Adam found himself 'persuaded' by Erica and Krystal to allow them to hold a press conference in his parlour, but then those two ladies always did have a way to twisting him around their finger.

He wondered if he should feel more guilty for not standing up for his son, but he couldn't step into the parlour these days without being hit by the memory of the shooting over a year ago; the blood stains were gone but the whole town still bore the scars. The parlour also held memories of the days of worry when AJ ran away from home; chased away by his psychotic, drunken father.

No Adam couldn't bring himself to stand up for his son, instead he would stand up for his grandson.

…

So thanks to Adam Chandler's generosity a select few of the media's finest found themselves sitting in the Parlour of the Chandler Mansion. Their seats were uncomfortable and lined up in front of a podium beside the fire place. They had been sitting for a good ten minutes waiting for the promised press conference.

Then with a dramatic flourish the parlour doors swung open and Adam Chandler entered, striding purposely towards the podium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to my home." said Adam, leading in those from Pine Valley who had chosen to speak out on Marissa and Bianca's behalf. It was a long list - Erica, Jackson, Kendal, Krystal, Tad, Jesse, Ryan, Scott, Madison, David, Opal, Stuart, Marion, Griffin, Cara, Brooke, Caleb, Colby, Asher, Brot, Frankie and Randi. The only notable absence was Dixie. "We have called this press conference to address the various questions that have arising in the papers about my son and my grandson's wellbeing. I hope we can put an end to this speculation and rumour, and focus on the truth, thank you!"

Adam stepped back from the podium to allow Erica to take his place.

"Thank you for you patient attendance." she said, with a wide smile. "We are here to talk on behalf of my daughter's girlfriend Marissa and her son AJ."

Krystal came forward to stand besides Erica.

"All we have seen in the papers lately is my daughter on trial on the front page… her rights as a parent and her sexual orientation and her amnesia have all become issues which seems unfair when JR is the one facing criminal prosecution." said Krystal, standing shoulder to shoulder with Erica. "How have you forgotten that? That he shot her in the head at close range and it is by a miracle that she survived! The only headlines I have been seeing from your newspapers are reports of a hero being torn from his child… JR Chandler is no hero. He shot my daughter!"

Ryan cleared his throat and spoke out.

"We are in the very parlour where the now infamous Mansion Shootings occurred. This is the room where I lost my wife and two dear friends… and JR seemed to save the day, appearing out of nowhere with a gun and taking out the attacker… And we are grateful for that… but what JR did afterwards, to Bianca, to Marissa, to his son… there was no excuse."

Scott straightened up and took over the narrative, desperate to have his say; defending the honour of the woman who was once his best friend and confidant. Things had never been the same after the shooting, with her amnesia Marissa had lost almost everything that had made then friends; but he would still stand by her even if she didn't remember why!.

"…The question none of us asked about that night is why was JR hiding behind a secret panel with a gun in his hand, when he had told everyone he was leaving Pine Valley and was last seen boarding an airplane." said Scott, carrying in from where Ryan stopped. "And why was the only other person seriously injured by JR's gun, besides the attacker, Marissa! A woman whose only crime was to be in love with someone who wasn't JR; the mother who had fairly won custody of her son, a child she couldn't love more if she tried. Before that night JR had been drunk, threatening and violent… all his vitriol aimed at Marissa and her girlfriend Bianca Montgomery… We should have been suspicious from the start, but so many of us were grieving or in shock. JR tried to murder a woman he once claimed to love and now he all has you dancing to his tune, using you to hurt Marissa and her family more.

"Thank you Scott for highlighted the real issue here." said Jackson, taking on the thread. "The truth is, the only reason JR's story has been drawn to your attention is because JR is going on trial for the attempted murder of Marissa Tasker in just a few weeks and his lawyer, Carol Robinson, is attempting to use you, ladies and gentlemen, to try the case for her in the media. The evidence of the premeditation of JR's actions is strong, and I don't believe Miss Robinson thinks she can win this in a fair fight!"

A reporter from the Chronicle raised his hand.

"But why are Marissa and Bianca not here themselves to defend themselves. I heard they have left the country!"

"And they have," said Krystal, smoothly, "For the good of their children."

"They were all but hounded out by you vultures." added Kendal, her tone aggressive. Erica shushed her and turned back to the crowd of reporters.

"They have a young family who were finding it difficult to cope with the surge of press interest. Add to that the fact that my daughter is only just out of hospital after major surgery and the whole family is still recovering from the trauma of the recent hostage crisis… Can you really blame two mothers for wanting to take their children somewhere they can have a little peace?"

A murmur ran through the press.

The woman from the Times raised her hand next.

"Mrs Carey, Marissa is not your first daughter to be married to JR Chandler. Wasn't Marissa twin sister Babe, Adam Chandler III mother? Were you not JR's step-mother yourself?"

"We have both had the dubious honour." said Erica, giving Adam a half smile. "What is your point?"

"You are insisting JR Chandler is bad news and yet you let both of your daughter's marry him…"

"You think I would have been able to stop them?" said Krystal with a smirk. "And no I'm not saying JR is always a bad man… He can be a real charmer when he wants to; when things are going his way… but when he went off the rails this time he hurt so many people… people who didn't deserve it… and he didn't care!"

"JR is a bully and a coward and his behaviour has hurt too many people," said Colby speaking up. "I'm not saying it is easy growing up in this house because it isn't but JR did not know when to draw the line…"

"The worst part of it all," said Tad stepping forward, "Was the way he fought for custody of his son by any dishonest means he could, blackmail and attempting to bribe a judge, and all the time refusing to do the one thing he needed to do to get his son back in his life… stop drinking! He made the situation intolerable for everyone involved, put lives at risk, and yet still put all the blame on others. That man drove himself to his own destruction, unfortunately he almost took his family with him!"

"What will happen if JR is acquitted of the murder charges and released?" asked the reporter from the Daily Inquisitor addressing Erica and Krystal. "Will your daughters allow him to have custody of his son?"

"He will not be acquitted." said Erica sharply.

Krystal who kept her cool.

"If JR is acquitted I know my daughter will do whatever is best for her son. If AJ wants to see his father and JR behaves in a civilised fashion, I don't believe she would keep then apart. But knowing the way AJ feels about his father right now, I don't think he can expect his son's forgiveness anytime soon. I also refuse to believe, given the damning evidence, that there is a jury in the land that would acquit him. I think the time is well overdue for JR to finally suffer the consequences of his actions."

The Post's reporter raised her hand next.

"Erica Kane, you have spoken out in strong support of your daughter's alternative lifestyle and praised her efforts at raising her two daughters, but do you honestly believe that environment is the best place to raise a boy?"

"Every child deserves a loving home." said Erica. "And my daughter's lifestyle is not 'alternative'!" she said adding the quotation mark. "My daughter is a lesbian… it's not a bad word. And it's not a crime. How does who she falls in love with make her any less human than you or me? She is a person… a good person… the best person I know! And her sexuality has nothing to do with that! So why would it be an issue to a little boy who is so happy to be living with his mom; to have two sisters to play with and to be in the company of someone who he knows loves him and who he loves just as dearly? They are a family… it may not be the norm, but then who's is. They have love and that is a hell of a lot more than most people can claim."

Suddenly there was clamour as the reporters all wanted to ask questions at once.

Erica silently cursed herself, Jackson advised they stay away from the custody issues, that was Carol's plan and that was the thing that was fuelling this media fire.

Adam held up his hands for quiet.

"My son has done something wrong and I hope in time he will be able to admit his mistakes in a way that I never could. But this isn't about JR, this is about AJ! This is about my grandson, a happy little boy who has a smile that is brighter than a million candles. That smile has been missing for a long time, but lately it seems like it is the only expression he has. He is happy, truly and deeply. I want him to stay that way, I want him to always be that happy and that loved. Marissa has given that boy a home. Marissa has given him something JR never could, a family that I can be proud of!"

The press starting calling out questions again…sadly it didn't look like they had listened to a word they said.

…