Kayla- I just have to keep it somewhat unpredictable, don't I? Besides, I
like writing the Damian/Jason moments, they're good fun. The Damian/Maxie
scene will come tomorrow, so look forward to that.
Story-
Michael had dragged Damian up to his room as soon as he realized that his big brother was home. Being such a young child, Michael's mood swing was not very surprising, and for the most part everyone was just happy to see the old Michael back. They were also happy to see that Damian was back as well, and Damian was happy to be back. He had just sat there on Michael's bed and watched his little brother run around telling him about all the new things that his mother and father had bought to somehow cushion the blow. Like always, they resorted to materialism. It didn't work, but Damian wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that. He was glad that he had made himself a part of Michael's life that couldn't be replaced by some overly priced knickknack, but it also showed just how much damage he could do to Michael if he ever got in trouble again, or worse. He'd almost been killed before. There was no saying that he wouldn't get put in the same situation again.
"Don't you think it's really neat?" Michael asked, showing Damian his new remote control car.
"Huh?" Damian looked up.
"Am I bothering you?" Michael slouched. He didn't want to be annoying. He was afraid that it would push Damian away again, and that it would be his fault then, no matter what people would tell him otherwise.
"No, Michael, I'm happy that you're showing me everything that's happened since I've been away, but you don't need to show it all to me right away, I'm not going to go back to jail." At least, he hoped that he wasn't going to be going back to jail. Of course he didn't think he'd go the first time. Things seemed to have a certain random probability in his family so he couldn't really say for sure that what he had planned out was going to be what happened.
"If you do go back, though... I want to know that I spent some time with you," Michael sat next to Damian. "I want you to know that I love you."
"Did you ever think for a minute that I didn't know that?" Damian asked. "We're brothers, Michael. We're going to love each other forever. I want to always be there for you when you need me if I can be. But, like you saw for the week I was gone, there are going to be times when I can't be around to help you out. When those times come, you just need to remember that I never stopped caring about you. Even when I'm gone forever. Do you think you can remember that?"
"I'll never forget."
"Good," Damian smiled. He was amazed at Michael's ability to grasp concepts that were difficult for him to understand, even at 21. Michael was the brightest boy he'd ever encountered, and one of the nicest. He was proud to call himself Michael's brother. "I heard that you were really brave while I was away."
"I didn't cry a lot," Michael said, somewhat happily. But the boastful nature faltered a moment later, "I wanted to cry, though. Every time I walked into the house and knew that you weren't here, I wanted to cry. I think daddy felt like it, too."
"I never meant for it to get that bad for either of you. I didn't mean for anything to happen like it did."
"You weren't the one that should have been blamed," Sonny walked in. He had given his boys a moment alone, knowing that they probably needed it. But now he needed to speak with Damian himself. "You see, Mike? This is what I was telling you about. Good people who believe that everything will turn out right in the end will always be the ones that end up winning when everything finishes." Sonny wasn't exactly a believer in such an optimistic outlook on life, but he had been made less of a skeptic. So many times he had pondered going against Damian's request and just breaking him out of jail, or forcing someone to let him out. Sonny couldn't do it, though. He wouldn't break his word to anyone, especially his son.
Damian wasn't sure he bought his father's sudden change of heart. But he wasn't going to call Sonny on it in front of his boy. He had no real reason to disbelieve his father, but it was still hard, believing that a man who killed people for a living and did a handful of other illegal activities could be such a positive thinker. He believed it, though. He believed himself the theory that Sonny was spouting. "As long as you believe in yourself over anything else and follow your heart, Michael, you'll always win the most important battle of all, the moral battle."
Sonny was partly amazed. Damian had seen the worst of a system that was supposed to protect honest people. He had every reason to turn his back on that system, it had failed him already. But, Damian didn't. Either because he didn't want to or because he still held out such strong beliefs that everything would eventually come out right in the end. Sonny never could be so objective, though he wanted to try. He'd seen too much, become too jaded. "Why don't you get some rest?" Sonny addressed Michael.
Michael looked at Damian. Damian knew what was going on in his head, "You can't stay up forever, kid. I'm going to be home tonight. Don't worry."
"Well... okay."
"I'll even take you out to Kelly's for something to eat later tonight, just the two of us." Damian made the offer entirely out of good faith. "How's that sound?"
"Can I, daddy?" Michael asked, his face already showing how much he liked that idea.
"I don't see any problem with it," Sonny said. "But you need to get some sleep first."
"See you in a few hours," Damian walked out, followed by his father. Michael rolled up around his bed as Damian closed the door. "Poor kid. I didn't know that I caused him so much stress while I was in jail."
"He cares about you so much. What were you expecting him to feel when he was worrying about you almost every waking moment?"
"I thought you'd help him through it," Damian retorted.
"I tried. We all did. Michael didn't want to listen. He didn't want to hear us say anything. All he wanted was for you to get out of jail."
"Now that I am, you think everything will be okay?"
"It's taking a step towards the right direction," Sonny said. "You know, you should really get some rest, too."
Damian shook his head, "Now that Michael's going to be sleeping, I can slip out for a little while without worrying him again."
"Slip out?" Sonny asked. "You're not going anywhere. You just got out of jail!"
"Dad... I have to see her."
Sonny shook his head, "Maxie can wait until tomorrow."
"If you were in jail for a week, wouldn't you go see Carly as soon as possible and not let anything stop you?" Damian wasn't going to let anyone, not even a mob boss father scorned, keep him from the woman that he loved. "Please, I know how to get to General Hospital."
"You're going with..."
"No," Damian cut him off. "No guards, dad. Nobody following me. Not Max, not Uncle Jason, who couldn't even do it if you ordered him to, not even Aunt Courtney. I want to see her alone. Please."
Sonny, who was well known for never doing something that he had no desire to do, did not want to let his son walk around Port Charles unprotected, but, in an uncharacteristic moment of letting someone else get their way over himself, Sonny caved. "Fine. You can go to the hospital by yourself. But how do you know that she'll even be there?"
"She'll be there," Damian assured his father. "She's been taking as many days as she possibly can because it helps her get her mind off of what was going on with me. I just want to show her that I'm okay, that I'm out, and let her know that we don't have to be afraid of anything anymore."
"You really love her, don't you?"
Damian nodded, "I do, dad. I love her because she's showed me a different part of myself, a better part of myself. One that isn't still living in the moment where I became a parentless teenager. She's showed me that I could have something that I've always wanted but never thought I could get because of my past. More than that, I feel better when I'm around her. I need to be with her, if not for her, then for me."
"You're going to make it with her," Sonny said. "I can feel it."
"Thanks."
"You don't mind if I ask you to be home in a few hours, do you?" Sonny inquired. "I'm letting you go without guards when we don't have cell phone service. I at least need to know that you're safe."
"Two hours, three tops."
"Deal."
Damian walked down the hall, down the stairs, and out of the house. It was like he was possessed by something, which he was. He was driven by his love for Maxie Jones.
Story-
Michael had dragged Damian up to his room as soon as he realized that his big brother was home. Being such a young child, Michael's mood swing was not very surprising, and for the most part everyone was just happy to see the old Michael back. They were also happy to see that Damian was back as well, and Damian was happy to be back. He had just sat there on Michael's bed and watched his little brother run around telling him about all the new things that his mother and father had bought to somehow cushion the blow. Like always, they resorted to materialism. It didn't work, but Damian wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that. He was glad that he had made himself a part of Michael's life that couldn't be replaced by some overly priced knickknack, but it also showed just how much damage he could do to Michael if he ever got in trouble again, or worse. He'd almost been killed before. There was no saying that he wouldn't get put in the same situation again.
"Don't you think it's really neat?" Michael asked, showing Damian his new remote control car.
"Huh?" Damian looked up.
"Am I bothering you?" Michael slouched. He didn't want to be annoying. He was afraid that it would push Damian away again, and that it would be his fault then, no matter what people would tell him otherwise.
"No, Michael, I'm happy that you're showing me everything that's happened since I've been away, but you don't need to show it all to me right away, I'm not going to go back to jail." At least, he hoped that he wasn't going to be going back to jail. Of course he didn't think he'd go the first time. Things seemed to have a certain random probability in his family so he couldn't really say for sure that what he had planned out was going to be what happened.
"If you do go back, though... I want to know that I spent some time with you," Michael sat next to Damian. "I want you to know that I love you."
"Did you ever think for a minute that I didn't know that?" Damian asked. "We're brothers, Michael. We're going to love each other forever. I want to always be there for you when you need me if I can be. But, like you saw for the week I was gone, there are going to be times when I can't be around to help you out. When those times come, you just need to remember that I never stopped caring about you. Even when I'm gone forever. Do you think you can remember that?"
"I'll never forget."
"Good," Damian smiled. He was amazed at Michael's ability to grasp concepts that were difficult for him to understand, even at 21. Michael was the brightest boy he'd ever encountered, and one of the nicest. He was proud to call himself Michael's brother. "I heard that you were really brave while I was away."
"I didn't cry a lot," Michael said, somewhat happily. But the boastful nature faltered a moment later, "I wanted to cry, though. Every time I walked into the house and knew that you weren't here, I wanted to cry. I think daddy felt like it, too."
"I never meant for it to get that bad for either of you. I didn't mean for anything to happen like it did."
"You weren't the one that should have been blamed," Sonny walked in. He had given his boys a moment alone, knowing that they probably needed it. But now he needed to speak with Damian himself. "You see, Mike? This is what I was telling you about. Good people who believe that everything will turn out right in the end will always be the ones that end up winning when everything finishes." Sonny wasn't exactly a believer in such an optimistic outlook on life, but he had been made less of a skeptic. So many times he had pondered going against Damian's request and just breaking him out of jail, or forcing someone to let him out. Sonny couldn't do it, though. He wouldn't break his word to anyone, especially his son.
Damian wasn't sure he bought his father's sudden change of heart. But he wasn't going to call Sonny on it in front of his boy. He had no real reason to disbelieve his father, but it was still hard, believing that a man who killed people for a living and did a handful of other illegal activities could be such a positive thinker. He believed it, though. He believed himself the theory that Sonny was spouting. "As long as you believe in yourself over anything else and follow your heart, Michael, you'll always win the most important battle of all, the moral battle."
Sonny was partly amazed. Damian had seen the worst of a system that was supposed to protect honest people. He had every reason to turn his back on that system, it had failed him already. But, Damian didn't. Either because he didn't want to or because he still held out such strong beliefs that everything would eventually come out right in the end. Sonny never could be so objective, though he wanted to try. He'd seen too much, become too jaded. "Why don't you get some rest?" Sonny addressed Michael.
Michael looked at Damian. Damian knew what was going on in his head, "You can't stay up forever, kid. I'm going to be home tonight. Don't worry."
"Well... okay."
"I'll even take you out to Kelly's for something to eat later tonight, just the two of us." Damian made the offer entirely out of good faith. "How's that sound?"
"Can I, daddy?" Michael asked, his face already showing how much he liked that idea.
"I don't see any problem with it," Sonny said. "But you need to get some sleep first."
"See you in a few hours," Damian walked out, followed by his father. Michael rolled up around his bed as Damian closed the door. "Poor kid. I didn't know that I caused him so much stress while I was in jail."
"He cares about you so much. What were you expecting him to feel when he was worrying about you almost every waking moment?"
"I thought you'd help him through it," Damian retorted.
"I tried. We all did. Michael didn't want to listen. He didn't want to hear us say anything. All he wanted was for you to get out of jail."
"Now that I am, you think everything will be okay?"
"It's taking a step towards the right direction," Sonny said. "You know, you should really get some rest, too."
Damian shook his head, "Now that Michael's going to be sleeping, I can slip out for a little while without worrying him again."
"Slip out?" Sonny asked. "You're not going anywhere. You just got out of jail!"
"Dad... I have to see her."
Sonny shook his head, "Maxie can wait until tomorrow."
"If you were in jail for a week, wouldn't you go see Carly as soon as possible and not let anything stop you?" Damian wasn't going to let anyone, not even a mob boss father scorned, keep him from the woman that he loved. "Please, I know how to get to General Hospital."
"You're going with..."
"No," Damian cut him off. "No guards, dad. Nobody following me. Not Max, not Uncle Jason, who couldn't even do it if you ordered him to, not even Aunt Courtney. I want to see her alone. Please."
Sonny, who was well known for never doing something that he had no desire to do, did not want to let his son walk around Port Charles unprotected, but, in an uncharacteristic moment of letting someone else get their way over himself, Sonny caved. "Fine. You can go to the hospital by yourself. But how do you know that she'll even be there?"
"She'll be there," Damian assured his father. "She's been taking as many days as she possibly can because it helps her get her mind off of what was going on with me. I just want to show her that I'm okay, that I'm out, and let her know that we don't have to be afraid of anything anymore."
"You really love her, don't you?"
Damian nodded, "I do, dad. I love her because she's showed me a different part of myself, a better part of myself. One that isn't still living in the moment where I became a parentless teenager. She's showed me that I could have something that I've always wanted but never thought I could get because of my past. More than that, I feel better when I'm around her. I need to be with her, if not for her, then for me."
"You're going to make it with her," Sonny said. "I can feel it."
"Thanks."
"You don't mind if I ask you to be home in a few hours, do you?" Sonny inquired. "I'm letting you go without guards when we don't have cell phone service. I at least need to know that you're safe."
"Two hours, three tops."
"Deal."
Damian walked down the hall, down the stairs, and out of the house. It was like he was possessed by something, which he was. He was driven by his love for Maxie Jones.