WARNING: There's a bit of violence in this chapter.

Chapter 50: Just When It Can't Get Any Worse

Characters:

Emma Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 17

Gabe Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Maddie Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Katie Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 14

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

Jacelyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 14

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 Johnny)- 17

Mia Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 16

Mason Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 15

Allie Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 14

Izzie Zacchara (Claudia)- 23

Zack Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 17

Hunter Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 16

Brittany Corinthos (Sonny and Brenda)- 16

Brenna Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 15

Jazzie Corinthos (Sonny and Kate)- 14

Lola Zacchara (Claudia and Nikolas)- 14

Lindsey Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 23

Nate Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 17

Noah Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 16

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

Haley Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 16

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

Cameron Webber (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 29

Jake Spencer (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 24

Brendan Webber (Elizabeth)- 17

Stella Hunter (Elizabeth and Matt)- 16

Liam Drake (Elizabeth and Patrick)- 15

Aubrey Crowell (Nadine)- 16

Alec Barrett (Brenda and Aleksander)- 23

Matt Zacchara (Lulu and Johnny)- 17

Joey Falconeri (Dante and Brenda)- 17

Ashlyn Falconeri (Lulu and Dante)- 15

Lila Rae Alcazar (Skye and Lorenzo)- 28

Jamie Quartermaine (Dillon and Georgie)- 17

Trevor Alcazar(Skye and Lorenzo)- 16

Tanner Quartermaine (Dillon and Lulu)- 16

Julian Quartermaine (AJ)- 15

Grace Quartermaine (Skye)- 14

Tyler Drake (Lisa and Patrick)- 17

Ian Niles (Lisa)- 14

Rachel Janacek (Theo)- 23

Clay Janacek (Theo)- 22

Wes Janacek (Kiefer)- 16

Sophia Janacek (Rachel and Kiefer)- 4

Carrie Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 15

Taylor Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 14

Parker Ruiz (Manny)- 16

Ryan Rosco (Faith)- 17

Dominic Rosco (Faith)- 14

Prue Webber (Molly and Cam)- 0

Henry Spencer (Lindsey and Jake)- 0

Corey Spinelli (Spinelli)- 15

Bailey Spencer (Lucky and Siobhan)- 15

Kailey Franco (Franco)- 16

Max Franco (Franco)- 15

Violet Mir (Leyla)- 27

Gabriella Worth (Maggie)- 23

Reed Worth (Maggie)- 16

Lily Mir (Leyla)- 15

Hospital

Emma drummed her fingers absently on the armrest of the chair she was sitting in. Her elbow was rested on it and she had her chin in her hand as she stared blankly at the floor. She could hear Courtney and Maddie's quiet voices as they played tic-tac-toe, and Connor's shoes tapping against the floor anxiously, and the sound of Chloe J filing her nails. Nate had gone to sit with Robin, and Mia was feeling nauseous, so Gabe went to the bathroom with her.

"What if she's not okay?" Maddie voiced what everyone had been thinking. "We've been lucky so far with the Dream Team. Everyone who has been attacked has survived. Our luck has to run out at some time, right?"

"With my luck, this freak will get me and I'll be the one who gets killed." Chloe J said, trying to joke though it wasn't funny to any of them.

"Don't say that, CJ. Just don't." Connor shook his head as he spoke. "God, this is so messed up. Why doesn't this keep happening?"

"I'm starting to think this is planned." They all looked at Courtney. "It's kind of convenient how people just keep getting randomly attacked when they are alone. The TMK must know when we're alone, what we're doing, our schedules, everything. This couldn't just be random; not when everyone attacked goes to PCH."

"But what's the connection?" Emma questioned. "There isn't anything obvious. Everyone has different parents, different backgrounds, they're different ages. The only common factor is that everyone attacked goes to PCH, and they're part of the Crew."

"None of this makes sense." Chloe J sighed.

The elevator made a noise behind them, but they were all so used to the sound by now that they didn't react. That is, until Brittany came over and sat on Connor's lap.

Emma turned around and noticed Hunter and Zack standing behind the row of chairs where she was sitting. She walked around and hugged them, Hunter first, then Zack.

"They actually let you come?" Chloe J asked Hunter when she hugged him.

"Surprising, right? Their conditions were that we have to stay together, and we have to stay with other people. We're supposed to go back on Monday morning."

"I'm glad you're here." She leaned into him.

"Nate's not here. Is Robin…" Brittany began.

"Robin's still hanging in there. He's spending some time with her because we haven't been able to see Paige yet." Emma answered. "Gabe and Mia are here too, but they're in the bathroom."

"Have you heard anything about Paige yet?" Hunter wondered.

"She got beat up pretty badly. Luckily, she was attacked in the parking lot; Matt said she might not be doing as well as she is if she was further away."

"Who found her?"

"Christian."

Zack looked around. "Where's her father? Or her siblings? Is it just you guys?"

"Nikolas is here and he went to talk to Matt. He told Spencer and Aiden to stay home, and since Nattie and Colton can't drive, they got stuck staying home too." Emma sighed. "Did you guys tell Lola about this? Paige is her sister."

"My parents were going to do it. They didn't want her to come back right now because they know she's still really emotional because of everything that has happened, and they think she's better off in Italy." Zack looked at his sister. "Did you tell them yet?"

Chloe J frowned. "Tell us what?"

Brittany looked around at each of them. "I'm thinking of moving in with my mother." They were all silent. Everyone knew how much Brittany despised Brenda, so it was pretty shocking. "I just need to be in Port Charles. I love living with my dad and Claudia, but Port Charles is home."

"You guys will be back pretty soon, Britt." Courtney reminded her.

"We all know that's pretty unlikely."

"Well I'm just glad you guys are back for now." Maddie smiled at them.

They heard the sound of footsteps and they all turned as Mia and Gabe walked around the corner. Mia had one hand pressed to her stomach, her face was pale, and her eyes were practically glued to the ground. Gabe had a hand on her lower back as he led her towards them. They watched him nudge her, and then Mia raised her head.

"Hey guys." She greeted weakly, going to Brittany and pulling her off of Connor's lap and into her arms. "How are you?"

"Better." Brittany admitted.

"Good." Mia moved away from Brittany and went to the other junior. "Hey Hunter."

"Hi, Mimi. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she went to Zack. "Zacky."

"Mi." he hugged her. "Morning sickness is bad?"

"Terrible." She groaned.

While Mia and Zack were talking, Gabe greeted Hunter and then went over to Brittany. "Hey Britt."

"Gabey." She hugged him and he kissed her forehead. "You miss me?"

"Of course. You've only been gone for, like, a day though."

"Two days." Brittany corrected with a smile. "It felt like forever."

"I bet. When do you leave?"

"Monday morning."

"At least you'll be here for the rest of today and tomorrow. Just try and relax, okay?"

"It's hard with Paige in the hospital."

"I know."

Nikolas came into the waiting room and the teenagers quieted. He studied each of them before continuing.

"Paige is awake. They've given her medicine to make her comfortable. She's got a lot of bruises, and a concussion, but other than that, she's fine." There was a collective sigh of relief across the room. "Would any of you like to go see her?" he looked at his cousin's daughter. "Emma?"

"Actually, I've gotta go. I have a lot of homework and stuff to catch up on. Give Paige my best." Emma stood and grabbed her purse. She walked towards the elevator.

Chloe J, Courtney, and Zack looked at each other for about a second before following after her. They got to her right before the doors opened.

"Princess, what are you doing?"

"Yeah, Em. You waited all night. You're not even going to go in?"

"She doesn't wanna see me, guys." Emma moved away from the elevator so a couple passing by could go in. "It's just better that I'm not here. I don't want to make her feel even more uncomfortable by being here. But I love all of you, and I'll see you later, okay?" she hugged Courtney, then Chloe J, and then Zack. Emma got on the elevator.

Paige watched as Nate, Courtney, Chloe J, Maddie, Gabe, Mia, and Connor entered her hospital room. She was surprised when she saw Zack, Brittany, and Hunter, but didn't say anything. She immediately noticed Emma's absence.

Maddie must have realized what she was thinking. "Emma was here all night. She said she loves you and to get better, but she didn't think you would want her to come in here."

Paige sighed. "She didn't really care about what I would want. She just didn't want to make herself uncomfortable."

"Stop. I know you're in the hospital and everything, but I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you bash my sister." Gabe immediately stated.

Paige could tell by the defensive stances of the Morgans, Mia, Chloe J, Courtney, and the Corinthoses that they had clearly sided with Emma against her, while Connor and Nate looked a little more neutral. She decided to just drop it.

"So what are you guys doing back here?" she looked at Zack, Hunter, and Brittany.

"We came as soon as we heard what happened." Brittany answered.

"Your parents were okay with that?"

Hunter shrugged. "They would have rather us not come, but we didn't really give them a choice. We're only staying until Monday."

"Thank you for coming all the way here. It means a lot." Paige smiled. "All of you."

"How do you feel?" Courtney asked.

"I don't really feel anything right now, but when I first woke up, I was in a lot of pain." Maddie, Mia, Courtney, and Brittany all grimaced, remembering their own attacks. Chloe J and the boys were glad they hadn't experienced the nightmare the others had. "I'm gonna be fine though. I'm getting released this afternoon."

"That's good. You'll be a lot more comfortable once you're home."

The door opened and Matt Hunter entered. "I need to do a final exam on Paige, so you guys are gonna have to clear out. Go home and get some rest and then come back a little later; you've been here all night."

Everyone in the room took turns hugging her and saying goodbye. Even Zack gave her a short hug before following his siblings out. They all went to the waiting room.

"I think I'm gonna take my dad's advice. I'm exhausted." Chloe J groaned, leaning her head on Nate's shoulder.

"Me too." Mia agreed.

"Then let's go." Gabe told her. "Zack, Britt, Hunter, are you guys staying at your house?"

Right as he asked, Zack's phone rang. He looked down at it.

Talked to Sam and Jason. You're staying at the penthouse with them. Guards are being sent to drop off yours and Hunter's cars at the hospital. I figured Brittany could ride with one of you to go get hers.

Zack quickly replied and then told the others what was going on. "I wanna stay a little bit longer. Hunter, Britt, you guys should go get Brittany's car and go to Sam and Jason's."

"Are you sure?" Brittany questioned.

"Yeah, of course. Go."

"I'll stay with you, if you take me home." Zack told her he would. Courtney gave her keys to Connor. "Get my baby home in one piece."

Connor rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Court."

"I'm gonna go back and see my mom. Text me if anything happens." Nate hugged Brittany, and did the typical guy handshake with Zack and Hunter. "Make sure I see you guys again before you leave."

"You will." Zack promised. "Tell your mom hi for us."

"I will." Nate smiled. "See you guys later." He went down the hall.

Everyone else turned towards the elevators, getting onto them. Once the doors finally closed, Zack and Courtney were submerged in a comfortable silence.

"How was Italy?"

"Beautiful, but it's not home."

Courtney shrugged. "You'll get used to it."

"No I won't. How would you feel if your dad suddenly moved you to Australia?"

She thought it over. "I see your point." She studied his face. "So, how are things with your girl situation."

"What are you talking about?"

"You were with Paige for four years. And everyone in this hospital, no, everyone on the planet can see that you like Emma. What are you gonna do?"

Zack ran a hand through his hair. "I honestly don't know. I don't know how I feel about either of them. I was with Paige since I was thirteen years old, but she was always willing to push our relationship to the backburner if something more convenient came up. I never felt like she was giving one hundred percent. Then, there's Emma. We've never been together, so it's all still new and weird, but she's my best friend and I love her more than anyone in this world. I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"If you were really best friends, a breakup wouldn't destroy that. Besides, you know Emma. She wouldn't let that happen." Courtney smiled. "I'll support you with whatever you do, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. You've always got my back, Courtie." He smiled. "Unless it's me vs. Emma."

"What can I say? I'm Team Emma over everything."

"And you know she'd do the same thing for you."

"Yeah." Courtney sighed. "This is all so sad."

"What?"

"Paige and I have been best friends for years, but I've never felt further from her than I have the past couple of weeks."

"You've grown apart. It happens."

"I guess, but it's still sad."

"Maybe you'll get back to that, and maybe you won't. But whatever happens, you gotta keep living, Court."

Paige looked up and saw her oldest brother enter her hospital room. She and Spencer had never been particularly close, so she was kind of surprised.

"Hello, Paige." Spencer smiled. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel a lot better than I look, I promise." She noticed the girl standing behind him. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Violet Mir. Violet, this is my sister, Paige Cassadine."

"Nice to meet you." Violet smiled at her.

"I promise I don't always look like this."

Violet laughed. "I've seen pictures. You're very beautiful."

"Thank you." Paige turned to Spencer. "Is this the mysterious woman you've been sneaking around with?"

"How do you know that?"

"One, you're terrible at sneaking around. And two, you walk past my room every night and I can hear the two of you talking."

"And I thought I was being sneaky."

"Leave the sneaking to Aiden. He was always a lot better at it."

"No, Josslyn was better at it." Spencer corrected. "That girl could sneak in and out of the White House."

"Very true. How did you guys meet?"

"Through an online dating service. Lila Rae got us set up together." Violet responded.

"I've never met a couple who met online. It's kind of cool." Paige grinned. "Maybe you can help loosen Spence up. He needs to have some fun every once in a while."

"Yeah, I hope I can." Violet smiled at her boyfriend.

Spencer looked at his sister. "I'm really glad you're okay, Paige. I would stay longer, but there's someone outside who looks like they wanna see you."

"Who?" Spencer just hugged her and then kissed her forehead. "Spencer, who?"

"Goodbye, Paige."

"Spencer!"

"Nice to meet you!" Violet called before Spencer grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room.

Paige was surprised when the person who came into her room was Zack. She smiled at him slightly. "Hi."

"Hey." He sat in the chair next to her bed. "I thought I told you to be careful." He said, referencing what he had said to her the night he left Port Charles.

"You did. I guess I just didn't want to listen."

"You still feel okay?"

"Yeah. The medicine is starting to wear off, but I'm fine. I passed all my checkups and everything. They pushed back my release though because they have a lot of people checking out today and they won't have time to get the paperwork until, like, six."

"I'm sorry, that sucks."

"I don't really care. I can sit here alone, or sit at home alone. Doesn't matter to me." Paige sighed. "All of this has put things in perspective for me. I just wanna apologize to you. It wasn't fair for me to break up with you just because my father told me to. I've been terrible to you."

"I forgive you." Zack told her. "I wasn't always the greatest boyfriend either."

"Yeah you were. You were always so nice and always tried to take care of me. I didn't deserve you."

"Stop. I didn't deserve you. You're a princess, and I'm just the son of a mobster."

"I guess this is it, huh?" he looked at her in confusion. "Is this when you tell me you wanna be with Emma?" there wasn't jealousy in her tone; she was talking calmly and rationally, and he was the same way.

"I don't know." He honestly answered. "I don't know what I'm gonna do. I know I have feelings for Emma, but I don't know what to do about them."

"Life's too short, Zack. Don't waste time overthinking things. Just go for it."

"I'm not gonna do anything right now. She's still pretty messed up, and she needs to heal before she can even consider being in a relationship." He frowned. "How did this turn into a conversation about me and Emma?"

"Conversations usually end up focusing on her. I love my cousin, I really do, but she's just too popular."

"You've got that right." He sighed. "Have you guys talked at all yet?"

"Nope."

"I'll talk to her."

"You don't have to do that. I deserved everything she said to me."

"No you didn't. She was lashing out because she was in a bad place. The two of you need to fix this. The world doesn't need an Emma vs. Paige showdown."

"I guess you're right." She looked at him. "I finally told off my dad."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It felt good too. Maybe he'll actually get the message. Now that's he's got another daughter, maybe he'll think about being there for her, and by extension, being around for the kids he already has."

"Right, I heard you and Aubrey were sisters. Kind of weird, huh? We've known her all this time, but never knew the two of you were connected."

"It's strange." Paige agreed. "But I don't really mind. You can never have too many siblings."

"Got that right." Zack stood. "I'll let you rest or whatever. But get better soon, and try to fix things with Emma, and call me if you need anything ever, okay? I'm only a plane ride away."

Paige laughed, and for the first time, she knew things would be okay with Zack again, even if they never dated. "Bye, Zack. Thanks for coming all this way for me."

"Just because we broke up doesn't mean I won't do anything for you. You're one of my best friends, P. Always." He hugged her. "See ya."

"Bye." She watched him walk out.

"I can't believe we spend our Saturdays in the hospital now." Courtney complained. The Dream Team (minus Nate, Emma, and Paige) was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital so they could be there when Paige was released. "We used to get crazy on the weekends."

"Yeah, well now we've got more important things to worry about." Gabe reminded her. He looked at Mia and wondered what it would be like once she had the baby. Everything was going to change in nine short months.

The elevator doors opened and they heard the wheels of a gurney and the shouts of paramedics. The nine teenagers turned, trying to see if they recognized the person.

Chloe J, who was the closest to the elevators, gasped. "Oh my God." She turned to the others. "It's Lily."

Hunter frowned. "Who is Lily?"

"Lily Mir. She was a cheerleader, and she was new this year. She dated some guy on the football team…"

"Reed Worth." Mia and Gabe supplied at the same time, sharing a look. Mia still hadn't found out if the boy was her half-brother.

"…and she wasn't breathing. I found her cell phone and it had one of those messages. I gave it to the cops."

Brittany immediately recognized her brother's voice. "Alec?"

"Britt?" Alec moved away from the doctors and came to her. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Italy."

"Zack, Hunter, and I came here because of Paige's attack. What happened?"

"I was walking near Davis and Haver when I saw her." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't think she's gonna make it."

"Oh my God." Maddie whispered, sitting down.

"Where is my daughter?" they all looked as a brunette woman with an accent came in. "My daughter is supposed to be here."

Alec came towards her. "Are you Leyla Mir?"

"Yes. Do you know where my daughter, Lily, is?"

"I'm the one who found her."

Zack was surprised when he saw the same girl who had been in Paige's hospital room earlier with Spencer standing next to Leyla, but he didn't say anything.

"What happened?" Leyla demanded, tears starting to fall.

"She was attacked by the Text Message Killer. She was near Davis and Haver, and she wasn't breathing. The paramedics were doing everything they could, and they've got her back in an exam room now."

Leyla shook her head and turned to Violet. "I swear, if this is connected to the Janaceks at all…"

Alec immediately perked up at the sound of his father's last name. "What do you mean the Janaceks? Do you think they've been doing this?"

"I'm not sure. Lily never knew her father. His name was Aleksander Janacek, and his family was ruthless, especially her father. It's the reason we moved to Memphis in the first place. We had to get away from him." Leyla noticed how pale he had gotten. "Are you okay?"

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Aleksander Barrett, but I was born Aleksander Janacek Jr. I guess Lily and I share the same father."

Leyla gasped. "You're Brenda Barrett's son."

"Yeah, I am. How do you know my mother?"

"When Aleksander and I were together, he talked about you all the time. He wanted a little boy because he said your mother stole you away from him. After he discovered Lily was a girl, he went crazy and tried to beat me to death. That's when I left Port Charles."

"Ms. Mir?"

"Excuse me, please."

Alec sat down with the teenagers while Leyla and Violet went to talk to the doctor they didn't recognize. They all immediately knew what he had said when she started to cry hysterically. Alec squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't believe he had a little sister this whole time and he never knew her.

After she had calmed down a bit, Leyla came over to him. "I would like to invite you to Lily's funeral. I know you never knew her, but you kept her alive for as long as you could and you actually gave her a chance to survive. She would have adored you; she had always wanted an older brother." Leyla hugged him. "I understand if you don't come."

"Thank you for the invitation. I'll try and be there."

Leyla smiled before leading Violet away. Alec sat in silence, wondering what he should do.

It was nearing six o'clock and the Dream Team was becoming restless. They couldn't wait until Paige was finally released.

While everyone was visiting with her, Mia broke away from the group, saying she had to go to the bathroom. When she got close to the waiting room, she was glad to see the person she had been hoping for.

Reed Worth was in one of the plastic hospital chairs all alone, his head down. She approached him slowly and sat next to him.

"Hi." She said gently.

Reed looked at her. "I know your face, but I can't remember your name. Who are you again?"

"My name is Mia Webber." She sighed. "I'm sorry about Lily."

"Thank you, but you don't understand."

"My little brother just died. I know what you're going through. It's rough." She turned to him. "I know you're probably going to think I'm insensitive for doing this right now, but I've been waiting for the past seven years to do this, and I need to get it off my chest."

Reed frowned. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Did you mother ever tell you that she had an affair with a married man before you were born?"

"Yeah, she mentioned it. His name was Steve Webber." It suddenly donned on him. "You're his daughter."

"Unfortunately, I am." She didn't know how to phrase it, so she just came out and said it. "Is there any chance you're his son?"

"I'm sure there could have been, but he wasn't." Reed pulled out a wallet and handed her a picture. Mia studied it. It was of a little boy who was probably only about three sitting on a man's shoulder. "That's my father. He died in a car accident when I was four years old. Everyone says I was practically his twin."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I would have wanted to know too." Reed smiled at her. "I hope this was the answer you were looking for."

Mia shrugged. "I don't know. I just had to know if you were my brother or not. It's been bothering me for a long time."

"Well, for the record, I'm sure you would have been a pretty cool sister."

"I'm not sure about that." She stood. "I'm sorry for doing this right now."

"It's not a big deal, Mia. It's not like there's anything else I can do right now." He sighed. "Just tell me something. After you lost your brother…does it ever stop hurting?"

"I don't know if it stops, but it gets better." She promised. "Thank you, Reed."

"No, thank you." He smiled at her.

Mia walked away feeling like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. Maybe now she could finally start healing.

Sam

"Mommy? Can't I sleep with you and Daddy?" Selena asked, pouting.

"Baby, you know you need to sleep in your big girl bed. What movie do you want me to turn on?"

"Um…Rapunzel!"

Sam quickly put the DVD in before kissing her youngest daughter's forehead. "I love you, Selena."

"Love you too, Mama." Selena settled into her blankets.

Sam flipped off the light switch and went across the hall. She entered Katie's room and sat on the edge of her bed. The fourteen year old was trying to do her Algebra homework, but closed her book.

"Hey. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." She smiled. "Did you know that John McBain has other kids? I saw their pictures when I went to his house."

"I knew he had a son. How many are there?"

"There was a boy who was older than me, and then two kids that were younger than me. I didn't ask about them, but I think I might want to meet them someday."

"Well the older boy's name is Liam. I'm not sure how old he is, but I want to say 19. I never met him, but John adored him. Do you know if he was married?"

"He had on a wedding ring and there were pictures of a redheaded woman."

"He had been separated from his wife when I met him. Her name was Natalie, and she had red hair. I'm sure she's probably the same person; John really seemed like he loved her." Sam smiled. "I'm sure you could call him and ask him all these questions."

"Maybe I will. Did you already tell him the paternity results?"

"Yeah, I called him yesterday morning. He told me that everything is up to you, and he'll do whatever you want him to do."

"How will his family feel about that?"

"I'm sure they won't mind, Katie. I'm not saying you have to move to Llanview and become part of their family. You could just talk to them though."

"I guess so." Katie hugged her. "Night, Mom. I love you."

"Love you too." Sam kissed her forehead and then walked out. She went towards her son's room.

Gabe and Hunter were both sitting on beanbag chairs and playing some videogame. She smiled at the sight of her son acting like a normal teenager for the first time in a while.

"Make sure you guys keep quiet. Sel's in bed."

"We will, Mom."

"Love you guys."

"Love you."

"Love you, Sammy." Hunter called out. She shut the door and went to his twin sister's bedroom.

Maddie, Brittany, and Mia were all sitting cross-legged on Maddie's bed. They turned and smiled at her as she entered.

"Hey girls. What are you doing?"

"Just talking."

"Mia's gonna name her baby Little Brittany." Brittany told her.

"No, I'm not, and we don't need to talk about baby names right now. I'm barely pregnant, you guys."

Sam could tell the sixteen year old was annoyed with the subject of her pregnancy, so she quickly stepped in. "Leave Mia alone, guys. Right now, all she can probably think about is morning sickness, and it doesn't give you the warm fuzzy feeling everyone would imagine."

Mia closed her eyes and leaned her head onto Brittany's shoulder. "Don't even say those words. It makes everything feel like it's spinning."

Sam frowned. "You sure you're okay?"

"Fine. It's probably just the chlamydia symptoms messing with my head." Mia rolled her eyes. "God, I sound like such a whore. The pregnant girl with the STD."

"The chlamydia's almost gone, Mia. Just hang in here." Sam kissed Maddie's forehead, then Mia's, and then Brittany's. "See you in the morning. All in this bedroom." She looked pointedly at her son's best friend.

"Trust me; I'm too lazy to walk down the hallway. I'm never leaving this bed again." Mia layed her head down in Maddie's lap, who immediately started playing with her hair.

"Good. Come get me if you need anything, or you start to feel bad, okay?"

"M'kay."

"See you in the morning. Love you."

"Love you." All the girls responded.

Sam went to the last bedroom she had to check on. She opened the door and saw that Emma and Zack were lying on her oldest daughter's bed. They were both on their sides and facing each other, and Zack had an arm thrown over Emma's waist. They were talking quietly, but stopped once she entered.

Her mom instincts screamed to tell Zack to go sleep in Gabe's room, or to sleep on the couch, but she hadn't seen Emma look so calm since before her attack, so she let it slide. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you both in the morning."

"Okay." Emma sat up, hugging her mother. "I love you."

"Love you too, Emmy." Sam hugged Zack. "Don't do anything that's going to make Jason hurt you. I really don't want to have to clean blood off the walls."

Zack laughed. "You know I won't, Sam."

"See you guys tomorrow." She went down the hall to her room, satisfied that for the first time in a long time, all of her kids seemed okay.

If only she knew what was coming.

The Morgans

"Emma! Gabriel! Are you sure you don't want to come?" Sam shouted to her two oldest children.

Brittany pouted, turning to Maddie. "If I have to go, they should have to too."

"You're coming because your father told me not to let you out of my sight, unless you were with your brothers." Sam reminded her.

"Then I can stay here with my brothers!"

"Sorry, Britt. It's girl's day."

"Then why do I have to go?" Jason argued. He had Selena on his hip and didn't look happy to be going to have lunch with Sam's mother.

"Will you all just quit complaining? I want to tell her about my P-R-E-G-N-A-N-C-Y." Sam spelled out so Selena wouldn't know what she was talking about.

"Gabe and Emma should really come." Jason told his wife. "And Mia."

"Mia's meeting with her mother, and you know I'm not going to hold her back from doing that. Emma's been a mess, and she really doesn't need Alexis bothering her right now, and Gabe wants to have a guy's day with Zack, Hunter, Connor, and I think Nate's even coming, which is good for him since he's been stuck in the hospital for the past couple of days."

"Then why does Emma get to stay here for guy's day?" Katie wondered. Like the others, she didn't really want to go to lunch with Alexis.

"Because I said so. Now let's go." Sam ushered Jason, Selena, Maddie, Brittany, and Katie out of the penthouse.

Right as they were leaving, Emma, Gabe, Zack, and Hunter came downstairs. Emma started to put her coat on.

"Where are you going?" Gabe asked his older sister.

"I have to go to Chloe J's really quick. I left my Calculus book there and I need to get some homework done so I can actually go to school tomorrow. Thank God it's Sunday. I can finally catch up."

"Want me to come with you?" Zack questioned.

"You know you hate listening to Chloe J and I go on for hours and hours, so I won't put you through that misery. Have your guy's day." She looked at the three guys. "Don't bother Nate about Robin, okay? Just try and let him forget for a little bit."

"We know, Em." Gabe responded. "Be careful. Call if anything happens."

She rolled her eyes. "I know, Gabriel. I'll be back in a little bit." She left the house just as Connor was approaching. "Hey Connie."

"Hey Emmy. Where you going?"

"Chloe J's. I'll see you later."

"Kay." He entered the penthouse with a grin. "Who's ready for guy's day?"

Mia

Mia walked into Kelly's and immediately spotted her mother. On the phone, she had said Steve wasn't coming, and she was glad to see that Olivia had actually followed through with that. She walked in and sat down across from her.

"Hey." She said, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. It was clear she was uncomfortable.

"Hi, baby." Olivia smiled at her. She looked like she had been crying, but Mia didn't ask why. She just wanted to get this over with so she could go back to the penthouse.

"Why did you want to meet?"

"I wanted to tell you that your father and I are getting a divorce."

That was the last thing Mia had expected. "Really?"

"Losing Mason has really opened my eyes. You, Allie, and Daniel are the most important people in the world to me, and I want you all to come back home. I miss having my children around, and I love you all so much. Daniel said he's not sure if he's ready to come back yet, but I talked to Allie and she'll be moving into a new apartment with me. You can have your own room and…"

"Mom, stop." Mia decided now was as good a time as ever. "I'm pregnant."

Olivia gasped. "What?"

"I'm pregnant. I can't live in a tiny apartment bedroom with a baby, and I'm going to need help with him or her when she is born."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"When? Every time I saw you, you were with Steve and I have no interest in him ever finding out about my child."

"Is Gabe the father?"

Mia knew it was best to just lie. "Yeah."

"How long were you two together? What about Tanner?'

"Tanner and I broke up long before I slept with Gabe. It was a one-time thing and we're not dating."

"Then how do you know he's really committed to you and this baby? I'm not trying to make you mad, so please don't get upset, but you need to be realistic."

"Regardless of whether he's the father or not, Gabe is my best friend. He's always gonna be there for me, and I'll always be there for him." Mia stood. "I'll have to think about your offer. For what it's worth, I'm glad you're finally getting away from Steve. You deserve much better than him." She pushed in her chair and left.

Emma

Emma approached the warehouse slowly, confused on why Joey wanted to meet her there. She felt guilty for lying to the boys about where she was going, but she knew they wouldn't approve. Joey seemed like he was in a pretty good mood on the phone, so she was curious about what he had to say.

"Joey?" she called out. Suddenly, she was being pushed to the ground from behind. Everything in her brain called out for her to run, but she couldn't move; she felt frozen in place.

She rolled over to her back and was kicked in the side, making her cough. She looked up and saw Joey above her. He grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet.

"I can't stand what you've made me become." He spat, shoving her up against the wall. "Before I was with you, I was happy and life was good. But you screwed everything up!" he swung, landing a punch directly to her eye.

Emma cried out and covered her face. He grabbed her wrists and pulled them down to her sides, leaning in close to her.

"Don't you understand this is all your fault? You just make me so mad, Emma!" he smacked her across her cheek.

"Joey, please!" she begged, but if he heard her, he didn't act like it. He grabbed a chunk of her hair and threw her across the room. Emma stumbled and fell down, hitting her head against the cement.

The last thing she felt was Joey kicking her in the back.

When Emma opened her eyes, she was confused. She didn't know where she was, or understand why her whole body felt like it was on fire. Then, everything came rushing back and she whimpered.

Her first instinct was to hide incase Joey came back. She got onto her hands and knees, crying out as soon as she put weight on her right arm. She crawled over to the corner of the room and waited, hoping he was gone.

After a couple of minutes had passed, she figured he had left. Emma's body protested as she slowly rose to her feet. There wasn't a part of her that didn't hurt, and her head was throbbing. The only thing she could think of was getting home.

She didn't think that driving was the best idea, but she had to stop to catch her breath. She fell into her car and leaned against it before losing her balance and crashing down to the ground.

Emma clutched her side and stood up again. Her legs wobbled, but she knew she had to get away from there. It wasn't safe.

The penthouse was only a two minute walk, but it felt like forever. She had to stop multiple times to try and get over the pain. She was glad to see that none of her father's guards were outside of the building; she didn't want to have to explain this to them. That's when she remembered that all of the guys were at the penthouse.

Emma didn't even realize she was bawling until she was on the elevator. Once she reached her floor, she walked slowly with the help of the wall. She bit her bottom lip, hoping she could keep in her sobs so that she could just quietly go up to her room and cover all her bruises with makeup.

All hope of that was gone as soon as she opened the front door. Emma didn't realize how much she had been leaning against it, but when it swung open, she fell to the ground. She let out a cry.

She could hear their footsteps on the stairs, but she couldn't even pull her body up. She had used every bit of strength possible to get here.

The first voice she heard was Connor's. "Wow, you drunk already, Em? It's only noon." She couldn't even move. Her body was shaking in fear- fear of Joey coming back, and fear of what they would say. "Emma?"

"Come on, Em. Get up." Hunter approached her. "Here, I'll help you. Give me your hand."

Emma glanced down at her hands and saw that they were bloody. She knew she was out of options; there was no way she was getting out of here without them seeing her.

She started to sob even harder than she had been before.

Gabe

Gabe, Nate, and Zack all looked at each other as soon as Emma didn't move after Connor spoke to her. They couldn't see her face because it was straight down in the carpet, but her brother could see that she was shaking.

"Come on, Em. Get up." They watched Hunter walked past Connor and towards her. "Here, I'll help you. Give me your hand."

They were all alarmed when she started to cry harder than they had ever heard someone cry. This was different from when she had hypothermia, or even after she was buried alive next to the body of one of their classmates. She sounded broken.

Hunter went to Emma and kneeled down. "Em?"

"Help me." She whispered. "Please help me."

Hunter moved her hair away from her face and saw that she was covered in bruises. There was dry blood caked onto her face, and one of her eyes was swollen shut.

"Oh my God."

As soon as he said that, the other four boys ran forward. Gabe fell to his knees and grabbed Emma's hips gently, rolling her over. She cried out in protest.

"Come here." He slid his arms under her back and lifted her up. He went to the couch and sat down, holding his older sister on his lap. She was crying even just sitting, and he didn't know how to help her.

"Hey, look at me, baby girl." Zack kneeled in front of Gabe. "What happened?"

"J-J-Joey asked me to meet him at the warehouse. I thought he wanted to talk. He didn't seem mad! But when he got there, he started to beat me, and he said it was my fault that he was doing this! I-I hit my head and I passed out for a while. I woke up and I walked here because I didn't think I could drive my car." She sobbed. "Everything hurts. I just want to die."

"Emma, stop. Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I don't know."

"Connor, go call Courtney and Chloe J. Tell them to get here right now." Gabe ordered. "Don't worry, Em. We'll take care of this."

"Please don't, Gabe. Don't leave me."

"You're going to be fine. You're safe now, and he won't hurt you ever again." Gabe kissed her forehead. He slid out from under her and layed her on the couch, hoping that it would help her feel more comfortable.

Courtney and Chloe J arrived in record breaking time. Zack met the girls at the door.

"There's a trail of blood all the way from the elevator." Chloe J muttered.

"She's a mess. Even after people have been attacked by the TMK, I've never seen them look that bad. It's horrible."

"Where is she?"

"In the bathtub. Connor's in the bathroom with her. We didn't want to leave her alone."

"We'll go in." Courtney could see the fire in his eyes. "You better make sure he can never hurt her again."

"Trust me, he won't."

The two blondes went into Emma's bathroom. They were surprised to see the amount of red in the water, and they could hear Emma's cries as Connor tried to help her wash off the blood.

"We've got it, Connie. Go take care of the problem." Courtney told her brother. She sank to her knees in front of Emma. Chloe J quickly followed her lead.

"We're here now, Em. We're gonna help you." Chloe J assured her. When she looked at Connor, he noticed her eyes were practically black. "Kill him."

Zack turned Emma's phone over and over in his hand as he sat in his car, waiting for Joey Falconeri to arrive at the same warehouse he had just nearly beaten Emma to death in.

Gabe was in the passenger's seat and his leg was bouncing up and down anxiously. Nate, Hunter, and Connor were silent in the backseat. The boys hadn't spoken since they got in the car. They saw Joey's car pull up and he went into the warehouse.

"Showtime." Zack stated. The five boys got out of the car and went into the warehouse. Joey turned to face them as soon as he heard the door close.

"Where's Emma?" he demanded.

"Oh, Emma? You mean the girl you just beat so badly that you knocked her unconscious?" Gabe asked. "Did you honestly think we were just going to let you get away with this?"

"Look, I don't want any trouble."

"How about you just quit talking?" Zack suggested. "You've screwed up one too many times here, Joey. We've given you chance after chance, and every time, you hit her again. Now, it's your turn."

"What do you…" he was cut off when Zack landed a punch to his jaw, knocking him back against the wall with the force of it. "I can't believe you just did that!"

"Really? I can't believe you hit a girl ever, but you've hit Emma multiple times, and this time, you didn't just hit her. You beat her, Joey. She was in so much pain she could barely walk. She's been through enough."

"You know, that's enough talking." Gabe interrupted. "It's time for him to feel how Emma felt."

Before Joey knew it, he was being beaten up by the five boys. He cried out in pain; he had never felt anything like this before. Before Zack hit him again, he looked up at him.

"Please. We're family. Don't do this."

"No, we share a tiny bit of DNA. Emma is my family, and she's at home right now in pain because of you. You have never been my family." Zack hit him in the nose.

They were satisfied with what they had done. Joey couldn't even get up from where he was, and after the last hit, he was unconscious. Gabe, Nate, Connor, Hunter, and Zack exited the warehouse.

Because he was unconscious, Joey never saw the text he received. But that didn't matter to the TMK when he finished the seventeen year old off.

Emma

Emma was sitting on the couch on Courtney's lap, her head resting on the blonde's shoulder. She had never felt so much pain in her life, but she was trying not to protest. She still hadn't seen what she looked like.

"Chloe?" she mumbled.

Chloe J's head snapped up. "What's wrong, babe?"

"Can you get me a mirror?"

Courtney sighed. "Emma…"

"No. I wanna see what I look like."

Chloe J dug through her purse, pulling out her mirror. She handed it to her best friend and took a deep breath, trying to prepare for her reaction.

Emma studied herself in the mirror. She had a few cuts on her face, and there were a lot of bruises. Her left eye was swollen completely shut, and her lip was busted.

"I hate him." She whispered. "I hate him so much."

Chloe J stepped forward and took the mirror. "You should."

"I've tried to break up with him. He wouldn't let me."

"We know."

"I should have been stronger."

"Em, stop." Courtney said. "He was controlling and abusive. You didn't know how to handle that, and it's okay. None of this is your fault."

The front door opened and the guys came in. Chloe J immediately jumped up, motioning towards the stairs. Emma tried to get up, but Courtney gently held her down.

Once Chloe J and the boys were upstairs, she looked at each of them. "Did you take care of it?"

"Of course we did." Gabe answered, clenching and unclenching his fist. Chloe J saw how busted up his knuckles looked.

"Come on. I'll help you guys clean up."

After bandaging all of their knuckles, they returned back downstairs. Zack sat down on the other end of the couch and Emma grimaced, pulling out of Courtney's arms to go to his.

"How are you, baby girl?"

"Terrible. I feel disgusting."

Chloe J sat on the recliner next to Hunter. "Em, I know you don't wanna talk about it and it's uncomfortable, but we need to know. Did he rape you?"

Emma shook her head. "No. He just beat me up." She laughed. "I said 'just'. Like it's some little thing."

"It'll get better."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but it never does. Joey hit me, then I got hypothermia, then I was taken and beaten by the TMK, then I was buried with Matt's dead body, and now my body hurts worse than it did during any of those incidents, so please tell me, how is this getting better?"

"Calm down, Em." Gabe tried.

"Don't tell me to calm down! I'm sick and tired of being calm! Obviously it's not working out! People keep dying and I keep getting hurt and I just want everything to be normal again!" she burst into tears.

Courtney's bottom lip quivered as she watched her oldest friend struggle with everything happening to her. Nate sat next to her and she leaned her head against his shoulder as he held her hand. They watched as Zack did his best to comfort Emma.

There was a loud banging on the door and they all looked at each other. "PCPD! OPEN UP!"

Gabe sighed and went over to the door, opening it up. He was immediately slammed into the wall.

Emma screamed. "Gabe!"

"I'm okay, Emma." He looked at Dante with a glare. "You're going to come into my house and do this? Really?"

"Gabriel Morgan, Zackary Corinthos, Nathan Scorpio-Drake, Connor Jacks, and Hunter Corinthos, you are under arrest for numerous counts of assault, and for the murders of Mason Zacchara, Maxwell Franco, Jasmine Corinthos, Arabella Jacks, Matthew Zacchara, Parker Ruiz, Corey Spinelli, Lily Mir, and Joseph Falconeri."

Connor frowned as another cop handcuffed him. "What are you talking about?"

"Joey was murdered less than an hour ago and we found a text on his phone. A witness saw you all leaving the scene. Sorry, boys. You've finally been figured out."

"Dante, we didn't do this." Zack tried to reason with his brother.

"We all know what you did." Dante grabbed Emma's arm and yanked her away from Zack, thrusting her towards Courtney.

"Don't you ever touch her again." Zack growled, his face going dark in 0.2 seconds. "You know where she got all these bruises, or her black eye? Your son beat her up so badly she could barely even walk."

"Really, because my son is DEAD!" Dante shouted. He began to read the boys the rest of their rights.

"Courtney, call Mom and Dad." Connor told his older sister. "Have them get a lawyer and get to the station right away. Don't say anything if someone asks you what happened. Emma, Chloe J, you either."

"You can't take them!" Emma sobbed. "Dante, you know they didn't do this!"

"Your opinion doesn't matter to me. It's your fault my son is dead! I knew he shouldn't have dated a little whore like you!"

Before anyone could react, Chloe J had slapped Dante across the face. The older man glared.

"That's assault on an officer."

"Leave them alone." They all turned and saw Cameron Webber enter the penthouse. "This is my investigation, Falconeri, and I don't appreciate you harassing teenagers. You're too close to this case."

"Shut it, Webber. You're just a kid; you don't know anything."

"I know that these officers saw you manhandle Emma Morgan, am I right, boys?" the other cops nodded. "Get outside."

Dante grumbled the whole way, but left the penthouse. Cameron turned to the teenagers.

"I'm sorry guys, but its procedure. We have to take you in because we have evidence against you."

"My parents are going to be filing a lawsuit after the way he treated my sister." Gabe snarled.

Cameron nodded. "I understand." He looked at Emma. "Jesus, Emma. What happened to you?"

"Joey Falconeri beat her." Courtney replied. "Let your little cop friends know that."

"We'll have to take all of your statements. Guys, let's take them in." he told his fellow cops.

Emma cried as the boys were taken from the penthouse. Courtney and Chloe J stood on either side of her, both of them trying to hold in their tears.

Cameron grabbed Zack's shoulder as he led him out of the penthouse. The boy looked at the three girls quickly.

"You hang in there, Princess. All of you, do what Connor said. Don't talk to anyone and call our parents. Stay with Emma."

Cameron turned to the teenager. "Emma, do you need a ride to the hospital?"

"No. I'm not going."

"You look pretty beat up…"

"I'm not going." She repeated. "We'll meet you at the station, Zack."

Chloe J

While Courtney helped Emma change into some different clothes, Chloe J was left to make the phone calls. She wasn't sure how to handle this situation; she had never seen someone gets arrested before. She figured that Sam and Jason would be the most help right now. She quickly dialed Sam's number.

"Hey Chloe J."

"Sam, where are you?"

"We're on our way home, why?"

"Who is with you?"

"Jason, Maddie, Britt, Katie, and Selena. Why? What's going on?"

"You need to go to the PCPD."

"Oh my God. What happened?"

"Call your lawyers. You're gonna need them."

"Maddie, call Molly, Kristina, and Abby." She heard her godmother say. "What happened, Chloe J?"

"Gabe, Zack, Hunter, Nate, and Connor were just arrested. They're being charged as the TMK. I've gotta make more phone calls, I'll see you there." She hung up before she could hear Sam's reaction. She dialed her uncle's number next.

"Wow, to what do I owe this honor?" Patrick answered.

"Trust me, you're not gonna be happy when you hear what I've got to say." Chloe J sighed. "Nate was just arrested. Molly, Kristina, and Abby are going to go to the PCPD, but I think you need to get down there."

She could hear Patrick groan. "What happened?"

"He's being charged as the TMK, along with Gabe, Connor, Zack, and Hunter. Please, Patrick. Just get there." She hung up.

Carly was the next one she called. "Oh no. I know if I'm getting a call from you, then something happened. Which one of my kids is it?"

Chloe J bit her lip. "Connor. He was just arrested. Sam and Jason are on their way to the PCPD. Him and the other guys are being accused of being the Text Message Killer."

"Oh God. I'll see you there." Carly hung up.

Chloe J figured she might as well call the Corinthoses too. She didn't know Sonny or Claudia (despite the fact that they are her step aunt and uncle) very well, so it was a little awkward, but that wasn't important right now.

She found Claudia's name in her phone and called, listening to it ring. She picked up on the third ring.

"Claudia Zacchara Corinthos."

"Hi Claudia, this is Chloe J."

"Where are my children?"

"I think you need to come back to Port Charles."

"Are they in the hospital?"

"No."

"Which one is it?"

"The boys."

"Both of them?"

"Yeah."

"What did they do?"

"They protected Emma."

Claudia frowned. "What does that mean?"

"They're being accused of being the TMK. Just please get here. Sam and Jason are getting lawyers."

"We'll be there as soon as we can."

Chloe J hung up just as Courtney and Emma came down the stairs. Her heart broke seeing the way Emma struggled with each step.

The front door opened and Mia walked in. Her mouth fell open. "Oh my God, Emma. What happened?"

"Long story short- Joey beat Emma, the boys just got arrested and they're saying they are the TMK. We have to get to the PCPD." Chloe J summarized.

"Chloe J! You can't tell her all that! She's pregnant! You can't stress her out!" Courtney reminded her.

"Trust me, I'm already beyond stressed out." Mia turned back around and led the way out of the penthouse.

PCPD

"…and I want to know what you have on my son right now!" Sam shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Your son is a murderer!" Dante yelled back just as loud.

"And your son is an abusive pig!" Gabe screamed from where he was seated, waiting until they could get him processed. "He's hit my sister who knows how many times and he crossed the line!"

Molly walked in with one of her professional women suits and a briefcase. "Gabe, stop." She turned to Dante. "First of all, it's really nice how you're addressing my client's mother. I'll be sure to file a lawsuit." She looked around. "Where are the rest of my clients?"

"In lockup."

"And what evidence do you have to support your accusations?" Kristina questioned, joining her younger sister.

"A witness saw them leaving a warehouse around the time my son was murdered."

"Oh, your son. Aren't you a bit too involved, Detective?" Abby Haver Corinthos demanded as she went over to her business partners.

Cameron exited the questioning room with another officer. "Gabe, Officer Diaz is going to take you to processing."

Sam watched as her son was taken away. She turned around to where Katie, Maddie, and Brittany were standing, Selena on Brittany's hip. Jason was now talking to Molly, Abby, and Kristina.

Patrick was the next to arrive. He joined Sam. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Gabe's being processed and the other boys are already in lockup. Apparently, Joey Falconeri was murdered and the boys were seen leaving the warehouse where it happened around the time it would have happened."

"So they're charging them with this whole killing spree?"

"Joey got a text message."

Patrick sank into a chair. "Amazing. Just what Robin needs to worry about."

Sam smiled at him sympathetically. "How's she doing?"

"This is the end. She's only got a little while left. She'll be lucky if she makes it another week." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know how to tell her that her son was arrested."

"Where is my son!" they both knew it was Carly before they even looked up. She came storming into the PCPD and went to Dante. "You better release him. Now."

"Carly…" Jason started, trying to pull her away.

"No! Everyone knows Dante was always jealous because Sonny didn't love him the way he loved Zack and Hunter, or Michael and Morgan. He's always been jealous of them and now he's finally trying to take them down!"

"We have evidence!" Dante shouted. "They murdered my son!"

"Those boys couldn't kill anyone."

"Oh, now that you've said that, it changes everything." Dante said sarcastically. "All of you need to sit down and shut up. I'm going to make sure these charges stick because these boys deserve everything that's coming to them." He disappeared into the back.

Molly scoffed. "We're taking him down. I don't care if he is my cousin. He's not going to get away with treating them like this." She started to talk strategy with Kristina and Abby before Cameron came over. "I want to talk to them."

"I'm arranging it. It'll be a couple minutes because Gabe is still going through processing."

"Speed it up. I need to talk to them now before Dante manages to goad them into something."

"I'm working on it, Mol." He looked at Sam, Carly, Jason, and Patrick. "For the record, I don't think your boys had anything to do with this. I've seen them, and I see how they are with your daughters and their friends. They could never hurt people this way, and I'll do everything I can to prove that." He went into the back.

"Courtney!" Carly called out, turning towards the door.

"Hi, Mom." Courtney gave her a small smile, but didn't leave Emma's smile, and neither did Chloe J or Mia. The shortest of them was wearing large sunglasses, a big floppy sunhat, pants, and a long sleeved shirt.

"Em, you're inside. You don't really need a hat." Sam told her daughter.

"I think it's cute." Mia argued.

Brittany and Maddie shared a look, knowing immediately that something was wrong. Emma's outfit, and the protective stance of the three other girls was pretty obvious.

Dante reentered the room. "Oh, look who it is. Now I know there's going to be trouble. You always manage to mess everything up, especially when it comes to relationships."

And in that moment, something inside of Emma snapped. She ripped the hat and sunglasses off of her face, throwing them to the ground. She took off her sweatshirt and her sweatpants, leaving her standing in the center of the PCPD in only her bra and underwear.

"Really? I mess everything up? Your son beat me, Dante. What do you call that?"

Brittany handed Selena to Jason and she and Maddie went over to Emma. Brittany took off the jacket she was wearing and gave it to the older girl, trying to cover her up as Courtney helped her put her sweatpants back on.

"The boys have admitted to assaulting Joey Falconeri, but they deny everything else." Cameron told the parents, teens, and the lawyers. "They say that Emma left the penthouse today and said she was going to go see Chloe J. She came back forty-five minutes later and was beaten so badly that she could barely move. The boys called Chloe J and Courtney, and they came over and helped Emma. Zack texted Joey from Emma's phone and asked him to meet him at the same warehouse he had just beaten Emma in, and when Joey got there, they beat him up, but they are adamant about the fact that Joey wasn't dead, or near death, when they left him. They went back to the penthouse and were arrested there."

"Yeah, and it wasn't the first time he's hit me either." Emma said, her eyes locked on Dante, though she could barely see through her left one.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sam asked her daughter.

"Honestly Mom, you should have realized." Emma turned back towards Dante. "Your son was an abuser. He used the fact that he was bigger and stronger than me to control me. I tried to break up with him more than once, but he would get aggressive and he wouldn't let me. I hate him more than I've ever hated someone in my life."

"Emma, stop." Molly told her niece. "He can spin this and make it look like you have motive."

"Molly, if I had any chance of beating him up, I would have used my strength to fight him off when he beat me so hard that he knocked me unconscious."

Dante rolled his eyes. "I'm not listening to your lies anymore." He left the room again.

Sam and Jason stared at Emma in shock, realizing now why she had been acting so strange lately. As they watched Courtney and Chloe J hug her, they knew that nothing would ever be the same between them and their daughter again.

What do you think will happen with Zemma/Zaige?

Another death. Alec and Lily were related. Do you think this may push him closer to his last remaining siblings, Brittany and Joey?

Mia and Reed aren't related. Do you think this will be the final thing to really put her in the right direction?

Are you happy Olivia and Steve are getting a divorce? Do you think Mia will move back in with Olivia? Do you want her to?

The secret is finally out, and in a big way. Will the boys be proven innocent? And who is really the TMK?