A/N: So, I have officially finished the writing process for this story. All that's left is a little editing! It's gonna be 25 chapters all together, so look out for the rest of this. But don't worry, by the time I post, we still have a lot of time until the end.
And thanks everyone for not reporting me!
AnAngelofAStar- I'm glad you were able to catch up and I'm so glad that you like it!
middiegurl08- I'm just so wild. It's crazy. Me and my insane thanks, lol. I totally agree, don't restrict us. Isn't fanfiction about creativity anyway? Don't give us limits!
Vicki316- Good luck on your reading. Sure, it's a little late, but it's here. I know all about procrastinating. For example, right now, I should be writing an AP social essay. However… I don't wannnnnaaaa. So I'm not. Shhhh, don't tell anyone.
anon14- I love me some cliffhangers. And I also love me a voice of reason. It's completely necessary in every story.
emmalee05- You know me when it comes to family bonding. And yes, since GH isn't taking the time to develop Maxie and Jesse, I'm doing it myself. They've got more depth than trying to solve crimes. They've got romance!
MattMarraccinilvr- Sorry, didn't mean to leave you hanging for so long. Don't hate me!
Spoiledtink- Tough decisions always make for interesting writing. I'm glad you like it!
Jen- Oh no, don't die. Dying is really not good. 'Cause then you don't get to find out what happens to Jesse and Maxie! But I'm glad you like it that much.
Dana- Here's your update!
Tania- I'm glad you like the sweet, tender moments. Thanks for reviewing!
MelindaM- I agree. Corbin is an amazing actor, but his character is just an asshole. But I'm sure it's more fun to play the bad guy anyway.
Kate- I'm glad you like my story so much! Keep reading and reviewing!
Silver- I love that you loved the sweet conversation between Maxie and Jesse. I think it was totally necessary to have sweetness thrown in.
hcky11- Welcome to the site and to my story! I'm glad you liked it so much and thanks for reviewing! And I'm glad you liked how I wrote the characters.
journeyghlover- I can't believe you wanna shoot Jesse! Lol, I know what you meant. I was just kidding. But you sure seem eager to sacrifice Jesse. Hmmm, ; )
Rivercity-Chic- I do like your idea, don't worry. But, I do have my plans too. And besides, I already had the whole thing written out. But I love to hear people's ideas, so thanks for sharing!
Nell- Aww, that's ok. I'm just glad you were able to catch up with it. I'm glad you've like the last few!
Tina- Yes, I do love to lay on the angst, lol. I'm glad you liked it!
Chapter 18- The Testimony
"Detective Beaudry, you accepted an undercover assignment sanctioned by the PCPD to infiltrate Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan's organization, is this correct?" asked Durant.
"Yes" said Jesse as he stared straight ahead, unable to look Maxie or anyone else in her family in the eye.
"And during this time, you witness these crimes being committed, didn't you?" asked Durant.
Jesse didn't answer, but he instead looked down at his feet.
"Be more specific" he said in a quiet voice as he finally looked up.
"Alright" said Durant testily. "Were Sonny and Jason smuggling products into Port Charles? Did they conspire against various organizations, including the PCPD itself? Did they order the beating of certain men including…"
As Durant rambled on, Jesse looked up into Maxie's eyes for the first time. Her words from their fight echoed in his head.
"So, did they?" bellowed Durant.
Jesse's head shot up and he stuck his chin out defiantly.
"I plead the fifth" he said in a stern and in command voice as he looked straight into Maxie's eyes.
He saw them immediately light up as she broke out into a wide grin.
"Thank you" she mouthed at him. "Thank you so much"
"Detective Beaudry, I think you are misunderstanding this situation. If you plead the fifth and refuse to testify, you will be obstructing justice!" cried Durant angrily as he slammed his fist down on the prosecution's table.
"No DA Durant, I understand everything" he said as his voice grew even clearer.
"Arrest this man" said Durant as he pointed at Jesse.
The bailiffs rushed towards him and immediately grabbed Jesse. They began to read him his rights as they put him in handcuffs. The courtroom was buzzing as Maxie stood up and her eyes met Jesse's.
"Do something!" she cried to Justus.
"There's nothing we can do" he said as Ric shook his head in agreement.
"Wait! Mr. Corinthos, Mr. Morgan! You need to protect Maxie!" cried Jesse as he was dragged away. "You have to! She's not safe!" he cried out as he was finally led out of sight.
"What the hell just happened here?" asked Sonny in disbelief.
"Love" whispered Maxie behind him.
"Your sisters have magical powers Sonny. How many times have I had to tell you that? They are extremely manipulative. But in a good way of course" explained Jason next to him.
"Order in the court!" cried the judge as she banged her gavel. "Order" she said in a disgruntled voice. "Mr. Durant, no more shows" she ordered. "Now please call your next witness"
"I…I don't have one" said Durant.
The judge rolled her eyes and glared at him as though he was wasting his time. The few witnesses that he had put on the stand before Beaudry were ineffectual and hadn't provided any actual evidence.
"This suit is dropped. Lack of evidence" said the judge as she got up and left the room.
The bailiffs immediately uncuffed Sonny and Jason who eagerly ran to their families and embraced them. Jason held Ava and Courtney close to him as Sonny hugged Carly and Michael.
"Come here kid" said Sonny as he held out his arms to Maxie.
"I'm so glad you were released" said Maxie as she hugged him tightly.
"But you're worried about Jesse" said Sonny with a half smile.
"Am I that obvious?" asked Maxie sadly.
"It's obvious that you love him, and that he loves too. He took a risk by refusing to testify today"
"He can't go to jail" said Maxie sadly.
"We wont let him, don't worry. He proved to be more loyal than some of our men even" said Sonny with a smile.
"Is this your way of giving us your blessing?" asked Maxie.
"Maybe" said Sonny with a smirk, showing off his dimples. "But if anyone asks, I didn't say that" he said as he walked over to Courtney and Ava.
"Of course you didn't" mumbled Maxie as she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her.
"You did good sis" said Jason as he hugged her.
"We talked about that. Don't call me 'sis'" demanded Maxie. "And wait a second, what do you mean I did good?"
"Come on Maxie. You talked him into not testifying, it's obvious" said Jason.
"He believed in our love" said Maxie stubbornly.
"He must really love you" said Jason, "to prove himself to you like that"
"Hey, what do you think he meant when he said Maxie wasn't safe?" asked Sonny as he came up to Maxie and Jason.
"I don't know. And there is only one way to find out" said Jason.
John Durant was on a rampage and the entire PCPD was shaking in its shoes. No one wanted to risk having his wrath come down on them. Everyone knew that Jesse was going to pay. The man formerly hailed as a hero and savior was booted off of his pedestal and was going to suffer the consequences at John Durant's hand. That didn't stop Justus and Ric from insisting that they represent Jesse. They were battling it out with Durant, hell-bent on getting Jesse's charges dropped. But Durant had the stronger hand, and it was obvious that the charges were going to stick, and they were going to court.
"Justus, can we have a minute in here?" asked Sonny as he and Jason walked into the interrogation room where Jesse sat handcuffed to a table.
"Ah, sure" said Justus as he got up.
"Wait outside with Maxie, ok?" asked Sonny quietly.
"No problem" said Justus as he went out to greet the girl who he considered a cousin.
Sonny and Jason sat down in the two chairs that were on the side of the table closest to the door.
"That's supposed to be my side of the table" said Jesse dryly as he pulled on the chains that bound him to the steel table.
"Yeah, and you can't even count the number of times I was in that position" chimed in Jason.
"Or me" said Sonny bitterly.
"Why'd you do it?" asked Jason. "Why'd you refuse to testify?"
"I couldn't do that to Maxie. She told me how much you two mean to her, and I couldn't rip her heart out anymore than I already did"
"You really hurt her" said Jason almost menacingly.
"I know" said Jesse ashamedly as he looked down.
"But that's not to say I didn't have a hand in that either" said Sonny. "You saved us out there. You're a cop, and you had the chance to put us away for life, no chance of parole"
"I guess the benefits of this scenario outweighed the risks" said Jesse as he shrugged his shoulders.
"You mean Maxie" said Jason with a smirk.
"I know that you two are never going to approve, but I love Maxie. And she loved me at one point" said Jesse.
"And she still does" said Sonny.
"I just need to talk to her" pleaded Jesse.
"You're in luck, she's right outside" said Jason as he and Sonny got up.
"Cooperate with my legal team" warned Sonny as he and Jason walked out. Sonny quickly popped his head back in and with a quick and reluctant "ah, thanks" he was out of there again.
The next person to walk into the room was Jesse's blonde angel herself.
"Maxie" he said breathlessly as he stood up.
"Shhh" she said as she raised one finger to her lips.
She walked around the table and walked over to her. He stared into her eyes for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. Before he had a chance to get a word out, Maxie grabbed the back of his head and the back of his neck and pulled him down into a passionate, hungry kiss, filled with longing and true feelings.
"You're an idiot for getting yourself thrown in jail" she said as she kissed him again. "But you saved my life" she said as once again their mouths met. "I don't know if I can ever thank you enough. If my brothers were sent to prison, I would have died" she told him.
"Yeah, and there's still a chance you might" said Jesse seriously as he pulled away from her but kept a firm grip on her hand with his unchained one.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Jesse sat down in the chair and Maxie followed suit, sitting down on his lap.
"I didn't want to testify against your brothers from the start. But John Durant blackmailed me. He promised to make my life a living hell and said that he would throw me in prison. I didn't care though. But then he threatened you. He said he was going to destroy you, and he was going to kill you"
"John Durant doesn't scare me" said Maxie as she went to kiss him again, but Jesse pulled back once more.
"Well he should!" he demanded. "The guy has power and he's ruthless. That's a very bad combination"
"My brothers will protect me" said Maxie. "I promise to let them know exactly what's going on"
"Maxie, you have to. I can't let anything happen to you. I love you with all my heart" he told her.
"I love you too" she said as she kissed him again.
"So, what does this mean? Can you forgive me for lying to you? For deceiving you like I did?"
"I'm not going to lie to you and say it didn't change the way I look at you. It made me angry and bitter. But as pissed off as I was, you redeemed yourself in court today. But yes, I did feel used" she admitted.
"I would never do that to you Maxie" he said, desperation in his eyes. "I didn't mean to fall in love with you. It just happened. And I tried to control myself and I tried to hold back. But you made it so hard" he told her with a smile. "And when it came down to my job and you, I had to choose my job. I was scared. John Durant is crazy. I knew that he would never let me see the light of day again. He would sack me with a desk job and just send in a more ruthless cop if Sonny fired me. And I didn't want to leave you with someone like that. And I knew he would find a way to hurt both you and your family"
"Thank you for being my knight in shining armor. You always have been noble" she told him with a smile.
"I try" he said with a big smile as the two kissed again.
"So what happens now?" she asked him.
"There's gonna be a bail hearing, but my request will most likely be denied. So, I get the pleasure of sitting in the Port Charles Prison until my court date, whenever that may be"
"And the Port Charles Prison means you'll be under the watchful eye of John Durant" sighed Maxie.
"Exactly" said Jesse sadly.
"My poor baby" said Maxie as she wrapped her arms around Jesse's neck and hugged him tightly as she planted kisses on his neck. "What can I do to make you feel better?"
"That's pretty good" he told her as he closed his eyes and felt her lips on his skin.
Maxie ran her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck as she hugged him close before continuing her barrage of kisses.
"Maxie, I'm sorry, but Jesse needs to be processed now" said Ric as he peeked his head into the door.
"Alright, I'll try to come by and see you either later or tomorrow, ok?" she asked him.
"Whenever you get a chance" he told her as he kissed her again. "I love you"
"I love you too" said Maxie as she got off Jesse's lap and left the interrogation room.
As she entered the PCPD's main room, she shot a glare at Durant.
"We need to talk" she whispered to Sonny and Jason.
Sonny took Maxie by the hand and she and Jason led her outside so that they were standing on the steps of the station.
"What is it?" asked Sonny.
"Jesse didn't want to testify from the start. He was coerced into it" explained Maxie.
"How? Did Durant threaten him with prison, or firing him?" asked Jason.
"In the beginning. But when that was ineffectual, he threatened to have me killed" said Maxie in a firm voice.
Sonny and Jason exchanged a look before they both took Maxie by the hands and led her away from the PCPD as fast as they could.
A/N: I know, Jesse not testifying was one of my more predictable cliffhangers. But come on, if he did testify, that would be the end, and a very crappy ending at that. So remember, leave me reviews to find out how I get Jesse off the hook.