One Month Later-
Damian had managed to deal with the fact that he was a murderer. Nobody would tell anyone else what had happened. The only people who needed to know, knew. He told Maxie, but she said that he did the right thing. Lorenzo would have killed him and everyone else that he cared about. He needed to be dealt with.
He and Jason had recovered. Jason was doing everything the same way that he had always done. Damian's ribs were healed, but he still felt some pain every time he moved. That pain would eventually subside, a testament to his love of his little brother.
Damian didn't tell anyone about what had happened with Lorenzo. He knew that Sonny was his father, and even if it didn't end up being something that blood could determine, he was still Sonny's child.
He also told nobody about Carly's involvement in the situation. She felt bad enough about everything as it was. He knew that she didn't mean to hurt him as much as she did. She had apologized enough.
His grandparents never came around, but he called them and told them that everything was going to be okay.
He managed to get his schoolwork all cleared up. He was doing well. The Quatermaine's and other doctors said that he could intern the next year if he kept it up. He vowed that he would.
Dillon was still living with Jason and Courtney. They seemed to be happy together. Dillon would never be their child, nor would he want to be, but Dillon loved them both, it was obvious. Dillon was also making a few visits to the Quatermaine's. At first he didn't want to, but Damian pointed out the importance of family, even family that there wasn't much to love about.
The Park-
"Why did you want me to meet you here?" Justus asked.
"Did you bring the papers?" Damian inquired.
"Yes," Justus answered. He pulled out the documents. "You sure you want to do this?'
"Justus, it's my name..."
"I thought you liked your name."
"I do," Damian looked at the papers that would change his last name. "But I don't feel complete until I acknowledge my entire heritage."
"You're going to be an even bigger target if you do this... Sonny would understand."
"Dad still doesn't know, does he?"
"You asked me to keep him out of the loop. It wasn't easy, but I think I managed to fool him."
"Good, I want this to be a surprise."
"This is your last chance to change your mind."
"I'm not going to change my mind," Damian grabbed the pen and signed the paper. As soon as Justus filed them, he wouldn't be just a Zuniga. His name would legally be changed to Damian Zuniga-Corinthos. He could never give up the part of him that he knew better than anything else. He was still a Zuniga, he would always honor his mother and her memory, but he couldn't spit on his father in the way that he was. He was Michael Corinthos's son, and he should have acknowledged that simple fact. "There..."
"You know, I never thought you'd do it."
"But I did." Damian got up, "I have to meet Maxie somewhere..."
"Okay, bye."
Damian got up and left Justus. The lawyer could only smile.
Elsewhere in the Park-
Maxie had been led somewhere, she couldn't tell where. She was blindfolded. Dillon and Georgie were the ones who took her to the area. She was told that she wasn't allowed to take off the blindfold. They were gone, but she didn't know that.
She wondered what was going on.
Then she heard it, the soft sonata of a piano. She smiled. She knew that she could take the blindfold off. She looked around and saw that she was in the same area that they met. He was in the gazebo, somehow managing to sneak a baby grand into the small gazebo. She knew the song, 'Truly, Madly, Deeply.' It had been one of her favorites. Georgie must have told him. As he played it without a single error, she realized that she had a new reason to love it. A new memory that she would always cherish.
She walked up and sat on his lap, he continued to play, but when the song ended he just gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you, you know that."
"I've known it since the first time you told me. I'll never forget it."
"Good, and you'll never forget me..."
"Never." Maxie could see his eyes were wide. Was something wrong? "Damian?"
"Look..."
Maxie looked out towards wherever Damian was looking. She saw it, too. The first snow of the season. It was early November. It was cold. It was snowing.
Damian grabbed her hand and took her out from under the protective shell of the Gazebo. "I've... always wanted to be in the snow."
"You've never done it before?"
"I'm from California, remember?'
"Do you know what to do in the snow?'
"Hold the person I love?" Damian asked.
Maxie smirked, "Good enough."
Damian and Maxie held each other, the gentle snowflakes hitting them both as they looked up at the sky. They were young, they were in love.
He'd come to Port Charles a young man looking for identity, looking for the man that had always been a question to him. He'd found that man, and he'd grown to be a better person because of it. Throughout everything he'd been through, he had no regrets.
He knew that somewhere, his mother was going to be happy with him.
Endnote:
Well, guess we're all done with this, right? I know, I know. You're sad. So am I. I could have kept this going, but I didn't. Sorry that the last two chapters were like a single chapter broken up, but I figured that it was the best way to do this.
You know, if someone had told me a year ago that I would end up writing a near 900 page story on General Hospital, I would have laughed my ass off. No, I wasn't a fan a year ago, but I'm a fan now, and I think it's good that I've become a fan of the story and the characters, they're so great.
Am I happy that I did this story? Yes, I am. Am I completely satisfied with it? No, of course not. I had a lot of things that I played out in my head that I wanted to have happen but either just got rid of, or scrapped for time. I wanted Ric and Liz to get married again, and have Damian be the only one who was there to recognize the union. I wanted Sonny to find out about Carly's deal with Alcazar and throw her out, Damian being the one that would bring them back together. I even played with the idea of having Maxie be pregnant with Kyle's child, having it and raising with Damian.
So, you can see that there were a lot of things that I wanted to do... but in the end I think I wrote the best story that I could have given everything that happened.
I can't thank you all enough for reading it, for putting up with so much talking and dialog and how long it dragged in times.
Maybe I'll do another one...
Probably not.
Either way, I'm a better writer because of it.
Set.
Damian had managed to deal with the fact that he was a murderer. Nobody would tell anyone else what had happened. The only people who needed to know, knew. He told Maxie, but she said that he did the right thing. Lorenzo would have killed him and everyone else that he cared about. He needed to be dealt with.
He and Jason had recovered. Jason was doing everything the same way that he had always done. Damian's ribs were healed, but he still felt some pain every time he moved. That pain would eventually subside, a testament to his love of his little brother.
Damian didn't tell anyone about what had happened with Lorenzo. He knew that Sonny was his father, and even if it didn't end up being something that blood could determine, he was still Sonny's child.
He also told nobody about Carly's involvement in the situation. She felt bad enough about everything as it was. He knew that she didn't mean to hurt him as much as she did. She had apologized enough.
His grandparents never came around, but he called them and told them that everything was going to be okay.
He managed to get his schoolwork all cleared up. He was doing well. The Quatermaine's and other doctors said that he could intern the next year if he kept it up. He vowed that he would.
Dillon was still living with Jason and Courtney. They seemed to be happy together. Dillon would never be their child, nor would he want to be, but Dillon loved them both, it was obvious. Dillon was also making a few visits to the Quatermaine's. At first he didn't want to, but Damian pointed out the importance of family, even family that there wasn't much to love about.
The Park-
"Why did you want me to meet you here?" Justus asked.
"Did you bring the papers?" Damian inquired.
"Yes," Justus answered. He pulled out the documents. "You sure you want to do this?'
"Justus, it's my name..."
"I thought you liked your name."
"I do," Damian looked at the papers that would change his last name. "But I don't feel complete until I acknowledge my entire heritage."
"You're going to be an even bigger target if you do this... Sonny would understand."
"Dad still doesn't know, does he?"
"You asked me to keep him out of the loop. It wasn't easy, but I think I managed to fool him."
"Good, I want this to be a surprise."
"This is your last chance to change your mind."
"I'm not going to change my mind," Damian grabbed the pen and signed the paper. As soon as Justus filed them, he wouldn't be just a Zuniga. His name would legally be changed to Damian Zuniga-Corinthos. He could never give up the part of him that he knew better than anything else. He was still a Zuniga, he would always honor his mother and her memory, but he couldn't spit on his father in the way that he was. He was Michael Corinthos's son, and he should have acknowledged that simple fact. "There..."
"You know, I never thought you'd do it."
"But I did." Damian got up, "I have to meet Maxie somewhere..."
"Okay, bye."
Damian got up and left Justus. The lawyer could only smile.
Elsewhere in the Park-
Maxie had been led somewhere, she couldn't tell where. She was blindfolded. Dillon and Georgie were the ones who took her to the area. She was told that she wasn't allowed to take off the blindfold. They were gone, but she didn't know that.
She wondered what was going on.
Then she heard it, the soft sonata of a piano. She smiled. She knew that she could take the blindfold off. She looked around and saw that she was in the same area that they met. He was in the gazebo, somehow managing to sneak a baby grand into the small gazebo. She knew the song, 'Truly, Madly, Deeply.' It had been one of her favorites. Georgie must have told him. As he played it without a single error, she realized that she had a new reason to love it. A new memory that she would always cherish.
She walked up and sat on his lap, he continued to play, but when the song ended he just gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you, you know that."
"I've known it since the first time you told me. I'll never forget it."
"Good, and you'll never forget me..."
"Never." Maxie could see his eyes were wide. Was something wrong? "Damian?"
"Look..."
Maxie looked out towards wherever Damian was looking. She saw it, too. The first snow of the season. It was early November. It was cold. It was snowing.
Damian grabbed her hand and took her out from under the protective shell of the Gazebo. "I've... always wanted to be in the snow."
"You've never done it before?"
"I'm from California, remember?'
"Do you know what to do in the snow?'
"Hold the person I love?" Damian asked.
Maxie smirked, "Good enough."
Damian and Maxie held each other, the gentle snowflakes hitting them both as they looked up at the sky. They were young, they were in love.
He'd come to Port Charles a young man looking for identity, looking for the man that had always been a question to him. He'd found that man, and he'd grown to be a better person because of it. Throughout everything he'd been through, he had no regrets.
He knew that somewhere, his mother was going to be happy with him.
Endnote:
Well, guess we're all done with this, right? I know, I know. You're sad. So am I. I could have kept this going, but I didn't. Sorry that the last two chapters were like a single chapter broken up, but I figured that it was the best way to do this.
You know, if someone had told me a year ago that I would end up writing a near 900 page story on General Hospital, I would have laughed my ass off. No, I wasn't a fan a year ago, but I'm a fan now, and I think it's good that I've become a fan of the story and the characters, they're so great.
Am I happy that I did this story? Yes, I am. Am I completely satisfied with it? No, of course not. I had a lot of things that I played out in my head that I wanted to have happen but either just got rid of, or scrapped for time. I wanted Ric and Liz to get married again, and have Damian be the only one who was there to recognize the union. I wanted Sonny to find out about Carly's deal with Alcazar and throw her out, Damian being the one that would bring them back together. I even played with the idea of having Maxie be pregnant with Kyle's child, having it and raising with Damian.
So, you can see that there were a lot of things that I wanted to do... but in the end I think I wrote the best story that I could have given everything that happened.
I can't thank you all enough for reading it, for putting up with so much talking and dialog and how long it dragged in times.
Maybe I'll do another one...
Probably not.
Either way, I'm a better writer because of it.
Set.