Kayla- Just be happy that it was only a dream. Maxie's nightmares aren't
comfortable, but they are a direct window to how she feels about everything
that has happened. She SHOULD be okay, though.
Joy- I'm not twisted! I just write for soap operas! Well, not officially or anything, but you know damned well that marriages in the soap world end with such tragedies. Shall we run down the list of GH weddings that were marred by tragedy at the scene? No, that list would be far too long, don't you think? Yes, Mac is a good papa and he kept his promise. Hooray for Mac! Yeah, well, nobody's relationship ever has a normal 24 hours. But, there was that downtime that I had with them, about a week or so, nothing happened then... since it wasn't written. That count? No, there will be no wedding between Damian and Maxie. Sorry, but I've no intentions of getting them hitched during this story, within the reality of the story, mind you. I know, I'm sick and twisted and just can't keep everyone happy. Ah well.
Story-
Kelly's-
Dillon had found his tolerance level of the latest Quatermaine family related squabble to be more than passed the line. He didn't even know what was going on, but he still didn't like it. It was always the same. Edward, Alan, Monica, Ned, his mother, all squabbling over something extremely petty. They had enough money to buy anything and everything they wanted, but they were always so involved in making sure that no one else in the family ever had a reason to be grateful for the money that they did have. At times, Dillon could be just as bad as they were, even though he hated admitting that it was true. He wanted to be better. Not necessarily better than them in a way that he looked down upon them. They were his family and as much as it drove him mad, he cared about them. He cared for them, but he didn't want to be like them. It was the same thing that Damian felt with Sonny as his father. Dillon thought about his friend, quite possibly his best friend, and the troubles that he was going through. Even when he was in trouble, like he was at that time, Damian still found a way to make sure that he was there for everyone else that needed it. If Dillon had a problem, he could depend on Damian. Possibly even more than he could depend on Georgie in some cases. After all, there were some things that only guys could talk about. Georgie could very well be the smartest person on the face of planet, but that didn't mean that he enjoyed talking to her about every single thing that went on in his life.
When he needed time to himself he knew that he could retreat to Kelly's. His family knew that was where he would go, but they would, in no way, force themselves into chasing him to such a banal place. Dillon liked it, and he liked it even more because of the fact that his family hated it. It was the only place that he could find a moments solace at times. Even though, sometimes, even Kelly's wasn't the best place to hide out because there would be a piece of drama from another aspect of his life that would eventually be dragged into the diner. As he sat there, enjoying his latte, he wished that something of that nature wouldn't happen. He should have known better.
Much like Mac before him, Ric had waited until the last possible instance to tell Elizabeth about the events that had transpired the night before. By the time that he had managed to gain the courage needed to make the call it was already far too late and she would have surely been asleep. He didn't want to wake her up. He knew how much she valued her rest. Instead, he opted for a safer route and decided that he would tell her face to face, which seemed much better given the subject matter. He would have much rather been told of what had happened to Damian in person rather than getting a phone call about it or seeing it on the news. So far, with a whole lot of work on the part of both he and Mac, nothing had been leaked to the press. It wasn't easy, as Scott's appetite for publicity was something that was basically impossible to sate. They managed, somehow. Compared to telling Elizabeth that someone that she had managed to form a fast bond with had been arrested after he had stated that he'd do everything in his power to stop from happening after the first time... curbing the media frenzy was easy. Ric felt powerless, and that was something that he didn't enjoy feeling at all. It was better coming from him, though. He knew it. She would believe him. She would believe that he really did try to stop Damian from being arrested. Wouldn't she? Or would she resent him for failing and not being able to keep his promise to her?
Ric stopped himself before he got to the window of Kelly's. He was sure that Elizabeth was working there, he knew her schedule very well. But he wasn't sure he really wanted to see her. He didn't want to face his failure as a person, as an uncle. He couldn't live with the resentment that Elizabeth would give her if she felt crushed. He couldn't live without her again. He worked so hard to get her back in his life. He knew that being cast out from her life again would kill him. They weren't married anymore, but that didn't matter, she was still the only person in his life. Because of his love for her he felt that she must have loved him as well. Because of his love for her he continued walking up the path and opened the door to the restaurant, a small tinge of fear washing over his body and amplifying itself by the second.
Elizabeth loved her job. At times it may have seemed like she was overworked, and in part it was true, but she also enjoyed the time that she got to spend with people because of her job. She knew a lot of people better than she would have if she had just spent her time painting. Although her artwork was still very important to her, she also knew that she enjoyed having friends. If she hadn't have been working at the restaurant, she would have never met Damian. If she had never met Damian she might not have realized just how much she still cared for Ric, and how much he cared for her. He loved her enough to put his grudge with Sonny behind him, and that was the one thing that she always wanted. She wanted him to be happy with his life because she was in it, not miserable because of his past.
It was almost like a sign when she looked up from serving some couple their coffee with her soft, tender smile and saw Ric standing at the doorway. Elizabeth's face beamed slightly and she walked over behind the counter to put the pot on the heater before she wiped her hands and walked over to see Ric. "I didn't know you'd be here."
"I'd never deny myself a look at your beauty, Elizabeth," Ric's voice tried to mask his fear, but he wasn't doing a very good job. Elizabeth could read him better than most other people could.
"Something's wrong, isn't there?" She asked. Ric was silent. She knew that when he was silent it usually meant that she was right. "Ric..."
Dillon was a mere few feet away from them. He liked Elizabeth. She was nice and funny and very pretty. The same could not be said of Ric. He was not nice, he was not funny, and he was certainly not pretty. But, Dillon respected the fact that Elizabeth had every right to fall in love with whomever she pleased. She should have stayed with Lucky, but that was just his opinion. Whatever was going on between them shouldn't have been any of his business to begin with. He continued reading the paper and drinking his latte. If he was going to be the starving artist, he had to look the part.
"Elizabeth... this isn't easy for me to say, and I'm not sure how I can say it."
"Just say it, Ric," Elizabeth told him. "I can handle anything that you can tell me, I've seen you at your worse, I know what to expect."
"Damian was arrested last night, he's been imprisoned at the station ever since."
Dillon almost spit out his coffee, but he didn't want to make the appearance that he was paying any attention to what was going on. He did have business listening in to the conversation from then on, though. After all, Damian was his friend.
Elizabeth wasn't nearly as discrete as Dillon, however. "That can't be true, Ric. You told me that he wouldn't be arrested."
"I didn't think that they had any reasonable grounds to hold him after the first time," Ric defended himself. "I still don't' think that they have any right to hold him, but I'm not the one that did it. Baldwin's found some way to make sure that Damian got pinned with the blame on this case, Elizabeth. I don't know what he did, but whatever it was... Damian's fingerprints ended up being matched on one of the guns that we picked up from the scene."
"He wouldn't hold a gun, it goes against everything that he believes in."
"You don't think I know that?" Ric asked. "I've watched him just as much as you have. I know what he's capable of, and murder isn't one of them. I don't even think he could jaywalk without having a crisis of conscience."
"What are you going to do about it?" Elizabeth inquired. "I just don't want to see that innocent kid spend time in a small prison cell away from his family for something that he didn't do."
"We're working on getting him cleared as quick as possible, but if Baldwin keeps on fabricating evidence, which isn't something that he's above, it could be awhile before we make any real break in the department."
"Damian... he must be so miserable."
Ric touched her hand softly, "I made sure to do everything that I could do in order to make him as comfortable as possible, Elizabeth. I didn't give him a special cell with an actual bed, but I've made sure that he isn't placed around people who would look to abuse him because of his heritage."
"You're protecting him..."
Ric nodded, "Why wouldn't I? He's my nephew and I don't want to see him suffer for something that he didn't do. You believe me, don't you? You believe that I didn't have anything to do with this?"
Elizabeth was certain that he didn't. "You wouldn't do something like that to him, Ric. I know that you want to start forging something with Damian and you wouldn't put that chance in danger."
Elizabeth may have been entirely certain of Ric's innocent, but Dillon wasn't as easy to convince. It was no secret to anyone who even attempted to pay attention to the goings on in Port Charles that Sonny and Ric hated one another. Ric also had a very intense dislike for Jason. He could stand to benefit from Damian's imprisonment. Dillon couldn't be sure, but he wouldn't be fooled into believing that Ric was entirely innocent when he might not have been for certain. Dillon had believed people too many times in the past, most of all his own mother or other members of his family.
"I wanted to tell you last night," Ric said. "I wanted to call you and tell you what had happened, but I was afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of your reaction and how it would make you feel about me. Elizabeth, I care about you too much to lose your respect and your love again. My heart believes that you have seen that I'm not the person that made you run away, but my mind always points out that you could just as easily turn against me again."
Elizabeth turned her eyes away. "As long as you don't do anything that would make me run away from you, Ric, I'll always be here with you. Is there anything that I can do to help?"
"Just believe that we can find a way to make all of this go away, Elizabeth," Ric's request was simple. "Just put your faith in my ability to do the right thing because of my love for you. It's all the help we need."
"I'll do that," Elizabeth said. "But if you can think of anything else, Ric, please just tell me. I want to help as much as I possibly can."
"I'll make sure that you're the first person that I call in case I need support of any kind," Ric smiled softly. "But right now I need to make sure that I go back to the station and try and clear him."
"Good luck," Elizabeth's gave her wish to him just as he exited the door. "I have a feeling you're going to need it."
Dillon turned the top of his newspaper down, exposing his eyes. He knew that it was going to become something like this. He and Georgie knew that they hadn't heard the end of the situation with Damian and his wrongfully accused case. The police force of Port Charles has too much of an agenda against Sonny Corinthos and his organization to just let something like that go. Dillon had to do something to help his friend, but what? He had an idea. Dillon dropped some money to pay for his drink and quickly exited the diner. So intent was he with his idea that he didn't notice that he had nearly ran into someone who was very familiar to him.
"Dillon, it's been awhile."
Dillon looked up, "Hi, Mr. Alcazar."
Lorenzo grinned, "You haven't offered your services to me in some time. I have to admit that it has saddened me. You always brought a certain charm to the projects that I had for you."
Dillon laughed uncomfortably, "Yeah, thanks, I think, but I'm trying to stay as far away from odd jobs right now. I need to be focused on my schooling so that I can get into a good school."
Lorenzo nodded, "Education is a very important thing. If I wasn't as educated as I am, I wouldn't be where I am. Value your time of learning, Dillon, it is the most important time you have."
Dillon put his arm behind his head, "I'll keep that in mind. But, if you don't mind, I've got a lot of things that I need to do..."
"Of course, best of luck to you," Lorenzo watched as Dillon ran off. He wondered where the lad with the unusual hairstyle was heading.
Joy- I'm not twisted! I just write for soap operas! Well, not officially or anything, but you know damned well that marriages in the soap world end with such tragedies. Shall we run down the list of GH weddings that were marred by tragedy at the scene? No, that list would be far too long, don't you think? Yes, Mac is a good papa and he kept his promise. Hooray for Mac! Yeah, well, nobody's relationship ever has a normal 24 hours. But, there was that downtime that I had with them, about a week or so, nothing happened then... since it wasn't written. That count? No, there will be no wedding between Damian and Maxie. Sorry, but I've no intentions of getting them hitched during this story, within the reality of the story, mind you. I know, I'm sick and twisted and just can't keep everyone happy. Ah well.
Story-
Kelly's-
Dillon had found his tolerance level of the latest Quatermaine family related squabble to be more than passed the line. He didn't even know what was going on, but he still didn't like it. It was always the same. Edward, Alan, Monica, Ned, his mother, all squabbling over something extremely petty. They had enough money to buy anything and everything they wanted, but they were always so involved in making sure that no one else in the family ever had a reason to be grateful for the money that they did have. At times, Dillon could be just as bad as they were, even though he hated admitting that it was true. He wanted to be better. Not necessarily better than them in a way that he looked down upon them. They were his family and as much as it drove him mad, he cared about them. He cared for them, but he didn't want to be like them. It was the same thing that Damian felt with Sonny as his father. Dillon thought about his friend, quite possibly his best friend, and the troubles that he was going through. Even when he was in trouble, like he was at that time, Damian still found a way to make sure that he was there for everyone else that needed it. If Dillon had a problem, he could depend on Damian. Possibly even more than he could depend on Georgie in some cases. After all, there were some things that only guys could talk about. Georgie could very well be the smartest person on the face of planet, but that didn't mean that he enjoyed talking to her about every single thing that went on in his life.
When he needed time to himself he knew that he could retreat to Kelly's. His family knew that was where he would go, but they would, in no way, force themselves into chasing him to such a banal place. Dillon liked it, and he liked it even more because of the fact that his family hated it. It was the only place that he could find a moments solace at times. Even though, sometimes, even Kelly's wasn't the best place to hide out because there would be a piece of drama from another aspect of his life that would eventually be dragged into the diner. As he sat there, enjoying his latte, he wished that something of that nature wouldn't happen. He should have known better.
Much like Mac before him, Ric had waited until the last possible instance to tell Elizabeth about the events that had transpired the night before. By the time that he had managed to gain the courage needed to make the call it was already far too late and she would have surely been asleep. He didn't want to wake her up. He knew how much she valued her rest. Instead, he opted for a safer route and decided that he would tell her face to face, which seemed much better given the subject matter. He would have much rather been told of what had happened to Damian in person rather than getting a phone call about it or seeing it on the news. So far, with a whole lot of work on the part of both he and Mac, nothing had been leaked to the press. It wasn't easy, as Scott's appetite for publicity was something that was basically impossible to sate. They managed, somehow. Compared to telling Elizabeth that someone that she had managed to form a fast bond with had been arrested after he had stated that he'd do everything in his power to stop from happening after the first time... curbing the media frenzy was easy. Ric felt powerless, and that was something that he didn't enjoy feeling at all. It was better coming from him, though. He knew it. She would believe him. She would believe that he really did try to stop Damian from being arrested. Wouldn't she? Or would she resent him for failing and not being able to keep his promise to her?
Ric stopped himself before he got to the window of Kelly's. He was sure that Elizabeth was working there, he knew her schedule very well. But he wasn't sure he really wanted to see her. He didn't want to face his failure as a person, as an uncle. He couldn't live with the resentment that Elizabeth would give her if she felt crushed. He couldn't live without her again. He worked so hard to get her back in his life. He knew that being cast out from her life again would kill him. They weren't married anymore, but that didn't matter, she was still the only person in his life. Because of his love for her he felt that she must have loved him as well. Because of his love for her he continued walking up the path and opened the door to the restaurant, a small tinge of fear washing over his body and amplifying itself by the second.
Elizabeth loved her job. At times it may have seemed like she was overworked, and in part it was true, but she also enjoyed the time that she got to spend with people because of her job. She knew a lot of people better than she would have if she had just spent her time painting. Although her artwork was still very important to her, she also knew that she enjoyed having friends. If she hadn't have been working at the restaurant, she would have never met Damian. If she had never met Damian she might not have realized just how much she still cared for Ric, and how much he cared for her. He loved her enough to put his grudge with Sonny behind him, and that was the one thing that she always wanted. She wanted him to be happy with his life because she was in it, not miserable because of his past.
It was almost like a sign when she looked up from serving some couple their coffee with her soft, tender smile and saw Ric standing at the doorway. Elizabeth's face beamed slightly and she walked over behind the counter to put the pot on the heater before she wiped her hands and walked over to see Ric. "I didn't know you'd be here."
"I'd never deny myself a look at your beauty, Elizabeth," Ric's voice tried to mask his fear, but he wasn't doing a very good job. Elizabeth could read him better than most other people could.
"Something's wrong, isn't there?" She asked. Ric was silent. She knew that when he was silent it usually meant that she was right. "Ric..."
Dillon was a mere few feet away from them. He liked Elizabeth. She was nice and funny and very pretty. The same could not be said of Ric. He was not nice, he was not funny, and he was certainly not pretty. But, Dillon respected the fact that Elizabeth had every right to fall in love with whomever she pleased. She should have stayed with Lucky, but that was just his opinion. Whatever was going on between them shouldn't have been any of his business to begin with. He continued reading the paper and drinking his latte. If he was going to be the starving artist, he had to look the part.
"Elizabeth... this isn't easy for me to say, and I'm not sure how I can say it."
"Just say it, Ric," Elizabeth told him. "I can handle anything that you can tell me, I've seen you at your worse, I know what to expect."
"Damian was arrested last night, he's been imprisoned at the station ever since."
Dillon almost spit out his coffee, but he didn't want to make the appearance that he was paying any attention to what was going on. He did have business listening in to the conversation from then on, though. After all, Damian was his friend.
Elizabeth wasn't nearly as discrete as Dillon, however. "That can't be true, Ric. You told me that he wouldn't be arrested."
"I didn't think that they had any reasonable grounds to hold him after the first time," Ric defended himself. "I still don't' think that they have any right to hold him, but I'm not the one that did it. Baldwin's found some way to make sure that Damian got pinned with the blame on this case, Elizabeth. I don't know what he did, but whatever it was... Damian's fingerprints ended up being matched on one of the guns that we picked up from the scene."
"He wouldn't hold a gun, it goes against everything that he believes in."
"You don't think I know that?" Ric asked. "I've watched him just as much as you have. I know what he's capable of, and murder isn't one of them. I don't even think he could jaywalk without having a crisis of conscience."
"What are you going to do about it?" Elizabeth inquired. "I just don't want to see that innocent kid spend time in a small prison cell away from his family for something that he didn't do."
"We're working on getting him cleared as quick as possible, but if Baldwin keeps on fabricating evidence, which isn't something that he's above, it could be awhile before we make any real break in the department."
"Damian... he must be so miserable."
Ric touched her hand softly, "I made sure to do everything that I could do in order to make him as comfortable as possible, Elizabeth. I didn't give him a special cell with an actual bed, but I've made sure that he isn't placed around people who would look to abuse him because of his heritage."
"You're protecting him..."
Ric nodded, "Why wouldn't I? He's my nephew and I don't want to see him suffer for something that he didn't do. You believe me, don't you? You believe that I didn't have anything to do with this?"
Elizabeth was certain that he didn't. "You wouldn't do something like that to him, Ric. I know that you want to start forging something with Damian and you wouldn't put that chance in danger."
Elizabeth may have been entirely certain of Ric's innocent, but Dillon wasn't as easy to convince. It was no secret to anyone who even attempted to pay attention to the goings on in Port Charles that Sonny and Ric hated one another. Ric also had a very intense dislike for Jason. He could stand to benefit from Damian's imprisonment. Dillon couldn't be sure, but he wouldn't be fooled into believing that Ric was entirely innocent when he might not have been for certain. Dillon had believed people too many times in the past, most of all his own mother or other members of his family.
"I wanted to tell you last night," Ric said. "I wanted to call you and tell you what had happened, but I was afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of your reaction and how it would make you feel about me. Elizabeth, I care about you too much to lose your respect and your love again. My heart believes that you have seen that I'm not the person that made you run away, but my mind always points out that you could just as easily turn against me again."
Elizabeth turned her eyes away. "As long as you don't do anything that would make me run away from you, Ric, I'll always be here with you. Is there anything that I can do to help?"
"Just believe that we can find a way to make all of this go away, Elizabeth," Ric's request was simple. "Just put your faith in my ability to do the right thing because of my love for you. It's all the help we need."
"I'll do that," Elizabeth said. "But if you can think of anything else, Ric, please just tell me. I want to help as much as I possibly can."
"I'll make sure that you're the first person that I call in case I need support of any kind," Ric smiled softly. "But right now I need to make sure that I go back to the station and try and clear him."
"Good luck," Elizabeth's gave her wish to him just as he exited the door. "I have a feeling you're going to need it."
Dillon turned the top of his newspaper down, exposing his eyes. He knew that it was going to become something like this. He and Georgie knew that they hadn't heard the end of the situation with Damian and his wrongfully accused case. The police force of Port Charles has too much of an agenda against Sonny Corinthos and his organization to just let something like that go. Dillon had to do something to help his friend, but what? He had an idea. Dillon dropped some money to pay for his drink and quickly exited the diner. So intent was he with his idea that he didn't notice that he had nearly ran into someone who was very familiar to him.
"Dillon, it's been awhile."
Dillon looked up, "Hi, Mr. Alcazar."
Lorenzo grinned, "You haven't offered your services to me in some time. I have to admit that it has saddened me. You always brought a certain charm to the projects that I had for you."
Dillon laughed uncomfortably, "Yeah, thanks, I think, but I'm trying to stay as far away from odd jobs right now. I need to be focused on my schooling so that I can get into a good school."
Lorenzo nodded, "Education is a very important thing. If I wasn't as educated as I am, I wouldn't be where I am. Value your time of learning, Dillon, it is the most important time you have."
Dillon put his arm behind his head, "I'll keep that in mind. But, if you don't mind, I've got a lot of things that I need to do..."
"Of course, best of luck to you," Lorenzo watched as Dillon ran off. He wondered where the lad with the unusual hairstyle was heading.