Rated: M
Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just like writing about them
Stay By Me
"Sweet darling
Don't you know that we're no different to anyone
We stumble
We falter
But we're no different than anyone"
---Annie Lennox
Control.
A muscle clenched in his jaw.
Nostrils flared as he drew a slow deep breath into his lungs trying to still his pounding heart. Losing it in the middle of the PCPD wasn't going to help his daughter.
Lila.
His heart jerked painfully then continued its throbbing assault on his lungs.
All he could hear was her voice, the panic and tears in her voice as she screamed for him. The terror in her face as that woman dragged her out of the safety of her birthday party and back into some unknown darkness. The way her arms had reached for him, the one person she trusted to protect her and he had failed her.
Failed her.
His hands curled into tight fists, knuckles cracking loudly, as he resisted the urge to yank at the handcuffs that had him chained to the table in the interrogation room of the police station. The cops had dragged him off the Haunted Star, shoved him into the back of the squad car and drove him down to be processed. Before the whole procedure could begin, Alexis had ordered him placed in here first. Then let him sit for the past ninety minutes. Alone. So he would be forced to remember relive single moment of Lila's pain.
He had certainly underestimated her. It wasn't a mistake he would make again.
She certainly had underestimated him. While she left him to seethe in his own rage, Justus would certainly have been working to get these ridiculous charges dropped. It was all just a matter of time. Then he could go get Lila and they could go home. Somehow, he would make this right for her.
Jason glanced up as the door finally opened and the woman who caused his child's pain stepped inside. She carried a file in her hand, the look on her face calm. Smug. He slowly looked her over, noting the mousy brown hair that she had tried to enhance with golden streaks.
She wasn't a very feminine woman, so what should have looked lovely was yanked back behind her ears and slightly messy. Dressed in a very mannish suit, charcoal grey with a severe white tailored shirt beneath, he had to wonder if she downplayed her looks in the need to make herself feel more authoritative. Those dark rimmed glasses certainly didn't help.
This was his Sam's mother. Where was that grace Sam had? The softness. Sam had a toughness he admired. It assured him that she could handle herself in any situation. He had no problem seeing Sam running a con, or getting herself out of trouble. He could almost see Sam sitting opposite him in this interrogation room, calm and collected as she figured out a way to get out her latest scrape. Yet beneath that fortitude was a loveliness that made her all woman.
How could something so important be lacking in the woman who created her?
Alexis closed the door and stepped to the table, laying the file she carried in front of him. "Open it."
He merely glanced at her, no reaction whatsoever and he knew from the flare of anger in her eyes that it pissed her off. Good. He was just getting started.
She flipped open the cover and pointed to the top of the page, "I said look at it."
Jason swallowed first, and then slowly allowed his eyes to glance down at the white paper, feeling his stomach drop as he read the contents. It was the final adoption papers. How the fuck had she gotten her hands on these?
"Not so stoic now are you?" she smirked then crossed her arms over her chest.
"What do you want?"
"I want to save my daughter from the likes of you," she answered, taking the glasses off and laying them down on the table. "I want to save that little girl from a life of danger and crime."
"You have no right," he began but she cut him off with an angry shout.
"I have every right!" She seemed to catch herself, realizing she had lost control for a moment and reigned it in. "As the District Attorney, it is my responsibility to prosecute criminals and make sure that the citizens of Port Charles are protected from killers like you."
"Do you know what you did tonight?"
"I was doing my job." She pursed her lips but her gaze flicked away.
"Do you know what you did tonight?" he repeated, arctic blue stare drilling into her, his voice rising slightly.
"I was protecting that little girl." She answered quickly, taking a step back.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID TONIGHT!" he roared, shoving the chair back to stand to clamor loudly to the floor. Standing, he slammed his fists down on the table. "You hurt Lila. You. Not me. You dragged Lila out of her birthday party in front of all of her friends and took her away from everyone she loves."
"I'm keeping her safe from you." She yelled, her lips thinning with irritation, "You can just forget about adopting that little girl. I'll never let it happen."
"What the hell did I ever do to you to make you hurt my child this way?"
"She's not your child," she insisted, "In fact, Lila is on her way back to her true father as we speak."
If he had been angry before, now he was terrified. "You did what?"
"Mrs. Franklin from social services has located Lila's father and is returning her to his custody tonight. I don't know what judge you convinced to agree to this adoption, but as of now it is null and void."
"Do you honestly think that I didn't try to find Lila's parents?" Jason shook his head wondering how someone could be so smart yet so fucking stupid. "Lila's mother died of a drug overdose when she was two."
"Probably drugs that you and Sonny brought into the city."
"The neighbors found her crying, sitting in her own filth on the floor of their apartment while her mother lay dead on the couch not two feet away. Social services took her and put her into a foster home while they searched for her father. They never found him, so she bounced around the system until she finally started running away."
"If someone had looked into her case," Alexis started but he cut her off again.
"No one gave a damn. No one. She lived on the streets, taking care of herself. Stealing to get by, and still she has more honor, more respect, and more goodness in her than you will ever have."
"That doesn't change the fact that you stole her away from her father."
"Her father," he spat out, the words leaving a nasty taste in his mouth, "I'm her father! That bastard who was more concerned about his next hit of heroin is not her father!"
"What are you talking about," she shook her head, confusion filling her face, "We found Craig Morrison living in a one bedroom apartment on Bridge Street. He has a stable job working down on the docks. Just because you need to justify your actions"
"Who do you think gave him that job?" his voice was quiet and hard. "Who do you think pulled him out that hole he was living, dragged his ass off to rehab and found that apartment for him."
"You did that?" She frowned, "What to satisfy your conscious?"
"I did it because it was the right thing to do," Jason growled, "Craig Morrison signed off on his parental rights the day he stepped out of rehab. I didn't force him, he volunteered. That's because he knew he was no real father to Lila."
"That doesn't change the charges against you."
"Those charges won't stand up for thirty seconds in court and you know it, so why don't you tell me what tonight is really about."
"I want you to stay away from Sam."
And there it was. The words he had been waiting for and they made him more furious than he could have ever imagined. "How would you like it if someone dragged your children from your home?"
"No one would ever have cause to," she shook her head disapprovingly, "I'm not a criminal like you. I don't kill people and make a profit off their blood."
"I'm Lila's father you had no right to do this."
"No you're not," she denied, leaning forwardly defiantly, boldly meeting his eyes, "I don't know what you're trying to prove, but adopting that little girl won't make up for all the damage you've caused. I won't allow you to drag my daughter into that obscenity you call a life. Nor will I allow you to drag an innocent child into it."
The door opened to the interrogation room and Justus stepped inside with a recalcitrant Mac Scorpio. The man at least looked sorry for what had happened tonight. Justus on the other hand looked furious. That fury was matched by the other various raised voices Jason could now hear on the other side of the door. He could clearly distinguish Edward's voice and Jason never thought he would live to see the day when that old man would be speaking in his defense.
Mac walked over to the table and unlocked his cuffs, making Alexis livid, "What are you doing?"
"The charges have been dropped."
"What? That's impossible, social services is in the process of investigating," and Jason was sure that Alexis had made sure of that fact.
Hell, the child abuse and other charges were ridiculous and easy to disprove. You only had to look at Lila from the day she walked into Family court and see her now to know that their relationship was built on love and trust. You only had to speak to the intelligent young girl to know that she was happy. The one that had teeth was the kidnapping charge, it hinged on Craig Morrison's signature, and that just fell apart.
"Where is Lila," Jason asked Justus, rubbing a hand over his wrists to increase the blood circulation.
"I'm waiting for that call now," Justus assured him, "Patrick went with Carly to pick her up." He turned to Alexis, "This was a blatant misuse of your office and Judge Matthias will certainly agree with me. There will be a full investigation into this matter starting tomorrow and," he stopped when his cell phone rang. He listened for a moment and Jason could hear the rushing words and felt his heart stop in his chest at the blank look on Justus' face.
"What's wrong?"
Justus ended the call and turned worried eyes in his direction, "Lila's gone."
Jason stormed across to the other side of the table, "What do you mean Lila's gone?"
Justus looked down at the phone in his hand, as if it could give them more answers, then back at him, "The social worker dropped her off at Morrison's. When Patrick and Carly arrived, he went in to get her, but she was gone. She must have climbed out of the window and down the fire escape."
Jason went to leave but Alexis grabbed his arm, "You have to stay away from Sam."
Jason glanced down at her hand, and then back into her panicked face, "You need to get your hands off me." She quickly released him and it took every ounce of restraint not to hit her. "If anything, anything, happens to Lila because of you, I swear I will kill you."
Justus' eyes widened and Mac cleared his throat, and Alexis tried to advantage, "Did you just hear him threaten me? That's cause for arrest right there."
Jason turned to Mac, at the end of his patience and desperate to go search for Lila. "You either book me, or cut me loose. Either way you get this bitch out of my face."
"I think that's enough for tonight," Mac stepped forward and discreetly pulled Alexis back. "You're free to go."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sam watched as Jason crossed the room in her direction. His face was a cold mask of fury that made her stomach clench with fear. She had heard the end of that conversation. Everyone in the room had heard the end of that conversation. They were also familiar enough with Jason Morgan and his reputation to know that he had meant every word he said. She hadn't known Jason long, but she knew his love for Lila. Sam knew that if something happened to that little girl, he would very well carry out his threat on Alexis and damned the consequences.
His eyes focused straight ahead, so she didn't know if he saw her standing off to the side. She had come down to see what she could do to convince Alexis to drop these ridiculous charges against him, when she might not have bothered. By the time she entered the station, Justus was already speaking with Mac about Jason's release. She should have known that Jason's cousin wouldn't have allowed this travesty to continue. Jason didn't need her help.
Maybe Carly was right. Perhaps the best thing she could do for him was to get out of his life before Alexis did something even worse the next time. The last thing she wanted was to cause trouble for him; she cared about him too much.
Jason spoke briefly with his family who had all come down to be certain of his release. He turned in her direction, those intense blue eyes capturing her gaze. She couldn't read anything from him. Did he blame her for what Alexis did? Was their relationship finished before it truly had a chance to start?
How was she going to get over him if it was?
He stepped forward, looking down into her face and she searched desperately for the words, the apology to express her sorrow that this had happened tonight because of her. Before she could mumble anything, he lifted a hand to her cheek, its gentle touch bringing tears to her eyes. Silently, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then her mouth, making the tears spill onto her cheeks. Saying more with that quiet caress than any words ever could.
She wanted to grab hold to him, never to let go, but she knew that he needed to go. So she touched a hand to his mouth then moved aside allowing him to leave.
After he left, the sounds of the station started again, almost as if time had halted in those short moments to allow them that respite. Monica Quartermaine came to her, with her husband at her side and took her hand, squeezing it briefly. She smiled softly, as did Alan and Sam felt as if she had been given their approval. She didn't even realize how much that would mean to her.
Edward walked with Justus, and when he stopped, she expected him to say something gruff and angry due to that frown on his face. Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder, nodding, "Don't worry, he'll find our Lila and bring her home where she belongs."
"I know," she smiled, wiping the wetness from her cheeks. Jason could do nothing else; he would allow himself nothing less than to bring Lila home safely.
When she was alone again, she glanced across the room to see Alexis staring at her. The expression on her face made her want to weep. The woman didn't have the decency to look abashed for all the confusion she caused tonight. In fact, she looked angry. Probably furious that nothing had gone the way she liked.
Sam crossed the room, her heels clicking on the tiles, and looked into the face of her mother and realized how miserable that truth made her. "How could you do this?"
Alexis pursed her lips, and then set down the files she was looking through on the desk, "Sam," she smiled, smiled, sadly, "Getting arrested is a fact of Jason's life. He's a criminal sweetheart."
"You purposely went after Jason through his daughter." Sam bit out angrily, temper snapping as rage raced through her, "For what? Some bizarre need to show me the type of man that you think he is."
"It's not just me Sam," Alexis shook her head, "Society sees Jason that way. Don't you understand," she implored. "I'm trying to protect you."
"Protect me!" she shouted, "Who the hell will protect me from you!"
"Samantha," Alexis took a step forward and Sam jerked back, knowing if this woman touched her, she would be ill. "Samantha, I'm your mother. It's my responsibility to protect you."
"You mean control me," she spat out. "I told you, I didn't need your protection. You don't get to run my life twenty-six years too late. You never get to control me and it sickens me to think that because of some twist of biology, you think its okay to go around ruining people's lives because you happen to be my mother."
"How could you believe that?" The astonishing fact that Alexis actually looked hurt was worsened because the woman didn't believe she had done anything wrong. "I'm just trying to keep you safe. Jason will get you killed Sam, just like my sister. I don't want to see you harmed because you're trying to hurt me for putting you up for adoption all those years ago."
"Is that what you think," Sam frowned at the sheer nerve of this woman, "You think I want to be with Jason to get back at you? Do you hear how idiotic that sounds?"
"Samantha, I'm your mother, I think I deserve a little respect."
"Respect?" she laughed bitterly, "When you barely know the meaning of the word? You don't deserve anything from me." Sam took a calming breath. "As of now, I don't even want to see you again. Don't call me Alexis, don't drop by my house, nothing. I don't ever want to see you again."
"I'm your mother Sam. You can't just cut me from you life over someone like Jason Morgan."
"I'm cutting you from my life because you're a diseased parasite who will eat me alive if I let you. I thought that maybe we could forge some kind of relationship between us, but not anymore. If you could do this to an innocent little girl, what else are you capable of?"
"I'm trying to save that innocent little girl from a man who will always put her life in danger."
"You took Lila from the only home she has ever known, the only person who has ever loved her and still you don't see that you've done anything wrong, because you have to be right. That makes you more dangerous than Jason could ever be." Sam turned to leave but Alexis stopped her with her next words.
"If you insist on being with Jason, I can't stop you. Perhaps it's too late to save you from that path of destruction, but I won't allow you to put Kristina and Molly at risk."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you have to choose. You may not want a relationship with me, but I know you love your sisters. If you want to continue being apart of their lives, you cannot be with Jason. I'm their mother, I have to protect them."
"That's really pathetic," Sam shook her head, "One day, you're going to realize that you can't control people. You can't force people to see things your way because you think that your way is right. If you want to cut me from Kristina and Molly's life, I can't stop you. I won't allow you to use my love for my sisters as a weapon over me. You won't control me Alexis. And you never will."
Obviously seeing that her ultimatum didn't work, Alexis cried out, "Sam, wait!"
"Fuck off," she threw back without turning around.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jason rushed down the stairs at the docks, feeling his heart stop in his chest at the slender figure sitting on the edge. His eyes drifted shut, relief, gratitude, rushing through his head, blurring his vision, making him dizzy. He scrubbed trembling hands down his face, drawing in a deep breath and trying to calm himself.
This was the first place he thought to look for her. When he first met Lila, she would always show up at the docks in front of his warehouse and wait for him to arrive. He would walk down these same stairs, and there she would be with that ragged backpack clenched in her hand and her earphones on singing that damned song she loved.
"I walk along, the city streets so dark with rage and fear. And I. I wish that I could, be that bird and fly away from here. I wish I had the wings to fly away from here, yeah," her soft voice would warble as her head nodded along to the beat.
She knew that she was safe here in this spot because he always had guards looking out for her so this was probably the most relaxed she would ever allow herself to be. If she had stolen a wallet that day or had some money left that he gave her, she would already be eating her usual bacon double cheeseburger and onion rings. He would smile as she dipped her hand into the bag then shove an onion ring into her mouth and still try to sing. If not, then she would glance up at him and ask where they were eating today, knowing he would take her to Kelly's.
He hadn't heard that song in months.
That image blurred with the waif before him. Her thin bare arms were wrapped around her body, she was probably cold. Scalding fury slid down his spine. They dragged her out into the cold night without even letting her get a coat. Her pretty ponytail had been pulled down and her hair hung in limp waves over her shoulders and down her back.
The tiara sat, forgotten, beside her. For some reason that made him even angrier. Tonight had been her special night and due to one woman's malice, it was ruined. She absently kicked her legs, and then sniffed, the moonlight hit her face, and he could tell she was crying.
Removing his jacket, he began walking to her. She lifted her head, blinking with bafflement, as she realized it was him. Wordlessly, he sat next to her, draping the heavy material over her shoulders. She shivered, then closed it around her slim body trying to absorb the heat his body had left in the fabric.
"I've been looking for you."
She blinked quickly, her lashes wet from her tears making his heartache. Her face was pale, all the happiness from earlier gone. "I thought they arrested you."
Jason shrugged, "No. That was a misunderstanding," he told her. A misunderstanding he would use to grind Alexis Davis into dust but Lila didn't need to know that. All that mattered was that she was safe. "I thought they took you away."
"No one makes me live where I don't want to," she responded, her words filled with sharp defiance, "I told the judge that and I meant it."
She might not be his daughter from birth, but she certainly had his attitude in spades. Jason smiled briefly, wondering how he could see so much of himself in this child who had only recently come into his heart. "Yes, you did," he acknowledged. "So," he waited until she looked back at him, "You coming home tonight, or are we spending the night on the docks?"
"We?" She turned, her luminous eyes widened with confusion and hope.
Jason tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, you don't think I'm letting my daughter stay out alone do you?"
Her lower lip quivered as tears filled her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. A broken sob escaped just as she threw herself into his arms weeping against his chest. Jason blinked back his own tears, brushing a hand over her head, "Shhh, its okay. I'm here now."
"They took me away," she cried, balling her fists against his back, shaking with the force of her anger and her fear, "I was so scared and they took me away. Don't let them take me away Daddy. Please."
"I won't. You're my little girl," he swore, his voice cracking as tears slipped from his own eyes. "I promise. I won't ever let them take you away again. I'm so sorry Lila." He rocked them both slowly, soothing her pain, receiving comfort and the only sounds to be heard were her heartrending sobs filling the silent night.
