "Ric! Wait!" Zander called out to his brother and Ric stopped to wait for him. "I thought I told you ..." Ric said as Zander pulled him into the interrogation room to talk privately. "Yeah you did, but I can't let you do this Ric. I can't let you take this risk, I don't want to have this on my head, Ric." Ric set down the paperwork on the table, and Zander noticed what the files contained as one flipped open accidentally. His name was on all of them and his eyes widened as he realized what Ric was planning on doing. "Ric, what were you going to do with these files?" Zander asked and Ric realized that Zander had seen what they contained and quickly flipped closed the open folder. "Never you mind what I am going to do with them, the less you know the better." "Okay, that's usually my line, so what gives?" Zander questioned wanting to know what Ric's plans were. Ric sighed. "If you must know .... I'm making this all go away ... okay?" "No, it's not okay, Ric! I won't allow you to do this for me. I've done a lot of stuff in the last 5 years .... and every time you bail me out! I can't let you do it this time. This could very well cost you, your job!" "Yeah well, to see you finally safe and happy with your family, it will be worth it!" "No, Ric, it won't! I don't want you to have to give up your career for me! I never asked you to compromise your job Ric!" Ric cleared his throat and pulled out the immunity deal that laid on top of the pile. Zander saw what he pulled from the pile and took back what he said. "Okay just that once. But Ric, this is a major decision and something you shouldn't have to do. I'll do the time if I have to, Ric!" "No you're not .. now dammit let me do this for you .... Geesh!" Ric replied and he gathered the files in his arms once more, and headed for the door to leave. Zander stopped Ric from leaving the room as he blocked Ric's path. "You are too good for this Ric! You're the good brother, remember? This is how it's always been .... I get into a jam and you clean up the mess ... well not anymore!" Ric saw something in Zander's eyes, something that hadn't been there before and he realized Zander was ready to take what ever punishment there was for this mess he had gotten himself into. Zander was right, he had always cleaned up after his brother, never allowing charges to be filed, keeping his ass out of jail the best he could. Zander this though, stepped up to the plate to save him for a change. Ric set the files back down on the table. "Tell me about Greg, tell me everything, if you're so willing to take the heat this time." Ric said just as Alexis walked in. "Zander .. don't tell him anything." she spoke up as she entered the room and closed the door. "Alexis, I have to. It's my only chance to clear this up." "Look, we're all family here, right? We've been a part of each other's lives since the beginning ... I know we want to protect him Alexis, but this time .... I don't know if we can."

EPISODE 44 The hospital lounge -- "The short version ... Jason's been stealing product from me, Lorenzo was trying to kill me. Someone took a shot at Emily earlier and I stormed off looking for him, thinking it was Jason. I get to the penthouse, and Lorenzo is waiting for me. Now I didn't know it was Lorenzo who was out to kill me, I was thinking it was Jason. Marcus called up to the apartment, said Jason was on his way up. The storm knocked out the power to the building and it went black. Jason shot Lorenzo in the shoulder, thinking it was me. Marcus came up the back way and saved my butt again. Marcus shot Lorenzo, Ric busted in the door and shot Jason in the shoulder. After it was over, the police had Jason in custody, he went for the officer's gun and shot me in the shoulder." "So you never fired a shot at Jason nor at Lorenzo?" "Marcus fired the bullet that killed Lorenzo, but I should of taken Jason out when I had the chance." "Emily?" "Yeah pretty much. Jason and she are close and I didn't want to take him away from her, she would of never forgiven me for that." "So, he shot at you with a police issued weapon?" "Yeah, Ric saved my hide. Marcus called 911 after the police officers took Jason away in cuffs." "So what started all this?" "Not what, who. Greg, I guess wanted to make a name for himself. I don't really know, Alexis." "Well, where's Greg now?" "I took care of Greg." "Oh .... okay well, we won't mention Greg then." "Ric already knows about Greg and his involvement, I'm sure." "Probably right about that. I'm sure you don't have to worry about Jason, he never says much of anything." Zander chuckled. "Yeah, Jason just wants to see me dead so he can take the territory I got. Which is why 3 of my warehouses are no more and product has gone missing." "Well, we'll have to make statement to Mac, he's not going to let up about this till you do." "Yeah I know. Just not sure how I can without getting myself 10 to 20." "Let me worry about that. Come on, there's no time like the present. Get this over with and you can spend the rest of the night with Emily." Zander and Alexis left the lounge, followed close behind by the officers that Mac had instructed to bring Zander in to the PCPD. They all boarded the elevator and headed to the police station to make a statement. The PCPD Squad Room--- Alexis and Zander walked into the squad room, Mac and Ric waiting for them. Mac showed Alexis and her client the interrogation room for privacy. Ric followed close behind and closed the door after he was the last one into the room. "So ... ready to make that statement now?" Mac asked as he laid down on the metal table a yellow legal pad and pen. "What do I get in return?" Zander asked. "Now you want a deal too?" Mac replied not believing Zander's request. "What my client means is that if he gives you a statement of what happened tonight, he doesn't want any charges filed against him." Alexis spoke up. "Tell us what happened and then we'll talk deals." Mac replied as he pushed the tablet and pen towards Zander. Zander and Alexis exchanged glances, she offered a shake of the head not to write a statement. "Okay .... let's start off with an easy question ...." Mac not able to finish his thought because he was interrupted. "Wait, do you want a statement or are you planning on interrogating my client, Mac?" "Well, he's not giving us the statement, Ms. Davis, so I guess we'll move to the next step which would be interrogation." Zander looked once more to Alexis for answers. She leaned in and told him, he could answer questions that Mac had in mind, until she told him not to. "What's your question, Mac?" "Do you know this man, Zander?" Mac asked as he pulled a mug shot from the file folder he was holding. He placed the photo face up and slid it towards Zander to look at. "You know I do Mac. It's one of my guards, Greg." Zander answered, unsure where Mac was going with this line of questions. "When was the last time you saw Greg?" "A few days ago, why?" "You're not at all concerned when one of your men doesn't show up for work?" Mac pressed on for answers. "Look, Greg had some personal stuff going on, he took a few days off." "Are you sure?" Mac asked wanting to lead Zander into the answers Mac wanted to hear. "Where are you going with this Mac?" Alexis stepped in. "Zander already told you that Greg asked for time off." Mac laid down another photograph on the table, face up. This time a picture of Greg when they found him dead in his car a few miles outside of town. "So you have no idea how Greg ended up dead, do you?" "Don't answer that, Zander." Alexis instructed as she turned over the photograph of Greg behind the wheel of his car. "My client isn't answering anymore questions for you Mac, unless there is a deal somewhere on the table." she added and Mac turned and looked at Ric who stood off in the corner waiting for that moment. "Can we have a minute, Mac?" Ric requested. Mac agreed with Ric's request and left the interrogation room, leaving Ric alone with Alexis and Zander. "Don't make me regret this ...." Ric said as he took a few steps towards the door of the interrogation room. Zander wondering what he meant. "You know you could lose your job because of this." Alexis said as she approached Ric. "Yeah I know, but I could of lost it numerous times before I didn't." "You're willing to take that chance Ric?" Alexis asked as she stood next to him. Zander stood up from his seat and approached them. "Care to let me in on what's going on?" Before he got an answer, Alexis had guided him out the door quickly. She didn't want tell Zander anything till they were outside of the PCPD and away from any ears that may be listening. "Now you want to tell what that was all about?" Zander asked as the two of them stood on the steps of the police station. "You're brother is about to save your ass again, and this time he's risking everything to do it."

EPISODE 43 Emily's Hospital room --- "What about Jason?" "He's being tended to here at the hospital. He's going to be charged with a whole list of felonies, I'm sure. And ... Lorenzo, he's dead. Marcus ...." "He saved your ass didn't he?" "Yeah he did. I owe him." "I owe him too ..." she replied and pulled him to her in an embrace, but not before she gave him a kiss, thankful he was alive. "I love you so much, Zander ...." "I love you too." Zander pulled back from her noticing he was bleeding from the patch on his shoulder and he didn't want to get any on her. "I'm going to have my shoulder checked out. Are you going to be okay here by yourself for a little while?" he asked concerned for her. "Yeah I'll be fine. Go get checked out. I'll feel a lot better once you do." He walked towards the door and turned his head back towards her. He gave her wink and then made a quick escape out the door. She laid back against the pillows and smiled. It was over, finally. Lorenzo was dead, Jason would be behind bars, they were no longer in danger. They could finally go back to living a normal life, as normal as the life they led would allow. The future was looking a lot better then it had, and she sighed as the stress she was feeling began to disappear. She could finally concentrate on the family and the new addition that would be making his appearance real soon. In the ER -- Zander sat on the end of the hospital gurney waiting for someone to tend to his gunshot wound. The gauze bandages that were wrapped around his upper arm were soaked with blood, the bleeding hadn't stopped. He could hear familiar voices coming from the other side of the drawn curtain, and as he waited, he was startled when the curtain was pushed back. He was surprised to see Mac standing there and his expression shown his discontent. "What do I owe this pleasure, Commissioner?" Zander asked as Mac stepped towards him. "I heard you had an eventful night?" Mac remarked as Zander reached his hand up and applied pressure to the wound in his arm. "This? Just a scratch." Zander remarked about his bullet wound. "Looks like a bullet wound to me. Care to tell me how you got it?" Before Zander could answer Mac's question, someone else did it for him. "No he doesn't." Alexis said as she stepped forward. Zander relieved to see her, he figured she'd be along any time, Ric was bound to call her, at least he had hoped. Alexis stepped towards Zander and stood next to him. She glanced at Zander to reassure him she was there to help him and that he shouldn't worry. "My client has nothing to tell you, Mac." "It would be in your client's best interests to explain what happened right here, or do you want me to drag him down to the police station?" "Mac, the man is hurt, can't we get him looked at first?" Alexis pointed out to the Commissioner. "Oh right, the scratch. Yeah get him looked at and to make sure his next stop is the police station, I'll just leave a few officers outside to make sure he gets there." Mac replied before leaving and drawing the curtain closed the way he found it. Alexis waited till Mac left, then turned her attention to Zander. "What happened this time?" "Didn't Ric tell you?" "No, Ric didn't tell me .. why don't you tell me." she ordered as she looked over at his blood soaked bandage. Zander about to tell Alexis what happened, but he was interrupted. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Zander." Bobbie said as she pulled back the curtain and stepped towards him with a metal tray in her hand. "I'll wait outside for you." Alexis excused herself and stepped out to wait for him. Bobbie tended to Zander's wounds and stitched it. She re-wrapped his arm and then cleaned up the mess she had made as he slid off the end of the gurney and thanked her. "You shouldn't have any trouble with it, but if you do, just come back and see us, okay?" "Thanks Bobbie. I'm sure it will be fine." Zander smiled and stepped out, only to be met with two police officers. Alexis came up to him quickly to save him from the officer's clutches. "May I talk to you a minute." Alexis smiled as she took a hold of Zander's arm and whisked him away from the officers. "I guess we should talk, huh?" "Yes we should if you want me to defend you in whatever kind of mess you're in now." Alexis replied. Alexis and Zander sat down in the waiting area as the officers looked on. "It's complicated." Zander answered as he and Alexis sat down on the couch together. "Well, why don't you try to explain it to me."

With only a few more episodes left of WICKED, Head Writer Jennifer Snyder will be introducing the next book in the series in the coming weeks. The Reckoning will continue the story of Zander and Emily as he tries to protect his family from yet another threat. "Amidst happiness, a new danger is lurking ready to strike." teases Snyder. "The new threat will be introduced in the last chapter of WICKED." she added. "Readers can expect a few new characters in the new book, many of them will be tied to the canvas," adds Snyder. "It's going to be an exciting story. I'm really looking forward to bringing it to MySON TV and SONBC. With Head Writer Snyder promising an exciting continuation of the story, readers of this mobular fic are sure to enjoy the next installment of this series. The Reckoning will begin in a few weeks, on October 1st. "The day of reckoning is coming ... and it's coming to the town of Port Charles."

EPISODE 42 Zander's penthouse "Get him the hell out of here, before he shoots someone else!" Ric ordered at the officers as he rushed to check on Zander. Zander laying back against the couch, his shirt blood stained from the gun shot wound. Marcus called an ambulance from his cell phone he had kept in his pocket. Zander coming around saw Ric kneeling next to him, tending to the pain he felt in his shoulder. "You're damn lucky, you know that?" Ric said as he helped Zander remove his shirt. "It looks like it went clean through." "I knew I should of shot Morgan when I had the chance." Zander grimaced as Ric poked at the wound to make sure the bullet had gone straight through. "Yeah well, now Emily can be furious with her brother and not you." "The ambulance is on it's way." Marcus said as he came running over to Zander's side. "How bad is it?" he added as he saw the wound bleeding quite a bit. "Here ...." Ric handed Marcus the shirt that Zander had just removed. "Keep pressure on the wound, slow down the bleeding." he added and then went out into the hallway to make sure Jason had been removed from the building. "Well, we made it out of this alive, boss." "Yeah .... barely." Zander replied jokingly. "Well, you did get the man who attempted to kill you and Emily." Marcus replied as he glanced over towards Lorenzo who still lay lifeless on the floor by the doorway. "Yeah, but we still got Morgan now to deal with. I can't believe the crazy son of bitch shot me!" "Just be glad he's got bad aim." Marcus joked making Zander laugh. "Don't make me laugh, Marcus. Between the shoulder and my ribs, I'm in worse shape then when I started." "It could be worse, sir. You could be dead." "Good point." ..... Zander replied and tried to get up off the floor. "Help me up, Marcus." he groaned as Marcus helped him to his feet. "Are you sure you should be walking around, sir?" "Yeah, I'm fine .. it went clean through. It's just a little blood." Marcus tended to Zander's shoulder as Ric reappeared in the doorway. "Jason's on his way to the hospital to have his shoulder looked at, next stop is the a jail cell." "Hey, I didn't know you were handy with a gun, Ric?" Marcus said as he sat Zander down on the chair. "Yeah well, not good enough I guess ..." Ric replied as he looked at Zander and his wound he got from Jason. "This? This is nothing compared to what has happened to me the last few weeks." "Well, Emily is going to be glad to hear you're alive." "Yeah I'm sure she will be." The paramedics arrived shortly after Marcus called and they tended to Zander's wounds while Lorenzo was removed from the penthouse. "Not too bad ... easily patched up." the medic said as he applied pressure to Zander's shoulder. "You'll need stitches though and you should see a doctor at General Hospital." he added. "Just patch it for now, Marcus can take me to GH." "Look, the two of you go to the hospital, see your wife, and get your arm tended to. I've got a case to finish and paperwork to start on with Jason." Ric said as he headed towards the door. "Thanks for the help, Ric." Zander replied as the paramedics packed up the duffle bag they had brought in with them. "Okay, be sure to get this looked at and soon. You're going to need medication and stitches." "Thanks ...." Marcus replied as he helped Zander up from his seat. Marcus assisted Zander down to the car and drove him to the hospital. Zander worried about his wife, he went to see her first before having his shoulder tended to. The paramedics had bandaged it the best they could with what they had with them, and had put his arm in a sling for him, so he could keep it elevated, it would help keep the bleeding to a minimum. Emily's Hospital Room Marcus pushed open the door to Emily's hospital room and she was waiting there in anticipation for her husband. She sat up against the pillows when he walked into the room, his shoulder noticeably bleeding through the white gauze bandage. "Are you okay, what happened to you?" she said as he went to her side. "I'm fine .... I'm just lucky your brother has a bad aim." "Jason did this to you? Oh my God!" she replied then stopped fussing and looked at him seriously. "Is he in one piece?" "Yeah Jason's fine, he got shot in the shoulder..... but I didn't do it." Zander covered his butt with his wife and looked over his shoulder at Marcus. "You did?" she looked at Marcus. "Yeah I saved Zander's butt again." Marcus chuckled. "Hey I had it all under control ..." Zander began. "Hmmm .. sure you did ... sir." Marcus grinned. "Don't you have to be someplace?" Zander remarked with a smirk. "Yeah .... right .... I got lots of paperwork to do at .. the warehouse. I'll go do that now." Marcus replied and left Zander and Emily alone together in the room. Emily looked over her husband's shoulder wound. "Is it bad? It looks bad." she remarked as she noticed the blood seeping through the white gauze bandage. "It's fine .. just a couple of stitches." "You could of been killed, you know that?!" she scolded. "But I'm here, with you .... everything is fine."

The power still out, once in a while the lightening dimly lit up the room. Marcus and Zander were coming up with a plan of their own. Zander was grateful to have Marcus with him, he hadn't expected Lorenzo in this fight, so he was glad for the back up. Marcus peered out from behind the cabinet, where he had been taking cover and saw a dark shadow move across the floor. It was either Lorenzo or Morgan, Marcus didn't care which, and he fired at the moving target. A loud thud could be heard as the body hit the floor. "One down, one to go." Marcus replied. "We just might get out of this alive." he added. Gunfire returned from across the room, Marcus ducking behind the cabinet just as the bullet whizzed on by him. The coffee pot shattering from the bullet's impact. "Morgan .... show yourself, dammit!" Zander called out from behind the cabinet. "So you can kill me?!" "That's the general idea ... yeah! You tried to kill me more then once, you crazy son of a bitch!" "Lorenzo was the one who tried to kill you, Zander!" "I guess the last attempt on Emily was Lorenzo too, huh?! You could of killed her and your nephew!" "Zander, what are you talking about?! I'd never go after Emily!" "You did take a shot at Emily at the hospital earlier?" "For the last time ... No! The order didn't come from me, Zander!" Zander now confused as to who would of ordered a hit on his wife, if it wasn't Jason or Lorenzo. Marcus equally drawing a blank. "You don't think Greg did, do you?" Marcus asked. "Greg? I thought you guys took care of Greg?" "We did ... but he may have had time to hire someone to do it. He knowing he didn't have long for this world." "Yeah but that's just it, why would he, if he knew he wouldn't be around to enjoy the comforts of what it would get him?" "No else in town is there?" "Not that I know of." Zander answered before calling out to Morgan once again. "Morgan!" "Still here and still bleeding!" Jason replied. "Is Lorenzo dead?" "I don't know, why don't you come out here and find out!" Jason suggested. The power in the penthouse suddenly came back on and Jason peered up from the corner he was hidden. He was holding his shoulder with his hand to add pressure to his wound, as he got up and went to the couch. His gun still tightly held in his hand, as he sat down on the couch. Marcus looked up from behind the cabinet and saw Jason sitting on the couch. He nudged Zander and Zander took a look. "Giving up, Morgan?" "Not till you're dead! What the hell did you shoot me with, a damn cannon?!" he replied as he checked out his wound. Marcus peered out from behind the kitchen cabinet, cautiously and noticed Jason sitting on the couch. He slid back down quickly to get out of sight as an other shot was fired in their direction. Zander heard the front door open and another shot fired, breaking the glassware that sat on the bar. "Put it down Morgan!" Ric said as he stepped into the apartment, holding a gun on Jason. Jason put the gun down on the table in front of him as Zander and Marcus emerged from the kitchen, their guns still drawn on Jason. "What the hell happened here?" Ric said as he walked towards Jason on the couch. "Just a little misunderstanding." Zander replied as he got up from the floor after checking Lorenzo, who laid lifeless behind the door. Jason got up from the couch and went to Zander. "You could of killed me, why didn't you?" "You can thank Emily for that. She'd never forgive me if I killed you, Jason." Police officers were standing out in the hallway, and were allowed in to arrest Jason. "Take him down town, but after he's looked at for that wound in his shoulder." Ric replied. "So what about Lorenzo?" Ric added as he saw Lorenzo lying on the floor. Zander knelt down next to Lorenzo and rolled Lorenzo towards him. "Payback's a bitch, Lorenzo." Out of no where, a finally shot was heard .... Zander fell back against the couch ... Jason grinned from the doorway holding a police revolver in his hand. "Yeah .. but I'm last one standing."

The rain began to pound hard against the windows of the penthouse, dark clouds hovered over the city of Port Charles, and three enemies came face to face, ready to take each other out at any given moment. Their guns drawn, they circled each other like vultures ready to swoop in for the kill. Zander out numbered at this point, Lorenzo and Morgan had their sights set on killing him. Port Charles wasn't big enough for the three of them, it had come to head on a stormy night, just like it had began all those months ago. The battle raged on, never letting up for them to breathe. Always watching their own backs, being afraid they could be taken out at any given time. All of them vulnerable, each of them needing the other's territory to reign supreme. It was do or die time, and none of the three were giving up without a fight. The sky lit up as a lightening strike hit across town, and as it hit the ground, the penthouse went black. Guns still drawn, it was any one's guess who they were aiming at now. The three of them stood frozen, hands tightly wrapped around the butt of their guns, fingers ready to pull the trigger. Lightening lit up the penthouse as a shots were fired, the three of them took cover. Zander hidden in the shadows and he noticed the storm raged outside the penthouse window, and lightening he saw in the distance. The light it gave off was just enough to see shadows inside the living room of the apartment. Lorenzo peeked his head up from behind the couch, he winced with pain from the gun shot wound to his shoulder. Morgan fired a second shot from across the room, hoping to hit the dark shadow he saw, missing the shadow he hit the expensive vase that sat on the wooden cabinet. It shattered in a few million pieces on the floor. "Damn!" Morgan called out when he heard the vase breaking. "You are really a bad shot!" Lorenzo commented, still taking cover behind the couch. His shoulder bleeding heavily. "Well, I'm sorry my aim is bad, but it's a little hard to see some one your shooting at in the *dark*!" Morgan replied sarcastically. Zander peered out from behind the door of the kitchen and took aim on Jason. A shot was fired from Zander's direction, the force of the hit, impacted Jason hard enough to knock him down on his backside. His cursing could be heard again in the darkness. "Dammit!" he shouted as he pressed his hand against his bleeding shoulder. "Nice shot there, Zander." "It wasn't that great, you're still alive, Morgan!" Zander called back. "Hey ...." a familiar voice from behind could be heard in the darkness. Zander was startled by Marcus who had come up the back steps and into the kitchen. "Good shot ..." Marcus praised as took his position beside his boss. "What are you doing here, I thought I told you stay with the car." Zander scolded. "I know, but with Morgan and Lorenzo here, I thought you might need some help." "How did you know Lorenzo was here?" Zander questioned. "I saw his limo parked about a half a block from the building. Besides, his driver is standing out front waiting for him." Zander couldn't help but laugh under his breath. "Well, thank you for having my back. If we make it out alive, there's a bonus waiting for you." Zander grinned. "I'm gonna hold you to that, boss." Marcus replied. With Lorenzo and Morgan both shot in their shoulders, the firing had ceased for a few moments. Lorenzo began to stir as he propped himself up against the back of the couch. "Morgan! You dead yet?!" Lorenzo chuckled. "No ... and apparently you aren't either!" "There's two of us, we can take Zander down and split the territory!" Lorenzo trying to make a deal with Morgan. "No deals, Lorenzo. It's all or nothing for me!"

EPISODE 39 Zander's limo -- "Right away, sir." Marcus replied and pulled the car out into the street, heading towards the penthouse. In a few minutes, Marcus pulled the car up to the curb and parked. He climbed out of the driver's seat and rushed to the other side to open the back door for Zander. "Stay with the car. I'll be down in a few minutes." Zander instructed before walking into the apartment building. Marcus noticed Zander ignoring the pain he was feeling from his injuries, and he just shook his head in disbelief, as Zander walked off. He too, didn't understand Zander's motives for doing what he was obviously going to do. The only reason Zander would want to stop by the penthouse would to pick up his weapon, Zander was going into battle with Morgan, and there wasn't anything anyone could do to stop him. The elevator stopped on the penthouse floor and the doors opened up. Zander stepped off the car and walked to his penthouse. Unlocking the door and stepping inside, he slid the keys back into his jacket pocket and went to his desk. He opened up the top drawer and found the black box where he had kept a loaded spare 9mm. He removed the box from the drawer and set it on the desk, staring at it's shape and size, he opened it up. He was unaware that he had company inside the apartment. The Penthouse -- "I figured you would be showing up sooner or later." the voice said from the shadows and Zander grabbed the gun from the box quickly to defend himself from darkened figure. "Yeah and I thought you were in lock up." Zander replied as he held his weapon on Lorenzo. "Yeah well, I have a good attorney." Lorenzo smirked. "What are you doing here, Lorenzo?" "I heard your warehouse got blown up. I just wanted to let you know that it wasn't me who ordered it." "Yeah I know, Morgan was behind this last one." "This last one? All of them, Zander. Morgan's been blowing up your warehouses all over the waterfront. You thought I was to blame for that?" Lorenzo chuckled. Zander starting now to piece a few things together as he stood with his 9mm drawn on Lorenzo. If Lorenzo wasn't blowing up his buildings and it was in fact Morgan, then where did Greg fit in to all this. "I take it you have a handle on the Greg situation? He's not to smart is he? He missed taking you out a few times." Lorenzo said knowing that by the look on Zander's face he had no clue that Greg was behind the attempts made against he and Emily. "Don't you worry about Greg, he's none of your concern .....anymore." Zander finally piecing it all together and his hands tightened around his weapon. "Yeah I guess once I showed him the door, Greg went elsewhere with his ideas." "And what might they have been?" Zander asked keeping his focus on Lorenzo, now knowing he was the one who had hired Greg. "To take you down and out. Personally, there's too much heat right now, but Greg knew best." Lorenzo shrugged. Still not arming himself with the weapon he kept in a shoulder holster underneath his suit jacket. Zander making it aware to Lorenzo that he finally realized Greg's plans. "Ah I see, so Greg left *your* employment and went looking elsewhere .... finding Morgan to pick up where you had left off." "Yeah something like that. Greg was more of a liability to me then an asset." Lorenzo devilishly smiled. "I guess Greg figured Morgan because he's been the one taking the shipments all this time ....." "And you just make attempts to take me out, along with my wife!" Zander replied finishing Lorenzo's thought. "Greg probably double crossed you, I mean someone had to send those financial records to the DA's office." Zander's cell phone ring could be heard coming from his jacket pocket and he reached in slowly to answer it, his attention never leaving Lorenzo. "Yeah ...." Zander replied. "Just wanted to let you know, boss, that Morgan's on his way up. He slipped passed me somehow." "That's alright Marcus .... I'm ready for him when he gets here." Zander flipped closed his cell phone and stuffed back in his jacket pocket. "We have company coming." Lorenzo raised his eye brow, implying he wanted to know who would be attending this little impromptu meeting. "Morgan's on his way up, he should be here ...." Rapping on the penthouse door interrupted Zander. Zander turned his weapon on the door, and Lorenzo then drew his from inside his jacket. Zander opened the door slowly, Lorenzo was revealed to Morgan as the door opened farther and farther. "Come on in Morgan .... join the party." Zander said as he stepped out from behind the door, his 9mm pointed at Jason. A storm in the distance made itself known as the thunder rolled across the sky as Jason stepped inside the apartment and Zander closed the door. The three of them now realizing the end of their war was near, some one was going to die tonight. As the rain storm was brewing outside, there was a storm of different sorts brewing inside that apartment.

EPISODE 38 Outside Emily's hospital room -- "I'm doing everything I can to keep him stabilized. I'm not going to lie to you Zander .... the baby, at this point is my main concern." she replied and Zander began to panic and fear the worst. "Look, I have him on monitors and I'm trying to stabilize him, and once we do that, he should be okay. The next few hours will tell us what we have to do next." "You won't have to take him will you? I mean it's too early, isn't it?" "Well, Emily's 7 months along, the baby is growing nicely but there are risks to having him born early, with any pregnancy. In this situation, Emily's unstable, her blood pressure is up most of the time, and that's not good for either of them. There's entirely too much stress and strain on the baby right now to induce labor, we'll have to wait and see." The family gathered around Zander, his mother comforting him as they listened to Dr. Meadows prognosis. "The best thing right now for Emily is rest, absolutely no stress, and no excitement. I gave her something that will help her sleep, so she should be resting for a while." Dr. Meadows added. "Can we sit with her?" Monica asked concerned herself about her daughter and unborn grandchild. "Yeah sure, but let's keep the visitors to a minimum." Dr. Meadows replied. "Will you sit with her, mom. I'll be right there." Zander asked of his mother as he glanced over to Frank and Jerry, who were still waiting in the lounge area across from Emily's room. Elenore agreed and went to Emily's bedside as her son asked her to. Ric followed Zander over to his men, while Monica and Alan stood in the doorway of their daughters room, comforting each other, still worried and afraid for her and the baby. Zander stood in the doorway of Emily's room, his fists clenched in an overload of emotions. He realized that someone tried to take it all away from him today, his wife, his child, his business, his entire world. He stormed out of the room, anger filled his eyes, his insides twisted, and he had only one thing on his mind .... it was time for payback! Zander headed on a path sure to lead to danger for him and he was in no condition to be out taking care of business. Especially Jason Morgan. Frank stepped in front of Zander and stopped him from leaving. "You're not going out there by yourself, are you? Zander, you're in no condition to be going after Morgan." Frank gave his boss his own 2 cents. "I agree with him, Zander ... let someone else handle this?" Ric stepped forward. "Thank you for your concern, but I have to do this now. Morgan's gotten away with this for far too long." Zander replied as he tried to get passed Frank. "At least take one of us with you. Two are better then one, when handling Morgan." Cord spoke up. "I have to do this alone, but thanks for the offer." Zander shot Frank a look to let him pass, and Frank stepped aside. Zander turned around towards his men. "The two of you stay here and keep watch on Emily. Got that?!" "Sir I still think you should take someone with you!" Cord said, it fell on deaf ears. Zander needed to this alone and he refused help from his men who were left standing in the corridor outside Emily's room. "I happen to agree with the two of you. Why don't you guys follow him and I'll watch Emily till he gets back?" Ric offered. "We can't do that .... Zander wants us to stay here. He wouldn't like it if we ignored his orders." Frank replied as the three of them stood outside Emily's room. "I know, but we can't let him walk into this with Morgan alone .... he's in no shape to fight Morgan by himself. He's going to get himself killed!" Cord and Frank stood for a few minutes contemplating what to do. What Ric said was true, Zander was not capable of taking out Morgan by himself, certainly not now. But there would be hell to pay if Zander knew they disobeyed orders. Zander walked out of the front entrance of the hospital and flipped his cell phone open to make a call. "Marcus, pick me up in front of the hospital, I have some business to attend to." In a few minutes Marcus pulled the car up in front of the hospital and Zander climbed in the back seat. "Where to boss?" Marcus asked, the tinted divider down between he and Zander. "The penthouse."

EPISODE 37 Emily's hospital room -- Still holding Emily close to him, Zander turned towards the guard that was with him. "Cord was to be out there, find him something must of happened. He would never leave his post!" Zander ordered. "He was there one minute and the next he was gone." Elenore replied. "Did you see who did this?" Zander asked her. "No sorry it all happened so fast. After the shot, he took off. I didn't get a good look at him, I was more worried about Emily then getting a detailed description of the man, Zander." "It's okay, mom." Emily looked up at Zander. "It was Jason wasn't it?" "Yeah baby, I think it was." Zander held her close to him and wrapped his arms tightly around her as her tears moistened his shirt and jacket. Hospital staff came running a few minutes later to see what had happened, Monica and Alan followed close behind with Dr. Meadows in tow. "Emily! Oh my God, are you alright?" Monica went to her daughter and snatched her from the arms of her husband. "I'm okay .... " she replied yet Monica felt her daughter's body shaking from fear. "No you're not alright, your shaking." Monica replied as Alan glared at Zander. "You said you could protect her, Zander! What the hell happened?!" Alan demanded to know. "And are you going somewhere, you're not released yet?!" "I signed myself out, okay?! I can't very well protect Emily when I'm lying in a hospital bed 3 floors down, now can I?!" Zander snapped back. While Alan and Zander exchanged hurtful words towards each other, Dr. Meadows took care of Emily, and the hospital staff changed linens and pillows on the bed. Emily was put back into bed and Dr. Meadows cleared the room, she wanting to give Emily a full exam to make sure everything was alright. Zander and Alan continued their heated discussion out in the hallway, as Elenore and Monica tried to separate the two and calm the two of them down. "Please this is not the time or place for this, Alan!" Monica said as she tugged at his arm trying to back him off. "Our daughter was almost killed ... this IS the time and place for this, Monica!" he barked back. "Look, I know who did this and it's being handled." Zander replied just as his guard, Frank approached with the injured guard, Jerry stumbling along. Zander went to them. "Here sit him down. What happened?" Zander asked Jerry "I was blindsided, sir. He came out of no where, knocked me out dragged me down the hallway." Jerry replied as he rubbed the back of his head where there was a goose egg sized bump. "I found him down the hallway propped up against the wall." Frank replied as Monica came over to take a look at Jerry's injuries. "I'll be fine, Dr. Quartermaine. I'll have a bad headache for a while." Jerry replied as Monica checked him over. Alan came up to Zander and grabbed at his arm, turning him around. "You said you know who did this .. tell me, who?!" Alan demanded to know who took a shot at his daughter. Zander hesitant to tell him it was his own son, Jason. Zander didn't have to as he was interrupted by Ric rushing down the hallway to him. "Are you alright? How's Emily?" Ric questioned as he approached the mob of people now standing outside Emily's room. "We're fine. Please tell me you still have Alcazar in custody." "Yeah, he's not being very cooperative though and he lawyer'd up. He's not giving us much of anything. Why do you think Lorenzo did this?" "No, I don't. It was Jason, I'm sure of it." Zander replied and Alan's ears overheard his son's name. "You think Jason did this?!" Zander turned towards Alan. "Yeah I do. This was a warning to me, that he could get to my family any time he wanted. This wasn't about Emily, this was business." "Business?! Taking shots at his own sister? That's business?!" "To Jason, yeah it is. You don't know him very well, do you?" Zander replied, questioning Alan's knowledge of his own son. "This isn't the first time, Dr. Quartermaine." Ric replied. Alan and Monica both shocked to hear that Jason was behind the attempts on Emily, they didn't know their son was capable of such violence against his own family. "Look, Lorenzo Alcazar has been in lock up since late yesterday, there's no way he could of been behind this. It had to be Jason, there's no one else in town. I would know if there was." Zander replied. Dr. Meadows emerged from Emily's room and Zander went to her concerned about his wife. "How is she?" he asked. "Emily will be fine, she's just a little shaken up, but she'll be fine." Dr. Meadows replied then hesitated, Zander concerned about her hesitation to tell him something. "What is it, Dr. Meadows? It's the baby, isn't it? .... Isn't it?!" Zander now fearing for his child's life and he went to the plexi-glass window and watched Emily resting. Dr. Meadows followed him to the window and a worried look came across her face. "Something has to be done, Zander. There is too much strain on this baby, he's not going to be able to take much more of this." she replied and Zander looked at her. "He's alright, isn't he? We're not going to lose him are we? We can't lose this baby, Dr. Meadows!"

Wonderful stuff! Monica is going to be the evening feast for the Q family!

EPISODE 36 Zander's hospital room -- It had been a few days since the warehouse explosion, Zander's men had their orders to take out Jason, Zander had had enough. Stolen shipments, buildings now just piles of ashes, lives almost taken, his family and his men. He had no other choice then to order the contract on Jason. The war had escalated to this point, it was either kill or be killed. Zander lay in his hospital bed, still. Doctors say it could be another week till he'd be ready to go home, but his plans couldn't wait that long. Another week could mean another stolen shipment or another week for Jason's men to go after his wife and children. He had to do something now, not next week. Zander sat up in bed and swung his legs over the side, allowing his barefeet to hit the cold floor of his hospital room. He winced when he felt a twinge, but he was determined. He placed his weight on his unstable legs and tried to stand up. He steadied himself with his hand on the stand next to the bed and took a step and then another. The feeling in his legs was back to normal, normal as can be expected after the injuries he had sustained because of one of Jason's hired guns. He had gotten a few more steps towards the free standing closet where he had seen a few of belongings were kept, and reached for the handle to pull it open. Inside hung clothes on hangers and he reached for them, leaning on the closet door for support he grabbed the clothes and tucked them under his arm to carry back to the bed. It was painful and he groaned as he got himself dressed. There was no more time to waste, he was becoming more and more vulnerable as the days went by. His legs getting better has he walked to the door and opened it up, he saw his man standing in the hallway standing guard. "Sir ... you're not .." "I know I'm not. I'm going upstairs to see my wife." Zander replied as he held his hand on his side to cover his bandages. The guard followed Zander to the elevator, and then up to Emily's room. She was sleeping peacefully as Zander watched her from the doorway. Elenore sat in the corner chair resting her eyes as well and Zander walked quietly into the room, his guard there to help him as he took the steps towards his wife. He took a seat next to her on the edge of the bed and reached up and caressed her face with his hand. She feeling his touch, leaned into it and her eyes fluttered open to see him sitting there with her. She sat up and quickly took him into a hug, forgetting about his injuries. Zander winced at the twinges he was feeling, while his wife embraced him. "I thought you weren't being released till next week?" she asked as she noticed he was dressed and ready to do business as usual. "Yeah well, I'm signing myself out. I have a business to run." "You mean Jason can't wait." "Em .. I am sorry about Jason. But ..." "Yeah I know, but it doesn't make this any easier for me, Zander." He reached up once more and caressed her jaw with his hand. She reached with hers and held his against her face. "You be careful, okay." Zander smiled softly. "I will .... and I'll be back later to see you." He leaned in and kissed her soft lips for perhaps the last time. As he pulled back she whispered the words he always loved to hear. "I love you so much." "I love you too, baby." Before leaving her side he leaned down and laid a soft kiss on her belly. "I love you too, baby." he whispered. Emily watched as he and his guard walked out the door, he giving her a cute wave as he walked passed the plexi-glass window. "He's in no condition to leave the hospital?" Elenore asked as she stood up from the chair in the corner. "He has a business to run, being here in a hospital bed is making him vulnerable. He feels he has to get out there and run his business, as usual." Emily said. Emily understood her husband's position and his intentions, but she couldn't just let him go out into the battle zone without trying to stop him somehow. She knew the time was coming that she had to make a decision, her husband or her brother, but she didn't want to choose one or the other, she couldn't, she loved each of them dearly and didn't want to see either of them hurt by the other. Elenore stepped one step out into the hallway and watched Zander and his guard disappear out of sight as they turned the corner. "You're not worried about him going out there?" "Of course I'm worried, I'm scared to death that he won't be coming back. But I trust him. Look, I learned a long time ago not to get into Zander's business, he doesn't want me to know so I don't ask." "You trust him enough to have a guard at your door at all times?" Elenore said as she made Emily aware that she was unguarded. Emily's eyes expressed fear, there was always a body guard outside her door, and now the guard was no longer standing at his post. She feared something was wrong, and so did Zander, he stopped in his tracks and he and his guard made their way back to Emily's room. "Emily .. what is it?" "Something's wrong.....there's always a guard out there." Emily replied as she turned back the blankets and got out of bed. Elenore came to help her and just as she did, a shot rang out and Emily felt the whiz of the bullet fly past her and into the pillow. Emily's screams echoed through the halls as the assailant ran off towards the stairs. Zander heard Emily's cries for help and even in his condition, he raced to her room. He found her and his mother on the floor shaken by what had just happened, she was relieved when she looked up and saw him rushing into the room. "Oh my God, Zander!" she cried as she got up off the floor and ran into his waiting arms almost knocking him over from her momentum. "Are you alright?" he asked worried and afraid. "Yeah I think so." she replied as she latched herself onto him. "Mom .. are you okay?" Zander asked as his mother came to him. "Yeah, I'm fine. They missed us this time." Zander held onto his wife, consoling her .... "This was a warning to me and to tell me that they can get at my family any time they want to."

EPISODE 35 Zander's hospital room -- "I think you need to see this ...." Ric said as he sprinted into Zander's room and turned on the TV set that hung in the corner of the room. "Wait, weren't you ..." "Yeah, yeah in a minute, you have to see this ..." Ric replied as he turned the channel to the news coverage about the explosion down on the docks. "The mob wars got a shot in the arm tonight as a warehouse, down here on Pier 53, was destroyed by an explosion earlier tonight. The building owned my local business man, Zander Smith, is now nothing more then a heap of ashes. Eye witnesses say that the flames from this fire, shot over a hundred feet in the air and could be seen across town. Zander Smith, himself, a victim of an alleged mob hit a last week, is re-cooperating at General Hospital. There is no word as to what ignited this explosion, and we will be continuing our coverage of this fire. As details become available, we will pass them along to you." Zander pushed the blankets from him and tried to get out of the hospital bed he was lying in. "Hey woah you're not going anywhere." Ric rushed to his brother's bedside to keep him in bed. "You don't expect me lie here and take this, do you?" Zander replied as Ric pulled the blankets back up over Zander. "You'd never get 5 feet from this bed in your condition, Zander!" "Don't you dare try and stop me, Ric! I have two men down there!" Ric sighed heavily, he knew Zander was bound and determined to fight his own battles, but he was in no shape to do any of it. Ric backed off and watched as Zander tried to stand up, he wincing in pain as he did so. "Zander please! You are in no condition to go fighting this battle by yourself!" "What do you suggest I do, Ric?! They blew up my warehouse!" "Yeah and your damn lucky it wasn't you!" Zander was exhausted just trying to get out of bed, he unsteadily sat back down. Zander realized he wasn't going anywhere. The pain was too unbearable. He laid back down in the hospital bed and Ric helped him with the blankets. "Now, are you going to listen to me?" "No, I'm not." "You are so stubborn, you know that?" Zander smirked at Ric's comment. "I can't very well run my business from this hospital bed, Ric. The longer I stay here, the more vulnerable I become." "Well you can't very well go anywhere, at least not for a while. You'll have to up security." "I thought you had Alcazar in custody? What the hell happened?" "We do .... he's in lock up." "Then who the hell blew up my warehouse, Ric?!" Ric shrugged, not knowing the answer that Zander was looking for. "Morgan. That son of a bitch blew up my warehouse!" "You don't really know for sure it was Jason." "Look, if it wasn't Lorenzo, then who else could it of been?!" Ric and Zander contemplated who would of destroyed the warehouse and its contents before being interrupted by two of Zander's men. "Sir .... it was Morgan." Marcus exclaimed as he and Frank unsteadily walked into Zander's room. Ric assisting Marcus to the chair, and he sat down, while Frank balanced himself against the doorframe. Marcus and Frank both covered in black soot from the explosion, both had noticeable cuts and abrasions. "Are the two of you alright?" Zander asked as he propped himself up to get a better look at his men. "Yeah we're fine. We scrambled out of there before the emergency crews showed up." "How do you know it was Morgan who blew up the warehouse?" "We saw his limos parked out back in the alley. They were gone before we got closer and then ..... up in smoke it all went." "Do you believe it now, Ric?! It was Morgan and I will not just sit here and do nothing!" "Zander let the police handle this, please." "You just didn't ask me to let the police handle it, did you?" "Zander they can prosecute Morgan, he'll do 10 to 15 for this!" "You know damn well he will not even get past the grand jury, Ric! No .. I have to handle this myself, Ric .... Morgan just made it a little more personal!" "Speaking of personal .... what is Emily going to say about you taking out her brother?" Ric asked, none of them noticing that Emily sat just outside the doorway in a wheelchair and she was listening to the banter. "You're going to do what?!" Emily spoke up from just outside the door. Frank let her pass and she wheeled herself into her husband's room. "I think this is our cue, Frank ...." Marcus said as he saw the glare Emily gave him to leave. Marcus and Frank left Zander's room and waited out in the hallway for further instructions. "I will let you handle this one, Zander." Ric said as he backed out of the room slowly, leaving Zander alone in the room with a scowling Emily. "What are you thinking?!" Emily demanded from Zander. "I'm thinking of keeping my family safe and with Morgan still around, you and the children are not safe!" "Let me talk with him, Zander .. Jason listens to me. I can get him to back off." "He almost killed Marcus and Frank .. not too mention he blew up my building! I am not letting you get near him, Em!" "He's my brother! He wouldn't hurt me!" "He wouldn't? For all we know he hired the guy who put you in the hospital in the first place!" "Zander, you know .." "No, Em .. I don't .. I don't anything for sure. And I'm not taking any more risks with my family! You are not going to see Jason and that's final!" "You are impossible you know that?!" "Yeah I do, but when it comes to you and the children, I have to be! I cannot let you put your life at risk any more, we almost lost the baby once because of this business, I am not going to put you or the baby at risk again!" "I have body guards at my door 24 hours a day, nothing is going to happen to me or this baby." "And nothing is going to happen if you stay away from Jason!" Emily sank in the wheelchair, tired of arguing with her husband who obviously was not going to give in to her talking to Jason. She laced her fingers together across her 7 month belly and looked up at him. "Okay ....." she caved to his rules. "Okay what?" he replied. "Okay I won't ask to see Jason." "Promise." "Yes I promise. I'll let you handle it." "Thank you." Zander smiled. Zander reached his hand out to her, she took it in hers and caressed it. "You trust me, don't you?" Zander asked. "Of course, I do." "And you know I love you, and I will do anything to protect you. Even if it means taking out Jason." Emily looked up at Zander. She knew he would protect her and the children at all costs, she had no doubts. He had always been her protector and she could depend on him to keep her safe. She had always known this day would come, the day when she had to watch her husband order the hit on her brother, Jason .... but it didn't make it any easier.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! Jason & Carly!! No one has the connection these two have - it's special and it's a bond that will never be broken! Jen

EPISODE 34 Zander's hospital room -- "Go on ...." "Sir, we found Greg at Morgan's place. I think he struck a deal with Morgan to get him out of town." "In exchange for what, Greg doesn't have anything worth while, Cory?" "He may not now, but maybe Greg's playing both sides of the fence. Look, Greg worked for you, he had access to every shipment that came into your warehouse. He had access to you and Emily, he had access to alot of information." "So what your saying is that Greg struck a deal with Morgan to take me out?" "Makes sense doesn't it?" "Yeah but Morgan wouldn't jeopardize Emily's welfare or her well being. I don't think it was Morgan who hit the cabin a few months ago, no, I think it was Lorenzo who hired Greg to do that job. And I also think that Greg screwed it up and Lorenzo gave him one more shot at me and Greg screwed that up too. No I think Morgan is Greg's latest accomplice. I think Greg and Lorenzo took the shots at me and the family. It's not Morgan's style. Don't get me wrong, Morgan will take you out if given the chance but he's more of a nuisance then a killer. He'll take shipments, burn down warehouses, plant car bombs, but shoot someone point blank, especially someone this close to his sister? I don't think so. No, what happened to Emily and I came directly for Lorenzo. Now whether or not Lorenzo hired Greg or Greg propositioned Lorenzo, it doesn't matter, their both to blame!" "Okay .... I just wanted to be sure you knew that Greg was found at Morgan's. Just be careful, sir. Morgan's unpredictable." "I'll be fine. You just go take care of Greg." Zander replied. He had a lot on his mind and had a lot to think about, what to do next was at the top of his list. "Frank!" Zander called from his hospital bed to his guard standing just outside the doorway. "Yes sir." "I want you and Marcus to get over to the warehouse right away, there will be trouble there tonight and I don't want anything to happen to the shipment!" "Yes sir ... what about guarding your room and your wife, sir?" "I'll call for replacements, just secure the warehouse." Frank left Zander's room and went to get Marcus. The two men rushed from the hospital to the warehouse to replace Cory and Wade. Outside the warehouse -- Jason and two of his men, emerged from the shadows of the alley and broke into Zander's warehouse, to find the stacks of product that Greg spoke about. Jason's men counted each bag and gave Jason the number of bags that were left waiting for the picking. "I want this moved tonight! Zander in the hospital and by now he's occupied with Greg, I don't think we'll be disturbed." Jason said as he looked over the number of stacks that sat on palates before him. The two burly men with Jason, picked up and carried what they could in their arms, and then came back for more, as Jason stood and watched the product go passed him. He grinned a devilish grin when he realized what kind of deal he had just made with Greg. The shipment that he was taking from Zander would put Zander back quite a few million dollars. Certainly enough to make Zander think twice about being in the business he was in, and even more in a position to give up the territory that Jason had been wanting for a long time now. As Frank and Marcus arrived at the warehouse, they noticed the two limos parked out in the alley. "Morgan." Marcus parked the car near the warehouse, he and Frank would walk the rest of the way, he hoping to find Morgan in act of taking the product, giving good reason to kill the bastard. Marcus was not one for talking, he was one for action, and then asking the questions later. As the two men approached the warehouse, they were unaware that Morgan and his men had already left the warehouse by the back door and had escaped with the most of the shipment. Marcus and Frank taken by surprise when the warehouse just exploded in a ball of fire, knocking them both to the ground, unconscious. The flames of the explosion lit up the night sky in a pretty red amber, and they could be seen across town as they shot up into the air. Marcus coming to first, scrambled away from the flames, dragging Frank with him to safety. He reviving Frank, the two of them sat a distance from the burning building just watching as another one of Zander's warehouses went up in smoke. Marcus coughed feeling the smoke filling inside his lungs. "If Morgan wants a war, he's got one .. Zander is going to kill that son of a bitch!"

EPISODE 33 Outside Harborview Tours in the car -- Cory and Wade drove around the city looking for Greg's car, finally finding it on State Street. The parked their car in the shadows, and just watched for any movement. "You know who lives here, right?" Cory asked of Wade. "Morgan, lives here, don't he?" "Yep, the penthouse. I didn't think Greg was this stupid." Cory replied. "Apparently he is." "He has to know that Zander will be looking for him?" Cory watching the front door of the building for Greg to emerge. "Yeah I'm sure Greg knows that much ... but why Morgan? I mean, why would Morgan be at all interested in what Greg has to offer?" "Well, I'm sure Greg is running scared. He's obviously not thinking clearly." "Yeah or he has a plan." "We gotta get our hands on him before he leaves town, and I'm sure that has already crossed his mind." "Yeah with Morgan's help." "I'm sure ....." Greg emerged from the building and walked towards his car, aware of his surroundings, he climbed in and started it up. "I wonder where he's going now ..." Cory spoke up. "I don't know, but we better follow him. Zander will not be happy if we don't nab Greg before he leaves town." Cory and Wade followed Greg back to his apartment. Being discreet, Cory parked the car out of Greg's sight. They climbed out of the car and headed off Greg before he enter his building. Cory and Wade approached, Greg frozen in his tracks when he saw them coming towards him. "Zander would like to see you ....." Zander's Hospital room -- Cory held Greg by the scruff of his neck and pushed him hard into Zander's hospital room, Greg stumbling in and coming face to face with the boss he betrayed. Zander propped up with pillows, sitting straight in the hospital bed, he glared at the man who was disloyal to him and to the organization. "Thank you Cory .. Wade." "Would you like us to stay, sir?" "No that's not necessary" Zander replied. Greg stood cowering at the foot of the hospital bed, awaiting the lashing he was about to get from Zander. Greg wasn't waiting for Zander, he wanted to explain before his boss laid into him. "Can I explain?" Greg began hoping Zander would be at least willing to hear his side. "No I don't want to hear your explanations, Greg!" Zander shouted, wincing as the anger inside caused him some pain. "But ...." "No, there is no explanation you could give me that will make this any less then what it is, Greg! You know damn well that what you did was disloyal to me, to the men you worked with and to the organization! And you tried to kill my family, my children, my wife!!" Zander's anger was beyond control as he lifted himself up and pointed his finger at Greg. "Woah wait a minute, I didn't ..." "Don't give me that, Greg!" "Sir, I swear I didn't do anything to hurt the family, I swear!" "Why should I believe you, Greg?!" "Look that attempt at the cabin was all Lorenzo Alcazar, I swear!" "You obviously told him where we were, Greg! You're just as much to blame for that as Alcazar! You could of killed my wife and my child! I can't let that go unpunished Greg!" "I'm sorry sir." "No you're not!" Zander barked and then motioned for his guards to come into the room. Cory and Wade did as they were instructed. "Need something sir?" Cory asked when he and Wade re-entered the room. "Yeah I do ... I need to you get Greg out of my sight!" "Yes, sir ..... Let's go Greg!" Cory grabbed Greg once again by the scruff of his neck and pushed him back out into the hallway. Wade about to walk out the door, but Zander spoke up. "Wade .. make it look like an accident this time, okay?" "Sure boss." Wade replied knowing exactly what Zander wanted. Cory returned to Zander's room after leaving Greg in the hands of Wade out in the hallway. Cory knocked lightly on the doorframe and waited for Zander to invite him inside. "I just wanted to tell you a few more things before we go, sir. Things I think you should know."