Cassandra stood in silence as her daughter and Anthony's wife continued with their conversation. She had almost taken root and now was unable to move away from the words and ideas that filtered through her ears. Cassandra resisted the urge to come forward and reveal herself. As much as she wanted to tell Elizabeth Malucci that there was no place for her in the Morgan house, Cassandra knew from past experiences that the way to handle such matters was through the protocols of "la familia". With that thought racing around her head, Cassandra set out in search of her husband. She found him sitting alone in his study perplexed by his own eavesdropping. Cassandra closed the heavy door behind her and made her way deeper into the large room. "Joseph, I believe we have a bit of a problem," Cassandra said directly.
"What's that?" Joseph returned.
"Elizabeth Malucci," Cassandra said flatly.
"Why do you think that?" Joseph shifted in his large leather chair. His wife had his full attention now.
"I just heard her admit to Emily that she's in love with our son!"
"Which one?" Joseph feigned a laugh as he tried to mask his own concerns.
"This isn't a joke, Joseph!"
"Maybe you misunderstood what you heard." Joseph attempted to dissuade his wife. "I know that Elizabeth was quite impressed by Jason's generosity. You must have just taken what she said out of context." Joseph averted his eyes back to the pile of papers on the desk before him.
"I think not!" Cassandra's voice was loud. She was angered by her husband's lack of concern for what she saw as an obviously volatile situation in the making. "You have seen the way she looks at him ... ..." At those words, Joseph's mind wandered back to the kiss he had been witness to. Adding his wife's anxiety to the mix only served to complicate things all the more. "JOSEPH!!" Cassandra's high-pitched voice broke his private thoughts.
"What?"
"How do you plan on handling this?"
"Handling what?"
"You can't tell me that you can't see what I see?" Cassandra's voice grew more flustered.
"I see a young woman enamored with a man who appears to be larger than life. Elizabeth is a married woman, Cassandra. She knows the rules," Joseph said firmly while he wondered if there was any truth to that statement. He knew his own son had been schooled from the very beginning in the disciplines of their world, but Jason had somehow lost sight of them. It was hard for him to believe that a young girl from the realm of the legitimate world could even begin to fathom what she was embarking on.
"Married or not," Cassandra countered, "I know what I heard, Joseph. You can't let this continue! Especially not given the constant feud between Jason and Anthony. I can understand Elizabeth finding Jason attractive given the bore she's married to but ... ..."
"Cassandra," Joseph got up from his seat and took his wife in his arms silencing her remaining words. "I have taken care of this family for almost 30 years now and I promise you that I will continue to do so." He kissed her softly. "I think that you are in need of a night out on the town. What do you say to a play or maybe an opera?" Joseph hoped that he would be able to placate his wife for the time being or least until he could get a better handle on things.
"But... ..."
"Shh," Joseph put finger to Cassandra's lips. "Don't argue. I will make all the arrangements. We both deserve a break from all the preparations for Emily's wedding. I think it's time I romanced my beautiful wife, don't you?" Cassandra nodded as she rested her head on Joseph's shoulder. She was still troubled by Elizabeth's admission of love for Jason and Joseph's seeming disregard for the consequences of what that admission could bring about. "So then the theater it is. I have some business to attend to at the moment. I will let you know as soon as I have made our dinner plans."
Cassandra took that as her cue to exit the room, but not without first giving her husband a long, hard stare as she tried to determine just what was on his mind. Joseph smiled as he watched his wife leave. He was thankful that in his 30 years of marriage, he never felt the need for any woman other than Cassandra. Joseph had watched his own father stray from his mother, and he had seen what those trysts had subsequently done to her.
"What do you mean you have to go out?" Maria Morgan cried into her husband's retreating back. "It's our anniversary for god sakes!" She swallowed hard around the lump in her throat.
"I don't have a choice," Andrew Morgan countered sternly.
"Don't give me that! You are the man in charge. You are the 'BOSS'! Can't you have someone else handle whatever this is?" Maria spat.
"ENOUGH! I will not tolerate such insolence! I have something that needs attended to, and I am the only one who can handle it!"
"Don't you mean someone?" Maria quipped.
"What I do with my time is none of your concern!" Andrew's harsh voice forced Joseph deeper into his hiding place. He stood behind the partly closed door and listened as his parents continued to argue in a room they had assumed was empty.
"NONE OF MY CONCERN!?" Maria's voice raised and octave. "I am your wife......"
"In name only!" Andrew said before she had been able to finish her sentence.
"What?" The sheer force of his blunt remark left Maria feeling as though she had had the wind knocked out of her body.
"You heard me! If you think I married you for some undying love, well then you are mistaken."
Maria's tears sprang forth without warning. She was unable to stop them as her eyes pleaded with a man whom she loved with all her heart. "Andrew," she cried as her voice was consumed by sobs.
"ENOUGH! I'm late as it is. Good night Maria!" Andrew said with finality.
Joseph watched as his mother crumpled to the floor sobs wracking her petite frame. Joseph remembered that from that night on his mother was never quite the same. While she continued to play her part in 'la familia' she had lost the sparkle in her eyes and the love that her voice once held.
To this day, Joseph could still hear the argument that he was never meant to hear as it bantered around in his mind. In a way, Elizabeth Malucci reminded him a great deal of his own mother. Joseph leaned against the expansive desk as he compared the two women in his head. While his mother had never been blatant in her actions, as Elizabeth seemed to be, Joseph recalled the many nights he found her sitting alone. Maria often stared at her wedding picture with tears in her eyes while his father was off with one goomah or another. Joseph imagined Elizabeth doing the same thing. That thought now tore at Joseph's heart as much as it had when he spied his mother's tears. Anthony was uncontrollable, willful and downright dangerous. Joseph knew that as much as Jason did. While Joseph would never admit it to his son, he knew that Anthony needed to be halted. However, Joseph's long standing friendship with Rocco added another layer of complication to this teetering building that was about ready to collapse. Joseph picked up the phone and dialed Rocco Malucci's private number in the hopes of getting some answers to the questions that plagued his mind.
Joseph sighed as he rested the receiver in its cradle. He was unsure of exactly what he was going to say to his friend. It wasn't as if he could come right out and ask Rocco to confirm his suspicions and Joseph knew in his heart they weren't merely suspicions any longer. The conversation that Cassandra had overheard between Emily and Elizabeth only served to strengthen what Joseph had already known that his son was in well over his head. Joseph lifted the receiver again and dialed Rocco's number.
"Hello." The voice of Joseph's long time friend drifted passed his eardrum.
"Good evening, Rocco."
"Joseph?" Rocco questioned as a sense of relief filled him. For several days now, he had played with the idea of enlisting his friend's help in insulating Elizabeth from Anthony's wrath after his inevitable death. The old man took this as the perfect opportunity to do just that.
"Yes."
"What can I do for you, or should I say what has my son done now?"
"Nothing – that I know of," Joseph added with a laugh. It was times like this that Joseph longed for the simpler days of years past, days when those in the organization weren't like a pack of wild dogs fighting over the last bits of food. He missed the days when the families worked together for their common welfare rather than against one another. Joseph heard his friend coughing uncontrollably on the other end of the phone. He let out a heavy sigh knowing that the world as he once knew it was swiftly coming to an end. Rocco's death would open up a can of worms that until a few days ago Joseph thought he could control. Now given the fact that Jason had decided to put himself directly in Anthony's line of fire, Joseph was forced to rethink his original plans.
"So if my son is behaving himself, to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?" Rocco asked again.
"AJ and Courtney are expecting. I am going to be a grandfather can you believe that?" Joseph said. He did his best to showcase his excitement for the upcoming event, but at the moment all he could do was picture Elizabeth kissing Jason in the foyer.
"How wonderful! Cassandra must be so excited. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"Joseph Morgan a grandfather, who would have thought it?" Rocco teased.
"I know," Joseph paused as he searched for a way to work Elizabeth and Anthony's marriage into the conversation without it appearing that he was fishing for information. "So, what about you? When is Anthony planning on making you a grandpappy?" Joseph chided.
"I don't expect anytime soon." Rocco's voice had a hint of despair in it.
"Why not? Elizabeth is a lovely young woman and she's quite pretty as well. I would imagine you would have some handsome grandchildren out of that union."
"Yes I would agree, but I still don't expect to see grandchildren before I die."
"Anthony is a very lucky man. From what I have seen of his wife, she is quite the civic-minded woman. She and Emily have been working diligently on the Coronary Care Benefit. He should be proud."
"Yes he should," Rocco sighed hating to have to play these games with his old friend. "I was glad that Emily agreed to assist with the benefit. Elizabeth could use a friend her own age." Rocco now looked for an opening to make his request.
"I would imagine a woman as charming as Elizabeth would have many friends. Like I said before, Anthony is a lucky man."
"Joseph," Rocco hesitated, "not all Mafia marriages turn out as graceful as your own has." Rocco's voice was flat as he spoke.
Joseph let his eyes rest on the family photo that sat on his desk. In a world filled with goomahs and one night stands, he had never partaken of such things, nor had he ever wanted to nevertheless all those events were common place and in the end it was the women who did the most suffering. "I understand that," Joseph returned as he waited for his friend to continue.
"You are completely right. Elizabeth is a lovely girl, but she's lonely. I don't have to remind you what my son is like. You have first hand knowledge."
"Yes I do," Joseph concurred.
"Elizabeth, well she isn't like most women, at least not like the women who marry into our world..."
"How so?" Joseph interrupted.
"She thought she was marrying for love, Joseph."
That statement brought back the sound of his father's voice telling his mother that if she had thought he had married her for some undying love, she had been mistaken. "So you are saying that's not true?"
"Joseph, Anthony loves only Anthony!" Rocco let out a frustrated sigh as his fears of what his son was capable of came flooding forward. "He has a great lust for power as you very well know. He saw Elizabeth as a way to gain political power and Jeff Webber was foolish enough to use his daughter as a bargaining chip for his own agendas!"
Joseph now heard Jason's voice as he had recounted a similar tale of events. The conversation that Joseph had hoped would clear his mind now only clouded it more. "Bargaining chip?" Joseph questioned.
"Yes. Mr. Webber needed my son and well – Anthony capitalized on that need. He sweetened the pot for himself by arranging to marry a congressman's daughter."
Joseph sat silent not knowing what to say. While he now knew that Jason's story about Elizabeth's marriage was very, very real, that still didn't make the idea of their affair any easier to swallow. Again his eyes rested on the photo on his desk, yet this time he trained his stare on his own daughter's face. The notion that any father would trade their child for themselves had Joseph shaking his head, but he had to stop and wonder if he hadn't done something similar to Jason. Had he traded his son's happiness for what he expected of him? Had he sacrificed Jason's life so that there would be an heir to take the seat at the head of the Morgan table when Joseph himself was no longer able to fill it?
"Joseph," Rocco's soft voice put a stop to his rambling thoughts. "I need to ask something of you and your family."
"What?"
"I know I am not long for this world. The doctors have done what they can for me, and well, I have accepted the fact that I am going to die sooner rather than later." Joseph felt his eyes fill with tears at those words. "I have done my best to teach my son his place and the ways of this thing of ours, but it's quite apparent that Anthony has his own agenda."
"Yes it is," Joseph returned.
"In the recent months, I have been witness to his temper. It is somewhat violent at times and well, I fear for Elizabeth once I am gone."
"I see. What are you asking of me?"
"Elizabeth... ..." Rocco paused, "she reminds me so much of Anna. I don't want to see what happened to my sister happen to her. I know your feelings on extramarital affairs, but I can't sit by and watch my son whittle away at such a wonderful person. It's very apparent to me that Elizabeth has someone in her life that makes her happy...."
"Do you know who?" Joseph hesitantly interrupted.
"No, nor do I want to know. I can only assume that it's someone who can love her the way she deserves to be, since I know in my heart Anthony isn't capable of such emotions."
"You think Anthony will bring harm to Elizabeth because of her affair?"
"Yes. When I am no longer here as a buffer against my son, I feel that his violence will escalate and harm indeed will come to her. Joseph she's expendable. To Anthony, anything and everything standing in the way of what he wants is expendable. I need you to control him. You are the only one even remotely able to take on such a task." Rocco heard the pleading in his own voice.
"If I can't control him, then what?"
"Do what needs to be done," Rocco answered coldly. He knew he was trading his son's life for Elizabeth's but he couldn't let the transgressions of his world claim another innocent victim as it had claimed his sister Anna.
Joseph sat in silence as he digested the many events of the day. This was like a large jigsaw puzzle whose pieces didn't match. Joseph's intention with this phone call was to gauge the status of Elizabeth's marriage. He definitely had gotten an answer, but it had done nothing but further confuse the issue.
"Joseph?"
"Yes?"
"Will you help me?"
"I will do what I can," Joseph finally relented.
"What's that?" Joseph returned.
"Elizabeth Malucci," Cassandra said flatly.
"Why do you think that?" Joseph shifted in his large leather chair. His wife had his full attention now.
"I just heard her admit to Emily that she's in love with our son!"
"Which one?" Joseph feigned a laugh as he tried to mask his own concerns.
"This isn't a joke, Joseph!"
"Maybe you misunderstood what you heard." Joseph attempted to dissuade his wife. "I know that Elizabeth was quite impressed by Jason's generosity. You must have just taken what she said out of context." Joseph averted his eyes back to the pile of papers on the desk before him.
"I think not!" Cassandra's voice was loud. She was angered by her husband's lack of concern for what she saw as an obviously volatile situation in the making. "You have seen the way she looks at him ... ..." At those words, Joseph's mind wandered back to the kiss he had been witness to. Adding his wife's anxiety to the mix only served to complicate things all the more. "JOSEPH!!" Cassandra's high-pitched voice broke his private thoughts.
"What?"
"How do you plan on handling this?"
"Handling what?"
"You can't tell me that you can't see what I see?" Cassandra's voice grew more flustered.
"I see a young woman enamored with a man who appears to be larger than life. Elizabeth is a married woman, Cassandra. She knows the rules," Joseph said firmly while he wondered if there was any truth to that statement. He knew his own son had been schooled from the very beginning in the disciplines of their world, but Jason had somehow lost sight of them. It was hard for him to believe that a young girl from the realm of the legitimate world could even begin to fathom what she was embarking on.
"Married or not," Cassandra countered, "I know what I heard, Joseph. You can't let this continue! Especially not given the constant feud between Jason and Anthony. I can understand Elizabeth finding Jason attractive given the bore she's married to but ... ..."
"Cassandra," Joseph got up from his seat and took his wife in his arms silencing her remaining words. "I have taken care of this family for almost 30 years now and I promise you that I will continue to do so." He kissed her softly. "I think that you are in need of a night out on the town. What do you say to a play or maybe an opera?" Joseph hoped that he would be able to placate his wife for the time being or least until he could get a better handle on things.
"But... ..."
"Shh," Joseph put finger to Cassandra's lips. "Don't argue. I will make all the arrangements. We both deserve a break from all the preparations for Emily's wedding. I think it's time I romanced my beautiful wife, don't you?" Cassandra nodded as she rested her head on Joseph's shoulder. She was still troubled by Elizabeth's admission of love for Jason and Joseph's seeming disregard for the consequences of what that admission could bring about. "So then the theater it is. I have some business to attend to at the moment. I will let you know as soon as I have made our dinner plans."
Cassandra took that as her cue to exit the room, but not without first giving her husband a long, hard stare as she tried to determine just what was on his mind. Joseph smiled as he watched his wife leave. He was thankful that in his 30 years of marriage, he never felt the need for any woman other than Cassandra. Joseph had watched his own father stray from his mother, and he had seen what those trysts had subsequently done to her.
"What do you mean you have to go out?" Maria Morgan cried into her husband's retreating back. "It's our anniversary for god sakes!" She swallowed hard around the lump in her throat.
"I don't have a choice," Andrew Morgan countered sternly.
"Don't give me that! You are the man in charge. You are the 'BOSS'! Can't you have someone else handle whatever this is?" Maria spat.
"ENOUGH! I will not tolerate such insolence! I have something that needs attended to, and I am the only one who can handle it!"
"Don't you mean someone?" Maria quipped.
"What I do with my time is none of your concern!" Andrew's harsh voice forced Joseph deeper into his hiding place. He stood behind the partly closed door and listened as his parents continued to argue in a room they had assumed was empty.
"NONE OF MY CONCERN!?" Maria's voice raised and octave. "I am your wife......"
"In name only!" Andrew said before she had been able to finish her sentence.
"What?" The sheer force of his blunt remark left Maria feeling as though she had had the wind knocked out of her body.
"You heard me! If you think I married you for some undying love, well then you are mistaken."
Maria's tears sprang forth without warning. She was unable to stop them as her eyes pleaded with a man whom she loved with all her heart. "Andrew," she cried as her voice was consumed by sobs.
"ENOUGH! I'm late as it is. Good night Maria!" Andrew said with finality.
Joseph watched as his mother crumpled to the floor sobs wracking her petite frame. Joseph remembered that from that night on his mother was never quite the same. While she continued to play her part in 'la familia' she had lost the sparkle in her eyes and the love that her voice once held.
To this day, Joseph could still hear the argument that he was never meant to hear as it bantered around in his mind. In a way, Elizabeth Malucci reminded him a great deal of his own mother. Joseph leaned against the expansive desk as he compared the two women in his head. While his mother had never been blatant in her actions, as Elizabeth seemed to be, Joseph recalled the many nights he found her sitting alone. Maria often stared at her wedding picture with tears in her eyes while his father was off with one goomah or another. Joseph imagined Elizabeth doing the same thing. That thought now tore at Joseph's heart as much as it had when he spied his mother's tears. Anthony was uncontrollable, willful and downright dangerous. Joseph knew that as much as Jason did. While Joseph would never admit it to his son, he knew that Anthony needed to be halted. However, Joseph's long standing friendship with Rocco added another layer of complication to this teetering building that was about ready to collapse. Joseph picked up the phone and dialed Rocco Malucci's private number in the hopes of getting some answers to the questions that plagued his mind.
Joseph sighed as he rested the receiver in its cradle. He was unsure of exactly what he was going to say to his friend. It wasn't as if he could come right out and ask Rocco to confirm his suspicions and Joseph knew in his heart they weren't merely suspicions any longer. The conversation that Cassandra had overheard between Emily and Elizabeth only served to strengthen what Joseph had already known that his son was in well over his head. Joseph lifted the receiver again and dialed Rocco's number.
"Hello." The voice of Joseph's long time friend drifted passed his eardrum.
"Good evening, Rocco."
"Joseph?" Rocco questioned as a sense of relief filled him. For several days now, he had played with the idea of enlisting his friend's help in insulating Elizabeth from Anthony's wrath after his inevitable death. The old man took this as the perfect opportunity to do just that.
"Yes."
"What can I do for you, or should I say what has my son done now?"
"Nothing – that I know of," Joseph added with a laugh. It was times like this that Joseph longed for the simpler days of years past, days when those in the organization weren't like a pack of wild dogs fighting over the last bits of food. He missed the days when the families worked together for their common welfare rather than against one another. Joseph heard his friend coughing uncontrollably on the other end of the phone. He let out a heavy sigh knowing that the world as he once knew it was swiftly coming to an end. Rocco's death would open up a can of worms that until a few days ago Joseph thought he could control. Now given the fact that Jason had decided to put himself directly in Anthony's line of fire, Joseph was forced to rethink his original plans.
"So if my son is behaving himself, to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?" Rocco asked again.
"AJ and Courtney are expecting. I am going to be a grandfather can you believe that?" Joseph said. He did his best to showcase his excitement for the upcoming event, but at the moment all he could do was picture Elizabeth kissing Jason in the foyer.
"How wonderful! Cassandra must be so excited. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"Joseph Morgan a grandfather, who would have thought it?" Rocco teased.
"I know," Joseph paused as he searched for a way to work Elizabeth and Anthony's marriage into the conversation without it appearing that he was fishing for information. "So, what about you? When is Anthony planning on making you a grandpappy?" Joseph chided.
"I don't expect anytime soon." Rocco's voice had a hint of despair in it.
"Why not? Elizabeth is a lovely young woman and she's quite pretty as well. I would imagine you would have some handsome grandchildren out of that union."
"Yes I would agree, but I still don't expect to see grandchildren before I die."
"Anthony is a very lucky man. From what I have seen of his wife, she is quite the civic-minded woman. She and Emily have been working diligently on the Coronary Care Benefit. He should be proud."
"Yes he should," Rocco sighed hating to have to play these games with his old friend. "I was glad that Emily agreed to assist with the benefit. Elizabeth could use a friend her own age." Rocco now looked for an opening to make his request.
"I would imagine a woman as charming as Elizabeth would have many friends. Like I said before, Anthony is a lucky man."
"Joseph," Rocco hesitated, "not all Mafia marriages turn out as graceful as your own has." Rocco's voice was flat as he spoke.
Joseph let his eyes rest on the family photo that sat on his desk. In a world filled with goomahs and one night stands, he had never partaken of such things, nor had he ever wanted to nevertheless all those events were common place and in the end it was the women who did the most suffering. "I understand that," Joseph returned as he waited for his friend to continue.
"You are completely right. Elizabeth is a lovely girl, but she's lonely. I don't have to remind you what my son is like. You have first hand knowledge."
"Yes I do," Joseph concurred.
"Elizabeth, well she isn't like most women, at least not like the women who marry into our world..."
"How so?" Joseph interrupted.
"She thought she was marrying for love, Joseph."
That statement brought back the sound of his father's voice telling his mother that if she had thought he had married her for some undying love, she had been mistaken. "So you are saying that's not true?"
"Joseph, Anthony loves only Anthony!" Rocco let out a frustrated sigh as his fears of what his son was capable of came flooding forward. "He has a great lust for power as you very well know. He saw Elizabeth as a way to gain political power and Jeff Webber was foolish enough to use his daughter as a bargaining chip for his own agendas!"
Joseph now heard Jason's voice as he had recounted a similar tale of events. The conversation that Joseph had hoped would clear his mind now only clouded it more. "Bargaining chip?" Joseph questioned.
"Yes. Mr. Webber needed my son and well – Anthony capitalized on that need. He sweetened the pot for himself by arranging to marry a congressman's daughter."
Joseph sat silent not knowing what to say. While he now knew that Jason's story about Elizabeth's marriage was very, very real, that still didn't make the idea of their affair any easier to swallow. Again his eyes rested on the photo on his desk, yet this time he trained his stare on his own daughter's face. The notion that any father would trade their child for themselves had Joseph shaking his head, but he had to stop and wonder if he hadn't done something similar to Jason. Had he traded his son's happiness for what he expected of him? Had he sacrificed Jason's life so that there would be an heir to take the seat at the head of the Morgan table when Joseph himself was no longer able to fill it?
"Joseph," Rocco's soft voice put a stop to his rambling thoughts. "I need to ask something of you and your family."
"What?"
"I know I am not long for this world. The doctors have done what they can for me, and well, I have accepted the fact that I am going to die sooner rather than later." Joseph felt his eyes fill with tears at those words. "I have done my best to teach my son his place and the ways of this thing of ours, but it's quite apparent that Anthony has his own agenda."
"Yes it is," Joseph returned.
"In the recent months, I have been witness to his temper. It is somewhat violent at times and well, I fear for Elizabeth once I am gone."
"I see. What are you asking of me?"
"Elizabeth... ..." Rocco paused, "she reminds me so much of Anna. I don't want to see what happened to my sister happen to her. I know your feelings on extramarital affairs, but I can't sit by and watch my son whittle away at such a wonderful person. It's very apparent to me that Elizabeth has someone in her life that makes her happy...."
"Do you know who?" Joseph hesitantly interrupted.
"No, nor do I want to know. I can only assume that it's someone who can love her the way she deserves to be, since I know in my heart Anthony isn't capable of such emotions."
"You think Anthony will bring harm to Elizabeth because of her affair?"
"Yes. When I am no longer here as a buffer against my son, I feel that his violence will escalate and harm indeed will come to her. Joseph she's expendable. To Anthony, anything and everything standing in the way of what he wants is expendable. I need you to control him. You are the only one even remotely able to take on such a task." Rocco heard the pleading in his own voice.
"If I can't control him, then what?"
"Do what needs to be done," Rocco answered coldly. He knew he was trading his son's life for Elizabeth's but he couldn't let the transgressions of his world claim another innocent victim as it had claimed his sister Anna.
Joseph sat in silence as he digested the many events of the day. This was like a large jigsaw puzzle whose pieces didn't match. Joseph's intention with this phone call was to gauge the status of Elizabeth's marriage. He definitely had gotten an answer, but it had done nothing but further confuse the issue.
"Joseph?"
"Yes?"
"Will you help me?"
"I will do what I can," Joseph finally relented.