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SoapQueen89

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  1. SoapQueen89
    The cabin --


    The alarm went off at 6:30am, like every morning before and Zander turned over and smacked the clock till the alarm stopped buzzing. He rubbed his face with his hands trying to revive himself from his restful sleep. The day had come he dreaded, Sonny's trial started this morning and he and Emily were to be there by 10. He turned over and watched her sleeping peacefully.

    "Em .. baby..." he said softly as he caressed her arms to wake her.

    He leaned in and kissed her cheek which aroused her some as she turned in towards him and groaned. "What time is it?" she asked sleepily.

    "It's 6:30 .. we have to be in court by 10, so get your tush in gear. Today is not the day to sleep in." he replied as he climbed from the bed and walked towards the bathroom.

    She turned over and grabbed his pillow in her hands and pulled it to her. She curled up with it and dozed back to sleep. He emerged from the bathroom and noticed she was still in bed, curled into a ball with the pillow to comfort her.

    He walked towards the closet and opened the doors to see all the dark suits hanging on display. He picked out one of his black suits and a deep blue dress shirt to match. He walked with it in his hands over the bed and laid it down as he sat on the edge of the bed.

    She began to stir as the alarm buzzed again after the 10 minute snooze had passed. She laid on her back and her eyes opened slowly, the sunshine was hard on her sensitive morning pupils as she protected her eyes with her hand.

    "You're not wearing that are you?" she asked as she saw the black suit laying on the bed beside him.

    "What's wrong with it? You know I only have 2 colors in my wardrobe." he cracked a smile.

    She rolled her eyes and cracked a smile at his remark about his taste in clothes. He looked over his shoulder at her as she propped herself up against the head board and yawned.

    "What are you wearing?" he questioned and she raised an eye brow.

    "Clothes?" she snickered. "I don't know, maybe my red suit." she shrugged.

    "Okay you wear the red suit and I'll wear the red shirt, satisfied?" he smirked and then went to the closet and picked out the red silk dress shirt.

    "Okay .." she yawned and climbed from the bed. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

    She opened the door and peered out. "Are you okay?" she asked. She was expecting him to be nervous about the trial but he didn't seem to be at all shaken up about what was going on today.

    "Yeah I'm fine." he replied as he shoo'd her back into the bathroom.

    He heard the water being drawn for the shower as the images of that night returned in his mind, just like a silent movie, he remembered more vividly the details of the shooting. His body jerked as the gun went off in his head and he tried to shake it off before she emerged after her quick shower.

    She noticed he was a little shaky when she returned to the bedroom, he was a little uneasy on his feet as he walked towards the bathroom once more. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked as he steadied himself against the doorway. He shrugged off her question and went into the bathroom closing the door behind him.

    She felt something had happened while she was out of the room, another vision she suspected. He had been having them more frequently since the hearing, but they were not consistent. The shooting of his father had haunted him for so long, she had hopes that after Sonny's trial, things would be easier for him and the nightmares would fade away.



    At the courthouse --


    Zander and Emily dropped off Devon at her parent's for the day, and arrived at the courthouse before 10. The doors of the courtroom stood open, as they walked across the hallway they were met by Ric. Zander didn't look at all relaxed by then, he was fidgety and Ric noticed.

    Ric patted Zander on the back as the three of them walked into the courtroom together, as they walked down the aisle, Zander noticed Carly sitting in the first row behind the defense table. She didn't make eye contact with him and he thought it best not to stare in her direction. He and Emily took seats in the first row behind Ric and Alexis, who was already sitting at the prosecution table waiting.

    Emily smiled as she saw the look between Ric and Alexis, she thought it was sweet how the two of them were with each other. She and Zander sat together and waited for his turn in the witness box. She trying to keep him relaxed as they listened to other witnesses that Ric had called for the prosecution.

    Zander glanced over towards the defense table and caught Sonny's eye. Their eyes made a connection and Zander certainly didn't feel the love coming from his so-called father. Sonny may have been his biological father, but he truly was never going to be his dad. Frank Smith was all of those things to Zander while he was growing up. He felt the love from Frank and he spent time with Zander, even though he ran the biggest organization on the east coast, Frank still made time for him .... and Sonny took that all away from him.

    Sonny's attorney finished with the witness and he existed the box. Ric stood up and looked over his shoulder at Zander sitting behind him.

    "Mr. Lansing, call your next witness if you will." the judge announced and Ric buttoned his suit jacket.

    Ric turned towards Zander and called his name .. "The prosecution calls, Zander Smith."



  2. SoapQueen89
    The courtroom --


    Zander stood up from his seat and felt all the eyes in courtroom were now on him. He buttoned his suit jacket and walked to the witness box, and before he sat down, he unbuttoned it again. He noticed Alexis and Emily both smiling at him, trying to reassure him he was doing the right thing and he would be okay.

    Ric walked towards him as he straightened out the crinkle in his suit jacket. Zander smirked when he noticed that Ric was still meticulous as he was when he was younger. Ric stood in front of him and paused a moment before asking his first question.

    "Mr. Smith, would you please tell the court your relationship to the deceased?"

    "Frank Smith was my father." Zander replied, not giving away that he found out Sonny was truly his father. Frank was the only father he had known.

    "And when Frank died, how old were you?" Ric questioned.

    "I was 8 years old."

    "At that age, a traumatic experience was difficult to handle, wasn't it?"

    "Yes it was, very difficult." Zander replied and once again the images of that night flashed one by one in his mind.

    "Please tell the court in your own words, what happened the night that Frank Smith died."

    Zander sat straight in the chair and cleared his throat before he began telling his story. "It was after midnight, and I couldn't sleep, so I went downstairs to the kitchen to get a drink. I noticed that my father was in his study, the light was still on and it shone underneath the door. I went to the kitchen and got my drink. As I walked back to the stairs, I passed my father's study again. The door was ajar this time, and I heard voices arguing inside." Zander began and Ric interrupted his story with a question.

    "Did you recognize these voices that were arguing?" Ric asked of his witness.

    "The voices were my father Frank and his right hand man, Michael Corinthos." Zander replied and he glanced over to Sonny sitting at the defense table.

    "For the record, Michael Corinthos is the defendant Sonny Corinthos." Ric stated and then let Zander continue his story.

    "The argument ensued and shouting could be heard from inside the room. Frank threatened Michael, he had betrayed Frank and Frank told him that Michael knew what happened to those who betrayed him. Frank pulled a gun on Michael, and Michael then pulled his gun on Frank. Michael told Frank that Frank would be the one to pay and then Michael shot him." Zander finished his story and Ric picked it up with another question.

    "Mr. Smith, what was the argument about?"

    "The argument was about my mother and the affair Michael had with her 8 years prior." Zander replied knowing that this question was leading to his paternity.

    "This act of Michael with your mother, was it consensual? Ric asked, making sure not to mention the word rape in his question.

    "No it wasn't. When Frank found out about the details of the event, he was furious with Michael. Michael threw it in Frank's face that he wasn't my biological father and that infuriated him more to know that his wife had another man's child."

    "Mr. Smith, are you the child of the non consensual act between Michael Corinthos and Frank's wife?" Ric asked.

    "Yes .... I am." Zander stuttered the truth. "Michael Corinthos is my father." Zander's eyes drawn to Sonny looking for a reaction from him, but got none.

    "Thank you Mr. Smith ... no more questions for this witness, your Honor." Ric finished his questioning of Zander and returned to his seat at the prosecution table.

    Victoria stood from her seat and stepped towards Zander in the witness box. He had become more relaxed now that Ric's questioning was over, and Victoria noticed. She had hoped now that he was more relaxed his guard was down as well.

    "As you testified, Frank pulled his gun first .. is that correct?" Victoria asked her first question.

    "Yes Frank pulled his gun first, but ...."

    "So, Mr. Corinthos was being threatened bodily harm by Frank, so Sonny pulled his gun in self defense." Victoria twisted the truth.

    "Self defense? No that's not what I saw. What I saw and heard was Sonny threaten Frank and then shoot him." Zander stood his ground against Victoria's questions.

    "But Sonny only threatened Frank after Frank threatened him .. correct?"

    Zander sighed heavily because he knew Victoria found a discrepancy in his memories of that night to shed a shadow of doubt that Sonny shot Frank in cold blood.

    Zander sat and pondered his answer to her question. He didn't want to say the wrong thing and as he sat in the witness box, Ric noticed Zander tense up. He needed to get his brother off the stand and quickly before Sonny's attorney had devoured Zander completely.

    Flashes of the shooting revolved in and out of Zander's mind as he sat in his chair. He jerked in the chair as he heard the gunshot go off in his head. He was reliving that nightmare over and over again and he had to rid himself of it happening again.

    "Look, I know what I saw and I know what I heard! Sonny Corinthos shot and killed Frank Smith!" Zander shouted from the witness box.

    Victoria's eyes widened at his outburst and went back to the defense table. "We have no further questions, your Honor."

    Zander's body was shaking in anger as he stepped down from the stand. He walked passed Sonny and glared at him. Sonny stared coldly in return and smirked as if he just got away with murder. Zander clenched his fists at his side and walked passed Ric and reached for Emily's hand to go with him. She did and followed him out of the courtroom.

    Zander was feeling nothing but anger for the man who was his biological father. His anger overwhelmed him and walked away from Emily, leaving her standing outside the courtroom, alone and worrying about him as she saw the anger consume him.



  3. SoapQueen89
    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."



  4. SoapQueen89
    The hospital ER --


    Elizabeth pulled back the curtain, and was taken back by what she saw. A white gauze patch on his forehead held in place with opaque hospital tape, an IV hooked to his left forearm, wires pressed against his chest, an oxygen mask that was covering his nose and mouth, her husband was in critical condition. She slowly walked towards him and took his hand in hers. Amy was checking his vitals on the machine that was standing next to him and jotting down the numbers on her clipboard.

    "You can talk to him, but I doubt he'll respond. He's on a lot of medications, it may be a while." Amy remarked as she pulled the curtain closed and left Elizabeth alone with her husband.

    Her head fell to the metal sidebar along the gurney and she sobbed. This was her worst fear coming true and she couldn't control what was going to happen. She said a little prayer and squeezed Jason's hand. She told him that she loved him and that he would be alright. He was in the very best hands, the doctors would take care of him. As she spoke the words to Jason, she needed to believe them herself. Tears trickled down her cheek as she sat with him for a while hoping that he would know she was there with him.

    Monica appeared and walked up behind her. "I have some news."

    Elizabeth startled by Monica's presence she rose from the swivel stool she was sitting on and waited to hear the prognosis. Emily came to be with Elizabeth as she heard the news about Jason.

    "We have done the best we can right now. Jason will need surgery to remove the bullet, however I don't want to go in there blind. So we have administered a self inducing coma medication to keep him sedated for a while. We can slowly bring him out of it when we think it is safe enough to go in and removed the fragments. His vitals are not stable enough to do that now, thus we need to get him stabilized before we go in search of the bullet and the fragments it may have left. Xrays tell us that it doesn't look like it punctured any major organs, which is good. However the bullet has lodged itself in a compromising position, and for us to remove it, we need to know that Jason is strong enough to handle the surgery. He is by no means out of the woods, the next 24 to 48 hours are critical." Monica knew that it was a lot for Elizabeth to comprehend right now, but she needed to know how things were looking for Jason.

    Elizabeth gave her a tearful thank you for telling her all she could and returned to be with Jason.




    The hospital chapel --

    A few hours had passed and Emily had tried to stay positive about Zander. She had left Devon with Alexis and Ned who had come to see what they could do for her, while she went to the chapel to light a candle and to say a prayer.

    She pushed open the chapel doors to find Sonny kneeling at the alter. She was hesitant to enter, but she had a few choice words for him so she moved forward. The doors swooshed closed and Sonny rose to his feet. He turned and saw Emily standing in the back of the chapel, her hands folded in front of her, her eyes filled with anger.

    She took a few steps towards him before he stepped down from the alter.

    "Emily....I'm so sorry." he spoke softly as her arms fell to her side, her fists clenched in anger. Emily stiffened as he walked passed her and through the double doors.

    She turned and watched him go, not saying a word to the man who put her brother and her husband against one another. Her heart filled with hate for the man, everyone called Mr. Corinthos.

    She lit a candle for Zander, and a candle for her brother Jason. She took a seat the nearest pew and whispered a prayer for them. She heard the doors open once again and she looked up to find her dad standing in the doorway.

    "We have news about Zander."


    Emily stood up slowly from the pew and turned towards her father. She took a deep breath and approached him, unsure of was coming next. Alan reached for her hands and held them tightly in his. Her father's hands strong and always comforting to her, she knew the news about Zander wasn't good.

    "Zander's out of surgery. He stayed strong during the procedure and is stable." as he finished Emily sighed relief.

    "May I see him?" she asked as she sniffled back the tears.

    "Come, I'll take you to him." he dad said as he escorted her out of the chapel.

    "How's Jason?" she asked as they turned the corner and headed towards the recovery room.

    "The same. Elizabeth's with him." His concerned look didn't help comfort her own fears as they reached the enclosed room where Zander lay lying in a hospital bed connected to all sorts of machines.


    Outside Zander's room --

    The large glass windows revealed to her, her husband who lie lifeless. She cautiously peered around the corner and stood in the doorway. She walked slowly into the room and towards his bedside. The small stool squeaked as she rolled it closer to the bed. She sat down and took his hand in hers. She held it close to her lips and kissed it gently as her free hand brushed back the few strands of coal black hair of his forelock from his eyes. Her hand brushed against his cheek as she brought it back down to her and wrapped her hands around his. She kissed his hands once again as she whispered against them how much she loved him.

    She sat and listened to the silence. The distinct sound of the breathing machine continued as the deflator moved in an up and down motion with every breath. Zander was pale, his color had not returned to what she had remembered, the bronze tone had vanished from his face, his arms, his hands were cold to the touch. She knew she had to bring him back to her. He had the fight of his life staring him in the face and he had to stay strong and fight to be with her ... yet again.
  5. SoapQueen89
    The Courtroom --


    Ric noticed that Zander and Emily were both missing from the courtroom still and leaned in to Alexis to ask if she had known where they had gone to. He became concerned about his brother and Emily as he was asked if he had anymore witnesses.

    "If I may beg the court's indulgence, and ask for a short recess, my next witness has not arrived yet and I'm waiting to hear when that will be." Ric asked the judge for some extra time.

    The judge looked down at his watch and noticed it was almost lunchtime. "We'll take a brief recess for lunch. Court will resume at 2pm." he ordered and struck his gavel down to close the morning session of the trial.

    After the judge had left the courtroom, Alexis turned to Ric and asked who this witness was he was waiting for, she had read his witness list and she didn't see any witnesses that weren't in the courtroom that morning.

    "I'm waiting for a phone call from one of my staff, he's suppose to be getting another witness here for me, but I'm not sure how it's going to turn out. If I can get the witness here, Sonny's for sure going to prison." he was being very cryptic with her.

    "Care to tell me who this person is? You know surprise witnesses will call for an objection from Sonny's attorney." she reminded him of the legalities of it all.

    "If it works out the way I hope it will .... the witness will be .. my mother." he replied and saw her eyes widen.

    "You mean your's and Zander's mother?" she questioned shocked to hear that Zander's mother was alive. "I thought she had passed away a long time ago, Ric?"

    "That's the catch, she's been in protective custody for the last 15 years, and I don't know if I have the clearance to get her in the courtroom to testify just yet." Ric replied and a shocked Alexis thought about what this was going to do to Zander.

    "You know Zander has been told she died, have you even thought about your brother's reaction to this and that you knew about it and didn't tell him?!"

    Ric hadn't realized what it would do to Zander to see his mother again, his focus had been all about this case against Sonny. He knew he had to find Zander and tell him about their mother, he deserved the truth, and it was time to tell his brother that their mother was alive.

    Judge Cooper had accepted Ric's request of a private meeting in his chambers and asked Ric to meet 30 minutes before reconvening court. Ric still had to tell Zander about their mother, but he still hadn't had the phone call he had been waiting for, so he wanted to ask Judge Cooper for a continuance of at least 48 hours.



    At the hospital --


    Ric had an hour before his meeting with Judge Cooper and had found Zander at the hospital getting his hand tended to by Bobbie. Zander saw Ric standing just beyond the curtain waiting for him and he noticed his brother looking worried about something, Zander had hoped it was nothing concerning the case. Bobbie finished up the last of the bandage on Zander's hand and left him get up off the gurney as she put away the supplies she used.

    "You should clean that tomorrow and re-bandage it, I'll give Emily the supplies to take home." Bobbie explained and Zander nodded in acknowledgment before leaving the cubical to see his brother.

    As he emerged from behind the curtain, Ric stepped forward and guided him the chairs to talk. Ric didn't know the best way to tell his brother about their mother, and he knew Zander would be furious with him for not telling him sooner.

    "There is something you need to know, Zander." Ric said as he led him to the couch and sat him down.

    "Okay, what's that?" an unexpecting Zander replied.

    "There's something I need to tell you about our mother." Ric began.

    "What's there to know, Ric? She died quite a few years ago .. end of story." Zander replied as he got up from his seat and Ric stopped him from going.

    "No, Zander she didn't."




  6. SoapQueen89
    At the hospital --


    Zander stopped in his tracks and looked down at his brother in disbelief. He didn't want to believe what Ric said to be the truth, he was at the funeral, he saw the casket being lowered into the ground. His mother was dead. Ric pulled him back down to the couch and had Zander sit with him once more.

    "What you mean she isn't? She's dead Ric, I know, I was there."

    "I know, so was I but trust me, she's not dead. Our mother is alive, Zander."

    "No Ric, you're lying! Why are you telling me this?" Zander replied not believing what Ric was telling him, he saw what he saw, his mother was dead.

    "I'm telling you this, Zander, because if all goes right, she's going to testify this afternoon. And I wanted you to be prepared when she enters the courtroom."

    Zander looked at Ric in shock. "She's what? How could you let her testify, Ric?" Zander asked as it seemed now to be sinking in that his mother really was alive and he needed to protect her like he had always done before.

    "I need her Zander .... she's an eye witness for this case against Sonny! I have to put her on the stand! You don't get it, do you?"

    "No I don't, why don't you explain it to me?" Zander said as he sat back down with his brother waiting for an explanation.

    "After Frank died, our mother went into hiding, you were quite young yet, so I doubt you'd remember, but she went into protective custody, you know, new identity, place to live ...." Ric's words drifted off as he noticed Zander drifted off to some far place as he remembered the life after his father was killed.

    "I remember we moved around alot, we never really had roots anywhere after Frank died." Zander remembered.

    "Right, you were moved around alot because Sonny had his men hunt you down, Zander .... you and mom ... Zander, she's been on the run ever since."

    "Then Sonny knew about me the entire time, he knew I was his son when I came to town. But if he wanted us so bad, why am I still here, why hasn't he killed me yet if that's what he wants?" Zander was so confused at Sonny's actions against he and his mother.

    "I don't know Zander, you're going to have to ask him that. I can only imagine that he enjoys the thrill of the hunt, and keeping you around perhaps he thought mom would re-surface one day."

    "I remember after we left the house in Florida, they moved us to upstate New York for a while, near the Canadian border someplace, and I was about 15 when I left home, I couldn't handle it anymore. I had read in the newspaper that mom had died and I returned to our home in New York for the funeral. Dammit Ric, how could you keep this from me? We're brothers!"

    "I'm sorry I had to ... I didn't know how to tell you and I didn't know if I should tell you. I didn't want you going looking for her, Zander. She's been hidden for the last few years, I didn't know where she was till a few days ago."

    "You knew this entire time she was alive?" another blow to Zander hearing that his brother knew about their mother being alive for the past 10 years.

    "I had my suspicions, but I had no proof. I didn't want to bring any more danger on her by looking for her, Zander. And she's still very much in danger until Sonny's behind bars .... which is why I need her in that courtroom today, so we can put an end to this once and for all."

    Ric and Zander sat and talked awhile about their mother, till Emily appeared at the nurse's station. Ric had to meet Judge Cooper about his mother testifying, and hadn't much time to get to the courthouse.

    "Look, I have to meet with Judge Cooper in 20 minutes about this situation, but I will see you in about hour back at the courthouse." Ric said as he got up from his seat.

    "I want to see her Ric, I want to see her before she takes that stand .... you owe me that much." Zander demanded from his brother.

    "If there's time, I'll see if I can get in to see her before she testifies."

    "Before who testifies?" Emily said as she came upon the tail end of their conversation.

    Ric said his goodbyes and left Zander to explain things to Emily about their mother. Zander led Emily to the couch and sat her down. A worried look came across her face as Zander sat down next to her.

    "Before who testifies, Zander?" Emily asked again and Zander sighed heavily not sure how to tell her about his mother.

    "My mother .... Ric's making the arrangements to have my mother testify against Sonny this afternoon."

    Emily giggled. "Well, that can't happen Zander .. your mother's dead, she has been for sometime."

    Zander looked at her still not quite believing it himself. "No, she's not ... my mother is alive ..."



    At the courthouse --


    Ric walked down the dreary corridor towards Judge Cooper's chambers, he was expecting just a meeting between he and Judge Cooper but when he opened the door to the office, he was surprised to see who was sitting there waiting for him.

    He stepped into the office, and she turned around to see him stand before her, she smiled at him when she recognized her own son. Ric dropped his attache case on the floor and went to her. He looked at her, his eyes focused on her every feature remembering everything about her. It had been so long he had seen her, he was hoping he hadn't forgotten, and he didn't. She grabbed onto his hands, her hands were cold as ice, and then they reached up and touched his face, as if she was remembering him as well.

    "Is it really you, Ric?" she asked as Ric stood before her in disbelief she was really there with him.

    "Yeah mom, it's me."


  7. SoapQueen89
    Judge Cooper's Chambers --


    Ric glanced around the room to see who was in attendance and then focused back on his mother who still had his hands in hers. He pulled a chair from the corner of the room and sat down next to her. She latching onto his hands once more as she stared at him, memorizing every inch of his face.

    Judge Cooper introduced everyone in the room to each other and then opened the case file that laid on his desk in front of him. Ric noticed that Sonny's attorney was not present and began to wonder if she had been called to the meeting or if the judge was not going to to give in to his request to let his mother testify.

    "Are we all in agreement here about Mrs. Smith testifying in chambers instead of open court?" Judge Cooper asked of those in his office.

    Ric looked at his mother wondering who had made the decision for her to testify in chambers, but he thought too it a better solution then in open court where she would be amongst strangers and the press.

    "I have one request your Honor, that is if my mother agrees to it as well." Ric began and looked towards his mother sitting next to him.

    "And what is your request counselor?" Judge Cooper asked as he looked over his wire rimmed reading glasses.

    "If my brother and I could have some time with her before she goes back? My brother has yet to see her and I think we need to have some time spent together as a family, just the three of us." Ric's request didn't sound unreasonable to Judge Cooper.

    "I have no objections. Mrs. Smith?" Judge Cooper replied and gave it to Ric's mother now to decide.

    A smile came over her face as she thought of spending time with her two sons. "Alex is here?" she asked of Ric.

    "He will be, I told him and it was his request to see you."

    Elenore was elated to hear that her other son would be arriving soon, and she agreed to meet with them after her testimony. Ric knew Zander would be overjoyed with the news of meeting with their mother afterwards, it was what he wanted.

    "Okay, I guess we're all finished here, we'll get her testimony on record and we'll reconvene in say 30 minutes." the Judge ordered as the others stood from their seats and left his chambers, leaving Ric and his mother sitting in their chairs still.

    "I'm going to see if Zander's here yet." Ric said as his mother left go of his hand reluctantly. Ric got up from his seat and left the judge's chambers to go look for his brother.

    Ric wasn't looking for his brother long, before he found Zander and Emily sitting on a bench outside the courtroom waiting. Zander stood up from his seat as Ric approached.

    "So, did you see mom yet?" Zander asked anxiously.

    "I did. She's in with Judge Cooper now. We're going to take her testimony in chambers and she's agreed to spend some time with us before they take her back home."

    A smile came across Zander's face. "So .. is she alright? Tell me ....how does she look?" Zander anxious to hear all about his mother.

    "She's fine. I didn't get to talk with her much, but she's very anxious about seeing you." Ric told him. "I have to get back to chambers, but I'll be back out soon to get you." Ric added as he led his brother back to his seat with Emily.

    When Ric returned to the judge's chambers, he saw Sonny's attorney enter and he followed her in. His mother still in her seat, and she turned to see Ric come in and sit back down beside her. Ric saw the look on her face of concern. "He's fine, mom....." Ric said and his mom cracked a smile.

    The stenographer took down Elenore's lengthy testimony word for word. It had taken a little longer then expected, so Judge Cooper was ready to reconvene his court as soon as they had finished. Ric had decided that he would care on the case before Judge Cooper and allow his mother to spend some time alone with Zander in one of the empty witness rooms down the hall from the courtroom, Ric would join them later after the Judge's ruling.

    The tall gentleman in a suit escorted Elenore to on of the witness rooms to meet with Zander, and Ric went back to the courtroom to let him know he could meet with her now. Ric approached his brother who sat waiting for him outside the courtroom and Zander stood once again from his seat. Ric accompanied by an officer that would take Zander to meet Elenore in a room down the hall. Ric explained to Zander that she was waiting for him and that he'd be there as soon as the judge gave his ruling.

    Zander went with the tall man down the hallway to the room where Elenore was waiting for him. Zander's insides were tied in knots, his palms were moist, his heart was racing, it was the first time he would see his mother in 10 years. He took a deep breath and opened the door of the witness room. As he did, she turned to see who was coming into the room and as she recognized her son's face, a smile came across hers. Zander stood in the doorway, not sure what to do, but his instinct was to rush over to her and embrace her as any son would.

    She reached out her arms to him and he rushed to her, falling into her loving embrace. Tears welled in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. She latched on to his upper arms and pulled from him to take a better look at her son.

    "It's really you isn't it, Alex .." she sniffled back the tears and smiled..

    "Yeah mom, it's really me."
  8. SoapQueen89
    Judge Cooper's Chambers---



    Zander tried to focus his eyes on his mother, as warm tears welled in them. He had thought for so long that she was dead and now she was standing before him, it was all too surreal for him to comprehend at the moment. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and never let her go again. Elenore wiped her eyes from tears and released her grip on her son and offered him a seat so they could talk.

    "I'm sorry about all this Alex, I didn't want you involved in all this." Elenore said to her son as he sat across from her at the table.

    "I know but it's alright now ... I know the truth now and you're okay. That's what matters to me." Zander replied as he reached across the table and offered his hands to her to hold.

    "How are you, Alex? I mean really." she asked with concern.

    "There is so much to tell you, I don't even know where to begin." he replied wondering how much she knew about his life with Emily or if she knew about taking over his father's business.

    "A good place to start would be at the beginning." she cracked a smile towards him.

    Zander noticed that his mom glanced down at his hand and smiled when she saw the gold wedding band, so he thought he'd start with Emily and his family. His mom had not known about Emily or Devon, and he wondered how much she would like his wife, his mom a hard one to please sometimes.

    "You're married?" she asked when she saw the gold band on his left hand.

    "Yes to a wonderful woman who I adore. We've been married about 4 years now and we have a little boy, named Devon."

    Elenore's face lit up when she heard that her son had a child. She had always wanted grandchildren and it overjoyed her to know that her son did her proud in that respect.

    "Devon's with Emily's parents today, but I can show you a picture if you'd like to see one?" Zander said and he pulled his wallet from his pants pocket and opened it up, showing his mother a picture of his family. "This is Emily and Devon..." his words drifted off as his mother took the wallet in her hands and the tears began to fall once again.

    "He's adorable, Alex. He's got alot of you in him." Elenore remarked about Devon. "Your wife, she's beautiful Alex." she added as the images of her son's family burned into her memory for safe keeping.

    "Thank you .. they are my life and I don't know what I would do without them."

    "So, tell me about business. I read in the newspapers that you took over Frank's business when he passed away. Is that true?" his mother asked and Zander taken back that she knew about that.

    "Yeah, mom ... that's true. I have taken over the business, once Uncle Joe passed away, he had inherited from Frank and I was next in line when he died. It's doing well, Emily and I can't complain about the lifestyle it entails other then the danger we live in daily but that's to be expect in this business."

    "I'm sure when your wife married you Alex, she knew what came with it. She looks to be a very strong woman, Alex." his mother gathered from the picture she was still holding in her hand.

    "She is that. She's been my strength at times, and I am so grateful to have her in my life." Zander replied just as the door to the room opened and Ric stepped inside, Emily in tow.

    Elenore looked up and smiled at her son, and then noticed Emily followed behind him. Ric went to his mother and embraced her as she stood from her seat. Emily walked in and closed the door behind her. Zander stood from his seat and pulled her to him and into his arms, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she fell into him.

    "Mom, this is my wife, Emily."

  9. SoapQueen89
    Judge Cooper's Chambers --



    "It's nice to meet you, Emily .... I'm Elenore." Zander's mother replied as she extended her hand to Emily.

    "I wish I could say that I've heard a lot about you, but Zander's been pretty quiet about his family over the years." Emily smiled.

    "It's okay, dear. I have my boys with me now and of course a new family with you and my grandchild, we can start anew and forget about the past." Elenore proclaimed.

    "I'm sure your sons would like that very much, as would I and Devon."

    "Good." Elenore replied and then looked at Ric. "How did the case go?"

    "The judge is in deliberations. It may be a while. He has a lot of testimony and evidence to review." Ric replied as the two boys huddled together with their mother.

    "How soon do you have to return?" Zander asked, his mind already thinking of an option to keep his mother a little longer in Port Charles.

    "I don't really know Alex. But I can't be away for very long, the danger is still out there." she replied and wondered what he had working in his mind.

    "Zander, I have an idea ..." Emily spoke up.

    "I hope your thinking of what I'm thinking, sweetheart."

    "I'm sure that I am .... why don't she come stay with us for a while. A few days perhaps." Emily suggested and Elenore became worried about bringing more danger to her son and his family.

    Zander pulled Emily to him and kissed her as a thank you for thinking of her idea.

    "And don't worry about the danger, Emily and I are staying at one of the safe houses right now, it wouldn't be any trouble at all to have another guest. There's plenty of room."

    Elenore looked at Ric and then at Zander and Emily's smiling faces. "I would have to clear this with the proper authorities first." Ric said wanting to do this by the book.

    "Okay, you go clear the red tape and I'll have one of the men take mom and I back to the cabin, Marcus can take Emily to pick up Devon at the Quartermaine's. You can meet us later and let us know what you've been able to accomplish." Zander suggested to Ric.

    Elenore became excited to know she'd be spending some time with her family and she would be able to see for the first time her grandson, she was anxious to have some quality time with her sons.

    Zander pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and called one of his men, then he'd call Marcus.

    "Thomas, I need you to pick me up at the courthouse." Zander ordered. "And let's do the pickup on the side street, we have a delicate package come with us." he added as he winked at his mom.

    He hung up with Thomas and then called his other driver, Marcus to pick up Emily. He made the arrangements and closed his cell phone before stuffing it back in his suit jacket pocket. Zander stepped out into the hallway and held the door open for the rest of them, Ric heading towards his office after saying his goodbyes, while the others went to the side exit and waited for Thomas and Marcus to pick them up.

    Marcus was waiting for Emily as soon as they arrived at the side exit. Zander kissed her goodbye and assisted her into the back of the limo. "I'll see you back at the cabin." he said before he closed the door and then Marcus whisked Emily away.

    "She's even more beautiful in person Alex. You make me very proud." Elenore said and she kissed his cheek.

    It was the first time he could remember hearing that from either of his parents. All he's ever wanted was to have his parents proud of him and proud of what he had accomplished. He could finally say that his life was now complete.


  10. SoapQueen89
    At the cabin ---


    Emily and Elenore had taken Devon for a walk down to the lake, leaving Zander alone in the house to work in peace and quiet. With his mom staying with them, it was a little more crowded and alot more noisy then before, so to give him time to do some paperwork, Emily decided to give him a break from the family for a little while.

    Zander sat at the desk staring at the paperwork in front of him, he knew exactly why he was still looking at the same page for the last 20 minutes, his mind was filled with memories of his past, he wish he could forget. Though the memories of his father's shooting had dissipated, new memories filled their place now, those memories of he and his mother, and what they endured after his father's death. The moving around from town to town, not really settling down any one place so he could call home. Elenore had always told her son that it didn't matter where they lived, they had each other and that was enough. And he guessed it was, but looking back on the life they led for years after Frank died, he would never want that for his children or for Emily.

    He got up abruptly from his seat, his head spinning from the numbers he had been staring at for the last hour, he needed something to get his mind off of the business for a while. As he walked into the kitchen, he noticed a date circled in red and wondered why it was marked. He hadn't noticed it before, he made a mental note of it and he'd ask Emily when she came back from the walk with his mom and Devon.

    As he sat at the round table, the red circle caught his eye again and he stared at it till it became fuzzy. He remembered the last time he had seen one of those red circles and a smile came across his face. Numbers once again filled his head, this time, the numbers were dates, and dates he remembered quite well. He sipped the coffee he had just poured in his cup and grinned.

    Emily and Elenore waltzed through the front door with Devon giggling like he always did and Zander got up from the table and when to greet them.

    "Did you have a nice walk?" Zander asked as he walked towards them, Devon reaching for him as he got closer.

    Zander took Devon from Emily and smiled at him. Devon giggled into his chest as he buried his face against his daddy. Zander held Devon against him and he wrapped his little arms around Zander's neck and held on as Zander walked with him into the living room.

    "We had a nice walk and a nice talk, dear." Elenore said as she sat down with them.

    "Talk? I'm sure that talk was about me ...." his words drifted off when he heard the snickers come from the ladies who sat with him.

    "You and then some, sweetheart." Emily replied with a grin.

    "And while you were out talking about me, I noticed something myself." he got up from his seat and took Emily's hand. "Come with me ....." he said as he led her to the kitchen.

    They stood together in front of the calendar with the big red circle around the date and pointed at it, to show Emily what he had discovered. Her eyes widened, he never looked at the calendar hanging on the wall for as long as they had been living at the cabin, yet today of all days, he noticed it. She had made that red circle quite a few days ago and just kept her eye on the days that went by, hoping.

    He noticed Emily's reaction to his discovery and grinned, he knew what it meant. Emily saw the grin come across his face, and thought she better say something before he jumped any further with his conclusions.

    "Zander .. I'm ... this doesn't mean that I'm ..." she stuttered as she tried to get out the words so she could explain the red circle.

    Emily had her own suspicions but she didn't have the proof that she wasn't or even if she was, she needed another week to be positive, she had to deter him for a little while longer.

    The longer she paused before explaining the more excited he got and the more convinced he was that she was pregnant again.

    "Look the red circle doesn't mean anything ... I mean it probably meant something at one time, but it doesn't mean anything now. Let's just forget we saw it, okay?" she said hoping he'd agree to forget that it was there and not to worry about why it was there. She hated to cover up why it was there, but she wanted to be sure before she'd tell him. It wouldn't be the first time that she thought she was pregnant and wasn't. And with the risky pregnancy she had with Devon, she just wanted to be sure before turning their life any more upside down.

    Zander raised an eyebrow to her explanation, and certainly didn't believe her. Emily was never a good liar, he saw right through her but trusted her enough to tell him when she was ready to. He knew what kind of stress would fall upon her again if she were pregnant, it was a rough pregnancy with Devon, and he understood her motives for not wanting to tell him if she wasn't sure.

    "I'm sure you'll tell me when you're ready to ...." he smiled and walked away from her.

    She laughed nervously, taking one last look at the red circle then glancing down at her flat stomach and smiled.


  11. SoapQueen89
    Ric's office at the Courthouse --



    Ric sat in his office behind the desk when the phone call came in. He called Zander and was the bearer of news that the judge was reconvening court that afternoon, he had made his decision. Ric collected the files on his desk and placed them into his outbox, then stood from his seat and smoothed out his jacket and tie, buttoning the jacket before walking towards the door. He picked up his briefcase before leaving his office and heading for a meeting with the FBI about his mother's case. He was hoping to hear a conviction that afternoon and if he did, he wanted to be sure his mother would be out of danger if she'd stay in Port Charles.



    A meeting room - 3 floors down --


    Ric walked into the office, two gentlemen in suits were already there waiting for him. He set down his briefcase on the conference table and then approached the first man.

    "Mr. Brooks ... it's nice to see you again." Ric said politely as he extended his hand.

    "Mr. Lansing .. you, too. This is Mr. Cooper." Brooks said as he introduced the other gentleman to Ric.

    "Cooper? Any relation to our Honorable Judge Cooper here in Port Charles?" Ric question as he shook Cooper's hand.

    "He's my father." Cooper replied and smiled.

    "I see." Ric replied and then went to his briefcase to get the paperwork needed so they could get started. "I just received a phone call that the verdict is in on Mr. Corinthos. And I wanted to cut through some of this red tape that needs to be cut so my mother can reside here in Port Charles, that is if we get a conviction." Ric continued as the two gentlemen stepped forward and began reading over the paperwork Ric had already completed.

    "If you get a conviction this afternoon, Mr. Lansing, the government sees no reason why your mother couldn't move to where ever she feels most comfortable. I understand you and your brother both live here now, is that correct?" Brooks asked as he read over one of the documents.

    "Yes that is correct. Our mother would like to move here, if that's possible. She'd like to be close to the family." Ric replied.

    "We understand her needs, Mr. Lansing. If a conviction comes this afternoon, we'll see the paperwork is filed and your mother can be released from our protection." Cooper stated as a smile came over Ric's face.

    "Thank you. I'm sure my mother will be happy to hear this news." Ric replied with a smile as his cell phone rang from within his blazer pocket.

    He excused himself from the meeting to take the call.

    "Lansing."

    "Cut through that red tape yet?" Zander voice was heard from the other end.

    "Actually yes, and I'll tell you all about it this afternoon when you get to the courthouse." Ric replied as the two gentlemen he was meeting with said their goodbyes.

    "We'll be in touch, Mr. Lansing." Brooks said as he walked passed him, still on the cell phone with Zander.

    "Who was that?" Zander asked after he heard the other voice.

    "Mr. Brooks. I was meeting with him about mom's situation. I hope you are on your way to the courthouse, court reconvenes in 30 minutes."

    "Already here .... we're in your office."

    "I'll be right up." Ric replied and flipped his phone closed. He gathered his things and headed up to his office to meet with Zander.



    Ric's office --


    As Ric reached his office, he saw Alexis approach from the opposing direction. She seemed to be in a hurry as she scurried down the hall towards him. She and Ric's relationship had grown closer over the past few weeks. Ric had asked her for coffee one afternoon and they had met at Kelly's, and then it was lunch going over paperwork for the trial, and finally last week Ric asked her for dinner. She was hesitant at first, but it was just dinner, so she thought. It was becoming quite clear that dinner wasn't all that had happened that night at his place.

    "Hey ...." she greeted Ric and he cautiously gave her a peck on the cheek.

    "Hey ... I was just about to go in and meet up with Zander and Emily, they're waiting for me in my office." Ric replied as he showed Alexis the door to the office.

    "Good ...." she said trying to catch her breath from being so rushed.

    Ric opened the door to the office and the two of them walked into together, noticing the eyes upon them, along with the smiles on the faces of those who were staring at Ric and Alexis's coziness. Ric walked in and set his briefcase down by the door and Alexis went to say hello to the family.

    As Ric stepped further into his office, his mother greeted him with a loving hug. "So, how did your meeting go?" she asked as she pulled back from him.

    "The meeting went fine. The government as no problems with you moving to Port Charles or where ever you want if there is a conviction this afternoon." Ric replied with a smile.

    He saw the smiles that came across their faces, but there still was some doubt with his mother. It concerned him that she'd be worried about living in Port Charles, and he wondered why she had doubts.

    "Mom? What's wrong?" Ric asked as he leaned forward against the desk.

    "Nothing is wrong, Ric. It's really great news about me being able to live here with my family." she replied and pasted a fake smile across her face as doubts filled her head. She couldn't help but remember Emily's relation and hearing the name Quartermaine again. It had been years since she had heard the name, but she wouldn't soon forget the memories.

    Ric looked bewildered to his mother and she just smiled. He shrugged off her reaction to his question and focused on what was at hand, Sonny's trial and conviction as he looked down at his watch and noticed they didn't have much time to get back down to the courtroom.

    "We better get going....Judge Cooper hates tardiness." Ric said as he got up from his seat and buttoned his jacket.

    The five of them headed down to the courtroom to hear the verdict, all of them hoping Sonny Corinthos would be spending the next 20 years behind bars.
  12. SoapQueen89
    The courtroom --


    The family walked into the courtroom, Ric and Alexis followed them in and they all took their seats. Sonny was yet to arrive to the courtroom, only his attorney was sitting at the defense table. The side door opened and the guard walked in with Sonny by his side. Sonny handcuffed in front and led to his seat at the table with Victoria. The guard sat him down in the seat hard and it took all of what Zander had in him not to snicker at the thought of Sonny spending the next 20 years of his life in prison. It was what his family had been waiting for for the last 15 years.

    All got quiet in the courtroom as the bailiff asked everyone to rise from their seats as the Honorable Judge Cooper walked in and took his seat on the bench. Cooper struck down his gavel to open court and then looked out across his courtroom at all who were there to witness the verdict.

    Carly, Jason and Elizabeth sat behind Sonny, as Zander and Emily along with Elenore sat waiting on the opposing side. Judge Cooper looked sternly at Sonny before he began to read what he had written down for himself.

    "I must say, I am not surprised to see my courtroom filled this afternoon. Mr. Corinthos you must be a popular person to have so many people wanting to hear what fate I will be dealing you today." Cooper began as he looked down at Sonny, who just smirked in return. "Well, now as you all know I have reached my decision about Mr. Corinthos and the charges that have been pressed against him. And I won't leave you in suspense any longer. Mr. Corinthos, please rise."

    Sonny and Victoria rose from their seats as Judge Cooper looked down upon them from the bench. "Mr. Corinthos before I put forth this verdict on you, do you have anything to say in your defense?" Cooper asked as Sonny looked up at him.

    "No sir I don't. I don't think anything I would have to say would change your mind, you obviously have reached your decision, and I don't think I or anyone else can change it." Sonny spoke up.

    Carly leaned forward in anticipation of the verdict and reached out her hand to her husband for support. "Okay then, I guess I will continue. In the case brought against you Sonny Corinthos, you were charged with Murder in the first degree and I have reviewed all the evidence and the testimony brought before me over the last few weeks. Taking into consideration all that I have heard from both sides and the witnesses that have testified in this court, I find that you, Sonny Corinthos are innocent of the charge of Murder in the first degree. After reviewing all of the evidence, I am ordering this case to be a case of justifiable homicide."

    "You have got to be kidding?! Sonny killed my father, your honor! I was there!" Zander rose from his seat and protested the judge's ruling.

    "Mr. Smith, sit down!" Judge Cooper demanded as Ric rose from his seat and tried to calm down a very angry Zander.

    "We'll get him another way... trust me." Ric whispered to his brother as he sat back down next to Emily.

    While there were outbursts from Zander, Sonny embraced his wife who sat behind him, along with Jason and Elizabeth. A smirk came across Sonny's face and Zander noticed, which made him more angry and it took all of what was inside him to stay in his seat and not cause mass chaos in the courtroom. Zander flinched forward and Ric and Emily both reached for him to keep him in his seat as they both noticed why he was so anxious to get up.

    Elenore slouched down in her seat and held her hand to her head, she knew now she would never be able to be with her family, she still was in danger, and now more then ever.

    Judge Cooper rapped his gavel on the bench and brought his courtroom to order once again. "This is not the time or place for explanations of my ruling, but I would like to see Mr. Smith and company in my chambers. Mr. Corinthos, you are free to go." Judge Cooper ordered and struck his gavel down for the last time. "Court's dismissed." the judge got up from his seat and stepped down, he waited by the side door for the bailiff as Sonny and his family celebrated as they walked out of the courtroom. All Judge Cooper could do was shake his head at the spectacle he was witness to.

    After exchanging glares with Sonny and those with him, Zander and his family, along with Alexis, did as they were ordered to do, they went to meet with Judge Cooper in his chambers. Zander stormed into the judge's chambers and voiced some harsh words before Ric could stop him.

    "You do realize you just put the most wanted man on the east coast back on the streets?! Sonny is guilty as sin and you know it!" Zander shouted leaving off some steam still inside him.

    Ric came up behind him and tried to get control of his brother before he got himself arrested. "I'm sure Judge Cooper has a very good explanation as to why he left public enemy #1 back out onto the streets." Ric said to his brother and then glared over his shoulder at Judge Cooper. "Let's hear what he has to say before we go throwing around accusations." Ric continued as Zander listened to him.

    "Okay let's hear it! Do tell ... I'd like to know why you left my father's killer loose!" Zander still shouting as Emily and Elenore stood just inside the door with Alexis. Ric trying to regain some control of the situation.

    "Would you have a seat and perhaps I will tell you why, Mr. Smith." Cooper said as he took off his robe and sat down behind his desk.

    Zander reluctantly took a seat and Ric did too, their mother taking a seat as well next to Ric, waiting hear the explanation too.

    "My reasons for my decision are this .... I had a meeting this morning with two federal agents who have been working on a case for the past 5 years, and though I cannot tell you the details, my decision was heavily weighed on what they had to tell me. Along with a few other discrepancies in the testimony, I had to rule the way I did. As I understand it, with this verdict, Mrs. Smith you are still in protective custody of the federal government, however, after what I heard this morning, your paperwork for release is underway. That is IF you are willing to move here to Port Charles to be with your family. Even though I don't agree with your son's choice of business and wish myself that I could sentence him to 20 years, Zander is one person who could protect you better then any one else. With that said Mr. Corinthos may be out on the streets, but he won't be for very long."

    "Okay that's all well and good, your Honor, but how do we know that the fed's case will stick. This isn't the first time Sonny's been under investigation by the FBI." Zander questioned knowing he'd be in the same boat had it not been for some delicate handling of the situation by his attorney.

    "I can't answer that for you, Zander. I don't know and I can't guarantee you that Mr. Corinthos will be seeing the inside of a jail cell. I can't discuss the case the federal government has nor can I predict what will happen. I can tell you that I can keep your family together, if that's what all of you want?" the Judge replied as he looked towards Elenore.

    "Mom? That's what you want isn't it? To live here in Port Charles with us?" Ric asked as he reached for her hand and held it.

    She seemed to be off someplace else in deep thought and was snapped back at the touch of Ric's hand. "Oh, yeah that's definitely what I want. I want my family together, we've been apart way too long."

    "Good, then if that is all, I have some work to do before the next case." Judge Cooper said as he tried to empty his office so he could get some work done.

    The family left the judge's chambers, still questioning his decision and it now became a wait and see situation. Zander had some calls to make to his men, he needed to add more security now that Sonny was back on the streets, for how long he didn't know, but if the federal government couldn't rid their lives of Sonny, Zander was ready to make it happen.
  13. SoapQueen89
    The cabin ---


    It had been a few weeks since the verdict and Zander was not all too happy about the idea that Sonny was still walking the streets, he was anxious to find out about the federal case that was pending against Sonny. He had exhausted all his personal avenues, including his brother and had decided what was best for his family was that Sonny needed to be removed from their lives for good. He had others to worry about besides himself, and now that his mother was living in Port Charles, it made it all the more important to take out Sonny.

    Zander had been working in the study for the last few hours, trying to make the connections he needed to put his plan into motion. He needed an alibi for the exact time, and he needed more then Emily to be his witness. She was his wife, she would sure be a problem as a credible alibi, he needed more. He relaxed back against his chair and it leaned back with the pressure of his body against it. He closed his eyes and went into deep thought about what he was planning on doing. There could be no mistakes, no slip ups, this had to come off perfectly if it was going to work and for him not to go to prison for the next 20 years or worse. As he laid back thinking, he didn't hear Emily come into the study.

    "Zander?" she waited for him to notice her in the room.

    He still laid back in his chair, turned his head towards her and opened his eyes to look at her. "Hey sweetheart ..." he said and he reached for her as he extended his arm and hand to her.

    She walked to him and took his hand as he led her to him. He popped up from the relaxed position and sat up straight in the chair, he then pulled her to him and back into his lap as her legs hung over the arms of the chair. She left out a gasp as she was surprised that she ended up in his lap.

    "I need for you to make sure you have the 18th open. I made a doctor's appointment with Dr. Meadows. I wanted it sooner but she didn't have anything open till then." Emily said as Zander reached his arms around her and flipped his calendar to the week of the 18th.

    "That's 3 weeks from now." he replied as he took the pen and wrote in the small space a note about the appointment. "Can't we find out sooner then that? I don't know if I can wait that long." he pouted, disappointed that he'd have to wait for 3 more weeks to find out of Emily was pregnant again.

    "Well, I could always use the home test I have left, but it's not as accurate as a blood test from Dr. Meadows." She remembered she still had one test left in the box she had bought a month or so ago.

    Zander lifted her up off his lap and she stood up. "What are you waiting for? Go take the test!" he smiled. "Maybe we can finally have something to be happy about!" he continued as she began to walk away from him, nervous about taking the test herself.

    As she left the study, she heard the phone ringing and figured he would be busy with business till she got back. She climbed the stairs slowly, on one hand not wanting to know and yet on the other she couldn't wait to see the positive result. She knew she was with child, she could feel it. Just like she had when she was pregnant with Devon. She knew weeks before the blood test confirmed it. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She pulled the test out of the drawer and opened up the box. Her insides twisted with nerves as she ripped open the plastic wrapper and then stared at the stick. She breathed in deeply knowing what ever the results were, it was meant to be. If she and Zander were meant to have another baby, they would. She couldn't predict their future, but she was confident that whatever would come their way, they would overcome it together.

    While Emily was upstairs all Zander could think about was what the results would be. He became anxious to know and began to pace his study, back and forth. A few minutes had passed, but it felt to him a lot longer and he then heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He wrung his hands together and ran them through his coal black hair in frustration. He couldn't take it much longer, he had to know.

    Emily came down the stairs with the results in her hands, she was shaking so bad as she held the stick tightly so she wouldn't drop it. She had not looked at the results, she wanted her and Zander to find out together. A silence came over the room as she stepped into the doorway of the study. He stopped pacing and looked at her, by the expression on her face, he couldn't tell if it was good news or bad.

    "Here .. you look, I can't." she said as she extended her hand to him, her hands shaking from being so nervous.

    He took the stick from her and pulled off the cap. He released a deep sigh and looked up from the results. She looked at him, and he didn't say anything just looked at her with a blank face. He replaced the cap and handed it back to her, then stood there, still not saying a word.



  14. SoapQueen89
    At the cabin --


    "So ... are we pregnant?" she asked anxiously.

    He still giving her a blank stare. "Well, I don't really know .. all I saw were lines." he cracked a smile.

    "Lines? Lines as in two of them?!" she asked as she was starting to get excited. She couldn't stand it anymore and pulled the cap off of the stick to see for herself.

    He stood there and watched her look down at the results, a smile came across her face and then his. He was waiting for her reaction to the results as she just stared at them.

    Her one hand went to her mouth and the other went to her stomach as she looked up at him, he smiling in return. He nodded to her and she nodded in return as she confirmed what he had already suspected from reading the stick.

    "We're pregnant!!!" she squealed as she ran into his arms almost knocking them both to the floor.

    He wrapped his arms around her and spun her around, lifting her up off the floor, her feet dangling against him. Both of them were overjoyed with the results of the home test. It was about time to bring some happiness to the family and Emily being pregnant again was just what the doctor ordered.

    He set her down and pulled back from her. He reached up with both hands, cupping her face in them. "Congratulations, mommy." he whispered just before his lips pressed softly against hers. She fell into him and wrapped her arms around his neck, the stick that held the positive results still wrapped tightly in her hand.



    At the courthouse -- Ric's office

    After collecting his messages, Ric walked into his office and set down his briefcase by the door to remove his jacket. He picked up his briefcase once again and carried to his desk, setting it down on top of the paperwork that had piled up. He not noticing the front page of the morning Port Charles Herald, he sat down and opened up the case. He took out more files and added them to the pile he had started on last night. As he removed the briefcase from the desk, he glanced over at the framed picture that sat on the edge, just beyond the pile of files.

    He and Alexis had grown quite fond of each other over the past few months, he not sure of what to think of their budding relationship, they were like oil and water, but for some reason they clicked together. She understood him and knew where he was coming from most of the time. She was beginning to know him better then himself and though it scared him to get so close to her, enjoyed her company and was intrigued by her.

    He was brought back as Alexis knocked on his office door and he noticed her standing there. "Hey ... what can I do for you, Alexis?" he said as he reached for a file folder from the pile.

    "I came to find out what your plans were for tonight. I have this dinner thing to go to and well ...."

    "And you wanted to know if I was free tonight to go with you ..." he finished her thought.

    "Yeah something like that." she replied as approached his desk.

    "If I don't drown in paperwork, I'll be happy to go with you tonight." he chuckled at the mounds of files that lay scattered covering his mahogany desk.

    "Need some help?" she offered

    "No, most of these just need signatures. I'm just signing off on some cases. What I need is an assistant."

    "Well, I can't help you there, I'm in need of my own." she laughed.

    "Have you talked with Zander lately? He hasn't called and I can't seem to get a hold of him." Ric asked as he laid the file on top of the morning paper, not noticing the headline.

    "I think with the baby coming, he and Emily are finding themselves a bit busy for everything else." she excused the absence of Zander and Emily.

    "Yeah I'm sure that's it. I'm thrilled for those two, it's about time they have some happiness in their lives." Ric replied as he got up to file the paperwork he had been signing.

    As he removed the file from the desk, Alexis noticed the headlines on the newspaper that laid underneath and picked it up off the desk.

    "Ric ... did you see this morning's paper?"

    "No, I haven't had the chance to, why?" he replied as he turned back towards her noticing she was reading the headlines of the newspaper.

    "Because I think you should read the front page." she said as she turned the paper to him, holding it in her hands so he could see the headlines that read .... "No Charges for Corinthos".

    As she read the headlines he walked towards her and grabbed the paper from her hands. Reading the article that was underneath the picture of Sonny, his mouth dropped. The federal case had been dropped due to lack of evidence.

    "I wonder if Zander's seen this ...." Ric said as he looked up from the paper.
  15. SoapQueen89
    Jason's hospital room


    Elizabeth sat with Jason as Monica jotted down his current vitals in his file. Her concern for husband was apparent when she asked Monica how he was doing.

    "He's getting stronger and that's always a good sign." Monica replied and touched her gently on the shoulder as reassurance.

    "When will he wake up?" Elizabeth asked as she caressed Jason's hand.

    "It shouldn't be long now. You can talk to him, he should respond to your voice. But don't force him to wake up, he'll come around on his own." Monica left Elizabeth and Jason by closing the door behind her.

    She peered through the glass window at her son who was in critical yet stable condition. Alan's strong arms came up from behind her and embraced her.

    "He's going to be alright." he said trying to reassure her. Monica sniffled back the tears and leaned back into him.

    "You cannot guarantee me that, Alan" she replied as she turned into him and held him close.

    "No, I can't but I can tell you that Jason is strong, and he's a fighter. You have to believe that." Her motherly tears moistened Alan's white coat as they stood outside their son's room.

    Since that fateful day many years ago, they had truly tried to be parents to Jason Morgan, yet he fought so hard to dismiss their affections. Even though they were not as close as they would of liked to be with Jason, he was still their son.

    Elizabeth spoke no truer words to her husband as he lye lifeless in the drab sheets of the hospital bed. She hoping that her soft voice would bring him back to her. He began to stir, she could feel the grip of his hand grow stronger with every word she spoke. A few brief moments past, and his eyes fluttered open slightly. She breathed a sigh of relief and said a little prayer of thanks for bringing him back to her. She turned and noticed Alan and Monica standing outside the room observing what had happened between her and Jason.

    "Dr. Quartermaines'! It's Jason .... I think he's waking up!" she stated overly excited about seeing Jason awaken from his medicated state.

    "Okay, okay .... let's check him out. It could be his body reacting." Alan said as he pulled out his light pen and checked Jason's eye reflexes.

    Jason stirred a little more and moaned groggily. His dry mouth inhibited him from speaking, but his eyes worked well as he noticed Elizabeth sitting by his side with the smile he loved so much. As Alan checked Jason reflexes to stimulants, Jason's eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the hospital room.

    Elizabeth's soothing voice reassured him of where he was and what was happening to him.

    "All looks good, Jason. Reflexes are all normal." Jason held his hand at his side and grimaced as he tried to re-position himself.

    "Okay, Jason .... " Monica said as she tried to prevent him from moving.

    "You're going to have lie still ... we don't want you moving around." she continued as Jason moaned in disgust.

    "Jason, you gotta listen to the doctors ... okay?" Elizabeth said trying to convince him he had to do what he was told.

    He tried to speak but the breathing tube was causing an obstruction, so Alan explained to him that it needed to be removed before he tried to speak. Jason nodded that he understood and Alan went on about how they would remove it.

    "On the count of three, Jason ....okay?" Jason nodded again that he understood and in one fluid motion the tube was removed from his throat. He coughed as it exited his mouth, his voice hoarse, and rough, but it was a relief to be rid of the machine.

    "Now, can .... can I have a ... drink of ... water?" Jason asked in his rough voice. Alan smiled and chuckled.

    "Yeah, you can have a drink of water." Monica handed the white paper cup filled with water to Elizabeth and she stuck a straw in it for him to drink from.

    The water cold, it was irritating to the raw membranes of Jason's throat. He coughed as he tried to swallow the wetness.

    "Easy ... it'll take some time for your throat to heal. Take your time." Monica replied as Jason handed the cup back to his wife.

    Jason rubbed his throat with his hand in a soothing motion and tried to speak a few more words.

    "What .... *cough* .. what happened?" The three of them looked at each other and then at Jason ..

    "You don't remember?" Elizabeth asked. Jason turned his head and looked at his wife.

    "No ... tell me ..." he replied as he swallowed hard trying to relieve some the rawness in his throat.



    At the PCPD


    Lt. Taggert sat relaxed in his leather desk chair with his feet propped up on his mahogany desk looking over a case file that was given to him that afternoon.

    "Damn it! Another mob shootout! This needs to stop, and stop now!" he said loudly to himself as he got up from his chair and headed towards the door. He opened the door with purpose only to find a young man standing on the other side.

    "Lt. Taggert?" Taggert looked sternly at the young stranger and sighed in disgust.

    "Yeah, who the heck are you?" he replied as the young man passed him and entered his office. Taggert closed the door and looked over the young stranger who barged in unannounced.

    A rough, rugged young man in blue jeans, a tee shirt, and a hooded sweatshirt jacket, certainly not someone who looked like any importance.

    "Lt. Taggert, I'm Det. Jake Steel from the Miami Police Department." said the stranger as he extended his hand to Taggert.

    Taggert shook his hand and then passed by him throwing the file in his hand on the desk. He quickly turned around asked why he was there.

    "Well, Sir ... it seems my investigation has led me here to Port Charles and I'm hoping you can help me." the Detective replied as he took a step toward Taggert.

    Taggert intrigued by this young man, he offered him a seat and asked what kind of help he was looking for.


  16. SoapQueen89
    At the hospital --


    Zander and Emily stepped off the elevator on the 5th floor of the hospital, they were on their way for Emily's appointment with Dr. Meadows. With smiles across their faces, they walked down the corridor to the doctor's office, knowing what the results would be made it a little easier for Emily to be there, there was no stressing about what the results would be, she already knew. Her appointment was just for confirmation and to get set up on a routine of vitamins and doctor's visits for the next 7 months.

    Her and Zander waited for Dr. Meadows to finish with another patient in the waiting room of the office. After a short time, Dr. Meadows emerged from behind the closed door and invited Emily in, Zander waited in his chair for her.

    "So how are we feeling, Emily?" Dr. Meadows asked as she took Emily's chart in her hands and looked down at it.

    "A little nervous, but fine otherwise." Emily replied as she hopped up on the exam table.

    "No morning sickness, dizziness ...."

    "No not this time." Emily replied as Dr. Meadows turned towards her.

    "Okay then, I guess we'll take a look to see what we have and get you on the schedule. You can put this on and I'll be right back." the doctor said as she handed Emily a blue paper gown to wear.

    Emily got down off the exam table and removed her clothing, so she could slip on the gown she was given. As she slipped on the blue gown, she noticed the fullness of her breasts, a sure sign of pregnancy, she had that with Devon. Emily got back up on the exam table and waited for Dr. Meadows to come back.

    She waited a few minutes till the doctor returned and then she laid back on the table after Dr. Meadows closed the door. The doctor approached her and took a seat on the swivel stool at the foot end of the table. Emily could feel the pressure inside her as Dr. Meadows examined her and she relaxed her body as she breathed in deeply and exhaled.

    Dr. Meadows pulled back from Emily and removed the gloves from her hands as she stood up from the stool. "Well, you are definitely pregnant, and we'll see how far along with an ultrasound at the next visit. I want to take some blood and run some tests, but from what I can tell, you shouldn't have any trouble with this baby."

    Emily sat up on the table and a concerned look came over her. "As you know, the first time I was at high risk, any indications of that this time?" Emily asked as Dr. Meadows jotted down some notes.

    "Well, with any pregnancy there are always risks and no guarantees. We'll take precautions now, so we can prevent the risks the best we can. We'll know more as you progress with this baby." Dr. Meadows reassured her. "I'll send in the technician to draw some blood and we'll get those tests done." Dr. Meadows added with a smile.

    "Thank you ...." Emily smiled in return.

    She left out a sigh of relief, all was well for now. She caressed her lower abdomen as she heard a knock at the door to the room. Zander peered in and saw her still sitting on the exam table, her feet dangling over the end of the table. She motioned for him to come in and he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He walked over to her and stood in front of her, her legs opened to let him slip snugly in between them.

    "What did Dr. Meadows have to say?" he asked as he brushed back her auburn hair around her ear.

    "She said all looked good. She wants to get some blood for some tests, but she said I'm healthy to carry this baby and should have no problems carrying to term." Emily said and Zander noticed the worry that filled her eyes as she said it.

    "If all is so good, then why are you worried?"

    "Who's worried? I'm not worried." she replied trying to hid the fact that she was.

    "You are .... I can see it in your eyes, Em." Zander asked knowing that the first pregnancy was rough for Emily, she had almost lost Devon more then once and was put on the strictest of bed rest for the last 4 months before delivering him.

    "I guess, I just don't want anything to happen to this baby, Zander. It was a miracle for us to have Devon and we've been truly blessed with him. I guess I'm just worried that perhaps this time we won't be so blessed." she replied as she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt his arms wrap around her and his hands caress her trying to soothe her fears away.

    She felt him against her and held onto him as tight as she could. She could feel the new life fluttering inside her and she smiled realizing now that all was going to okay.



    On the docks ---

    "You have your orders, now I don't care what you have to do, I want him dead!!" the voice ordered the dark haired stranger who stood on the docks of the Port Charles Harbor.

    The stranger flipped closed the cell phone and stuffed into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a picture of the target he was paid to get rid of, and stared down at it. The picture burned into his mind as he crumbled it up and threw it into the water.

    He looked up into the night sky and noticed the storm clouds were moving in as thunder could be heard in the distance. He pulled his jacket up to cover his neck as a chill came over him and he stood contemplating his next move. He pulled the 9mm gun from his jacket pocket and admired it, feeling how comfortable it was in his hand and his eyes became cold and bitter as the thoughts of killing Zander Smith filled his mind.

    The dark haired stranger walked off and disappeared into the pitch blackness of the night as another storm brewed over the city of Port Charles.


    <HR>




    The sequel called WICKED will begin next week on Monday, May 14th.
  17. SoapQueen89
    At the hospital --


    Detective Steel stepped off the 8th floor elevator at General Hospital looking for some answers. He had spent over an hour with Lt. Taggert and had found out about the recent shootout on the docks. His curiosity got the better of him and he went to the hospital to see for himself what kind of danger had come to this city.

    As he reached the nurse's station, Amy noticed the stranger approach and asked him if she could help him. He reached in his coat pocket and flashed his badge telling her who he was and that he was there to talk with the victims of the shootout that had been admitted. Amy hesitant and cautious of his intentions and his credentials, she pointed him in the direction of the ICU. She watched him as he walked passed her and then down the hallway.

    The detective was approached by Alan out in front of the ICU as he glared in at Jason lying in the hospital with Elizabeth sitting beside him. The nameplate on the door to the room read "Jason Morgan" "ICU # 2A", Jake jotted down his observations in his memory as Alan approached him.

    "Can I help you?" Alan asked as he looked over the rugged young man who stood watching his son.

    "I was told this young man is one of the victims of the shootout the other night." Jake replied as he turned around and faced the brut form of the Chief of Staff.

    "May I ask who you are?" Alan questioned as Elizabeth noticed the commotion outside the room. Jake pulled his badge from his jacket and explained to Alan who he was and that he was there to talk with Jason.

    "Alan?" Elizabeth said as she appeared from her husband's room. Both Alan and Jake turned towards her when she spoke, acknowledging she was there.

    "Mrs. Morgan?" Jake asked extended his hand to her. Elizabeth glanced down at it and hesitantly shook his hand.

    "Yes? I'm Jason's wife. Can I help you?" she inquired as Alan stepped in between Jake and Elizabeth.

    "Perhaps this isn't a good time, you should be in there with Jason." Alan replied and tried to guide her back into the room. Jake reached for Elizabeth's arm as she walked back into the room.

    "Wait .. I'd like to talk with you." he said as she turned around and looked over the young man.

    "Who are you?" she asked again, insistent this time.

    "Detective Jake Steel from the Miami PD. I'm here to talk with your husband about the shooting." Elizabeth looked back over her shoulder towards Jason and stepped out of the room so they wouldn't disturb him.

    "Jason's in no condition to talk to you .... Det .. Detective." she replied as she kept a watchful eye on her husband.

    "And I don't foresee him talking with you or any one else wearing a badge." she added as she looked at him sternly. She turned and walked back into the room and took her seat once again next to her husband.

    "I guess you will be leaving now." Alan stated as the young man watched Elizabeth and Jason through the plexi-glass window. She noticed him watching and went to close the blinds. Jake got her point and turned towards Alan who stood in the doorway of the room.

    "And the other person involved is ....?" Jake inquired as Alan crossed his arms in front of his chest.

    "On another floor. He was moved last night to another room." he replied giving Jake very little information about Zander's whereabouts.

    "You gonna tell me where to find him, or am I going to have search the hospital floor by floor?" Jake replied sarcastically. Alan sighed as he passed behind the young man and started walking away.

    "I can tell you, he's not going to be telling you anything either, Mr. Steel." Alan added as he turned back towards him.

    "I would at least like to see him." Jake added as he followed Alan down the hallway to the elevators.

    "4th floor ... room 228." Alan answered as he pushed the elevator down button. Jake nodded in acknowledgement and stepped onto the elevator as Alan continued down the hallway, knowing full well that with Emily there with Zander and Monica hanging around, he was sure the detective was going to come up empty in his search for answers.



    Outside Zander's room --


    Jake stepped off the elevator on the 4th floor and made his way to the nurse's station. He asked where he could find Zander's room and the nurse graciously pointed him in the right direction. As he approached the room he noticed the door was standing open, and respectfully knocked on the door before entering the room. Emily sat by her husband's side as she noticed the young man appear in the doorway.

    "May I help you?" she asked as she got up from her seat and approached him with caution.

    "I hope so." Jake replied as he took one step into the hospital room. He noticed the equipment Zander was hooked up to before focusing on the young lady in front of him. Jake extended his hand and introduced himself.

    "I'm Zander's wife, Emily .... how can I help you? Detective." she replied as she escorted him outside the room so they not disturb Zander who was sleeping.

    She was sure to keep a watchful eye on her husband as she stood in the doorway of the room.

    "I was hoping to talk with your husband, Emily." Jake inquired but by the look Emily shot back at him, he knew that wasn't happening.

    "I'm sure you know, Detective, my husband has been through alot over the past 3 days, he's in no condition to talk with anyone." she answered as she heard Zander becoming restless.

    Jake peered around the corner of the doorway to see if perhaps her husband was awake so he could ask him some questions.

    "I know it's been a terrible time for both of you, but if you could just give me 5 minutes ..." she interrupted with a direct and honest "...uh no." "I would really appreciate it if you'd come back at another time. My husband needs his rest and I can tell you this now, Zander's not going to tell you or anyone else wearing a badge, anything."

    Emily added as she turned away from the detective and back into the room to be with her husband. Zander was no where near ready to talk with anyone, he was still recovering from surgery the day before and Emily wasn't about to allow some Detective to lurk about her husband like a vulture waiting for his prey.

    Jake stood outside Zander's hospital room for a couple more minutes just watching and observing her demeanor. Emily noticed him still hanging around outside the room, and she got up and closed the door to the room. Steele reached into his jacket pocket and stuck his business card in the nameplate outside the door hoping that either of them would change their minds and call him.

    "Okay, that went well ...." he mumbled under his breath as he walked down the hallway towards the elevators. As he walked passed the waiting area, he was approached.

    "I thought I told you to leave my hospital?" Alan said as the detective tried to avoid a confrontation with the big man.
    "Well now I have what I came for, I will be leaving." Steele lied through his teeth to the Chief of Staff, but he'd be back another day to get his answers.

    "I very much doubt that, especially if you were just talking with my daughter. You'd be lucky to get the time of day wearing that badge." Alan chuckled as Steele gave him a smug look before walking off.

    Alan knocked on the door to Zander's room and Emily cautiously opened it for him. "Hi sweetheart." he greeted her and gave her a peck on the cheek. "How's he doing?" her father asked as he approached Zander.

    Alan checked the monitors Zander was attached to and read the numbers hoping they would improve from the day before.

    "He isn't awake yet, so I guess he's doing about the same." Emily replied as she sniffled back the tears, wanting so much to stay strong.

    Alan checked Zander's pulse as he held Zander's wrist in his hand. Alan's face didn't tell Emily what she wanted to hear.

    "Dad, what's wrong?" she became worried and agitated.

    "Nothing, sweetheart. There isn't anything wrong, I was expecting a stronger pulse that's all. He's fine." Emily sighed heavily, she didn't know what she'd do if she lost him.

    "How's Devon?" she asked. Devon had been staying at the mansion while Zander was in the hospital, she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could, so her parents had offered to take Devon for a while.

    "Devon's great. He's really a blessing in our house. Your grandfather is spoiling him rotten." Alan laughed. "I can just imagine ...." Emily replied with a smile. It's the first smile Alan had seen on his daughter in days. He wished he would have some good news to tell her to bring a smile to her face like that one. Zander was just the same, and the prognosis wasn't looking any better as time went on.

    "Do you think Reginald could bring Devon by later? I'd love to spend some time with him, I could take him to the children's center for a while." Emily asked. She missed her little boy and just needed to tell him how much she loved him.

    "Sure, I'll call home and have Reginald bring Devon to the hospital." he agreed with her request and she got up from her seat and went to him. "Thanks Dad, it really means alot to me to have Devon here." Alan embraced his daughter and gave her all the love he could muster.

    Emily sniffled back the tears as she watched her husband sleeping, she prayed he'd wake up, he needed to wake up if he was going to get better. The longer he was out, the worse his chances got of a recovery.

    "Don't worry, Zander's gonna be fine, he's a fighter, Em. He survived our family hasn't he?" Alan joked hoping to see that smile again on Em's face. She mustered a giggle. "Yeah he has." Her tears moistened her father's white doctor coat as she kept watch on her husband.

    Alan pulled from the embrace and cupped his large hands around Emily's chin. "Zander is going to get through this, you have to believe that, Em." He could see it in her eyes, she wasn't holding on to much hope.

    "I know. Would you come with me to the chapel? I want to light a candle for Zander and for Jason." she asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

    "Sure I'll go with you, sweetheart." he replied with sincerity as she looked once more at her husband before she left the room. Alan walked out of the room and waited for her in the hallway. She pulled the door closed and they went to say a prayer to bring Zander back to her and their son.



  18. SoapQueen89
    Jason's room at the hospital --


    Emily stood in the doorway of her brother's room and cautiously approached his bedside. She had waited till Elizabeth had taken a walk before she came in to see Jason. She didn't feel the tension would be good for his recovery. As she approached him, he awoke from his light sleep.

    "Hi." he said as she took a seat on the swivel stool next to the bed. "Hi." was all she could say. She wasn't sure what to say to him. He had always been there for her and now they were on opposite sides. She didn't want anything to come in between them, but something had. She sat searching for the words to express how she felt at that very moment, her brother and her husband both fought so hard to survive this ordeal, words were hard to come by. Jason reached for her hand and she squeezed it tight. She knew he was of few words and with one squeeze of her hand, she felt she needed no words to express how much she loved him and how sorry she was that this had to happen.

    Jason cracked a smile when his wife appeared in the doorway. Emily turned to see Elizabeth standing there with a cup of coffee in her hand and a smile on her face.

    "I ... uh ... just stopped by to see how he was doing." Emily said as she rose from the stool and headed towards the doorway. "Oh ..." Elizabeth replied softly and nodded as she passed and left the room. Emily stood outside and blew a kiss to Jason through the plate-glass window.

    She hated that a friendship like Elizabeth and she had was strained because of the feud between their husbands. Emily just wished it could be like it was before all this had started a year or so ago. Zander had inherited his portion of the territory after his uncle passed away last year, he had been molded by Sonny, and she thought Jason resented that from the start, but he never spoke of it with her.

    After Zander took over the territory, the tension between she and Elizabeth grew to enormous proportions. It had taken a tragedy like this one, to bring them to speaking terms, but she figured who better to know how you feel is the best friend who is going through the same thing she was.
    Emily turned and walked down the hallway back to Zander's room.



    Zander's room at the hospital --


    It had been over a week since his surgery and Zander was awake and being poked and prodded by his father-in-law it was not something he was used to. He grimaced as he tried to re-position his body so he'd be more comfortable. He hated hospitals, and it seemed he always ended up there for one reason or another. Before leaving, Alan jotted down a few notes in Zander's chart and told him his prognosis was good. Zander's eyes lit up when he saw Emily walk into the room, as she passed her dad on his way, he told her that Zander was doing fine and he was alot stronger then he was the day before, he'd back later to check in on Zander again.

    She watched her dad leave the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Listen, there was a guy here last week, and he wanted to ask you some questions about what happened on the docks." she began as she could see the concerned look on his face.

    "And ...?" he replied wanting to hear more.

    "And ... I told him to go away, I told him that you were in no shape to talk with anyone, even if he did wear a badge." Zander groaned as he propped himself up on the pillow.

    "A badge? A cop?" he inquired still wanting details about this stranger asking questions.

    "He told me his name was Detective Jake Steel and he was from Miami. What I can't figure out is why he'd be interested in anything that's going on here in Port Charles?" she had a few questions of her own, and from the evasive look on Zander's face, she wasn't sure if he really wanted her to pursue it.

    "I need you do something for me, Em. I need you stay away from this Detective." Emily bit her bottom lip wondering why. She was about to ask, and he told her not to, just do it. She agreed, even though in the back of her mind, she wondered why her husband asked this of her.

    "One more thing, Em ..." he continued.

    "Anything." she replied with a smile as always.

    "I need you to call Ric. I need to see him." Just something else that posed more questions.

    "Why Ric?" she thought, but she did as he asked. "Okay, I'll see if I can track him down."



    At Kelly's Diner --


    Ric Lansing hadn't been town all that long, less than a year and had already found what he wasn't expecting to find when he stepped foot in Port Charles. A well educated man, he had been given a lot of material things growing up as a child, more material then emotional. So much pressure from his father to do well in school, in life. It was hard to live up to. He was a young boy when his parents divorced, he living with his father till he was 18, then off to college to earn a degree in Business, then Law school ... only the best for the son of a Senator. His mom, still young, remarried a wonderful man in her eyes, Ric wasn't too pleased. He was into dirty dealings and had shady connections that were dangerous. Ric was surprised to find out when he came home from college during a winter break that his mother had a child with this man. A man he thought was all wrong for her. Ric had just hoped that this young child would not fall victim to his father's controlling and dangerous ways.

    Arriving in Port Charles, one thing had brought him to this waterfront town ... Sonny Corinthos. He soon found out that Sonny was not the only reason he needed to stay. The two half brothers were surprised to find each other eating at the same diner for months and not even realizing who the other was. It surely took Ric by surprise when he sat eating breakfast one morning and saw a young man walk into Kelly's who seemed familiar. His eyes seemed to have something Ric had seen all his life ... it was like looking in the mirror and seeing a part of you staring back. He approached the young man and introduced himself. Being leery of a stranger, the other young man was cautious. Ric reassured him that he wanted nothing from him, just some answers to a few questions. The young man shook Ric's hand and introduced himself as Zander Smith.

    Zander and Ric got acquainted and found that they had similar pasts. Zander not really knowing much about his family, he had spent most of his time away from home in boarding schools and when he was home, he was pushed aside like last week's news. It was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together, when each piece was finally in it's rightful place, it had revealed that these two who had just met, were indeed half brothers. For Zander it was a chunk of his life he had soon forget, being unwanted by parents, never loved as he should of been, he ran away from that life a long time ago and never looked back. Ric, wishing he could of run from a family life that was suffocating him.


    Ric sat eating his lunch at his favorite eatery, Kelly's. He had moved out months ago, but still love to come and people watch.

    As he took the last bite of his sandwich, his cell phone rang. He reached in his jacket pocket and flipped it open.

    "Yes." he answered. He recognized the voice on the other end without her telling him who she was.

    "Ric? It's Emily Smith. Zander needs to see you at the hospital." He didn't ask questions, he told her he'd be there within the hour and flipped closed his phone. He paid his bill and grabbed his overcoat and headed out the door.

    "Now what, little brother. What have you got yourself into?" he mumbled under his breath as he stepped outside into the winter chill.



    At the hospital --


    The automatic doors of the hospital opened as he approached and he made his way to the nurse's station, only to find Emily waiting for him.

    "Hi. Thanks for coming so quickly." she said as she extended her hand to him.

    "Sure, why wouldn't I come. My brother needs me." he replied as he shook her hand out of respect. "Come on, I'll take you too him." she said as she escorted him down the hallway.

    Emily and Ric reached Zander's room, and he smiled when he saw both of them approach the bedside.

    "Sweetheart, could you leave us alone for a little while?" Emily smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

    "Sure, I'll go see how my brother's doing." Zander thanked her as she stepped away from him. Ric took a seat next to the bed after he removed his overcoat and laid it across the bottom of the bed.

    Zander moaned as he tried to prop himself up so he could sit more erect in the bed.

    "Thank you for coming." he said as he looked at his brother sitting next to him.

    "No thanks needed. It sounded urgent." Ric replied.

    "Yes it is .... His name is Detective Jake Steel.


  19. SoapQueen89
    At the hospital --


    Another week had passed and Zander was finally ready to be released from the hospital. Emily and Devon had been playing in the waiting room for about an hour before Monica came to get them.

    "Hey, there's my big boy!" she said to Devon as she approached him. He looked up, smiled and reached for the person he knew as grandma. She picked him up in her arms and kissed him on his cheek, just hugging the stuffing out of him. Emily collected Devon's toys laying on the table in front her and put them back in the diaper bag that sat next to her on the floor.

    "So can I take Zander home?" Emily asked as she zipped the bag closed. Monica was admiring how big Devon was getting, as he took hold of the stethoscope around her neck.

    "Oh, yeah, sweetie. Just a few more minutes." her mom replied as Alan approached them. Alan came up behind Monica and smiled at Devon. He smiled at his grandpa and reached for him.

    "Oh come here." he said as he held out his hands to his grandson.

    "Hi sweetie, you guys here to pick up Daddy." he said to the young toddler.

    "Yes dad we are, if we can get all the paper work in order." Emily noticed a volunteer pushing her husband in a wheel chair around the corner and headed towards them. "Finally." she exclaimed as she hurried to him. She embraced him as her parents and Devon approached.

    Alan was carrying Devon in his arms and his face just lit up when he saw his daddy for the first time in over a week. He reached for him wanting to sit with Zander on the wheel chair. Alan passed Devon to his father as Emily signed the last piece of paperwork for Zander's release. She turned back towards her family and took the bag from her mother and hung it on her shoulder.

    "How's Jason?" she asked as she heard Zander and Devon giggling behind her.

    "Jason's going to be fine, a few more days in the hospital to rest, he should be good as new." her mom replied just as the beeper she had in pocket began to beep.

    She reached in her pocket and checked the message. "I gotta go, I will call you later, sweetheart." she gave Emily and Devon kisses on their cheeks before she raced to the emergency that called her away. Alan signed the release papers and Zander was free to go.

    "Can I go home now?" Zander asked as Emily took Devon from him.

    "Yes you can, but I wouldn't try to do too much for the next couple of days, take it easy, okay." Alan replied as he saw his son in law was anxious to go home.

    "He'll take it easy, believe me." Emily replied as she reassured her father that Zander would not strain himself once he got home.

    The volunteer wheel Zander to the elevator and pushed the button to go down. Emily held Devon in her arms and they entered the elevator as Alan watched from the nurse's station, he waved and Devon waved in return. Alan smiled at his grandson as the elevator doors slid shut.



    Zander and Emily's Penthouse --


    The limo pulled up outside their apartment building and shut off the engine. Emily gathered Devon's things and climbed out of the car. Their driver, Marcus, opened Zander's door and assisted him from the car. Emily released Devon from his car seat and scooped him up into her arms as Zander leaned on Marcus and walked towards the door of the building. Emily grabbed the bag and followed them thru the automated sliding glass doors and towards the elevators. Zander left Marcus know that he and his family would be okay, and Marcus could tend to the limo. Marcus followed the instructions his boss gave him as Zander and his family entered the elevator, the door slid shut as Emily pushed the button for the top floor.

    The doors slid open when it reached it's destination, and Zander cautiously stepped out into the hallway of the 19th floor. Cord was standing guard outside their penthouse and came to assist his boss and the family. Emily opened the door of their apartment and went inside as Zander talked a few minutes with Cord just outside the doorway. Cord nodded in acknowledgment and Zander came inside. Emily unloaded her shoulder as she dropped the diaper bag on the floor and carried Devon to the couch. She took a seat next to him and unzipped his jacket. Zander slowey moved towards them stopping for a minute to take a look at the papers laying on his desk.

    "Oh no .. no work, you are suppose to rest, remember?" Emily said as she quickly picked up Devon and hurried towards her husband who was reading what the papers contained.

    "I was just reading, geezsh!" Zander replied as Emily's hand flipped closed the folder and then grabbed his hand wanting him to follow her. He reluctantly followed, wanting so badly to throw himself back into work, against doctor's orders.

    Emily was ready to place Devon into the playpen but Zander couldn't resist reaching for his son as he sat down on the couch. Devon smiled at his dad as Zander took him into his arms and sat him on his lap.

    "You have grown so big ..." he said to the toddler as he ran his hand over the toddler's thin black hair.

    Emily just smiled at knowing she finally had her family all together again. She loved to watch Zander and Devon, they were a lot alike, in so many ways. Devon had Zander's eyes, he had Zander's hair, he definitely had Zander's strong will and stubbornness, he certainly was father's son, no doubt.



    Later that same night -- Zander and Emily's Penthouse


    The darkness fell on Port Charles, as Zander watched over Emily and Devon drifting off to sleep on their queen sized bed. He scooped his son up in his arms and slowly walked with him to the nursery across the hall. He placed his son in the mahogany crib and rubbed his tummy in small circles trying to soothe him back to sleep. Zander kept his balance by leaning against the crib, and quickly turned as he heard the soft footsteps creep up behind him. Emily stood in the doorway and watched a few precious father and son moments from afar.

    "Hey ...." Zander whispered as she approached.

    "I thought you were asleep?" he asked as she walked closer to him.

    "And I thought you were suppose to rest?" He pulled her close to him in a loving embrace and gently kissed her.

    Devon was sleeping soundly as they left the nursery and walked across the hall to their bedroom, Emily went to turn down the bed as Zander followed. She walked to the other side of the bed and turned down the blankets, and removed her silk robe and slippers. She climbed into bed and watched him slowly removed his navy blue robe revealing the white gauze bandages around his waist that hid the results of the worst fear that had come true.



    Outside Harborview Towers --

    Meanwhile, Detective Steele kept watch on the front door of the apartment building from his car across the street. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched from afar.



  20. SoapQueen89
    Zander's Penthouse --


    Daylight soon came over the horizon of the bay, and Zander awoke to the ring of his cell phone that was tucked away in his jacket pocket which hung on the back of the chair. He slowly slipped from the bed and tried to keep his balance as he walked over to answer it, wincing with every step. He flipped it open and said hello to who was calling.

    "Zander? You have company that has been sitting outside the building all night." the voice said as Zander padded out into the hallway with his bare feet.

    "Is it Steele?" Zander asked as he walked to the elongated window the looked out over the street.

    "Yeah, he's been sitting out here waiting since you got home last night." his brother replied as Zander caught a glimpse of the unmarked car sitting towards the end of the block.

    "Why don't you come on in for some coffee and we'll talk about it?" Zander offered and his brother quickly accepted.

    A few minutes later Ric was at the door, Zander grabbed his robe and went downstairs. Cord opened the door for Ric just as Zander reached for the door knob. Ric came and threw his jacket over the chair. The two shook hands like brothers should, and walked into the kitchen. Ric took a seat at the kitchen table while Zander made a fresh pot of coffee.

    "Emily upstairs?" Ric asked as he glanced up towards the stairs.

    "Yes she is, so we have some time to talk about Steel before she comes down and has to feed Devon." Zander poured two cups of coffee and set one cup in front of Ric and kept the other in his hand as he took a seat at the table.

    "What did you find out about this Det. Steel?" he inquired as he cautiously took a sip. Ric reached for the packets of sugar that sat on the table and opened a few of them into his cup.

    "First, how are you?" Ric concerned about his brother. "I'll live, so what did you find out?" Zander replied bluntly wanting to know more about this Detective.

    "Detective Steel? Well, Detective Steele is on a murder case, a cold case that went cold about 2 weeks after it happened. Lack of witnesses, I guess. No leads to go on, so they stashed it in the cold case files. His father worked on the case originally and when he became Detective, he picked it up off the pile and started digging. Apparently the trail as led him to you." Ric explained

    "What else did you find out?" Ric sipped his coffee and told Zander as much as he could about the man who was apparently quite interested in his comings and goings.

    "So in other words, my family is still ...." Zander snapped at his brother as Emily stood in the doorway with Devon. "....in danger." she continued his thought as she walked passed him and sat Devon in his high chair.

    Worry and concern over took Zander and Ric's faces as Emily became a part of their conversation. "Unfortunately, yes that's what it means ... at least until we find out why the trail led this Detective to Zander."

    Suddenly there was noise coming from outside in the hallway. Ric rushed to the front door, Zander followed leaving Emily and Devon in the kitchen. The door flew open as Cord had the dark haired stranger by the scruff of the neck, Marcus soon followed close behind.

    "I'm sorry sir for barging in but we found this one lurking around, thought you may want to have a word or two with him." Cord explained as he released his grasp with a shove and the stranger stumbled to regain his balance.

    "Hey watch the suit!" the stranger said as he adjusted the attire he was wearing. The dark haired stranger was nicely dressed in a dark navy blue suit and tie, Ric had his own suspicions about this Detective but didn't let on to what they were.

    Emily peered out from the kitchen to see what was going on, Devon in his high chair waiting to be fed breakfast, she turned and went to give him his morning bottle. She scooped him up in her arms, grabbed the bottle from the table and whisked him out of the kitchen and away from harm as she scurried through the living room and up the stairs, not taking a second look at what was going on right there in front of her.

    The dark haired stranger noticed her as she hurried passed them and up the stairs, Zander glared in his direction as the Detective watched Emily disappear at the top of the stairs. "Answer me this, who are you and what are you doing lurking outside this particular building." Zander asked as he winced when he felt some pain around the wounds that were healing.

    "So you're Zander Smith." Steele said as he walked towards Zander.

    "Yeah now we know who I am, why don't you tell us who you are?" Zander had always had the cockiness when confronted, Ric smirked at his brother's remark.

    "I was the stranger that came to see you a few weeks ago in the hospital, I'm sure your lovely wife told you about it." he still evading the question, Zander still not amused with the stranger standing in his living room.

    "Why don't you just tell us who you are and why your here?" Ric demanded, he was losing his patience, even if Zander wasn't.

    The stranger went to pull his badge from his jacket pocket and Marcus stepped forward, ready to take him down if need be. "Hey, woah .. I'm just reaching for my identification, big guy." he snarked and Marcus backed off a little bit. Steele pulled out his badge and handed it to Zander. Ric grabbed it first and inspected it. Ric didn't really need to see any identification from Steele, he already knew more about Steele then Steele knew about himself.

    "The badge still doesn't tell us what you're doing here in Port Charles, especially all the way from Miami." Zander said as he handed the badge back to the Detective.

    "Well, ya see, funny story ... I kinda inherited a case .. a murder case, from my father, and though the trail was cold 15 years ago, it's getting alot warmer over the past few months. And it led me to you." Steele answered as Ric and Marcus had words, and Marcus returned to his post outside the door.

    Steele noticed the cold eyes Zander had, it was apparent he wasn't about to tell him much of anything about this case. "And see the shooting a few weeks ago, I seem to think that the two are connected somehow. Care to tell me about the how you got shot?" Steele asked as he noticed Zander holding his hand against his side that was bandaged.

    "I don't ...." Zander began, but Ric stepped in. "Don't say a word, Zander. Not a word."

    "What are you his attorney or something?" Steele asked as Ric came face to face with him.

    "As a matter of fact .. yes I am. As of this minute, I'm his attorney of record. Do you have a problem with that Detective?" Ric said sternly.

    "You can't do that. That would be a conflict of interest for you ... Mr. Lansing." Steele replied knowing full well who he was talking to.

    "And why do you say that, Mr. Steele." Ric answered as Steele grinned.

    "Oh yes, you're name came up Mr. Lansing in some of our reports over the past few months, actually having alot to do with your little brother, there. He's been in alot of messes lately." Ric tried to remain calm as he closed the gap between he and the Detective.

    "I don't know what you want from Zander, but he isn't talking to you or to any one else about this murder case or about the shooting a few weeks ago. And I suggest, that if you want to keep breathing, you will be leaving this apartment ... in 10 seconds." Ric threatened as Steele became very nervous.

    "Did you just threaten me, Mr. Lansing?" Steele asked as his confidence was given a shot in the arm.

    "Me? I didn't threaten you, Mr. Steele ... just giving you some friendly advice, is all. Now whether you take it or is up to you." Ric smirked as he smoothed out Steele's suit with his hands. He knew he had Steele squirming in his boots and he was going to enjoy ever minute of it.

    Zander stood back and enjoyed the show as he grinned watching his brother do what he did best. If this wasn't proof that he and Ric were related he didn't know what would be.

    "Looks to me like you're running out of options, Detective." Ric added as he went to the door and opened it for the officer.

    "Looks to me like the two of you will be seeing me again." Ric returned a smirk. "We'll be looking forward to it, Detective."

    Steele walked out of the apartment and to the elevators, hearing Ric's last words before the door slammed shut.


  21. SoapQueen89
    The scene opens in the bedroom of Zander and Emily's penthouse apartment, the bedroom is dark, dimly lit by the storm that's brewing outside the window.

    The rain pounded hard against the elongated window, the wind outside howled as the storm made it's presence known. Zander stood looking out across the bay into the darkness as the lightning flashed in the distance, thunder rolled across the sky and he turned and with concern and worry in his eyes towards the one true love he has ever known, the woman who had his heart, his wife, Emily. She lay in slumber only a few feet from him and the flashes of light that filtered in through the window as the storm drew closer illuminated her form just enough so he could admire from across the room.

    The early morning hours drew near and he was restless, he couldn't sleep, he slipped quietly from bed, so as not to wake her. He gazed out the window into the midnight and wondered if his life was to end in tragedy as well. He had always known that the life he led was dangerous and deadly, but it was the only life he knew. His father was in over his head, killed by his rival when Zander was just a boy, but old enough to witness the murder and know who had done the deed. A man who was close to his father's side through out the years, his father's right hand man, a dirty player in the game who only had one thing to gain by killing his long time boss, power. Power and greed were the motives for his father's death, and he couldn't allow power and greed take over the life he had worked so hard for.

    The dark, dangerous, and sometimes deadly life had always been on his mind, he could never guarantee or promise he'd return, he couldn't promise he'd be home every night at a reasonable hour, he couldn't promise a life of safety and security, the only thing he could promise was that he would protect and love his family. His wife, Emily, knew that walking into this relationship and then marriage ... But he was still worried and fearful of the life she'd have if God forbid he was to leave one evening and not return. If tragedy struck and he'd be killed by a rival organization it would devastate her, she'd be lost with out him. He was in way to deep to turn back now, there was no way out. His life now threatened by another powerful organization who wanted control of the territory he was handed down by his family. He had never thought he and Sonny would be on opposing sides, their relationship was never cozy but they were friends and had been for some time. Now his mentor was the one who was threatening to take his life.

    Had never wanted to bring fear into the eyes of those he loved, and lately he had seen it in the eyes of his wife and child. He couldn't leave the life he built for himself, he couldn't make promises or guarantees to Emily or to his child that he'd always be with them, he couldn't turn back now, there was too much at stake.

    The storm raged on outside as he thought about all his options, there didn't seem to be answer for him as he stared out into the darkness. The driven rain pounded against the glass as he turned and walked towards the bed. He brushed back a stray strand of Emily's auburn hair and softly kissed her cheek. Tenderness and devotion filled his eyes as he watched her sleep. He quietly left the bedroom and walked down the stairs, he knew there was no sleep for him tonight, he had a lot on his mind. Only dressed in his black silk pajama pants, the tile of the living room floor was cold as he stepped down off the last step of the stairs. His feet patted across the floor as he picked up a clean glass from the wet bar counter. He poured himself a drink, he didn't care what, it needed to be strong. He poured himself a double and walked towards the mahogany desk. He sat in his chair, opened the file that lay on the desk, and stared down at it. He ran his hands through his cool black hair and wondered if his rival, Sonny Corinthos was as restless as he was. He flipped the folder closed in frustration and took the last swallow of his drink, he grimaced as it went down his throat. He set the glass on the desk and walked away leaving it there till morning. He headed back up the stairs towards the bedroom.

    He slipped in quietly and walked to his side of the bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed and laid back down. He folded his arms underneath his head and stared at the ceiling. She heard him come in and slip back into bed. She moved slowly towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, she nuzzled in close and laid her head on his shoulder. Still unaware what was on his mind, she closed her eyes again and fell back asleep in the arms that she knew would protect and love her always.

    He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes, his mind raced with worry, fear and concern as all his thoughts could give him was what ifs. He slowly moved down and laid his head on the pillow, hoping he could fall asleep. The storm now upon the town of Port Charles, it raged on as the thunder rumbled and the lightning cracked loudly as it struck the ground across town. It shook him awake in a cold sweat fearfully he had been the victim of a gunshot. He still groggy from sleep, felt up and down both their bodies fearing the worst. He found nothing wrong as he awoke fully and breathed a sigh of relief it had only been the storm.



    Across town someone else worries --

    She heard the key in the door as she lay awake on the couch waiting for him to come back from his midnight meeting at St. Timothy's church. She removed the afghan from her body and rose from the couch to meet him as he opened the door and stepped into the apartment.

    "Oh thank God!" she rushed into his arms so glad he was alive. She had been having nightmares of a fateful night like this night and finding out from one of the guards he had been shot.

    "Hey, hey it's okay. I'm alright. I'm home now." he replied as he tried to comfort her worries.

    She looked up at him, he drenched from the rain. She touched every inch of him, finding him in one piece, no wounds to speak of. He looked at her confused as to what she was doing.

    "Elizabeth, what are you doing?" he asked as he felt her hands touch him all over.

    "I'm looking for war wounds, what do you think I'm doing?" she replied in a serious tone as he chuckled at her actions.

    "I'm okay...really." he answered as he removed his leather jacket and hung it on the back of the desk chair.

    "Well, I ... I wanted to be sure." she said still concerned about what could of happened tonight.

    He and she walked together towards the couch and sat down. She covered herself with the afghan once again as she felt a chill in the air that gave her the quivers. She leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed up and down along her arms with his hand.

    "I was worried about you....you didn't call and I didn't know what to do, Jason." she flinched as the lightning outside struck once again. She jumped frightened by the storm that raged on outside. He held her against him in the hopes of soothing her fears.

    He could only imagine what she feared for him. He had been leading the dangerous life for a long time and he told her before initiating a relationship with him that it would not be a life she would of hoped for. He had told her from the beginning he couldn't promise her a life of security, a life free from danger, all he could give her was a dangerous lifestyle with guards and guns.

    He slipped out from underneath her and covered her up with the afghan. He brushed back a stray strand of hair from her face and gently touched her cheek with the back of his hand. She was the most precious thing in his life, he would protect her at all costs. He turned and walked towards the window. He stared out into the darkness as the lightning flashed and the thunder rumbled so he could feel it in his gut.

    Jason knew he was in too deep to leave the organization, there was no turning back. He wasn't surprised that the rival organization wanted the territory he and Sonny had possession of. It was prime real estate that would bring in huge dollars to those who had possession of it. He wasn't shocked to hear that his brother in law was the opposing party who was in after it, the territory he had possession of, laid against the territory already owned by Zander's family. There was a war about to begin, he was fearful for his sister and his wife. He glanced over his shoulder and watched her sleep so peacefully, he went to her side and scooped her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled in close. He carefully walked up the stairs and to the bedroom. He laid her down gently and covered her with the blankets. She turned into the pillow and sighed. He smiled and walked to the other side of the bed. He removed his tee shirt, and then his jeans and boots. He slipped into bed beside her as she felt the warmth of his body against her and she was overwhelmed with the feeling of security.

    For tonight, he was home safe and his arms wrapped around her. For tonight, he was home unscathed from the storm that raged on.


    The next morning --Zander and Emily's Penthouse

    The late night summer storm blew through Port Charles only to leave behind a beautiful sunrise and a clear blue sky. Emily awoke early that morning by the sound of Devon's crying. She quickly slipped on her ruby silk robe and her terry slippers, she looked over her shoulder to see Zander still sleeping soundly for the first time that night. He'd been restless last night, though he didn't realize she was aware, she was. She stood up from the edge of the bed and went to Devon's room to comfort him. When she reached his room he had pulled himself up to the collapsible side bar of the crib, his face lit up when he saw his mommy standing in the doorway of the nursery. He not quite 7 months old, was her and Zander's miracle. She had been told by countless doctors that she would have a difficulty becoming pregnant, and if she were to become pregnant, she would have a hard time carrying the baby to term. Both were pleasantly surprised when she found out she was carrying Devon. Doctors had put her on the strictest routine because she was at risk. Plenty of bed rest and absolutely no stress ... a difficult thing not to have when she's married into the mob lifestyle.

    Devon, a dark haired little boy, was certainly happy to see his mother when he woke up every morning. Emily not knowing how having a child would change their lives, she was just overwhelmed with being a mother. She reached into the crib and lifted him up to her. He smiled and cooed as his mother just smiled at how big he was getting over the last few months. He'd be walking and getting into mischief in no time. She had to laugh at the faces he was making as she stood and held him close to her. She changed his diaper and got him all ready for the day. The morning sun created funny shadows on the Noah's Ark wallpaper of the nursery as Devon smiled and pointed to the sunspots that were scattered on the walls. She headed out the door of the nursery with Devon in her arms as she peeked in at Zander and noticed he was still sleeping. She left him sleep and took the baby down stairs for breakfast.

    She sat Devon in his highchair and took out a bottle of milk and his baby food from the refrigerator. She laid a terry bib on the counter and grabbed a baby spoon from the drawer. Devon sat waiting patiently as he watched his mom gathering his breakfast. She was surprised at how good he was when it came to feeding him. He rarely made a mess for her to clean up or was fussy with what she was giving him to eat. She sat down in front of him and opened up the jar of strained bananas. She put the terry bib on him and snapped it closed in back. He cooed at her and she smiled and laughed with him. She turned when she heard the pattering of bare feet from the living room. Zander had awaken and walked across the tile floor of the living room and into the kitchen.

    "Morning sweet heart..." he said and kissed her on her cheek and then said good morning to his son as he brushed the side of his pudgy cheeks. "Any coffee?" he asked as he walked towards the cabinet for a coffee cup.

    "Sorry, honey ... didn't get a chance to make a fresh pot." she apologized as she spooned another small portion of strained bananas for Devon. Zander began to fill the filter with coffee just as the phone rang. He stopped what he was doing and went to answer it. Emily rolled her eyes cause she knew this was only the beginning of their day, it was sure to get worse as the day went on.

    Zander came back in a few minutes, without saying a word he went back to making a fresh pot of coffee. She noticed his demeanor and didn't ask who was on the phone. She finished giving Devon his strained bananas and handed him a bottle of milk. He grasped onto the bottle and started to suckle the tip. She held it for him as he drank so he wouldn't drop it on the floor.

    Zander filled his coffee cup with his morning caffeine fix and took a seat at the table with his wife and son. He looked at Emily feeding his son and wondered if all of the danger was worth it. How life with his family away from the mob would be different. He ran his hands through his hair and answered his own questions .... what other life did he know ... why worry about the what ifs when all they were, were his dreams.


    Jason and Elizabeth's Penthouse across town --

    Jason's morning began like any other morning as he turned towards Elizabeth to watch her sleeping peacefully. He brushed back a stray strand of her hair and kissed her gently on her lips. She stirred as she felt the sensation of his soft lips on hers and returned the gesture as she wrapped her arms around him.

    "Good morning, beautiful..." he said as she began to stretch out the sleepiness in her body. She yawned and looked at the digital clock that sat by the bedside.

    "Jason ..." she whined as she noticed it was only 5am. "It's so early ..." she continued as he smiled and caressed her upper arm with his strong hand.

    "Yeah, it is .. but I wanted to tell you that I would be leaving again for a few days, and I couldn't leave before I did." he said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and saw that he was dressed in a black tee shirt and jeans.

    "For how long?" she asked as he sat up and reached for his watch that sat on his night stand next to the bed.

    "I don't know .. I'll have to call you when I get there." he replied hoping she wouldn't push the subject with him about where he was going.

    She noticed the look on his face and thought better of asking any more questions that she knew he couldn't answer. He leaned down and kissed her gently, she wrapped her arms around his neck not wanting to let him go. He reached up and pried her arms from him as he got up from the bed. He knew she wanted him to stay, but he had to leave her for a while, he'd be back soon enough. He gave her one last longing look and grabbed his duffle bag as she watched him walk out the bedroom....always on her mind, if it would be for the last time.

    She turned and sunk her head into the down pillow as she heard him return as the door squeaked as he opened it slightly. She turned towards him as he peeked in "I love you..." he said as she smiled and said "I love you too..." He blew her a kiss and was off to somewhere she didn't know.

    She laid in bed alone, with nothing to think about but what would be happening to him while he was away from her. She knew he would return in a few days, he would come back to her as he had done many times before. She turned onto her side, reached out her arm and caressed his side of the bed....still warm from his body, she grabbed his pillow and held it close to her, still having his scent deep in it's fibers, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. He would come back to her .... she just needed to believe that.



    *Note: If these episodes are too long, please let me know and I'll cut them back.*


  22. SoapQueen89
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    There Goes My Life
    by Kenny Chesney

    All he could think about was I'm too young for this
    Got my whole life ahead
    hell I'm just a kid myself
    how I'm gonna raise one

    All he could see were his dreams going up in smoke
    So much for ditching this town and hanging out on the coast
    Oh well, those plans are long gone

    And he said
    there goes my life
    there goes my future, my everything
    might as well kiss it all good-bye
    there goes my life.......

    A couple years of up all night and a few thousand diapers later
    That mistake he thought he made covers up the refrigerator
    Oh yeah..........he loves that little girl.

    Momma's waiting to tuck her in
    as she fumbles up those stairs
    she smiles back at him dragging that teddy bear
    sleep tight, blue eyes and bouncing curls

    He smiles
    there goes my life
    there goes my future my everything
    I love you, daddy goodnight
    there goes my life

    She had that Honda loaded down
    with Abercrombie clothes and 15 pairs of shoes and his American express
    he checked the oil and slammed the hood, said your good to go
    she hugged them both and headed off to the west coast

    And he cried
    there goes my life
    there goes my future, my everything
    I love you
    baby good-bye


    PART 1

    Emily stood in the bathroom looking down at the stick she laid on the vanity 5 minutes ago, she held her breath as she opened her eyes and read the results. She didn't want it to be true, she was too young, she had her whole life ahead of her, this would just complicate things. Her and Zander only slept together once, they were careful and used protection, it has to be the flu, it's not possible. Her hand quivered as she picked up the stick and took a second look at the little window with the 2 blue lines. She quickly went to the instructions that were included in the box, and read them again, thinking she made a mistake in reading it. No mistake. She sighed heavily and laid the stick back down on the counter. She backed away from it and fell against the wall behind her. Her knees buckled and she slid down the wall to the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she could feel the warm tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffled back the emotion she felt as she took her hand and wiped the moistness from her cheeks. She was stunned, she couldn't be pregnant. They were so careful. She sat on the floor of the bathroom, her mind racing with her future passing her by in flashes of what she could of had. She was unsure how Zander would take this news, he's always wanted a baby, but not this soon. They had wanted to wait till they were married, she was barely out of high school. She tried to compose herself enough to make a phone call to tell Zander about the results. She picked herself up off the floor and dried her eyes. She splashed some cold water on her face and grabbed the hand towel from the rack. She took a third look at the stick and saw the same results. She held onto the stick tightly in one hand and reached for the doorknob with the other.

    She walked out into her bedroom and reached for the phone. She hesitated as her index finger quivered as she slowly dialed Zander's phone number. He didn't answer right away, enough time for her to have second thoughts of telling him, but she stayed strong and waited to hear his voice. "Zander ... I need to see you." she said when he answered. She hung up the phone, she knew he'd be at the mansion in a few minutes. She tried to collect her thoughts and wondered how she was going to tell him they were going to be parents. All the dreams they had, were gone. The life they wanted to live was gone, things have changed.

    She heard his soft tap at her bedroom window as she turned her head and saw him waving to her from outside in the old oak tree. She quickly went to open the window so he could climb in, like always. She walked away from the window as he climbed in, like so many times before. He came up behind her as she held the stick in her hand just in awe of the results. "Emily, what's wrong?" he asked as he noticed in her demeanor something was bothering her. She turned into him and fell into his arms. "I'm sorry, Zander. I'm so sorry." she cried into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. "Emily, whatever it is, we'll get through it ... together." he reassured her. She sniffled back the tears as she looked up at him. He took his thumbs and wiped the tears from her cheeks and returned a little smile.

    He looked down and noticed the stick in her hand. He reached for it and she handed it to him. "Zander, I'm .... I'm pregnant." she could barely get out the words, they seemed to be caught in her throat. He took the stick, turned and walked away from her. "Emily, are you sure?" he asked as he turned back around and faced her. The look in her eyes told him it was true. She hung her head and then looked up at him. "Two blue lines, don't lie." she said as she sat down in the chair as she felt her knees go weak. He rushed to her and knelt beside her. He took her hands in his and caressed them. She noticed his eyes welled with tears as she entangled her fingers in his coal black hair. "We'll get through this, we will .. I promise." She stood up from the chair and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I don't know what to do, Zander. I had my life planned, and now this .... I wanted to go to college, get a good job, get married, then start a family. Zander, what are we gonna do?" she sobbed as her tears moistened his tee shirt. He held her tight against him and tried to comfort her fears away. "I don't know Em, we'll figure it out." He reached down and cupped her face in his hands. "I love you and I'm not leaving. We're gonna do this together, okay?" He could feel her arms around him tighten as she buried her face into his chest. "I love you too Zander.

    He spent a few more minutes with her trying to calm her. These results were shocking to both and he just needed to be alone to process it all. He climbed back out the window and into the old oak tree, she watched him go and walked back towards her bed. She fell back on the bed and closed her eyes, hoping that maybe all this would go away, but it didn't. Her mind was filled with thoughts of what was yet to come for her, and it certainly wasn't what she had planned.

    Zander's legs felt like jelly as he landed on the ground below. He could barely walk back to his bike he had parked outside the black iron gates of the Quartermaine estate. He grabbed his helmet and straddled his bike. He couldn't hold in the emotions any longer, as he released all that was building up inside him. He left it all go and began to feel the warm tears trickle down his cheeks. He felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach, the news was not what he expected or was it wanted. He slipped on his helmet and turned the ignition.
    The bike roared as he rode down the one lane driveway back into town. He rode through town and past the city limit sign, he needed time to think and he couldn't do that in his room at Jake's.

    He rode for what seemed like hours, till he reached the old footbridge quite a few miles out of town. He and Emily used to go there alot, he had some fond memories of their time spent together. He pulled the bike to the side of the road and kicked the stand. He removed the helmet and hung it on the handle bar as he turned off the roar of the engine. He breathed in the fresh air deeply as he slid off the seat. He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets and walked to the middle of the bridge. He leaned on the railing and the emotions once again overwhelmed him. His mind racing with the news Emily had just told him, and all the things he had planned for his future had just gone up in smoke. "Well, there goes my life. There goes my future, my everything, might as well, kiss it all goodbye. "

    PART 2

    Emily heard the roar of Zander's bike pull in the drive way and she wiped her hands clean on the apron she had wrapped around her waist. She reached for Katie who sat quietly in her high chair watching her every move. "Daddy's home." Emily said as she and Katie walked towards the front door and waited for Zander. The door opened and Katie smiled brightly when she saw Zander walk in. She reached for him and he took her in his arms. "Hi sweetness." he said as he kissed Emily on the cheek hello. "Long day?" she ask as she noticed his greasy shirt. "Yeah and I'm exhausted." he replied as he walked towards the couch with Katie in his arms. "Dinner is almost ready. I'll leave her here with you while I set the table." Emily hoping that Zander didn't fall asleep before he had something to eat, he looked worn out. He had taken a job at the local bike shop fixing and rebuilding motorcycles, it was something that paid the bills and it was it legal, unlike the other jobs that were offered to him. She could hear he and Katie playing as she set the kitchen table and filled the glasses with water.

    She soon called him to come in and sit down to eat. Katie was put in her high chair and her eyes widened at the plate Emily had made for her. Her fingers soon found the mashed potatoes and as usual most ended up on the floor or on her then in her mouth. Zander smiled as he watched his daughter enjoy her dinner. Emily got up from her chair and went for a napkin to clean up the mess that Katie was leaving everywhere. Zander laid down his napkin and went to refill his glass with water from the pitcher in the refrigerator. He stopped and looked at the refrigerator door covered with pictures of Katie. He smiled as he took one of the pictures in his hand and held it to his chest. His heart filled with so much love for his little girl, the mistake they thought they had made, was a mistake no longer. She was his little girl, she was his heart, she was his life now. He put the picture back on the refrigerator door, Emily noticed his private moment as she smiled cause she had the same thoughts every time she saw them too.

    After dinner, Emily took Katie upstairs for her nightly bath and to get her ready for bed. Zander watched Emily climb the stairs as Katie followed not so close behind. Zander sat on the bottom step watching Katie fumble up the stairs, she looked back at him as she held onto her teddy bear that dragged along the steps. He smiled and thought to himself...."there goes my life, my everything..." she looked back once more and said .."I love you daddy.." He felt a sense of pride as his future reached the top of the staircase. "I love you too, sweetheart." he mumbled to himself as she disappeared from sight. He could hear her giggling as Emily picked her up and then the bathroom door closed shut.

    Zander ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He was exhausted and he knew he had to do it all over again tomorrow. All he needed was a peaceful nights sleep, which he hadn't gotten since Katie was born. Midnight feedings, up all night rocking her to sleep, late nights were something that became a habit for him, but he wouldn't change a thing. Katie was his world, his life.

    He turned out the lights and locked the front door before climbing the stairs to the bedroom. He could hear Katie laughing and playing while Emily gave her bath. He stood outside the bathroom door and listened. Emily surprised him as she opened up the door and he almost fell into her. She and Katie laughed as Zander had a startled look on his face. He recovered by taking Katie in his arms and held her up in front of him, he blew a raspberry on her tummy and she giggled. "I love you..." he said as Katie's little fingers entangled themselves in his coal black hair. "I love you too Daddy." Those words warmed his heart every time he heard them, he smiled at her.

    "Time for bed." Emily said as she walked into Katie's room and turned on the light. Zander held Katie in his arms and put her down in her bed. She didn't want to let go as her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck. He pried her from him and covered her up with the blankets. He brushed back the curls from her face and kissed her lightly on her cheek. "Goodnight sweetness." he said and walked towards the doorway. "Night daddy." she replied as he turned off the lights, only a dim nightlight was left on as he closed the door.

    Emily watched him from across the hall as he peeked in at Katie one more time before going to bed himself. She noticed emotion overwhelm him as his hand wiped the moistness from his cheek. "Amazing isn't she?" she said as she came up from behind him wrapping her arms around his waist. "Yeah she is. Thank you." he replied as he turned into her. "Thank you for what?" she asked as Zander wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Thank you for bringing Katie into my life."

    PART 3

    Zander stood waiting at the bottom of the stairs for the next suitcase to take out to the car, as he could hear Katie dragging out of her bedroom and to the top of the stairs. "Hey Dad? How much room do I have left in the car?" she shouted from her bedroom. Zander glanced out the door at the car sitting in the drive way, all he could see were boxes smashed against the passenger side windows. "Not alot, sweetheart. Why?" Katie came to the top of the stairs with a very large laundry bag in her arms. "Will this fit?" Zander chuckled. "Uh, no. Not unless you want to tie to the roof." She raised an eyebrow at him and Zander immediately shook his head in disagreement.

    Katie began to lug the heavy suitcase down the stairs one step at a time. As she reached the last step, Zander took it from her and carried it out to the car. Emily came from the kitchen with a paper bag in her hand. "Mom." Katie whined with a smile. "Now look, it's a long drive to Stanford, you're going to need nourishment. So I packed some snacks." Katie kissed her mom on the cheek and took the paper bag from her as Zander walked in the front door dragging his feet. "I hope that's the last to go in the car, cause I don't think anything else will fit." he chuckled as Katie approached him. "Yes, Daddy. That's the last bag, I swear." she held up her two forefingers and crossed her heart.

    "So, you're going to call when you get there, right?" Zander asked as he pulled his daughter tight against him. "I will." she replied as she buried her face into his chest. "I'm gonna miss you, sweetness." he whispered, barely getting the words out as his emotions overcame him. "I'm gonna miss you too, Dad." Emily came up behind them and caressed the back of Katie's head with her hand. "Now you be careful, drive safely. It's no race to get there. Stanford will be there, so take your time." Katie rolled her eyes at their concern. She knew they loved her, but their worry was overwhelming at times.

    Katie grabbed her jacket from the coat rack and held the paper bag in her hand as Emily escorted her out the door and to the car. She gave her one last hug before Katie got in the car. Zander stood in the open doorway watching his daughter back out of the driveway for the last time. She was all grown up, going off to college, something both he and Emily always wanted for her, but his heart was heavy with sadness. He felt his eyes well with tears as the car disappeared from sight. Emily turned and walked back into the house as Zander just stood in the doorway looking out towards the street. He was in deep thought when he heard the phone ring.

    He went quickly to answer it and heard a familiar voice on the other end. "I forgot to tell you something before I left." Katie sniffled back the tears as she stopped the car only a few blocks from the house. "Yeah what was that?" Zander asked as a tear trickled down his cheek. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you Daddy." He never got tired of hearing those words and they brought an overwhelming warmth of emotion, he wiped the tears from his eyes with his hand as he replied ..."I love you too, sweetheart." He hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen, he noticed the pictures on the refrigerator door still hung, they've changed over the years, but the feeling he got was the same. Katie grew up, but she'd always be Daddy's little girl.
  23. SoapQueen89

    Trevor Lansing

    By SoapQueen89,

    Portrayed by Roscoe Born



    Trevor Lansing, father of Ric Lansing and silent partner in Ric and Sonny's partnership. Trevor still holds controlling shares within Ric's territory.

    Trevor and Ric, though father and son, still have residual ill feelings from past mistakes. Trevor spent more time with the business when Ric was younger, than with him. It has caused deep wounds and scars that resurface frequently.

    Trevor permanent home is Miami, Florida.
  24. SoapQueen89
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    Whiskey Lullabye
    by Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss

    She put him out like the burning end of a midnight cigarette.
    She broke his heart: He spent his whole life trying to forget.
    We watched him drink his pain away, a little at a time,
    But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind,
    Until the night:
    He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger.
    And finally drank away her memory.
    Life is short, but this time it was bigger,
    Than the strength he had to get up off his knees.
    We found him with his face down in the pillow,
    With a note that said: 'I'll love her till I die.'
    And when we buried him beneath the willow,
    The angels sang a whiskey lullabye.
    La la la la la la la
    La la la la la la la.
    La la la la la la la,
    La la la la la la la.

    The rumors flew, but nobody knew how much she blames herself.
    For years and years, she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath.
    She finally drank her pain away, a little at a time,
    But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind.

    Until the night:
    She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger.
    And finally drank away his memory.
    Life is short, but this time it was bigger,
    Than the strength she had to get up off her knees.
    We found her with her face down in the pillow,
    Clinging to his picture for dear life.
    We laid her next to him beneath the willow,
    While the angels sang a whiskey lullabye.
    La la la la la la la
    La la la la la la la.
    La la la la la la la,
    La la la la la la la.

    The cold rain poured down as he stood outside the window of the cottage she and he had shared for a few months they were happiest. He peered through the rain streaked window to see the glow of the fireplace and two shadowy figures cuddling close. He had followed her from Kelly's, where she had met Elizabeth for one of their girl talks, he knew something was going on but had no idea he would find her with someone else.

    His fists clenched, the rage inside him burned as he stepped onto the front porch and pushed open the front door. The lightning flashed as the rain poured down, both startled to see a dark figure standing in the doorway, she jumped up from the floor, covering up her nakedness with the blanket. He drenched from the rain, stepped inside approaching her with out a word to say. He couldn't believe what he had witnessed. He stood in front of her as she pleaded with him it wasn't what it looked like. But he knew better then to take her word for anything. He turned around to leave as she followed him to the door and reach for his arm. He pulled from her and walked out into the storm, she left standing on the porch in the rain, the thunder could be heard in the distance as she felt her heart sink.

    He had lost everything in a few brief moments, his body shivering from the cold rain that soaked his clothes, but the rage in him still burned hot. He drove to the nearest tavern and stepped inside out of the storm. He shook off his jacket and took a seat at the bar. He ordered up a bottle of Jack and paid the bartender. He drank every last drop in the bottle in the hopes of getting the images of his wife and another man out of his mind, though one bottle didn't seem to be enough as he went back for another. He stumbled up the stairs to an empty room he had just paid for and went to drink away his pain.

    She quickly got dressed and went looking for him, never to find him that night. The guilt of what she had done to him that stormy night overwhelmed her. She sat alone in her car parked along the dim lit street and sobbed. It wasn't something she wanted to happen, it just did. She tried to explain, but all he saw was rage and she couldn't blame him, it wasn't his fault, it was hers. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him, she loved him still.

    Months went by, and he just couldn't get her off his mind. The images never left him, the pain never faded away. No matter how much he drank, it didn't drown what he was feeling inside. His body wasn't strong enough to take the punishment he was inflicting on it and it soon became apparent to him, his life was over and without her, he was left with nothing.

    She found him on the floor, laying lifeless one morning. She had hoped after some time, she could explain and he'd be able to forgive her for her indiscretion, but it was too late. His pain and anger consumed him as she read the note he had left on the night stand. All he ever wanted was to live a life of happiness, with her. She was his life, and she took all that away that night.

    She crumbled to her knees next to him and sobbed as he lay before her, an empty bottle next to him. She called for help but it was too late ... he was gone. Gone to a better place, where he could get the peace and happiness he deserved. He certainly didn't deserve the pain she had caused him and she was so sorry for all that she had put him through.

    She found herself sitting by his grave more times then she'd care to count, just saying she was sorry. That's all she could say, he was gone and there was no bringing him home to her. The guilt and the sorrow ate away at her every minute of every day and soon she was reaching for ways to curb the hurt....or at least she thought it did. She tried to hide it the best she could, but those around her saw what his death was doing to her. Some tried to help her but she just turned away and drowned herself in the bottom of a bottle, just like he had. It was the only way she knew how to take the pain away of losing him. She didn't know how much she loved him till he was gone and there was nothing she could do about it now, but try to escape the world she didn't want to live in without him.

    She went to visit him one last time, with a bottle in her hand, she fell to her knees and took a drink. She laid down beside him, her eyes fluttered closed and she was to never feel the hurt or pain again. A feeling of peace came over her as she slipped into a world she had been wanting to enter for a long time. He stood waiting for her in the distance as he reached for her hand and smiled.

    She took a few steps towards him and took his hand in hers, she smiled and all felt right between them. The laughing, the happiness they both had wanted was back and all she could think of was how good it felt to be back in his arms once more. There were no more apologies, no more hurt, no more pain and anger .. it was just gone from inside and all that was left were two people in love.
  25. SoapQueen89
    WICKED is the sequel to the STORM and it will pick up where the STORM leaves off with episode 50. Readers will see more of the bodyguards as they will play more of a role in the sequel. Readers can expect more explosions and more shoot outs between the mob rivals Jason and Zander, and in the sequel Lorenzo Alcazar is thrown into this volatile mix. Readers will also be told a story of Zander's past as a child and also a close bond forming between Alexis and Ric.

    The cast will stay the same and if any recasts or new residents move in, we will be sure to keep you all informed of the changes.

    WICKED will debut on Monday, May 14th.


    Thank you all for reading The Storm, and I hope you continue to read it's sequel, WICKED!
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