Note: As promised... well, read and find out.
Story-
The Next Morning-
Ric had no intentions of messing up the plan. There were plenty of reasons that he needed everything to follow his plot to the letter. It made for almost no margin of error. Ric could benefit from the plan that he had formulated in his head in more than one way. First, he would get his nephew out, an act that would not only make himself happy, it would also help him in his ongoing battle to regain Elizabeth fully. Although she admitted that she still loved him and that she wanted to try again Ric could still push her away just as easily as he had done before. Ric couldn't turn off the impulses that he had which often pushed the love of his life away from him, much as he would try. He could barely suppress them, but he wanted to try as hard as he could with Elizabeth again. He wanted to be happy and he wanted to be happy with her one more time.
Second, it would mean that Sonny would owe him a favor, another favor. Sonny already owed him for saving Damian's life with the bit of information that was given to Sonny by Ric when Faith wanted to use the boy against his father. Although he had never called in the favor that Sonny owed him at that time it did not mean that Ric would never call it in. In fact, he could think of the best times for him to call up an old favor. Sonny wouldn't be able to refuse. Sonny was, after all, a man who always paid his debts, since he hated owing anyone anything. If Ric could get another favor in his favor then it would just mean that he would have more sway over Sonny. And, maybe, just maybe, it could be something that would be the start of a mending between the two very estranged brothers.
The third reason that the plan had to be executed to its fullest was best if Scott Baldwin were to leave his office, which Ric intended on making Scott do, he would be named the District Attorney of Port Charles. He would be the one with the most charge in the law system, which he could use in his favor at any time, regardless of his own standing in the law. The kidnappings of Carly and Courtney would mean nothing if he were in the drivers seat. But Ric wasn't all about lusting for power, he wanted to help people on some level. Mostly because showing that he could help people would mean that he could show Elizabeth that he had changed, if only slightly. The Ric that she knew and pushed away would never help anyone but himself and her, and even helping her was a rare occurrence in his life. He always wanted to do the right thing for Elizabeth, there was no question in his mind that he always felt that everything he did was for her on some level, but he saw that he was in error. Almost nothing that he had really done was at all beneficial to his love and ex-wife. She had almost lost her life because of the pills that Ric was feeding her. It wasn't supposed to be that way. He was supposed to take the baby that was now Morgan Stone Corinthos and present it to her as a way of filling the void that was created when she lost their child... when Sonny caused her to lose their child. An eye for an eye... it was a simple theory, but it almost took her away from him in more than just getting a divorce, it almost tore them apart eternally.
Ric Lansing got no rest the night before. It was an odd mix of fear and anxiety. His plan would likely go through the way he wanted it, but there was always the possibility that it wouldn't. What would happen if it didn't go through? Would Sonny take him out? Would Sonny blame Ric for what was going on? Even though it wasn't Ric's fault in any way, Sonny likely wouldn't see it that way. Ric had basically promised that Damian would be out of the cell before the afternoon was up. He thought about calling Elizabeth and telling her, but as he looked down at his phone it said that there was no service at that time. The call could wait, it would have to wait.
Mac had made it his intention to come into the office early, as had Lucky. They still didn't trust Ric at all. But, although they would have trouble truly admitting it to people, he was working with them to help Damian, a fact which made him something that wasn't the enemy, if only for a few moments in their lifetime. He hadn't informed Maxie of their plot, knowing full well that Ric could change sides at the drop of a hat. He didn't want to get her hopes up in some false statement that her boyfriend would be back in her arms sometime soon. The only people who needed to know for sure what was going to happen already knew. As far as Mac was informed, Damian himself didn't even know that he was possibly close to getting his freedom back. Sonny was aware, however. Though, even if the plan went wrong and they were unable to get Damian out, Sonny could keep his mouth shut, at least while he was around Damian. Mac knew that he would never hear the end of it if Ric's plan failed, which was still a great possibility as far as Mac was concerned. If he wasn't so desperate for something, anything, to help the poor kid that was being held with no actual reason Mac wouldn't have gone along with the idea. He didn't have a choice. Much like while he was working with Ric there was no choice in the matter.
Scott had come into the office relatively early as well. Much like Ric, he couldn't sleep. However, unlike his assistant, his sleep wasn't caused by excitement. It was caused by guilt. He wanted to get Damian off the road that he was being sent on. He knew that the boy wasn't guilty of anything. He wanted to make Bobbie happy. He wanted to do it for her because he still cared about her very much. He had realized that some things were more important than popularity points with the voters as well as the increased fame and power that came with another term as the District Attorney. Much like everything else in Scott's life, though, he realized the things that he needed to realize far too late in life. If he had came to the epiphany that he had only several days prior things would have been different. He might have still had a slight chance of making it last with Bobbie. He shouldn't have cared for her like he did. She was the sister of the man that had stolen Laura from him. She was a Spencer. But her blood didn't matter to him, he saw her for more than what he originally would have. He was able to see past the pain that came with remembering what he had lost because of her family and just see her, someone who had lost at love many times as he had. Scott opened a part of his desk that was concealed to most people but himself. It had a picture of him and Bobbie together, they were holding one another in their arms. "It looks like we had to lose at least one more time, Bobbie," Scott said softly. "I'm sorry. For all the pain that I have caused you and your family, I am truly sorry. If there was a way that I could make up for it I would, please believe me. But I don't have any options that I can take. I've made a deal with the one person in this town that I know I shouldn't have even been involved with." Scott sighed, "Why couldn't everything be different, Bobbie? Why couldn't we all be happy?" Scott knew that he wasn't going to get an answer from a picture. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to get an answer from Bobbie even if she was there, because it was a question that no one could answer. The questions that he often asked were the questions that couldn't be answered. He hated that about himself. But he couldn't change it. There were a lot of things in his life about himself that he couldn't change. It was impossible to teach the old dog a new trick in his case. He wished he could learn, but it was too late.
Ric stood outside the door of the office. He shouldn't have been worried about what was going to happen. His plan was basically full-proof. He had all the evidence he needed for Scott's dismissal in his hand. But there was a lingering feeling that he felt. Was he doing the right thing? Was he really going to destroy the career, possibly even the life of someone else just to prove that he was right? No, it was more than that. It was more than the fact that he was tired of dealing with Scott's ways. He was tired of watching Scott push a person around that Ric cared about. That was the big change in his life. He had swore to himself that he would never care for a member of his brother's family, someone that came from Sonny's blood, and even Michael who didn't. But that had changed when he saw that there was at last someone that came from Sonny who could give Ric the chance to maybe atone, maybe start over. Ric wasn't sure that was what he wanted completely. It was something that was almost sadistic, but he enjoyed the game that he played with Sonny. That game of constantly one upping his brother at every turn, or being one upped. Sonny was good for that game. It was one of the best things that Sonny could do. The other was set Ric off without very much effort. Of course, to his credit, Ric could do the same thing to Sonny. They knew each other so well despite not really being around each other that much.
Ric took a breath and walked into the room. The pros outweighed any possible cons that could come from the situation in his mind. He showed no fear, no doubt. He was good at making his face blank. He was a lawyer, after all.
Scott looked up, putting the picture away in a motion that he certainly hoped Ric didn't see. "Lansing? You usually don't come into the office this early."
"I've got a very special reason for coming in this early today, Scott," Ric commented.
Scott wasn't sure he liked how Ric said that, but he couldn't do anything about it. "Have you decided to concede the fact that your nephew is a murderous fiend?"
"Just the opposite in fact," Ric said. "I'm going to give you one more chance, Scott. I don't know why I'm going to do it, but I am. Drop these charges. Let Damian go and nothing will happen."
"I don't take well to being threatened, especially by my assistant," Scott leaned back in his chair. "I could strip you of that title in a second, Ric."
Ric dug into his pocket, "You're not giving me a choice, then."
Scott was nervous, "You can't really except to kill me in the Police Station without getting some sort of charge filed against you, do you?"
Ric chuckled, "You think this is a gun, Scott?" Ric pulled the recorder out, "It's not. It's something that will make you wish that it was a gun, though." Ric watched as Scott's eyes went wide. Ric pressed play. The message played. Scott heard every single word that he had said with Alcazar on the phone just the day before. He heard himself say Alcazar's name. He knew that he had messed up. He knew he was going to die.
Ric didn't care what Scott knew. "I believe that you have no grounds to be holding my nephew any longer, Scott."
Scott felt the beginnings of sweat trickle down his forehead. He had been figured out. Lorenzo was going to kill him. "Please... Ric... don't do this. If I don't get that kid in jail I'm going to die."
"You were willing to send someone who was completely innocent of any single crime to his death just to appease a drug lord, Scott!" Ric's voice was forceful. He had a point to make. "You've got no value of life, so why should I even prevent something of the same caliber happening to you?"
"I've got a daughter."
"Serena is better off without you as her father, Scott. We can only hope that she didn't inherit your sick, twisted mind," Ric put the recorder away. "Resign."
"What?"
"You heard me," Ric said. "Resign. Write your letter of resignation right now. But before you do that, pardon my nephew. If you don't do both of those right now, while I am watching you, I will take this tape to the higher ups and you will be disbarred and sent to prison for conspiring against my nephew. Assuming you make it that far without Alcazar killing you, that is."
"If I do this... will you do something for me?"
"I'm not in the mood to do you any favors," Ric replied.
"Please... I don't want to die. Help me get out of here. I'll do both of those things that you want me to do, but don't let Alcazar know that I failed him. Don't send him after me to kill me. Give me a chance to take my daughter and leave. I can keep us hidden."
"From Alcazar?" Ric scoffed. "If he wants you to be found he is going to find you, Scott. It's as simple as that."
"I can keep myself and my daughter hidden, I'm good at doing that. I'm good at lying. I got your nephew arrested for doing something he had nothing to do with and held him in captivity for over a week, didn't I? I know how to work systems, Lansing. I know how to do it better than you."
"Then why am I the one that is holding you in my hand, right?" Ric said in a mocking tone.
"You're good, you were better than me on this one, I won't try to hide that. But, please, Ric. He's going to kill Serena if I fail him, I know it. You know it, too. He's not above killing a little girl. But are you above letting an innocent girl die?" Scott was grasping at strings that might not have even been there. Asking for pity from Ric might not have been the smartest thing he could have done. Still, he knew that Ric had a heart. Damian's captivity had showed that there were people Ric cared about.
Ric also knew that he couldn't let an innocent like Serena suffer because her father was a power hungry fool. The whole reason he was doing what he was doing was to protect innocents. "Fine, but you'd better be damned good at hiding, Scott. I won't tell Alcazar anything, but you're still going to be out of town in a few hours and you're going to give the confession that it takes to get Damian out of that cell."
Scott got some paper out of his desk and began to write. He wasn't sad. He wanted to be caught. He wanted the nightmare to be over. As long as he got Serena out and she was protected, it would be.
Less than an hour later, Interrogation Room 1-
It was far too early for Damian to be called into the room. It wasn't like he was able to get any rest on the sorry attempts for beds that had been provided by the state of New York.
Ric walked into the room, holding a piece of paper, "You're free to go."
"What?" Damian looked up, his fatigue fading quickly as he thought about what his Uncle had said.
"Baldwin admitted to conspiring against you. We all knew you were innocent, Damian, and now that we have the proof that you are innocent you can leave whenever you want."
"You're not lying, are you?" Damian asked, hoping beyond hope that Ric was being honest. "Please... tell me you're being honest."
"I am," Ric showed Damian the confession, signed and dated by Scott Baldwin, clearing Damian of any involvement and admitting that he had rigged the forensics report to show his fingerprints had been added onto the report by computer. "You should know that your father had nothing to do with this. Everything was legal and by the book."
"I can go home?" Damian's voice was soft. He was still in a state of disbelief.
"As soon as you get the items that you had when you were brought in here, yes, you can go home."
Damian got up and hugged Ric, "Thank you... Uncle Ric, thank you."
Ric, shocked, couldn't really find the words that he wanted. He settled with something very simple, "You're welcome."
Story-
The Next Morning-
Ric had no intentions of messing up the plan. There were plenty of reasons that he needed everything to follow his plot to the letter. It made for almost no margin of error. Ric could benefit from the plan that he had formulated in his head in more than one way. First, he would get his nephew out, an act that would not only make himself happy, it would also help him in his ongoing battle to regain Elizabeth fully. Although she admitted that she still loved him and that she wanted to try again Ric could still push her away just as easily as he had done before. Ric couldn't turn off the impulses that he had which often pushed the love of his life away from him, much as he would try. He could barely suppress them, but he wanted to try as hard as he could with Elizabeth again. He wanted to be happy and he wanted to be happy with her one more time.
Second, it would mean that Sonny would owe him a favor, another favor. Sonny already owed him for saving Damian's life with the bit of information that was given to Sonny by Ric when Faith wanted to use the boy against his father. Although he had never called in the favor that Sonny owed him at that time it did not mean that Ric would never call it in. In fact, he could think of the best times for him to call up an old favor. Sonny wouldn't be able to refuse. Sonny was, after all, a man who always paid his debts, since he hated owing anyone anything. If Ric could get another favor in his favor then it would just mean that he would have more sway over Sonny. And, maybe, just maybe, it could be something that would be the start of a mending between the two very estranged brothers.
The third reason that the plan had to be executed to its fullest was best if Scott Baldwin were to leave his office, which Ric intended on making Scott do, he would be named the District Attorney of Port Charles. He would be the one with the most charge in the law system, which he could use in his favor at any time, regardless of his own standing in the law. The kidnappings of Carly and Courtney would mean nothing if he were in the drivers seat. But Ric wasn't all about lusting for power, he wanted to help people on some level. Mostly because showing that he could help people would mean that he could show Elizabeth that he had changed, if only slightly. The Ric that she knew and pushed away would never help anyone but himself and her, and even helping her was a rare occurrence in his life. He always wanted to do the right thing for Elizabeth, there was no question in his mind that he always felt that everything he did was for her on some level, but he saw that he was in error. Almost nothing that he had really done was at all beneficial to his love and ex-wife. She had almost lost her life because of the pills that Ric was feeding her. It wasn't supposed to be that way. He was supposed to take the baby that was now Morgan Stone Corinthos and present it to her as a way of filling the void that was created when she lost their child... when Sonny caused her to lose their child. An eye for an eye... it was a simple theory, but it almost took her away from him in more than just getting a divorce, it almost tore them apart eternally.
Ric Lansing got no rest the night before. It was an odd mix of fear and anxiety. His plan would likely go through the way he wanted it, but there was always the possibility that it wouldn't. What would happen if it didn't go through? Would Sonny take him out? Would Sonny blame Ric for what was going on? Even though it wasn't Ric's fault in any way, Sonny likely wouldn't see it that way. Ric had basically promised that Damian would be out of the cell before the afternoon was up. He thought about calling Elizabeth and telling her, but as he looked down at his phone it said that there was no service at that time. The call could wait, it would have to wait.
Mac had made it his intention to come into the office early, as had Lucky. They still didn't trust Ric at all. But, although they would have trouble truly admitting it to people, he was working with them to help Damian, a fact which made him something that wasn't the enemy, if only for a few moments in their lifetime. He hadn't informed Maxie of their plot, knowing full well that Ric could change sides at the drop of a hat. He didn't want to get her hopes up in some false statement that her boyfriend would be back in her arms sometime soon. The only people who needed to know for sure what was going to happen already knew. As far as Mac was informed, Damian himself didn't even know that he was possibly close to getting his freedom back. Sonny was aware, however. Though, even if the plan went wrong and they were unable to get Damian out, Sonny could keep his mouth shut, at least while he was around Damian. Mac knew that he would never hear the end of it if Ric's plan failed, which was still a great possibility as far as Mac was concerned. If he wasn't so desperate for something, anything, to help the poor kid that was being held with no actual reason Mac wouldn't have gone along with the idea. He didn't have a choice. Much like while he was working with Ric there was no choice in the matter.
Scott had come into the office relatively early as well. Much like Ric, he couldn't sleep. However, unlike his assistant, his sleep wasn't caused by excitement. It was caused by guilt. He wanted to get Damian off the road that he was being sent on. He knew that the boy wasn't guilty of anything. He wanted to make Bobbie happy. He wanted to do it for her because he still cared about her very much. He had realized that some things were more important than popularity points with the voters as well as the increased fame and power that came with another term as the District Attorney. Much like everything else in Scott's life, though, he realized the things that he needed to realize far too late in life. If he had came to the epiphany that he had only several days prior things would have been different. He might have still had a slight chance of making it last with Bobbie. He shouldn't have cared for her like he did. She was the sister of the man that had stolen Laura from him. She was a Spencer. But her blood didn't matter to him, he saw her for more than what he originally would have. He was able to see past the pain that came with remembering what he had lost because of her family and just see her, someone who had lost at love many times as he had. Scott opened a part of his desk that was concealed to most people but himself. It had a picture of him and Bobbie together, they were holding one another in their arms. "It looks like we had to lose at least one more time, Bobbie," Scott said softly. "I'm sorry. For all the pain that I have caused you and your family, I am truly sorry. If there was a way that I could make up for it I would, please believe me. But I don't have any options that I can take. I've made a deal with the one person in this town that I know I shouldn't have even been involved with." Scott sighed, "Why couldn't everything be different, Bobbie? Why couldn't we all be happy?" Scott knew that he wasn't going to get an answer from a picture. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to get an answer from Bobbie even if she was there, because it was a question that no one could answer. The questions that he often asked were the questions that couldn't be answered. He hated that about himself. But he couldn't change it. There were a lot of things in his life about himself that he couldn't change. It was impossible to teach the old dog a new trick in his case. He wished he could learn, but it was too late.
Ric stood outside the door of the office. He shouldn't have been worried about what was going to happen. His plan was basically full-proof. He had all the evidence he needed for Scott's dismissal in his hand. But there was a lingering feeling that he felt. Was he doing the right thing? Was he really going to destroy the career, possibly even the life of someone else just to prove that he was right? No, it was more than that. It was more than the fact that he was tired of dealing with Scott's ways. He was tired of watching Scott push a person around that Ric cared about. That was the big change in his life. He had swore to himself that he would never care for a member of his brother's family, someone that came from Sonny's blood, and even Michael who didn't. But that had changed when he saw that there was at last someone that came from Sonny who could give Ric the chance to maybe atone, maybe start over. Ric wasn't sure that was what he wanted completely. It was something that was almost sadistic, but he enjoyed the game that he played with Sonny. That game of constantly one upping his brother at every turn, or being one upped. Sonny was good for that game. It was one of the best things that Sonny could do. The other was set Ric off without very much effort. Of course, to his credit, Ric could do the same thing to Sonny. They knew each other so well despite not really being around each other that much.
Ric took a breath and walked into the room. The pros outweighed any possible cons that could come from the situation in his mind. He showed no fear, no doubt. He was good at making his face blank. He was a lawyer, after all.
Scott looked up, putting the picture away in a motion that he certainly hoped Ric didn't see. "Lansing? You usually don't come into the office this early."
"I've got a very special reason for coming in this early today, Scott," Ric commented.
Scott wasn't sure he liked how Ric said that, but he couldn't do anything about it. "Have you decided to concede the fact that your nephew is a murderous fiend?"
"Just the opposite in fact," Ric said. "I'm going to give you one more chance, Scott. I don't know why I'm going to do it, but I am. Drop these charges. Let Damian go and nothing will happen."
"I don't take well to being threatened, especially by my assistant," Scott leaned back in his chair. "I could strip you of that title in a second, Ric."
Ric dug into his pocket, "You're not giving me a choice, then."
Scott was nervous, "You can't really except to kill me in the Police Station without getting some sort of charge filed against you, do you?"
Ric chuckled, "You think this is a gun, Scott?" Ric pulled the recorder out, "It's not. It's something that will make you wish that it was a gun, though." Ric watched as Scott's eyes went wide. Ric pressed play. The message played. Scott heard every single word that he had said with Alcazar on the phone just the day before. He heard himself say Alcazar's name. He knew that he had messed up. He knew he was going to die.
Ric didn't care what Scott knew. "I believe that you have no grounds to be holding my nephew any longer, Scott."
Scott felt the beginnings of sweat trickle down his forehead. He had been figured out. Lorenzo was going to kill him. "Please... Ric... don't do this. If I don't get that kid in jail I'm going to die."
"You were willing to send someone who was completely innocent of any single crime to his death just to appease a drug lord, Scott!" Ric's voice was forceful. He had a point to make. "You've got no value of life, so why should I even prevent something of the same caliber happening to you?"
"I've got a daughter."
"Serena is better off without you as her father, Scott. We can only hope that she didn't inherit your sick, twisted mind," Ric put the recorder away. "Resign."
"What?"
"You heard me," Ric said. "Resign. Write your letter of resignation right now. But before you do that, pardon my nephew. If you don't do both of those right now, while I am watching you, I will take this tape to the higher ups and you will be disbarred and sent to prison for conspiring against my nephew. Assuming you make it that far without Alcazar killing you, that is."
"If I do this... will you do something for me?"
"I'm not in the mood to do you any favors," Ric replied.
"Please... I don't want to die. Help me get out of here. I'll do both of those things that you want me to do, but don't let Alcazar know that I failed him. Don't send him after me to kill me. Give me a chance to take my daughter and leave. I can keep us hidden."
"From Alcazar?" Ric scoffed. "If he wants you to be found he is going to find you, Scott. It's as simple as that."
"I can keep myself and my daughter hidden, I'm good at doing that. I'm good at lying. I got your nephew arrested for doing something he had nothing to do with and held him in captivity for over a week, didn't I? I know how to work systems, Lansing. I know how to do it better than you."
"Then why am I the one that is holding you in my hand, right?" Ric said in a mocking tone.
"You're good, you were better than me on this one, I won't try to hide that. But, please, Ric. He's going to kill Serena if I fail him, I know it. You know it, too. He's not above killing a little girl. But are you above letting an innocent girl die?" Scott was grasping at strings that might not have even been there. Asking for pity from Ric might not have been the smartest thing he could have done. Still, he knew that Ric had a heart. Damian's captivity had showed that there were people Ric cared about.
Ric also knew that he couldn't let an innocent like Serena suffer because her father was a power hungry fool. The whole reason he was doing what he was doing was to protect innocents. "Fine, but you'd better be damned good at hiding, Scott. I won't tell Alcazar anything, but you're still going to be out of town in a few hours and you're going to give the confession that it takes to get Damian out of that cell."
Scott got some paper out of his desk and began to write. He wasn't sad. He wanted to be caught. He wanted the nightmare to be over. As long as he got Serena out and she was protected, it would be.
Less than an hour later, Interrogation Room 1-
It was far too early for Damian to be called into the room. It wasn't like he was able to get any rest on the sorry attempts for beds that had been provided by the state of New York.
Ric walked into the room, holding a piece of paper, "You're free to go."
"What?" Damian looked up, his fatigue fading quickly as he thought about what his Uncle had said.
"Baldwin admitted to conspiring against you. We all knew you were innocent, Damian, and now that we have the proof that you are innocent you can leave whenever you want."
"You're not lying, are you?" Damian asked, hoping beyond hope that Ric was being honest. "Please... tell me you're being honest."
"I am," Ric showed Damian the confession, signed and dated by Scott Baldwin, clearing Damian of any involvement and admitting that he had rigged the forensics report to show his fingerprints had been added onto the report by computer. "You should know that your father had nothing to do with this. Everything was legal and by the book."
"I can go home?" Damian's voice was soft. He was still in a state of disbelief.
"As soon as you get the items that you had when you were brought in here, yes, you can go home."
Damian got up and hugged Ric, "Thank you... Uncle Ric, thank you."
Ric, shocked, couldn't really find the words that he wanted. He settled with something very simple, "You're welcome."