Shadow- Aside from that unfortunate incident, I DID have quite a good
Christmas. I hope yours was good to you as well. I am sorry that your niece
is like that, I can only hope that she'll grow out of it. Why can't all
small children be like Michael? Ah, that would be something akin to a
utopian society. Dare to dream.
Story-
Corinthos Household-
Damian wanted to sleep. He truly did. He wanted to close his eyes and drift away from his problems, if only for a few short hours. But he couldn't. He'd put his head down on his pillow and shut his eyes only to see another pair staring at him. Kyle's. He was afraid of what was going to happen. It was unlikely that he knew he was going to die, but he knew something was wrong. Perhaps in those last moments he found peace with himself, the person he was. Damian sincerely doubted it, but hoped for the result anyway. That Cop and Ric were right, fingers would point at him regardless of his innocence. He didn't regret being there for Maxie, helping her out when she needed it. He did regret being there for Kyle and failing to help him. It was just a string of bad luck that appeared to follow the young man wherever he went. He wanted to get away from it all, but this was his home now. He was just beginning to build relationships with Sonny, Courtney, and Michael, he couldn't just abandon them so quickly. He was in a lose-lose situation. Someone knocked at his door, "Come in," He said after getting over the startled feeling that surrounded him when he heard the knock.
Sonny pushed the door open and smiled, "You got a minute?"
Damian nodded, "I think I can spare a minute. You finally got Michael to sleep?"
"Yeah," Sonny replied, "I don't know what it is about that boy. He was wired on something."
"He was just happy about having everyone be together, except for Jason." Damian thought about it for a moment, "Where was Jason anyway?"
"He had some business to take care of," Sonny kept out the exact details of their business.
"Oh."
"I'm really sorry about today," Sonny stated.
Damian didn't quite understand, "I thought today was great. It's not everyday that I get to meet my paternal grandfather for the first time."
"I shouldn't have waited so long," Sonny said, "And I should have been the one to tell Mike about you, not Courtney."
"You mad at her?"
"Of course not," Sonny quickly replied, "She was just doing what her heart was telling her. That girl loves being around her family. It's a good thing that Mike and I stayed away from her for so long. Before she came along we were always at each other's throats. I still hated him for making me and my mother fend for ourselves, and ultimately leading us into the life of Trevor Lansing."
"You seem to be on better terms now," Damian said, thinking about how the two of them were acting around one another at Kelly's.
"We're civil with each other and I don't hate him anymore, but I'm still disappointed in him. I don't think I will ever forgive Mike for doing what he did to my mother and I. I don't think I can ever call him 'dad'. Courtney's so forgiving when it comes to just about anything. She has a good heart and I really do think it's because Mike stayed away from her for so long. She didn't see him at his worst like I did. You can start over in a relationship, but the things that happened in the past may never actually heal. That's why I don't mind that you don't call me 'dad', Damian. I'd be a hypocrite if I just expected you to forgive everything."
"Maybe the time will come, Sonny," Damian said, "I can't predict the future and I won't even try but there might be a time when I can feel that we have a strong enough bond, one like you and Michael have."
"Well, I just wanted to tell you that before the day ended," Sonny motioned to get up.
"Wait," Damian grabbed at his arm, "I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Kyle Radcliff died this morning," Damian turned away, "Ric came into Kelly's before you got there and started saying that I had something to do with it."
Sonny didn't have anything other than a stupid question to ask. Sometimes they were better than not asking anything at all, "What would make him think that?"
"Because I was with him before he died," Damian informed his father, "Kyle overdosed and I found him less than twenty minutes before he was pronounced dead. Another person came by and called for help, but I later found out he was a cop and he started throwing accusations that it was my fault, too."
"Who was it?" Sonny asked.
"Officer Spencer."
"Lucky?" Sonny shook his head. He would have thought that Carly's cousin wouldn't have jumped to such conclusions without any evidence. Maybe his deepest fears about the PCPD were coming true. It was corrupting everyone against him. "You didn't do it, did you?"
"Of course not!" Damian almost yelled, "Why does everyone think that I had something to do with it?"
"I just needed to hear it from you," Sonny said, "And I believe you."
"Too bad you're not the only one I need to convince," Damian remarked sadly.
"You don't need to convince anyone in this town of anything. They'll try and drag your name through the gutter a thousand times over and I won't let them. You're my son and you're under my protection, that includes legal protection. If they even think about putting you in jail I will personally see to it that the entire building is knocked down if that's what it takes to get you out."
"That's not the only thing that's bothering me," Damian said, "Lucky made some strange allegations about you. He said that you would know what happened, that you had something to do with it."
"I didn't," Sonny said.
"The police officers were saying something about you yesterday before you got there, too. Sonny, why do the police hate you so much?"
"Because they can't stand that I'm successful in ways that they could never imagine," Sonny remarked, "They're trying to break me down and take everything that I worked so hard for."
"And they're doing this just to spite you?"
Sonny closed his eyes, "I've done a lot of things in this town that I regret. Things that give me an image that I'm not entirely innocent of, but not to the degree that they make it seem. I've hurt a lot of people in my life, but it's always because they needed it to happen."
"You do a lot to protect the people that you care about, don't you?"
Sonny nodded, "The people that I love have saved me from myself so many times that it's the least I can do to repay them. If I didn't have Carly, Michael, Morgan, Jason, and Courtney I don't think that I would be alive right now. I was always so busy concentrating on the business that it would have eventually gotten me into a lot of trouble or worse. Now I have a family, something that I can look forward to not because of the money that it gives me, but because of the fact that I enjoy watching my kids grow up, I enjoy spending time with my wife and my sister. I don't want to give that up and anyone who tries to take it away from me is going to find that I don't go down easily."
"Courtney was telling me that you and Carly weren't very fond of one another when you first met."
Sonny laughed, "We hated each other. It was like gasoline and fire whenever the two of us got together."
"What happened?"
"Over time we were forced to spend more time together and while that happened we got to know each other better. When that happened we just stopped hating one another and fell in love. We've hit a few rough spots before, but we've gotten through them relatively unscathed." Sonny thought of all the things that had happened to them since they fell in love. He thought of them losing their first child in order to save Carly's life. Most importantly he thought of the bullet that he put in Carly's brain on accident. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve the children that he had. He didn't deserve a sister like Courtney or a best friend like Jason. The only things that he deserved were the material possessions that he had purchased with the fortune he had amassed. The rest of it was sheer luck.
"Do you think that Carly and I can do something like that? You know, without the kids and everything."
"She'll warm up to you sometime. How can she not? Michael already worships you and for good reason. Despite everything that you've been through you've got a good head on your shoulders."
"I don't know how I managed to survive without her," Damian said, "My world crumbled and I was just there in the void."
"You have plenty that you can look for in the future," Sonny stated, "You're going to be a better father than me or Mike ever were, and you're going to help people. Don't let what happened to your mother and Kyle stop you from pursuing that dream."
"What if I can't do it?"
"I'll bet any amount of money that you can do whatever you set your sights on, Damian. If you have any of my blood in you, which you do, you'd be too stubborn to just give up when something doesn't go your way." Sonny got up and Damian let him this time, "I'll see you in the morning."
Damian nodded, "Night."
Sonny closed the door behind him and Damian turned off the lights. If anything that Sonny said was at all true then he'd find a way to battle his nightmares. There was only one way to find out.
Story-
Corinthos Household-
Damian wanted to sleep. He truly did. He wanted to close his eyes and drift away from his problems, if only for a few short hours. But he couldn't. He'd put his head down on his pillow and shut his eyes only to see another pair staring at him. Kyle's. He was afraid of what was going to happen. It was unlikely that he knew he was going to die, but he knew something was wrong. Perhaps in those last moments he found peace with himself, the person he was. Damian sincerely doubted it, but hoped for the result anyway. That Cop and Ric were right, fingers would point at him regardless of his innocence. He didn't regret being there for Maxie, helping her out when she needed it. He did regret being there for Kyle and failing to help him. It was just a string of bad luck that appeared to follow the young man wherever he went. He wanted to get away from it all, but this was his home now. He was just beginning to build relationships with Sonny, Courtney, and Michael, he couldn't just abandon them so quickly. He was in a lose-lose situation. Someone knocked at his door, "Come in," He said after getting over the startled feeling that surrounded him when he heard the knock.
Sonny pushed the door open and smiled, "You got a minute?"
Damian nodded, "I think I can spare a minute. You finally got Michael to sleep?"
"Yeah," Sonny replied, "I don't know what it is about that boy. He was wired on something."
"He was just happy about having everyone be together, except for Jason." Damian thought about it for a moment, "Where was Jason anyway?"
"He had some business to take care of," Sonny kept out the exact details of their business.
"Oh."
"I'm really sorry about today," Sonny stated.
Damian didn't quite understand, "I thought today was great. It's not everyday that I get to meet my paternal grandfather for the first time."
"I shouldn't have waited so long," Sonny said, "And I should have been the one to tell Mike about you, not Courtney."
"You mad at her?"
"Of course not," Sonny quickly replied, "She was just doing what her heart was telling her. That girl loves being around her family. It's a good thing that Mike and I stayed away from her for so long. Before she came along we were always at each other's throats. I still hated him for making me and my mother fend for ourselves, and ultimately leading us into the life of Trevor Lansing."
"You seem to be on better terms now," Damian said, thinking about how the two of them were acting around one another at Kelly's.
"We're civil with each other and I don't hate him anymore, but I'm still disappointed in him. I don't think I will ever forgive Mike for doing what he did to my mother and I. I don't think I can ever call him 'dad'. Courtney's so forgiving when it comes to just about anything. She has a good heart and I really do think it's because Mike stayed away from her for so long. She didn't see him at his worst like I did. You can start over in a relationship, but the things that happened in the past may never actually heal. That's why I don't mind that you don't call me 'dad', Damian. I'd be a hypocrite if I just expected you to forgive everything."
"Maybe the time will come, Sonny," Damian said, "I can't predict the future and I won't even try but there might be a time when I can feel that we have a strong enough bond, one like you and Michael have."
"Well, I just wanted to tell you that before the day ended," Sonny motioned to get up.
"Wait," Damian grabbed at his arm, "I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Kyle Radcliff died this morning," Damian turned away, "Ric came into Kelly's before you got there and started saying that I had something to do with it."
Sonny didn't have anything other than a stupid question to ask. Sometimes they were better than not asking anything at all, "What would make him think that?"
"Because I was with him before he died," Damian informed his father, "Kyle overdosed and I found him less than twenty minutes before he was pronounced dead. Another person came by and called for help, but I later found out he was a cop and he started throwing accusations that it was my fault, too."
"Who was it?" Sonny asked.
"Officer Spencer."
"Lucky?" Sonny shook his head. He would have thought that Carly's cousin wouldn't have jumped to such conclusions without any evidence. Maybe his deepest fears about the PCPD were coming true. It was corrupting everyone against him. "You didn't do it, did you?"
"Of course not!" Damian almost yelled, "Why does everyone think that I had something to do with it?"
"I just needed to hear it from you," Sonny said, "And I believe you."
"Too bad you're not the only one I need to convince," Damian remarked sadly.
"You don't need to convince anyone in this town of anything. They'll try and drag your name through the gutter a thousand times over and I won't let them. You're my son and you're under my protection, that includes legal protection. If they even think about putting you in jail I will personally see to it that the entire building is knocked down if that's what it takes to get you out."
"That's not the only thing that's bothering me," Damian said, "Lucky made some strange allegations about you. He said that you would know what happened, that you had something to do with it."
"I didn't," Sonny said.
"The police officers were saying something about you yesterday before you got there, too. Sonny, why do the police hate you so much?"
"Because they can't stand that I'm successful in ways that they could never imagine," Sonny remarked, "They're trying to break me down and take everything that I worked so hard for."
"And they're doing this just to spite you?"
Sonny closed his eyes, "I've done a lot of things in this town that I regret. Things that give me an image that I'm not entirely innocent of, but not to the degree that they make it seem. I've hurt a lot of people in my life, but it's always because they needed it to happen."
"You do a lot to protect the people that you care about, don't you?"
Sonny nodded, "The people that I love have saved me from myself so many times that it's the least I can do to repay them. If I didn't have Carly, Michael, Morgan, Jason, and Courtney I don't think that I would be alive right now. I was always so busy concentrating on the business that it would have eventually gotten me into a lot of trouble or worse. Now I have a family, something that I can look forward to not because of the money that it gives me, but because of the fact that I enjoy watching my kids grow up, I enjoy spending time with my wife and my sister. I don't want to give that up and anyone who tries to take it away from me is going to find that I don't go down easily."
"Courtney was telling me that you and Carly weren't very fond of one another when you first met."
Sonny laughed, "We hated each other. It was like gasoline and fire whenever the two of us got together."
"What happened?"
"Over time we were forced to spend more time together and while that happened we got to know each other better. When that happened we just stopped hating one another and fell in love. We've hit a few rough spots before, but we've gotten through them relatively unscathed." Sonny thought of all the things that had happened to them since they fell in love. He thought of them losing their first child in order to save Carly's life. Most importantly he thought of the bullet that he put in Carly's brain on accident. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve the children that he had. He didn't deserve a sister like Courtney or a best friend like Jason. The only things that he deserved were the material possessions that he had purchased with the fortune he had amassed. The rest of it was sheer luck.
"Do you think that Carly and I can do something like that? You know, without the kids and everything."
"She'll warm up to you sometime. How can she not? Michael already worships you and for good reason. Despite everything that you've been through you've got a good head on your shoulders."
"I don't know how I managed to survive without her," Damian said, "My world crumbled and I was just there in the void."
"You have plenty that you can look for in the future," Sonny stated, "You're going to be a better father than me or Mike ever were, and you're going to help people. Don't let what happened to your mother and Kyle stop you from pursuing that dream."
"What if I can't do it?"
"I'll bet any amount of money that you can do whatever you set your sights on, Damian. If you have any of my blood in you, which you do, you'd be too stubborn to just give up when something doesn't go your way." Sonny got up and Damian let him this time, "I'll see you in the morning."
Damian nodded, "Night."
Sonny closed the door behind him and Damian turned off the lights. If anything that Sonny said was at all true then he'd find a way to battle his nightmares. There was only one way to find out.