Chapter 4: Between Order and Randomness

Sorry for the long wait! I just started school and I'm working two jobs right now, so I've been extremely busy! Thank you to everyone who has left comments, it's good for me to know what you are thinking and your thoughts are really helping to shape where this story goes!

WARNING: Character death in this chapter

Characters:

Rachel Janacek (Sam and Sonny)- 23

Emma Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 17

Gabe Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Maddie Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Katie Morgan (Sam and John; raised by Jason)- 14

Selena Morgan (Stella and Tyler; adopted by Sam and Jason)- 4

Morgan Corinthos (Carly and Sonny)- 29

Josslyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 22

Courtney Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 17

Connor Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 16

Jacelyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 14

Chloe J Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17

Christian Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17

Lukas Spencer (Maxie and Lucky)- 16

Leah Zacchara (Maxie and Johnny)- 15

Ava Zacchara (Maxie; adopted by Johnny)- 14

Daniel Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 17

Mia Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 16

Allie Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 14

Izzie Zacchara (Claudia)- 23

Clay Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 22

Zack Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 17

Hunter Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 16

Brittany Corinthos (Sonny and Brenda)- 16

Brenna Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 15

Lindsey Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 23

Nate Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 17

Noah Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 16

Spencer Cassadine (Nikolas and Courtney)- 28

Aiden Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 22

Paige Cassadine (Nikolas and Emily)- 17

Aubrey Crowell (Nadine and Nikolas)- 16

Nattie Cassadine (Nikolas and Brook Lynn)- 15

Colton Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 14

Wes Janacek (Kristina and Kiefer)- 16

Haley Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 16

Logan Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15

Livvie Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15

Molly Lansing Webber (Ric and Alexis)- 28

Addie Lansing (Ric and Elizabeth)- 16

Cameron Webber (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 29

Jake Spencer (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 24

Brendan Webber (Elizabeth)- 17

Stella Hunter (Elizabeth and Matt)- 16

Alec Barrett (Brenda and Aleksander)- 23

Ashlyn Falconeri (Lulu and Dante)- 15

Lila Rae Alcazar (Skye and Lorenzo)- 28

Jamie Quartermaine (Dillon and Georgie)- 17

Tanner Quartermaine (Dillon and Lulu)- 16

Julian Quartermaine (AJ)- 15

Grace Quartermaine (Skye)- 14

Tyler Drake (Lisa and Patrick)- 17

Ian Niles (Lisa)- 14

Carrie Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 15

Ryan Rosco (Faith)- 17

Dominic Rosco (Faith)- 14

Prue Webber (Molly and Cam)- 0

Henry Spencer (Lindsey and Jake)- 0

Sophia Janacek (Rachel and Kiefer)- 4

Kailey Franco (Franco)- 16

Reed Worth (Maggie)- 16

Rhiannon Deusa- 16

Lauren Grayson- 16

Brianna Edwards- 17

Deceased:

Bella Jacks (Jax and Brenda)- 15

Mason Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 15

Jazzie Corinthos (Sonny and Kate)- 14

Lola Zacchara (Claudia and Nikolas)- 14

Ben Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 15

Liam Drake (Elizabeth and Patrick)- 15

Matt Zacchara (Lulu and Johnny)- 17

Joey Falconeri (Dante and Brenda)- 17

Trevor Alcazar (Skye and Lorenzo)- 16

Taylor Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 14

Parker Ruiz (Manny)- 16

Corey Spinelli (Spinelli)- 15

Bailey Spencer (Lucky and Siobhan)- 15

Max Franco (Franco)- 15

Lily Mir (Leyla and Aleksander)- 15

Chapter 4: Between Order and Randomness

Emma

"Good morning!" Courtney walked up to Emma's locker. "How are you on this wonderful Thursday?"

Emma shrugged. "I've been better. What are we doing this weekend?"

"I'm sure we'll find some kind of party, and if we don't, then we can always just go to a bar or something like that. The two of us have a way of finding fun wherever we go."

"Did I hear you ladies say you are looking for a party?" the girls looked up as a boy about their age approached them. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and was a couple of inches taller than Courtney, meaning he practically towered over Emma (though he was still shorter than Zack).

Emma looked around, and then back at the boy. "Wow, are you talking to us?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"You know, just that we're PCH students and you Madison punks want absolutely nothing to do with us. C'mon, Court." Emma grabbed Courtney's hand and started to pull her away.

"Wait!" the boy ran after them, going to Emma's other side. "My name's Tate, Tate McClelland. What are yours?"

"Courtney Jacks."

"Emma Morgan."

"You see, I don't really agree with the ideas my classmates have. I think that if you're down to party, then you should be able to regardless of what school you come from. That being said, there's going to be a party at my house tomorrow night and I want both of you to be there."

Emma and Courtney looked at each other, silently debating on whether they should or not. The younger of the two nodded slightly, making Courtney look at Tate.

"We'll be there."

"Great!" the bell rang.

"I'll see you later, Em." Courtney went down the hallway.

"So, Emma. How about you and me ditch and go shopping for our party outfits? I'm in need of a date."

Emma rolled her eyes. "No, thanks."

"Come on. A pretty girl like you can't be chained down. You've got to keep your options open."

Emma didn't particularly like the guy, especially since she had whatever you would call it going on with Zack, but she didn't want to spend her whole day at Madison.

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds a lot more tempting. Let's get out of here."

"So, what do you think of this?" Emma walked out of the dressing room in a white sequined tank top, black mini skirt, and white heels.

Tate grimaced. "I don't know, I think it needs a little more cleavage."

Emma rolled her eyes; typical guy response. She went back into the changing room. She looked at the black dress she had chosen. It dipped low, showing off a lot of cleavage, and then reached down to her knees. She put it on, and then added some black heels.

When the door opened, Tate studied her closely. "Come on, girl! We need some more leg!"

Emma stared at him. "Seriously?"

"You are gorgeous. Don't you want every girl at the party tomorrow to be envious of you?"

She could just imagine all of the Madison girls now, staring at her with pure hatred. She had to keep herself from laughing out loud as she reentered her changing room.

This time, she walked out in a short, strapless, hot pink dress and black heels. Tate's eyes were focused only on her chest, until he looked further down her body.

"You're probably going to think I'm a jerk for saying this, but I don't want you to be self-conscious, or for anyone to make fun of you."

"Just say it."

"You look kind of…big."

Emma immediately went back to her dressing room. She studied herself in the mirror. It was a little snug around her stomach. She quickly ripped it off, vowing to never look at that dress again. How could she have gotten so out of shape?

But the next three dresses she tried on, Tate had the same comments- too small, too tight around her stomach, maybe you need a bigger size. Emma was starting to get discouraged, and she didn't know how much more of this shopping trip she could take.

"You know, I don't think this is the right store. My best friend's mom is a fashion designer; I'm going to see if she can find something for me, and I know what you like now."

"Sounds good to me." Tate smiled at her. "I'm just trying to help you, Emma. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." But she wasn't so sure. How could someone she had just met that morning tell her that she was fat so easily? Was it common knowledge that she was gaining weight? Did everyone talk about it behind her back?

Why didn't anyone tell her?

Zack

Zack walked through the halls after 3rd period, his eyes scanning the crowd of people. He hadn't seen Emma at all that day, though Courtney had assured him that she was there that morning. He was determined to find her.

He spotted two familiar blondes and called out. "Britt! Connor!"

The juniors stopped, waiting for him to catch up to them. They were all on their way to lunch, so it's not like they had to worry about being late.

"Hey, have you guys seen Emma at all?"

"Nope." Connor answered.

"No. Why?"

"Because Courtney and Maddie both said that she was here this morning, but I haven't seen her at all and she isn't answering my calls or texts."

Before the TMK situation, Zack would have completely blown it off. He would have just thought that Emma needed a little space, and she would call him when she was ready. But now, he automatically went to worst case scenario, and the gears in his brain were definitely spinning.

"You need to calm down. She probably just wasn't feeling well and went home to sleep." Brittany responded as they approached the cafeteria. Connor opened the door for her. "Thank you. Zack, why are you so worried anyway?"

"Really? You're gonna really ask that question? I think we all know that bad things can happen at any time." Right as he finished speaking, Courtney walked out of the bathroom across the hall.

"Hey guys." Her face was noticeably paler and he was temporarily distracted.

"You okay, Blondie?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Mmhmm."

Normally, he would have prodded more, but there were more important matters on his mind. "Have you spoken to Emma?"

"Yeah, she texted me back last period. This morning, we were invited to a party by this Madison kid named Tate McClelland. He actually seemed somewhat decent. Emma ditched school to go shopping with him for a party outfit."

Immediately, all ideas of Emma being hurt switched to ways that Zack could hurt Tate. He didn't understand why she would think it was okay to go out with some guy she just met, especially with everything going on between them.

"Oh. Really."

"Zack…" Brittany began in a warning tone.

"What?"

"You need to calm down."

"What are you talking about? I am calm."

"Look, I can say this to you because, besides Emma, you are my oldest friend. Everyone can see that you are in love with her, and that you're ready to be in a relationship or whatever. But Emma isn't ready for that yet, and if you push her, she's just going to pull away from you. Let her figure out what she wants on her own, even if it's not what you want." Courtney advised.

"Whatever. I'm going to sit down." Zack left the group and went over to the table.

All he knew was that he didn't like the idea of Emma being out with other guys. He prayed that she would realize her feelings as soon as possible, because he was ready whenever she was.

Chloe J and Mia

"5…6…7…8…" Chloe J counted off, watching as the girls on the NYCS cheer team did their back handsprings.

"You know, I'm really surprised they can tumble." Mia stated. She was sitting on the ground with her IPad working out possible music, while Chloe J was standing and directing the girls on tumbling so they could see what they were capable of.

"Yeah, me too. But apparently, the budget was larger back when they were in middle school and their coach paid for them all to get tumbling classes. Lucky for us, they can still do it." She bit her lip, considering her next question. "So, how have things with the Morgans been lately?"

"Fine. A lot better than being with my parents, that's for sure."

"How's Emma?"

"Chloe J, I'm not being rude, but why don't you ask her yourself? Why are the two of you practically avoiding each other?"

"We're not avoiding each other. It's just hard to be as close to someone that is going to a different school than you."

Mia smiled sympathetically. She understood that. While everyone else got to go to school and see each other every day, she was stuck in Gabe's bedroom with a laptop until he and Maddie came home. Online school had been her choice, but she kind of regretted it.

"Everyone is worried about Emma. She's been partying a lot lately, and it's like a constant thing all weekend. I tried to talk to Gabe about it, but he doesn't seem concerned. Sam and Jason tried to get information from me yesterday, but I didn't have anything to tell them."

Chloe J watched Lauren finished her back handspring. "Well what do you think? You live in the same house as her, you have to have some kind of opinion."

"I think that Emma's going down a dangerous road. I know how it is; I was in the same place less than three months ago. But if she wants to, she can turn things around. She's Emma Morgan, for God's sake. She can do anything."

Chloe J wished she had the same amount of confidence in her best friend. She wasn't so sure that Emma was making the right decisions, and she couldn't believe that Courtney and Zack were just letting her destroy her life like this.

"Yeah, you're right." She agreed.

"So tomorrow is Paige's 18th birthday." Mia said. "What are we planning? I thought we would have had a big party because 18 is a big year, plus it's on a Friday."

"It's kind of hard to plan things with the whole Dream Team spread all over. Paige said she just wants to keep in low key."

"And we're going to let her?"

"What do you mean?" Chloe J questioned.

"The Dream Team does not do 'low key'. We have to do something."

"I don't want to rock the boat. She's having a hard time with Nikolas traveling to Russia so often, Brook Lynn still hasn't returned home, she's at a new school, and she's still getting over Zack."

"I guess you're right." Mia sighed. "Are we at least getting her a big present?"

"I don't know, I haven't talked about it to anyone else yet. Nate wants to get a cake."

"What about Courtney?"

Chloe J looked away from Rhiannon and down at the younger girl. "What about her?"

"Did you ask her what she wants to do?"

She shook her head. "I haven't talked to Courtney in a couple of days."

"So we're just going to let Paige's 18th birthday pass by like any regular day?"

Chloe J smiled. "No, Mimi. We've got a little something planned."

Paige

Paige couldn't believe that it was already her last day being 17. She was nearly an adult, and then she could do whatever she wanted. She had considered getting an apartment since she hates Wyndemere, but she was too scared to live on her own.

But honestly, she wasn't that excited. What did she have to look forward to? She had drifted really far apart from both Emma and Courtney, and things were super awkward with her and Zack. It's not like there would have been a big party anyway (she preferred smaller, more personal events), but now, there probably wouldn't be anything.

"Look who's here!" Nattie practically sang as she walked into the living room. Behind her was Aubrey, who set her purse down on a chair and sat on the couch next to Paige.

"Happy almost Birthday!" Aubrey said with a smile.

"You know we go to the same school and I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Paige asked, smiling just as big. She and Aubrey had barely talked when Aubrey was dating Connor, but she was glad to have the girl as a sister.

"Yeah, but I've never had siblings before that I could celebrate their birthdays. What are you gonna do? Have a huge party?"

"Paige doesn't want a party. She wants to keep it 'low-key'." Nattie answered with an eye roll, plopping down on the loveseat.

"You're only going to turn 18 once!" Aubrey reminded her.

"It's just not that big of a deal to me. I don't like being the center of attention; I'm not like Emma or Chloe J or Courtney or Mia. I like to blend in, and a birthday party just draws too much attention. I would rather just stay here and watch some movies or something."

"That is so lame!" Nattie argued. "Paige, you are finally single after a four year relationship. Have some fun!"

"I don't know how to have fun. I'm barely talking to over half of my closest friends. It's not like I have anyone to hang out with anyway."

"Ouch." Nattie grabbed her chest in fake hurt. "Aubrey, do you feel that burning pain deep down in your heart because Paige acts like we don't exist?" Aubrey just laughed at her antics. "Come on, P. Let us throw you a party!"

"I'm just really not in the mood for it, guys. Maybe next year."

Nattie groaned. "I don't know how we're related because I would never turn down people throwing a party for me. What if it brings you closer to all of your friends?"

"Nattie, I said no, okay? Just drop it." She said.

"Fine. But one of the kids at NYCS is having a party tomorrow night. Will you at least come to that with me? Aubrey can come too, and we'll have a sister night!"

"Whoa, how did I get pulled into this?" Aubrey asked. She wasn't really the partying type and only went because of Connor back when they dated.

"Because we're gonna have a sister night." Nattie repeated. "Please, Paige?"

Paige sighed. "I'll think about it, but I doubt it. You know that I like to stay home on my birthday."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't be alone." Nattie argued. "C'mon, let's go find outfits!" the youngest of the girls grabbed her two older sisters' hands and ran upstairs.

Nate

"Wow, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Nate asked as he and Noah walked into the house, seeing Lindsey sitting on the couch. "Where's Henry?"

"He went to visit with his Grandpa Lucky today." Lindsey answered. "Sit down. I brought cake."

Both boys sat down immediately. The Scorpio-Drake children had inherited their mother's love for chocolate cake, and they would eat it at any opportunity.

"So, how was school?"

"Boring." Nate answered.

"Same old, same old." Noah added. "Nate, you going to that party tomorrow?"

"What party?"

"Some junior at NYCS, I think a girl named Sarah or something like that, is throwing a big party. Some of the people from the Crew have been saying that they're going."

"Who is 'some people from the Crew'?"

"Lukas, Leah, Nattie, Daniel, Katie, Ava, and Jace."

"That's it?" Lindsey asked in surprise. She had to swoop in and save her little brothers (and some of their friends) from a lot of party situations, so she was shocked to hear that hardly anyone would be taking the opportunity to go.

"Paige, Maddie, and Connor only went to parties because of everyone else, Gabe and Mia stay home because of her pregnancy, Chloe J doesn't like to deal with all the random people, and I don't know about Hunter and Britt." Nate told her.

Lindsey noticed that three people were missing from his list of close friends, one in particular catching her attention. "What about Zack, Courtney, and Emma?"

"They kind of do their own thing now."

"What do you mean?"

"They find parties at random people's houses, they go to bars, they just do whatever."

"And that doesn't upset you?"

"Why would it? I've never been that big of a drinker, so why do I care if they go or not?"

"Is he really this stupid?" Lindsey questioned Noah before turning back to Nate. "Are you upset that you and Emma have barely talked?"

"Why would I be?"

"Nathan Robert Scorpio-Drake, will you please stop acting like such an idiot! Six months ago, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that you were in love with Emma. Now, you don't ever talk about her, she never comes around, and you're acting like it's not a big deal!"

"It's not a big deal. People grow apart." Nate responded with a shrug.

"That's a terrible attitude to have. I'm glad that Emma got away from you since you don't seem to be dedicated to her at all."

"I'm not dedicated?" Nate asked incredulously. Lindsey had been hoping that would get him to talk, and it seemed like it was working. "I was there for her through everything, but I'm not the person she wanted. She didn't seem to care about starting a relationship with me or even continuing our friendship, so why should I keep putting myself out there just to get shot down? I'm not going to wait around forever just so I can get my heart broken."

"Nate, you're going about this the wrong way. You need to prove to her how much you love her."

"How can I do that when I know she's in love with someone else?"

Lindsey sighed. "Zack?"

"Yes, Zack. The two of them started spending so much time together when the TMK thing started. He was the one she went to when she was upset or hurt or didn't want to go home, not me. She confided in him, and he is still to this day the only person who knows everything about when she was kidnapped. Even though it hurts and I hate to admit it, I know she doesn't love me. Maybe as a friend, but she'll never want anything more than that. Besides, Emma has changed, and not for the better."

"You have to put yourself out there. Even if you get hurt, at least you know that it wasn't meant to be, right? How do you know that Zack and Paige won't get back together and then Emma will be all alone again?"

"Zack and Paige are done, at least for right now. They avoid each other at all costs, and Zack doesn't seem to have any interest in getting back together with her."

"What about Paige?"

"What about her?"

"Is she interested in Zack?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Noah laughed. "Are you sure you're the smarter son?"

"What are you talking about?" Nate questioned in confusion.

"You and Paige both have feelings for Zack and Emma. They might like each other, but they've also liked you and Paige at one point. Why don't the two of you get together to make them jealous, and then they'll realize what a mistake they're making by being together?" Noah suggested.

Lindsey nodded her head in approval. "That's actually kinda smart, Noah."

"I have my moments." He bragged.

"Yeah, except for I don't want to use Paige."

"You wouldn't be using her; you'd be using each other. Talk to her about it first and see how she feels, and if she agrees, you'll know that you are both going into this completely dedicated to getting back the person you love."

Nate thought it over. Could it really work? He sighed. "I wish Mom was here. She always knew the right thing to say about this kind of stuff."

"It's been two months." Lindsey stated. "I can't believe it's been that long and we're all still alive. Mom solved every single problem any of us had."

"She was good at that." Noah agreed. "Whether it was sports, girls, or school, she always knew how to fix it."

"She was amazing." Nate sighed. "Does it still hurt for you guys?"

Lindsey gave him a sad smile. "Do you feel better about her dying and you feel guilty for it?" Nate and Noah both nodded. "Some days, I'll see things or hear something that reminds me of her, and those days are a lot rougher. But we're not supposed to just walk around in constant pain all the time. It's good that the bad feelings have faded because now we can remember all of the good times."

"You know, Linds, you're getting pretty good at these talks." Noah praised.

She smiled. "I learned from the best."

Brittany

"Britt?" Brittany looked up when Hunter said her name. "Look who's here."

Brittany glanced out the window and recognized her mother's car. She groaned. "Why?"

"Are you guys sure you want to go home? You can go back to my house or something." Maddie offered from the driver's seat. Connor was in the passenger's seat, and Brittany and Hunter were in the back.

"No, it's better to just find out what she wants so she'll go away." Brittany sighed. "See you guys at school tomorrow."

"See ya." Maddie said. Brittany and Hunter got out of the car and she drove off. The blonde stood, watching until they were gone. She took a deep breath and started up the driveway.

"What do you think she wants?" Hunter questioned his younger half-sister. When he saw Brittany hurting, he could kind of understand the twin bond that Maddie and Gabe had. They were practically twins, just from different mothers, and he hated when she was in any kind of pain.

"She'll probably cry and beg me to come see her more." Brittany wasn't surprised. Ever since the deaths of her maternal half-siblings, Bella Jacks and Joey Falconeri, Brenda had been a wreck. She would show up randomly and ask Brittany to come see her more often because she needed to be around her only daughter.

Hunter opened up the door so his sister could walk in ahead of him and she smiled at him in thanks. They entered the living area together.

Brenda was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. Claudia stood at the top of the stairs, clearly not amused by her behavior. Sonny had his arms crossed and was leaning against his desk, waiting for his ex to stop crying.

"Hunter." Claudia called out. He gave his sister a dimpled smile and went upstairs. Brittany watched Claudia hug him and then Hunter disappeared into his room, though her stepmother stayed.

"Hi, Daddy." Brittany greeted, walking further into the room.

"Hey, Britt." Sonny smiled at her sympathetically, knowing that she didn't want to deal with her mother. Brittany gave him a hug and then stood next to him.

"Brittany." Brenda finally lifted her head from her hands. Her hair was greasy and it was clear that she hadn't showered in at least a day. She had mascara running down her cheeks from her tears. She tried to wipe it away, but it only smeared more and added to how insane she already looked.

"Brenda." Brittany said in a calm tone. She knew better than to freak out around her mother. It only kept her going longer.

Brenda's face showed her shock. "Y-You just called me by my first name."

"Yeah, I did. Why should I address you as anything other than what you are?"

"I'm your mother, baby." Brenda stood and came over. She reached out to grab Brittany's hand, but the sixteen year old pulled back.

"No, you're not." Brittany told her. "That is my mom." She pointed towards where Claudia stood.

"Her?" Brenda practically snarled. "I gave birth to you, not her! She doesn't care about you! All she cares about are her precious children!"

"Yeah, which I am included in." when she was younger, Brittany had some doubts about whether Claudia really loved her or not. But as she grew up, it was plain for anyone to see that she was loved just as much as Zack, Hunter, and Brenna (and Lola and Jazzie before their untimely deaths).

"Please don't be like this. I need you, Brittany. You and Alec are my only children left. I need you!" she clung to her, crying onto her shoulder.

Brittany could smell the alcohol on her breath and wrinkled her nose. Of course, Brenda was drunk. All she seemed to do anymore was drink.

"Well I don't need you." She pulled her mother off of her and looked into her eyes. "You don't need me either. You never needed the inconvenience of children, which is why you dumped Joey, Bella, and I off on our fathers."

"I'm sorry!" Brenda cried.

"Don't apologize. I'm glad that you did, otherwise I wouldn't be the way I am now. I love my parents more than anything in this world, and when I say 'parents', I mean Dad and Claudia, because the only thing you've ever done for me is give birth to me."

"Brittany." Brenda sobbed. "Please!"

"No. It's time for you to grow up and take responsibility for your actions. If you really cared about me, you wouldn't get drunk and then come and cry all over me."

"I'll change!"

"I don't care if you win the mother of the year award. I have absolutely no interest in ever getting to know you. I don't want you around, I don't want to see you, I don't even want to hear your voice. You are nothing to me, Brenda. You haven't been in a long time."

"That's not fair! You know that I was sick after I had your sister!"

"You had post-partum depression. So did Robin Scorpio, but she still kept her daughter, and then had two more babies after that. You dumped your three little kids off on their dads, took Alec, and left the country. You don't deserve to call yourself Bella's mother, but I'm sure that Joey turned out as screwed up as he did because of something you did, so you can say you're his mom."

"Why can't you just forgive me?"

"BECAUSE I WAS A YEAR OLD!" Brittany finally screamed. "I was barely a year old when you gave birth to your fourth child, suddenly pulled away from everyone, and gave me to my father. But you know what? I don't regret it, and I'm glad that I don't remember living with you. If you hadn't, then I wouldn't have my life. I wouldn't have Claudia."

"She's not your mother." Brenda hissed.

"She's been more of a mom than you have. She's been here for me since the day I was born. When you and Dad used to pass me back and forth, she was here, even though she had just given birth to her own baby. She loved me, even if I was the result of her husband cheating on her. And yeah, things were rough after Brenna was born and they separated and had Lola and Jazzie with other people. But did you know that when they were living apart, they still passed me back and forth with Zack, Hunter, and Brenna? And do you know why that is? Because Claudia loved me enough to want me, unlike you."

"How do you know this isn't all lies? You wouldn't remember!"

"Because my older siblings have told me, my dad has told me, Claudia told me, Sam and Jason have told me, Carly has told me, everyone has said to me how great of a mother Claudia is! You know one thing they never bring up though? How crappy of a mom you were, because I figured that one out all by myself."

"Brittany, just please forgive me. I'm sorry for all of that. I was sick and I didn't know what I was doing."

"Yeah, and then you took medicine and you were better, but that didn't matter, did it? You liked being able to travel and not have little kids holding you down. People like you who are bound to be horrible parents should just be sterilized as soon as they hit puberty." She walked past her.

"Brittany!"

Brittany walked up the stairs to where Claudia was waiting. She wrapped her arms around her. "Hi, Mom." She said loudly so that Brenda would hear her.

"Hi, baby." Claudia played along with her little game, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She wrapped an arm around Brittany's shoulder and walked down the hallway with her so they were away from Brenda. They could hear her screeching and Sonny telling Max to take her out of there. "Are you sure you're not my biological child? You certainly know all the right buttons to press, just like me."

Brittany grinned. "I'm not your kid by blood, but I am by heart." She walked into her bedroom. "Hey Claws?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you for always being my mom. I meant everything I said down there. I love you."

"I love you too." Claudia hugged her again.

Brittany closed her bedroom door, hoping that this conversation would be the last one Brenda needed to finally get the message that she didn't want a relationship with her.

Emma and Zack

Zack looked up when he heard his bedroom door open and close. Emma came in with her backpack over her shoulder and a shopping bag in her hand. She dropped her backpack onto the floor and went over to him.

"Hey, I didn't know if you were coming over." He sat up and hugged her. She hugged back tightly and then he kissed her cheek. "Where were you at school today?" he knew, but he wanted to see if she would lie.

"Some guy invited me and Court to a party tomorrow night, so I went to find something to wear."

"You couldn't have waited until after school?"

Emma shrugged. "I just wasn't feeling it. I'm gonna go try this on." She went into the bathroom attached to his room.

Zack shook his head. Emma hadn't been 'feeling' school lately, and he was sure that her grades were suffering for it. Emma had always been smart and dreamed of being a doctor, so it was sad to see that she was just letting everything go.

His thoughts drifted back to Emma going to a party with this Tate guy. He didn't like when she went to parties without him because other guys weren't very likely to watch out for her if something happened, and they may take advantage of her. Plus, since the kids were from Madison, God only knows what they might do to her.

He knew that he needed to give her some space or she would start pulling away, but he really didn't like the idea of her going to this party.

He wasn't sure if it was because she was going with another guy, or because he was worried about her drinking habits lately. He had been feeling a lot stronger towards Emma these past couple of months, and he was starting to realize that he was falling in love with her, which was scary. She had been his best friend since she was born, and he didn't want to ruin anything between them. She was the most important person in the world to him and he couldn't imagine hurting her.

"What do you think?"

Zack looked over as Emma came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a mint colored dress. It was strapless and covered her chest, but went to the middle of her thighs to show her legs. It was form fitting, and she was wearing black heels to match.

"You look gorgeous, Princess." he had always thought Emma was beautiful, but in this moment, staring at her in this dress, something changed inside of him and he realized just how beautiful she was.

"Are you sure?" Emma spun around, showing off the back of the dress. "You'd never lie to me, right?"

"Of course not." Zack was concerned about what she was going to say next. "Why do you ask?"

Emma turned back so he could see the front of her dress. "Do I look fat?"

Zack gulped. The dreaded question of every man in existence. He studied the dress, not seeing anything that indicated that she looked bigger.

"No, not at all."

"Really?" she walked back into the bathroom to look in the mirror. Zack got up and followed her. He stood behind her, watching her move around to look at her dress from all different angles.

"Em, stop." He put his hands on her hips to keep her in place. He moved so he was directly behind her and put his right hand on her stomach. "Your stomach is completely flat."

Emma kept her eyes glued to the mirror at the place his hand was on her stomach. "I don't look fat?"

"Princess, what brought all of this on?" he turned her around and lifted her onto the counter so they were closer to eyelevel. She looked down. "Emma."

"I was trying on dresses today and some of them were a little…tight. I think I'm gaining weight."

"Let me see." Zack lifted her up easily. "Nope, you feel about the same to me."

Emma smiled. "Stop it."

"There's that smile." Zack put her back on the counter and touched one of her dimples gently. "You don't look fat at all. You look amazing."

"Promise?" she held out her pinky.

"Promise." He put their pinkies together, locked it, and stamped it, just like she loved to do. It was kind of hard because of how much bigger his hands are, but they did it. "Was it you that thought the dresses were too tight, or was it Tate?"

Emma looked at him in alarm. "How did you know about that?"

"Courtney." Zack studied her face and could see the guilt. So she did understand that they had something, whatever this is, going on between them. "Was it Tate?"

"No." she wouldn't look him in the eyes, which was one of her telltale signs that she was lying.

"Emma." He put his hand gently under her chin and brought it up so she had to look at him. "Was it Tate?"

"Uh-huh." She practically whispered.

"Change out of your dress." Zack told her, walking out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

Emma changed quickly into a pair of short shorts and a t-shirt. Even if it was January, she still liked to sleep in shorts. It made her feel warmer under the blankets (and it gave her more of a reason to cuddle with Zack, though she would never admit that).

She walked out of the bathroom, but as soon as she did, Zack turned her around and led her back inside. He pulled her shirt up so her stomach was showing.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"A bellybutton ring." She studied the sparkly infinity sign hanging from her bellybutton.

"That's it?"

She really looked at herself. "I don't know, Zack."

"You wanna know what I see?" she met his eyes in the mirror. "I see someone who is absolutely perfect. I see long, dark hair, hazel eyes, a cute little nose, and a beautiful smile," He touched her nose, making her smile slightly, "and those dimples. I see someone who is so tiny, but still so full of life. I see small shoulders which always seem like they're carrying the weight of the world. I see little hands," Zack lifted her hand, intertwining their fingers, "that I love to hold with mine. It reminds me that even if you seem strong, you're still so fragile." He put his other hand on her stomach. "I see a skinny stomach that is incredibly muscular from all those years of cheering." He let go of her hand and moved both of his hands to her hips. "I see your curvy hips, and your surprisingly long legs for how short you are. I see a girl who I have known since the day she was born, who has a lot of confidence, loyalty, and isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in. I see my best friend." He kissed her cheek. "You're beautiful, Em. You're perfect."

Emma had tears in her eyes. She turned around, her shirt falling to cover her stomach again in the process. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

"I love you." Zack told her, kissing the top of her head. Without shoes on, she was even shorter than usual, so it was kind of hard to reach her, but he managed.

"I love you too."

Zack took Emma's hand and led her back to his bedroom. He layed down on the bed and moved the blankets back so that she could crawl in next to him. She cuddled into his side, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes.

Maybe Zack was right. Maybe she wasn't fat.

Zack hoped that she had really heard him, and that she wouldn't do something drastic, like Courtney had done a couple of months ago. He kissed her forehead.

"Night, Princess."

"Night." He turned off the light.

Paige

"Well look who it is! The birthday girl!" Nate called out as he and Chloe J approached their usual table. Paige looked up from her phone and smiled at them. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks."

Nate put a large cake down on the table in front of her. It had white icing with little pink and purple flowers around the outside and said 'Happy Birthday, Paige!' in purple.

"It's beautiful!"

"I picked it out." Chloe J flipped her hair over her shoulder. She took the lid off of the box and stuck eighteen candles into it. She pulled a lighter from the backpack and started to light them.

"Are you allowed to light candles at school?" Nate questioned.

"Don't know, don't care." Chloe J turned around. "Now, Leah!"

The lights in the cafeteria went out, only letting in some natural light from the windows and the glow from Paige's candles. That's when she heard the singing.

"Happy Birthday to you!" she looked to her left and was surprised to see Emma ,Courtney, Zack, Maddie, Brittany, and Connor come into the cafeteria. She didn't know why they were here, especially since they go to Madison and school started at the same time for both schools.

"Happy Birthday to you!" she looked to where Nate and Chloe J were sitting on either side of her, each of them smiling. Hunter joined them, taking a seat on Chloe J's other side. Paige saw doors opening on the other side and Gabe and Mia entered, going to them quickly.

"Happy Birthday, dear Paige! Happy Birthday to you!" the whole school joined in. She blew out her candles, making everyone clap.

"Now get me some cake." Hunter said. Paige rolled her eyes but took the knife Chloe J held out to her (which she was really sure they shouldn't have at school) and began to cut the large cake into slices.

"Happy Birthday, P." Maddie greeted, hugging her cousin. The others all followed her lead, even Zack and Emma.

Courtney threw her purse onto the ground near her feet and sat down at the table. "So, we have a great idea!" she practically squealed.

"What kind of idea?" Mia questioned, taking the piece of cake Hunter was just about to take a bite of.

"Oooh, if you weren't pregnant, I would…" he began.

"You would what?" Gabe questioned, stepping forward.

"Squeeze her to death."

"Shut up." Mia sat down on Hunter's lap and fed him a bite of the cake she had stolen. The others just laughed and sat down at the table. It was strange; it had been a while since they had all been in the same school (even if they all weren't students there).

"Well I don't know if you'll be able to participate, Mimi, but Paige, Chloe, you better listen up." Emma said. "So, everyone knows that Madison kids are punks." They all nodded to show that they understood. "Their little leader is this girl named Brianna Edwards. She's the cheer captain and all that and she bosses everyone around…"

"So basically the Madison version of you?" Hunter summarized.

Brittany gave him a dirty look. "Emma is nothing like that spoiled little whore."

"Sorry!" Hunter held up his hands in surrender.

"Anyway," Emma interrupted, "she refuses to let any PCH people try out for the cheerleading team."

Chloe J raised an eyebrow. "Is she even allowed to do that? Have you guys tried talking to the principal?"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "The principal couldn't care less about PCH students and if we're being treated the right way. Take for example how Grace was bullied so badly she had to transfer schools, or how everyone calls Brittany 'Whacko'."

"They call you what?" Nate questioned.

"I had a bit of an, uh, incident." Brittany held up her hand, which wasn't bandaged anymore, but her knuckles were still bruised and cut. "It was handled."

"You guys should have seen Emma. She tackled Brianna!" Courtney laughed. Connor, Emma, Zack, Brittany, and Maddie joined in, since they actually knew who Brianna was. The others just smiled, not really sure what to say.

"Can I please just finish our plan?" Emma wondered. Courtney made a zipping motion over her lips. "So the Madison cheer team had tryouts the other day and Brenna went. The first thing Brianna did was tell them that if they went to PCH, then they should just leave because they weren't worthy enough to be on her team. Brenna stayed, and after she came and found me and told me about it. She said their team is awful. Then we came up with a little plan of our own." Emma said, gesturing to herself, Courtney, and Brittany. "We're gonna get all of our PCH cheerleaders together and train like crazy. We'll be able to actually have a squad like we wanted to have for senior year, and we won't have Elizabeth there to boss us around. When we're ready, I'll challenge Brianna to a showdown. I'll tell her that the winning team becomes Madison's official cheer team, and she won't be able to back down because that would be giving up. We'll crush them and then take over the squad!"

"What happens after?" Paige wondered. "Nine of the girls from the PCH cheer team go to NYCS."

"I didn't really think of that." Courtney said to Emma.

"Emma will have full control over the squad, so it won't matter." Brittany jumped in. "It's just about beating Brianna, guys. Even if all of you NYCS girls choose not to continue with the team, we can replace you."

"I don't know about this." Paige mumbled.

"Well as long as you do this whole showdown as quickly as possible, I'm in." Mia stated.

"You're pregnant. You can't cheer." Gabe told her.

She glared at him. "Don't you dare try and tell me what I can or can't do. Pregnant or not, I will do whatever I want."

"I'm not trying to control you, Mimi. I'm just saying that some of the stunts are dangerous and you shouldn't be doing them. If you want to be on the squad and not be lifted or do handsprings or anything like that, then whatever, but you're not going to jeopardize our baby."

"Clearly." She responded with an eye roll.

"I'm in too." Chloe J announced. "You all know I love a good competition."

Emma bit her lip nervously. "What do you say, Paige? We still have to ask all of the other girls, but I wanted to clear it with the Dream Team girls first."

"C'mon, Birthday Girl! Help us achieve Madison domination." Courtney begged, pouting overdramatically.

Paige sighed. "Fine."

"Yes!" Brittany, Emma, and Courtney cheered, high fiving.

"This is going to be amazing!" Emma smiled. "We're gonna start recruiting on Monday!"

"We need to get to school." Connor told Zack, Emma, Courtney, Maddie, and Brittany.

"Don't kill our vibe, Connie." Courtney said to her younger brother. She got up and hugged Paige. "Happy Birthday, P."

"Thank you. Thanks for coming, you guys."

Mia got off of Hunter's lap. "Guess that means I have to return to my prison."

"You chose to homeschool." Gabe reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah." She sighed. "Walk me to my car?"

"Of course." Gabe grabbed her hand and they walked out of the cafeteria.

"I never thought I would say this, but they're adorable." Courtney observed.

"Why wouldn't you think that?" Brittany wondered.

"Cause Mia is so aggressive and loud, and Gabe is more calm and collected. I guess opposites really do attract."

"See ya, Paige." Emma hugged her cousin. Maddie repeated her actions.

"Too bad you're not 21. Then you could buy us alcohol." Brittany pressed a huge, loud kiss on Paige's cheek. "Happy Birthday!"

Paige wiped at her cheek with a smile. "Thank you, guys."

Paige, Chloe J, Hunter, Gabe, and Nate watched them leave, the six of them laughing and pushing each other. Even if Madison sucked and they hated it, they at least had each other.

Zack

Zack walked through the hallways of Madison in determination. He hadn't even known who Tate McClelland was, but lucky for him, Tyler Drake had a class with him and described him. Now, he was searching for the boy who had brought down Emma's already damaged confidence a little further.

"Hey, you Tate McClelland?" he asked a boy that he already knew was him.

"Uh, yeah. And who are you?" Of course, he had the typical rich boy attitude.

"We need to talk."

"Excuse me?"

Zack grabbed his arm and shoved him towards the door. "I said we need to talk."

Tate rolled his eyes, but walked out of the school. Zack followed and as soon as they were out of sight of the cameras, he punched him directly in his right eye. He fell to the ground and then grabbed his face in shock.

"Dude, what was that for?"

"You know Emma Morgan?"

"What does she have anything to do with this?"

"She's my best friend and I don't appreciate you calling her fat. You should never, ever comment on a girl's weight and think that's okay. Clearly your parents didn't teach you any manners though, so I'm doing it for you." Zack grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. "Now, you're going to text Emma and tell her the party is cancelled, and after that, you're gonna leave her alone."

"No way! She's hot, and I heard she's easy…"

Zack slammed him up against the wall. "Don't even finish that sentence. You will do what I say. Do I need to tell you my name?"

"What is your name going to do?" Tate scoffed.

"It's Zack Corinthos." He smiled in satisfaction when the other boy's face paled. "Now text her."

Madison PCH Kids

"Hey." Emma greeted as she walked into the cafeteria, taking a seat next to Courtney. She saw the little black notebook her best friend was always carrying around and her eyebrows furrowed as she quickly closed it. "What's that?"

"Nothing."

"Court, seriously?" the two girls never lied to each other and she wasn't about to start now.

Courtney sighed. "It's kind of a like a journal. It's embarrassing." Emma didn't press her on it anymore. "Did you find an outfit to wear to that party tonight?"

"Yeah, but it's cancelled." Emma said with a sigh just as Maddie and Brittany sat across from them.

"What is?" Brittany questioned.

"Yesterday this Madison kid Tate McClelland invited Emma and I to a party, but apparently it's cancelled."

"He texted me during first period." Emma explained. "This sucks. Now we have nothing to do tonight."

Brittany looked at Maddie, but noticed that her attention was focused elsewhere. She followed her eyes and saw Tate McClelland, who she only knew from one of her electives, walk towards them with a black eye. Both girls glanced at each other and then back to Tate, who had suddenly turned the other direction. They saw Zack was glaring towards him, and then he changed his expression to a smile and sat on Emma's other side.

"Zack, what was…?" Maddie began, but the older boy shook his head. The juniors knew there was a lot more to that story, but they also knew better than to bring it up if Zack had specifically told them not to.

"Paige didn't really seem that excited about her birthday." Courtney said as Connor came over, sitting on Maddie's other side.

"She's probably just annoyed. I would be too if I had to go to school on my birthday. I'm so glad it's in July." Brittany stated, biting into an apple.

"That's so weird. I never thought about that. Out of the six of us, only Zack and Connor ever have school on their birthdays." Courtney laughed. "Sucks for you guys!"

"I had school on my birthday once." Maddie reminded her. Her birthday was August 17th, and one year school had started on her birthday.

"Yeah, but that was rare."

"I don't understand why we didn't have a party for Paige." Brittany said. "I know things are awkward between everyone else, but we could have done something."

"We would, but Paige has never really talked about wanting a big party." Emma told.

"So? I wouldn't point it out if I wanted a party either! I would just expect you guys to know!"

Courtney scoffed. "Britt, you planned your surprise birthday party when you turned 14!"

Brittany smiled. "And it was a great party, wasn't it?"

"I don't know why everyone is trying to sugarcoat it." They all looked at Maddie. "The reason why Paige didn't have a birthday party is because of her break-up with Zack, and because of the fight that was never really fixed between her and Emma." Her older sister opened her mouth to speak, but she interrupted. "I'm not blaming either of you, and I think it's just as much her responsibility to fix things with you as it is yours. No one wanted to throw a party and possibly have a big, awkward fight, and no one could plan a party and just not invite Emma and Zack or it would turn into a big, awkward fight."

"As much as it sucks, Mads is right." Connor agreed. "We've all just drifted too far apart."

NYCS PCH Kids

"I thought PCH's food sucked until we came here." Chloe J said in disgust as she put her tray on the table. It had something on it that resembled lasagna, but didn't look appetizing at all.

"Why did you get that?" Gabe wondered, eating a Dorito out of the bag he had bought from the vending machine.

"I didn't want to. I asked the lunch lady if she had something less disgusting and she put this on my plate." Chloe J pushed it away and grabbed Hunter's potato chips out of his hand.

"Chloe J!" he whined, reaching for the bag. She leaned over and held it out of his grasp.

Paige joined them, sitting down with French fries and chicken rings from the snack line (which always had a huge line- the reason Chloe J had avoided it and gone through the regular line).

"Thanks, P." Hunter grabbed her chicken rings.

She rolled her eyes, but let him have them. But as soon as he put them in front of him, Chloe J pulled them away and gave him back his chips.

"I'd rather have these." She said, taking a bite of one.

"You annoy me more than anyone else on this planet." Hunter told her.

"You can have my lasagna if you want." She offered, pushing her tray towards him.

Hunter grimaced and looked at it. "You know, I actually just considered eating that until I saw the hair in it."

"Ewww!" Chloe J, Paige, and Gabe all said together.

Nate was the last to arrive at their table with only a Gatorade. Their table was round, and the order was Chloe J, Hunter, Paige, Nate, and then Gabe. The five of them always sat together, and no one else ever sat at their table with them.

"So…today was kind of weird." The others looked at Paige for more of an explanation. "I'm surprised Emma came."

"Why?" Hunter asked as he stole one of the chicken rings off of Chloe J's plate, making her slap his arm. "Excuse me, they were mine first!"

"I'm hungry!"

"Actually, they were mine first." Paige corrected.

"I'm not surprised." Gabe said. His cousin looked at him. "Paige, she's always gonna be there for you. No matter what has happened, Emma still loves you. She's just going through a tough time right now and trying to find a way to deal with it."

"Maybe we should all stop making excuses for her." Nate suggested. The others looked at him, Chloe J and Gabe immediately going on the defensive. "I'm not trying to start any problems here…"

"Then maybe you should just stop talking." Chloe J said with a glare. Hunter, Gabe, and Paige weren't surprised to see her protectiveness over Emma come out immediately, even though there had been some distance between the two girls.

"Just hear me out. We've all been saying, 'she'll get better, it happened with Mia'. But Mia wasn't all by herself. She had Gabe to get her through everything."

"And Emma has Zack." Gabe stated.

"Emma also has different problems. I'm not trying to make what happened with Mia seem less significant than it was, but she was kicked out by her parents and her little brother died. Emma was in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, who nearly beat her to death, she fell through a tunnel and got hypothermia, she was kidnapped and buried alive next to the body of one of our classmates, and then after all of that, she was put into a school where she is bullied every day. Plus, they're different people. Mia actually acknowledged that she had a problem and she asked for help. Emma doesn't think anything is wrong."

"And you know this how?" Chloe J questioned.

"I called her the other day and asked her about her drinking. She got really defensive and told me not to call her again if I was going to question her and hung up on me."

Gabe sighed. "She's in a bad place right now. Zack seems like he's got it under control. I trust that he'll come to us if he needs help."

Nate still didn't think that was the best option, and Paige kind of agreed with him. Chloe J and Hunter stayed unusually quiet; they weren't sure how to feel about the situation.

But Gabe knew his older sister, and he knew that she could get through this. She was Emma Morgan, after all.

Brenna and Leah

Leah started laughing as soon as she saw her best friend. "Oh my God, this never gets old!"

Brenna rolled her eyes. Leah thought it was hysterical whenever she wore her school uniform. The two girls had decided to meet up at Kelly's. Since they were at different schools now, they didn't get to spend as much time together and they vowed to stay close no matter what.

"It's been two months, Leah. I would think that you were over this by now."

"I can't believe you have to wear a tie!" Leah tugged on the end of it. Brenna smiled, but pushed her hand off.

"So, how was school?" the brunette wondered.

Leah sighed. "Boring. I don't understand why only three sophomores from the Crew transferred to NYCS." Out of the eight sophomores in the Crew, the only ones who had gone to NYCS were Leah, Nattie Cassadine, and Ashlyn Falconeri, leaving Brenna at Madison with Livvie and Logan Davis, Carrie Corinthos, and Julian Quartermaine. "Basically, I just hang out with Nattie since Ashlyn usually does her own thing."

Ashlyn was now six months pregnant and chose to stay more to herself. Her boyfriend, Corey Spinelli, had been killed by the TMK and it had affected her badly.

"Well Nattie's one of our closest friends, and at least Ashlyn is bearable. I have to go to the same school as Livvie." Brenna groaned.

Leah smiled. "I know that deep down, you want to be best friends with her."

"Please. I haven't been able to stand that girl since birth. The only person I really talk to, besides Emma, Zack, Britt, Court, Connor, and Maddie, is Carrie." Technically, Livvie and Carrie are both Brenna's nieces, but they don't really acknowledge that fact.

"We really need to widen our friend circle." Leah stated as they entered Kelly's. They spotted three familiar faces and silently decided to join them.

Like the seniors and juniors in the Crew, the sophomores and freshmen tended to stick together. So when Leah and Brenna pulled out chairs at the table where Katie Morgan, Ava Zacchara, and Jacelyn Jacks were sitting, the younger girls weren't surprised.

"Hey." Katie greeted with a smile. "Nice uniform, Bren." Katie, Jacelyn, and Ava also went to NYCS, so Brenna was the only one in an NYCS uniform.

"I don't know why you're all so fascinated with my uniform. You all have siblings that go to Madison."

"We don't." Ava spoke for herself and Leah. Their older siblings- Daniel, Chloe J, Christian, and Lukas- all went to NYCS too.

"Guys, Brenna's uniform is the least of our concerns right now." Jacelyn reminded them. "What are we doing tonight?"

Just as she finished speaking, her phone went off, along with Ava, Katie, and Leah's. They all checked their messages.

"Who is it? What does it say?" Brenna questioned, craning her neck to look at Leah's phone.

"Some junior from NYCS is having a party tonight." Katie explained. "We should go."

"It sucks that none of us have our licenses." Leah pouted.

"But Luke does." Brenna said. "That's why I go with him to all of the parties. It's not as embarrassing if you get dropped off by your boyfriend."

"Can he take all of us?" Jacelyn wondered.

"I'm sure he will. I'll just threaten to tell my mom where he's going if he says no." Ava shrugged as she said it.

"Ava Noelle Georgiana Zacchara, you will not tell. What will I do if my boyfriend is grounded?" Brenna asked.

"Hang out with us." Katie told her with an overly sweet smile.

Brenna rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Leah, we need to go find outfits if we're going to this thing."

"I'm already one step ahead of you. My mom just got new samples." Leah looked at the freshmen. "You guys wanna come try some stuff on with us?"

"Yes!" Ava, Katie, and Jacelyn quickly followed them out of the diner.

Brenna hoped that this would be a good night. She definitely needed something to get her mind off of everything at Madison lately, and a night with Leah, Lukas, and the others might just do it.

Nattie

Nattie put the finishing touches on her makeup, staring into the mirror to make sure she looked absolutely perfect. Unlike her older sister, she actually enjoyed parties and she couldn't wait to go. She knew Paige wouldn't be alone tonight since Nikolas had just gotten back from one of his trips and he was in his study, but she still didn't feel right about leaving her.

"What are you getting all dressed up for?" Nattie met Paige's eyes in the mirror. Her older sister was dressed in pink sweatpants, a black tank top, and her dark hair was pulled into a low, messy ponytail.

"That party I was telling you about yesterday." Nattie closed her mascara and turned to face Paige. "P, it's your 18th birthday. You need to do something. Just come to the party with me."

Paige sighed. "Nattie, you know that's not really my thing, plus none of my friends are going so I would be bored."

"You continually act like I don't exist. It really hurts, you know." Nattie shoved all of the makeup on the counter into her makeup bag. "I would hang out with you. I just don't want you to regret not doing anything. This is a big day."

"It's already pretty much over, so it doesn't really matter. I would rather just spend the rest of the day in my bed in pajamas watching movies and eating ice cream.

The younger of the two shook her head. "I can definitely tell that we have different mothers. You got your mom's quiet, calm nature."

"And you like to party and get crazy, just like your mom." Paige acknowledged. She followed Nattie into her bedroom, watching as she gathered things up. "Who are you going with?"

"Well I'm meeting people there, but I'm riding there with Haley and Wes."

Paige frowned. "That's strange."

"Why? Haley is practically our cousin, and Wes is our cousin. It's just a ride."

"Who are you meeting there?"

"Leah, Brenna, and all them."

"Be careful and if you need anything, call me, okay?"

"I know the drill, P. You act like I've never been to a party before." She started to slip on her high heels.

"This isn't a PCH party though and that makes me nervous. We don't know these NYCS kids that well."

"They aren't all that bad, you know. I talk to some of them in my classes, and I know that people from PCH look down on them because they don't have as much money as us, but they're not horrible."

"I know that, but I don't know them well enough to trust them with my little sister."

Nattie rolled her eyes. "I can handle myself just fine. You sure you don't wanna come?"

"I'm sure."

"Well, I'm spending the night with Carrie tonight, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you." Paige called to her as she exited her bedroom.

Nattie didn't know why, but she had this feeling inside that she should hug her sister. She walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her. "I love you too. Happy Birthday!"

She turned and left, already excited for the night ahead of her.

Sam

Sam glanced at the clock. It was already midnight, and she couldn't believe that she was still awake. This pregnancy had been keeping her up until all hours of the night and it was really starting to take its toll.

She got out of bed quietly so she wouldn't wake Jason, but he was an extremely light sleeper and saw her leaving.

"Are you okay?" he questioned.

"Can't sleep. I'm gonna go get some water."

After going to the bathroom, Sam exited her bedroom. She saw that Maddie and Selena's lights were out and she was guessing the two of them were asleep. She could see the light spilling out from under Gabe's door and she figured he was still up. She didn't bother looking at Emma or Katie's rooms; they were both staying the night with friends.

She walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Sam pulled a cup out of the dishwasher and filled it with ice and water. She knew that she wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon, so she sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV.

The channel was on one of Selena's shows, so she changed it to one of the news stations. She was immediately greeted with the sight of firemen desperately trying to contain a fire. The place looked familiar, but she couldn't think of where it was. Then, it hit her.

It was Wyndemere.

Sam turned the TV up, listening to the news reporter speak. "…firemen have finally managed to control the flames." The picture changed to Wyndemere burned to ashes, and she realized that it was completely gone. "Firefighters say that the fire started around 10pm. There have been no survivors found, and several bodies. We will keep you updated on this breaking news."

"Paige." Sam whispered. She got up as quickly as she could with her stomach and waddled upstairs. She threw open the door to Gabe's bedroom.

Normally, she would have told Mia to go to Maddie's room, but right now, that wasn't her first priority. She looked at the two teenagers. "Do you know where Paige was tonight?"

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Gabe questioned.

"Where was your cousin tonight?"

"She said that she was just going to stay home tonight." Mia answered.

"Oh God." Sam gasped, covering her mouth with a shaky hand. "This can't be happening."

"You're freaking me out." Gabe said. "What's wrong?"

"Wyndemere just burned down." She whispered.

Gabe jumped up. "I'll go get Katie and Nattie. I know where the party they're at is."

Sam just nodded in response. Mia went over to her. "We don't know for sure that Paige was there, Sam. I'll start calling everyone and asking if they've seen her."

"They said there are no survivors, and they've already found bodies." Sam left her son's room and went back to her room. She saw Jason sitting up in bed with her phone in his hand. His face was pale.

"It's your mom." He stated, holding the phone out.

Sam took it. "Hello?"

"Wyndemere just burned down!" she could tell that her mother was crying. She had practically raised Nikolas, and now, they didn't know what had happened to him or his family. The only one that Sam knew was safe for sure was Nattie.

"I saw it on the news. Have you heard anything?"

"No, but Nikolas was in town. He had to of been there."

Sam groaned. She had thought her cousin was still in Russia. "Gabe is going to get Nattie. She's at a party with Katie and their friends."

"Meet me at the hospital, okay? I want to be there in case they get any more information."

"Okay." Sam agreed. She hung up the phone. "We need to go to GH."

"I'll get the kids up." Jason said. He had been getting dressed while Sam was on the phone and he was fully ready now.

"Gabe and Mia are already up and they know. Just get Maddie and Sel."

"Got it." He left their room.

Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You know, I never really believed in God. Too many bad things had happened to me in my life for me to think that there was actually someone up there making me miserable. After Zoe's death, my hatred for God just intensified and I couldn't believe that my baby was taken away. But after getting Rachel back, and Emma and Maddie surviving attacks from the Text Message Killer and Joey, there has to be someone up there looking over them, right? So please, please watch over Paige. I'm begging you to keep her safe." She held in a sob as she started to get ready.

Maddie pushed open the door and came in. "Mom? Is Paige okay?"

"We don't know, Mads." Sam hugged her. "But we're going to find out."

Zack

Zack watched Courtney and Emma laugh and talk loudly and he honestly felt happy. Neither of the girls had anything to drink and they were still able to smile, which he hadn't seen in a while. Life finally seemed like it may be getting back to normal.

His phone vibrated and he reached over, seeing 'Mia' written on the screen. "Hey Mimi."

"Have you seen Paige at all?" she asked immediately.

"No, not since this morning. Why?"

"Where are you?"

"At Courtney's with her and Em. What's going on?"

"Wyndemere is completely burned to the ground. There are no survivors, and they've been finding bodies but they haven't identified them yet. Sam is freaking out, and we're just praying that Paige wasn't there."

"Hold on." Zack put his mouth over the receiver. "Have either of you heard from Paige?"

"No." Emma answered, Courtney agreeing.

He moved his hand. "They haven't heard from her either."

"Can you guys just get to GH? Gabe and I are going to pick up Katie and Nattie now and Alexis is trying to track down all of Nikolas's kids to see if they were there."

"Yeah." Zack hung up.

Courtney looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Zack studied both of their faces. Even if Emma and Paige weren't as close, they were still cousins and they loved each other a lot. And Courtney and Paige had drifted apart, but they were best friends since they were kids. He took a deep breath.

"Can you just hurry up and say it? Bad news will never be easy." Emma said. She was biting her lip in the telltale sign that she was nervous.

"There was a fire. Wyndemere is completely burned down. No survivors and there are unidentified bodies. Everyone is thinking that Paige might be one."

Emma immediately got up and started looking for her keys. "I need to go home."

"Princess, I'm gonna drive you to GH to meet with your family." He took the keys from her hand gently. "You coming, Court?"

"Uh, yeah." Courtney nodded. She looked so troubled in that moment that Zack wanted to sit down and reassure her, but they didn't have time for that.

He led the two girls out of Courtney's room, the smiles on their face from less than three minutes ago completely gone. They walked to the car quickly and quietly, getting in without making any noise.

He didn't know what they were getting ready to find out, but he prayed that his ex-girlfriend was somehow alright.

The Cassadines

Nattie looked down at her hands and felt them shaking. She couldn't believe that half an hour ago she was dancing and having a good time with her friends, and now, she was on the way to the hospital to find out if any of her family members were alive.

Katie wrapped an arm around her and gave her a small smile. Gabe and Mia stood silently behind them, waiting for the elevator to open up on the floor they needed. Silent tears poured down the two younger girls' faces.

The doors opened and Nattie immediately walked out. "Aiden!"

The second oldest of the Cassadines turned around. He sighed in relief and went to her. "Nattie!"

She ran into his arms and he lifted her up, hugging her tightly. "They told me they didn't know if any of you were alive!"

"We didn't know if you were okay." Aiden told her. He put her down and kissed her forehead. "Where were you?"

"At a party."

"No matter what, it's gonna be okay." Aiden's girlfriend, Josslyn Jacks, reassured her. "We're here for you."

"W-Who else is here? Was Dad at home? Or Spencer? What about Paige? Where is she?" Nattie was near hysterical. She was closer to Paige than anyone in the world, and she couldn't imagine her older sister being killed.

"No one has heard from Dad. I talked to Spencer ten minutes ago, he had been out with Izzie, so he wasn't at home. When we call Paige, her phone goes straight to voicemail. No one knows if she was at home when the fire started."

"Colton and Aubrey?"

"They were both with their mothers. Spencer offered to call them."

Nattie looked at all of them. "What if Dad and Paige are dead? What's gonna happen to me?"

"We'll figure it all out. Right now, we don't know what happened." Even though Aiden was trying to reassure his little sister, he knew that the chances of Nikolas and Paige being alive were slim to none. He started to mentally prepare himself for two more losses.

Josslyn wrapped her hand in his. "We don't know what happened yet." She whispered so the teenagers wouldn't hear.

"I know that."

"Then get that frown off of your face." She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "It's going to be okay."

"We don't know that, Joss."

"I know it. I'm going to help you, and your siblings, get through whatever comes next, okay?"

"Okay." He agreed. He grabbed her hand and the six of them went towards the waiting room where the others were supposed to be.

Aiden looked ahead and saw a girl with long, dark hair. His heartbeat immediately sped up. "Paige?"

The girl turned around and he was relieved to see that it was his sister. Nattie pushed past him and ran.

"Paige!" The two girls hugged tightly and Nattie started to cry. "We thought you were dead! How are you okay?"

"Aubrey called me and asked me to come over." Paige could barely speak before Aiden smashed her in a hug.

"What about Dad?" Nattie asked hesitantly.

"I don't know, Nat. He was still home when I left."

Aiden, Paige, and Nattie were silent. They all knew that Nikolas was most likely dead, but they weren't sure how to react.

"Hey." Aubrey greeted as she joined her siblings. Their relationship was still a bit awkward since she had only known she was related to them for about two and a half months, but she was getting pretty close to both of her sisters.

"Hi." Aiden said back. He gave her a quick hug.

"Where are Spencer and Colton?"

"Spencer was going to pick Colton up and then he said he would be here." Aiden responded. He noticed that Gabe, Mia, and Katie had gone to stand by Sam and Jason, who were in the corner of the waiting room with Maddie and Selena.

Paige glanced towards the elevators just as they opened. She saw Zack, Emma, and Courtney exit, and as soon as she met her cousin's eyes, the smaller girl came over.

Emma crushed Paige in a hug, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "I thought you were dead." She whispered.

Paige held her tightly. "I'm okay, I promise."

Should Zack follow Courtney's advice about waiting to start a relationship with Emma?

Do you think it's time for Chloe J to step in since she is realizing that Emma does have a problem?

Should Nate go through with Lindsey and Noah's plan to try and get Emma?

Thoughts on the Brittany and Brenda situation?

What did you think of Emma and Zack's talk?

The Dream Team girls have all agreed to help with Madison Cheer Team Takeover! Do you think it'll work?

Was Zack wrong to threaten Tate? Was he doing it because he called Emma fat, or because he's jealous that she was going to go out with another guy?

Did you think I had really killed Paige?

Is there anything you want to see more of? Less of?

Please leave your thoughts and any ideas you have!