Just Like Daddy:
After the horrible revelations yesterday at his moth- no Carly's almost wedding to that deranged psycho Franco, Michael felt truly lost. His girlfriend, little brother, along with the man and woman that raised him had betrayed him, and then they had the gal to say that they were protecting him! Family didn't lie to you at every turn, and family most certainly didn't murder someone that you care about.
He had found comfort in Rosalie's arms last night, but now he was simply lost. Where could he go to make the ache in his heart lessen? Only one person could help him through the turbulence and despair, had done so before in different circumstances but that person, his dear uncle Jason, was long gone from this world.
... But than clarity struck and he found himself heading towards the penthouse his uncle had called home before he was shot. Jason wasn't completely gone from this world after all, a precious piece of him remained.
~~~
As Michael knocked on the door he couldn't even remember how exactly he had gotten there. Was it normal for a persons head to be so foggy? It felt like watching someone else control his own body.
The door opened, and Michael found himself staring into a comforting pair of eyes, although they weren't the blue he craved to find answers in now. Mocha brown eyes took in the sight of the lost looking young man, as she let him in without a word.
After closing the door behind the young man, who somehow silently screamed out misery, Sam seemed as if she was working out something to say. It struck him then that she must have seen the newspaper, she was aware of what his fath- no, what Sonny did.
"How can I help you Michael?" Was what she finally decided on. Michael wasn't sure there was actually any way to help him, but if there was she was the only one he could ask.
"Can I see Danny?" She gave a small nod and little smile and wordlessly walked up the stairs. As Michael waited for her, he felt grateful. She was someone he could trust who would do what she could to help him, and at the same time she wouldn't smother him with sympathy. After feeling grateful though, guilt started to bite at him. When was the last time he visited her and Danny? If he couldn't immediately remember it, it had been way to long. In fact the last time he called her had been to ask her for help, not to check in.
That's when he came to the conclusion that he was a horrible cousin. Although he didn't get to wallow in guilt for long as Sam came down the stairs, Danny on her hip clad in blue Buzz Light-year footsie pajamas, with a sleepy look on his face.
"Was he asleep? Sorry.." Michael was unsure now after realizing his failings at being a good older cousin.
Sam just laughed though, "No he wasn't asleep, he's just lazy. Every morning after he wakes up he prefers to laze about in his bed rather then let me know he's awake. He enjoys playing possum a little to much, don'tcha Danny?"
The little boy just smiled, but his eyes were focused on Michael. He held out his little arms towards him and Michael felt even more guilty.
"Go on," Sam was reassuring him though, "it looks like Danny wants to hang out with his older cousin."
Michael took him then, this was what he came for after all, and Michael decided that while he was here he would also apologize to the little boy. "Hey big guy," Michael greeted softly as he made his way over to the couch with him.
"Can I get you anything?" Sam sounded a little unsure now. "Want some coffee? Have you eaten breakfast? I mean we both know I can't exactly cook, but I can pour a mean bowl of cereal!" Hearing her ramble made him laugh a bit, which felt really good to do.
"I'm not very hungry, but I would appreciate a cup of coffee, thanks Sam," he managed to give her a tiny smile before focusing his attention back on Danny. The little boy was sitting in his lap quietly, fidgeting with the buttons on his coat.
As he reached over and took a toy motorcycle out of the small basket of toys sitting by the table, how ironic, he heard Sam call out, "I hope you don't mind pumpkin spice creamer, because that's all I have in the fall!"
"That's fine!" He called back, as he handed the blonde toddler the little yellow bike. Danny took it happily, and started driving it along Michael's leg, the one he wasn't sitting on.
Michael hugged him closer, before letting out a gusty sigh. Where to start?
"I think I owe you an apology Danny," blue eyes focused on his face as he talked, and Michael took that as encouragement to keep talking, "I haven't visited you in awhile, and that's wrong. Family is important after all, not to mention that I owe it to your daddy to look after you...just like he looked after me."
At that Michael looked at the mantle above the fireplace, more specifically at the pictures of Jason. Michael was surprised though, to see a picture of himself and Jason, along with Molly. The three were standing behind the wimpy Christmas tree Sam picked out a few years ago. Sam had insisted on the picture, she had also been the one to take it, hence why she wasn't in it.
"Mike," Michael was definitely startled to hear the the little boy talk so clearly. He rarely ever heard the little boy speak. As Sam put it, Danny only talked when he had something important to say. The little blonde smiled up at him, and it almost seemed like the child was trying to convey that he forgives him.
"Here you go," he looked up to see Sam standing behind him, handing him a mug, which he took gratefully.
"It's okay you know," she said softly after taking a sip of her own cup of coffee, "You haven't been a bad cousin Michael."
When Michael only glanced at her wordlessly, she went on, "your a young man and Danny is only a little boy, you two don't exactly have much in common. Just because you aren't here everyday playing cars and motorcycles with him, or watching Animal Planet, doesn't mean you don't love him."
"Animal Planet?" He asked skeptically, but she only chuckled and Danny perked up.
"Meerkat?" The little boy questioned his mother excitedly only for her to shake her head fondly.
"No Danny, meerkats don't come on till lunch time," the little boy pouted before he weaseled his way out of Michael's arms, to go sit on the floor near the toy box. He patted the spot next to him as he stared at Michael, so he moved to join him.
"So I guess you've heard about what Carly and Sonny did?" His voice was steely as he asked Sam, before Danny pushed the large red lightning McQueen car towards him, while keeping the little yellow motorcycle for himself.
"Yes I have," she moved to sit down on the couch and watch the two as they played, "I'm so sorry Michael, for what they did to AJ, and that they lied to you. I can't imagine how hard this is for you.. Especially to find out the way you did. We understand a bit of what your going through and we're always here for you if you need anything, isn't that right Danny?"
Danny looked up and nodded rigorously, which almost made Michael laugh again. "Thanks Sam, I really appreciate that," he hesitated before going on, "I can't understand why they would do something so... disgusting. I knew they hated AJ, but I though they loved me more than that."
Sam looked at him sadly, as she tried to figure out how to word a reply. It was true she wasn't AJ's biggest fan, and she knew plenty of what happened in the past, but she knew that didn't give Sonny the right to kill him... What would Jason think or say?
"Your parents do love you Michael, I don't understand why they did what they did, and you have every right to be furious at them but I do believe they love you. Some people are just terrible at proving it," an image of her own father came to mind. How he had claimed to love her many times before he finally stepped up to prove it by agreeing to take part in the project to bank bone marrow.
"We'll they lost the right to prove it now," his voice was frighteningly cold as he paused play cars with Danny and turned fully to her, "Carly and Sonny are dead to me now. I don't ever want to see them again or be reminded of them again. I'm no longer Michael Corinthos... I'm going to change my name to Michael Quartermaine."
Sam looked startled by the declaration, but she didn't say anything about his choice or try to change his mind. For that he was thankful, and he turned back to give Danny his attention.
"Well that's your choice Michael, it's your name after all." Was all she said in the end. Maybe Jason would have tried to convince him otherwise but she honestly felt it wasn't her place. She didn't agree with with Carly and Sonny did after all, but somehow she wasn't surprised about it. It would be up to them to try to change Michael's mind. She had one thing to say though, as her eyes fell on the yellow and black toy her son cherished. "We all make mistakes... some a lot worse and self destructing than others," she sighed.
He glanced at her warily curious, but didn't say anything as he waited for her to go on.
She nodded towards Danny, before continuing, "That toy he's playing with... belonged to Jake. I.. I packed away Jason's stuff into the closets after I accepted that he.. really is gone. But I haven't been able to get rid of everything yet. I took my eye off of Danny for a second, and next thing I know he's pulling that out of a box."
Michael could hear the regret strong in her voice, and he couldn't help but feel it as well. For his uncle and little cousin that were taken away to soon. He wished he could have known Jake, but sadly there was no rewriting history.
"It was like love at first sight when he saw that motorcycle. Something all the Morgan men seem to have in common," she swallowed hard but kept going, "I probably should have taken it away, packed it back up. Jake... was always a touchy subject between us, Jason and I. What right do I have to talk about that little boy after everything I did? But... Jake and Danny are-would have been half brothers. He found it not long after I brought him home from the hospital after he entered remission. I guess maybe I was hoping that even after everything that I did, Jake would look after his little brother, and maybe he would have wanted to play bikes with him..." She was unsure as she stopped talking, so she looked towards Jason's photo as if for guidance.
"I guess the point I'm trying to make is... We all do things that we look back on and wonder what the hell we could have been thinking. Some people make mistakes like that more than others.. But your parents.. they do love you. Just like I loved Jason. But I hated him for what went wrong, and your parents hated AJ for what happened when you were a kid," she held up her hands in a placating gesture as he opened his mouth to rant over how Sonny and Carly stole him, and were just as fault back than as AJ. "Hate blinds people... but in the end you have to try to clear your eyes of that and move on. They weren't able to do that, and they'll be punished or that. But your a better person than them Michael. You'll be able to look past your anger when you need to."
Michael desperately tried to make sense of what exactly she was trying to tell him. "Are.. are you saying I should just forgive them?"
"Not at all. I'm saying that when the times comes and your not as angry as you are right now, you'll realize exactly what you should feel towards them, and what actions you should take."
The young man fell silent at that. She was right about him being furious now, he was too livid to have any kind of rational talk with Carly or Sonny. Or even Morgan or Kiki. That's why he had slept with Rosalie wasn't it? He let his anger and hurt cloud his judgement. He didn't regret what he did by any means even now, but he could see it might not have been the smartest choice he ever made. Was that what Sonny thought after killing AJ?
That thought didn't make him feel any better though, since no one should be so indifferent about taking a life.
"I want you to know, Danny and I will always be there for you," she promised softly, "so never hesitate to come to us okay?"
Michael smiled at her, and he realized this visit really has helped. He finally started to feel as though not everyone he cared about turned their back to him. "I really appreciate that Sam, I-I made the right choice coming here," he laughed as Danny tried to drive the motorcycle up his arm, probably trying to get his full attention.
"You helped too big guy, don't worry," he cheerfully informed the toddler and he took the little boy into his arms and stood up. The little blonde gave him a small smile that made him resemble Jason so much his heart ached. "He's looking more and more like Jason everyday."
Sam's smile was sad as she answered, "Don't I know it."
"I should go now though, I think I've taken up plenty of your time this morning," he laughed after checking the time on his phone. His voice than took on a more somber note, "I should go see grandmother, she's probably seen the paper."
Sam winced, before glancing at him sympathetically as she walked with him towards the door. "Tell Monica that if she needs anything I'm only a phone call away okay?"
"I'm sure she'll appreciate that," he tried to think of what exactly he could say to his grandmother. He knew she would be delighted to know about his decision to change his last name back to Quartermaine. He looked down at the little boy in his arms and smiled. His little cousin had a calming effect just like Jason had and it didn't surprise him one bit. He raised the little boy in the air, which earned him a warm laugh.
"Thanks for all your help Danny! I'm feeling a bit better now," he still had a lot of anger inside of him, something he was sure was going to stay for a long time, but he felt a bit more in control of himself now.
Danny smiled down at Michael, he loved when his cousin came to visit him. He wasn't exactly sure what he was saying, but there was no mistaking the cheerful tone of voice. He handed the little boy back to his mother after a quick hug and opened the door to leave.
"Take it easy Michael."
"Bye Mike!"
"Bye Sam, Bye Danny! I'll see you soon," he would be sure to keep that promise, because unlike Sonny he would keep his word.
A/N: I love Sam and Michael's relationship, sadly you don't see them together much on the show so I was thrilled to watch them interact in the recent Thanksgiving episode, even if it wasn't exactly how I wanted it. I started writing this before that though, but I added a few lines from that episode in here. This takes place after Kiki walks in on him and Rosalie, and before he heads to see the Quartermaine's.