Joy- Worry not about not reviewing every single chapter. While I love it
when people do indeed review all the chapters (how I am so very fond of
that) I do realize that sometimes that accursed thing known as reality must
take top billing over the fun ways of reading fanfiction! I am glad to hear
that you are no battling your cold, best of luck! For the record, I never
get tired of the gushing, for I am a very big fan of the gushing. Gushing
is fun, yes it is. Besides, I need to know that I'm getting the characters
right, and in order for me to get that, I need to see what input you, the
readers, have. I feel for Sonny both on the show and in the story, it's fun
to see him go through pain when he's usually so very controlled and
calculating, but that doesn't mean it isn't something that makes me go
'poor Sonny.' Granted, I'm doing that less and less on the show, since
they're making him all mean, but I digress. Funny thing, when I first
started watching GH I hated Dillon. I was basically going 'Dammit, I don't
care if this is summer, I don't want teenagers on the soap!' Of course,
through the magic of good writing and excellent acting, Dillon fast became
my prime non-eye candy reason for watching the show. Oh, how I do love that
witty Quatermaine child, and his mother, too. His brother I'm not so fond
of and I really do hope that Ned either A) Dies in that fire, or B)
Actually ends up having a purpose. I'm still really hoping for choice A, my
apologies to the Ned fans who read this story, but that is the way I feel
about it. I am sorry that you do not have as strong a love for my portrayal
of Zander as you do the rest, but I can assure you that it is all planned.
He's going to have a change of heart soon enough. You will see. Hopefully
it will please you, I liked throwing it in there, although it had been
planned for a very long time. I'm going to miss him when he leaves as well.
The reason he's become Faith's whipping boy is because that was how he was
on the show when I started writing. I've really only seen two sides of
Zander, the whipping boy and the lovesick puppy. Since Emily isn't going to
be part of this story, at least to my knowledge and plotting, that really
only left him with the former. But, as I have already said, stay tuned.
Don't be afraid to tell me what you don't like, if there is anything else.
I respect your right to like a certain character one way as much as you
respect mine to portray them another. Again, thank you for the review.
Story-
Outside PH4-
Ric looked at the penthouse that belonged to his brother. Why should he tell Sonny anything? He owned Sonny nothing other than an end to his mad tirade for power. Sonny cost him a child, why should he not do the same? What would Damian's death do to Ric? Absolutely nothing. Ric was about to turn around when he saw Elizabeth. "Why did you follow me?"
"I wasn't going to let you walk away," She told him. "I know what's going on in your head right now, Ric. If you really love me like you say you do, you'll do the right thing. Not only for me, but because the heart that I know beats inside of you knows that it is the right thing as well."
"They won't believe me."
"Which is why I'm here." She grabbed his arm, "Come on."
Minutes later-
They walked out of the elevator. Max was there, standing guard. He smiled as he saw Ric. All of Sonny's men were under direct order not to let Lansing inside unless he had probable cause. Since he never really had any, the visits that he made were rare. "You can just turn around right now."
"I've got some information and I need to tell my brother," Ric told Max.
Max shook his head, "Not buying it, Lansing. You've lied to us all too many times in the past, what makes this time any more believable than the others?"
"Someone's life is on the line, Max!" Ric yelled.
Elizabeth looked at Max, "Please, let us see Sonny."
Max was somewhat taken by Elizabeth, but he wasn't going to budge for anyone. "Sorry, not happening."
"Dammit, Max!" Ric tried to force himself past the guard, but it was very ineffective to say the least.
Elizabeth, however, knew that Max was too distracted with Ric to stop her from opening the door. She saw Sonny, Carly, and Michael in the living room. "You need to listen to Ric, Sonny."
Sonny got up, "Why should I ever pay attention to anything that man says?"
Ric pushed past Max as the guard was distracted, "Because if you don't, your son may die."
To say that Sonny wasn't buying anything that Ric, or Elizabeth for that matter, was saying would be an understatement. He stared at the man who he probably hated more than just about anyone. The man that almost cost him the life of his wife and his baby. The man that, if things could have played out better, could have been one of his best friends. They shared a mother, but they shared nothing else, nothing other than a pure and undying distrust for one another. He had trusted Ric once, and found that his brother was only masquerading as someone that he could view as a friend in order to bring him down for doing something that he really had no control over. He couldn't change the past, as much as he wanted to. "Max," Sonny turned his eyes up to the guard and spoke in as dead a voice as possible, "escort them off my property."
"Sonny, please!" Elizabeth grabbed his hand. "If you care about Damian, listen to Ric!"
"Daddy," Michael got up and clung to his father's leg. He kept his eyes away from Ric, he didn't want to look at him. "Why is the bad man that kidnapped mommy talking about Damian? Is he in trouble again?"
"He's in danger, Sonny," Ric told him. "Don't you care about your children enough to keep them safe."
Without a second to think about it, Sonny gave his answer, "From people like you, yes."
"What about people like Faith?" Ric asked.
"What does she have to do with any of this, Ric?" Sonny looked down at Michael, "Carly, take him upstairs."
"No, daddy, I want to stay with you! I want to know what's going on!"
Sonny knelt down and shook his head, "Daddy will make sure that everything is okay. I promise. But this is grown up talk, and it would only make you worry. He'll be fine, okay?"
Carly grabbed Michael's hand, "Come on, honey. Let's leave daddy alone like he wants." Carly didn't much care about anything that involved Damian, but she certainly didn't want her child to hear the specifics of the situation that was unfolding.
With the boy safely upstairs and out of ears range, Sonny looked at Ric, "You've got one minute, make it good."
"Faith took off to California," Ric said.
"So? Maybe she had some business contacts there."
Ric shook his head, "Your son went home to Los Angeles this morning, Sonny."
"You don't think I'm aware of what Damian does?" Sonny laughed, "You really don't know much despite all that stuff you learned in college."
"I'm not the one acting blind, Sonny!" Ric yelled. "Think about it, Faith just happens to take a very impromptu trip to California on the same weekend that your son is going to be as far away from you as he possibly can be. Even you don't have that much power on the other side of the country!"
"Don't tell me how much power I do and don't have, Lansing," Sonny ordered. "I can get anything done on any corner of the globe if I need it. You'd best remember that."
"I'd like to see you keep your son from being placed in a body bag," Ric told Sonny. "Because if you don't find some way to get down there soon that's probably the most likely thing that is going to happen to him."
"Why are you doing this?" Sonny wondered. "You, of all people, showing that you have a heart? Do you think that I'm too stupid to see through you? You're selfish, Ric. You don't give a damn about anyone else, least of all anyone that happens to be one of my children."
"You're so wrong about me and you don't even realize it. You see that woman over there?" He pointed to Elizabeth, "I love her more than anything. I feel that love for her more than I feel anything else, even the hatred that I have for you. Because of you we lost our child, and because of that I lost her once, I won't let it happen again. I don't know why she cares about that boy of yours, but she does. And because she cares about him so much I've told you the information that you need to know in order to keep him safe. If you let him die then it will be your failure and that will eat you up inside because you'll know that you were too stupid thinking about how much we hate each other to protect someone that you claim to care about. You can take the risk, Sonny. Or, can you? Are you willing to let the possibility of losing one of your children happen because of me? I know that if it were my son in danger and someone I hated gave me information I would have no choice but to take it, because he would be my son and I would want to protect him no matter what."
"Are you done yet?" Sonny asked, turning his eyes away.
Ric nodded, "Yeah. Let's go, Elizabeth."
"Wait," She called out as she looked at Sonny. "He's telling the truth, Sonny. I know he is. Please believe me, I don't want to know that Damian died because you didn't trust Ric enough to believe him. He's right, you shouldn't put someone else in the line of fire because of a feud that doesn't even involve him. Please do the right thing, I know you know what it is."
"Max," Sonny started, "Get them out of here, now!"
"Sure thing," Max pressed the button on the elevator and walked in after they did.
When it was closed, Sonny yelled over to the other end of the hall, "Jason!"
Jason heard him, so did Courtney. They were busy wrapping each other in their arms, but it was obvious that Sonny wanted his loyal right hand man, and he wanted him at that very moment. Jason got up and opened the door, "Sonny, what is it? Did something happen to Michael again?"
"We're going to Los Angeles."
Jason gazed at Sonny, "Why? We got a deal on the other side of the country?"
"We're going to protect Damian."
"From what?"
"From the widow."
Jason grabbed his jacket and put it on, "How do you know that Damian's in trouble?"
"Ric told me."
"Ric Lansing?" Jason rolled his eyes, "Since when do you believe anything that Ric Lansing tells you?"
"Since I don't have a choice!" Sonny barked. "Look, I don't trust him any further than I can throw him, but if he says that Faith is in Los Angeles at the same time that my son has traveled across the country I can't take the risk of knowing that something happened to him and I could have prevented it but didn't because I don't trust my brother. If you don't want to go, fine, I won't stop you, but I'm taking the jet right now and I'm leaving."
"If you feel that strongly about it, you know I'll come along," Jason turned behind him to see Courtney, she had heard the whole thing.
"I want to come, too," She said.
Sonny shook his head, "I need you to stay here. Michael heard part of the discussion and he knows that something might happen to his brother. I need someone here to comfort him."
"He has Carly!" She stated.
"Carly doesn't care if he lives or if he dies, Courtney, you know that. She's not going to be able to convince Michael that things will be okay because he knows that his mother doesn't like Damian. I need someone that cares about him to tell Michael that everything will be okay. With Jason and I going to California that only leaves you. Please, Courtney, do this for me."
Courtney turned her eyes away from her brother's penetrating stare. But even when she wasn't looking at him she knew that he was looking at her. She also knew that he was telling her the truth. Michael knew that Carly didn't have anything but disdain for Damian and she wouldn't sugar coat what was going on in the way that a small boy like Michael needed. It was very sad, but it was true. Michael needed her, and she could never deny the boy anything unless she was otherwise involved in something. What could she do for Damian? She wouldn't be part of a fight. She could fight, but Faith and her men had guns, none of her karate was very effective against deflecting bullets. "All right, I'll stay. But you have to keep me updated."
"I will," Sonny told her. "I promise."
Courtney grabbed Jason's shoulder, "Make sure he comes back alive, Jason. I know Carly doesn't like him, and I know you're not very fond of him either, but he doesn't deserve to die."
"I won't let him die, Courtney," Jason stated warmly. "But you have to realize that I can't prevent everything, and we might already be too late."
53
Story-
Outside PH4-
Ric looked at the penthouse that belonged to his brother. Why should he tell Sonny anything? He owned Sonny nothing other than an end to his mad tirade for power. Sonny cost him a child, why should he not do the same? What would Damian's death do to Ric? Absolutely nothing. Ric was about to turn around when he saw Elizabeth. "Why did you follow me?"
"I wasn't going to let you walk away," She told him. "I know what's going on in your head right now, Ric. If you really love me like you say you do, you'll do the right thing. Not only for me, but because the heart that I know beats inside of you knows that it is the right thing as well."
"They won't believe me."
"Which is why I'm here." She grabbed his arm, "Come on."
Minutes later-
They walked out of the elevator. Max was there, standing guard. He smiled as he saw Ric. All of Sonny's men were under direct order not to let Lansing inside unless he had probable cause. Since he never really had any, the visits that he made were rare. "You can just turn around right now."
"I've got some information and I need to tell my brother," Ric told Max.
Max shook his head, "Not buying it, Lansing. You've lied to us all too many times in the past, what makes this time any more believable than the others?"
"Someone's life is on the line, Max!" Ric yelled.
Elizabeth looked at Max, "Please, let us see Sonny."
Max was somewhat taken by Elizabeth, but he wasn't going to budge for anyone. "Sorry, not happening."
"Dammit, Max!" Ric tried to force himself past the guard, but it was very ineffective to say the least.
Elizabeth, however, knew that Max was too distracted with Ric to stop her from opening the door. She saw Sonny, Carly, and Michael in the living room. "You need to listen to Ric, Sonny."
Sonny got up, "Why should I ever pay attention to anything that man says?"
Ric pushed past Max as the guard was distracted, "Because if you don't, your son may die."
To say that Sonny wasn't buying anything that Ric, or Elizabeth for that matter, was saying would be an understatement. He stared at the man who he probably hated more than just about anyone. The man that almost cost him the life of his wife and his baby. The man that, if things could have played out better, could have been one of his best friends. They shared a mother, but they shared nothing else, nothing other than a pure and undying distrust for one another. He had trusted Ric once, and found that his brother was only masquerading as someone that he could view as a friend in order to bring him down for doing something that he really had no control over. He couldn't change the past, as much as he wanted to. "Max," Sonny turned his eyes up to the guard and spoke in as dead a voice as possible, "escort them off my property."
"Sonny, please!" Elizabeth grabbed his hand. "If you care about Damian, listen to Ric!"
"Daddy," Michael got up and clung to his father's leg. He kept his eyes away from Ric, he didn't want to look at him. "Why is the bad man that kidnapped mommy talking about Damian? Is he in trouble again?"
"He's in danger, Sonny," Ric told him. "Don't you care about your children enough to keep them safe."
Without a second to think about it, Sonny gave his answer, "From people like you, yes."
"What about people like Faith?" Ric asked.
"What does she have to do with any of this, Ric?" Sonny looked down at Michael, "Carly, take him upstairs."
"No, daddy, I want to stay with you! I want to know what's going on!"
Sonny knelt down and shook his head, "Daddy will make sure that everything is okay. I promise. But this is grown up talk, and it would only make you worry. He'll be fine, okay?"
Carly grabbed Michael's hand, "Come on, honey. Let's leave daddy alone like he wants." Carly didn't much care about anything that involved Damian, but she certainly didn't want her child to hear the specifics of the situation that was unfolding.
With the boy safely upstairs and out of ears range, Sonny looked at Ric, "You've got one minute, make it good."
"Faith took off to California," Ric said.
"So? Maybe she had some business contacts there."
Ric shook his head, "Your son went home to Los Angeles this morning, Sonny."
"You don't think I'm aware of what Damian does?" Sonny laughed, "You really don't know much despite all that stuff you learned in college."
"I'm not the one acting blind, Sonny!" Ric yelled. "Think about it, Faith just happens to take a very impromptu trip to California on the same weekend that your son is going to be as far away from you as he possibly can be. Even you don't have that much power on the other side of the country!"
"Don't tell me how much power I do and don't have, Lansing," Sonny ordered. "I can get anything done on any corner of the globe if I need it. You'd best remember that."
"I'd like to see you keep your son from being placed in a body bag," Ric told Sonny. "Because if you don't find some way to get down there soon that's probably the most likely thing that is going to happen to him."
"Why are you doing this?" Sonny wondered. "You, of all people, showing that you have a heart? Do you think that I'm too stupid to see through you? You're selfish, Ric. You don't give a damn about anyone else, least of all anyone that happens to be one of my children."
"You're so wrong about me and you don't even realize it. You see that woman over there?" He pointed to Elizabeth, "I love her more than anything. I feel that love for her more than I feel anything else, even the hatred that I have for you. Because of you we lost our child, and because of that I lost her once, I won't let it happen again. I don't know why she cares about that boy of yours, but she does. And because she cares about him so much I've told you the information that you need to know in order to keep him safe. If you let him die then it will be your failure and that will eat you up inside because you'll know that you were too stupid thinking about how much we hate each other to protect someone that you claim to care about. You can take the risk, Sonny. Or, can you? Are you willing to let the possibility of losing one of your children happen because of me? I know that if it were my son in danger and someone I hated gave me information I would have no choice but to take it, because he would be my son and I would want to protect him no matter what."
"Are you done yet?" Sonny asked, turning his eyes away.
Ric nodded, "Yeah. Let's go, Elizabeth."
"Wait," She called out as she looked at Sonny. "He's telling the truth, Sonny. I know he is. Please believe me, I don't want to know that Damian died because you didn't trust Ric enough to believe him. He's right, you shouldn't put someone else in the line of fire because of a feud that doesn't even involve him. Please do the right thing, I know you know what it is."
"Max," Sonny started, "Get them out of here, now!"
"Sure thing," Max pressed the button on the elevator and walked in after they did.
When it was closed, Sonny yelled over to the other end of the hall, "Jason!"
Jason heard him, so did Courtney. They were busy wrapping each other in their arms, but it was obvious that Sonny wanted his loyal right hand man, and he wanted him at that very moment. Jason got up and opened the door, "Sonny, what is it? Did something happen to Michael again?"
"We're going to Los Angeles."
Jason gazed at Sonny, "Why? We got a deal on the other side of the country?"
"We're going to protect Damian."
"From what?"
"From the widow."
Jason grabbed his jacket and put it on, "How do you know that Damian's in trouble?"
"Ric told me."
"Ric Lansing?" Jason rolled his eyes, "Since when do you believe anything that Ric Lansing tells you?"
"Since I don't have a choice!" Sonny barked. "Look, I don't trust him any further than I can throw him, but if he says that Faith is in Los Angeles at the same time that my son has traveled across the country I can't take the risk of knowing that something happened to him and I could have prevented it but didn't because I don't trust my brother. If you don't want to go, fine, I won't stop you, but I'm taking the jet right now and I'm leaving."
"If you feel that strongly about it, you know I'll come along," Jason turned behind him to see Courtney, she had heard the whole thing.
"I want to come, too," She said.
Sonny shook his head, "I need you to stay here. Michael heard part of the discussion and he knows that something might happen to his brother. I need someone here to comfort him."
"He has Carly!" She stated.
"Carly doesn't care if he lives or if he dies, Courtney, you know that. She's not going to be able to convince Michael that things will be okay because he knows that his mother doesn't like Damian. I need someone that cares about him to tell Michael that everything will be okay. With Jason and I going to California that only leaves you. Please, Courtney, do this for me."
Courtney turned her eyes away from her brother's penetrating stare. But even when she wasn't looking at him she knew that he was looking at her. She also knew that he was telling her the truth. Michael knew that Carly didn't have anything but disdain for Damian and she wouldn't sugar coat what was going on in the way that a small boy like Michael needed. It was very sad, but it was true. Michael needed her, and she could never deny the boy anything unless she was otherwise involved in something. What could she do for Damian? She wouldn't be part of a fight. She could fight, but Faith and her men had guns, none of her karate was very effective against deflecting bullets. "All right, I'll stay. But you have to keep me updated."
"I will," Sonny told her. "I promise."
Courtney grabbed Jason's shoulder, "Make sure he comes back alive, Jason. I know Carly doesn't like him, and I know you're not very fond of him either, but he doesn't deserve to die."
"I won't let him die, Courtney," Jason stated warmly. "But you have to realize that I can't prevent everything, and we might already be too late."
53