"If this is some kind of prompt in an apology for not letting you leave this world, I can tell you, that ain't happening." Jason argued back.
"Jase…"
"No, I've said it before; you need me and I need you. I'm not sure why, I don't think the reason matters at all. It's just how we are."
"The point is that it's about more than just you and me now." Carly replied with her palm rested against Jason's cheek.
He rested his on top holding into to her touch. "And they need us; both of us. You know what really got me wasn't that Jerry physically removed you from your family, I mean he was going to die for that, but when I heard that he lied to you about who you were and… he took away your reason to fight."
Carly shook her head and attempted to hold off tears as she admitted the truth. "I was ready to go. The headaches were so bad, and there was no relief; I didn't see the point… If you hadn't found me when you did there's no way that I'd be here. Even if he would have brought me to the hospital…"
"The doctor's wanted to call it and Patrick wouldn't let them." Jason explained.
"Doctor Brown told me you risked yourself…"
"And I would have done it all over again. I'm not going to let you fall."
"Even when I'm the one jumping from the cliff?" Carly questioned.
"Especially then. I love you so much it hurts. You're the first and only person that's ever had the potential to destroy me."
"A girl could get drunk on that kind of power, you know?"
"Yeah, well, I think you've abused it enough for this lifetime." Jason replied as he bent over to kiss her. Carly grabbed on as her hands caressed the back of his head while she enjoyed his taste.
XXXXXX
"What was that for?" Dante smiled as he rolled over on the mattress.
"Do I need a reason to have wild, kinky sex with my boyfriend?" Caitlyn smirked.
"You call that wild and kinky? Intense and inhibited maybe…" Dante critiqued.
"Do you want the chains next time?" She questioned him.
"Huh…" He pondered for a moment. "No, I'm good with passionate. Actually, I was referring to the part where you were here in the middle of the day."
"Oh, that! Class was out by noon and no work this evening." She explained as she was still getting used to the schedule herself.
"So we have the rest of the day?" His eyes lit up.
"Would you like me to take out the handcuffs?"
"Nah, I think I would rather you be kissing me." Dante said pulling her on top of him.
"My, hasn't your endurance improved?" She replied while kissing him.
"Don't answer that." He warned pulling on her arm as she got up to see who was on the other side of the knocking door.
"It could be important." She argued as she threw on a pair of jogging pants and tank top. Dante grumbled something before getting up to do the same. She opened the door to find Molly and Morgan on the other side of it. "Um… hi!"
"Oh good, you're both here." Molly stated enthusiastically.
"I thought you might want some company." Morgan said looking to Dante.
"That's very nice of you." Dante responded. "You could have called."
"I know, but I wanted to come over and give you this as a thank you to both of you for helping me while my mom was gone." Morgan explained passing his brother a picture.
"Wow Morgan, this is awesome!" Dante exclaimed as he showed Caitlyn a drawing of a dog that looked just like Ali.
"I didn't know you could draw?" Caitlyn commented.
"I doodle sometimes; typically when mom says I have to do something besides play video games."
"Well this is really good, thank you." Dante offered.
"You're welcome. We're also here because Molly wanted to ask Caitlyn something."
"What's that?"
"While I was in California my dad got a guitar and started me on lessons. Now that I'm back here I can't see my mom continuing that; so I was hoping that I could come here and you could help me."
"You want me to teach you how to play the guitar behind your mother's back? Why don't you think she would want you to learn?"
"Because she wants me to take up violin or flute; something I can do in the school band or orchestra."
"You don't want that?" Caitlyn inferred.
"No; Morgan has a really great voice, and if we find someone to play the keyboard and drums we can have our own band." Molly explained.
"What kind of music?" Dante asked them.
Simultaneously Morgan answered rock as Molly said pop.
"So are you thinking more like a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers type of a thing?" Caitlyn questioned.
"The who?" Morgan asked.
"Oh, good choice, great band." Dante spoke up.
"I think that was a question." Caitlyn whispered to him. "So, what were you guys thinking?"
"We were thinking like Vanessa Hudgens meets Zac Effron but not in a romantic way because we're cousins and that's just gross." Molly commented.
"Now I'm lost." Dante confessed.
"High School Musical." Caitlyn attempted to explain.
"Not helping…"
"Do you think you could do it? Can you teach me?" Molly asked her.
"I will, but you have to tell your mother." Caitlyn told her. "Number one, she needs to know where you are, and number two, you need to be able to practice outside of here. You can't do that if you're hiding the fact you own a guitar."
"Okay." Molly said sadly.
"Molly, I'm sure if you just tell her how much you want this she's not going to object." Dante assured her.
"Could you at least help me explain?" Molly asked Caitlyn.
"Yeah; I can do that." She promised.
XXXXXX
Lucky held Sam's hand as the solution went through her. He watched as the fluid drained from the tube and silently prayed this was the answer they were hoping for.
"You said something about heart failure?" Alexis turned to Robin who stood inside the room also hoping to be able to witness the victory.
"Congestive heart failure; is means that the heart can't pump enough blood to support the body's needs; fluid builds up and creates difficulty with breathing. The drug Helena gave her sped up the process." Robin explained.
"What happens to the heart once the fluid has drained?" Lucky questioned.
"It should be easy enough to treat with an ACE inhibitor." Robin replied. "I'm going to have Monica confirm, but I'm confident."
"Robin, I can't thank you enough for the time you've put into this." Alexis offered.
"You don't have to. As if the motivation as a doctor wasn't enough, I just found out that Sam is my family, and actually Patrick is the one that found the solution."
"Only after you put the effort into finding the toxin." Lucky spoke up. "We were all set on some kind of antidote. It just took an unbiased set of eyes to see it from a different vantage point."
Alexis watched as her daughter's head started moving and she let out a moan.
"Sam, hang on a minute and I'm going to remove the respirator, okay?" Robin instructed as her eyes opened. Sam nodded. "It's going to be uncomfortable."
Lucky looked away; he didn't want to have to admit that the idea of watching it made him squeamish, but a gentle clasp on his palm moments later brought him back. "Hey sweetie, how are you doing?"
"Sore." Sam coughed out. "Does this mean I made it?"
"Yeah." Robin nodded as she smiled. "This means you made it."
"So we conquered the first step in taking down Helena." Sam said with a hoarse voice.
"First step? Sam you're not…" Lucky attempted to discourage her.
"I'm not going to let Helena take my child." She interrupted him.
"Don't you think we should let you get stronger before you plot to take down Helena?" Alexis prodded, merely happy to see her daughter conscious.
Still fighting the fluid in her chest Sam sat up in a coughing fit.
"It's okay." Robin warned Lucky as he jumped up.
Sam nodded to Robin's assurance. She could tell the fluid was breaking up and breathing was getting easier. "Lucky, could you get me some ice chips?" She requested. Her throat was dry, achingly so, but she was also looking for an excuse to get him out of there.
Getting the hint Lucky kissed the top of her head. "I'll be right back."
"How close was it?" Sam asked her mother as soon as he was gone.
"Closing in on the finals hours, but you held out strong." Alexis answered.
"Did I miss out on anything exciting?"
Alexis laughed to the question. "Depends on your definition of exciting. Robin, do you think you could call Jax and Nikolas and let them know she's alright?" Jax had left the hospital shortly after the procedure started to relieve Michael and Kristina from their baby sitting job.
"Sure, just hit the call button when that's empty." She pointed towards the IV. "Sam, take it easy, okay? And if they get to be too much, let me know."
"Hey!" Alexis objected.
"I will." Sam laughed and coughed at the same time. "So?"
"So, what?"
"What's this exciting news? Come on mom, you have to give me something else to focus on."
"Let's just say you're not the only medical miracle this week." Alexis started to explain.
XXXXXX
Claudia sat in shock as Sonny told her what Michael had come to say. She hated that he was losing everything because of her, and just hoped that he wouldn't turn this around and eventually blame her for it. "Sonny, I am so sorry. Maybe in time he'll change his mind."
"I don't know. I think I'm more afraid that as he spends more time away he'll realize that everyone is right and he's better off without me. Are you even sure you want that girl being raised around me?"
"He's a boy, and yes. I know mistakes have been made by both of us, but as long as we learn from that we can give this guy an amazing life. You have to believe that."
"Have we learned from our mistakes or are we just stepping into bigger ones?" Sonny questioned. He knew that if he was truly sorry for everything that went wrong in Michael's life he wouldn't still be in the business that cost that kid a year of his life.
"You learned to forgive, and I've learned what's most important. It's a step in the right direction." She assured him.
Sonny moved over to kiss her belly. "You hear that? You're stuck with us."
Claudia smiled as she stroked his hair. "Guess what? He and I are in the mood for some tortellini."
"Oh really? Why do I have a feeling I'm walking into a double team situation here?"
Claudia merely pouted.
"Okay; I have this great spinach tortellini recipe, I just have to run out and get a couple of things. Are you going to be okay here?"
"Yeah, I think we can manage a couple hours." She shook her head.
"If you need anything…"
"I'll be fine." She reached up to kiss him.
XXXXXX
"Spinelli, is that you?" Johnny asked as he walked into the coffee shop. He saw Spinelli in front of his laptop with his hair disheveled sipping an orange soda.
"'Tis I." Spinelli confirmed.
"What are you doing?" Johnny asked as it he spotted what looked to be bank accounts.
"Stone Cold has asked to maneuver assets to cover the involvement the White Knight played in abetting the Unhinged Ones retreat." Spinelli answered. After a plea from Lulu to assist in Maxie's efforts to reclaim some sense of purpose Jason found a job for Spinelli to perform.
Johnny had heard around town of Carly's astonishing recovery, but although assumed, no one had known the fate of Jerry Jacks. "You mean Jax helped his brother?"
"His assist was only a plot to secure the location to lead the Master to in order to ensure his demise." Spinelli grinned.
"Wow; I didn't know Jax had it in him, huh?" Johnny pondered. It made him wonder what anyone was capable of when pushed. Jax helped take out his brother; he pulled the trigger on his father. "Have you been able to speak to Carly yourself?"
"Only briefly, but the mere sound of the Valkyrie's voice sent a spark back to the Jackals fading soul as I am sure it must to the Original Blonde One."
"How is Lulu?"
"Maximista was afraid on the emotional toll her cousin's passing was taking on her. The Original Blonde one had been taking considerable time off from employment…"
"That had to be expected. That hotel was Carly's baby, or until she had her baby." Johnny defended her.
"The Jackal agrees; as well, the wreck that left her sibling hospitalized and the fair Samantha taken hostage by the Maleficent One in her treacherous scheme leaving the Goddess imprisoned by medical machinery for the simplistic task of taking breath also compounded the grief the Original Blonde One must have been dealing with…" Spinelli explained as his throat knotted up.
"It sounds like Lulu isn't the only one having trouble coping with…"
"Had the Jackal kept his mouth shut the brave Prince would have been able to follow her Malevolence and ascertained the Goddess before any harm would have befallen her personage."
"Spinelli, it's not your fault. Okay? And believing so isn't going to help anyone. I don't mean to keep you from your project. I was wondering if Sonny was in there." Johnny pointed to the office door.
Spinelli shook his head. "The Jackal overheard Muscle Man and the Bernificent One talking. The Mister Sir was staying home this day to assure that all is it settled for the Vixonella. There was speculation to which the Mister Sir had the knowledge of the Valkyries' grand resurrection. Although the Jackal more wholly fears how the news of the Vixonella's newly dispensed penalty will be taken upon the arrival of Stone Cold and the Valkryie."
"You and me both." Johnny uttered. "Thanks for the heads up."
XXXXXX
"Where did Morgan and Molly go?" Jax questioned Michael who was feeding the baby.
"They said something about Viola taking them over to Dante's." Michael replied. "It was only going to be for a little bit."
"How about your sister?"
Michael shrugged. "As far as I know she's in her room on the phone with Damon. Why? Is there any news on Sam?"
"Yes; and I was hoping we could all be together when I gave it." Jax answered.
"Can you at least tell me now if it's good?"
Jax nodded his head yes.
"Oh, thank God." Michael let out a sigh of relief. "Jax, I talked to mom this afternoon, and if everything checks out they are going to release her tomorrow."
"That's great!"
"I know it is, but I was wondering how that would affect certain living arrangements."
"Unfortunately Alexis and I haven't had the opportunity to discuss that yet, but my preference would be for us to move to the Lakehouse."
"You, Alexis, Kristina, and Molly?" Michael clarified.
"That would be the plan."
"It's going to be different without Krissy around. I've kind of gotten used to having her here." He confessed.
"All of you kids have done an amazing job of looking out for one another, but I can only imagine it's not going to be long before Kristina and Molly are back at Madison."
"That is if Krissy goes back to Madison."
"What do you mean by that?" Jax questioned.
"You didn't hear it from me?" Michael confirmed to which Jax nodded. "She wants to transfer to Briarton. She says it's to get out of dodge from the craziness here."
"And not because of the boy?" He posed. "Of course, she's not wrong for wanting that. I don't know if anyone is really safe here."
"It's getting safer by the moment; with Anthony Zacchara dead, Jerry Jacks… oh, I'm sorry."
"No; don't be sorry. I can't stand what my brother put this family through. You were right if I wouldn't have defended him after the hostage situation at the hotel everything would be different right now."
"I didn't mean to blame you; I was angry, and everything is working out right now. I feel like I owe you an apology and a thank you."
"For what?"
"For going off on you and blaming you when you're the only one that stuck around. Jax, you've done a lot for us, and I know you and I have never seen eye to eye on the issue of my father before now. I appreciate you being around to give Morgan and Britni some stability."
"What do you mean 'before now'?"
"I went over to dad's today to cut him out of my life. It's the only way I know that mom will be okay with Claudia's sentence and it's the best way I know of to protect my siblings. Britni isn't a Corinthos, she doesn't have that Corinthos name that places a target on her back. I don't want her relationship to me be the reason she gets hurt."
"That's amazing Michael, thank you!"
