Notes- I have seen confirmation that Greg hasn't been let go as Lucky. For this we can all be thankful and do the happy dance. Oh yes, the happy dance is in order. I have made it back to the place of my birth safely, although I'm not too happy to be here. However, looking at the tree, and the presents that are for me. I think I can stomach it for the time being. PLUS, I have soapnet here. Sweet, wonderful soapnet. Oh, and I've been spelling Faith's last name wrong this whole time. It's Rosco not Roscoe. My bad.

*Ahem* Review Time-

Raine- Thank you for taking the time to review and giving me your praise. I am happy that Damian/Maxie appears to be going along well with those that have been reading. Yes, the cast cuts are bad, but Baldwin leaving is not. Here is the update as requested.

Story-

Port Charles Police Department-

Mac followed Damian into the building. The boy looked around and saw the cells, some had prisoners inside. Would this be his fate? This is what happens to people who help those in need? He sighed, he was from Los Angeles, they had their fair share of corrupt cops and the like. Still, he never thought he would be one that the system abused. A man in a suit walked towards Mac, "Well, commissioner, what have we here?"

"Radcliff's assailant, Scott," Mac replied calmly.

"And why isn't he in cuffs?" Scott Baldwin asked, "Kid assaulted one of this town's most well known benefactors, that isn't how the system works!"

"With all due respect, Mr. District Attorney," Mac began, "I made the offer to escort him without the use of handcuffs if he cooperated. We're here to uphold the law, not use it to do inhumane acts."

"You're a bleeding heart, Scorpio!" Scott yelled, "You can't do that in this business, not with people like Corinthos and Morgan running around doing god only knows what!"

Mac rolled his eyes, "Are you done yet?"

"Make sure you book him!" Scott ordered.

"I know how to do my job, Scott," Mac called out before looking at Damian again, "You didn't need to hear all that."

"No, I didn't," Damian replied, thinking about what the DA had said about his father and whoever Morgan was. It couldn't be the baby, that Morgan was much too young to do anything illegal.

"Do you understand the charges that have been filed against you?"

"I understand what they are, but with no disrespect intended I don't see why I'm here if all I did was protect someone from getting abused. It required violence on my part, but it was still in defense of myself and in defense of another."

"Whom?" Mac asked.

"I don't know her last name, but her first name is Maxie."

Mac knew she was hiding something, and now he knew what it was. Kyle had almost hit her. Mac was angry at Kyle for daring to even attempt such an act against a woman, his daughter no less, but he was also hurt that Maxie was not upfront with him. Ric was watching nearby and saw that Mac was reacting in a way that was very befitting of a father, but not of an investigator. He walked over, "I'll take it from here, Commissioner."

"Like hell you will!" Mac quickly said back to Ric, "This is my daughter we're talking about."

"Which is why you cannot be asked to continue questioning this young man, your judgment is impaired by personal ties with one of the parties involved." Ric spoke softly, knowing that Mac wasn't going to listen if he was screaming, "Mac, you know Maxie is okay, let me do the work for now and you can sort out your problems with her later."

Mac sighed and left extremely hesitant, but he knew that his job called for him to be objective, and he couldn't do that in this case. He didn't like or trust Ric, but he knew Lansing was right. He wanted to call Maxie, but he stopped himself. This was something that needed to be done face to face, not over the phone.

Ric continued questioning Damian, getting his part of the story, "So you were saying that you saw Mr. Radcliff attempt to strike Ms. Jones and you stepped in to stop such a thing from happening?"

"I did stop it," Damian said fiercely. He took a moment and turned his head, "Sorry, abuse is a touchy subject for me."

"Would you have gotten into an altercation with Mr. Radcliff if Ms. Jones had not been present?"

Damian shook his head, "I don't even know the guy, why would I just up and fight him?"

"Maybe you were looking to make a name for yourself," Ric said, "You did, after all, just move here did you not?"

"I don't see why that has anything to do with this, but yes, I did just move here a few days ago." He continued, "But that has nothing to do with what happened today. I wouldn't just up and fight Kyle, I don't enjoy violence."

"He came in here with a shiner," Ric said, "You nailed him pretty good."

"Maybe I just got lucky," Damian retorted.

"Or maybe you're just more violent than you want to let us all believe," Ric stated.

"That's enough, Ric!" Sonny ordered from behind, "You're trying to discredit my son and I won't stand for it."

Ric tossed his head over his shoulder to see his half-brother standing there, "What are you doing here?"

"My boy was brought here and I want to take him back, you've already got enough from him that shows he didn't assault Kyle, he was protecting Maxie." Sonny walked closer, "So you can let him go now and everyone can be happy."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, Sonny," Ric stated, "You might be able to bend the law here from time to time, but all we've got on your-" He stopped himself, "Did you say son?"

"Don't look into it very much, Lansing," Sonny quickly commented, "You won't be able to drag Damian's name through the ringer like you've tried to do with me."

"Nonetheless all we have is two conflicting statements from two very partial parties. Radcliff's story is that your son attacked him."

"I'm betting he just happened to leave out the part where he tried to attack Maxie, didn't he?" Sonny had played this game with Ric and plenty of others more times than he'd care to count. They'd look for any reason to hold Damian, and he wasn't going to give them any.

"That's confidential information that cannot be released to anyone, even you," Ric made sure the last two words were emphasized.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Damian commented, "Why not ask Michael, he was there?"

"A child's viewpoint of a given situation can be easily skewered depending on the environment that he is in," Ric pointed out.

Sonny let a sound of disgust come out from his lips, "You just love using that to your defense since they wouldn't believe Michael when he said that he saw you kidnap Carly, don't you?"

"What is in the past belongs in the past, Sonny." It was no secret to anyone around the office that Ric had done that to Carly, but he still didn't want to be speaking about it out in the open. "And to think only a few minutes ago you were saying that I was trying to discredit someone. Isn't that what you're trying to do with me?"

"It isn't a discredit of character when everything that is being said is true, Ric," Sonny commented bitterly, "What part of what I just said wasn't true?"

"None of it," Carly walked in. She was going to stay in the car for this very reason. She hated seeing Ric, remembering what he did to her. But at the same time she knew that Sonny could easily blow his short fuse if Ric or Scott pestered him enough. They came to get one person out of trouble, she'd hate for it to become two in the blink of an eye. "Every single word you've said about this sick, twisted, sadistic bastard is completely correct."

"You don't have enough grounds to keep him here, Ric, and we both know it. Do you want me to file another lawsuit against this department? Can PCPD survive yet another blow to an already shattered character? I don't think it can, and you know I don't make idle threats."

"If I can find any evidence that links you to a malicious assault against Kyle Radcliff know that I will personally make sure that you are back here before you can blink," Ric made sure Damian was listening to him, "In the mean time you're off the hook, for now."

Sonny, Carly and Damian walked outside the building. Damian grabbed Sonny, "Thanks, that really helped."

"I shouldn't have told him you were my son," Sonny stated, "Ric's got a vendetta against me and anyone associated with me. I've just cost you a chance at not being badgered by the police department at every turn."

"Who is that guy?" Damian asked.

Sonny turned and walked towards the car, Carly's hand wrapped around his arm, "My brother."

Scott had seen what had happened with Ric and he came in, his face red with fury, "What the hell happened here?"

"Sonny's right, Scott. We don't have enough on the boy to keep him here, especially since he apparently has witnesses that will support his actions and why they were taken."

"You don't believe that any son of Sonny Corinthos would act in the service of another person, do you?"

"My brother might be a lot of things, Scott, but he doesn't stand around and watch people be abused if he can help it. He knows the pain, he grew up with my father being his step-father, believe me, he knows what it feels like."

"Where's Scorpio?" Scott changed the subject, "I gave him a direct order to book that kid!"

"If we put Damian in jail all it would have meant was more bad press for this department, and more bad press for you, Scott. And we both know how much your image can survive that, don't we?"

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that you were working with your brother on this," Scott walked away, Corinthos had gotten away from him again.

Ric walked into Mac's office, "We had to let the kid go."

"Good," Mac responded, "I believe him."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Because Kyle Radcliff is a self-centered pest who wouldn't think twice about abusing a woman in public as long as he felt that he could get away with it." Mac sighed and put his hands over his head, "I should throw him in jail for attempting to lay a hand on my daughter."

"His parents would just bail him out."

"It would still go on his record," Mac said, "People need to realize how bad that kid is. Maxie told me that he used to try and get her to steal drugs from the hospital for him."

"Mac, you know that everything depends on Maxie and what she says happens, right? She's the only one that hasn't made a statement that would hold up. Michael's word would only carry so much weight, and given the house he lives in that fact alone pretty much disables any credibility he might have."

"I'll talk to her about it," Mac said.

"If you don't get an answer-"

"I know how the system works, Lansing!" Mac shouted, quite testy, "If Maxie doesn't say anything then they both walk, if she says that Damian is lying he gets put in jail, if she says that Kyle tried to hit her she can press charges, which she won't he'll walk, too."

"Just making sure you know," Ric left Mac alone to brood over what the possibilities were.