It's been a while! Sorry, my muse was being mean! Thanks for all your replies, otherwise this chapter NEVER would have come out !
Some notes
-I know that I promised a lot of Carly and Jax, but as it turns out, I hate Carly right now- so unless I get a huge outcry from Carly fans asking me to increase her time in the story, she's going to be a supporting character- but it still ends with CarJax.
-This has a lot of Cam/Morgan in it, but that was unavoidable. I needed to position them in a certain way to get to where I need Cam in the story
-I tweaked Ewen's character for the sake of giving Jax a story, and because Robin wasn't kidnapped Faison, but by the WSB. I think it is far more interesting than what they did to Ewen on GH. Plus, gotta love more Jax.
This is a long one. Sorry!
Reading Guide:
In large portions
(Parentheses): Thoughts
Italics:Flashbacks
Bold:Writing
Bold Italics: Song Lyrics
Previously:
-Liz is being held hostage by Cesar Faison, his son (!) Ethan, and Victor Lord! She's presumed dead by all of Port Charles- only her delinquent son Cameron thinks she's alive and is on a mission to find her.
- Liz is the daughter of Irene Manning, Todd's mother!
-Carly wants to know if Cameron was in love with Morgan; she thought that was why Morgan split for military school after Cam came out as gay.
-Blair is letting everyone think she's engaged to Tomas when she isn't to try and avoid falling in love with Todd!
-Jax, Robin and V are all WSB agents. Robin wants to talk to Jason Morgan. Jax and V are pretending to be together.
-Lucky is having problems with his son Cameron, who hates him and blackmailed Sam into investigating his mother's death. He is currently raising his kids with the help of Sarah, Liz's sister.
Chapter Four
In which Blair tries to save Todd, Lucky and Carly bond, Cameron makes a break for it, Robin confides in Jason, and Morgan confronts Cameron.
"Hey, I just got a text- you going to be okay with Lucky?" Jack asked Carly, with a concerned hand on her arm.
She nodded in response, gave him a smile before meeting her blue eyes to Lucky's. Her cousin, who she had never quite been close with, looked as harried as she felt and she had no doubt in her mind that it was due to the upcoming anniversary of his ex's death.
She should be grateful, because at least Jax was alive, for her there was the hope of reconciliation, even with this new development, this new girl in his life, there was still the chance that she could get him back. She knew that if she looked up at the sky, Jax could be looking at that same sky- and sometimes that was enough.
Lucky didn't even have that anymore.
They approached the limo that she arrived in, and Carly ducked in. The driver was not inside; she had allowed him to go read somewhere as he was wont to do during long events. As soon as the door was shut behind her, a breath of relief exited her mouth, and she dug her fingernails into the car seat. "I can't believe he has a girlfriend. I can't believe he brought her here. What the hell was he thinking? Didn't he realize what this would mean for me? For us?"
Lucky opened the door and sat down beside her, raising an eyebrow at her as he slammed the door shut. "No offense, Carly, but weren't you dating someone for a while?"
She glared at him, then crossed her arms across her chest. "But he wasn't here for me to rub his face in it."
"Carly-"
"Fine. Whatever." She rolled her eyes and refused to look at him. Instead she faced the window and stared out at the ship that was Jax's return party. It looked small against the horizon, despite the fact that she knew it wasn't. A part of her wanted to watch that ship sail away, and yet another part of her wanted for him to walk off of it and into her arms. Neither idea made the sight before her less stunning, or Jax's choices in parties to encourage his business ventures any less brilliant. "He can have her, I don't want him."
"Yes, you do." Lucky replied, and she turned to look at him. His eyes were closed, his mouth strained. "You don't want to love him, because in that direction is pain and heartbreak. But people not wanting it and not feeling it are two different things."
"Spoken like one who knows."
"Love." Lucky looked at her and Carly could tell, almost intuitively, that he was talking about Elizabeth. His blue eyes, dark and cloudy, might as well have had her visage in them, and the frown lines surrounding his mouth may as well have spelled her name. "Love doesn't just go away- it can change, it can shift and it can mutate; but it doesn't leave. So depending on how it shifts is whether or not you can move on. Sometimes you try and move on, you do everything within your power to just let it go- but it isn't enough, because it's no longer within your power. It has a life of its own. This irrational, completely insane life of its own that doesn't make sense, that doesn't care how it hurts you- like a hurricane it just sweeps everything along with it and leaves whatever it wants in its wake."
Carly felt a chill go down her spine, "Lucky-"
But he was continuing and she realized that he didn't even see her anymore. "it doesn't care if the other person is unconscionable, uncontrollable or even unreachable; it doesn't give a damn. It just pulls and pulls until you have to let go of whatever it was you were holding onto in order to not get sucked in by its force. Finally you let go of whatever, or whoever, because you can't hold on anymore. Whatever you had your grip on, whoever you had your grip on; can't keep you forever because the hurricane always wins." She noticed the instant he saw her again, because he blinked rapidly and shook his head before meeting her eyes once more. "It always wins."
XXX
Blair found herself almost out of breath when she reached Todd's Penthouse. She didn't even bother to knock, simply opened the door to see his suitcase on the table, closed and upright, then another bag, that she guessed was going with him on the flight.
He was at his desk, looking handsome in the black leather jacket that she hadn't seen him in for years. When he looked up, his hair poking every which way and his eyes looking cold and dangerous, Blair knew which Todd that she was dealing with and how to deal with him. That was what decades of their particular type of dance did to two people. "You can't do this."
"What? Go on vacation?" He asked blandly.
She shook her head, closing the door behind her and staring him down with the eyes of Blair Cramer she-wolf and possible lunatic. "You can't go after the people who kept you hostage, Todd." She told him, taking a step forward, "don't you remember the Victor debacle? Because I am never going to forget it."
He stared at her for a moment, eyes unfocused like he wasn't seeing her, then they refocused. "You spoke to Cameron. That little shit is so fired."
"I'm glad I did speak to Cameron!" She exclaimed, "at least he has the sense to try and keep you from going down a path of self-destruction, Todd!"
Todd stood, "wait- what did he tell you?"
"The truth, Todd. However foreign it is to you! That you found out more information on the men involved with taking you, so you're going to go find them." Blair responded hotly as she balled her hands into fists, her arms stiff at her sides. "Don't you ever learn, Todd? You're going to get yourself killed, or put in jail!"
"Or maybe your boyfriend will lock me up for another eight years, oops- I meant fiancée." Was his dark and angry response, "why the hell are you even here, Blair? Shouldn't you be at your party or something? And you're one to expound on the truth, I might add. It's not been your best ally through the years, if memory serves."
She knew he was lashing out because he was hurt. That's what Todd did. It's who he was. Her being Blair, and him being Todd, she kept her distance. He was right about her truth comment, but she wasn't going to admit that. Instead she squared her shoulders, and stared at him with narrowed eyes. "So Starr finally forgives you, you have everything you want, and you're willing to throw it all away? Is that what is happening here?"
"Is that what it looks like?" Todd motioned to his things, "because it looks to me like I'm taking a well-earned vacation."
"And if I thought that was what you were doing, I'd wish you well and say halleluiah, because maybe a vacation would chill you the hell out. But since I know that you're really going to rain fire and brimstone on your enemies- I've come by to do the right thing and stop you."
He let out a short, derisive laugh, "my question is when did you turn in to Dudley Do-Right's wife, Blair? What happened to you while I was locked away for eight years? Did they put you on the rack and bleed the interesting right out of you?"
She rolled her eyes, let out an annoyed sighed and tilted her head to the side, "I grew up Todd, maybe you could do the same?"
"Nah." He zipped up his lap top. "Sounds lame."
"Todd."
"What do you even care, Blair?" He asked, throwing his hands in the air, "Care-Blaire- get it? I bet you'd have an expensive shoe on your tummy."
"Ha. Ha." She replied sarcastically.
"Don't you have a really boring wedding to plan? Why is what I'm planning on your to-do list of criticism?"
She opened her mouth, shut it, then after a thought or two on what to say, she told him; "you're the father of my children, Todd. Of course I care if you go to prison for being an idiot." She walked around the desk that had his suitcase on it and stared him directly in the eye. "Which is exactly what is going to happen if you get on that plane."
"So you think it's a bad idea?" He asked right back, but before she could answer, he cut her off. "Let's talk about bad ideas, Blair." He offered, "because I have an entire list of your bad ideas written right here." He reached into his inside breast pocket and pulled a piece of paper. "It's every terrible idea you ever made, including, but not limited to, marrying Max Buchanan, getting engaged to the spook who kept me locked up for 8 years, and that's just romantically-"
"Shut up!" She cut her hand through the air, "we're not talking about me right now. Don't you get that I'm trying to help you, Todd?"
"You're not helping, you're hindering. Now get out so I Can spend less time fighting and more time figuring out what to put in my carry-on suitcase."
He breezed past her in a huff, opening the door and motioning for her to exit. She grabbed his arm so that he would look at her, but the movement caught them both by surprise and suddenly he was nose to nose with her, just a breath separating their faces.
As always, when he was this close to her, she felt her pulse quicken and she had trouble controlling her breath. Their eyes were locked together and she could feel his warm breath on her cheeks. "What are you doing, Blair?"
And his tone had that softness to it, that vulnerability that kind of made him sound like a little boy who needed help. Her eyes moved to his mouth, then she closed them and tried to control her already wild emotions.
(What am I doing?)
When she opened them, she noticed that he hadn't moved. Like her, he was frozen there.
Just the tiniest move forward and her lips would be touching his…
XXX
"Morgan!" Jax opened his arms as soon as he laid eyes on his son and Morgan was immediately in them. It had been a year since had been able to see his son, and when he had Morgan had been in his Swiss military school. Since returning to Port Charles, they could only talk by skype, that was until the WSB ensured that he could return to his home without charges being brought against him, or Sonny Corinthos coming after him. He was now free to spend a great deal of time with his son and his daughter. He touched a lock of his green hair and gave the kid a devilish grin, he kind of liked that Morgan wanted to be different and stick out; "how are you?"
Morgan returned the smile, "great now that you're back. You? How was your trip?"
"It was, quite possibly, the happiest trip of my life." He took a drink of the champagne and placed his free hand on Morgan's shoulder, "you look good, Morgan- tell me everything that is going on with you." He put an arm around his son and headed them off to the bar.
"Well," Morgan began, but paused as Jax ordered himself a scotch and Morgan a peach Iced-tea, "I've been taking college courses in lieu of high school ones, thanks to the new accelerated program that you funded." Morgan sat down next to his dad and then sipped his drink, "Molly is taking them too- although she's more interested in the arts than computers and technology."
"Well, we both know money is in technology." Jax said, "we're just fortunate that is where your interests are."
Morgan nodded, "Oh, Molly is dating this guy named TJ now. He's alright, I guess."
"It's too bad you don't wake up and see how great she is," Jax scolded.
Morgan shifted uncomfortably under Jax's gaze, "yeah…well…" He looked around but didn't see who he was looking for, and then shrugged. "Sometimes things just aren't meant to be, you know?"
"Something bothering you, Morgan?"
"No, I mean…" Morgan shrugged, "it's just that I was looking for Cam."
Jax gave a quick glance around the bar area, then behind them at the open floor where a few people were dancing, but mostly people were standing around and talking. "You said he wasn't talking to you?"
Morgan shook his head, "he won't even look at me, actually. Not since I went to military school. I mean I tried to reach out to him when his mom passed but…" Morgan shrugged, then turned back to the bar and took a drink of his tea, "I guess by then it was too late," he finished softly, "he can't forgive me for running away. I don't blame him, I guess."
"But you miss him." Jax translated.
"Yeah." Morgan smiled a little, "he was my best friend. A lot of my best memories include him."
"I know what you mean," Jax nodded and put his hand on the small of Morgan's back. "Maybe I can talk to him, hm?"
"No." Morgan shook his head, "he's not been…very open to advice now that Liz is gone."
Jax was quiet for a moment, "has he been cruel to you? Has he hurt you?"
There was the fierce protectiveness of a father in Jax's voice and Morgan smiled at it. Even when Jax was gone and Sonny wasn't, Morgan had felt like the blonde Aussie was more of a father to him. "No. He mostly just pretends I never existed. Honestly, I'd rather he screamed at me, or railed at me or even beat me up. Because then I would know I at least mattered to him, even a little. But he didn't. He shut me out completely. Nevermind, lets talk about something happier- like you and this V girl. Why haven't you told me about her in our chats?"
"I wasn't sure where it was going." Jax admitted sheepishly, "and I wasn't sure how you would take it. I know how you wanted me to get back with your mother."
And in his heart of hearts, that was really want Morgan wanted. He truly believed that only Jax could make her happy, show her what her full potential was. He wanted them to be a family, a real one, and he knew that if his mother had just been a little more reasonable, everything would have been fine between them. In his heart of hearts, he blamed Jason and Sonny, though Molly always refuted it when he did. But Molly thought Jason was the second coming of Jesus…hell, most of the town did. "Well, I guess that's out, huh?"
"Sorry, kiddo."
"It's cool. I get it." Morgan smiled, "I'm going to go find Molly, wanna have breakfast tomorrow?"
"Sounds great. Just us though, alright?"
Morgan nodded in ascent before giving him a brief hug and then going on the prowl.
XXX
"I wish that this could be more of a social call." Robin told him as she handed Jason a beer and sat down on the arm of the couch, so that her feet were on the cushion. He was in the chair across the room, looking every bit the man she remembered him to be. "But I could kind of use your help, which is how I convinced my superiors to let me tell you I was alive." He nodded for her to continue, and Robin bit down on her lower lip, thinking about how she would broach the subject. "Look, I know that you have this whole code where you don't tell the authorities anything, and, as a WSB agent, I'm now an authority. But Jason, you want me to help find and punish these criminals, okay?"
His face betrayed nothing of what he was feeling, though she searched desperately for a trace of it.
"I think that drugs are moving through Port Charles, drugs specifically needed to optimize relaxation and susceptibility to thought changes." She explained, twisting the cap off of her own beer and then taking a swig. After her large gulp, she looked at the label and frowned, "if these drugs keep getting to the wrong people, then they're bound to perfect what they are doing."
"What exactly are they doing? I mean, I get it, brainwashing." Jason raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "but to what end…exactly?"
"Our best guess?" Robin asked, knowing that her expression was one of annoyance that they didn't know the answer for sure, "is if they can successfully use implantation of memories- which we have a few cases of it working so far- they can take people out of governments, implant whatever they want, then put them back in. Viola, they have spies, they have informants, they have minions doing their bidding and people are none the wiser.
"And…this has actually happened?"
"Oh yes," Robin took another drink of her beer. "To a guy here, actually. Todd Manning. His mother took his memories and put them in his brother, Victor, then replaced Todd with Victor so that she could have control of his money." Robin twisted her lower corner of her mouth downward, "and look for a microchip that he had."
"That's…insane."
"There's more." She got down from the arm of the couch and sat down next to him, keeping her voice low and her eyes on his blue ones. "This is where you come in, okay? But it's kind of a long story, so I need you to show me some patience."
He nodded.
Robin took in a deep breath and then got to her feet, feeling a little anxious. She walked to one side of the couch, then back, trying to find a way to say what she had to say, without sounding like she escaped from an institution. Plus, she needed his attention on the situation at hand, not the surprise inside the tale.
So she'd start with the company. "There's this…company, Martin Pharmaceuticals, which the WSB has believed, for quite some time, to be a front for an organization led by Irene Manning; the mother of Todd Manning and Victor Lord Junior." Robin explained, picking up her speed of pacing, "we have evidence of human experimentation there, Jason. We're talking brainwashing, genetic mutations- you name it, they're doing it. It's like something straight off the sci-fi channel."
"That's where the drugs are going?" He asked, keeping up with her quick paced speech with no problem.
She nodded, stopped pacing and told him; "exactly. But these people, they work for whoever pays the right amount. Think of them like mercenary scientists- which is the norm nowadays because we don't fight hand to hand anymore. It's all technology based, so these guys are…really, really dangerous."
"And now you're doing the same thing they're doing…but for the WSB?"
"Yes." She put her hands on her hips, "but I know that what I'm doing is meant to benefit mankind. We're not trying to make money from war, Jason. We're trying to stop war. We're trying to preserve life. They're selling to the highest bidder."
He raised his eyebrows her, "are you sure you can trust the people you work for?"
"I can." Robin promised, "the head of the WSB is a good and smart man, his dedication to humanity is paramount. He's risked his life more than once for it. He doesn't want power, he wants peace." She sighed, "the enemy wants money, but we don't pay sociopaths, because there is always someone out there who will pay them more. We stop them. I stop them….and when you know what they've done, you'll want to stop them too."
"What have they done?"
Robin leaned in, lowering her voice, "they target people with connections, maybe to the WSB or wealthy, powerful corporations, or in the police- and they turn them into agents. The only problem is their success rate with these brainwashing techniques are substantially greater if there is a history mental illness within the family, most notably DID." She walked quickly across the room, disappeared behind the door and then reappeared with a stack of manila folders. She dropped them on Jason's lap, and he leafed through them.
"Georgie Jones? Cooper Barrett? Leticia Juarez? Diego Alcazar? Em?" Jason looked questioningly, "Robin, what does the text message killer have to do with any of this?"
"Every one of them as a viable candidate for the techniques Irene Manning used on the Todds." Robin answered very seriously, "Well, not Georgie. But she hadn't been the intended target, Maxie was- and Maxie's profile indicated a lean towards mental illness, with genetic indicators for DID. Her father is a high-ranking WSB agent. Your sister's biological father had DID, and Emily had the same genetic viability as her father did. She ahd access to all the Quartermaine's bank accounts and a few skeletons in their closet. Cooper Barrett is actually Brenda Barrett's brother, and you and I know her family's stability. He had aspirations for the police department, and he knew things about Jerry Jacks, we think. Leticia had no history with mental illness, and only the genetic indicators of DID. She worked for Carly, whow as married to a mobster and had a mobster for a best friend. That leaves us Diego, who had been a Joe for quite some time. It turns out that he was working for Jerry Jacks- information we obtained from another undercover agent."
"Is there some kind of connection between Irene and Jerry?"
"We're not entirely certain, intel indicates it's very likely." Robin gathered up the folders and stared at Jason for a long time, "Jason, we have substantial evidence that Rebecca Shaw never existed, the last sighting of Rebecca was with Zander Smith, who we know is working for Cesar Faison. Jason. Rebecca is Emily- and we're pretty sure that Faison not only has her, but is experimenting on her."
XXX
"Pleasepleasepleaseplease!"
"Mom, you're getting annoying."
She dropped to her knees, put her hands together as if in a prayer and said in a woefully tragic voice, "but if I don't get one, I'll just die. Please, I'll do anything!"
Cameron tugged his mother up by her elbows as she giggled and laughed at her mocking of him. "I wasn't that bad."
"You were." She laughed, "and now it's time to pay the piper, Cameron. I agreed to let you have your deathtrap of a skateboard, despite the rise in my blood pressure every time I see you on it, and I'm letting you work for Todd Manning! So now you must suffer, Cameron Webber." She turned from him, walked a few steps, then turned back with her hands raised and moving (my mother is giving me jazz hands, I am totally screwed). "You, good sir, are going to be my date to the Nurse's Ball."
"Mo-om-"
She poked him in his side, then dashed across the room as he went after her. "You're going to dress up," she barely dodged his hand snaking out to grab her, "smile," she hopped over the couch and almost went face-first into the coffee table but at the last moment caught the top with a foot and used it to hop over it to the other side of the room, "and you're going to tell everyone in the whole world-"
"What a big ol' pain my mom is?" He asked.
She grinned, putting her hands on her hips, "would you rather I went with Mr. Hesmond?"
"My math teacher?" Cameron made a face.
She brought her shoulder forward and looked at him over it, "well, he did ask me to go-"
"Okay!" Cameron put both of his hands up, "I'll go, I'll go. Ugh. You're such a sneaky little-"
"Don't you even finish that sentence, young man." She glared, "or I will ground you until you're thirty."
He flashed a dazzling smile, "I was going to say a sneaky little blackmailer. What did you think I was going to say?"
The water was temperate and beautiful, and it always calmed him. Cameron was in need of calming. Tonight had to go off without a hitch if he were going to join Todd on his little excursion. This could be his only chance to find his mother, and if that were the case, then this had to happen.
If not for himself, for Aiden, who in the very least needed one parent that would actually stick around, but if he were being honest, it was mostly for himself.
He let his mind wander to another memory…
Cameron launched the vase through the air, shattering it against the wall with his painting of the Haunted Star, sending that crashing to the ground as well. Anger burned inside of him like fire as he used his forearm to smash through the paints and glasses on his table by his canvas until they were a mess on the ground.
He heard her on the steps before the door opened. His mother, shirt wet from dishwater and baby food, hair pulled up into a messy ponytail with strands poking out was in his room. She quickly surveyed the mess he was making before her eyes flew up this face, "are you okay?"
Those would be her first words.
His anger deflated and he threw his arms up in the air, "no, no I'm not." She shuffled the pieces of the vase out of her way with a foot and then sat down on his bed, patting the place next to her so that he would sit as well. "I'm sorry I started trashing things." He told her glumly as he sat down next to her as she wanted.
She looked around at the mess as she took his hand in hers, "what caused hurricane Cam?"
He rolled his eyes, "I'm failing art."
"Art?" She asked, "but you're an amazing artist, Cameron. Look at-" She stopped as her eyes caught the painting that had fallen to the floor. He knew why she stopped. He had done that painting for Lucky, but her ex-husband had never come back for it- or for her. "Look at that painting there." She squeezed his hand, "your attention to detail, your symbolic uses of color- it's all phenomenal. So your art teacher must be out of his mind."
Cameron bit down on his lip, let go of his mother's hand and then pulled the beginning of his carnage off the floor. He had used his painter's knife to rip through the work that had gotten him the 'F.'
It was a man, his back to world, made of splashes of dark, foreboding colors that were smudged and shaded into his form. The foreground was the ocean that he stared at, but it was not blue. It took was a smudged mess of colors shaded into what the audience was to see.
The knife went diagonally through the canvas, slashing the man's back.
"Cam, this is gorgeous." She said softly, picking it up in her hands and staring at it. "What on earth was your teacher thinking?"
"It was supposed to be realistic." Cameron replied glumly, "but look, the shading, the markings- all that is realistic. I just wanted to make the emotion behind it realistic too."
She bit down on her lower lip, then looked at him. "May I have it?"
"But I ruined it."
She shook her head, "no. It's not ruined- it symbolizes more than one thing now, that's all." She set it down on the bed and then turned to face him. She raised a hand, using her thumb to wipe of something from his cheek. A wry smile was on her lips as she scanned his face. Finally she let out a breath, "I'm going to call the school- you clean this up. But be careful not to cut yourself, okay?"
"Why would you call the school?"
"So I can chew out your art teacher." She told him with a crafty little grin.
"You're not mad at me?"
"For doing your best?" She asked, "why in the world would I be, Cam?" Then she looked around the damage he caused and sighed, "but you do need to clean this up, and realize that we can't afford to replace everything you break, okay?"
He knew he looked doubtful.
"I am always on your side. I will always have your back. That is something that you will never have to question and it is something that will never change."
"I've been looking for you."
The familiar voice of his former best friend, Morgan, sent a knife through the pleasant memory of his mother. Unlike Elizabeth, Morgan didn't have his back- and there had been a point where he thought Morgan would be the only one who did. It made him bitter to think that he questioned his own mother's loyalty because of her mistakes, while never questioning Morgan.
Outside of Lucky, no one had hurt him more.
"I couldn't reason why." Cam responded icily without moving his eyes off the water.
There was a small intake of breath, then a long pause. "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"
"None."
"Because you'll never forgive me?"
Cameron didn't answer, didn't move to look at him, because seeing his face was too difficult. His face tightened his chest and made it hard to breathe. "Shouldn't you be off with your shadow somewhere? Making plans for study dates and honor society meetings?"
"There was a time when we were the Three Musketeers, remember that?"
Cameron didn't answer. He remembered. He remembered everything. "Three's a crowd."
"Big bad Cam doesn't need anybody, is that how it is?" Morgan asked tightly, "is this what Liz would have wanted for you? To be all alone?"
Cameron didn't grace him with an answer, this exchange would have been easier for him if there was enmity involved, but instead Morgan was practically soaking him with pity. "My mother would want to be here." Is how he finally responded, "but she isn't, so I guess what she would want doesn't matter anymore, does it, Morgan?" He turned to look Morgan straight in the eye and was surprised that they were clouded with something indiscernible. "Go."
"I made a mistake. Everyone makes them, Cam. Why are you always so stubborn and bullheaded? Why can't you just forgive me? We were best friends."
"You were a shitty best friend." Cameron snapped before collecting himself and calming down. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find a waiter to have promiscuous gay sex with- kay?" The words were meant to sound a care-free about homosexuality as he could possibly get, he didn't want Morgan to know that it hurt him that Morgan didn't accept it. So instead he would rub the fact that he was gay in the kid's face. He started to walk away, but then turned back when Morgan grabbed his shoulder to stop him. "What?"
"Don't." Morgan warned.
"Why?"
"I've heard the rumors about you, Cam- about the guys you hook up with, the risky life-choices you make. And I get it, you're rebelling? Look at me- I've rebelled against everything Carly and Sonny would ever wanted for me. But dude, I'm rebelling in a way that isn't going to get me an STI or buried in a shallow ditch on the side of some road. You can't just trust strangers, Cam."
"I don't." Cam retorted easily, "I don't trust anybody."
"Hey, Cam!" Jack came jogging toward them, he greeted Morgan casually before turning back to Cameron. "You should be good to go."
"Good to go do what?" Morgan wanted to know.
Cameron wasn't about to explain to Morgan how Jack was helping him. "Every guy who will have me, Morgan." He responded tightly, before walking towards Jack and motioning for him to walk out of Morgan's ear shot. As they entered the staircase, Cameron looked to Jack expectantly for the information he wanted.
"You're lucky I even answered my phone when you called me, Cameron. It's not like we're friends."
"Like you would ever help a friend, Jack." Cam mused, "you're helping me because I have info you want." Cameron reached into his jacket and pulled out a travel drive, when Jack extended his hand for it, Cameron snatched it back. "Did you do what I asked, first?"
"I got the uniform of the caterers, and your look-a-like is waiting for your clothes right now. Where did you even find that guy?"
"Craig's list. He's a model. You didn't give him my name, right?" Cameron wanted to know.
Jack shook his head, "What do I look like, an idiot?"
(Yes.) "No." Cam smirked, "so here's the drill- Lucky is off to go help a damsel in distress, okay? I'm going to follow the other caterers off the boat while this guy masquerades as me so the guards don't get suspicious. You just make sure that no one, like Sarah Webber, for instance, sees that guy's face."
"How can you manage all this and still get straight C's in school?" Jack wanted to know with a hint of shock in his voice.
(School doesn't matter and math sucks.) "Let's just get me into that outfit and I'll give you what you want- all the information one could possibly obtain on Molly Lansing in order to woo her. Good luck with that." He rolled his eyes, (Molly doesn't like bullies or creeps, so you have your work cut out for you.)
"Fine. Lets go."
XXX
The air was electric between them- but this is how it was with Blair, always. Thing were never simple, or easy, or normal. It was life or death, hate or love, and there was never ice because it was always fire.
Todd didn't dare close his eyes, he kept them fixed on hers. He knew them so we, had every fleck memorized, ever emotion categorized in his head. He knew the dark intensity of passion, the shimmer and spark of want, the glowing of hatred and anger, the shadows of self-doubt. He probably knew Blair better than he knew himself, which is why right then he knew that she was on the precipice of finally realizing he was the one- (and in 3 seconds you're was going to start-)
"What the hell, Todd?!" She backed off and stared at him with fury- but that fury was really covering up fear. "I just came over to help you- and you have to put the moves on me? No way, I'm not tripping into that disaster again!"
(-yelling.) He sighed, folding his arms over his chest and glowered. (less than three seconds this time, I must be losing my Blarian sixth sense). "And why exactly do you want to help me, Blair?"
"For Starr!" She exclaimed defensively, "she's worried about you."
"She sent you here?"
"I mean, she would have if she knew what was going on," Blair hedged, suddenly realizing her misstep and trying to fix it. "And for Jack, he's just finally bonding with you." She was nodding then, finding her perfect answer.
"So no one sent you here," he read between her words triumphantly, "you came here all on your own to save me from myself." He spread his arms out, "and how exactly do you plan on saving me Blair? Because I'm still going on that plane, and you can't really stop me."
She raised her chin, "then I am going with you!"
He snorted, "in the middle of your company launch with your over-sized Ken doll?"
"I've done all the work so far, now it's his turn." She returned vehemently, "and you're just mad because your little friend Carly still has a thing for the Aussie hunk. Poor Todd, left out in the cold again."
(And then came the visceral hatred), but he was up for the challenge. "As opposed to your ever-absent fiancée? Who keeps you warm at night Blair?" He hit back with ferocity, "I mean, who knows what he is doing right now. So much for your need for honesty, Blair, Mr. Super spy is a master at lying."
"He's honest about what matters, which is more than I can say for you." She slammed back, "I don't know who you lie to more? Me, or yourself."
"And what am I lying to myself about, exactly?"
"This thing, you going after the people who took you. You're chasing ghosts, hoping to find answers about who you are. Todd, you know where those answers are, and they aren't on some airplane, or in your mother's sins. The answers about you are in you."
"You're looking way too deep." Todd shook his head, "all I want is revenge."
"And where does revenge always leave you?"
"Satisfied?"
Blair took a step closer to him, "you end up alone and miserable, Todd, then you seek more vengeance and you destroy more people- it's this never ending cycle of lies an damage that you think can be fixed by throwing money at it. But we're not things, we're people, and you can't just pay someone to make it all better."
"This coming from the woman who thought money could change everything."
"I did," she nodded, "but then I got money, power, prestige, respect- I have it all now."
"And you're happy?"
When she didn't answer, he stepped closer to her. "Are you happy, Blair?"
XXX
Lucky answered his phone, suppressing a sigh when he saw the name on the Caller ID. Sam. He liked Sam, but he usually only heard from her when Cameron was causing troubles, and he was loathe to know what his son had done this time.
"Hey, Sam, what's up?"
"Hi. I wish I was calling with better news." There was a small pause and a little huff of air, "but I am currently handcuffed to a pipe in my apartment."
"I'm sorry- what?"
"Seriously." Sam said irritably, "these two guys came in dressed as police officers. They told me I was under arrest, they hand cuffed me to the chair, and then, I shit you not, started stripping to a Florence and the Machine song. When I started yelling- they were flustered and just sprinted out. I don't think they realized that I didn't pay them to do it. You're lucky I called you and not the police, okay?"
Lucky winced at the story and then frowned, "I know, thank you. I'll be right there."
He glanced over at Carly who was looking at him with confusion, "what's going on?"
He shook his head, "nothing. I have to go- I'll see you later." He didn't wait for his cousin to say anything, and instead hurried out of her car and into his. He started the engine, pausing only a second to pinch the bridge of his nose and collect his thoughts.
Seriously?
Cameron seriously hired strippers for Sam to freak her out? What the hell was wrong with him?
She told me not to step on the cracks
I told her not to fuss and relax
Pretty little face stopped me in my tracks
But now she sleeps with one eye open
That's the price she'll pay
Lucky looked at the radio in confusion. He had been listening to Miles Davis, not Florence and the Machine…
I took a knife and cut out her eye
I took it home and watched it wither and die
Well, she's lucky that I didn't slip her a smile
That's why she sleeps with one eye open
That's the price she'll pay
"Cameron Webber…I am going to kill you."
I said, hey, girl with one eye
Get your filthy fingers out of my pie
I said, hey, girl with one eye
I'll cut your little heart out cause you made me cry
XXX
"I didn't figure you would be alone." Jax approached the man that people knew as Dr. Ewen Keenan, who was sitting at the back of the party with a glass of champagne, watching the guests of the party with his trademark inquisitive expression.
Of course, Ewen Keenan was his nom de guerre
His real name was Agent Jerry Jacks Jr. although most people called him JJ. He was the result of a torrid affair Jerry had when he was younger, and the mother hadn't bothered to tell Jerry about him for years. JJ said it had been out of resentment, but Jax didn't know how much resentment JJ's mother could have for Jerry, considering she named her son after him. JJ had been a double agent, spying on Jerry Jacks for the WSB. It was his work that had gotten them Robin. Jerry had been working for someone who had wanted Robin, and Jerry had wanted his son to kidnap her as a show of loyalty. Instead he faked her death before the kidnapping was to take place. Now JJ was remaining in Port Charles, waiting to hear from Jerry, but so far there was no word. He had been recruited by the WSB for his neurolinguistic abilities, but kept because he was also an excellent field operative.
"I thought you would at least have a date."
"Sarah and I weren't really working out." His nephew said wryly, "it's not entirely shocking. I'm afraid she's not very creative."
"Did you even tell anyone the two of you were dating?"
"I didn't think Cameron was ready to hear it." JJ explained with a shrug, "so we never went public."
Jax considered the words, and filed them away for later thought as well. He didn't really know Sarah outside of her excellent work as a doctor. She was renowned pediatric heart surgeon and a philanthropist who gave many of her hours working without fees for the less fortunate people. She was following in her parent's footsteps- and if Jax recalled, so did her older brother Steven. Neither of those Webber siblings had children of their own though. It was Elizabeth who had strayed from that path, having loved art more than nursing, then her children more than art. "No other candidates then?"
"My life doesn't really have a lot of room for relationships, you know?" JJ said quietly, avoiding eye contact as he watched the guests. He laughed a little, then glanced at Jax, "I'm married to my work and my art."
"Ah, yes."
Jax and JJ fell into an awkward silence until V approached. She graced JJ with a cheerful smile, "so what is Dr. Steamy doing here by his lonesome when there is quite the hottie sitting right over there, giving him the eye?" V casually motioned behind her, covering it by smoothing over her hair. "Talk to her. She's tall, blonde and just your type."
V had been JJ's contact handler the WSB, and, Jax, suspected, the only one who knew all of his missions. "Wait, didn't you date Elizabeth Webber?" Jax asked, confused, "she was hardly blonde, or tall."
V looked impatiently at him, "we thought she was a Joe."
Joe was slang for a deep cover agent. Jax couldn't help it, he snorted. "Elizabeth? Really? That's some deep cover. I mean- I can't think of anything more impossible."
V shrugged, "we had a few good reasons, besides, he was in town. Why not chase every avenue."
Their voices were low, and the music was loud enough that no sound device could have picked up their conversation, but Jax could still tell V was uncomfortable talking about anything in such a public place. He changed the subject, "so when did things end with Sarah?"
"Last week." He answered stiffly, "it was what it was. We've been talking too long, it's suspicious."
V nodded, "I'll try to spend some time with Alexis and see if the Cassadines are stirring."
"A solid plan," JJ replied dryly, "we all know what a barrel of laughs that family is."
"Meanwhile," V gave him a severe look, "talk to the blonde before I start thinking celibacy is your life-shoice, kay?"
From the eyes of the party, it would have looked like nothing more than an introduction of strangers, but one with the promise of further communication later. They had kept it friendly and light to onlookers, and tried to make it so no one would think anything of the encounter.
V hooked her arm through Jax's and the two started toward Alexis Davis, who was talking cheerfully to Diane. All that was forgotten as the lawyer noted them coming towards her and moved to embrace her two friends.
First she hugged Jax, then V and then they were all in a hurry to tell each other about the news in their lives. Diane, feeling out of place most likely, politely excused herself, and the three continued prattling on.
"Spencer is doing wonderful in school with his sights set on Oxford- he's actually excited about taking over the Cassadine empire and so eager to learn all of its ins and outs." Alexis told them as the conversation had veered toward Jax and Alexis' most common denominator, their children.
It was hard for Jax to hear about Spencer sometimes. After all, he was supposed to be the one helping Spencer throughout life, and detaching himself from that idea, even after so many years passed, was still difficult at its best. The pain was somewhat quieted with the arrival of Joss, who he had such high hopes for, but mostly it was calmed by his son; the bright and talented Morgan. He couldn't be prouder of anyone- and was certain that one day Joss and Morgan would head his own empire. "I really wish that Spencer would come home though, I think time with Molly and Morgan is what he needs. He has friends, but no real close ones."
"Morgan would definitely be friends with him," Jax agreed with his best friend, "he's always so open and friendly- and Molly, well, you must be over the moon about how she is turning out."
"And back again." Alexis replied, "Molly has been as smooth sailing as Kristina is stormy waters." She grinned, "but they are both sharp as tacks, my girls, and I wouldn't want anyone else. Besides, Kristina has the fire she'll need in the Cassadine world."
"Definitely," V was agreeing, "hopefully Helena is retired."
"Wouldn't that be lovely? She has been quiet for some time now, so there is always hope."
Jax felt a rush of relief, but kept his face neutral. Helena being still and quiet was just what they all needed, there were enough problems. "Have you seen Molly or Morgan around? They've been missing for a little bit." Alexis said conversationally.
Jax took a look around the room, "no. Morgan was looking for Molly earlier. Hey, there's Cameron. Maybe he's seen them."
Cameron's back was towards them as he talked to a cute little blonde girl across the room. Jax started over towards him and put a hand on his shoulder, "hey, Cam-"
But the boy who turned around wasn't Cameron at all, he just looked like him from the back, and was wearing clothes that Jax had seen Cameron in earlier.
That was odd.
XXX
Getting on the plane was easy.
Cameron knew that airport security would be tough, but he had a fake passport already, and it was a private jet which helped. More to the point, Todd's personal pilot, James Hart was a compulsive gambler who cheated on his wife- and so blackmail was involved with getting him in the storage unit of Todd's jet. After threatening to tell James' wife about his bad habits, the pilot relented and allowed him to sneak into the storage compartment which already had Todd's posessions. The convincing had taken a good twenty minutes though, (I hope my telling Blair stalled Todd long enough to not catch me.)
(All this time I had been preparing to go on a search for my mother, I didn't realize it would happen so soon, so fast.)
He had easily obtained the passport using Luke Spencer's name and credibility, it had cost a lot, but he had been obtaining money from all different sources. Todd, Blair, Jack…
He had all of his money with him in cash. He also had brought a back pack full of clothing, a few fake IDs, a travel drive with scans of all the information on his mom including her journals and psych evaluations, his lap top and even a fake ID for Elizabeth. (So keep Calm, Webber. You've got this. You've been planning to find her for the last year- under any circumstance.)
The storage compartment was cramped, already filled with a few suitcases for Todd- but if he laid down flat, he was comfortable. His plan was to sleep through the flight while listening to music on his headphones- he'd wake for the landing and then he'd make his way to the pharmaceutical company before Todd.
Everything was going perfectly as planned.
Until the door to the storage compartment opened and he was looking into the dark eyes of Morgan Jacks. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"What the hell are you doing, Cam?"
"How did you get past security?"
Morgan flashed his passport, "I always have it with me, duh. Luke Spencer taught me that."
"Ugh. That old drunk is screwing my life over and he isn't even trying." Cam rolled his eyes, "what did you do, follow me?"
"Of course I did." Morgan replied easily, "Jax's plane is over there, security knows me. It was really a cake walk. You should really pay more attention to your surroundings Cam, I could have been anyone. "
Cameron cursed himself silently, (some perfect plan, you idiot). "Well go away and keep your mouth shut."
"Why are you on Todd Manning's private jet?"
"Go away."
"I can't believe that you're stowing away like this- is Todd going somewhere? Why do you want to go with him? Are you in love with Todd Manning?"
"Ew. No." Cameron made a face, turned his head to look at Morgan from his laying position. "Ugh., why did you follow me?" (Please just go away.)
Morgan pursed his lips, "because that's what friends do, remember? They don't walk away."
"Which would make sense if we were still friends! But we're not! Morgan, please just go away. Go back to Molly and your dad, alright? Let me go."
"First tell me why you're leaving."
"No."
"Tell me why or I'm calling Lucky Spencer right now and ratting you out." He reached into the breast of his jacket and fished out his cell phone then held it up. "Your choice, Cam."
(What the hell?) Cam closed his eyes, and said, very quickly, "I'm going to look for my mother. She has a connection to Todd's crazy mother."
Morgan crawled into the compartment and pulled the door shut behind him, letting the darkness envelope them both.
"What are you doing?"
"Going with you."
"Excuse me?" Cameron couldn't believe it. Out of the both of them, Morgan had always been the safer of the two. He found his excitement in the world of computers, and even though he wore punk clothes and dyed his hair green, he was not one for real trouble. So lying next to him in someone else's private jet was not making much sense to Cameron. "You don't even know where I'm going. You're stowing away on Todd Manning's airplane, Morgan. Do you have any idea how many laws you're breaking? And that's not even the worst of it- you're potentially making Todd Manning, former gang rapist and current psycho angry."
"Yup. Exactly like you're doing."
"You could go to jail. He could kill you."
"Yup."
"Jax is going to be livid- and Carly, Christ, she's going to freak out."
"Probably." Morgan tempered.
Cam inhaled sharply, "you can't do this."
"I am doing this." Morgan said simply, "You were my best friend, Cam. We pretended to be lost boys together when we were little, we played board games and hide and seek. Through every single mob shoot out, kidnapping, marriage, divorce, remarriage, divorce- you were there." Cameron felt Morgan's hand cover his hand and squeezed. "You were my best friend, and when you needed me to have your back, I let you down. I can never change that- but I can try and make it up to you by helping you find your mom."
Cameron was scared to speak- scared that his voice would crack, or that the swelling in his chest would be evident in his tone.
He had missed his friend so much, he had wanted to confide in him a thousand times- but couldn't forgive him, couldn't look back…and now Morgan was here, risking life and freedom to help him find his mother.
Cam didn't have to speak anyway, Morgan had more to say.
"And if you tell me one more time to get off this plane? Then I am going to tell Lucky exactly what you're doing."
Cameron finally exhaled and trusted himself to speak casually, "well, this is going to be a long flight. I sure hope you went to the bathroom."
XXX
"Of course I'm happy" Blair replied, faltering slightly, and hopefully not enough for Todd to catch. "Why wouldn't I be happy?"
"You almost just kissed me." Todd pointed out, "is that what someone who is happily engaged does?"
"You almost kissed me!" She argued, "I'd never kiss you! Not for all the money or all the jewels in the world, Todd! Because you are definitely the road to unhappiness!" It was practically cried out, but she couldn't help it. (This is a disaster! This is an absolute disaster! I can't believe we almost kissed.) "I'm done with you!"
"Oh?" He scoffed, "is that why you're going with me on this vacation then?"
"No." She folded her arms and raised her chin, "I'm not going with you anymore."
He gave her that trademark Todd smirk and she felt her knees get ever so slightly weak. (Why does such a train wreck have to look so damn good?) "You scared to be alone with me too long, Blair?"
She bulked, "of course not."
"So why the sudden decision to not go? What about saving me for Starr and for Jack? You must be afraid to be alone with me." He practically purred it out and that was infuriating, "what other explanation could there be?"
She scowled, "I'm afraid that if I spend enough time alone with you…I'll strangle you!" She finally snapped, frustrated with herself for getting into this horrific situation. She turned around and folded her arms across her chest, "so go. Just go ahead and get yourself killed all by yourself so I don't get a murder rap."
"Well, minus the time you tried to kill Max, and the time-"
"He survived." She cut him off venomously and whirled around to look him square in the eye. "You would bring that up!"
"I'm just pointing out that you shouldn't be shining a halo just yet, Blair." He tilted his head to the side, "now, are you coming…or am I right? You're just that into me that you don't think you could help yourself if we were in close quarters?"
There was sigh. (What am I doing? This is crazy!) "Oh, I'm going. I'm going to show you that not even a little bit of me wants you back."
*Song Credit Florence and the Machine "Girl With One Eye"
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