Notes: Happy New Year, all! Let us hope that this year brings us happiness that has been devoid in general life for quite some time. Onto other things: I might not post this Sunday, or next Sunday, because one of those Sunday's involves me going to L.A for the day. Family and whatnot. Actually, it might require me not posting for two days, and there really isn't anything I can do about it. Having seen yesterday's episode, I am now very curious as to what Dillon's middle name is. Anyone know? And poor Mac, finally getting some screen time after who knows how many weeks, and it's in a silent part. Although, to be fair, everyone's parts were silent with the exception of the Q's, Sage, and Georgie. I liked the episode, some people didn't, but I found it amusing. Snidely Eyelash, tee hee.

Story-

Corinthos Household-

Michael had barricaded himself inside his room and wouldn't come out for anyone. Not even Courtney or Jason. Luckily for Carly her son's door did not have a lock. She was willing to wait him out, but this was getting to be too much on her. She couldn't take being rejected by her own child in the manner that he had given her the night prior. There would be a time when he would grow up and stop depending on his mother for everything, but he would always love her. Right now she wasn't entirely sure that he was feeling anything but extreme hatred towards her. She wasn't going to let it stick. She was going to fix the problem. "Sweetie?" She poked her head in and saw him lying on his bed, arms crossed, the shine of dried up tears on his freckled face. "Michael, talk to me, please."

Michael rolled away from her, "Leave me alone."

"Michael Corinthos!" Carly was stern, but not yelling, "I am your mother and I deserve to be treated with more respect than this!"

"I said leave me alone!" Michael yelled before crying again, "I'm mad at you."

"I didn't have anything to do with what happened, Michael." Carly stated as she walked into his room, ignoring his tantrum. He was at times more mature than most adults many times his age, but it could never be ignored that Michael was just a little boy in reality. "Please, I want you to believe me."

"I can't, Mommy," He admitted, "I can't believe you didn't have anything to do with it because it would be a lie. You're one of the reasons that he left and I know it. You were never nice to him. You never gave him a chance to be part of our family. He knew it all along."

"I didn't want him to hurt you or anyone else, honey," She tried to grab his hand, he flinched and backed away. It hurt Carly a lot more than she let on. "I was right, too. I knew he'd so something to hurt you. You're miserable right now because of him."

"Because of you."

She shook her head, "He made the decision to leave."

"You didn't try and stop him."

"I wasn't even here when it happened, Michael."

He finally looked at her, "If you were, would you have?"

She was going to lie, but then she remembered what Sonny told her. Lying was something that only caused pain for everyone else around her. She wouldn't do that anymore, especially to her own child. "No, Michael, I wouldn't have."

"I knew it," He proclaimed sadly. "You hate him."

"I hate him for doing this to you and your father. I hate him for coming into our lives and making promises that he obviously had no intention of keeping. I'm sorry, Michael, but that's the way I feel."

"He didn't break any promises he made to me," Michael said, "He told me that he might not always be here with all of us, but he'd always be there for me."

"Michael, you can't believe that."

"Yes I can!" Michael shouted, "He wouldn't lie to me. He likes me, he told me so. He'd be there for me if I needed it. Watch."

"Honey, please."

"You know what? When you were kidnapped by Ric and held in that little room at his house, I knew you were there. Everyone was trying to tell me that I was wrong, even Daddy. Only Uncle Jason really believed me. I didn't stop believing that it was Ric who did that to you. This is like that. You can try and get me to stop believing that Damian will be there for me if I need it, but you won't make me stop."

Downstairs-

Jason walked into the house and saw Sonny staring out the window. Much like Courtney before him, Jason worried for Sonny's state of well being. He had lost something precious to him. Sonny was a man of passion, but he was also a man of irrational behavior given the right situation. This would certainly qualify for one of those. Sonny heard the door open and turned towards Jason. Jason acknowledged Sonny, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah."

Jason waited a second, "This would work a lot better for both of us if you told me what it was that you wanted me to do. I'm not a mind reader, Sonny."

Sonny shook the cobwebs out of his mind, "Sorry, I'm preoccupied at the moment."

"I know," Jason replied, "Courtney told me about Damian."

"That's not important right now."

"We both know that you don't believe that," Jason remarked. "I can see it in your eyes, Sonny. It's eating at your soul."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he thought I didn't have one," Sonny retorted. "After all, he's the son of a powerful crime lord who deals in illegal activities and orders people to their deaths."

"There is so much more to you and you know that."

Sonny nodded, "Yeah, Jason. I know that there is more to me than my past, than the business, but he doesn't. And he's not going to give me the chance to show him how much more there is to me. I can't be mad at him, though. This wasn't his fault, I'm the one that lied to him, kept this hidden. I'm the one that ruined everything." He stopped himself, "I didn't ask you here to listen to me lament."

"But I would have come if you needed me to listen," Jason said.

"Thanks," He fidgeted with his wedding band. Maybe Michael was right, maybe Carly had cost him something that was beginning to be a dear possession. He shelved that mental argument for another time. "I need you to check up on the widow."

"You think she has something planned?" Jason asked.

"She's been quiet for too long," Sonny said, "And when people are quiet for that long it's usually because they've got something big planned."

"Are you sure about this, Sonny?" Jason wondered, "Maybe you're just trying to lash out at your enemies because of your personal pain."

"That'd be very irrational on my part."

"So was going to kill Alcazar in a public place, but you tried to do that." Jason rebounded for himself, "I don't want you to think that I'm doubting you Sonny. I just want you to tell me that you really feel that I should look in on Faith. All I need is that one word that you feel that it is something that needs to be done."

"Better safe than sorry, Jason."

"You want me to drag the kid back here from Kelly's?"

Sonny shook his head, "No force will be used against my son. He's a grown man and he can make his own choices."

"I'll check the Cellar first," Jason said as he turned to leave, "If she isn't there I'll have to get creative."

"You know what needs to be done, Jason."

Kelly's-

Damian walked inside from his time at the church. It was odd playing the piano again after so long, but it gave him a sense of comfort like it did when he was growing up, constantly alone. He still remembered how to play, despite years of non-practice. It showed how important the instrument was once to him. Maybe he should have kept playing, but just for a release from the pressures that surrounded him. He couldn't change the past, nor would he want to. It was a question that, like many in his life, would remain unanswered.

Elizabeth saw the familiar face walk into the diner. She waved at him as she handed some menus to a group of patrons. She noticed that he didn't really acknowledge her, it was very unlike him. She took the drink orders and walked over to him, "Hey, why so glum?"

"Just thinking about stuff," Damian said.

"Go sit on one of the stools, I'll just be a second."

Damian did as ordered and walked over to the counter, hanging his head low as he waited for Elizabeth to give him a much needed pep talk. It was nice to know that someone in this town didn't hate him or have misconceptions of who he was. It was like he was automatically tagged with the mantra that Sonny had acquired through the years simply because he was Sonny's son. It didn't surprise him as much as it had when he first got to Port Charles. Had the situation been reversed he would have felt the same way. Still, there was that feeling of resentment. Elizabeth walked over and leaned against the counter. He looked at her and gave an uneasy smile, "I'm cursed, you know that?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I haven't had a good birthday in eight years."

"It's your birthday?" She said with excitement.

"Sadly, yes it is."

"You're twenty-one, aren't you?" He nodded. She smiled some more, "You know what you have to do tonight, don't you?"

"You're not suggesting that I drink alcohol, are you?"

"You afraid that Sonny and Carly might get mad? You shouldn't, you're an adult now."

He looked at her with his pained eyes, "I'm not living with them anymore, Elizabeth. I moved out yesterday afternoon."

"Why?"

"I found out," He said before adding, "About my father. About what he does with his life."

"It pushed you away that fast?" Elizabeth asked.

"I can't stand there and smile while Sonny plots whatever it is that he does in his life. I've wanted to pledge myself to protecting the sanctity of life in this world, he looks only to destroy it."

She nodded, "I know how you feel, Damian. Jason and I went through that same problem, and I ultimately left him because of it. But I still loved him, and a part of me still does. I've seen Jason at his worst, I've seen him when he's consumed by everything that was going on in that life of his. But I also saw him at his best, I saw him being a compassionate and kind person to me when I needed it. He's not a bad person, he just does things that we might conceive as bad."

"You think Sonny is like that?"

"Jason idolizes Sonny. He did when I was with him at least. I think he learned how to be the person he is now from Sonny. That includes both the good and the bad. I know that Sonny cares about his family more than anything in the world. Well, everyone except Ric. I've seen him go to the ends of the planet looking for Carly when she was in trouble. It's hard to say that someone who could love someone like that could be a bad person. I'm not saying it's impossible, but you know."

"I wish I could forgive him so easily, but I can't."

"No one is expecting you to," Elizabeth said, comforting him.

Damian got up and started to walk upstairs, "Thanks, you helped me a lot."

"Just repaying a favor. Think about what I told you. This is your birthday, Damian, you should celebrate." She watched as he walked out of sight, "You really look like you could use it."