Scorpio Household-
Maxie paced around the room, her door closed. She didn't want anyone knowing that she was calling Damian, although she knew that they would guess that she was. He wasn't the only thing on her mind, but she did care about him a great deal. She wanted to make sure that he was okay. She knew how much damage could be done to his reputation, to his image, if the case against him was allowed to stick. Damian wouldn't care about what other people thought as long as he knew and he knew that the people that he truly cared about knew that he was innocent, but that wouldn't be enough. The places that he would try to get a job at would see that he had a record, they would see the charge for multiple accounts of murders. If he even managed to stay out of prison, his medical career would be over before it even started. Had he even thought about that? Damian seemed to have the answers to everything, but he couldn't really. He was human, and he would eventually make some mistakes. He had obviously made one the night before. How could he let himself get blamed for the shootout? What happened? Her cell phone in hand she bit her fingernail, "Come on, pick up. Damian, pick up!"
"Maxie?"
She almost jumped when she heard his voice. She was so worried about what could happen to him that actually talking to him caught her by surprise. "Oh, thank God you can answer the phone!"
"It's not that hard. I pick it up, I press a button."
She smiled, even though she knew he couldn't see her smile. But the smile faded as the severity of the situation sunk in. "Are you okay?"
With Courtney standing next to him, Damian felt a little uncomfortable. "Don't worry about me, are you okay?"
"What do you mean don't worry about you?" Maxie asked, somewhat offended.
"Maxie, you've been going through a lot lately, I don't want you worrying about me and adding to your stress."
"How can I not worry about you, Damian?" She wondered. "You were involved in that incident last night, weren't you?"
Damian's face shifted tones from blank to pained, "You know?"
"Of course I know! Damian, it's all over the news!"
"I try and avoid watching television."
"Stop it!" Maxie almost screamed into the phone. "Stop trying to make me laugh, stop trying to make me feel better!"
"Maxie, I'm sorry."
"I want to see you," She said. "I want to make sure that you're okay."
"Maxie, I'm fine, really."
"Please," She said softly. "Please just meet with me. I need to see that you're fine with my own two eyes. Can you do that for me?"
"I'll need some time to get ready, I just woke up. It was a long night."
"I would have been there for you if you wanted me to be," Maxie said.
"I know that," Damian replied. "And I want to thank you for giving me the knowledge that if I needed you, you'd be there. It helped me a lot."
"I wish I could have been there," Maxie sat on her bed.
"It's in the past now," Damian told her firmly. "There's no need for you to worry about what happened last night anymore."
"I can't help it."
"I'm sorry I worried you, Maxie," Damian gazed over at Courtney, she was trying to support him by just giving him a comforting smile. "I didn't want to burden you with anything else."
"You think you're a burden to me?"
"No, of course not. I wanted to keep you safe from knowing what happened."
"I can handle it, Damian. I'm the Commissioner's daughter, remember?"
"I'm sorry for underestimating you. Do you want to meet with me in about an hour?"
"Yeah," Maxie answered. "Kelly's sound okay?"
"As long as it isn't the docks, I think I can be okay."
"Damian..." Maxie's voice was heavy.
"That wasn't a joke, Maxie. I'll see you in an hour." He hung up the phone and sighed. "She thinks that I don't trust her."
"Should you?" Courtney asked.
"What do you mean?" Damian rummaged through his clothes, looking for something to wear.
"She's the Commissioner's daughter, Damian. Do you think that Mac's not going to try and pump her for information about what you've told her, what you've been acting like? He's a lot smarter than that."
"He wouldn't compromise his relationship with his daughter further by pushing into our relationship again," Damian said. "If Mac keeps on trying to break us up, the only couple that he is going to destroy is him and Maxie."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I don't know, I just am." He turned to her, "Of all the people in this family, I would have thought that you were the one who understood the situation that I'm in. I can't talk about what happened because if I do I'm going to hurt people that I love, but I can't accept that it happened, either."
"I know exactly how you're feeling," Courtney said. "That's why I want to keep you away from people that would try and make you feel worse about yourself and the information that you're holding from the police. IT was hard for me to not talk, but that's the rule that we all live by. Anything that I said, anything at all, could be used against my brother or my husband and it could tear my family apart. We worked so hard to get where we're at, I never want to lose that."
"I don't want to take it away from you or any of them, Aunt Courtney, believe me."
"I do."
"How do you do it?" Damian asked. "How do you wake up in the morning knowing that you might have to go through something like this?"
"I don't think about it unless I have to," She said. "I try and focus on the things in my life that don't revolve around the life that my family leads. I try and think about the times that we spent together when we didn't have to worry about one of our enemies coming in and shooting us. I think about the day that Jason and I got married, or all the times that we've spent with Michael and Morgan. I try and wake up with a smile on my face and it helps me get through the day."
"I don't know if I can do that," Damian said.
"It's not that hard, you'll get used to it."
Damian shook his head, "I promised myself that I would never live a lie. I won't throw that away, not for anyone."
"You can't tell them what happened, Damian. We couldn't survive without Sonny and Jason."
"I won't do anything that will put any blame on them," Damian said. "I just want to be able to show Maxie that I'm okay. That's all that she wants. She wants to know that I'm fine. How can I deny her that simple request?"
"You shouldn't," Courtney agreed. "Just... promise me that you'll be careful, okay?"
Damian grinned, "I've learned to walk on very thin ice since the moment that I came here. I think I've gotten pretty good at it, don't you?"
"This isn't something that you should be joking about. You could get into a lot of trouble."
"You know I didn't do it, don't you?" Damian asked.
"Of course I do."
"Then that's all I needed to hear."
Michael pushed the door open, "You're home!"
Damian and Courtney shot looks at one another. How much had Michael heard? Had he been listening for a long time? Neither of them played off their worry. Damian just laughed, "I told you that I'd be home by morning, didn't I?"
"Did the bad man hurt you?" Michael asked.
"No, Uncle Ric didn't hurt me at all," Damian said. "He just asked me a few questions before dad and your mommy came and got me."
"Is he going to be coming back for you?"
"I... don't really know, Michael."
Michael was confused. "If you answered his questions then he shouldn't be bothering you anymore, right? You didn't lie to him, did you?"
Damian shook his head, "You know that I wouldn't lie to anyone, Michael. You should never lie to anyone either."
"Daddy says that he lies a lot," Michael said. "Why should you be honest to someone that always lies?'
"Remember what I told you about being your own person?" Michael nodded, Damian continued, "If you act the same way that a person acts, you're not being yourself, are you?"
Michael pondered the question for a moment. He had his answer soon enough, "I guess not."
"You should always tell the truth, even when you're talking to someone that you don't like or you don't trust. As long as you know that it's the truth, that's all that matters."
"Did he believe you?" Michael asked.
"I think he did."
"Why did he come?" Michael looked at them both for the answer. "He shouldn't ever come to our home."
Courtney answered the question, giving Damian a much needed break, "Sweetie, sometimes Ric's job makes him have to come up to the house and talk to one of us. But he can't hurt us anymore, I promise."
Damian gave a slight nod. "Why don't you go show Aunt Courtney that picture that you drew the other day? I need to jump in the shower anyway."
"You want to see it, Aunt Courtney?" Michael asked, happy to have a chance to show off his work.
"You know I'd love to see any pictures that you made," Courtney said.
"Come on!" Michael grabbed her hand and rushed her out of the room.
Damian's smile quickly faded as soon as Michael was out of sight. If everything came out... as it was likely to happen... how would he take it? "Focus on one problem at a time," He told himself. It was hard, though. There were so many.
220
Maxie paced around the room, her door closed. She didn't want anyone knowing that she was calling Damian, although she knew that they would guess that she was. He wasn't the only thing on her mind, but she did care about him a great deal. She wanted to make sure that he was okay. She knew how much damage could be done to his reputation, to his image, if the case against him was allowed to stick. Damian wouldn't care about what other people thought as long as he knew and he knew that the people that he truly cared about knew that he was innocent, but that wouldn't be enough. The places that he would try to get a job at would see that he had a record, they would see the charge for multiple accounts of murders. If he even managed to stay out of prison, his medical career would be over before it even started. Had he even thought about that? Damian seemed to have the answers to everything, but he couldn't really. He was human, and he would eventually make some mistakes. He had obviously made one the night before. How could he let himself get blamed for the shootout? What happened? Her cell phone in hand she bit her fingernail, "Come on, pick up. Damian, pick up!"
"Maxie?"
She almost jumped when she heard his voice. She was so worried about what could happen to him that actually talking to him caught her by surprise. "Oh, thank God you can answer the phone!"
"It's not that hard. I pick it up, I press a button."
She smiled, even though she knew he couldn't see her smile. But the smile faded as the severity of the situation sunk in. "Are you okay?"
With Courtney standing next to him, Damian felt a little uncomfortable. "Don't worry about me, are you okay?"
"What do you mean don't worry about you?" Maxie asked, somewhat offended.
"Maxie, you've been going through a lot lately, I don't want you worrying about me and adding to your stress."
"How can I not worry about you, Damian?" She wondered. "You were involved in that incident last night, weren't you?"
Damian's face shifted tones from blank to pained, "You know?"
"Of course I know! Damian, it's all over the news!"
"I try and avoid watching television."
"Stop it!" Maxie almost screamed into the phone. "Stop trying to make me laugh, stop trying to make me feel better!"
"Maxie, I'm sorry."
"I want to see you," She said. "I want to make sure that you're okay."
"Maxie, I'm fine, really."
"Please," She said softly. "Please just meet with me. I need to see that you're fine with my own two eyes. Can you do that for me?"
"I'll need some time to get ready, I just woke up. It was a long night."
"I would have been there for you if you wanted me to be," Maxie said.
"I know that," Damian replied. "And I want to thank you for giving me the knowledge that if I needed you, you'd be there. It helped me a lot."
"I wish I could have been there," Maxie sat on her bed.
"It's in the past now," Damian told her firmly. "There's no need for you to worry about what happened last night anymore."
"I can't help it."
"I'm sorry I worried you, Maxie," Damian gazed over at Courtney, she was trying to support him by just giving him a comforting smile. "I didn't want to burden you with anything else."
"You think you're a burden to me?"
"No, of course not. I wanted to keep you safe from knowing what happened."
"I can handle it, Damian. I'm the Commissioner's daughter, remember?"
"I'm sorry for underestimating you. Do you want to meet with me in about an hour?"
"Yeah," Maxie answered. "Kelly's sound okay?"
"As long as it isn't the docks, I think I can be okay."
"Damian..." Maxie's voice was heavy.
"That wasn't a joke, Maxie. I'll see you in an hour." He hung up the phone and sighed. "She thinks that I don't trust her."
"Should you?" Courtney asked.
"What do you mean?" Damian rummaged through his clothes, looking for something to wear.
"She's the Commissioner's daughter, Damian. Do you think that Mac's not going to try and pump her for information about what you've told her, what you've been acting like? He's a lot smarter than that."
"He wouldn't compromise his relationship with his daughter further by pushing into our relationship again," Damian said. "If Mac keeps on trying to break us up, the only couple that he is going to destroy is him and Maxie."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I don't know, I just am." He turned to her, "Of all the people in this family, I would have thought that you were the one who understood the situation that I'm in. I can't talk about what happened because if I do I'm going to hurt people that I love, but I can't accept that it happened, either."
"I know exactly how you're feeling," Courtney said. "That's why I want to keep you away from people that would try and make you feel worse about yourself and the information that you're holding from the police. IT was hard for me to not talk, but that's the rule that we all live by. Anything that I said, anything at all, could be used against my brother or my husband and it could tear my family apart. We worked so hard to get where we're at, I never want to lose that."
"I don't want to take it away from you or any of them, Aunt Courtney, believe me."
"I do."
"How do you do it?" Damian asked. "How do you wake up in the morning knowing that you might have to go through something like this?"
"I don't think about it unless I have to," She said. "I try and focus on the things in my life that don't revolve around the life that my family leads. I try and think about the times that we spent together when we didn't have to worry about one of our enemies coming in and shooting us. I think about the day that Jason and I got married, or all the times that we've spent with Michael and Morgan. I try and wake up with a smile on my face and it helps me get through the day."
"I don't know if I can do that," Damian said.
"It's not that hard, you'll get used to it."
Damian shook his head, "I promised myself that I would never live a lie. I won't throw that away, not for anyone."
"You can't tell them what happened, Damian. We couldn't survive without Sonny and Jason."
"I won't do anything that will put any blame on them," Damian said. "I just want to be able to show Maxie that I'm okay. That's all that she wants. She wants to know that I'm fine. How can I deny her that simple request?"
"You shouldn't," Courtney agreed. "Just... promise me that you'll be careful, okay?"
Damian grinned, "I've learned to walk on very thin ice since the moment that I came here. I think I've gotten pretty good at it, don't you?"
"This isn't something that you should be joking about. You could get into a lot of trouble."
"You know I didn't do it, don't you?" Damian asked.
"Of course I do."
"Then that's all I needed to hear."
Michael pushed the door open, "You're home!"
Damian and Courtney shot looks at one another. How much had Michael heard? Had he been listening for a long time? Neither of them played off their worry. Damian just laughed, "I told you that I'd be home by morning, didn't I?"
"Did the bad man hurt you?" Michael asked.
"No, Uncle Ric didn't hurt me at all," Damian said. "He just asked me a few questions before dad and your mommy came and got me."
"Is he going to be coming back for you?"
"I... don't really know, Michael."
Michael was confused. "If you answered his questions then he shouldn't be bothering you anymore, right? You didn't lie to him, did you?"
Damian shook his head, "You know that I wouldn't lie to anyone, Michael. You should never lie to anyone either."
"Daddy says that he lies a lot," Michael said. "Why should you be honest to someone that always lies?'
"Remember what I told you about being your own person?" Michael nodded, Damian continued, "If you act the same way that a person acts, you're not being yourself, are you?"
Michael pondered the question for a moment. He had his answer soon enough, "I guess not."
"You should always tell the truth, even when you're talking to someone that you don't like or you don't trust. As long as you know that it's the truth, that's all that matters."
"Did he believe you?" Michael asked.
"I think he did."
"Why did he come?" Michael looked at them both for the answer. "He shouldn't ever come to our home."
Courtney answered the question, giving Damian a much needed break, "Sweetie, sometimes Ric's job makes him have to come up to the house and talk to one of us. But he can't hurt us anymore, I promise."
Damian gave a slight nod. "Why don't you go show Aunt Courtney that picture that you drew the other day? I need to jump in the shower anyway."
"You want to see it, Aunt Courtney?" Michael asked, happy to have a chance to show off his work.
"You know I'd love to see any pictures that you made," Courtney said.
"Come on!" Michael grabbed her hand and rushed her out of the room.
Damian's smile quickly faded as soon as Michael was out of sight. If everything came out... as it was likely to happen... how would he take it? "Focus on one problem at a time," He told himself. It was hard, though. There were so many.
220