Note: I still hate fanfiction.net, bastards!
Story-
Ric constantly switched his eyes from focusing on his nephew to focusing on the woman that he loved, who had some unusual attachment to his nephew. For once, Ric was actually alleviated of any guilt that could be placed on him for whatever happened. He had nothing to do with Damian's trip to the station outside of the fact that he and Lucky were the two people that went and got him. He didn't fabricate any evidence, he didn't stalk... he didn't do anything. Would Elizabeth believe that? "Elizabeth... I need you to be perfectly honest with me right now. Can you do that?"
Elizabeth looked at Ric, but her mind was still focused almost solely on Damian. "I can."
"Do you think that I had something to do with Damian's detainment?"
"Did you?"
"Do you think I did?" Ric asked again. "I need an answer. Elizabeth, please."
Elizabeth was silent. She didn't have an answer for Ric. A big part of her wanted to believe that he had nothing to do with the situation, but Ric had a history of striking at Sonny through the people that he cared about. He'd done it with Courtney and Carly, what would stop him from doing it through Damian as well? But she saw something in Ric's eyes. Grief. She had rarely seen such a feeling in the eyes of Ric Lansing before. She had only seen it when he admitted the mistakes of his past, mostly involving her. It showed his humanity, which was something that she often brought into question. Was the grief over how much he feared her thinking that he was guilty, or was that grief because he didn't want to see his nephew in this place? Maybe it was a little of both. Elizabeth really didn't know. "I want to believe that you didn't... Ric, but I really don't know for sure."
Ric lowered his eyes. "Thank you... I know how hard it must be to admit that you don't trust me as I much as I trust you."
"It isn't like that," Elizabeth murmured.
"Isn't it?" Ric wondered. "I've never given you anything but reasons not to trust me, Elizabeth. I've tested your patience so many times and you've sworn that you would never have anything to do with me, despite my intentions to prove that we could be happy together. I don't know why, but I am blessed with the fact that you often return to me, give me another chance. I know I've blown those, too. But I am telling you, and I swear this on the love that I feel for you in my heart, which you know is the driving force in my life, that I had nothing to do with Damian being in that room other than the fact that I was the one that brought him in."
"Why did you bring him in?" Elizabeth didn't admit that she believed Ric's speech, partly because she wasn't sure if she did or not. He had given her similar speeches before and always ended up lying through his teeth despite looking like he was being the most genuine person on the planet.
"His wallet, with his identification, was found on the pier where there was apparently a shoot out. Elizabeth, a lot of people died and he's the only lead we've got."
"Damian wouldn't kill anyone, Ric!" Elizabeth defended her friend. "You know how innocent he is. He hates violence. He probably doesn't even know how to hold a gun."
"You don't need to know how to hold a gun in order to kill someone with it, Elizabeth," Ric countered with a tinge of sadness in his voice.
"You think he did it, don't you?"
Ric shook his head, "I believe what you believe, Elizabeth. Any child of my brother's that can see through the mistake's I've made in my life and still see me as a member of his family... there's no way that Damian could have done something this sinister."
"So why aren't you letting him go?"
"Because the system doesn't work like that," Ric stated. "As much as I hate to do it, he's the only link we've got. Just because he didn't do any of it doesn't mean that he's in the dark about what happened."
"You think he's not telling you anything?"
"Elizabeth, Damian is driven by an undying urge to protect the people that he cares about, his family. Would you condemn your father and your uncle to the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty?"
"He doesn't believe in lying, Ric," Elizabeth looked at Damian in the room, her eyes held back the tears that she felt. Seeing him in there, knowing that he was innocent of what they were probably going to charge him with, it was hard.
"He's got a choice that he has to make, Elizabeth. He can either betray his morals or he can betray his family. If you were Damian, which would you choose?"
Before Elizabeth could answer, a very familiar voice filled the hallway. "You'd better have a damned good reason for taking me away from my private time, Lansing!"
Ric looked over at Scott Baldwin. Despite being his boss, despite being the District Attorney of Port Charles and despite being a man that Ric should have looked up to as a mentor he just couldn't hide the fact that he did not like Scott Baldwin at all. Sonny was a dirty criminal, but people didn't expect him to be anything else but dirty. Scott Baldwin, on the other hand was dirty when he was supposed to be working on the side of the angels. Scott was more corrupted than anyone that Ric knew, and that list included himself. It said a lot about Scott's character, or severe lack there of. "Obviously your 'personal time,' as you put it, takes precedence over the people that you're sworn to protect."
"Don't question my ethics, Lansing. I might take that from a very select group of people, but never you. Tell me why the hell I'm here or I will see to it that you are stripped from your position faster than you can fake having a change of heart."
Ric wanted to come back with something equally scathing He wanted to expose Scott for the crooked lawman that he was. He wanted to do so many things. A part of him, possibly the part of him that was his link to Sonny, wanted to find a way to insure that Scott Baldwin ended up dead. But none of those desires made it past his mind as soon as he felt Elizabeth's soft hand touching his own hand. She soothed him, as she had done in the past and would hopefully do in the future. "There was a gun fight on the docks, Scott. Over half a dozen people are dead."
"Why aren't Corinthos and Morgan here?" Scott asked, almost screaming. "We all know that when the body count even makes a blip on the radar they've got something to do with it."
"Regardless of it that is true or not we've got no evidence linking either of them to the scene of the crime."
"They're good at covering up their tracks," Scott admitted. "Always have been, probably always will be."
"They might be good at it, but not everyone can be as skilled as they are."
Scott's face gleamed, "You busted someone already?"
"I'm surprised you didn't notice him in the interrogation room already. You're usually so pleased when we've got someone in there."
Scott, almost acting like a kid in a candy store, pranced over to the window and looked in. When he saw the face, a face that he recognized, he was quite giddy. "Corinthos's bastard boy!"
"His name is Damian," Elizabeth pointed out.
"I know what his name is," Scott countered. "I just happen to like my nickname for him a whole lot more."
"A lot of us like the nicknames that we have for you a lot more, but we still call you Scott." Elizabeth smirked. She wasn't going to let Scott drag Damian down for something that he didn't do. Not if she could help it.
"I'm in a position of power, he's not."
"Some people would think that being the son of Sonny Corinthos was enough to merit being considered a position of power," Elizabeth held onto Ric, more for herself. She wanted to hurt Scott as well.
"You know something, Elizabeth, I've known you for a pretty long time and I saw the way that you dumped Morgan like he was scum when you found out what he did. You're one of the few people in this burg of mine that I actually don't have to watch my back when I'm around, and I like that about you." Scott walked up to Elizabeth, "But I can't figure out any reason why you would even think about defending someone like that kid in there. He represents everything that you hate."
"I don't hate being a good person who loves their family and would do anything to protect them," Elizabeth pointed out. "Those are just a few of the things that Damian represents to me. He's a good person, and he didn't have anything to do with what happened at the docks."
"The evidence that we've got appears to point otherwise, lady," Scott snickered. "Your morally upright dear friend obviously decided to enter the family trade."
"You think that just because he has Sonny's blood in his veins that he's going to do the same things that Sonny does?"
"I've reasons to believe that, yes."
"Well let's just hope that your daughter doesn't end up being as morally corrupt as her dear daddy," Elizabeth snapped.
Scott's brow furrowed. He wasn't about to allow himself to be called a bad father. Elizabeth was quickly getting on his last nerve. He was going to throw her out when Lucky came in, "The press wants you."
"Tell them I'm busy," Scott ordered.
"You're the District Attorney and there has been yet another instance of organized crime on the streets that you've sworn you were going to keep safe! I think it would be incredibly stupid of you to ignore the press right now, Baldwin. They'll post a story about you if you don't, and it will severely hurt any chance you've got of getting re-elected." Lucky was now up in Scott's face, "You know you want to be in the limelight as much as you can, Scott. Now's your chance."
"When I try and think how someone as pure and beautiful as Laura could have had a hand in creating something like you, Lucky... I can't help but be disgusted," Scott turned and walked out of the police station. The moment he took a step out the light bulbs started to flash.
Elizabeth pulled away from Ric to stand by Lucky. Their once devoted love had since cooled to friendship, but it was still a strong friendship and they did care for one another. She knew how much Laura's descent into insanity still hurt Lucky. The wound was deep, and it would never heal fully. "You okay?"
"I'll be fine," Lucky smiled, although Elizabeth knew it was fake and was supposed to comfort her. It didn't.
She let it go, though. Lucky would talk to her if he wanted to talk. "You didn't have to tell him anything, you know."
"I know how Baldwin works, Liz," Lucky said. "My dad's done more than enough rounds with him and I've taken notes. He was about to do something very unpleasant and it would have been directed at you. I couldn't let that happen."
"Well, thank you," Elizabeth smiled before she looked at Ric again. "How long has he been in there?"
"Not very long."
"Shouldn't someone be talking to him about what went on, what he knows? I've been in this place waiting for people to get out enough times to know that's how it tends to go."
"I suppose I should go in there," Ric said as he took a few steps forward.
"I could go in there with you, if you want," Elizabeth offered.
Ric shook his head, "No, that's not how we do things here. I do appreciate the offer, though. Lucky, think you can keep her company while she waits? If she wants to stay, that is."
"I won't be going anywhere," Elizabeth stated.
"I had a feeling that you wouldn't," Ric opened the door and walked in. Damian looked up at him, "Why don't we talk?"
Story-
Ric constantly switched his eyes from focusing on his nephew to focusing on the woman that he loved, who had some unusual attachment to his nephew. For once, Ric was actually alleviated of any guilt that could be placed on him for whatever happened. He had nothing to do with Damian's trip to the station outside of the fact that he and Lucky were the two people that went and got him. He didn't fabricate any evidence, he didn't stalk... he didn't do anything. Would Elizabeth believe that? "Elizabeth... I need you to be perfectly honest with me right now. Can you do that?"
Elizabeth looked at Ric, but her mind was still focused almost solely on Damian. "I can."
"Do you think that I had something to do with Damian's detainment?"
"Did you?"
"Do you think I did?" Ric asked again. "I need an answer. Elizabeth, please."
Elizabeth was silent. She didn't have an answer for Ric. A big part of her wanted to believe that he had nothing to do with the situation, but Ric had a history of striking at Sonny through the people that he cared about. He'd done it with Courtney and Carly, what would stop him from doing it through Damian as well? But she saw something in Ric's eyes. Grief. She had rarely seen such a feeling in the eyes of Ric Lansing before. She had only seen it when he admitted the mistakes of his past, mostly involving her. It showed his humanity, which was something that she often brought into question. Was the grief over how much he feared her thinking that he was guilty, or was that grief because he didn't want to see his nephew in this place? Maybe it was a little of both. Elizabeth really didn't know. "I want to believe that you didn't... Ric, but I really don't know for sure."
Ric lowered his eyes. "Thank you... I know how hard it must be to admit that you don't trust me as I much as I trust you."
"It isn't like that," Elizabeth murmured.
"Isn't it?" Ric wondered. "I've never given you anything but reasons not to trust me, Elizabeth. I've tested your patience so many times and you've sworn that you would never have anything to do with me, despite my intentions to prove that we could be happy together. I don't know why, but I am blessed with the fact that you often return to me, give me another chance. I know I've blown those, too. But I am telling you, and I swear this on the love that I feel for you in my heart, which you know is the driving force in my life, that I had nothing to do with Damian being in that room other than the fact that I was the one that brought him in."
"Why did you bring him in?" Elizabeth didn't admit that she believed Ric's speech, partly because she wasn't sure if she did or not. He had given her similar speeches before and always ended up lying through his teeth despite looking like he was being the most genuine person on the planet.
"His wallet, with his identification, was found on the pier where there was apparently a shoot out. Elizabeth, a lot of people died and he's the only lead we've got."
"Damian wouldn't kill anyone, Ric!" Elizabeth defended her friend. "You know how innocent he is. He hates violence. He probably doesn't even know how to hold a gun."
"You don't need to know how to hold a gun in order to kill someone with it, Elizabeth," Ric countered with a tinge of sadness in his voice.
"You think he did it, don't you?"
Ric shook his head, "I believe what you believe, Elizabeth. Any child of my brother's that can see through the mistake's I've made in my life and still see me as a member of his family... there's no way that Damian could have done something this sinister."
"So why aren't you letting him go?"
"Because the system doesn't work like that," Ric stated. "As much as I hate to do it, he's the only link we've got. Just because he didn't do any of it doesn't mean that he's in the dark about what happened."
"You think he's not telling you anything?"
"Elizabeth, Damian is driven by an undying urge to protect the people that he cares about, his family. Would you condemn your father and your uncle to the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty?"
"He doesn't believe in lying, Ric," Elizabeth looked at Damian in the room, her eyes held back the tears that she felt. Seeing him in there, knowing that he was innocent of what they were probably going to charge him with, it was hard.
"He's got a choice that he has to make, Elizabeth. He can either betray his morals or he can betray his family. If you were Damian, which would you choose?"
Before Elizabeth could answer, a very familiar voice filled the hallway. "You'd better have a damned good reason for taking me away from my private time, Lansing!"
Ric looked over at Scott Baldwin. Despite being his boss, despite being the District Attorney of Port Charles and despite being a man that Ric should have looked up to as a mentor he just couldn't hide the fact that he did not like Scott Baldwin at all. Sonny was a dirty criminal, but people didn't expect him to be anything else but dirty. Scott Baldwin, on the other hand was dirty when he was supposed to be working on the side of the angels. Scott was more corrupted than anyone that Ric knew, and that list included himself. It said a lot about Scott's character, or severe lack there of. "Obviously your 'personal time,' as you put it, takes precedence over the people that you're sworn to protect."
"Don't question my ethics, Lansing. I might take that from a very select group of people, but never you. Tell me why the hell I'm here or I will see to it that you are stripped from your position faster than you can fake having a change of heart."
Ric wanted to come back with something equally scathing He wanted to expose Scott for the crooked lawman that he was. He wanted to do so many things. A part of him, possibly the part of him that was his link to Sonny, wanted to find a way to insure that Scott Baldwin ended up dead. But none of those desires made it past his mind as soon as he felt Elizabeth's soft hand touching his own hand. She soothed him, as she had done in the past and would hopefully do in the future. "There was a gun fight on the docks, Scott. Over half a dozen people are dead."
"Why aren't Corinthos and Morgan here?" Scott asked, almost screaming. "We all know that when the body count even makes a blip on the radar they've got something to do with it."
"Regardless of it that is true or not we've got no evidence linking either of them to the scene of the crime."
"They're good at covering up their tracks," Scott admitted. "Always have been, probably always will be."
"They might be good at it, but not everyone can be as skilled as they are."
Scott's face gleamed, "You busted someone already?"
"I'm surprised you didn't notice him in the interrogation room already. You're usually so pleased when we've got someone in there."
Scott, almost acting like a kid in a candy store, pranced over to the window and looked in. When he saw the face, a face that he recognized, he was quite giddy. "Corinthos's bastard boy!"
"His name is Damian," Elizabeth pointed out.
"I know what his name is," Scott countered. "I just happen to like my nickname for him a whole lot more."
"A lot of us like the nicknames that we have for you a lot more, but we still call you Scott." Elizabeth smirked. She wasn't going to let Scott drag Damian down for something that he didn't do. Not if she could help it.
"I'm in a position of power, he's not."
"Some people would think that being the son of Sonny Corinthos was enough to merit being considered a position of power," Elizabeth held onto Ric, more for herself. She wanted to hurt Scott as well.
"You know something, Elizabeth, I've known you for a pretty long time and I saw the way that you dumped Morgan like he was scum when you found out what he did. You're one of the few people in this burg of mine that I actually don't have to watch my back when I'm around, and I like that about you." Scott walked up to Elizabeth, "But I can't figure out any reason why you would even think about defending someone like that kid in there. He represents everything that you hate."
"I don't hate being a good person who loves their family and would do anything to protect them," Elizabeth pointed out. "Those are just a few of the things that Damian represents to me. He's a good person, and he didn't have anything to do with what happened at the docks."
"The evidence that we've got appears to point otherwise, lady," Scott snickered. "Your morally upright dear friend obviously decided to enter the family trade."
"You think that just because he has Sonny's blood in his veins that he's going to do the same things that Sonny does?"
"I've reasons to believe that, yes."
"Well let's just hope that your daughter doesn't end up being as morally corrupt as her dear daddy," Elizabeth snapped.
Scott's brow furrowed. He wasn't about to allow himself to be called a bad father. Elizabeth was quickly getting on his last nerve. He was going to throw her out when Lucky came in, "The press wants you."
"Tell them I'm busy," Scott ordered.
"You're the District Attorney and there has been yet another instance of organized crime on the streets that you've sworn you were going to keep safe! I think it would be incredibly stupid of you to ignore the press right now, Baldwin. They'll post a story about you if you don't, and it will severely hurt any chance you've got of getting re-elected." Lucky was now up in Scott's face, "You know you want to be in the limelight as much as you can, Scott. Now's your chance."
"When I try and think how someone as pure and beautiful as Laura could have had a hand in creating something like you, Lucky... I can't help but be disgusted," Scott turned and walked out of the police station. The moment he took a step out the light bulbs started to flash.
Elizabeth pulled away from Ric to stand by Lucky. Their once devoted love had since cooled to friendship, but it was still a strong friendship and they did care for one another. She knew how much Laura's descent into insanity still hurt Lucky. The wound was deep, and it would never heal fully. "You okay?"
"I'll be fine," Lucky smiled, although Elizabeth knew it was fake and was supposed to comfort her. It didn't.
She let it go, though. Lucky would talk to her if he wanted to talk. "You didn't have to tell him anything, you know."
"I know how Baldwin works, Liz," Lucky said. "My dad's done more than enough rounds with him and I've taken notes. He was about to do something very unpleasant and it would have been directed at you. I couldn't let that happen."
"Well, thank you," Elizabeth smiled before she looked at Ric again. "How long has he been in there?"
"Not very long."
"Shouldn't someone be talking to him about what went on, what he knows? I've been in this place waiting for people to get out enough times to know that's how it tends to go."
"I suppose I should go in there," Ric said as he took a few steps forward.
"I could go in there with you, if you want," Elizabeth offered.
Ric shook his head, "No, that's not how we do things here. I do appreciate the offer, though. Lucky, think you can keep her company while she waits? If she wants to stay, that is."
"I won't be going anywhere," Elizabeth stated.
"I had a feeling that you wouldn't," Ric opened the door and walked in. Damian looked up at him, "Why don't we talk?"