That's Life

by robinscorpiofan

The next generation of Port Charles has taken over and they're even crazier than their parents! Follow the lives of the children of Sam and Jason, Carly, Maxie, Sonny, Claudia, Elizabeth, Nikolas, Lulu, Dante, and all of your other favorites. But just remember, when there are teenagers, there is trouble and these kids certainly know how to find it.

38. If I Die Young

Chapter 38: If I Die Young

Characters:

Emma Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 17

Gabe Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Maddie Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Selena Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 4

Morgan Corinthos (Carly and Sonny)- 29

Josslyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 22

Courtney Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 17

Connor Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 16

Bella Jacks (Jax and Brenda)- 15

Chloe J Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17

Christian Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17

Lukas Spencer (Maxie and Lucky)- 16

Leah Zacchara (Maxie and Johnny)- 15

Ava Jones (Maxie)- 14

Daniel Zacchara (Olivia and Steve)- 17

Mia Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 16

Mason Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 15

Allie Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 14

Izzie Zacchara (Claudia)- 22

Zack Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 17

Hunter Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 16

Brittany Corinthos (Sonny and Brenda)- 16

Brenna Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 15

Lindsey Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 23

Nate Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 17

Spencer Cassadine (Nikolas and Courtney)- 28

Aiden Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 22

Paige Cassadine (Nikolas and Emily)- 17

Nattie Cassadine (Nikolas and Brook Lynn)- 15

Colton Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 14

Ben Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 15

Logan Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15

Livvie Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15

Molly Lansing Webber (Ric and Alexis)- 28

Addie Lansing (Ric)- 16

Jake Spencer (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 24

Aubrey Crowell (Nadine)- 16

Alec Barrett (Brenda and Aleksander)- 23

Matt Zacchara (Lulu and Johnny)- 17

Jamie Quartermaine (Dillon and Georgie)- 17

Trevor Alcazar(Skye and Lorenzo)- 16

Tanner Quartermaine (Dillon and Lulu)- 16

Julian Quartermaine (AJ)- 15

Tyler Drake (Lisa and Patrick)- 17

Rachel Janacek (Theo)- 23

Clay Janacek (Theo)- 22

Wes Janacek (Kiefer)- 16

Sophia Janacek (Rachel and Kiefer)- 4

Carrie Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 15

Ryan Rosco (Faith)- 17

Henry Spencer (Lindsey and Jake)- 0

Corey Spinelli (Spinelli)- 15

Bailey Spencer (Lucky and Siobhan)- 15

Kailey Franco (Franco)- 16

Chloe J

"…yes…you're on a train to Manhattan?...well you need to get back here now, everyone is freaking out…alright…love you, Mads…bye." Connor hung up his phone. "Maddie and Nate are on a train to Manhattan to get their points for the thing."

Courtney, Gabe, and Chloe J were standing around with him. The boy was the one to speak.

"So what are we going to do? I don't want to leave anyone in the Crew here."

"Tell my brothers." Chloe J stated. "Chris, Lukas, Daniel, and Matt can all drive and I'm sure they'll help out. Can you just do me a favor and make sure that Ava and Leah get out of here? No matter what they say, I want them at the Enchantment. Tell Christian I said that." She looked down at Mia, who was leaning heavily against her. Paige was right next to her and practically asleep. "I'm getting them out of here. You three better get everyone out before you go to the hospital. We don't need another accident tonight."

"Bye." Courtney called out to her. Chloe J grabbed Paige's hand and pulled her along as she nearly dragged Mia. She got them to her car and opened the backseat, throwing Mia inside. Paige collapsed on top of her.

"God, I hate sloppy people." Chloe J mumbled as she struggled to put seatbelts on both of the girls. After finally succeeding, she got in the driver's seat and pulled away.

She wasn't really sure where she could go. She didn't want to take them to the Enchantment because that was about to be crazy and she didn't need Paige and Mia freaking out about Brenna and trying to drive and then killing themselves. She quickly made a decision.

She pulled into the apartment complex and got out of the car. She managed to wake both girls up enough that they could walk, but she still had to help them. She pressed the number on the elevator that they needed.

Once it arrived, Chloe J dragged the girls down the hall. After tonight, she would never, ever make fun of Paige for not drinking again. She knocked on the door, completely ignoring that fact that it was the middle of the night.

Lindsey Scorpio-Drake opened up the door to Jake, Aiden, and Alec's apartment, her son in her arms. "Chloe J? What are you doing here?"

"I need a really big favor."

Lindsey moved aside so she could enter. She saw that Josslyn was sitting on the couch, half asleep. When they walked in, she sat straight up.

"What's wrong?"

"Brenna Corinthos just got attacked in one of Sonny's warehouses." Both girls gasped. "Paige and Mia are too drunk to go to the hospital and none of us wanted to leave them alone. Can they stay here until morning when one of us can come get them?"

"Yeah, of course." Lindsey answered. "Is Brenna okay?"

"We haven't heard anything yet, but I hope so. Thank you."

"Text me updates." Josslyn demanded.

"I will, Joss. Bye." She quickly walked out and to the elevator, determined to get to the hospital as fast as possible.

Josslyn

"As you all know, Brenna Corinthos was attacked last night. Despite that, we need to have a meeting to hand out 300 point dares. A couple of groups dropped out. Both Brenna and Ben Lovett, and Addie Lansing and Corey Spinelli, dropped out based on the girls' injuries. Also, Nattie Cassadine and Logan Davis, Kailey Franco and Ryan Rosco, Carrie Corinthos and Bailey Spencer, and Aubrey Crowell and Julian Quartermaine are dropping out too, by choice." Josslyn announced. She hated that she had to do this, but Emma insisted since Claudia and Sonny had forced their kids to go home and rest. She knew they wouldn't, so this distraction, though it was temporary, would help.

Lindsey walked around and handed out the challenges to the remaining teams. Maddie stopped her.

"Where's Mia?" Paige had been picked up first thing in the morning by Zack. Even though she had a bad hangover, she was doing okay.

"She's still at the apartment with the boys."

"Was she awake when you left?"

"Yep, and puking her guts out." Maddie grimaced. "I feel the same way."

The meeting ended quickly and everyone left, eager to get home where they felt safer. Only the Dream Team (minus Mia) remained.

"Are we all going to the hospital?" Courtney asked. They all nodded. "Then let's get going."

The Dream Team

Brenna looked up with red rimmed eyes as Emma, Zack, Courtney, Paige, Nate, Chloe J, Maddie, Connor, Gabe, Brittany, and Hunter packed into her hospital room. Her oldest brother immediately went to her side and gave her a hug.

"Where's Mia?" she asked with a sniffle. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine." Gabe answered, his voice showing what he thought about his best friend's choice to get super drunk the night before. He hadn't spoken to her yet and was going to go pick her up after they left the hospital.

Everyone took various spots around the room. Zack sat in the chair next to the bed, Courtney sat at the top of the bed with Brenna, Emma and Maddie sat on the end of the bed, Brittany sat on Emma's lap, Paige and Gabe sat on the floor, Connor, Hunter, and Nate stood near the window, and Chloe J was pacing around the room looking like she was about to throw up.

"Bren, I don't want to freak you out when I ask you this, but did you get…" Emma began.

"A text message?" Brenna filled in. The brunette nodded. "Yeah."

"What did it say?" Hunter questioned.

"Sweet Brenna. It will B a shame." She said, remembering the exact words. "I'm scared."

"It's okay." Brittany immediately assured her, even though she was shaking.

"I think we should go to the police." Nate told the others.

"Why?" Brenna frowned.

"You know how Mia got a message before she got attacked?" Gabe asked. Brenna nodded. "So did Addie and Ava."

"Oh my God."

"Calm down." Zack told her. "We're going to do everything we can to protect you, Brenna. So far, no one who has been attacked before has been attacked again."

"Well, in other news, guess who's pregnant." Nate said.

Chloe J immediately paled and her eyes widened. Gabe and Emma looked at her, wondering if she told anyone.

"Who?" Courtney wondered.

"Olivia."

"Mia's mom Olivia or Livvie, Olivia?" Hunter clarified.

"Livvie."

"Congrats, Daddy." He could see right through Paige's smile.

"I don't know what to do. I guess I've gotta be there for my kid, but I really don't want to be stuck with Olivia Davis for the rest of my life."

"I don't blame you." Zack agreed. He glanced at Brenna. One of her eyes was purple and swollen and she had bruises all over. Like the others, she hadn't been seriously hurt, besides her knee, which they contributed to something having to do with the surgery. She would probably have to use her crutches again.

"Hey." They all turned to the door as Leah entered, smiling at her best friend.

"We'll get out of here." Emma said, tapping Brittany's arm so she would get up. They all took their turns hugging Brenna. Finally, it was the dimpled brunette's turn.

"You're okay, Bren. We're going to go to the police about this and it'll all be fine again."

"Promise?"

Emma stared into Brenna's dark brown eyes. "Promise." She locked their pinkies and then kissed her forehead. When she turned, she came face to face with Leah. "Who brought you here?"

"Lukas."

"Who's picking you up?"

"Daniel."

"Don't leave this hospital. Don't even leave this room. If you really want to go, call me and I'll come pick you up. I mean it, Leah."

"I know. Thanks." She smiled at her older sister's best friend. Emma looked at the sophomores one last time before closing the door.

Brenna and Leah

"So, how are you feeling?" Leah asked, sitting down on the end of Brenna's bed.

"Sore. I'm okay, though. More scared than anything."

"Yeah, I bet." Leah stared down at her lap. "Bren, why is this happening?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"You know you can."

"Promise you won't tell anyone else." Leah nodded in agreement. "The person who attacked Mia, Addie, and Ava is the same person who attacked me."

Leah frowned. "How do you know?"

"We all got text messages before it happened." Brenna trembled slightly just remembering it.

"Oh my God."

Brenna's eyes filled with tears. "My knee gave out. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I knew my knee was messed up. Ben asked me if I was okay and I couldn't even answer him because this person covered my mouth and he started beating me…" she sobbed. "I was so scared I was gonna die, and yet I was praying for it all at the same time. I just wanted it all to be over."

Leah shook her head, trying to keep the emotions out of her voice. "Brenna, stop."

"I didn't know what to do, Leah! I was stuck and I knew there was no one to help me. Ben couldn't get in the window because he wasn't tall enough; he had lifted me in. The guy wouldn't stop, no matter how much I begged." Brenna was full out crying now. "Then, it all just went away. Next thing I know, I woke up in the hospital to Zack, Brittany, Emma, and Hunter."

Leah just crawled up to the top of the bed and hugged her best friend. They sat there and cried together, happy that Brenna had survived the whole attack and praying that no one else would have to experience the same pain.

Addie

"…and we've gotten everything moved in, finally. I made Morgan, Spencer, and Jake help though, so it was easier." Molly shrugged.

"What about Dad? Did you talk to him?" Addie asked. Even though their father had been gone for what seemed like forever, she still wanted his approval, which annoyed her endlessly.

"I emailed him and told him you were moving in with Cam and I. I figured I didn't need to go into details since he couldn't even bother to show up at the hospital." Molly rolled her eyes. "I hope you don't mind living with me now, Addie. I just can't stand the thought of you being out there alone."

"I'm actually kind of excited." Addie smiled. "Thanks, Mol."

"You're my little sister. I should have been there a long time ago."

Epiphany walked into the room. "All the paperwork has been filed and you can be released now, Miss Addison."

"Yes!" Addie threw her blankets off. "Not that I won't miss you, Nurse Johnson, but I'm ready to sleep in my own bed."

Epiphany smiled. "I'm sure you are, sweetheart. Take it easy, okay?" she looked at Molly. "You know to call if anything else happens, right? Any new symptoms, or she starts to act differently?"

"Yep." Molly grinned. "Time to get out of here!"

Addie had already gotten dressed, so all she needed to do was get her shoes on. While she was doing that, Molly made sure Prue was all strapped into her carrier.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

Molly opened the door with her left hand and held the carrier in her right one. Addie walked out of it, happy to start with her new life.

Rachel

Rachel Janacek knocked on the door across the hall from hers before entering. Her younger brother, Clay Janacek, was on his laptop with his headphones in. When he saw her, he pulled them out.

"Hey, Rae."

"Hi." She sat down in his swiveling desk chair. "What are you doing?"

"Listening to music. What's up?" Clay knew that his sister didn't just come in for a chat. She had that look on her face that she always got when she wanted to talk.

"What do you think of Port Charles?"

Clay shrugged. "I dunno, it's okay. The people here are pretty nice, especially your friend, Josslyn." He grinned.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "She has a boyfriend."

"I know. I'm not gonna try anything. I'm just saying, I appreciate her looks."

She got back to the subject. "I know Dad is planning something."

Clay's face hardened the way it did when anyone spoke about their father, Theodore "Theo" Janacek. "So do I."

"I really hope it's not something bad. The people here don't deserve it. Plus, I don' t wanna move again." She shook her head. "This was a stupid move. Why did Dad and Kiefer pick here of all places? Izzie's family lives here. Do they not think they won't realize she is being forced into a relationship with him?"

Clay shook his head. "Kiefer is ridiculous. He treats women like they're prizes. We just have to wait until he finds the next one. Then he'll let her go, just like he did with you."

Rachel still felt disgusting whenever she talked about the way Kiefer, her own brother had forced her to have a child with him. Theo was more than supportive, and that's how Sophia came to be. Ever since, Rachel had been strongly against anything Janacek, as had Clay and their nephew, Wes.

She was proud to say that Kiefer's son was nothing like him. Rae had been taking care of Wes since he was a little boy and she was glad to see it paid off. So far, he wasn't an abusive pig like his dad.

"What did you think of those girls you hung out with?" Clay wondered, trying to get her mind off of the past.

"Josslyn and Lindsey were really cool. I already knew Izzie, and she was perfectly fine, just like she always is when Kiefer's not around. I don't know about Gabriella though. I didn't really connect with her the way I did with the other girls."

"Give it time." Clay told her. "I'm glad to see you're actually making friends."

Rachel sighed. "It's gonna make it so much harder when we're forced to leave again."

Gabe

"Hey." Aiden smiled sympathetically at Gabe as he opened the front door. He had dealt with a drunken Josslyn on many occasions during high school, so he knew how the younger boy was feeling. He could tell that Gabe was pretty angry.

"Hi. Where is she?"

"My room with Joss."

"Thanks for taking care of her."

"It's not a problem. You know that Jake, Lindsey, Josslyn, Alec, and I will do anything for you guys."

"Yeah and it means a lot."

Gabe walked down the hallway towards Aiden's room. He pushed open the door and looked at the girls. They were both cuddled up in Aiden's bed watching a movie. Josslyn had her arms wrapped around Mia and the dark haired girl had her head on the blonde's chest.

"Mia." He said, making his presence known.

Mia lifted her head and looked at him. He could see in her face how crappy she felt and felt a little guilty at the satisfaction it gave him to know she was at least hungover.

"See ya, Joss." Mia hugged her quickly and walked out of the room, keeping her head down to avoid eye contact. Gabe went to follow.

"Gabriel?" Gabe turned around. Josslyn gave him a stern look. "Go easy on her. Her life's been rough lately."

"Trust me, Josslyn. I know that better than anyone." He closed the bedroom door and went out to the living room where Mia was putting on her shoes. He grabbed her purse and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She mumbled. "Bye Aiden."

"Bye Mia." He gave her a small smile.

Gabe silently followed her out the front door. He was even quiet on the whole elevator ride. But as soon as they were in the car with their seatbelts buckled, he started.

"What were you thinking?"

"I don't know."

"You were gone, Mia! You couldn't even focus when people talked to you! You made out with Matt Zacchara and tried to make out with Hunter! Speaking of that," he reached over and grabbed her wrist, "you wanna explain this to me?"

Mia stared down at the cuts on her wrist. "They're scars."

"Yeah, obviously. Scars you gave to yourself."

"Look, it was a way to not feel all of this for a second!" she motioned wildly around her. "You don't understand, Gabe. You have a perfect life with your perfect parents and perfect sisters and perfect house! My parents are nothing like yours!"

"Even if they were, I wouldn't go out and drink myself into a coma and slit my wrists!" Gabe was yelling now. "Do you not realize what you're doing to yourself? You're going to destroy your liver…"

Mia rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, because a sixteen year old's first concern is always their liver. Get real, Gabe. This isn't about me drinking, this is about me sleeping with that guy."

"No, it's about both. You're being self-destructive and that's not doing anything good for you!"

"I don't care! I'm sick of being good and doing what other people want me to do! I'm just so tired of all of this, and you acting like my father, and everyone giving me special treatment!"

Gabe drove silently, choosing to ignore her. If there was anything in the world he hated, it was fighting with Mia. He pulled into the penthouse parking lot and they got out, standing in the elevator together without uttering a sound.

Gabe unlocked the front door and Mia walked in ahead of him. Jason was standing there when they arrived.

"I just got a phone call." He said, oblivious to the tension radiating from his son and his best friend.

"Okay?" Gabe asked, motioning for him to continue.

"It was Steve. He thinks that we should send Mia to boarding school to deal with her 'issues'." He glanced at the girl. "Do you think that's something you would want to do?"

Mia laughed dryly. "I don't care anymore. Do what you want." She went upstairs.

"I didn't mean we were going to send her there, I was just wondering how she felt about it." Jason quickly told Gabe.

"Ignore her, she's just in a bad mood. Tell Steve where he can shove it." Gabe went to his room.

Mason, Tanner, Bella, and Trevor

Mason Zacchara and Tanner Quartermaine looked down at the slip of paper in the latter's hand.

300 points- Jump off the Port Charles bridge.

Tanner's eyes met the younger boy's. "You wanna do it? We can drop out if you're not comfortable with it."

"No, I wanna win." Mason objected. Being the son of Johnny and Olivia, he had definitely inherited his parents' stubborn streaks.

"Okay then." Tanner would never be shown up by a sophomore. His parents are Dillon and Lulu, so he doesn't know where that really came from since they are both pretty laid back. "Let's go."

They got into Tanner's car and he drove to the bridge, making casual conversation about school and sports and everything. They both had a mutual brother, Matt Zacchara, so they talked about him too. Finally, they arrived.

"You go ahead to the bridge and find a good place. I'm gonna get the camera and all that." Tanner said.

"Okay." Mason ran ahead to go to the bridge.

"Tanner!" he looked up to see Bella Jacks and Trevor Alcazar approaching him. He gave them a confused expression.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Our 300 point dare is to sabotage someone else's dare." Trevor explained to his cousin. "So we figured we would stop you guys. Where is Mason?"

"By the bridge already."

"I'll go get him." Trevor jogged ahead.

Bella stared at Tanner. "You were really gonna do it?"

Tanner shook his head. "I figured Mason would back out of it. He seemed pretty determined though."

"Then it's a good thing we got here when we did. C'mon, let's go find Trevor and Mason."

Bella and Tanner started to walk towards the bridge. They could see Trevor running towards them in the distance.

"What is he doing?" Bella wondered, squinting to try and see him better.

"I don't know."

Trevor finally got close enough to speak. "He jumped! Call 911! He jumped!"

"What?" Bella shouted, her blue eyes widening.

"When I got there, I found this on the ground!" he shoved a cell phone into Tanner's hand. The boy read what the screen said:

Poor Mason, u won't need 2 jump. I'll take care of that 4 u.

They all gasped I surprise. "I looked down in the water and I could see him." Trevor continued. "Tanner, we have to go get him. What if he's hurt and needs help?"

"You're right." Tanner looked at Bella. "Stay here and call 911."

"Okay." She got out her phone and dialed as the boys ran down the steep hill, trying to get near the water. She cried silently as she told the operator where they were and what had happened.

After what seemed like forever, she heard the sirens in the distance and ran down towards the hill, trying to see the boys.

"Bella!" Tanner called out to her. "Stay up there!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"We found him and it's bad. Just stay there, okay?"

Bella started crying harder. She and Mason hadn't been close, but she knew him since they were little kids and she couldn't imagine him being dead.

"Miss, are you okay?" an officer asked as a few more spread out around the scene.

"They're down there." She pointed towards the hill. She looked back at the man in front of her.

"What is your name?" he asked, looking at her kindly. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." She choked out. "M-my name is Ara-Arabella Jacks, but everyone calls me Bella."

"Bella, I'm Officer Granger. Can you explain to me what happened?"

"Mason jumped off the bridge."

"Mason…"

"Mason Zacchara. His parents are Olivia Falconeri and Johnny Zacchara. Oh God, someone needs to tell them."

"It's alright, miss, we'll take care of it." She saw he was looking over her shoulder. She turned just in time to see an officer carrying Mason's bruised body up from the hill. Tanner and Trevor followed.

"No." Bella sobbed.

Tanner came over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Technically, they are cousins since his mother is Lulu and hers is Carly, but they're not close.

"I'm gonna take her home." Tanner told the officer. He nodded.

"Can I get your names first?"

"Tanner Quartermaine and Trevor Alcazar. I assume you already know their names?" he said, referring to Bella and Mason.

"Yes, thank you. We will most likely be calling with questions."

"Here." Bella shoved Mason's cellphone into his hand. "We found it on the bridge."

Officer Granger read the message. "Officer Evans, you might want to get over here. We've got something that matches the anonymous tip we got."

"The one about the text messages?" Officer Evans called out as Bella, Trevor, and Tanner walked away.

"Yep. Seems like we've got ourselves a Text Message Killer."

Emma and Leah

Leah walked close to Emma, her head whipping around at any sound. She was terrified and didn't bother hiding it. Emma, however, had her brave face on, knowing that it was her job to make it look like everything was okay.

"Emma? Are you sure it'll be okay?"

"They won't mind. Plus, it'll take like two seconds." She led the way up to the backdoor of Kelly's. She opened it up and they came face to face with two boys, one of them holding a knife and the other a gun.

"Hunter Dominic Corinthos!" Emma scolded in a whisper-yell. "Where did you get that?"

"It was in the drawer by the cash register. Grandpa Mike keeps it there." He wiped it clean of prints and put it back where it belonged. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Our 200 point dare is to help someone with a 300 point dare. I figured we would come help you guys."

"All we have to do is steal a coffee machine." Christian told her. "We're just going to take one of the old ones that Mike doesn't use anymore."

"Okay." Emma agreed. "Can we all take a picture with it for our proof?"

"Sure." Hunter picked up the coffee machine. He wrapped an arm around Emma's waist, while Christian stood on her other side and pulled his sister closer. Leah held the camera up and snapped the picture.

"We're good." Leah confirmed after viewing the photo.

"Let's get out of here." Hunter let everyone out before him and then locked the door back. "Em, did you drive?"

"Uh-huh."

"You brought Leah?"

"Yep."

"I'll take her home with me. Hunter, you wanna keep the machine?" Christian asked his partner.

"Sure." Hunter walked over towards his car, which was parked right between Emma and Christian's.

"Is Brenna doing okay?" Christian wondered.

"Yeah. She's still pretty scared, but we all kind of expected that."

"Is that why Kelly's is closed today?" Leah asked

Hunter nodded. "Grandpa Mike wanted to go visit her and didn't trust anyone else to run the diner. Chris and I figured that was our best opportunity."

Emma sighed. "Am I the only one that doesn't want to go to school tomorrow?"

"It feels like it'll be so overwhelming. So much happened this weekend with Addie and Brenna being attacked, the whole Mia thing." Hunter shook his head. "Maybe school will be a good distraction."

"Yeah, I doubt it." Leah said, making the others laugh. "C'mon, Chris. You know Mom is gonna start freaking out. She's been a mess ever since Ava was attacked."

"See you guys. Leah, I'll pick you up later to do our 300 point dare, okay?" Emma told her.

"Okay. Bye Hunter."

"Bye guys." Christian got in the driver's seat and Leah took the passenger's side. They drove away.

"Where are you going?" Hunter questioned.

"Home. I need to find out what's going on with Mia. Gabe went to pick her up and I doubt it was pretty."

"Be careful, Emma."

"I will."

"I mean it. We don't know who this freak is. He could be anyone."

"I will, Hunter." She hugged him and then kissed his cheek. They smiled at each other, both of their dimples poking out. Emma got in her car and left.

Chloe J and Jamie

"300- Get drunk and let loose at a party." Jamie read. "Well this should be easy. All we've got to do is have fun."

Chloe J bit her lip nervously. "How badly do you want to win?"

Jamie furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "I think we should drop out."

"What? But I thought you wanted to win. You've been so competitive throughout this thing. You dyed your hair pink, for God's sake, and everyone knows not to mess with Chloe J Hunter's hair."

Chloe J knew then that convincing her cousin would be a lot harder than she originally thought. She took a deep breath then and released it.

"If I tell you something, you have to swear to me that you won't tell anyone. Not Addie, not Ryan, not even your pillow. Got it?"

"You know you can trust me."

"Swear?"

"I swear."

"Say 'I swear on…'"

"I swear on my mother's grave. What is it, Chloe J?"

She looked up, her blue eyes locking with Jamie's green ones. "I'm pregnant."

"WHAT?"

"Shhh!" she looked around, even though they were sitting in Jamie's car and completely alone. "I'm getting an abortion, but I'm still not gonna drink while it is inside of me."

"Wow." Jamie shook his head. "That's crazy. Congra…"

"Did you not hear me?" Chloe J interrupted. "This isn't a good thing and I'm getting rid of it. I have to. I can't be a mom at 17, Jamie. I won't."

"Chloe J, I think you're making this out to be a bit worse than it is. It's just a baby. You can handle it."

"Maybe, but I'm not willing to risk it and find out. I can't do this."

"Then call Josslyn."

Chloe J sighed. "I'm sorry that I ruined this for us."

"It's okay." Jamie smiled at her. "You're more important than some stupid competition. Have you told Ryan yet?"

"No, and I'm not going to."

"Chloe J…"

"Stop. It's my choice, okay?"

"Whatever. Just to let you know, if Addie was pregnant, I would want to know, even if she was going to get an abortion."

She ignored him and found Josslyn's name in her contacts. She waited impatiently for her to answer.

"Hey Chloe J. What's up?"

"Hey." She took a deep breath. "Jamie and I need to drop out of the Games."

"What?"

"You heard me, Joss."

"I can't believe this. Why?"

"It's just a lot of stress because Addie is Jamie's girlfriend and since she was attacked and all that, it's been a lot to handle."

She could tell Josslyn was still a little suspicious, but she just sighed. "Okay. I really thought you guys would be some of the ones to win this whole thing, but whatever is comfortable for you. Tell Jamie I'm sorry about Addie."

"I will. Thanks Josslyn."

"You're welcome, Chloe J." she hung up.

"She said she's sorry about Addie, and that she thought we could have won the whole thing. I'm really sorry, Jamie."

"Don't apologize." He hugged her. "You know how you can make it up to me? Don't drop off the face of the earth. Let's actually stay in touch like cousins should."

"I'd love that." Chloe J grinned at him. "See you around?"

"Definitely. I know I don't say it enough, but I love you."

"I love you too, Jamie." They went to their cars and drove their separate ways, both of them hoping that they would honor what they had said.

Ava

"AVA!" Ava sighed and flipped the blankets off of her body, slipping on her slippers before going downstairs. She found her mother sitting on the couch in the living room with a magazine in her hands.

"What, Mom?"

Maxie set the magazine on the table. "I wanna talk to you. Come sit down." Ava took a seat next to her. "I just wanted to tell you that, in light of the recent events, I've realized that I think you're too young for your relationship."

"Huh?"

"Ava, you're fourteen. You've already been dating Colton for four months. This is the time where you're supposed to experience new things, try out stuff, not be stuck in a serious relationship. I just want you to be able to have fun."

Ava nodded her head. "I see what you're saying. How do I just break up with him though?"

"You and Colton were pretty good friends before you started dating. He should understand."

She sighed. "This is gonna ruin our friendship."

"Only if you let it." Maxie reminded her. "Trust me; I've broken up with plenty of guys over the years. It's hard, but sometimes it has to be done."

"I know. I'm gonna call him." Ava went back to her room. She started pacing around, debating on how she would do this. Her phone rang before she could even think and she saw it was him.

"Now or never." She whispered to herself before answering. "Hey Colton."

"Hey Ava. I think we need to talk."

"You do?" she asked.

"Yeah. I really like you, and we've been great together. But I feel like we're not fully committed to this relationship and that we might be better off as friends."

"Oh my God, this is a huge relief." She sat down on her bed. "I was just getting ready to call you and say the same thing."

He sounded relieved. "Good, I didn't want things to be awkward between us. I know a lot of couples break up and say that they'll still be friends, but I want us to actually do it."

"I think we can." Ava agreed. "Thank you for understanding all of this. I don't want to lose you from my life."

"You either. Thank you, too." She could practically hear him smile. "I don't know what I'm gonna do now that I'm a single man."

"Have fun. And one day, when you find that special girl that you want to marry, make sure that you tell her Ava Jones prepared you for your relationship."

Colton laughed. "I will, but only if you tell that special guy you find that Colton Cassadine helped you."

"Definitely." Ava laughed. "See ya around, Colton."

"You too, Ava." He hung up.

Ava layed back on her bed. That had been a lot easier than she thought. But now that she was free, what was she gonna do with her life?

Courtney and Livvie

"300 Points- Take a picture with a mobster." Courtney rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You would have to be an idiot to write this. Practically the whole Crew is related to a mobster."

"Who are we gonna take a picture with?" Livvie asked as she applied lip gloss.

"Jason." Courtney put her turn signal on and drove in the direction of her godparents' house. "I can't believe how dumb this is."

"Hey Courtney, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Courtney was a little nervous about what this could possibly be.

"Have you ever told a lie and regretted it?"

Courtney shrugged. "I dunno, I don't think I've ever really lied about anything serious enough to where I would regret it." Using the word 'regret' reminded her of something. "So, you're pregnant."

"How do you know that?" Livvie whisper-yelled, even though they were the only ones in the car.

"Nate. What were you guys thinking? You should have used protection."

"We did!" Livvie defended. "I don't know how it happened, but it did."

"Are you going to keep it?"

"Probably. I can't imagine giving my baby up for adoption." She sighed "Can we not talk about it anymore?"

"If you don't want to, then we won't." Courtney pulled into the Harborview Towers parking lot. Both girls got out and approached the building. Courtney recognized the guard standing near the elevator. "Hey Milo."

"Good afternoon, Miss Jacks. You too, Miss Davis." Milo made it a point to remember the children of Sonny, Jason, and Carly, and all of their grandchildren and all that. Sometimes, it got confusing, but he was pretty good at it.

"Hi, Milo." Livvie smiled at him shyly. She wasn't really used to the mob life; her mother had given her the last name 'Davis' to try and protect her from Sonny's enemies.

Courtney pressed the button on the elevator and they rode up in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. When the doors opened, the older blonde led the way. She knocked on the front door loudly.

Sam opened up. "Hey Courtie." She pulled her goddaughter into her arms and that's when she noticed her niece. "Hi, Olivia."

"Hi, Aunt Sam." She smiled. Kristina had grown apart from Sam and Molly over the years, so Livvie wasn't very close to Sam.

"Is Jase here?" Courtney asked after the two girls had walked in.

"Yeah, he's in the kitchen. Jason!" Sam called out.

"Where's Em?"

"She said she had to go meet Hunter and Christian and something about Leah."

"Oh. Is everyone else here?"

"Mia and Gabe are. Maddie dropped Katie off at your house and then went to meet Brittany somewhere."

"I bet you're glad that you have some peace and quiet."

"Yeah, you never really have quiet with a four year old. Luckily, I got Selena to go watch a movie in her room."

"Hello, girls." Jason smiled, most of it directed towards his goddaughter. He hugged Courtney and kissed her forehead. "What can I do for you?"

"Can we take a picture with you?" Courtney asked.

Jason frowned slightly. "For what?"

"School project."

"What kind of school project?"

Livvie froze, worried that Jason would get mad. But Courtney lied smoothly.

"We're supposed to take a photo of a prestigious businessman and then write some of their accomplishments."

"Court, your dad owns tons of hotels, and so does your mom."

"Yeah, but that's so typical. No one would think of you being a businessman, so when I explain it, they're all gonna be shocked."

Jason's eyes turned to Livvie. "Where do you fit in all of this, Olivia?"

"We take the class together and we're partners." Courtney saved.

"Really? A senior and a sophomore?"

"It's an elective, so all grades are in it. Can we take a picture?"

"I guess so."

Courtney gave the camera to Sam and she snapped a photo of the two girls with Jason. Courtney thanked them happily, glad that her little lie had worked out.

"Thank you! See ya guys later, tell Emma to call me." They started walking out. Courtney opened the door, revealing Dante on the other side with his hand raised like he was about to knock. "Hey Dante."

"Hi Courtney, hi Olivia." They went to the elevator.

As soon as the doors closed, Courtney smiled. "So easy."

Mia

"Mia." Mia looked up as Maddie's bedroom door opened. She was sitting on the bed trying to finish her history homework. Sam came in. "Your brother is here."

"Which one?"

"Dante."

"Ugh. What does he want?"

"I don't know, but it sounds serious."

Mia closed her history book and stood up, following Sam downstairs. She watched the mother of five go into the kitchen, leaving her alone with her oldest brother.

"Look, if you're here to try and talk me to going back to Mom's, then you might as well save your breath because…"

"That's not why I'm here." Dante interrupted. She could see that he looked pretty upset and wondered why. She really hoped he wasn't here to ask for relationship advice about Lulu or anything.

"Then why are you here?"

He took a deep breath and motioned for the couch. "You should sit."

Mia could feel a knot forming in her stomach. She went over and lowered herself onto the couch, staring into Dante's brown eyes, which were identical to her own. "What is it?"

"About two hours ago, the PCPD got a phone call. Some kids were near the Port Charles bridge and one of them fell off."

"Okay…"

"The police got there and saw that there was a text message left on the cell phone of the boy. Just like the ones that were left for you, Ava Jones, Addie Lansing, and Brenna Corinthos."

"Who was the boy, Dante?" her voice came out an octave higher than usual.

"It was Mason."

Mia felt her whole world stop. Her baby brother? She stood up.

"Is he at General Hospital? Can we go see him?"

"No, he's not there."

"Mercy? I don't know why they would take him there when GH is closer, but whatever."

Dante stood, resting his hand on his little sister's shoulder. "Mia, he's dead."

"He can't be. N-no. I don't believe you. I want to see him."

"Mia…"

"No! This is all just a trick for you guys to manipulate me into moving back with my parents. I'm not going back there."

"I wouldn't lie about something like this, I swear." She saw the tears filling Dante's eyes, but she didn't care.

"He's not gone. Not Mason. He's only fifteen. His life practically just began. I know he's only a year younger than me, but he's always looked up to me. He's fine. He's probably at Mom's right now, and I bet she made him chocolate chip cookies. Those are his favorite, you know." Her hands were shaking and she had tears pouring down her cheeks but she didn't feel any of it.

"Mia, you know he's not there."

"NO!" she picked up the glass sitting on the coffee table and threw it at the wall. It shattered as her breathing quickened. "N-n-n-no."

Jason and Sam ran into the room at the same time Gabe and Selena came from upstairs. They all stood still.

"Why are you lying to me? How could you do this, Dante? This is just cruel!"

"Mia, please." Dante begged. He took a step towards her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Just stop."

"Get off me. Don't touch me." She slapped at his hands, backing up. "He's not dead."

"Mi-"

"Mason's not dead!" Mia screamed at the top of her lungs.

Selena ran into Sam's arms, burying her face into her mother's shoulder. Jason wrapped an arm around his wife's waist.

Gabe came further into the room, going over to his best friend. "Mimi." He practically whispered.

She turned and looked at him, completely forgetting the fact that they had been fighting just a couple of hours ago. "He can't be dead, Gabe. He can't be."

"I'm so sorry." He pulled her into his arms. She started sobbing into his chest, clinging onto him.

"He was taken to General Hospital. Our whole family is meeting there to try and get more information." Dante said quietly.

"Thank you." Gabe turned his attention back to Mia as Dante left. "We're gonna go to the hospital, okay? I'll go with you. It'll be okay."

"He's my little brother." Mia cried.

"I know, and it's not fair." He went over to the coat closet and grabbed her jacket from the hanger, helping her put her arms through it. "C'mon, let's go."

"Gabe." Sam called out from across the room.

"I'll be careful."

"Milo is going with you." Jason said. He nodded his head in understanding. "I'm gonna go call Max, Shawn, and Chris and send them to look after Emma, Maddie, and Katie."

Gabe closed the door. Mia could barely see straight because of her tears. They got onto the elevator, the only sound being Mia's cries.

Gabe

Fifteen minutes later, they were at General Hospital. Gabe found Mia's family easily, noting that her parents weren't there.

"Mia!" Allie ran over, slamming into her older sister. Mia wrapped her arms tightly around her, hugging her close. Daniel came over and hugged both of his sisters, nodding at Gabe.

Gabe walked over to where Mason's stepsiblings- Chloe J, Christian, Lukas, and Ava- and half-sister Leah were standing. Maxie and Johnny were close by, the blonde trying to console her husband.

"It's crazy how fast something like this can happen." Christian practically whispered. "Less than four hours ago, I was with Hunter, Emma, and Leah trying to do our stupid challenges. Mason was alive less than four hours ago, and now he's gone. It could have been any one of us." Chloe J leaned her head on her twin's shoulder.

"I just want to know why." Ava said. "Why Mason? Is it because he's connected to me and Mia, because we were both attacked by this person too."

"The press is calling the person the Text Message Killer." Lukas stated. "There's an actual serial killer in Port Charles. Who would have ever thought this could be possible?"

But what Chloe J said disturbed everyone the most. "Is this guy planning out who gets beat up and who dies? What if he meant for them all to die? Mia, Ava, Addie, Brenna. They could all be dead right now, if that's what he wants. We have no control whatsoever."

Mia came over to them, her hand immediately finding Gabe's. He squeezed it reassuringly.

"Allie, where's Mom?" Mia asked.

"On her way. She and Dad were shopping in Manhattan. As soon as we heard, Daniel came and picked me up from Dante's and we came here."

"Are Claudia and Sonny coming?"

"I don't know if they know yet. Dante was in charge of telling everyone." Daniel answered. "Right now, I think it's better if they don't come. We don't want it to be too crowded, or people to ask too many questions."

Gabe glanced down at Mia and saw her tears were falling steadily again. "I just can't believe this happened to him."

"Gabe, can I talk to you?" Daniel questioned.

Lukas stepped forward. "Come here, Mi." she went into his arms.

Gabe watched wearily, but knew Lukas could handle it; he and Mia had dated for a little while a couple of years ago, and they had lost their virginities to each other.

He followed Daniel over to a couple feet away from the group. The older Zacchara looked at him.

"That's your guard, right?" he motioned towards Milo, who was watching from near the elevator.

"Yeah."

"Could you have your dad get one to watch Mia too?"

"He's here to guard her too. My parents consider Mia to be part of our family. They treat her just like they treat me and my sisters. She'll be protected."

"Good. I can't lose another sibling." He ran a hand through his hair. "Lukas and I talked about it, and we're going to drop out of the, you know." Gabe understood he was referring to the Games. "Chloe J already dropped out earlier today, and Christian finished all of his stuff. I don't know what Mia wants to do, but if she wants to keep doing it, can you make sure there's someone watching out for her? Who is her partner?"

"Tyler Drake."

Daniel made a face. "Not exactly the best."

"Hey, Tyler may be somewhat of a jerk, but he'll watch out for her. Besides, I think we learned from Brenna's attack that sometimes, even your partner can't protect you."

Right when he finished speaking, Olivia and Steve walked off the elevator. Steve's face was completely straight and Gabe couldn't help but wonder if he didn't care or if he was just trying to hold it together for everyone else. Olivia made no attempt at doing the latter; she was full-out sobbing.

"My babies!" she grabbed Allie and Mia, squishing them in her arms. Daniel gave Gabe a final nod before joining his mother and sisters. Gabe went back over to where his friends were, standing next to Chloe J.

"Gabe?"

"Hmmm?" he looked at his older sister's best friend.

"Do you think this will happen to someone else we care about?" he started to open his mouth, but she interrupted. "Don't lie to me."

"Honestly, I think it probably will."

Chloe J nodded. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Paige and Connor

"This place gives me the creeps." Paige muttered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Connor was by her side with a flashlight, though they still had about an hour until it got dark.

"Me too." He agreed.

"You know, this thing is real original. I'm glad someone copied off Josslyn and Lindsey's exact story." She pointed. "There's one."

She and Connor approached the open grave, staring down into it. They both looked at each other.

"You have to go in." Connor told her.

"What! Why?"

"Because I'm stronger. You won't be able to pull me out."

"Connie!" she practically whined.

"Sorry, P. If you want the points, you've got to do it."

She groaned, but lowered herself to the ground. She dropped into the grave and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping she wouldn't have to see any of the bugs that were undoubtedly crawling around her. Her phone vibrated.

"Hold on." She told Connor, who was ready with the camera. She saw that she had a text from Courtney.

Mason Zacchara just died. They're calling this attacker person the Text Message Killer. He was pushed off the PC bridge. Please be safe, P.

"Oh my God."

"What?" Connor demanded.

"Mason was just killed by the same person that attacked Mia, Ava, Brenna, and Addie."

"Oh no." he looked around. "Suddenly, it is so much creepier that we're here. Just think about it. In less than a week, Mason will be buried in one of these."

"Just get me out of here. Please, Connor." Paige begged.

He quickly snapped a picture, not caring what it looked like, and reached his hands down. He grabbed Paige's and pulled her up until she was on the regular ground. She suddenly wrapped her arms around him. He returned the hug.

"C'mon, let's go back to my house." Connor said, leading the way to his car. Paige had no objections. She looked over her shoulder, wondering if this was where Mason would be buried.