Notes: To hell with you, fanfiction.net! You prevent from posting not one,
not two, BUT THREE DAYS! As promised, I will give you the days that you
missed in one day.
Story-
Sonny took a few steps and took it upon himself to defend his son against his devilish half-brother. "That's circumstantial evidence and you know it, Ric."
Ric glared at Sonny, "I've got dead bodies riddling the Port Charles docks, Sonny! People are going to be looking for answers and regardless of if you like it or not my job is to give them the answers that they want! It's the only lead I've got at the moment and I'm going to run with it." Ric stopped for a second and let the silence between him and his brother build. "That is... unless you have something you want to tell me."
Sonny didn't look at Damian. He knew that Ric would pick up on any erratic movements that Sonny made, regardless of how small and unimportant they seemed. Regardless of how much Sonny loathed Ric as a person, he knew that Ric was damned good at his job. Not good enough to ever convict Sonny of anything, but he had gotten closer than most people had ever gotten. "I've got plenty of things I want to tell you, Ric. But I've got my little boy standing 5 feet away and I don't want him to hear the specific things I would mention."
"How quaint that you're being protective of your son, Sonny. At least one of them." Ric held the door open, "Damian, you're coming down to the station with me and Officer Spencer for questioning."
"My son is staying here!" Sonny roared.
"Sonny, you can try and fight me all you want, but if this actually does go to court I'll be the one that gets the verdict because I have the evidence that has enough probable cause to at least merit questioning."
"Daddy," Michael grabbed his father's hand. "Don't make Damian go away with the bad man! Don't let them take him to jail!"
Ric and Lucky both looked at Michael for a moment before turning their eyes away. They had a job to do, and that was more important than saving the child's feelings. That didn't make it any easier... for either of them.
Damian knelt down next to Michael, "Everything's going to be okay, Michael."
Michael disagreed rather forcefully, "The last time someone went with that man he took my mommy and I didn't see her for a long time! He'll do the same to you!"
"No, he won't," Damian felt that he was telling the truth. He didn't think that Ric would take him anywhere. Of course, he could have been wrong. He didn't quite understand how much his Uncle's hatred for his father had been seeded inside of Ric. Nonetheless, there were more than a few witnesses in tow that could easily have Ric in plenty of legal trouble should Damian... disappear. "I'll be back home before you know it. I promise."
"Don't leave!"
Damian tried to put on a smile, despite how much his brother's painful outburst was also hurting him. "Carly, take him upstairs, please."
For once Carly actually listened to a request made by her step-son. She wanted to keep her son safe from everything that was going on around him just as much as Damian did. "Come on, sweetie."
"I don't want to go!"
"Michael, he promised you that everything would be okay, didn't he? Has he ever not gone through with a promise?" Michael fought her less and she carried him up the stairs.
"You happy now, Ric?" Sonny asked. "You've further traumatized my young son with your sick vendetta against me! And you!" He pointed a finger at Lucky, "How can you stand by and allow this to happen? Michael's your cousin!"
"We're just doing our job, Sonny," Lucky said. "Sometimes it means that you have to do things that you don't really agree with. I'm sure you're well aware of situations like that. Aren't you?"
"You aren't taking my son down to that station against his will," Sonny stated firmly.
"I'll go, dad," Damian said softly.
"What?" Sonny was stunned.
"I don't have anything to hide, do I?" Damian asked. "I had nothing to do with what happened at the pier and I know it. I could be convicted of a crime that I didn't commit, but I'd know that I was innocent and that would be enough to keep me going. If I need to comply with the police force in order to retain my name, I will."
"You don't have to do this, I could have my attorney's on the PCPD without a second thought."
"I have to do this," Damian headed out the door. "It's the right thing to do."
Ric grabbed the door and looked back, "How did you manage to get a child that actually worked with the law, big brother?" Not giving Sonny enough time to actually respond, Ric closed the door. "Thank you for your cooperation."
"I'm less than thrilled about the fact that you made such an ordeal in front of my little brother, your nephew," Damian noted. "But regardless of my feelings for your motives I do realize that you're doing what you have to do." He looked over at Lucky, "Carly's family?"
"My cousin."
"My condolences," Damian replied. "This is the part where you cuff me, isn't it?"
"That won't be necessary," Ric told Lucky. "We only cuff the people who aren't being cooperative. You do realize that I've got no grounds to actually hold you yet. I only want to ask you some questions, but I need you to be down at the station so you can sign documents that you did give a statement. If you demand an attorney then we will detain you until one can be given."
"I'm 21 years old, Uncle Ric. Having an attorney is one of the farthest things from my mind."
"With you having the father that you have, Damian, it might be one of the things you take into consideration in the future." Ric hit the elevator button. None of the guards attempted to stop him. "Come on," Lucky and Damian followed him into the elevator and then the doors closed.
Inside-
Sonny was furious. How could his son have been so stupid as to leave something that could easily pin him down at the scene of a crime? How could he have just let his wallet drop to the ground like that without checking? Did he know nothing? Sonny picked up a glass and threw it against the wall, "Dammit!" As the many glasses that came before it had done, it shattered on impact. The act made Sonny feel better, but only for a few seconds. Right after, when the anger returned, it wasn't directed at Damian, it was directed at himself. He had been the one that pulled Damian into the life that he lead, regardless of how much Damian detested it and how much Sonny wanted to keep him away from it. Damian had never been in a situation like that. How was he to know that he should have checked for his wallet to make sure that it didn't fall out of the pocket of his jacket? Damian was innocent, he would have never thought about anything like that. The only thing on his mind was making sure that Jason was all right. Finally, after a considerable amount of further pacing, Sonny stopped. "I shouldn't have let him go."
"You couldn't have stopped him," Jason said. Fortunately, neither Lucky or Ric had seen the fact that he was wounded. Or, if they had, they didn't say anything. Sonny and Carly did keep him as cloaked as possible. "Damian works differently than we do, Sonny. He wants to do what he thinks is the right thing and in this case it meant working with the law enforcement. Sometimes he lets his morals blind his better judgment."
"I could have my lawyers over there to get him out. I don't care what Ric says, I'll find a way to make sure that Damian doesn't have any of this pinned on him!"
"You know that he'd only think you were doing it for a selfish reason, Sonny," Jason mentioned. "He wanted to go, and if you try and get him out of there by using force it's only going to put more stress on your relationship with your son."
"Jase is right, Sonny," Carly came down the stairs.
"How's Michael doing?" Sonny asked.
"I managed to calm him down a little bit," Carly said. "He's really afraid for Damian right now."
"He's not the only one," Sonny muttered. "Damian's going to talk to Ric because he thinks that Ric won't use everything and anything that Damian says against him since Ric's family."
"Maybe we should go down there," Carly said.
"We?" Sonny cocked an eyebrow.
"You and I both know how bad your temper is when you even get near Ric, Sonny. Mine's not much better, but I can at least control your temper enough to actually help Damian out a little."
"There's no ulterior motive here, Carly?" Sonny asked.
"I hate Ric as much as anyone else and I never want to see him take apart anyone, even the people that I don't much care for."
Sonny nodded, "Someone should stay with Jason, though."
"I'll be fine," Jason said. "If anything happens Courtney can help me."
"Will you stay here just in case Michael comes down?" Carly asked as she went to get her coat. "I know he's got so many right now and I need to be with Sonny."
Jason nodded, "I'll do what I can."
Sonny and Carly left the home in a hurry.
Port Charles Police Headquarters-
Damian sat in the interrogation room. Ric was watching him, but wasn't in the room yet. He was actually hesitant. He didn't want to do this to his nephew. A part of him knew that Damian was innocent. He was too nice, too much unlike anyone else in this town save Courtney and Elizabeth to commit something like the massacre that had happened at the docks. That didn't mean he was entirely off the hook, though. He had to have been involved somehow... but how?
"I know we have this rule where if you're more than twenty minutes late to a date it means that something came up in the office... but I just wanted to spend some time with you."
Ric turned around and saw Elizabeth. "You... you shouldn't be here right now."
"Why?" She wondered. "I heard about the docks, are things really bad here?"
"You could say that," Ric muttered.
Elizabeth looked in the room and was shocked, "Ric? Why is Damian here?"
189
Story-
Sonny took a few steps and took it upon himself to defend his son against his devilish half-brother. "That's circumstantial evidence and you know it, Ric."
Ric glared at Sonny, "I've got dead bodies riddling the Port Charles docks, Sonny! People are going to be looking for answers and regardless of if you like it or not my job is to give them the answers that they want! It's the only lead I've got at the moment and I'm going to run with it." Ric stopped for a second and let the silence between him and his brother build. "That is... unless you have something you want to tell me."
Sonny didn't look at Damian. He knew that Ric would pick up on any erratic movements that Sonny made, regardless of how small and unimportant they seemed. Regardless of how much Sonny loathed Ric as a person, he knew that Ric was damned good at his job. Not good enough to ever convict Sonny of anything, but he had gotten closer than most people had ever gotten. "I've got plenty of things I want to tell you, Ric. But I've got my little boy standing 5 feet away and I don't want him to hear the specific things I would mention."
"How quaint that you're being protective of your son, Sonny. At least one of them." Ric held the door open, "Damian, you're coming down to the station with me and Officer Spencer for questioning."
"My son is staying here!" Sonny roared.
"Sonny, you can try and fight me all you want, but if this actually does go to court I'll be the one that gets the verdict because I have the evidence that has enough probable cause to at least merit questioning."
"Daddy," Michael grabbed his father's hand. "Don't make Damian go away with the bad man! Don't let them take him to jail!"
Ric and Lucky both looked at Michael for a moment before turning their eyes away. They had a job to do, and that was more important than saving the child's feelings. That didn't make it any easier... for either of them.
Damian knelt down next to Michael, "Everything's going to be okay, Michael."
Michael disagreed rather forcefully, "The last time someone went with that man he took my mommy and I didn't see her for a long time! He'll do the same to you!"
"No, he won't," Damian felt that he was telling the truth. He didn't think that Ric would take him anywhere. Of course, he could have been wrong. He didn't quite understand how much his Uncle's hatred for his father had been seeded inside of Ric. Nonetheless, there were more than a few witnesses in tow that could easily have Ric in plenty of legal trouble should Damian... disappear. "I'll be back home before you know it. I promise."
"Don't leave!"
Damian tried to put on a smile, despite how much his brother's painful outburst was also hurting him. "Carly, take him upstairs, please."
For once Carly actually listened to a request made by her step-son. She wanted to keep her son safe from everything that was going on around him just as much as Damian did. "Come on, sweetie."
"I don't want to go!"
"Michael, he promised you that everything would be okay, didn't he? Has he ever not gone through with a promise?" Michael fought her less and she carried him up the stairs.
"You happy now, Ric?" Sonny asked. "You've further traumatized my young son with your sick vendetta against me! And you!" He pointed a finger at Lucky, "How can you stand by and allow this to happen? Michael's your cousin!"
"We're just doing our job, Sonny," Lucky said. "Sometimes it means that you have to do things that you don't really agree with. I'm sure you're well aware of situations like that. Aren't you?"
"You aren't taking my son down to that station against his will," Sonny stated firmly.
"I'll go, dad," Damian said softly.
"What?" Sonny was stunned.
"I don't have anything to hide, do I?" Damian asked. "I had nothing to do with what happened at the pier and I know it. I could be convicted of a crime that I didn't commit, but I'd know that I was innocent and that would be enough to keep me going. If I need to comply with the police force in order to retain my name, I will."
"You don't have to do this, I could have my attorney's on the PCPD without a second thought."
"I have to do this," Damian headed out the door. "It's the right thing to do."
Ric grabbed the door and looked back, "How did you manage to get a child that actually worked with the law, big brother?" Not giving Sonny enough time to actually respond, Ric closed the door. "Thank you for your cooperation."
"I'm less than thrilled about the fact that you made such an ordeal in front of my little brother, your nephew," Damian noted. "But regardless of my feelings for your motives I do realize that you're doing what you have to do." He looked over at Lucky, "Carly's family?"
"My cousin."
"My condolences," Damian replied. "This is the part where you cuff me, isn't it?"
"That won't be necessary," Ric told Lucky. "We only cuff the people who aren't being cooperative. You do realize that I've got no grounds to actually hold you yet. I only want to ask you some questions, but I need you to be down at the station so you can sign documents that you did give a statement. If you demand an attorney then we will detain you until one can be given."
"I'm 21 years old, Uncle Ric. Having an attorney is one of the farthest things from my mind."
"With you having the father that you have, Damian, it might be one of the things you take into consideration in the future." Ric hit the elevator button. None of the guards attempted to stop him. "Come on," Lucky and Damian followed him into the elevator and then the doors closed.
Inside-
Sonny was furious. How could his son have been so stupid as to leave something that could easily pin him down at the scene of a crime? How could he have just let his wallet drop to the ground like that without checking? Did he know nothing? Sonny picked up a glass and threw it against the wall, "Dammit!" As the many glasses that came before it had done, it shattered on impact. The act made Sonny feel better, but only for a few seconds. Right after, when the anger returned, it wasn't directed at Damian, it was directed at himself. He had been the one that pulled Damian into the life that he lead, regardless of how much Damian detested it and how much Sonny wanted to keep him away from it. Damian had never been in a situation like that. How was he to know that he should have checked for his wallet to make sure that it didn't fall out of the pocket of his jacket? Damian was innocent, he would have never thought about anything like that. The only thing on his mind was making sure that Jason was all right. Finally, after a considerable amount of further pacing, Sonny stopped. "I shouldn't have let him go."
"You couldn't have stopped him," Jason said. Fortunately, neither Lucky or Ric had seen the fact that he was wounded. Or, if they had, they didn't say anything. Sonny and Carly did keep him as cloaked as possible. "Damian works differently than we do, Sonny. He wants to do what he thinks is the right thing and in this case it meant working with the law enforcement. Sometimes he lets his morals blind his better judgment."
"I could have my lawyers over there to get him out. I don't care what Ric says, I'll find a way to make sure that Damian doesn't have any of this pinned on him!"
"You know that he'd only think you were doing it for a selfish reason, Sonny," Jason mentioned. "He wanted to go, and if you try and get him out of there by using force it's only going to put more stress on your relationship with your son."
"Jase is right, Sonny," Carly came down the stairs.
"How's Michael doing?" Sonny asked.
"I managed to calm him down a little bit," Carly said. "He's really afraid for Damian right now."
"He's not the only one," Sonny muttered. "Damian's going to talk to Ric because he thinks that Ric won't use everything and anything that Damian says against him since Ric's family."
"Maybe we should go down there," Carly said.
"We?" Sonny cocked an eyebrow.
"You and I both know how bad your temper is when you even get near Ric, Sonny. Mine's not much better, but I can at least control your temper enough to actually help Damian out a little."
"There's no ulterior motive here, Carly?" Sonny asked.
"I hate Ric as much as anyone else and I never want to see him take apart anyone, even the people that I don't much care for."
Sonny nodded, "Someone should stay with Jason, though."
"I'll be fine," Jason said. "If anything happens Courtney can help me."
"Will you stay here just in case Michael comes down?" Carly asked as she went to get her coat. "I know he's got so many right now and I need to be with Sonny."
Jason nodded, "I'll do what I can."
Sonny and Carly left the home in a hurry.
Port Charles Police Headquarters-
Damian sat in the interrogation room. Ric was watching him, but wasn't in the room yet. He was actually hesitant. He didn't want to do this to his nephew. A part of him knew that Damian was innocent. He was too nice, too much unlike anyone else in this town save Courtney and Elizabeth to commit something like the massacre that had happened at the docks. That didn't mean he was entirely off the hook, though. He had to have been involved somehow... but how?
"I know we have this rule where if you're more than twenty minutes late to a date it means that something came up in the office... but I just wanted to spend some time with you."
Ric turned around and saw Elizabeth. "You... you shouldn't be here right now."
"Why?" She wondered. "I heard about the docks, are things really bad here?"
"You could say that," Ric muttered.
Elizabeth looked in the room and was shocked, "Ric? Why is Damian here?"
189