Shadow- I certainly hope that I can go to the park, but it is a very slim chance at best. Still, small chances are better than none at all, right? At least now I know that it is there, and if I do go, I can take pictures (pets the digital camera). Yes, the main purpose of that chapter was to showcase Jason and Carly's very unique bond with one another. The secondary plot point was the marriage being in shambles. But, like you've said, when aren't they going through something? It just wouldn't be GH if we didn't have a Sonny/Carly marriage problem rammed down our throats at every possible chance, right?

Story-

Los Angeles, California-

The news was ending as Damian's Grandmother and Grandfather clicked the television off. Living without their grandson, even for these few short weeks that he was gone, had taken its toll on them both. He was their last remembrance of Ana-Maria, a child that could do them and the memory of his mother proud. They were patient people, they always had been. While some would have taken a more pro-active approach towards the boy, they let him forge his own path in life. For better or for worse that made him a unique person, with an identity all his own. The phone rang. His Grandmother picked it up, "Hello?"

"Nana?"

She smiled, "Damian! Baby, we haven't heard from you in such a long time. Why haven't you called?"

"I've just been busy with school and stuff," Damian left out the real time sucker in his life at the moment, his family.

"I'm glad you took the time to call," She said, "Is everything all right?"

"No," His voice was hollow, "No, it isn't."

"What's the matter, sweetie?"

"Nothing really," He replied, "I guess I'm just a bit homesick."

"This was your home for your entire life," She was already worried about him. She could tell when something was wrong with him. Then she remembered something, "It's your birthday today, isn't it?"

"Well, technically yesterday," Damian informed her, "It's already tomorrow here in New York. I hope I didn't call you too late."

She shook her head even though she knew that he couldn't see her, "It's never too late if you need to speak with me, you know that."

"This is hard on me," He told her, "Being here and away from the two of you."

"You knew it would be."

"Not this hard."

She laughed, "You know, when you left the airport in that plane I thought that you didn't need me anymore. It's nice to know that I'm still of value to you."

"You always will be, Nana," Damian told her, "Don't ever think otherwise."

She smiled, "How was your birthday?"

"I played the piano."

There was silence between the two. She was happy for him. He had given up on one of the few things that ever brought him happiness after his mother died. She never thought he would play again. That didn't answer her questions, though, "I thought you would never play the piano again."

"So did I," He responded softly, "But it was there, and I remembered how mom would always want me to play her a song on her birthday. I did it for her."

His Grandmother wiped away a tear, "Did it help?"

"Not really," Damian informed her, "I still miss her, and it didn't bring her back."

"Nothing ever will, Damian." She stated, "That's just the way that the Lord works."

"I guess," He was blank again, she could feel his misery.

She was quick to change the subject, "Did you make any friends over there yet?"

"No, not really," He thought of Maxie. What was she to him? Was she a friend? Was she something more? Or, maybe, she was something less because of the kiss. Then he thought of Elizabeth. She was his friend, or so he thought. Perhaps she wasn't, perhaps she only tolerated him because she was working.

"You sound awful, Damian," She surmised, "Why don't you get some sleep? It's late and I'm sure you could use the rest."

"I'm not very tired."

She laughed, "You can't lie to me, not even over the phone. Get some rest."

There was more silence. Finally he spoke, "Okay." He hung up his phone and was about to throw himself on the bed when there was a light tap on his door. He looked at it cautiously before turning the knob. He wasn't expecting the person on the other side, "Sonny?"

"Can I come in?" Sonny asked.

"How did you get up here?"

"I have my ways," Sonny responded.

Damian held the door open, "I'm sure you do. Come on in."

Sonny walked over to the window and looked outside, "Jason told me that you were at the Cellar earlier."

"I was."

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that woman is?"

"The blond?" He wondered, "She looked pretty harmless to me."

Sonny laughed, "There's a reason that she wears nothing but black. She's the widow, a killer who does the worst things she can to people without feeling anything at all."

"Kind of like you," Damian commented smugly.

"I'm sorry about that," Sonny replied, "I am truly sorry that I didn't tell you the truth about who I was."

"Who you are."

Sonny shook his head, "No, who I was." Sonny turned around, "I wasn't honest with you when you asked me about my life before, but I am being honest with you now. I don't do that anymore."

"Why should I trust you this time, Sonny?" Damian asked, "You've lied to me once, I won't let it happen again."

"I shot Carly, Damian," Sonny sat on the edge of the bed, "I almost killed my wife because I was too stupid and blind to realize that she was really in love with me and no one else. I almost lost her and Morgan because of the life I once lead. I wouldn't do it anymore. I couldn't sacrifice them after that."

"I'm glad you came to that conclusion, Sonny. But that doesn't change what you did to me." Damian leaned against the wall, "I wanted the truth from you, and you didn't give it to me."

"What was I supposed to say?" Sonny asked, "That I was a crime lord who was involved in large number of illegal activities? How would you have taken that piece of information?"

"I would have accepted it, Sonny!" Damian almost yelled, but he still didn't want to wake up the other people living around him. Although, it was early Saturday morning, they were probably still up. "I wouldn't have liked it, just like I don't like it right now, but you would have been honest with me and that would have meant more than anything. I can take a lot of things from different people. A couple of those people I might be able to take being lied to about something. But I can't take it from you. I cannot accept being lied to by my own father."

"I can't turn back time!" Sonny was also losing his temper, but that would only push the boy even further away. He didn't want that. "I can only apologize for the things that I have done to you in the past and hope that you can give me a chance to mend them in the future."

Damian shook his head, "I don't think I can just wave my hands and forget all the lies."

"Michael's having a hard time adjusting to this," Sonny said, "He thinks that you abandoned him."

"I didn't," Damian retorted, "I'll be there for Michael and Morgan if they need me."

"He needs you now."

"I'm only a phone call away, Sonny."

"You don't understand," Sonny began, "He needs you to be living with us again."

"Is it him that needs it, or you?"

Sonny looked up, "Both."

"I can't do it, not again." Damian opened the door again, "Please let Michael know that I'll still be there for him when he needs it."

"What about me? If I need you?"

"I can't answer that question."

"Why not?"

Damian turned away, "Because I don't know the answer myself. Please, Sonny, just leave me alone right now."

"I'm not giving up on this." Sonny informed his son, "I'm not giving up on you."

"Then it might be you who ends up having your hopes crushed next time," Damian shut the door softly and crashed on his bed, eyes looking up at the ceiling. Sonny walked down the stairs and out of Kelly's. With one last look at Damian's window he walked away, not sure how he was going to fix the damage that had been done.