SoapQueen89

Jason's Penthouse -- Even though Jason had been laid up from the shooting for weeks now, he was still on top of things that were going on in Port Charles, and what was happening with Zander and Emily. He wasn't happy at all about Sonny going to the county jail for 3 weeks till the trial and had his own plan ready to go into motion on his order. The only problem Jason had with his plans, was his sister getting caught in the crossfire. Elizabeth had gone shopping, like every Friday before. While she was out, he would take the first step in his plan, and that was finding where Zander had taken his family. Jason called a few of his contacts to see what he could find out about Zander's whereabouts, and he finally got a hit amongst a few of the misses. "I don't want you do to anything to him, you understand me? My sister is with him and I don't want her hurt. Just follow him and his driver Marcus. I want to know where Zander goes on a daily basis, if anywhere." Jason flipped closed his cell phone wondering if he should pay his sister a visit. He grabbed his jacket and his keys before heading for the door to leave. As he opened up the penthouse door, he found Emily on the other side ready to knock. "Hi." she said as his momentum almost pushed him into her. "Hi." he replied as he invited her inside. "I know I shouldn't be here, Jase. But I had to see you. Is Elizabeth home?" "No, she went on her regular Friday shopping ritual." "Oh, good. I came to see you about Zander." Jason wondered what she had swirling around in her mind. He closed the door and walked towards her. "What about?" he asked as he showed her a seat on the sofa. "I want you to promise me, Jason, that you won't come after Zander." Jason taken back by her request. "You know I can't promise you something like, Em." he replied, her eyes filled with disappointment. "Look, I know things between you and Zander are to say the least .. strained. But can't you do this for me, Jase. At least till this trial mess is over with." "Em, your husband sent my best friend and partner to prison and he's going to testify at Sonny's trial! How can I not retaliate?" Jason stood up and walked away from her. "I know, but Sonny is Zander's father, how would Sonny feel if you hurt his child, Jason?!" she threw the only card she had left at him, hoping for some sympathy. "Don't you dare use that with me Em! Zander is not the victim here!" he snapped back. "How can you say that, Jason .. of course he is! He's spent years of his life trying to forget all the hurt and pain that Sonny and Frank caused him, and now that the secrets are out, he's still living the nightmare! Zander is so the victim here!" she shouted back at her brother. "Okay, I'm sorry, Em. I'm not that unfeeling for Zander's pain and hurt but he's putting Carly and her children through their own nightmare, they have lost Sonny for God knows how long! How are they suppose to deal with this situation?" Jason asked as Emily got up from her seat and went to him. "I know this is a bad situation for everyone involved. And I am sorry that Carly and her boys have to endure it as well, but dammit Jason, can't you just see passed it and let it go. Stop it before it gets way out of hand and someone else gets hurt!" Emily replied hoping she was making some sense to Jason. "Look, I can't guarantee anything ... our lives don't come with guarantees or promises." he replied as she cracked a smile. "Thank you." she replied as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "You be sure to tell your husband, that after this is all over, it's back to business and then those promises are null and void." he threatened. Emily walked towards the door, feeling a little better then when she had arrived. "I'll tell him." she smiled as he opened the door for her and she stepped out into the hallway. "I'll tell Elizabeth you stopped by." he said before saying goodbye to Emily and closing the door. Elevator Leading to the Parking Garage -- Emily stepped onto the elevator and pushed the button to go down, Marcus was waiting for her in the parking garage to take her back to the cabin. But she thought before she'd go back, she do a little shopping while she was in town. She quickly called Zander and left him know that she was going to shop for a little while and that she'd be back before dark. The elevator came to a stop on the parking garage floor, and the doors opened up for her. She stepped out and noticed the limo was parked there waiting, but she didn't see Marcus. She called for him a few times, but he didn't answer. As she walked around the car she got the uneasy feeling she was being watched and it scared her considerably. She quickly became aware of her surroundings and reached inside her bag for her cell phone. When she flipped it open she realized she had no service inside the garage and it did her no good to call Zander. She reached the back end of the limo and the back door flew open. It startled her so, she jumped back and heard a voice from inside demanding her to get in the car. Her heart began to race faster and faster and she froze where she stood, her feet firmly planted to the cement floor. Her eyes widened when the person the voice was attached to emerged from the back seat of the limo. "I think it would be in your best interest to get inside the car, Mrs. Smith." the tall and distinguished man said as he held the door open for her. "I'm not going anywhere till you tell me who you are and what this is all about?!" she demanded as the man scowled at her. The man pulled a 9mm from the back of his waistband and pointed it at her discreetly. "Now, I don't think you would like what your other option is." he replied with no emotion. She slowly walked around the door and got in as she was told. "What did you too Marcus?" she asked as she sat down in the back seat with the stranger. The stranger ignored her question as he closed the door, still holding on to his gun and pointing directly at Emily. "All I want to do is talk with you, Mrs. Smith. There's no reason to be alarmed." "No reason to be alarmed? You are pointing a loaded weapon in my direction and forced me inside this car with you, and I don't even know who you are or what you want!" The stranger sat back against the cushion of the seat and laid the gun on the seat beside him. Her eyes watched as he carefully laid his hand on top of the weapon, though not in his hand anymore, it still was very much threatening. "So who are you and what do you want from me?" she asked again as the stranger stared at her, he was like studying her every feature making sure he remembered every inch. "My name is Damien Smith and I want you to take me to see my nephew."

The Penthouse -- Sonny stormed into the penthouse, his anger could be seen by everyone. Victoria and the officer that was assigned to Sonny followed him into the apartment. "You have an hour Sonny, you better use the time wisely. This tantrum is not helping anything, you know that." Victoria said as Carly heard the commotion downstairs and came running down the stairs. "What is going on down here?! There are children sleeping upstairs." she said as she saw Sonny outraged about something. "What's going on down here is that Zander has sent me to the county jail for 3 weeks, that's what's going on!" Sonny shouted. Carly got worried, Sonny would never last 3 weeks in a jail cell, his claustrophobia would get him first. She tried to calm him down, but nothing seemed to work. He was furious and the only thing she could do was to let him go, it was dangerous to stop him. "So ... what? They're going to take you right away?" Carly asked when she noticed the officer standing by the door. "Yes, Sonny has one hour, and we were lucky to get that." Victoria said as she stood holding her attache case in her hands. "Should we call Jason or something?" Carly said as she went to the phone ready to pick it up. "No, I'm sure Jason's heard already, it's all over the news. He knows what to do." Sonny replied as he headed for the stairs. "Where are you going?" the officer asked when he saw Sonny heading up the stairs. "I'm going to say goodbye to my children. Is that okay with you?" Sonny snapped back. The office took one step back and left Sonny go up the stairs and he disappeared into the darkness. Carly excused herself and followed her husband, making sure he was alright. Victoria and the officer waited patiently in the living room for Sonny, while he and Carly said their goodbyes in private. They emerged from upstairs and he kissed her goodbye. The officer handcuffed Sonny and opened the door to leave. Carly stood watching him go and her eyes filled with tears as Victoria looked at her with a disappointed look. "I'm so sorry, Carly. I'm going to do everything I can to get him out." Victoria followed the officer out the door and to the elevator. Jason stood at the door to his penthouse watching as they stepped onto the elevator and the doors closed. As soon as they did, he walked over to the penthouse to check on Carly. When she saw Jason standing in the doorway, she ran to him and fell into his arms. "Jason ... what are we going to do?" she cried, her tears moistened his black tee shirt as he held her against him, trying to comfort her the best he could. "We're not going to do anything. There isn't anything we can do. Sonny's attorney I'm sure has her own plans set into motion and I have mine." he replied as he stood there with her in the middle of the living room. The PCPD Squadroom -- Victoria and the officer escorted Sonny into the squad room of the PCPD, and Ric was waiting for them. A grin came over Ric's face when he saw Sonny walk into the room in handcuffs. There was no snickering or smirking coming from him now, just a blank stare. "Take Mr. Corinthos down to booking and get him processed. He'll have to spend a few hours in lock up till the wagon arrives to take him to the county prison." Ric instructed as the officer did what he was told. "You know that 3 weeks in the county prison will kill him, right?" Victoria said as she approached Ric. "And do you know, that I don't much care. What he did to my mother was inexcusable and what he did to Zander's father was unforgivable. He deserves to be punished for his crimes." "Well, I am sorry about all of that, it must of been difficult for your brother and for you ..." her words drifted off as she noticed the extremely handsome man she was talking to. "Thank you, but that doesn't make up for what your client did to my family, counselor." "I know, and I'm sure this case opened up alot of old wounds for both you and your brother." she replied as she tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "Yes this is a very long time coming for Zander and I ... putting Sonny away for these crimes has almost been worth the wait." he smirked. At the cabin -- Zander and Emily arrived back at the cabin with Devon, and Marcus was given his orders before he left to drive back to town. Zander walked Emily and Devon to the front door and unlocked it with his key. He escorted her inside and took Devon from her arms as she set down the bag she had draped over her shoulder. It was getting late and it was time for Devon to go to bed. She took him from Zander and walked up the stairs to the nursery, while Zander sat down on the couch. Zander laid down on the couch and stretched out his entire body. His nightmare was finally over, at least for a while. He was sure he would have to testify again at the trial. He heard Emily come down the stairs and made room for her on the couch with him. She removed her shoes and laid down next to him. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the back of her neck. "Thank you ..." he said and she turned into him. "For what?" she replied as her hand smoothed back his coal black hair. "Thank you for believing in me and for being my rock through all of this." he replied. She caressed his face with her hand and smiled. "You don't ever have to thank me, Zander ... you know I would do anything for you because I love you." He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. The kiss lingered and left her wanting more when it was released. She turned herself outward, her back laying against him and she snuggled close, her body fitting perfectly against his curves. He leaned in and whispered to her ... "I love you too...."

As they walked into the front door of the courthouse, Zander asked .."What are the chances we'll get the decision we want?" "I think the chances are pretty good, Zander. With your testimony and the circumstantial evidence we submitted, I think we have a good chance of a victory." Ric replied as the four of them walked down the hallway towards the courtroom. Ric opened the door to the courtroom and they all filed in and took their seats. Alexis and Ric at the prosecution table and Zander with Emily sat behind them in the first row. Emily latched on to Zander's hand for support and he squeezed it to thank her. She smiled and leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder. "It's going to be alright." he said before the bailiff appeared from the side door. Sonny and his attorney appeared in the back of the courtroom and took their seats at the opposing table. Victoria looked over at Ric and Alexis and then sat down in her seat, seemingly nervous for her client. "All rise. Court is now in session, the Honorable Judge Cooper presiding." the bailiff announced as Judge Cooper emerged from the side door and took his seat on the bench. Once he was seated everyone else sat down, and he opened up his court by the stroke of the gavel. Zander's insides twisted and turned with worry that Sonny would get off once again for killing his father. He felt Emily's hand laced with his, and he knew that whatever happened in the courtroom that day, he would always have her love and she would always be there for him. "We have re-conveened here in this courtroom because the Grand Jury has reached their decision in the case against Mr. Sonny Corinthos." Judge Cooper said as he unfolded the piece of paper in front of him. "The Grand Jury has found sufficient evidence for the prosecution to proceed with charges against Mr. Corinthos for murder in the first degree." Rejoice from the prosecution side of the courtroom could be heard and they were quieted by Judge Cooper. "Being that this case will be taking some time out of the docket calendar, we will begin this trial in 3 weeks from tomorrow. I'm sure all of you will be able to make it .... and counselors, please come prepared for court." the judge continued as Victoria stood up from her chair. "There is a matter of bail, your Honor." she stated. "Well, why don't we skip the formalities, counselor. We will settle bail right here and now." "Your Honor, the prosecution wishes to have on record that we are objecting to bail in this case. Mr. Corinthos certainly should be considered a flight risk, he has the means and all his assets at his disposal. The prosecution recommends no bail and he be remanded to county lockup till trial." Ric spoke up. "Your Honor, Mr. Corinthos has family ties to the community, he has a flourishing business he is a part of and he has a family waiting at home for him. Mr. Corinthos is no more of a flight risk then you or I." Victoria argued. "Ultimately this is my decision, counselors. And I have read over Mr. Corinthos's file and have taken notice to his means and I also do believe him to be a flight risk and if I may add a threat to his new found family." Judge Cooper replied as Ric turned and looked at Zander and Emily with a smile. "With that said, I do concur that Mr. Corinthos should be remanded to the county lock up till trial." "Your Honor, if I may ..... If Mr. Corinthos is to be jailed till trial, we would like to suggest he be kept at the jail in the basement of the PCPD. My client would be more comfortable close to his family then 50 miles away at the county prison." Victoria replied, still pleading Sonny's case. Judge Cooper sat and pondered the request from the defense. "Considering Mr. Corinthos's business and his connections here in Port Charles, I have to deny your request, counselor. Mr. Corinthos will spend the next three weeks in the county prison till trial." "Your Honor, at least give Mr. Corinthos some time to get his affairs in order before leaving." Victoria replied desperately pleading with the judge to see Sonny's side of things. "Your Honor, the State objects to the defense's request. Giving Mr. Corinthos the time to get his affairs in order would be giving him time to plan his next move to flee this jurisdiction." Ric spoke up once again objecting to Victoria's request on behalf of her client. "Mr. Corinthos has one hour and it will be supervised by an officer of this court. After that, he will be taken to the PCPD and processed and then taken to the county jail to serve out the 3 weeks." the judge ordered and slammed down his gavel after his ruling. Zander exhaled a sigh of relief, at least for 3 weeks, Sonny would be off the streets and away from Emily and Devon. Though still not letting his guard down, because knowing Sonny, he had plans for Zander and his family.

The Courthouse-- As Zander stood with Emily talking with Alexis and Ric, he could feel Sonny's eyes piercing through him. His attorney came over to the table and congratulated Ric on a job well done. Ric accepted her hand and shook it graciously. Sonny got up from his chair and rubbed against Zander as he passed him on the way out of the courtroom. Zander glared in Sonny's direction as he walked out the door. "I can't believe him. He now knows that he is my father and still has no words for me." Zander said angered by Sonny's demeanor towards him. "You weren't expecting fatherly love from Sonny, were you?" Ric replied as he put some papers back in his briefcase. "No but I was expecting some acknowledgment to the fact that he's my father." "Come on, let's go grab some lunch at Kelly's, this might take a while for the Grand Jury to re-conveen." Alexis suggested as she passed behind Ric and headed towards the double doors of the courtroom. "I want to call my parents first and check on Devon." Emily said as she and Zander followed Alexis out into the hallway, Ric bringing up the rear as he grabbed his briefcase from the table and followed. Emily called her parents and checked on Devon as Alexis and Zander along with Ric talked amongst themselves for a few minutes till she finished her conversation on the phone. Zander gave her a look of concern when she re-joined them. "He's fine. Alice is reading him his favorite story." Emily smiled and the four of them walked out of the courthouse onto the front steps and noticed the media frenzy that was gathering at the bottom of the cement stairs. Ric led the way around the reporters and the rest followed quietly not wanting to bring attention to themselves as they bypassed the chaos that was apparently waiting for them. Kelly's Diner -- As they walked into Kelly's, Emily noticed Elizabeth at the counter and excused herself from the group to go and talk with her friend. "Hey." Emily said as she came up behind Elizabeth. "Hey. Big day in court for you guys, so I hear." Elizabeth replied as she glanced over to the table that occupied Zander, Alexis, and Ric. "How's Jason?" Emily asked concerned for her brother and trying to avoid the conversation about Sonny and Zander. "He's doing fine. It's going to take some time till he's 100 percent but he's getting along just fine. He misses you, you know." "I know, and I miss him too. I will make a point of it to call him, it's just that with all that's going on right now .. well, you know." Emily replied she disappointed in herself for not taking the time to keep in touch with her brother. "I know and Jason understands, I'm sure. I gotta get back to the penthouse, I don't like to leave him alone for too long." Elizabeth answered as she grabbed the take out food she ordered in her hand. "Okay, well tell Jason that I'll call him, and soon." Emily reminded Elizabeth before she walked out the door of the diner. Emily re-joined Zander at the table. Penny came shortly and took their lunch orders. She poured some coffee in the cups that were on the table for them while they waited for their food. Emily noticed the looks exchanged between Ric and Alexis and began to wonder just how close they really were getting. "So what's really going on between the two of you?" she asked bluntly. Alexis's eyes widened at Emily's boldness and looked at Ric as he shrugged off the question asked. "There's nothing going on, why would you ask that?" Alexis replied wondering herself where the question came from. She didn't think it was so obvious that there was more to the courtroom antics between them. Ric snickered at the thought of he and Alexis becoming more then what they already were, which was nothing more then colleagues. "And what are you smirking about? There isn't anything going on between us." Alexis repeated. "I was just thinking of the thought of us together, you know *that way*." he chuckled. "It's a ridiculous idea." he added as Alexis folded her arms in front of her. "You got that right, utterly ridiculous." she agreed. "Uh huh." Emily smiled at the two of them, still thinking there was more to them then they were letting on. The four of them sat and ate lunch together, they had a few hours to fill, Ric figured. The Grand Jury could take a while to return their decision, so they spent their time at the diner. As they finished up, the ringing of Ric's cell phone could be heard from his jacket pocket. He reached in and flipped it open to answer it. "Okay, we'll be right there." he said then flipped it close again. "The Grand Jury is re-convening in 20 minutes." he added before taking on last sip of his coffee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out enough bills to pay for lunch and they all walked out of the diner together.

The Courtroom - Zander testifies -- Zander looked over at Sonny sitting at the table to his left and felt nothing, there was no love for the man who shot his stepfather. Sonny was in for a rude awakening if he thought he was going to get away with raping his mother and killing Frank. Zander assumed that Sonny remembered all of what happened that night, the argument that ensued between he and Frank, he didn't realize that much of that night and led up to it was a big black hole for Sonny too. Ric saw that Zander was in distress about telling his story and nodded in encouragement. Zander glanced at Ric and then at Emily before he began, he knew he had the support of his family to help him through this. "Please tell us Zander, what transpired that night." Ric coaxed. "Um, it was after midnight, and I couldn't sleep. So I went downstairs to the kitchen to get a drink. I saw the light on in my father's office, which wasn't unusual, he often worked late. I didn't hear any voices coming from the office as I passed to go to the kitchen. I got my drink and walked back passed the office to the stairs. Voices were now arguing and very loudly." Zander stopped as Ric interrupted him. "And how old were you, Zander?" Ric asked. "I was 8 years old. And I was curious as to what was going on in the office, so I stood and listened at the door. It wasn't closed tight, but I stayed out of sight just the same." Zander continued. "And who was arguing inside Frank's office?" Ric asked. "Um, it was Frank and his right hand man, Michael Corinthos." Zander replied as he looked at Sonny. "And Michael Corinthos for the record is Sonny Corinthos, is that right?" "Yes, Michael Corinthos was the name Sonny used while he worked for my ... for Frank." Zander replied and corrected himself. "And Zander, do you remember what the argument was about? Please tell the court." "The argument was about my mother. Frank accused Michael of sleeping with my mother and betraying him by doing so." Zander replied as images of what was said flashed in his head. Ric looked towards Sonny and then back at Zander. "Was this affair consensual, Zander? Or did Mr. Corinthos rape your mother?" "Your Honor! Rape was not specified in the list of charges against my client, it should not be mentioned now!" Victoria stood up from her seat and objected to the line of questions. "Your Honor, the mention of rape wasn't mentioned in the charges because the statute of limitations has run out for the charge, plus it is part of the argument that led up to the killing of Frank Smith. It is very much relevant in this case." Ric argued. "Sit down counselor. The word rape will be removed from your question Mr. Lansing." Judge Cooper ordered. Ric turned towards Zander and asked again. "Was the affair consensual?" Zander looked up at the judge for approval to answer. "No it was not. And Frank was furious with Michael for taking advantage of my mother." "And how long before this argument did this non consensual affair happen?" Ric asked and noticed Zander's eyes as he asked the question, knowing his answer would shock Sonny right out of his shoes. "About 8 years prior to the night Frank died." "8 years? Huh? Would it be a pretty good assumption that you Zander Smith were a result of that non consensual affair between Michael Corinthos and Frank's wife?" Zander sat in the witness box, his eyes locked onto Sonny's, he wanted to see the reaction to the man who was his father. "Yes it would be, Mr. Lansing." Those sitting in the courtroom gasped and whispers could be heard from the back of the courtroom. Sonny did react in any way to Zander's revelation. Victoria though gave her client a good long look. "What happened next?" Ric asked after the courtroom got silent once again. "Frank threatened Michael and told him that he would pay for his betrayal. I saw Frank pull the gun out of his desk drawer and point it at Michael. Michael then pulled his gun and pointed it at Frank. He told Frank that he wouldn't be paying for his crimes, that Frank would." Zander replied. "And then what happened?" "Then Michael shot Frank before Frank could shoot him." Zander startled as the sound of a gunshot went off in his head. "Thank you, Zander. No further questions. You're witness." Ric replied as he passed Victoria and sat down at the table with Alexis. Victoria rose from her seat and buttoned her jacket. Sonny staring directly at Zander still in the witness box. Victoria approached the stand with a legal pad in her hand. "Wow, this must of been very traumatic for you, Mr. Smith, being only 8 years old at the time. Why didn't you come forward about this alleged crime till now?" Victoria asked. "I didn't come forward about this till now, because I didn't remember till now." Zander answered as his eyes locked on Emily sitting in the front row. Her smile encouraging him. "If I may ask, Mr. Smith .. what kind of business are you in?" "Objection, your honor. Mr. Smith's business is not relevant to this case." Ric objected as he stood up from his seat. "It certainly is your Honor. Goes to credibility and character of this witness." Victoria replied. "I'll allow it. Mr. Smith answer the counselor's question." Zander cleared his throat and looked towards Alexis and Ric for an okay to answer Victoria's line of questioning. Alexis nodded it was okay to answer. Being that Ric was the DA in this case, Alexis had agreed to become Zander's attorney on record. "I'm in the import and export business." Zander replied with hestitation. "Oh so you're following in your father's footsteps?" Victoria asked. Zander knew where she was going with these questions and hesitated to play along. "After Frank died, my uncle took over my father's company. Until a few years ago, after he died, I inherited the company and all it's holdings." "Have you ever been arrested, Mr. Smith?" Victoria shot back. "Your Honor, where is this going? Zander Smith is not on trial here." Ric got up from his seat and question trying to save Zander from the line of questioning from Victoria. "Move it along, counselor." Judge Cooper ordered. "Isn't it true that DA Ric Lansing is your brother?" Victoria asked as she moved off the topic of Zander's business. "Yes it's true. He's my half brother." Zander replied. "Half brother? Your mother is Ric's mother, isn't that right?" "Yes that's right. He's 12 years old then I am." "And where was he the night Frank Smith was shot?" Victoria asked glaring at Ric. "He was at boarding school. He wasn't home much, just summer vacations." Zander quickly replied wondering where she was going with this. "So Ric wasn't in the house that night?" "No he wasn't." Zander locked his eyes on Ric and gave him a look of confusion. "Are you sure?" "Your Honor, I think it was established that I was not in the house that night, it's been asked and answered." Ric spoke up. "He's right counselor. You asked, and the witness answered. Any other questions for this witness?" Judge Cooper asked from the bench. Victoria flipped through some paperwork that laid on the table, Sonny's eyes never leaving his focus on Zander. "Yes your Honor I do. Are we to believe that Mr. Corinthos is your biological father?" she asked and Zander stiffened in his seat. "Yes that's right." Zander replied glaring at Sonny. "So this would mean you will be testifying against your own father?" she asked hoping to spark something inside the witness to make it apparent there are old wounds left open. Zander took a deep breath before answering. He knew what she was up to and wasn't going to let her get the better of him to blow the case against Sonny. "Sonny Corinthos killed a man 15 years ago, he needs to be punished for the crime. It doesn't matter who is, Frank Smith was the only father I knew and that man killed him!" Zander's answer surprised her, she was expecting an outburst from him, but he kept calm and answered her question directly with no hesitation. "No further questions." Victoria said in defeat and took her seat. "You may step down, Mr. Smtih. Court will adjourn while it deliberates on the case at hand." Judge Cooper replied with the stroke of his gavel. Zander stepped down from the witness box and walked in a bee line to Emily. She stood up and greeted him with a loving embrace. "You did great up there, I am so proud of you." she replied as he held onto her tightly. Now came the waiting, waiting for the judge to come back with his decision, Zander hoping there was enough to indict Sonny for the murder of his father.

On the docks -- After leaving Ric's office, Zander found himself sitting on the docks for a while. He sat alone on the bench just looking out over the choppy waters. The breeze had picked up and the water rippled in and out against the pier. He decided he had stayed long enough in town, it was time to go back to the cabin and be with his family. He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Marcus ... can you pick me up at Pier 33? No, everything's fine, I'd just like to go back to the cabin now. Thanks." Zander flipped the phone closed and stuck it back in his pocket. He sat on the bench till he saw the headlights of his limo approaching. He got up and walked towards the car as Marcus got out and went to open the back door for him. Marcus drove Zander back to the cabin where Emily was waiting for him. She greeted him on the front porch as he walked up to her. "Hey, how did it go?" she asked as he pulled her into embrace. He sighed heavily. "Not well. I don't think they have much of a case against Sonny. Not unless Ric can find some new evidence to present." He could see in her eyes that she was disappointed. "I'm sorry, Zander. I know you were expecting some good news." she said somberly as they walked into the cabin together. "Yeah I was and I know Ric was too." he replied as he sat down on the couch. "All we can do now is wait to hear from Ric, which might take a while till he has something concrete to take to court." he added. "Well, I know Ric, he's not going to stop till he gets a conviction. He's bound and determined to get Sonny and he won't stop till he does." she said as she sat down with him. They snuggled together on the couch for a while till they heard Devon from upstairs. "I'll go ..." he said as he got up from his seat. Emily smiled and watched as he went up the stairs. She knew Devon would be able to put a smile back on Zander's face, he always did. The courthouse - a few days later -- Zander and Emily walked up the front steps of the courthouse together, she could feel that he was nervous about testifying. She looked down at her watch and saw they had about an hour or so before he had to report. The two of them walked down the hallway towards the courtroom and took a seat on one of the empty benches along the wall and waited for Ric and Alexis. Emily was glad they had made arrangements for her parents to keep Devon for the day while they were at the courthouse. Zander went over his testimony in his head while he waited with his wife, his hands were collecting moisture the longer he sat there thinking about what he had to say. This was only the Grand Jury hearing and if the court found enough evidence to indict, they would, then he'd have to tell his story all over again for a jury. He needed to focus and concentrate on the matters at hand, there was no room in his mind for business matters that had popped up the night before, the Jason problem could wait. As he and Emily sat together quietly, he noticed Ric appear from around the corner with his briefcase in hand. Nicely dressed in a dark suit, dark blue shirt and dark blue tie, his shoes polished till they shined, he walked with purpose as he approached them. "No Alexis yet?" he questioned as he looked around the corridor for her. "No not yet." Zander said as he wrung his hands together. Ric noticing his brother was nervous. "You're going to do fine, Zander. Alexis and I will be there every step of the way." Ric reassured his brother. Footsteps were heard coming up from behind Ric and he turned to see who was approaching him. Alexis neared wearing a dark black pinstriped double breasted suit with a white silk blouse, she looked ready for her day in court. "You look nice." Ric complimented her on her appearance. "Thanks." Alexis cracked a smile. "I didn't know the two of you were ... um ..." Zander began and smiled. "Oh, we're not ...." they replied quickly. "Strictly platonic ...." Alexis replied . Emily and Zander looked at each other and smiled. "Oh okay ... we just thought .." Emily said as Ric and Alexis tried to disparage them from thinking there was anything else going on. Emily giggled trying to hide her amusement at the two of them. Alexis looked down at her watch and noticed the time. "We should get in there." she said to Ric. "After you .." he replied as he stretched out his arm and left Alexis lead the way. "You'll be called by the bailiff when we're ready for you, Zander." Alexis said before walking away and towards the door to the courtroom. Emily stretched her arm across the back of the bench and caressed Zander's shoulders trying to help him relax. This was only the beginning for him, and she wanted to support him as much as she could through this ordeal. It wasn't going to be easy and he wasn't making it so by worrying. They sat there a while before the bailiff came out and asked him to step inside and take the stand. Zander got up from the bench and Emily took his hand. They walked in together and Emily took a seat behind Alexis, as Zander walked passed them and took the stand. He adjusted his tie and unbuttoned his jacket before he sat down in the chair. He ran his hand through his hair nervously as he sat and waited for Ric to start his examination. Zander tried not to make eye contact with Sonny who sat at the table with his attorney, Zander knew if he did, he would freeze up and he couldn't let his mother or his brother down. He needed to do this. Ric stood up from his seat and buttoned his jacket before walking towards Zander in the witness box. Zander cleared his throat and got himself prepared to tell his story to those who were in the courtroom that day. Ric gave Zander a nod of reassurance as he stood before him. "Please state your name and occupation for the record." Ric instructed. "Zander Smith, and I am a business man here in Port Charles." Zander replied and he looked over Ric's shoulder at Emily sitting in the front row. "Now, Mr. Smith tell us how you are involved in this case against Mr. Corinthos, please." Ric asked as he walked back towards the prosecution table. "I am the son of the man Sonny murdered 15 years ago in Florida." Zander replied with a glare towards Sonny. "Objection, your honor ... my client has not yet been convicted of this crime." Victoria spoke up. "This may be true, counselor, but this isn't a trial, it's just a hearing to see if the prosecution has enough evidence, so your objection is overruled. You may continue, Mr. Lansing." Judge Cooper replied. "Thank you, your honor." Ric replied "Now, Mr. Smith can you tell us in your own words what happened the night of March 21st, 15 years ago?" he instructed Zander as he approached the witness box once more. Zander cleared his throat before he began telling his story of what he remembered about that night. He felt his heart beat pound inside his chest as images of that night flashed in his head, each image more vivid then the last. His palms began collecting moisture as he became more and more uncomfortable in his seat. His mouth became dry like cotton as he moistened his lips with a swipe of his tongue. This was going to be more difficult then he thought, but he looked towards Emily smiling at him lovingly and he knew everything would be alright, he just had to tell the truth about that night and this nightmare would soon be over.

The PCPD Squad Room -- Ric walked into the squad room with a purpose, the folder in his hand. He slammed down the folder on the desk of an unexpecting police officer. As he did, Mac came out from the interrogation room wondering what was going on in his squad room. "What is going on out here?!" Mac asked as he approached Ric was obviously upset about something. "You tell me that Sonny isn't walking out of here tonight, Mac?! Give me something we can hold him on!" Mac hung his head. He knew Ric wanted Sonny so bad he could taste it, but Mac didn't have enough evidence to hold him this time. "I'm sorry Ric, we don't have anything but Zander's word for it. The other evidence got thrown out, loopholes from the previous investigation." Mac replied somberly. He wanted as much as Ric did to get Sonny for killing Frank, but screw ups in the previous investigation prevented some evidence to be presented to the court, and without it, they had nothing to charge Sonny with. Mac and Ric stood together as Sonny emerged from the interrogation room. "Can we remove the cuffs now?" Sonny's attorney said as she stood beside her client. "Spencer, remove the cuffs." Mac ordered. Lucky hesitated. "Now, Spencer." Mac ordered again. "Yes sir." Lucky did as he was ordered to and released Sonny's wrists from the cuffs. As Sonny walked past Ric, he smirked and said smugly .... "Better luck next time, counselor." Ric's angered eyes followed Sonny towards the door. It took everything he had inside him not to grab Sonny but he left him go. He would have his day with Sonny and when he did, he'd be sure no one would be witness to it. Ric muttered to himself .... "Don't you worry, Sonny .... next time will be here sooner then you know." Ric's Office -- Ric stormed out of the squad room and back to his office. He was angry, he was frustrated and he was going to put Sonny Corinthos behind bars for what he had done to his family if was the last thing Ric would ever do. He reached his office and slammed the door. He chuckled to himself and wondered what his colleague, Alexis would think about his behavior now, she'd probably send him to see the shrink. It was back to square one with the case against Sonny. He was just hoping that after 15 years, those who were interviewed back then would be willing to talk with police now. He sat down behind his desk and reached for the file folder on this case. As he did there was a knock at his door. "Yeah, come in!" he shouted from behind his desk. The door opened slowly and his visitor peered inside. "I'm not going to get hit or anything if I come in, am I?" Steele joked. "Nah, not right away, Steele. Come on in." Ric chuckled as he invited the Detective into his office. "Look, I'm sorry about the case falling through like it did. But all is not lost, sir." Steele said as he stepped into Ric's office and closed the door. "Not all lost? As of right now, yeah it is." Ric said as he flipped open the file folder. "Not quite yet. I still have a few aces up my sleeve. Would you like to hear the hand I have yet to deal?" Steele replied and what he had to say certainly interested Ric. "Sure, pull up a chair, Steele. Tell me about it." Ric replied as Steele accepted Ric's offer and sat down. "I don't think we can get Mr. Corinthos on murder charges, but that may change in time, but what I do have is evidence, hard evidence that can convict him on numerous other charges. At least it would give us time to gather the evidence we need for that murder charge." Steele said. "What other charges are we talking about, Steele?" "The kind that can put a man away for the next 20 to 25 years. The kind that would consist of drug running from here to Florida and back again." What Steele had to say piqued Ric's interest. Whatever would tie up Sonny's attorney for a while was good enough for him. It would buy them some time to gather evidence for a murder conviction. "And how did you come about this evidence?" Ric asked as he leaned forward in his chair. "Various sources, but mostly from digging in the right places and talking to the right people." Steele replied, though vague with his answer. "I'm listening." Ric replied wanting to hear more. "Friends of mine in a different precinct have folders on Mr. Corinthos, dating back 10 to 15 years, but just didn't have enough to charge him with anything in particular. Witnesses paid off, disappeared or worse. Evidence collected disappeared or not logged and fell through the cracks ... there was always something that happened to force the release of Mr. Corinthos. But all of it put together would bring some mighty hefty charges against him....perhaps Federal charges as well." Steele explained. "I see. Am I too assume that these files are still in Florida and that by tomorrow afternoon you could have these cases for me?" Ric asked hoping Steele could get what he needed. "Yes, I guess you could assume that." Steele smirked. "Good .. get them for me ASAP. I want to see them right away. And while you're at it, I want all the information you can get on this 15 year old murder case. Everything, from transcripts from the court files to witness statements to the evidence that was logged in. I want to know if Sonny Corinthos got a parking ticket in Florida during the time he was there!" Ric ordered. "You got it. It might take a while for some of it but I can get it to you." Steele replied knowing his mission was a large one but it could be done. "Good .. I expect full reports from you by tomorrow afternoon." Steele nodded in acknowledgement of Ric's request and got up from his seat. "Don't worry, we'll get him, sir." Steele added before he left Ric's office. Ric felt a little better after his conversation with Detective Steele. One way or another he was determined to file charges against Sonny Corinthos that would stick. He could feel it inside him, it was going to happen very soon.

Ric's Office -- A few days later, Zander had agreed to meet Ric in his office to talk about the case against Sonny. Ric had already served the arrest warrant and searched Sonny's penthouse for anything that may help build his case. Alexis was asked to sit in on the discussions, since she and Ric both would be handling this case. Ric sat behind his desk jotting down some notes on his legal pad, when he heard a few knocks on the door. "Yeah, it's open." he called from his desk. The door opened and Ric looked up from his papers and saw Zander standing in the doorway. He invited his brother into the office and to have a seat. They'd wait for Alexis who would be showing up at any minute. Zander and Ric didn't wait more then a few minutes before Alexis walked into the office with her briefcase in hand. "Alexis and I will be working on this case together, Zander. I asked her to sit in on our get together this morning, so she can get up to speed on what's going on." Ric explained. Zander glanced towards Alexis who took a seat next to him in the empty chair. Alexis cracked a smile as she and Zander made eye contact for a brief moment. "Zander, I need you to tell us about the night Frank Smith was shot. And I need every little detail you can remember, even if it doesn't seem important, it could be helpful." Alexis said as she took out her legal pad and pencil to take notes. Alexis was very thorough and she wanted to be sure she had all the information she needed to win. Ric took out the mini tape recorder from his desk and set it up in front of Zander. Zander saw the recorder and froze in his seat. The last time he saw the recorder, it wasn't a pleasant experience for him, and he certainly didn't like his story being on tape for everyone and anyone to hear. Ric noticed Zander's reaction to the tape recorder. "Sorry, we need to have this down on record." Ric replied hoping that Zander wouldn't let the recorder or Alexis keep him from telling his story. "Nah, that's okay. You need to get this down, I understand." Zander replied as he tried to get comfortable in his seat. "Whenever you're ready, Zander." Alexis said as she sat waiting for him to tell his story to her. He tried to relax in the chair as he began telling them what he remembered about the night Frank was killed, but his insides twisted as he thought of what Sonny had done to his mother and the man he knew to be his father. "It was late, after midnight, I think. I woke up and was thirsty, so I went downstairs to get a drink. I saw a light on in my father's study, which wasn't unusual, dad often worked late. I went to the kitchen and got a drink, and on my way back to bed, I heard loud voices coming from the study. The door now slightly open, so I could see who was in with my father, before the door was closed tight and I didn't hear the voices when I came down, just when I was going back. I stood and listened at the door, making sure they didn't see me. Frank and his visitor were arguing back and forth, dad was furious with Michael about something but I didn't understand why, and he didn't tell the whole story while I listened. Dad shouted about betrayal and what he did to those who betrayed him. He shouted at Michael about sleeping with my mother and then he said that Michael would pay for his crimes, and it wasn't fair that I had to pay for what he had done. Michael said that he would make my father pay for the crimes he committed against my mother and then he shot him. After hearing the shot, I hid in the shadows till I saw Michael leave the study in hurry. I ran upstairs and back to bed like nothing had happened." Ric turned off the tape recorder as Alexis finished up writing down notes on her legal pad. Zander sighed heavily as he sat a little more relaxed in his chair after telling his story for the third time. "Okay is that everything you remember, Zander?" Alexis asked and Zander glared at her. "Isn't that enough?! I just gave you Sonny Corinthos on a silver platter, what more do you want from me?!" Zander snapped back as he stood up from his chair in disgust. "We just need to be sure we're not missing anything, Zander. Any little detail can be called on and then we have problems." Ric said trying to convince his brother why they needed all of what he remembers. "Look, I found out last night that my mother was raped by my father's ... sorry, Frank's right hand man, and that the right hand man, is my real father, not Frank. Let me make this clear, for the two of you, my father is Sonny Corinthos! Is that clear enough for you?" Zander said as he noticed the looks coming from Alexis and Ric both. "And the two of you want more? What do you want, blood?!" Zander continued and Alexis raised an eyebrow. "A blood sample wouldn't hurt, we could prove conclusively that you are Sonny's son." Zander returned another glare towards her. "You're kidding right? I already know that the man is my father, why would I need to have DNA to prove it?! He raped my mother, and he murdered my stepfather! I want nothing to do with the man and I hope he spends the next 25 years to life in prison for it!" Zander stormed out of his brother's office in anger. Ric leaned back in his chair and watched his brother storm out of the office. "Wow, that went well, don't you think?" "Do you think he'd see a professional?" Alexis asked as she put the legal pad back into her case. Ric sat up and leaned forward on his desk. "Zander? Are you kidding? No, I'd say a shrink is not something Zander would do willingly." Rick chuckled. "Besides, he's not on trial here, Sonny is." he added and got up from his seat. "Okay, you're right. He wouldn't go willingly, but he needs to talk with someone, Ric. He's very angry and ..." "And what, Alexis? I can certainly understand why Zander's angry! Hell, I'm angry about it .. remember, this was my mother too! But I'm handling it alot better then Zander is. I didn't witness the killing of Frank or hear it first hand what happened, and of course I'm not the child of a rape! But taking into consideration all that boy has been through over the past 15 years and more importantly over the last few days, he's doing considerably well." Alexis could see that Ric was getting more agitated the longer she stayed and tried to convince him otherwise about his brother, so she decided to take her thoughts and her case elsewhere. "If you need anything else, I'll be in my office." she said as she headed out the door. After Alexis left the room, Ric's knees buckled underneath him and he fell into the chair. He had heard Zander's story, but he didn't really listen and once he did, it finally sank in that what had happened to Zander's mother, had happened to his. He was too busy trying to build a case against Sonny to realize what Sonny had done, he had done to his mother. Ric was 12 at the time, and didn't live with his mother and her new family. He had been enrolled in boarding school and spent most of his time away from home. He only came home to visit during the summer. Ric sat alone in his office and stared at his surroundings. He had worked so hard to get where he was, his mother made the sacrifices any other mother would make for her child, a good life, a good school, all the love she could give him and for someone like Sonny Corinthos to strip that from her was inconceivable, it didn't seem real. As he sat alone, he could feel his eyes fill with tears, he couldn't imagine what Zander was going through. He was startled by a knock on the door, and he quickly wiped his eyes dry with his hands, hoping that no one saw him crying in the dark. He composed himself and got up from his seat. "Yeah, what is it?" he asked as he approached his visitor. "I just thought you'd like to see this, sir." the young intern said as he handed Ric a manila colored folder. Ric thanked him for bringing the information to him and closed the door. He went to take a seat behind his desk and opened the folder to read what it had to say. He read over the papers inside and slammed down his fist on his desk in disgust. "Dammit!" he shouted to an empty room. "He's not going to get away with this! Sonny Corinthos is not getting off this easy!" Ric got up from his seat and stormed out of his office. Ric was on a mission and he wouldn't rest until he saw Sonny Corinthos behind bars, and no one was going to get in his way to put him there.

At the cabin -- The morning sun filtered through the trees and into the bedroom window, she awoke to being alone and she sat up in bed quickly. "Zander?" she called out for him with no answer. She slipped from the bed and put on her robe and slippers before she headed out the door of the bedroom and down the stairs. She searched the down stairs and found no one, but a fresh pot of coffee that was made. She went to the front door and opened it, thinking that Zander had gone to see his brother, she wasn't expecting to find him sitting alone on the front porch. He turned and looked towards the door when he heard it open. "Morning....." he said as he saw her standing in the doorway. "Morning, what are you doing out here, Zander?" she asked as she stepped out onto the front porch with him. "Just thinking." he replied as he held a cup of coffee between his hands to keep them warm. Emily sat down on the step with him and snuggled close. "Have you told your brother yet?" she asked as she looked up at him. His arms wrapped around her as their hands wrapped around the one cup of coffee. "Not yet." he replied and she didn't question his reasons for not calling Ric, he'd do it in his own time she guessed. As they sat with each other on the steps, they were startled by the sound of a vehicle coming down the dirt road. Zander rushed Emily into the house and he followed closely behind, not wanting anyone to know they were there. He peered out the window from behind the curtain as the vehicle pulled up to the rustic cabin. He realized he knew the vehicle and went to open the door for their visitor. "Hey little brother ..." Ric said as he emerged from the black SUV and then came into full view as he walked around the front of the truck. Zander handed his cup of coffee off to Emily before he stepped out onto the front porch of the cabin. Zander came down the stairs to greet Ric with a brotherly embrace. "Hey you weren't kidding when you said it was a well hidden place." Ric chuckled as the two of them went into the cabin. Zander explained to Emily that he had called Ric earlier that morning to come and see them. He didn't want to tell his brother all that happened in the middle of the PCPD, the cabin was more appropriate. Zander and Ric took seats on the sofa in the living room as Emily went to get them all some coffee. "You're call sounded urgent, so I came as soon as I could." Ric said as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and made himself more comfortable on the couch. "Yeah urgent would be a good word for it." Zander smirked. "I hope you have some good news for me, and we can pick up Sonny again for murder." Ric replied anxiously awaiting what Zander had to tell him. "Good news? Well, for you maybe, but not for me. What I remembered just brought on more questions for me, Ric. But I do remember that Sonny shot Frank." Ric found it strange that Zander used their names and didn't call Frank, father like he had done before. "Is there something more, Zander? If there is, I'd like to hear it." Ric replied as Emily came into the room with a tray and she set it down on the coffee table in front of them. Zander reached for a cup of coffee and took a sip before beginning his story what had happened. Emily heard the cries of Devon from upstairs and excused herself to check on him. "Have anything more to tell me, Zander?" Ric asked as he held the cup of coffee between his hands. "You mean like from what I remembered last night that Frank Smith was not my father, but that Sonny is?" Zander replied. "Sonny? .... Is your father? Are you sure, Zander?" Ric questioned surprised to hear what Zander had told him. "As sure as I want to be right now, believe me, it was a shock to me too. But that's what I remembered about the argument between Sonny and Frank that night. Frank accused Sonny of raping my mother 8 years earlier, he had found out that I was Sonny's son, not his. He was furious with Sonny, and wanted to kill him for doing what he had done to his family and to his wife. Sonny shot Frank before Frank got a shot at him." Ric sat and listened as Emily came down the stairs with Devon in her arms. She turned the corner with him and headed into the kitchen to feed him his breakfast. "Well, I'm sure the statute has run out on the rape of your mother, but we certainly can arrest Sonny for killing Frank....with your testimony, Sonny should get alot of years behind bars." Ric replied. Zander's stomach churned at the word "testimony". He didn't want to talk about that night to anyone, it was painful for him just to think about it. But if it would put Sonny in jail for what he had done, he'd have to tell his story in front of a judge. "Are you ready for that?" Ric asked as he saw Zander went pale at the mention of testifying against Sonny. "No, I'm not ready to testify against Sonny ... my father, but I have to, I'm the only witness you have that can put him away for this." Zander replied. "I'm sorry for all the pain that Sonny has caused, he certainly deserves the punishment that the judge hands down on him. He's hurt alot of people over the years and it's time he pays for all he's done." Ric said trying to be sympathetic towards his brother. "Yeah he has caused alot of pain to many people, but my only concern right now is that Sonny gets charged with murder and that he go to prison for a very long time for it. He's taken way too many years from me, Ric. I'm not going to let him get away with it!"

A couple of suggestions -- Eric Winter Jason Campbell - a newbie from Bruno's group - he's young, nice looking, the boy next door. Brandon Veda (Bruno Group) And you know my pick for Trevor - Roscoe Born

Emily steadied herself against the bed post so she wouldn't fall over from shock when Zander told her that Michael was name Sonny used when he first got into the business with Frank. "Sonny Corinthos is your father?!" she replied in complete amazement at Zander's revelation. Zander scratched the top of his head and really wondered to himself if what he had dreamt was the truth. "I don't know Em, I'm just telling you what I remembered. Sonny shot Frank because Frank was going to shoot him for betrayal and for sleeping with my mother." Zander quickly got passed the tears and found himself quickly with anger building inside him as he remembered more of the conversation between Frank and Sonny. "Wait.... " he got up from the bed and began to pace the room, like pacing would make him remember more. "Frank was furious with Sonny for sleeping with my mother, but it wasn't a mutual fling .... that son of a bitch raped her!" Zander yelled out in anger as he remembered more clearly the argument between Frank and Sonny. His fists clenched in rage, he felt the urge to release it on something and picked up the vase and threw it against the wall. The impact shattered the vase and all that was in it on the floor. Emily jumped as the shattering vase made a loud sound as it hit the wall and broke in a million pieces. She had never seen such anger from Zander before and she was over come with fear. She knew he'd never hurt her that way, but she was afraid for him, and what he might do now knowing what he knew. Zander realized what he had done and what he had remembered so vividly now, his knees buckled underneath him and he went down onto the floor. Tears began to fall from his eyes and Emily went to him and held him in her arms wishing she could take the pain he was feeling all away. Zander cried out in pain as he realized what his mother had endured all those many years ago and that he was the result of the violent attack that was done to her. Emily wrapped her arms around him and tried to comfort him the best she could. He klinged to her like he had become the small boy he once was, the small scared little boy who witnessed the murder of his father by the hands of another. Emily sat with him on the floor of their bedroom rocking back and forth, as the tears just flowed from him, as if all 15 years of sorrow and pain was released. As she sat with him in her arms she smoothed back his hair with her hands, trying to soothe him the best she could. She just wanted to take the pain away, but she knew he was the one who was going to have to work through his knowing what had truly happened that night. "I am so sorry ...." he whimpered under his breath over and over again. "Shhh .. Zander this not your fault, you are not to blame for any of this." she whispered to him hoping he was listening to her on some level. She had felt for some time that as a little boy had suffered something very traumatic but she would of never guessed something like this. They sat a while on the floor before she tried to get him to the bed where he'd be more comfortable. He stood up with her and followed her to the bed. As he wiped away the tears that he had cried, more just fell from his eyes. He felt his chest tighten as he tried to choke back the tears, she handed him a tissue to dry his eyes with and sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. It seemed all the emotions he had built up inside him had been released and as he tried to piece together a coherent thought. "I'm sorry about the vase." he apologized as he glanced over to the shattered vase lying on the floor. "Oh don't worry about the vase ... to tell you the truth, I didn't like it anyways." she replied and cracked a smile. He chuckled. The tension in the room was broken and they both felt relief when it had dissipated from the air. Now that he remembered, it was time to take the next step.... to make sure Sonny was brought to justice for all his crimes. Emily left Zander sleeping as she headed downstairs to make a phone call to Ric. He needed to know that Zander remembered, but she'd let Zander tell him what it was all about. She quietly picked up her cell phone and called Ric. She listened to it repeatedly ring, Ric wasn't answering. She decided to leave a message for him on his voice mail, hoping he'd return the call as soon as he got it. She flipped the phone closed after she left Ric message to call her and laid it back down on the table before heading back upstairs to bed. She slipped back into bed with Zander, trying not to wake him, after the night he had, he needed his rest. She laid awake listening to the silence of the night and watched over her husband laying next to her. She smoothed back his forelock wondering what was going on inside his head as he slept. She hoped now that he remembered what had happened that night Frank was shot, his nightmares about it would subside.

At the cabin -- A few days had passed since Alexis had visited the cabin, and Zander was no closer to remembering then he was 3 days prior. He was getting frustrated with himself because he couldn't remember, all he wanted to do was to punish the man who shot and killed his father. Emily sat with him every night trying to keep his mind off of his past the best she could, but it was getting more and more difficult as time passed. The pressure on Zander to remember began to tighten on him, the longer he couldn't remember, the worse it was for the case against Sonny. Emily could see how exhausted Zander had become over the past few days, he wasn't getting his rest at night and Devon kept him going during the day. Zander had locked up the downstairs tight and turned out the lights, as Emily climbed the stairs slowly, keeping the pace slow till Zander could catch up to her. She led the way to the master bedroom as Zander followed close behind her. His hands latched on her waist and guided her into the bedroom, closing the door behind him by kicking it closed with his foot. She could tell by his demeanor that he was in no way tired to sleep, he had other things on his mind. Once inside the bedroom, Zander scooped Emily up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He needed to just relax and he knew a night of lovemaking with is wife was just what the doctor ordered. As they lye in each other's arms afterwards, Zander had finally drifted off to sleep. Emily lay watching over him and slowly she too fell asleep. Flashes of that fateful night sparked in his mind, and Emily felt Zander become restless, tossing and turning against her. She was afraid to wake him, not knowing what he might be dreaming, she had read that waking up a someone in midst of a nightmare could be harmful to those who were dreaming and the person who was doing the waking, so she left him continue for a little while longer. The memories of that night filtered into Zander's mind so easily, it replaying back to him the events that happened frame by frame. -dream sequence- A little boy walk down the stairs to go to the kitchen. As he turned the corner, he seeing the light from underneath the door of his father's office, curiosity in him led him to the light to listen to what was being talked inside the room, all he heard was silence as he placed his ear to the door. He turned away from the study and patted to the kitchen for some milk. He reached up for the jug of special milk his mom always had for him. After taking his drink, he placed the jug back in the refrigerator and walked back towards the staircase. Shouting could be heard now from the study, as he leaned up against the door to get a better listen. "I can't believe you'd betray me like this Michael! I trusted you with my family, with my life! We've been partners for years and you go and do this to me!" dad shouted at his right hand man, Michael. "Mr. Smith, it just happened! I didn't know what I was doing, I couldn't control myself, sir!" Michael shouted back. "You couldn't control yourself? How could you not control yourself, Michael? You disrespected me in the worst possible way someone could! You know what I do to people who betray me, Michael!" dad yelling at Michael, but listening closely enough to hear the gun snap into firing position. "Tell me something Michael, did my wife beg for it?!" The room became silent again, but I couldn't tear myself away from the door, and I just listened. "What am I suppose to tell my child when he grows up, Michael?! What am I suppose to tell Alexander?! Tell me!" dad started yelling again at Michael. "I don't know Frank, he's your son!" Michael replied. "That's right he is my son! My son, Michael .. not yours! Mine! I raised him, I provided for him, I protected him from people like you, Michael! I love that child like he was my own! He might of come from a violent act, but he's know that he is loved by his mother and me!" Things turned from bad to worse as another gun was pulled and cocked. "You filthy son of a bitch! How could you let an innocent child pay for your crime, Michael?!" "Alexander isn't going to pay for my crime, Frank .. you are!" Gunshots rang out ... -end of dream sequence- Shots rang out and it startled Zander awake from his dreams. Emily sitting by his side as he sat up in bed, covered in sweat, his breathing erratic. "Zander, are you alright?" Emily asked as she noticed he had fear and anger in his eyes. "Did you remember something?" she continued as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand. He looked at her confused, and distant. His eyes glazed over, he wasn't in the room with her, he may have been physically but psychologically he was someplace else. "Zander, focus on my voice. Did you remember anything?" she said as she made eye contact with him, she knew she wasn't reaching him. He began to shake off the nightmare and she saw in his eyes, he was slowly coming back from where ever it was that his dream took him. "Oh my God, Em!" he latched on to her and squeezed her tight, she could feel the fear inside him, it sent shivers up her spine. Something he remember seriously scared him to death. Zander pulled back from Emily's arms and shook off the feelings that were left inside of him from the dreams. "Zander, did you remember something?" she asked as sat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah I did." he replied as he glanced back over his shoulder. She crawled to his side and sat with him. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked as she caressed his back with her hand. "I just can't believe it." He was shocked to see in his dream what he had once blocked out of his mind for so long. "Why don't you tell me about it, we can work through it together." she said as he got up from the bed. What he dreamt couldn't be true, he couldn't be who the dream said he was. It's not possible. He tried to put that part of the dream aside and focused more on the the actual shooting and who the person was who pulled the trigger. "Zander, what did you see?" she asked hoping to coax him into telling her about his dream. "I saw everything Em and I heard them talking. I heard the gunfire and saw them leave the study, just like I said before." he replied as she got up from the bed and walked towards him. "Did you see who it was? Was it Sonny?" she asked again. Zander slipped to that far away place again, and was set back to reality when she called his name a few times. "Yeah it was Sonny but there's more Em .... " he said as turned into her. "The argument they were having was about me, Em .. it was about me." Emily pulled him into her as he felt guilt wash over him. His father was dead because of him, not because of some business deal gone wrong, but because of him. "It's all my fault." he said as they walked back towards the bed and sat down once again. "This is not your fault Zander, you were 8 years old. You were just a little boy, so don't go blaming yourself." he knew she was right but he just kept thinking about the argument between his father and Sonny. And then it hit him, like a punch in the gut as he remembered more of the argument and why they were arguing over him. His mind went back and forth between Frank and the man he knew only as Michael, because that's what his dad called him as. "But Frank wasn't my father .... that's what they were fighting about ..." The more Zander remembered about that night, the tears in his eyes welled as he realized what had actually happened that night, how much he had truly heard coming from inside the study. "Zander, you lost me again. Frank wasn't your father? Then who was?" Emily asked as he kept slipping in and out to that far away place. "Michael .... that's what the fight was about." he repeated as he snapped back from empty blank stare. Emily sighed. "Okay, who's Michael? Someone you knew, a close family friend, who?" He stared into her eyes and said bluntly....."Sonny."

At the cabin -- Zander laid with Emily in his arms till they both had fallen asleep on the overstuffed couch in front of the fireplace. She began to stir and woke up in Zander's arms. She quietly got up from the sofa and went up stairs to check on Devon, who had slept through night, surprisingly. Zander felt her get up off the sofa and he turned into the cushions waiting for her to return. Emily walked down the stairs and went back to the couch to check on her husband. She pulled the afghan up over him leaving him sleep a little while longer. She knew he was exhausted from the long night before, and he could use the extra rest without interruption. He heard her walking away after covering him up and called out to her. "Em...where you going?" he asked as he turned over. "I was going to let you get some sleep, you were so tired last night." she said as she came back towards him. "No I'm good...." he said groggily as he wasn't quite awake yet. She giggled cause she noticed she was right and he did need his rest. "Come here, lay with me." he asked as he reached for her hand to join him on the sofa. She looked up towards the upstairs thinking Devon would be okay for a little while longer, he was still asleep too. "Okay just for a few minutes. Devon will be up soon." she said as she took his hand and laid back down on the couch with him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. He felt so content with her by his side, her body fit so right with his, just like the right piece that completed the puzzle. She didn't want to fall asleep with him, but she did. The sun filtered in through the windows and made funny shapes on the hardwood floor in the living area where they slept. They were awaken by the rapping on the cabin door, and Zander awoke with a start. He wondered who would be knocking, no one knew they were there but one other person. He and Emily got up off the sofa and went to the front door to answer it. Zander peered out the window as he pulled back the curtain and noticed someone he knew standing on the front porch. He went to open the door as Emily scurried to the kitchen to make some coffee. "Alexis ... what are you doing here? How did you know ..?" he greeted her and invited her inside the cabin. "Beautiful place, Zander." she said as she entered the cabin and walked around the first floor. "Thanks, but you didn't answer my question, Alexis. What are you doing here?" Alexis turned towards him ... "I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by." she managed a smile for him. He cracked a smile in return. "Seriously, Alexis. It must be something important for you to drive up here to talk with me, what's going on?" he asked as he turned away from her and walked into the living room. She followed him and took a seat that he offered her. Alexis looked up at him, as he stood next to her, she replied ... "What's going on is that we have 24 hours to come up with something to charge Sonny with or he's going home." "Alexis, what do you want me to do? I can't just force the memories to come into my head, ya know. It's going to take me longer then 24 hours to know for sure it was Sonny." "I know, Zander. I'm sorry for pressuring you like this. But it's important that we have all our angles covered, because right now, Sonny's attorney is not all too happy that we have him locked up on suspicion of murder." Emily emerged from the kitchen with a tray of coffee mugs and a decanter of fresh coffee. "I thought you guys might need some of this." she said as she sat down the tray on the coffee table. "Hi Alexis, how are you?" Emily greet their guest as Alexis smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I'll be better when I know I have a case against Sonny I can win." she glanced at Zander who was pouring some coffee into one of the mugs. "Yeah Zander told me all about it. I guess it's riding on him right now, isn't it?" Emily asked as she sat down on the couch. "Unfortunately, yes it is. What about talking with a professional?" Alexis suggested and Zander shot a glare towards her. "No shrinks, Alexis. I'll remember on my own, thank you." Zander objected. "Okay, no shrinks. I have to be getting back to town, now, but thanks for the coffee and conversation." Alexis said as she turned and walked towards the door. "Zander if you remember anything, even if it's the smallest detail, you call me. Okay?" she added as she turned around towards him. "I will Alexis, don't worry, you'll be the first person I'll call." Zander replied as Emily went to see their guest to her car. Alexis and Emily walked down to Alexis's car that was parked out in front of the cabin. "I don't know what to say Alexis, I don't know how to help him." Alexis eyes were filled with concern for she and Zander. "I know but pushing the issue isn't going to help him remember, he's going to remember when he's ready to. And all you can do is be there for him when he does. Because I have a feeling when he does remember, he's going to need you more then ever." Alexis pulled Emily into a hug and gave her a quick peck on the cheek goodbye. "Thanks for coming all the way up here, I know it's a ride from town." Emily appreciative of Alexis going out of her way to make sure they were alright. Alexis smiled and then got into her car. Emily turned back towards the cabin as Alexis turned the car around and headed back out the long dirt driveway. Emily made her way back into the house and closed the old wooden door of the cabin. When she stepped into the cabin she heard Devon's cries from upstairs. Zander so deep in thought, he didn't flinch at the sound of his son crying for them. Emily rushed up the stairs to comfort Devon and soon the crying had stopped. Emily emerged from upstairs with Devon in her arms as she came down the stairs with him in her arms. Devon's eyes were puffy and red from crying as his face lit up when he saw Zander sitting on the couch. Devon reached for his dad as Emily walked into the living room. "Would you watch him for a couple minutes till I get his breakfast ready?" Emily asked of Zander as she sat Devon down on the couch. "Yeah sure, go ahead, we'll be fine. Won't we?" Zander said as he picked his son up in his arms and fell back with him on the couch. Devon giggled. Zander laid down on the couch with Devon sitting on top of him. Devon watched as Emily disappeared into the kitchen and Zander bounced him up and down on him. Emily could hear Devon's giggles as she put together his breakfast. All seemed right with Zander and the family he loved so much, but the past was still lurking and just waiting for him to remember what he tried so hard to forget. At the hospital -- Jason was getting stronger and stronger every day, and every day it was getting harder and harder to keep him in the bed. He didn't want to stay much longer in the hospital, he had had enough of the dismal place. "Okay, so when am I getting out of here?" he asked the duty nurse who was on that particular morning. "I don't know Mr. Morgan, I'll have to ask the attending physician on your case." she replied as she checked his vital signs for the third time that morning. "Okay, you go do that. I want to get out of here. I have a business to run and I can't run it from this hospital bed." he remarked as the duty nurse turned and walked out the door. "Well, you're feeling better I see." Elizabeth said as she stood in the doorway. "I do feel better and I want to go home, I can't take much more of this place." he replied and reached for her hand. Elizabeth knew she had to tell Jason about Sonny being arrested, it was all over the front page of the morning paper, he was bound to see it or hear someone talk about it. She went and sat down on the swivel stool next to his bed and he could see in her eyes something was on her mind. "What's wrong, Elizabeth?" he asked. "Something's happened, Jason. And I think I should tell you before you hear it from someone else." she replied. He could see that this was difficult for her to do, so he prepared himself to hear the worst. "What is it?" he asked again. "It's Sonny, Jason .... he's been arrested on suspicion of murder."

At the cabin -- Zander sat down with Emily and took a deep breath before telling her about Sonny's arrest for killing his father. Zander hadn't talked about his father's death to anyone, not even to Emily. He had made excuses for the nightmares that followed over the past 15 years to anyone who would ask about them. She saw the seriousness in his face and an overwhelming concern came over her. "Zander, what is it?" "There is something that I haven't told you, something that has haunted me and I had rid myself of the nightmares, or so I thought. Tonight that nightmare came back and I need to tell you about it before you hear it from someone else." Emily was getting scared just listening to Zander talk about whatever it was he had to tell her. Scared for him, scared for herself because she didn't know if she could do anything to help him through it. "Zander whatever it is, you can tell me." she replied as he looked into her eyes and knew what she said was true. He could tell her anything and she'd always be there to support him, no matter what. "My father ..... my father was killed 15 years ago and ... I was there, I saw it happen." Tears began to well in his eyes as he told her what happened and she pulled him into an embrace wanting to take the pain away. "No, Em I need to tell you this." he pulled from her and sniffled back the tears. "Detective Steele ... he was investigating my father's case and he found the man .. who killed him." Zander continued. "Well that's good right, I mean now they can arrest him and he can pay for it." she got excited for a minute before Zander brought on more of the truth. "I'm the only one who can identify the man who shot and killed my father, Emily and I can't be sure on who that man was." he replied in disgust with himself for not remembering all of what he saw. "You were eight years old, Zander .. you can't expect to remember 15 years later .. especially something this traumatic. Give yourself some time, it will come back to you." "Em, I don't have that kind of time." he sighed heavily. "Detective Steele and Ric served an arrest warrant tonight on who they think killed my father. Without me, they have no case against him. I need to remember, Emily." "Zander, who did they arrest?" Emily questioned. "Someone we both know ... Sonny Corinthos." he blurted out and noticed her jaw drop reaction. At the PCPD -- Ric kept Sonny in the interrogation room till his attorney arrived and while he finished up the report on the case. As Ric sat behind the desk and signed the last of the paperwork, he looked up and noticed someone standing in front of him. Ric stood up from his seat and extended his hand to the woman who stood before him. "DA Lansing, and you are?" he asked as she took his hand and shook it. "I'm here to see my client, Mr. Corinthos. I'm Victoria London." Ric smiled and led her to the interrogation room to see Sonny. "Mr. Corinthos, your attorney is here to see you." Ric announced as he opened the door to the room and saw Sonny sitting at the table shackled to the floor. His attorney noticed the shackles when she entered the room and asked for them to be removed. "Are those necessary?" she asked about the shackles as she stepped into the room and set down her briefcase on the table. Ric rolled his eyes at her question and then called in an officer to remove the cuffs from Sonny's ankles. "Spencer! Unshackle Mr. Corinthos." Lucky looked at Ric like he had lost his mind. "Just do it." Ric replied before he stepped back into the squad room. Sonny and his attorney talked a while, while Ric looked on. She was very attractive, deep auburn curls, shoulder length hair, piercing blue eyes, the prettiest he's ever seen. Ric was smitten. As he stood there observing, he didn't hear Alexis approach him from behind. "Do I need to be worried about you Ric? Spying isn't becoming of a District Attorney." she joked as she walked up on him. She startled him back to reality and turned around with a snap. "I wasn't spying, Alexis. I was just observing. There's a difference." Alexis chuckled at his way of thinking. "Who is that by the way?" Alexis asked when she noticed Sonny was talking to someone. "She's Sonny's attorney." Alexis intrigued by that for some reason as she peered thru the window and watched as Sonny spoke with his attorney in private. "Now who's spying." Ric smirked and walked away towards the desk he had been working at earlier. Just as Alexis turned and walked towards him, the interrogation room door opened and the auburn haired attorney emerged. Alexis and the attorney locked eyes on one another and then excited squeals could be heard throughout the squad room. "Alexis?" the attorney asked as she stepped forward slowly. "Vicki?" Alexis replied as she took a few steps towards the her. "Oh my God ... it is you!" they squealed like giddy school girls as they embraced each other. "How long as it been? 20 years?" Victoria asked as Ric came upon them. Alexis nodded to Victoria's question when she saw Ric standing there. "So I take it the two of you know each other?" The two attorney's smiled at each other and then at Ric. "Vicki and I went to law school together, we were sorority sisters for a while." Alexis replied with joy to have her closest friend in town with her. "We definitely need to catch up." Victoria said. "Come on, we can go to my office and talk." Alexis offered and led the way to her office, Victoria following close behind. Alexis' office -- Alexis opened the door to her office and invited Vicki in. "Have a seat." Alexis said as she showed Vicki one of the leather chairs in front of her mahogany desk. "Mmm.. Assitant DA. Very nice Alexis." Alexis looked around her office and didn't think it was the greatest job she had had over the past 20 years, but it was something that kept her out of trouble with those questionable clients. "So what about this case against my client, Alexis? You're seriously not going to prosecute on the evidence you have, are you?" Victoria asked as she reached into her case and pulled out a folder. "I thought our intentions were quite clear in our reports, Vicki. This is open and shut." Alexis replied as she put on her black rimmed glasses and opened up the case folder in front of her. "Without a witness, Alexis, the state doesn't have anything to hold Mr. Corinthos on or any charges to bring against him." "Oh but we do have enough to hold Mr. Corinthos for questioning in this murder, without the witness." Alexis replied as she peered over her glasses. "And according to my watch, we have him for another 32 hours." Alexis added hoping that within those hours, Zander would be able to remember if it was Sonny who shot his father or not. "I'm going to let this slide for now, Alexis. I have yet to read over thoroughly the case, but Mr. Corinthos does have the right to counsel during questioning." The phone on Alexis's desk rang a piercing sound and she quickly picked it up. "Davis." she answered. "I'll be right down." Alexis replied and jumped up from her seat. "Let's go ... your client wants to talk." she said to Vicki as they both rushed out the door and down to the squad room.

At the hospital -- Meanwhile at the hospital, Jason still unconscious was wheeled out from the surgical wing and into a recovery area till he woke up. Monica emerged from the double doors and saw Elizabeth and Alan still sitting and waiting in the chairs outside the ICU. She approached cautiously, trying to think of the words she would tell Elizabeth. Jason's recovery would not be easy, nor will it be short term. Elizabeth looked up when she heard someone approach. "Is it over?" she asked as Monica sat down with her. "Yeah it's over. Jason's in the recovery area, he's still unconscious." "Is he going to be okay, did you get the bullet out?" Monica paused a moment with a worry in her eyes as Alan wrapped his arm around Elizabeth to steady her for the news Monica obviously had to tell her. "We got the bullet out, it was difficult but we got it, all of it. Now it's up to Jason. It's not going to be an easy road, but Jason's strong, he can handle what lies of ahead of him." Elizabeth wiped a tear from her eye as she listened to what Monica had to tell her. "When can I see him?" she asked. "Give him some time to rest, a few hours should be okay. Why don't you go home and some rest, you've been here all night, Elizabeth." Monica suggested as she looked towards Alan to offer something. "Why don't I drive you home, Elizabeth?" Alan offered and she looked up at him. "No thank you Dr. Quartermaine, I'll get Johnny to take me home. I guess there isn't much I can do here till Jason wakes up. But you will call me as soon as he does, right?" Monica stood up from her seat and removed her surgical mask from around her neck. "Sure, we will." Elizabeth felt the urge to give Monica a hug for all she did for Jason, she felt close to Jason's parents, even if Jason didn't. Monica surprised by the hug from her, but returned the embrace just the same. Alan and Monica watched Elizabeth walk somberly down the hallway towards the elevators. Alan reached for Monica and pulled her into him. He looked down at her ..."Come on .. I want to go see our son." At Ric's Office -- Ric offered Zander a seat as they walked into the office and Ric closed the door behind them. Zander watched as his brother took a seat in the chair behind his desk. "So are you going tell me what this all about? Why do you need my help?" Zander asked still baffled by what was going on. "I need you to remember, Zander. I need you to remember all that happened that night, the night your father was killed." "Ric, I'm sorry, but I don't remember anything about that night." Zander replied without wanting to go back to that night. "Look, I know you a small boy, and I know that the night has probably haunted you years afterward but Zander, I need you to remember. You are the only one who can put Sonny at the crime scene." "I can't go back there, Ric. It took me a very long time to rid myself of those nightmares, and you're right, I had been haunted by the memories, and I finally got rid of them, Ric. I don't want them back!" Ric sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Zander, I need you to go back there. You don't get this do you? If we don't have you as a witness, we don't have Sonny on murder charges. It's that simple." Zander dreaded even the thought of remembering that night, but he knew he had to if he wanted to send his father's killer to prison. "Alright! I have to. What now?" Zander replied. "Now? Well, now we should get a statement of what you remember from that night." "Which isn't much. I told you Ric, I don't remember all of it. I was 8 .... how much do you expect me to remember after 15 years?" "I expect you to remember enough to send Sonny Corinthos to prison, Zander. If we need to, we can make an appointment with someone who can help you remember." "What, like shrink? You're kidding, right?" "No I'm not kidding. A professional can help you remember what you selectively forget." "So who's on tonight to take my statement. Let's get this over with." Zander sighed, he certainly wasn't ready for this but wanted to get this ordeal over with as soon as he could. Ric picked up the phone and dialed down to the clerks office for a transcriber, he had no luck at this hour. He pulled out a tape recorder from his desk and set it on top near Zander and turned it on. "Whenever you're ready." Ric said as he leaned back in his chair and waited for Zander to begin telling his story. Zander breathed in deeply, he concerned with reliving the past, but he had to if he wanted a conviction of his father's killer. "It was late, after midnight I think. I had gotten up and had gone downstairs to the kitchen. Mom always kept a special jug of milk in the refrigerator for me, she said it to help me go back to sleep, she called it the magic milk. Zander hesitated as more memories of that night came flooding back to him, "Anyway, I went down to the kitchen and I passed by the study and I noticed a light was on, nothing unusual in my house, dad always worked late. It was the topic of my parent's fights most of the time. I didn't hear anything, so I walked into the kitchen for the milk and then returned to my room. On my way back from the kitchen I heard voices. There were at least 2 voices arguing, so I pushed open the door just a little to see what was going on. I don't think any of the men saw me peeking in because the arguing continued. I don't know what they were talking about, but it was loud and my father was upset with them. It all happened so fast ...." Zander stopped. Ric sat up in his chair and reached for the tape recorder to turn it off. Zander's hand came up and stopped him. Ric backed off the recorder and Zander continued. "I remember hearing the shot and my father falling back in the chair, the men grabbed what they could from the room, they knew he kept lots of money in drawers of his desk. When they were done stuffing their pockets they came towards the door, and I hid. I didn't make a sound as I hid in the shadows and I watched them leave the study and walk out the front door of the house." "Who was the person you saw shoot your father, Zander? Who killed Frank?" Zander sat in the chair and became agitated. He tried so hard to forget that night, his mind and body not wanting to remember, he tried to shake off the feelings that had all rushed back and overwhelmed him. The fear, the sadness, the sense of loss, he sat in the chair and began to feel the sweat beads form on his forehead and he became uncomfortable in the chair. Ric asked him again .. "Zander, who was the man you saw shoot your father?" The answer Ric was asking was something that Zander never remembered, in his nightmares, he never saw the faces of the two men who were in the office that night with his father. He could of met the person on the street and never knew it. Images of that night flashed in Zander's head as he sat in his brother's office, but nothing that made sense to him enough to piece that night all together. The faces were blurry, he couldn't get the pictures to focus enough to see who they were. "I'm sorry, Ric. I don't know. I can't remember." Ric sighed and turned off the tape recorder. "It's okay, Zander. We'll try again another time." Ric got up from his desk and thanked Zander for trying. He had Sonny on other charges to keep him at least 36 hours, he'd give Zander a little time, if he pushed him too much, he may not be able to remember at all. Zander stared down Sonny as he walked back into the squad room, Sonny cuffed to a desk chair. Ric encouraged Zander to keep walking passed, that he didn't want any more problems with the case. Ric walked Zander out and then came back in to finish up the paperwork on Sonny's arrest. Zander walked down to the limo, Marcus was waiting for him. "Let's go, Emily I'm sure is waiting for me back at the cabin." he said to Marcus as he opened the back door for his boss. "Yes, sir." Marcus replied and then shut the door. Zander arrived at the cabin and he noticed a flicker of light in the living room. Marcus stopped the car and got out. He walked to the back of the car and left Zander out of the back seat. "Thanks Marcus, you can go back to town now." Zander instructed before walking up to the front door of the cabin. He peered in the window and saw Emily lounged on the couch in front of the fireplace. He unlocked the door and entered the cabin quietly trying not to wake her up. As he approached her, she awoke and saw him standing over her. "Zander, oh my God, I was so worried about you!" she said as she jumped up from the couch and latched onto him. "I'm sorry I had to rush off like that. I think there is something I need to tell you."

Ric's Office -- Ric picked up the phone and dialed it quickly. "I need an arrest warrant drawn up, now! I don't care what time it is, I need one immediately! Name? Sonny Corinthos Charge? First degree murder .. Yes you heard me right. And I want it on my desk ASAP!" Ric slammed down the phone and turned his attention back on Steele. "Now, if you excuse me I have an arrest warrant to serve." Ric added as he got up from his desk and directed Steele towards the door. "Now wait a minute, Mr. Lansing .. this is my case .. I want in on this bust!" Steele reminded Ric if it weren't for him Sonny wouldn't be arrested or charged with the murder of Zander's father. Ric thought a brief moment, and guessed he'd give Steele the collar, he did do all of the work to get Sonny charged with first degree murder. "Come on, let's go ..." Ric replied as he grabbed onto Steele's jacket and led him out of the office. The warrant was waiting for Ric when he arrived in the squad room with Steele by his side. He called over a few other officers and explained what he had planned. Three officers, Ric and Steele walked out of the squad room with the arrest warrant in hand and went to see Mr. Corinthos. At the cabin -- Darkness still lingering, Zander's cell phone rang. He reached over to the night stand and flipped it open to answer it. "Hello .." he answered still half asleep. "Zander, little brother, if you want to see a murderer come to justice, I'd suggest you meet me at the PCPD in about an hour." Ric being cryptic didn't leave Zander much choice. "I'll be right there." Zander replied and flipped close the phone. He slipped from underneath the sheets and quickly got dressed. As he went down stairs he called Marcus to come pick him up, he'd let Emily sleep but he left a note on the table explaining his absence. It didn't take long before Marcus picked Zander up at the mountain cabin, and they sped away heading back towards town to the PCPD. At the PCPD -- the squad room They arrived in record time and Zander walked into the squad room wondering what his brother had been trying to explain to him on the phone. Marcus stood by Zander while he waited and saw that his boss was becoming more and more anxious. Sonny's Penthouse -- The officers and Ric along with Steele arrived at Sonny's penthouse, the warrant in his jacket pocket. Ric pounded on the door and waited for someone to answer. It was a few minutes before he heard movement towards the door. The door opened, Sonny in his robe and shocked to find Ric standing in the hallway with 3 officers. "Ric do you know what time it is?" Sonny said as he stepped away from the door and they stepped into the apartment. "I know what time it is Sonny, and I came on official business." Ric replied and handed Sonny the arrest warrant. "What is this?!" Sonny asked as he threw the warrant back in Ric's face. "That is an arrest warrant. You're under arrest for the murder of Frank Smith. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, you have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the state of NY ...." Ric recited as the officers slapped cuffs on Sonny in the middle of his living room. Carly had heard the commotion and raced down the stairs to see her husband in a pair of handcuffs. "Hey what's going on here?" she shouted as she went to her husband. "You can meet us at the police station, Carly .. and bring some clothes for your husband." Ric told her as they walked Sonny out of the penthouse and then onto the elevator. Carly raced back upstairs and grabbed what she could and followed the police cars downtown. The PCPD - Squad Room Zander sat waiting for Ric to come back, when he looked up to see Ric and Steele walk into the squad room. Three officers followed and they had Sonny with them in handcuffs. "Hey what's going on here, Ric?" Ric pulled Zander into an interrogation room for a little privacy to tell him that Sonny was the one who murdered his father. "What?! Sonny killed my father?!" was heard from inside the interrogation room and soon Zander stormed out from the room, his eyes piercing through Sonny like knives. "You bastard!" Zander shouted as he pulled back his arm and laid his fist against Sonny's jaw before anyone could stop him. "Zander! That's enough." Ric said as he grabbed his brother before he did more damage to the suspect. "Take him into the interrogation room, please." Ric instructed the officers in what to do with Sonny. "Would you calm down!" Ric said to Zander as he saw Zander's fists were clenched and the anger just boiled inside of him. "Calm? You want me to be calm? That son of a bitch killed my father and you want me to be calm?! After 15 years, I found out the man who took my father from me was under my nose the entire time!" Zander barked back. Ric understood Zander's rage and didn't blame him one bit for feeling what he felt. "Just let me do my job, I want these charges to stick!" Ric said before he headed into the interrogation room to question his murder suspect. Zander watched from the squad room as his brother questioned Sonny about his father's murder. He began to pace the floor and wringing his hands together in anticipation of Ric emerging and telling him the case was finally closed that Sonny was going away for a very long time. At this moment the business didn't matter, this was personal and Sonny was going to pay dearly for what he had done. Tempers flared and loud voices could be heard from the interrogation room, as Zander couldn't tear himself away from observing what was going on inside. Suddenly the door to the room flew open and Ric emerged, his rage could been seen to those in the squad room. Zander approached him with anticipation to know what happened in there. "So, Ric, tell me he's not getting out of this, tell me you can make this stick!" Ric turned to his brother wishing he could tell him what he wanted to hear, knowing that they would need Zander's testimony to put Sonny away for killing Frank. "Yeah we can .. but ... I'm going to need your help." Zander looked at his brother confused. "My help, what hell do you need me for?" Zander questioned. "I'll tell ya about in my office." Ric led the way to his office and Zander followed close behind wanting to know what he would have to offer this case against Sonny.

At Ric's Office -- While Zander and Emily were safely away at the mountain cabin, Ric was on the case of Detective Steele. He too was curious as to why Steele was focusing the investigation on his brother. He had made a few phone calls to contacts he had in Florida to get more information about the murder case Steele was digging into. "Look, I know you don't have much information about this case, but I need to find out more information then what I do have." Ric ordered as he spoke with someone in the DA's office in Miami on the phone. "Yes I know this is a 15 year old case, but ..." he just seemed to be getting doors slammed in his face at every corner. No one was talking or they didn't have the information he needed. This case was closed up tighter then a drum, which made him wonder why, what was so top secret about this 15 year old murder case. It just didn't make any sense to him. As he sat frustrated in his office, there was a knock on his office door. "Come in!" he barked from behind his desk. Detective Steele peered in as he opened the door to Ric's office. "Bad night counselor?" Steele said as he pushed the door open and saw Ric sitting behind his desk. "Yes it has been and I should be home, but I'm not, I'm here working on a case at 2am in the morning. What can I do for you Detective Steele?" Ric was not at all happy with Steele and this was just the wrong night for him to come calling and fishing for information. "I have it on good authority that your brother and his wife skipped town, is this true?" Steele asked as he stepped towards Ric's desk. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Steele." Ric replied as he closed the folder he was reading closed, weary of Steele. "It seems kind of funny that this investigation finally can bring your brother some closure on his father's death and he's conveniently out of town with his wife, don'tch ya think?" Steele replied as Ric got up from behind and his desk and walked towards him. Ric pushed Steele down in the leather chair behind him and said ...."Well since you are just source of information, why don't you sit down and tell me all you know." Steele sat down hard in the leather chair and Ric sat on the edge of his desk glaring at the person who was about to tell him all about a murder that so obviously included his younger brother. "I want to know what you know Steele. And I want to know right now." Ric said calmly as his insides were ready to knock the smug look off Steele's face. "Alright. I'll tell you all I know." Steel replied as he reached into his jacket pocket for the small tablet he had been writing things down on while investigating the case. "I'm listening." Ric said as he got up and went to sit down in his leather chair behind the desk. "15 years ago, your brother's father was the head of an organization that powered over just about the entire eastern seaboard, including some territory here in Port Charles. His right hand man, though a young, was aggressive and wanted more then what was offered to him, by his boss. In the end, the boss was dead and the young man was never found, obviously skipping town, and the country to evade prosecution. It never was truly proven that the young right hand man did the deed, it was suspected enough to have charges waiting for him once he was found." Steele explained. Ric sat and listened but it still didn't tell him how Zander was involved in this, he was only 8 when this murder happened, how much would an 8 year old know about his father's business. "And how does Zander tie into all this...?" Ric asked. "I'm getting to that ...." Steele said and then continued. "From what we know, Zander was witness to this and when investigators talked with him, he couldn't tell them anything. Shock, I guess." "So now you expect him to remember? After 15 years? If he couldn't tell them anything back then, I'm sure he's blocked out the memory of it by now. What happened to the young suspect? Ever find him?" Ric inquired hoping Steele could give him something to go on. "Actually I think I'm closer then any of the others who have taken on this case." Steele piqued Ric's curiousity. "And .. where is he? There's no statute of limitations on murder, he can still hang for this." Ric said as Steele flipped through his black notebook. "According to what I have, the young suspect apparently ran to his family in Puerto Rico and had been underground for some time there. He had gotten in the business there and built his own organization in the islands before bringing it to shore and building it up in the states. As far as I can tell, he's as powerful now as he's ever been, owning most of the important inlets and outlets of the eastern seaboard." Steele described someone sounding very familiar to Ric, but he couldn't be sure. "So have you found him?! You found the man who murdered Zander's father?" Ric asked again as Steele looked up from his notebook. "You're not going to like it. Cause he's been right underneath your nose for the last 10 years." Steele grinned. "Steele, I hate riddles, just tell me who I can go arrest for this 15 year old murder." Ric getting impatient now with Steele. Steele grinned smuggly .. "The man's name is Sonny Corinthos."

***WARNING*** This episode contains R material for a fade to black love scene. At the cabin -- Darkness had soon fallen around the cabin, as they enjoyed each other's company in front of a roaring fire, and two glasses of wine. She had gotten up from the sofa and took the afghan from the rocker in the corner and brought it back to wrap herself in as they watched the crackle of the fire in the stone fireplace. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, a kiss so gentle, so sweet. Her lips parted and invited him in as the kiss became more passionate. It deepened as she left out a moan of pleasure that echoed within him. She straddled his lap, and began to nuzzle his neck, his hands caressing her back, he pulled her to him, her hair falling around his face as their mouths met once more. His kisses traveled down her neck as he began to unbutton her blouse. She watched him fumble with the buttons in the dim light of the roaring fire. She reached up with her hands and helped him remove the blouse from her, revealing to him a pink lace bra, her rounded breasts overfilled the lacey material that formed around them. He began leaving his kisses on her neck once more and led a trail down between her perfectly round mounds. It had been too long since he had her so close to him, he wanted to taste every inch of her beautiful body. She got up slowly from his lap, leaving him wanting more, and grabbing the pillows from the chair and placing them on the floor in front of the fireplace along with the blankets that she found in an old cedar chest in the corner. She spread out the blankets and threw the pillows on top, then reached for his hand. He took her hand in his and walked towards her. He took her in his arms, their mouths met once more as they went to their knees, he laying her gently on her back. He stood up and slowly removed the shirt he was wearing, revealing to her the white gauze bandages that only reminded her of what they had left behind. She was so beautiful in the soft amber glow of the fire that raged on in the fireplace, he knelt down to be with her on the blankets and she invited him to her, opening her legs to him. He laid his hips between her thighs, she could feel him underneath his trousers. He began to rub against her which aroused her as she caressed him, being careful of his healing wounds. "Are you sure?" she asked as she looked down at the bandages. "Yeah I'll be fine..." his words drifted off as his lips met hers and she started to remove the pants he was wearing. A night of lovemaking was apparent as they continued to explore each other with the tenderness and gentleness of touches and caresses. As the fire raged on in the fireplace, the fire within them, burned passionately, as they once again became one. Fade to black At the hospital -- Jason's room As Zander and Emily shared a night of passion, Elizabeth sat by her husband's bedside holding his hand and hoping that he'd be stronger in the morning so the doctors can go in and get the bullet that was lodged close to his spine. She had been sitting with him night after night for the past 3 weeks, hoping that the next day would be the day for the doctors to make him well again. Sonny and Carly both had visited on numerous occasions, both together and separately. Both concerned for her and Jason. It was now close to 2am and he had been down for a very long sleep, Monica had given him something for the pain he was feeling and it knocked him out. He had been heavily medicated since had been brought in that fateful night that turned their lives upside down. She held much anger about what had happened and blamed only one person for it, and that was Zander. Jason began to wake up from his long sleep, and he woke her up by caressing the back of her head as it laid on the edge of the bed. She looked up at him and he cracked a smile, even that took some strength for him to do. She quickly went out to the ICU nurse's desk to let them know he was awake. He reached for her as she walked back in the door, followed closely behind by the night duty nurse, Judy. She checked his vitals and wrote down the numbers that she saw on the machines. "He's stronger, right .. he's getting better." Elizabeth was hopeful that tonight was the night that Jason would be strong enough to sustain the surgery needed to remove the bullet that came from Zander's gun. "I don't know yet, let me check with the doctor on call." Judy replied as she headed for the door. "No, I want Drs. Quartermaine to look at him, no on call doctor." Elizabeth wanted only the best for her husband, and Monica and Alan were the best GH had on staff. "Okay, Mrs. Morgan, I'll give them a call." Judy replied before she left the room and went back to her desk. Jason squeezed her hand and she turned and looked down at him. His eyes filled with worry and fear about his condition and what was going on around him. "What's .. going on?" he asked as she sat back down on the swivel chair next to his bed. "The duty nurse is calling your parents to see if they can come in and check to see if you're strong enough to do the surgery you need." Elizabeth explained as she noticed his lips were dry and he had become very pale. She reached behind her and took the styrofoam cup filled with ice chips. She took one from the cup and rubbed it across his lips to moisten them. He opened his mouth and the melting chip fell into the opening. "You weren't suppose to take it." she giggled and he cracked a smile. "Sorry, I'm thirsty." he managed to say as she reached in the cup for another ice chip. "These are all Monica gave me to give to you, sorry." she apologized to him because she couldn't give him water in a cup to drink. As she rubbed the second ice chip on his lips, he once again opened his mouth and it fell in against his tongue. As the chip melted he swallowed what little water there was left after most of it seeped into his dry mouth. She didn't know how much time had passed and she was still waiting for Jason's parents to arrive. She began to pace the room back and forth as Jason watched her from his lying down position. He had been in a hospital bed for the last 3 weeks, and he too was getting stir crazy in the enclosed room, machines hooked to him, medication every 2 hours or so, all he wanted to do was to hold his wife in his arms. Elizabeth heard familiar voices out in the hallway and went to see if Monica and Alan had shown up. As she left the room, she saw Drs. Quartermaine talking with the night duty nurse about Jason's vitals. Elizabeth approached them hoping that Jason could finally have the surgery they had been waiting to do. "So .. is he strong enough to do the surgery?" Elizabeth asked "Yeah his vitals look good. We're calling in the surgeon to remove the bullet and we'll prep Jason for surgery." Monica said in a soothing voice, trying to keep Elizabeth from worrying. As Elizabeth stood outside the room peering through the large plexiglass window, she watched as the duty nurses prep'd her husband for surgery. She folded her hands and said a little prayer as they brought Jason out of his room on the gurney. She stopped them as they rolled him passed her. "I'll be right here waiting for you, when you come back." she said as she took his hand in hers and held it tight. He cracked a smile and she kissed him gently. "I love you ...." were her last words to him as the orderlies rolled him down the hall towards the surgical wing. "He's going to be fine, Elizabeth. Dr. Thomas is the best we have on staff here at the hospital. And I'll be scrubbing as well, so I'll be with him every step of the way." Elizabeth softly smiled and felt somewhat better knowing that Monica would be with Jason during his surgery. "We'll keep you updated as much as we can." Monica added before she walked down the same hallway and through the same double doors towards the surgical wing. Alan took Elizabeth to the waiting area outside the ICU and sat with her, duration of Jason's surgery.

The Penthouse -- Emily came down the back stairs with her bags in hand and dropped them on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. She noticed he was in deep thought about something and went to him. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" she asked as she stood there next to him caressing his back with her hand. "I just got reamed out by my older brother." he said with a blank face. "Well did you deserve it?" she giggled, not knowing why he was given the third degree by Ric. "I don't know if I deserved it or not but it surely gave me something to think about while we're away." he replied as he reached up with his hand and rubbed it against his scruffy chin. "While we're away? I thought just Devon and I were going?" she questioned. "No, I think it best we all go together, I'm going to make arrangements to stay at the safe house till all this blows over. Besides, I'm suppose to take it easy, remember?" he smiled at her and pulled her into his arms. She sighed against him relieved that he was coming with them. "Why don't we get Marcus to put the bags in the car, we'll go pick up Devon at the estate and we'll leave town right away." A big smile came to her face when she heard that from him. "Okay." She went and picked up the bags from the floor and took them out to the living room and set them by the door. Emily opened the door to find Cord standing guard and asked him to call up Marcus to take the bags down to the car, they'd be leaving in a few minutes to go pick up Devon, as soon as Zander got dressed and ready to go. As Zander walked up the back stairs to the bedroom all that was on his mind was what his brother said to him. After thinking about it a little while, he realized Ric was right. This was too much of a risk for him to take with his wife and child. He had to find another way to bring Sonny down and to hold on to the territory he had inherited from his family. He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open and dialed one of his contacts. "Hey, it's Zander. Listen I want you to call off everything we talked about. Why? Just do it!" he flipped close the phone and stuck it back in his pocket. He grabbed a few extra things from his dresser that he needed and headed down the stairs to meet Emily who was waiting. "All set?" he asked and she nodded. "Marcus is bringing the car around." she replied as Cord stood with Emily just outside the doorway. "Cord, I need you here all the time, 24/7 .. if not you then someone else. I don't want this place left alone for one second. Got that?" Cord nodded in agreement with his boss as the elevator doors opened and Marcus appeared. "Car is waiting for you, sir." Marcus said as he approached the penthouse. "We'll be at the safe house till all this blows over, I will call you with any more instructions." Zander filled his guards in as the elevator waited for them. Marcus followed and boarded the elevator with his boss and Emily. "We're going to the estate to pick up Devon, then we're going to the safe house .... the mountain cabin." Marcus nodded in acknowledgement as the elevator came to a stop and they all got off on the parking garage floor of the hotel. Zander didn't want anyone to know that he and his family had left town, it was business as usual. Zander and Emily climbed into the car and Marcus climbed into the drivers seat. Marcus started the car and drove out onto the street, heading the car towards the Quartermaine estate. It didn't take them but a few minutes to get there and soon they were driving up the long maple lined drive towards the house. Once stopped Emily got out of the car and went inside to get Devon. The Quartermaine's -- Reginald met her at the door and she went inside. "Hi Reginald. I came to get Devon. Can you go see if he's ready for me?" Reginald said he would and went up the staircase to the nursery, while Emily stood and waited for him in the foyer. The house was quite, she assumed everyone was either at work or not home, till it erupted in the living room. Shouting, yelling and anger could be heard from the living room close by. She knew she didn't want to get into that argument, so she stayed put in the foyer and waited for Reginald to return with her son. She looked up at the top of the stairs and saw Reginald carrying Devon down in his arms. She met him half way and took Devon from him. "He was just put down for a nap, and I see he's still sleeping for you." Reginald said as he handed Emily her son. "Thanks Reginald. Tell mom and dad that I'll be gone for a while. I'll get word to them when I'll be back, cause right now I'm not sure." she whispered hoping not to wake Devon who looked so peaceful. "I'll tell them. We'll miss you." Reginald replied with sentiment as he opened the door for her and saw a limo waiting to whisk them away. The family heard the front door and hurried out to the foyer to see who came to visit. Reginald closed the door and went about his business, not telling them that Emily had just left. "Reginald?! Who was just here?" Alan said as he watched Reginald head for the staircase. "Emily, she came and picked up Devon. And she left a message for you. She said she was going away for a while, and that she'd get word to you when she'd be returning, she wasn't sure right now." Monica and Alan knew things were getting dangerous if Zander had taken Emily and Devon out of town. Worry and concern for them set in and Monica turned to Alan for comfort. "Don't worry, Zander's with her, he'll keep her and Devon safe." Alan said trying to soothe Monica's fears. "That deviant has never kept that poor child safe, in all the years they have known each other!" Edward bellowed. The family returned a unanimous "Shut up, Grandfather!" .. he stomped off in a huff. Alan looked down at Monica in his arms and said .... "Don't listen to him, they'll be alright, I'm sure Zander has a plan." The safe house -- Zander and his family reached the safe house which was set deep into the forests someplace in New York state. Marcus drove the car up the longest drive Emily had ever seen and then stopped in front the most quaint log cabin with a wrap around front porch. Marcus got out of the car and went to open up the door for Zander and his wife. Emily unbuckled Devon and scooped him up in her arms as Zander and Marcus unloaded the trunk of their bags. Emily's eyes widened as she looked over the cabin from the car. "Wait till you see the inside." Zander teased as he and Marcus led the way to the front door. Emily gawked at the landscape that welcomed her and her family. "Zander, it's breathtaking." she remarked as he opened the front door with the key from his pocket. He pushed the old wooden door open and stepped inside. He dropped the bags he was carrying and went to enjoy the reaction from Emily as she stepped inside the log cabin. Her eyes widened even further as she walked into the the quaintly decorated cabin, with Devon in her arms. "Welcome to you home for as long as you'd like to stay." Zander said as he took Devon from her so she could go explore the house she so anxiously wanted to see. It was like letting loose a child in the a candy store. She was in awe of everything that decorated the cabin. Zander had Marcus take the bags up stairs to the master bedroom while, he tried to follow Emily from room to room as she explored every inch of the place. She ended the tour of the house in the living room area, as she entered the room, the large stone fireplace drew her attention. "Oh Zander, it's beautiful." she remarked about the fireplace as she went up to it and her fingers glided across the stone. She overjoyed with the accommodations Zander provided for her, she took a seat on the overly stuffed sofa and invited him and Devon to join her. Marcus came down the stairs had taken the bags upstairs to the master suite, Emily then realized there was an upstairs she hadn't seen yet. She jumped up from her seat with a smile on her face and rushed past Marcus as Zander laughed at her enthusiasm. "Thanks Marcus. I'll be in touch." Zander said as he walked Marcus out to the front porch. He turned and came back into the cabin, Devon still in his arms, he closed the wooden door behind him and then peered up the steps to hear if Emily was still exploring. "Oh my God, Zander! This is just wonderful." she said as she came down the stairs towards him. "Well I'm glad you like it." he said as he followed her into the living room once more. "Like it? I love it! How long can we stay here?" she giggled. "As long as you want, sweetheart." he replied and pulled her in for a kiss. All their worries had seemed to disappear the minute they stepped foot in the cabin. No more stress, no more worries about who was coming after them next, all the danger concerns were gone. Devon sat on Zander's lap and Emily noticed a little yawn and his droopy eyelids as he began to drift off to sleep. "I think someone has had too much excitement for one day." she giggled as she brushed her finger against his chubby cheek. Zander picked him up in his arms and turned Devon into his chest, holding him against his shoulder. Devon relaxed against his dad's shoulder as Zander took him up the stairs to the extra bedroom. A crib sat waiting for the sleeping toddler, as Zander laid down Devon gently. He laid his son on his back and gently rubbed his fingers in circles on Devon's tummy. Emily stood in the door way of the room and watched on, bringing a smile to her face as she was witness to the most beautiful moment between a father and a child. Zander leaned on the railing and watched as Devon fell to sleep.

The Penthouse-- The smoke from the explosion hours earlier had cleared the way for the sun that rose over the horizon of the harbor. Zander climbed out of bed and slipped on his robe and slippers. He looked back over his shoulder and saw her sleeping peacefully. He walked down the stairs to the kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee. After last night he need something stronger, but with the medications he was taking, coffee was the strongest drink he'd be having for a while. He noticed as he passed through the living room, Cord had already brought in the morning paper and laid it on his desk. While the coffee was brewing, Zander walked out to his desk to get the newspaper. He stopped shy of the desk and read the big headlines on the front page. "Mob Takes Another Hit". He got closer to read the subtitle of the article, but he didn't have to read the rest of the aritcle to know it was about him and his feud with Sonny and Jason. "PC Businessman's Ship Explodes in PC's Harbor" "Great! Just freakin' great! This is all I need, a front page story. Don't these people ever sleep?! Dammit!" he cursed as he heard the door open and Cord enter behind him. "Sir? You alright?" his guard asked as Zander leaned himself against the desk chair. "Call my brother, and get him over here. Now." Zander ordered. Cord did as his boss told him to and Zander picked up the paper and took it with him to the kitchen. He was sure his shouting woke up Emily, and she was bound to see these headlines. He threw down the paper on the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. He went and sat down on the stool and opened up the morning edition of the Port Charles Herald. Zander didn't hear Emily sneak up behind him as she looked over his shoulder at what he was reading. "That's a nice picture of you, honey." she snickered and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Ya think? I thought the other one last week was better." he replied with sarcasm. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" he added, trying to make light of the situation. She turned around and looked at him. "Now why would I enjoy seeing your picture on the front page and especially with the heading "Mob Takes Another Hit"?" she asked with a serious expression. "That ship last night could of been our limo or could of been this apartment, Zander. ... no I am scared to death and making a joke out of this is alot easier to do then face the fears that I'm feeling right now." she added with a scowl on her face. "I'm sorry, you have every right to be afraid. You're right it could of been the limo or this apartment, that's why I have asked Ric to stop by. I'd like to have more security put in place around here." he replied as she took her first sip of her morning coffee that she poured herself. Zander even hated to suggest what he was thinking, but he did anyway and waited to hear her object to it. "I think Devon should stay with your parents for while. I don't want him around this stuff going on right now. Maybe it would be safe for the two of you to stay at the estate for a while, at least till all this blows over." She stood and thought about what he said and she thought he was right. "Maybe your right. I think it would be safer for us to stay at the house, at least for a while. I don't want to bring Devon home to this warzone, and that's what this is, Zander." Zander shocked that she agreed with him, they were always on opposite sides when it comes to what was best for her and Devon. She set down her coffee cup hard on the countertop and walked out of the kitchen. He knew from the tone in her voice, she was upset with him for asking that she and Devon stay at her parents for a while. He thought it best for his family. "She'll get over it." he muttered to himself as he heard Cord calling him from the other room. "Sir, your brother is here to see you." Cord announced as Zander appeared from the kitchen. "Thanks Cord." he replied as Ric walked in the door. "I take it you saw this morning's paper?" Ric asked as he followed his brother into the kitchen. "Yeah I did and lets just say that on top of this, Emily's not happy with me this morning." Ric helped himself to a cup of coffee as Zander sat back down on the stool. "Why is she upset with you this time, what did you suggest now?" Ric chuckled. "I suggested she and Devon stay at the Quartermaines for a while till all this blows over. I'm thinking of their safety, Ric. I don't want what happened to the ship last night, happen to the limo she rides in or the apartment she lives in. At least if they are staying with her parents, she and Devon are our of harms way." Zander's explained. "So she wasn't keen on the idea, huh?" Ric assumed. "Oh she was all sorts of keen on this idea, it was the attitude that came with it, that gave me the clue she was pissed of with me for even suggesting it." "So what did youu want to talk about?" Ric asked changing the subject as he refilled his coffee cup. "I wanted to find out where I stand in all this sh*t that went down last night. I would assume, I'm at the top of the Commissioner's list to talk to. Since my name is now all over the front page of the morning paper." Zander replied as he pushed the morning paper towards Ric who could see the headlines from where he sat. "If you didn't do anything to cause last night's attack on the ship, then you have nothing to worry about. Right?" Zander raised his eyebrow to his brother. "Tell me you didn't set up last night's explosion?" Zander didn't answer his brother's question. "Oh my God! You did it .. you blew up your own ship to set up Sonny and Jason?!" Ric shocked to hear that Zander would take this feud that far. "I'm not saying anything on the recommendation of my attorney." Zander smirked. "Oh man you are not funny, Zander. This could end very badly you do know that right?" Zander nodded in agreement. "Thus the reason for getting Emily and Devon out of this house. I don't want this to come crashing down on my family." Ric stood in disbelief that Zander would put himself and his family in this position and a very dangerous one at that. "You do realize now they are going to come after you and hard." Ric said as Zander read over the article again. "Little brother, you just put yourself in the line of fire, and Sonny is standing there holding the gun!" "Zander for once listen to me! This plan of yours is going to back fire on you and you are going to lose everything you have worked so hard for. Your territory, power and not to mention your wife and baby. This is just suicidal. If you think that Sonny coming after you is in any way a good thing, God help you because it's not, Sonny isn't going to stop with just you, you have an organization to think about plus your family, your wife and your child. I'm not asking you to reconsider this plan, Zander ... I'm telling you to drop it before it goes any farther because in the end, you are not guaranteed that you will be the one left standing. And while your signing your death warrant, consider this ... What about Emily and your baby? If this goes wrong and Sonny kills you, what happens to your wife? She'll be left alone with a toddler to care for by herself, Zander. This plan of yours has way too much risk to even be thinking about." Ric finished his speech and left penthouse, leaving Zander to think about what the plan may cost him if he continues.

"Hey what's the big idea having the television on, some people are trying to get some sleep." Emily said as she shielded her eyes from the light coming off the tv. "It's nothing, go back to sleep. I gotta go. I'll be back as soon as I can." he said as he quickly got dressed. "You are in no shape to be going anywhere, Zander. You're still re-cooperating from having a bullet taken out of you." she replied concerned for him. "This can't wait, sweetheart. I have to go take care of something. I'll see you in a little while." he replied as he gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaving her alone for the night. Zander had left in such a hurry he forgot to turn off the set. Emily sat up in bed and watched the chaos that was happening down on the docks. "Earlier tonight a ship coming into dock at Pier 12 exploded. No injuries were reported, and we are still waiting to hear from investigators as to what really happened here tonight. We have no new information about this situation, other then the ship that exploded was owned by Port Charles business man, Zander Smith. We have yet to make contact with Mr. Smith to find out the details regarding why the ship was in Port Charles harbor and what if anything the ship was carrying. The Port Charles police department are on the scene and are still investigating this most recent explosion, this coming on the heels of a shooting 2 weeks ago involving a few individuals from Port Charles. Names were not disclosed to the public, but our sources tell us that Jason Morgan and Zander Smith were both taken and admitted to General Hospital for gunshot wounds. We will have more on this story, as well as the explosion here tonight, as soon as more information becomes available." Emily shut off the television as she quickly got out of bed and went to the window to see if she could see the chaos the reporter talked about. As she peered out the window into the darkness, the sky lit up in red lights as she watched from the 19th floor penthouse across town. She knew this is where Zander had run off to, and immediately became concerned for him. She was glad Devon was at her parent's, she didn't want him to see what was going to happen if Mac would come to arrest Zander, yet again. She slipped on her robe and slippers and padded her way downstairs to the kitchen. She was wide awake now and there was no sleeping for her tonight, not till Zander returned home safely. She made a pot of fresh coffee and sat down at the counter with the cell phone in her hand. She wanted it to be near her in case Zander would call. She heard the door and quickly went to see who it was. She ran out into the living room area only to find Johnny waiting for her. She sighed heavily, disappointed it wasn't Zander. Johnny saw the disappointment in her eyes. "Sorry, I know you were expecting him." Johnny replied as Emily approached him. "Yeah I was. Do you know where he ran off to?" she asked even though she knew Johnny couldn't tell her anything. "You know I can't tell you that. Don't worry, he'll be fine. Marcus and Cord are with him." Johnny tried to reassure her that her husband would come home to her safe and sound. "I just came in to check on you. I'll be on guard outside the door if you need anything." he said before he left, leaving her to worry about her husband, alone. She headed back towards the kitchen, the coffee should be done brewing by now. She thought to herself. She sat down on the stool at the counter and poured herself a cup. She sat worried about her husband and wondering what was going on down on the docks. She peered out the kitchen window and saw the red lights flashing from all the emergency vehicles on the scene. She turned on the small television that sat in the corner, on the counter, and changed the channel to watch the news broadcast about the explosion. She watched in fear, afraid that at any moment, the police could be arresting her husband for what had happened. It had been hours, since Zander had left and she was becoming more and more worried about him. She sat on the couch waiting for him, like she always did. She began to fear the worst, when the door opened and he walked in. "Oh thank God" she cried as she got up quickly and went to him. "Are you okay? I was worried." she asked as he embraced her. "Yeah I'm fine, just had a little business to take care of." he replied and walked with her to the couch. "It was all over the late news. Anything to be concerned about?" she asked as he laid back against the cushions of the couch. "Nothing for you to be concerned with. Things are all taken care of." he replied. She knew when to stop talking, and this was the time. "Well, I'm going to bed. You coming?" she asked as she got up and headed for the stairs. "Yeah in a minute." he replied as he turned his head back to look at her. "Okay...." she said before she climbed the stairs to the bedroom. As she disappeared out of sight, Cord came in the front door. "Sir, your brother is here to see you." Cord announced as Ric stood in the doorway. "Come on in, Ric." Zander said as he motioned for him to enter the apartment. "What the heck happened tonight?" Ric questioned as he approached Zander. "I don't know, it was obviously done on purpose." Zander wasn't too concerned with finding out who did it, he already knew who. "You think Sonny did this?" Ric asked. "Yeah I do. I think it was retaliation for the shooting. I think Sonny thinks I was the one who set up the ambush on the docks and got Jason shot." Zander answered. Ric looked at him point blank and asked "Well did you, Zander? Did you set Jason up?" Off the record?" Zander asked before admitting to anything. "Never mind, I don't want to know." Ric replied as he turned and headed towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, get some rest." he added as he left the apartment. Rest? Zander couldn't get any rest, his shipment just blew up in the Port Charles harbor. He went to the door and locked it when his brother left. Zander retired for the evening, thankful he was alive to live another day. When he entered the bedroom, he noticed Emily asleep, or so he thought. He got himself undressed and climbed into be with her, pulling the blankets up over him. He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. Both of them lay awake concerned about what tomorrow may bring down on their family. It was only a few short hours till daylight and his day started all over again. He closed his eyes and tried to get some needed sleep. She turned her head towards him to see if he was asleep. He hadn't said a word when he came to bed, though she didn't think he knew she laid awake waiting for him. Being careful of his healing wounds, she moved closer to him slowly, and he felt her against him as he winced when he felt a twinge of pain. He wrapped his arm around her and tipped his head down and kissed on top of her head. "I love you, baby." he said and she looked up at him. "I love you too." she returned and with a smile. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in the arms of the man she loved.

The Penthouse -- Emily waited till she heard the door slam before she took one step down the stairs. She had put Devon back in his crib after feeding him his breakfast, she figured he'd go back to sleep for a few more hours, that seemed to his routine lately. She made her way down the stairs just as Zander and Ric began talking about something she shouldn't be hearing, because as soon as they noticed she was in the room, they clammed up as usual. "Don't mind me, I'm just heading to the kitchen, please continue to hold your conversation that you don't want me to hear." she cracked as she passed through the living room on the way to the kitchen to get breakfast for herself. "Is she always like that?" Ric asked with a chuckle. "The attitude?" Zander asked. "Yeah ever since Devon came along, it's gotten worse." he added with a roll of his eyes. They both sat down on the couch as Emily walked through the living room again, and smirked in Zander's direction. As she made her way up the stairs he shouted to her ...."And no listening at the top of the stairs, either." She peeked down from the landing ... "I wasn't going to, but that's not a bad idea." she teased. "Hey aren't you suppose to be resting? she asked. "Can't rest, not with Steele out there building a case against me or whatever he's out there doing." Zander replied and watched her disappear up the stairs. "So what do you want me to do?" Ric asked as he poured coffee from the decanter that sat on the table, into a coffee cup that sat on the tray next to it. "About Steele? Nothing. Let's see what he digs up first. He may end up doing all of the work, and we can reap the rewards." Zander replied as he placed his hand on his side again. "First thing we have to take care of is Jason. I have that shipment coming in tonight and I don't want anything to go wrong with it." Zander continued as he winced because he leaned to reach his coffee cup on the table in front of him. "You don't have worry, I've got things taken care of." Ric replied. "Yeah that's what I heard the last time, and I got shot. I'm not taking any chances this time. I spent a week cooped up in the hospital, and I didn't waste my time playing checkers. I have a plan already set to go in motion tonight, a few hours before the shipment is suppose to be delivered. Just make sure someone else in the department knows about the shipment tonight and the rest will take care of it itself. Trust me." Zander said with a devilish grin. Ric wondered what his little brother had up his sleeve. He was planning something and usually that meant Sonny or Jason was taking the fall. "Care to fill me in?" Ric asked wanting to know what he should expect at the warehouse. "No, the less you know the better. It keeps you out of danger and lets you keep your job." Zander replied as he got up from the couch and started walking around the room, hoping by moving the twinges he was feeling would go away. Ric took the last swallow of his coffee and set the cup down on the table. "Well, I must be going. I have a few appointments this afternoon at the courthouse. We will talk later." He excused himself and left. Nightfall came soon enough as everything Zander had planned was in place. He had sent his men to the warehouse and had them prepare for the shipment, just as they were expected to. He knew if Jason couldn't be there, Sonny would, he wouldn't let a shipment pass through his territory that wasn't his own. Zander laid back against the cushion of the couch and thought about the satisfaction he would be getting in a few hours. Emily had taken Devon to visit with her parents, so Zander was left alone to fend for himself till she returned. He was interrupted though as Cord knocked. "Yeah, what?" he asked as he lifted himself from the couch, holding his bandaged area with his hand. "You have a visitor, sir." Cord announced as he opened the door and stepped inside. Zander didn't get the chance to ask who it was before they stepped inside the apartment. "Sorry sir, she didn't want to wait. She says it's important." "Elizabeth, you shouldn't be here." Zander said as she stepped further inside the penthouse. "Yeah I know but I wanted to see the man who shot my husband." she said as he stepped towards her. His eyes widened in surprise that she'd risk it to confront him about the shooting. "Hey wait I didn't shoot Jason, remember I was shot myself." he replied as he showed her his bandages. "Yeah well, Jason isn't that lucky, Zander. He's still in the hospital thanks to you." "Okay, I can see this isn't going to go anywhere, so why don't you go back to the hospital and be with your husband." Zander replied trying to convince her to leave. She turned to leave just as Cord opened up the door and Emily stood face to face with her friend. "And what are you doing here, Elizabeth? Shouldn't you be at the hospital with my brother?" Emily lashed out. "I just came to see Zander and to confront the man who put your brother and my husband in the hospital! Zander should be the one lying in the hospital bed, not Jason!" Elizabeth snapped back at Emily. "You know what, don't even go there with me, Elizabeth. We both know that Zander nor Jason deserved to be shot that night, they should of been with us, but they weren't, they made their own choice to be on docks. It happened, and there's nothing that can change it. Now I am sorry Jason was hurt and that he's still in the hospital. He's my brother for God sake and I love him! I never wanted any of this to happen, but it did. Now if you want to stand here and compare rap sheets .... by all means, fire away. Cause you and I both know, neither of our husbands are saints and neither of them have a squeaky clean background! But go ahead, let's see who racks up the most points. Shall we?" Elizabeth turned to leave after Emily's rant. "Yeah didn't think so." Cord followed Elizabeth to the elevator and Emily slammed the door. "Wow, you are a fiesty one aren't you?" Zander said as he followed Emily into the living room area. "Yeah got something to say about it?" she spouted off at him. "No I just think it's mighty sexy on you, though." he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. She giggled at his remark. "Uh huh, I suppose you're going to tell me I shouldn't of done that, ranted like that with Elizabeth?" she asked as he leaned down and kissed her. "No not at all, actually I found it quite entertaining." he said jokingly. "Hey I thought you were bringing Devon home with you?" he asked as he noticed he wasn't with her. "No mom's keeping him overnight. He was out like a light and I hated to wake him to bring him home, besides they love to have him sleep over." she replied. "Have you had dinner yet?" he asked as he still held her in his arms. "No what did you have in mind?" she teased. "Well, not that since I'm suppose to be taking it easy, doctor's orders." he smirked. "We could order in .. I don't feel like cooking tonight, if that's okay with you?" she sighed heavily as if she was exhausted from a hard day's work. "Yeah that's fine with me." he replied as she smiled cause she got her way again. "Great, I'll go get the take out menus, you sit and relax. You're suppose to resting." she giggled as she squirmed away from his grasp on her and left the room. He sat down on the couch and leaned back, still snickering at the fiestiness she possesses. He didn't know she had it in her, but when push comes to shove, he knows Emily will stand by him, she always has. Later that night --- He and Emily had ordered in pizza for dinner, which made her happy, and that in turn made him happy. He was glad Devon was spending the night with the Quartermaines, just in case the plans for bringing down Sonny were to go wrong, he was sure Mac would be knocking on his door first. His cell phone rang shortly after midnight, which wasn't unusual. Emily turned away from him as he got up to answer it. "Yeah, this better be good news." he said to the person that was calling. "Turn on your television, boss." You're not going to like it." the voice said and he quickly went to turn it on. The screen became clear as he stood watching the chaos that had erupted on the docks. "Dammit! Talk to me, what did we lose?" he questioned. "I don't have the exact figures, but enough, whatever was in that shipment is now scattered across the Port Charles bay." Zander wasn't liking what he was hearing about his shipment. "Anyone hurt?" he asked concerned about his guards who went down to make sure the shipment arrived. "Nobody hurt, just a whole lot of bang." said his contact. "Yeah I can imagine. Well, get the men back here, I want to meet with all of you .. now." he ordered as he stood and watched what the local news was reporting about the explosion in the harbor earlier that night.

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.

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.

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.