Note: Not to brag or anything of the like, but I did a page count recently
of how long the story has gotten from start to where it was at that time
and it turned out to be 523 pages! I can't believe that it's gotten that
long, and I can't believe that you people have remained interested in the
story as you have. I can't tell you have much I appreciate how you all take
interest in what I have to tell. Thank you, so much. I only hope I can keep
you entertained for as long as it takes me to finish this.
Joy- You weren't expecting that request on the part of Damian, were you? When I decided to add this sub-plot into the story I knew I wanted to put something where Damian would basically put his fate in Ric's hands, if even for a moment. But, maybe Ric's not going to give the response that people would think. Just check out and see...
Story-
Ric had worked hard to keep his face as blank as possible when something that was said or done had, in some way, jolted him towards feeling some particular emotion. However, all the training that he hard forced himself into hadn't prepared him for something like he was going through at that moment. As much as he tried to hide it, Ric couldn't. The shock was very apparent on his face. His nephew, the son of his half-brother, whom he had an extremely complicated relationship with, was asking him for a favor? Did Sonny even allow such things in his family? Ric wasn't sure. Ric wanted to find out. "You do realize what you're asking of me... right?"
Damian shifted uneasily, he knew that his father wasn't going to like the way that the conversation he was having with his Uncle was going. But, like in many instances, Damian couldn't really care less about his father's opinion in the matter at hand. It was his life and no one else's. He needed an attorney, and his uncle was an attorney. He was apparently a good one if he was the assistant District Attorney. Simple logic gave him a complex answer. Wasn't that an oxymoron of sorts? Damian realized that he was giving his uncle an unreasonable amount of silence. If anything that was said about Ric Lansing was true then that was a bad thing. If anything that was said about Ric Lansing was true... then Damian shouldn't have even been thinking about trusting him. But that was what he was going to do. He didn't really have a choice. He wanted to get out of jail... and he'd do whatever it took. "Can you do it?"
Ric thought about it. On some level he couldn't, since he was the ADA and that meant that he should have been trying to find a way to convict Damian of the crime rather than be his salvation. But, even as the ADA, he still had the right to take a variety of cases. He hadn't really done any court work in some time, but he knew that he could do it for Damian. There were of course many problems that were in their way. Scott wouldn't back down, he had tasted the blood and he was going in for the kill. And then there was the looming issue of spending time with Sonny. Let alone working with Sonny. "I don't know..." Ric said with hesitation very heavy in his voice. "Your father wouldn't have me working to defend you."
"My father doesn't control my life."
Ric laughed, "You really believe that?"
Damian cocked an eyebrow, "What's that mean?"
"Sonny Corinthos controls every aspect of every single life that he comes into contact with," Ric said. "Look at the way that he has everyone that is around him wrapped around his finger. Jason's a mindless drone that would do anything for Sonny if he asked. Courtney's been tainted with the violence of the life that her brother has and is still fooling herself into thinking that her love is enough to excuse it. Carly's... always been a strange case."
"You shouldn't speak of your family like that."
"How do they speak of me, Damian?" Ric asked. "You've been around them long enough to see that they will never forgive me for the mistakes I've made in my past, regardless of how hard I try and get their respect and trust. I may have never truly had Sonny's trust, but there was a time when he didn't look down upon me as much as he does now. The ironic thing was that when he was accepting of me the only thing that I wanted was to destroy him, to get back at him for what happened with our mother. Now that he does hate me... I try and somehow get that hatred to lessen, but no matter what I try and do it won't happen."
"So you're not going to help me?"
"I can't."
"Can't? Or won't?"
"Damian," Ric started, "I want to help you, I really do. But I look at everything that could possibly happen and the things that I know will happen, and I know that I can't take the risk. I'll do what I can from the inside, since I know that you're not innocent, but I cannot be your representing attorney."
"What do I have to do in order to get out?"
"You can't get out, not tonight."
"I don't want to stay here..."
"You'll be fine," Ric assured his nephew, although he wasn't certain that Damian would be fine. The son of Sonny Corinthos in a very public area was a big target. The only way to get Damian out of the situation he was in was to show that he was more of a danger inside the building than outside. But if that were true, they would transfer him somewhere else, somewhere much worse. Ric didn't want that. Damian didn't want that. And Ric knew for certain that Sonny didn't want that either. "This is the best place for you under the circumstances."
"You said that you know I didn't do it..."
"I know you didn't do it."
"Why are you defending me?" Damian asked. "Uncle Ric, a part of you has to see this as a way to get back at my father for whatever it is that you think he did to you."
"A part of me does," Ric admitted. "But it's the part of me that I can't let control my motives anymore. The last time I let myself fall into my darker side I almost pushed Elizabeth away completely, and I can't stand to have that happen again. She might not give me another chance."
"You're doing this strictly for Elizabeth then?"
Ric shook his head, "No. I'm doing it because she cares about you, but even more than that because you're the one that doesn't hold what I've done against me. You're the one that's tried to accept me for my past and who I am now. You're the only one in that family who actually considers me family. You need to know how much I appreciate that."
"You're flawed, but everyone is. They can't see past that... much like they couldn't see past me and who I claimed to be at first. We're more alike than you think."
Ric got up and opened the door, "Yeah, we are. I know that if I were in here, I'd hate it too."
"Don't I get a phone call?"
"Do you need it? Sonny knows that you're here. We both know that he does."
"Not to call my dad..."
"You're not calling Maxie," Mac walked into the room, pushing past Ric. He eyed Lansing, "Could you give us some time alone, please?"
"Go easy on him, Mac."
"Nothing will happen," Mac assured Ric. Ric closed the door, leaving the two alone. "I'm sorry that you're in here, Damian."
"You got your wish, Mac," Damian stated. "You can go to Maxie and point out that I'm really no better than my father, that's why I'm in here, because I'm a cold hearted criminal."
Mac shook his head, "You're in here because Scott Baldwin is lying and keeping you in here."
Damian couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Excuse me?"
"I saw you at the graveyard, Damian. I saw you act like no one else has ever acted around my daughter, not even me or Georgie. You were there for her when no one else could be, because you let her be who she needed to be at that moment without trying to judge her. You didn't take advantage of her."
"I would never take advantage of her... or anyone else."
"Which is why I know that you're not the one that did anything wrong at the docks. You've got more friends than enemies in here... we won't let anything happen."
"Why don't you want me to call Maxie?" Damian asked.
"Because she'll worry about you, more than she already is. Maxie's in a very unstable state of mind right now, Damian. She's still not sure how she should feel about Felicia."
"Her feelings of abandonment in regards to her mother are entirely valid."
"I know that."
"But Felicia is still her mother," Damian mused. "She should be there for her mother regardless of their past, no matter how painful. But it would hurt Maxie to force herself into doing something that she didn't want to do. I don't want Maxie in pain, and I can only assume that Felicia doesn't either."
"Felicia misses them," Mac said. "But she made her choice and we have to live with it one way or another.
"Could I ask for a favor, Mac?"
"What is it?"
Damian looked out the window, would he ever truly be able to look out another window again? "When you see her... tell her that I'm fine and that no matter what happens, I'll always care about her."
"You make it seem like you won't ever get out," Mac observed.
"Maybe I won't, Mac. We don't know for sure."
"I won't let you be unjustly sentenced."
Damian smiled, "I appreciate that you're trying to fight for me, I really do, but you can't be that objective about it, Mac. People are always convicted, even if they are truly innocent."
"I have to believe that everything will be okay, Damian. It's the only way that I can continue to do what I do."
"Don't get too optimistic on my case."
An officer walked in, "Commissioner... if you're finished with the convict... we need to take him to his holding cell."
Mac, his eyes filled with the pain that he was feeling, eyed Damian. There was nothing that he could do, "Don't let it get to you, Damian. Stay hopeful."
"It's the only way I know how to stay, Mac," Damian replied as he was handcuffed again and led out of the room. "The only way I can survive..."
Joy- You weren't expecting that request on the part of Damian, were you? When I decided to add this sub-plot into the story I knew I wanted to put something where Damian would basically put his fate in Ric's hands, if even for a moment. But, maybe Ric's not going to give the response that people would think. Just check out and see...
Story-
Ric had worked hard to keep his face as blank as possible when something that was said or done had, in some way, jolted him towards feeling some particular emotion. However, all the training that he hard forced himself into hadn't prepared him for something like he was going through at that moment. As much as he tried to hide it, Ric couldn't. The shock was very apparent on his face. His nephew, the son of his half-brother, whom he had an extremely complicated relationship with, was asking him for a favor? Did Sonny even allow such things in his family? Ric wasn't sure. Ric wanted to find out. "You do realize what you're asking of me... right?"
Damian shifted uneasily, he knew that his father wasn't going to like the way that the conversation he was having with his Uncle was going. But, like in many instances, Damian couldn't really care less about his father's opinion in the matter at hand. It was his life and no one else's. He needed an attorney, and his uncle was an attorney. He was apparently a good one if he was the assistant District Attorney. Simple logic gave him a complex answer. Wasn't that an oxymoron of sorts? Damian realized that he was giving his uncle an unreasonable amount of silence. If anything that was said about Ric Lansing was true then that was a bad thing. If anything that was said about Ric Lansing was true... then Damian shouldn't have even been thinking about trusting him. But that was what he was going to do. He didn't really have a choice. He wanted to get out of jail... and he'd do whatever it took. "Can you do it?"
Ric thought about it. On some level he couldn't, since he was the ADA and that meant that he should have been trying to find a way to convict Damian of the crime rather than be his salvation. But, even as the ADA, he still had the right to take a variety of cases. He hadn't really done any court work in some time, but he knew that he could do it for Damian. There were of course many problems that were in their way. Scott wouldn't back down, he had tasted the blood and he was going in for the kill. And then there was the looming issue of spending time with Sonny. Let alone working with Sonny. "I don't know..." Ric said with hesitation very heavy in his voice. "Your father wouldn't have me working to defend you."
"My father doesn't control my life."
Ric laughed, "You really believe that?"
Damian cocked an eyebrow, "What's that mean?"
"Sonny Corinthos controls every aspect of every single life that he comes into contact with," Ric said. "Look at the way that he has everyone that is around him wrapped around his finger. Jason's a mindless drone that would do anything for Sonny if he asked. Courtney's been tainted with the violence of the life that her brother has and is still fooling herself into thinking that her love is enough to excuse it. Carly's... always been a strange case."
"You shouldn't speak of your family like that."
"How do they speak of me, Damian?" Ric asked. "You've been around them long enough to see that they will never forgive me for the mistakes I've made in my past, regardless of how hard I try and get their respect and trust. I may have never truly had Sonny's trust, but there was a time when he didn't look down upon me as much as he does now. The ironic thing was that when he was accepting of me the only thing that I wanted was to destroy him, to get back at him for what happened with our mother. Now that he does hate me... I try and somehow get that hatred to lessen, but no matter what I try and do it won't happen."
"So you're not going to help me?"
"I can't."
"Can't? Or won't?"
"Damian," Ric started, "I want to help you, I really do. But I look at everything that could possibly happen and the things that I know will happen, and I know that I can't take the risk. I'll do what I can from the inside, since I know that you're not innocent, but I cannot be your representing attorney."
"What do I have to do in order to get out?"
"You can't get out, not tonight."
"I don't want to stay here..."
"You'll be fine," Ric assured his nephew, although he wasn't certain that Damian would be fine. The son of Sonny Corinthos in a very public area was a big target. The only way to get Damian out of the situation he was in was to show that he was more of a danger inside the building than outside. But if that were true, they would transfer him somewhere else, somewhere much worse. Ric didn't want that. Damian didn't want that. And Ric knew for certain that Sonny didn't want that either. "This is the best place for you under the circumstances."
"You said that you know I didn't do it..."
"I know you didn't do it."
"Why are you defending me?" Damian asked. "Uncle Ric, a part of you has to see this as a way to get back at my father for whatever it is that you think he did to you."
"A part of me does," Ric admitted. "But it's the part of me that I can't let control my motives anymore. The last time I let myself fall into my darker side I almost pushed Elizabeth away completely, and I can't stand to have that happen again. She might not give me another chance."
"You're doing this strictly for Elizabeth then?"
Ric shook his head, "No. I'm doing it because she cares about you, but even more than that because you're the one that doesn't hold what I've done against me. You're the one that's tried to accept me for my past and who I am now. You're the only one in that family who actually considers me family. You need to know how much I appreciate that."
"You're flawed, but everyone is. They can't see past that... much like they couldn't see past me and who I claimed to be at first. We're more alike than you think."
Ric got up and opened the door, "Yeah, we are. I know that if I were in here, I'd hate it too."
"Don't I get a phone call?"
"Do you need it? Sonny knows that you're here. We both know that he does."
"Not to call my dad..."
"You're not calling Maxie," Mac walked into the room, pushing past Ric. He eyed Lansing, "Could you give us some time alone, please?"
"Go easy on him, Mac."
"Nothing will happen," Mac assured Ric. Ric closed the door, leaving the two alone. "I'm sorry that you're in here, Damian."
"You got your wish, Mac," Damian stated. "You can go to Maxie and point out that I'm really no better than my father, that's why I'm in here, because I'm a cold hearted criminal."
Mac shook his head, "You're in here because Scott Baldwin is lying and keeping you in here."
Damian couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Excuse me?"
"I saw you at the graveyard, Damian. I saw you act like no one else has ever acted around my daughter, not even me or Georgie. You were there for her when no one else could be, because you let her be who she needed to be at that moment without trying to judge her. You didn't take advantage of her."
"I would never take advantage of her... or anyone else."
"Which is why I know that you're not the one that did anything wrong at the docks. You've got more friends than enemies in here... we won't let anything happen."
"Why don't you want me to call Maxie?" Damian asked.
"Because she'll worry about you, more than she already is. Maxie's in a very unstable state of mind right now, Damian. She's still not sure how she should feel about Felicia."
"Her feelings of abandonment in regards to her mother are entirely valid."
"I know that."
"But Felicia is still her mother," Damian mused. "She should be there for her mother regardless of their past, no matter how painful. But it would hurt Maxie to force herself into doing something that she didn't want to do. I don't want Maxie in pain, and I can only assume that Felicia doesn't either."
"Felicia misses them," Mac said. "But she made her choice and we have to live with it one way or another.
"Could I ask for a favor, Mac?"
"What is it?"
Damian looked out the window, would he ever truly be able to look out another window again? "When you see her... tell her that I'm fine and that no matter what happens, I'll always care about her."
"You make it seem like you won't ever get out," Mac observed.
"Maybe I won't, Mac. We don't know for sure."
"I won't let you be unjustly sentenced."
Damian smiled, "I appreciate that you're trying to fight for me, I really do, but you can't be that objective about it, Mac. People are always convicted, even if they are truly innocent."
"I have to believe that everything will be okay, Damian. It's the only way that I can continue to do what I do."
"Don't get too optimistic on my case."
An officer walked in, "Commissioner... if you're finished with the convict... we need to take him to his holding cell."
Mac, his eyes filled with the pain that he was feeling, eyed Damian. There was nothing that he could do, "Don't let it get to you, Damian. Stay hopeful."
"It's the only way I know how to stay, Mac," Damian replied as he was handcuffed again and led out of the room. "The only way I can survive..."