Chapter 81- The Girl Who Cried Wolf

Spencer sat on the bottom bunk in his jail cell massaging his temples. He couldn't understand any of it. How could any judge side with Esme of all people? He'd only been wanting to step up and be there for Ace the way his father wasn't there for either of them. Ace needed him and he needed Ace just as much. What was worse was Trina and his grandmother turning against him. He was even surprised by Maxie's testimony because he thought she and Esme didn't get along. Then for Nelle Benson to play that video footage in court. It wasn't Spencer's fault, it was just a terrible accident with the shooting. He didn't belong in jail. He had to figure all of this out. He needed out of jail and he needed a plan to take Ace from Esme.

He glanced up when the guard escorted a stalky, middle-aged man in.

"Got yourself a cell mate," the guard said, pushing the man in.

"Wait, this isn't fair!" the man said. "I only put those cameras there under my boss' orders. It wasn't my idea!"

Spencer watched as the guard walked away. "Have you been wrongly arrested as well?"

The man nodded. "Yes. Well, no. Partly. My boss made me do something and she threw me under the bus. My name's Herman."

"Spencer."

"Yes, I've heard."

"You have?" asked Spencer.

Herman nodded. "My boss knows about everyone and everything in this town."

"You know, you do look a little familiar to me," Spencer said.

They looked up when the guard returned, this time with Laura.

Spencer furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't wish to accept this visitor."

Laura sighed. "Spencer…."

"What were you doing with that so-called testimony yesterday?" Spencer asked. "You're actually taking Esme's side over mine. Don't you care about Ace's well-being?"

"Yes, I do," Laura said. "And I care about yours too. That's why I told the truth. I don't doubt that you care about Ace. But if it wasn't for your father's choices, your love for Ace wouldn't have resulted to this. Your father hurt both you and Ace deeply and it breaks my heart. But you haven't dealt with all that hurt and it's affecting you. I really don't think you're as scared of or as angry at Esme as you think you are. I think it's actually your father you're angry at and it's easier for you to feel like you're protecting Ace from Esme than it is for you to face your feelings about your father. But that's not fair to Ace, Esme, or to you."

"You're wrong, Grandmother. Everything I've done is for Ace. Diane is going to figure this out. I will be released and I'm going to get custody of my little brother if it's the last thing I do. I will protect him from Esme and I will step up for him. Even if I have to take matters into my own hands. With or without your support."

"I will support you and Diane in trying to fight these charges," Laura said. "But I will not support you in taking Ace from Esme. Especially now, you have other things to focus on."

"Like what?"

"Like Josslyn. I just ran into her when she was being taken to the interrogation room. She asked me to tell you her news."

"What news could be more important than me protecting my little brother from Esme?" Spencer asked.

"Your own child," Laura said.

Spencer squinted at her. "What?"

"Josslyn is pregnant with your child."

Spencer sat up straight. "Wait, what? She's pregnant?"

"Yes. That is why you and Josslyn need to turn your attention from Ace and focus on your child and fighting these charges."

"She—she's pregnant? We're going to have a baby?"

Laura smiled. "Yes. You're going to be a father, Spencer. This will be my first great-grandchild."

"Did—did she say if it's a boy or a girl?" Spencer asked.

"It's too soon to know."

A smile spread across his face. "I'm going to be a father." He stood up. "Grandmother, can you please help me get out of here?"

"I'll do my best to work with Diane. But you have to do your part too. No more… doing other things when you're taking care of a child."

"I'm going to be a father," Spencer repeated. "It's going to be a boy. I can feel it."

Herman took his seat on the bottom bunk and fell asleep.

GHGHGH

Felicia kept her eye on Nelle as Nelle and Esme filled up their plates.

Maxie set her plate down and pulled James close to her. "Just what is she doing here?"

Spinelli wrapped his arm around little Georgie protectively.

"I was invited." Nelle pulled out her phone and took a selfie of herself with Esme, who was looking at Maxie.

Maxie shook her head. "Mom, Mac, I didn't sign up for this."

Mac and Felicia exchanged a worried look.

Nelle put her phone away and knelt in front of James. "Hi James! I'm your cousin, Nelle."

Noticing his mom's reaction to her, James clung tightly to her.

Spinelli picked up Bailey Lou. "Georgie, James, want to go eat in the playroom with us?"

Maxie nodded. "Go with Spinelli."

"But I want Ace to come too," James said.

Spinelli looked at Esme. "Can he join us?"

Esme shrugged. "I guess."

Spinelli scooped up Ace in his other arm and disappeared up the stairs with the kids.

"And you must be Georgie." Nelle walked over to Georgie Sr. and shook her hand, pretending nothing was happening. "I'm Nelle."

Maxie set her hands on her hips. "Esme, I know this is your party, but I'm not allowing that woman around my children. So, either she leaves or we do."

"What's the big deal?" Esme asked. "She helped me yesterday."

Cameron cleared his throat. "Esme, I was just a teen at the time, but I've heard how she treated Josslyn and her family."

"Josslyn and her family? The same ones who tried to take Ace from me, who were responsible for a shooting in front of him? The same Josslyn who cheated on you?"

"Okay, sweetheart, it's okay." Felicia walked over and rubbed her arms.

Nelle smiled. "I've had to deal with Carly's family just like you have, Esme. Except they were much worse with me."

Sasha laughed. "Are you kidding me? I witnessed firsthand everything you did to Michael and Willow, and how you replaced Wiley with Willow's dead baby."

Esme's eyes widened for a split second, then she turned to Cody for help.

"Sorry Esme, I know Nelle about as much as you," Cody said. "I can't voice an opinion one way or another."

"I've never met her either," Georgie piped up.

"So, Mom, Mac?" Maxie cut in again. "Is it me or Nelle?"

"Well, we're going to ask you to leave," Mac said. "Nelle, we're going to need you to leave."

Esme glared at Mac.

"Fine," Nelle said. "Esme, I gave you my phone number, email address, home and work address when we talked earlier. Please don't let them cloud your judgment. I'll be at work the rest of the evening if you need me for anything. And I mean anything. You're welcome for winning you custody of Ace."

Felicia and Maxie scoffed when she walked out.

"What was that for?" Esme asked. "This was my party and you said I could invite my friends."

"I did tell you that," Felicia said. "And you did nothing wrong. You're not in trouble. We're just worried about you."

"Esme, you don't know what she is capable of," Mac said.

Esme turned to Felicia on the brink of tears. "Don't you want me to have friends?"

"Of course, I want you to have friends," Felicia said. "But Nelle isn't just trying to be a friend to you. Why don't we go to the kitchen and we can talk just the two of us."

"I wouldn't have custody of Ace if it wasn't for her," Esme said.

"I don't think that's a fair statement," Cam spoke up. "Most of the testimonies were leaning towards you."

"Yeah, she might have exposed Spencer, Josslyn, and Sonny but you were winning already," Maxie said. "And ultimately you won custody because of you, no one else."

Felicia smiled. "They're right. You had a lot of us in your corner and I'm grateful for everyone's help, but you're the one who's a good mother to Ace. The judge said that she made her decision without the video footage, but I was sitting beside Nelle and she shot the judge a look so that's why she backtracked on her statement and said it was the footage that did it. But even so, many people helped you, not just Nelle. And it was Mac and his brother Robert who made it so you just had to pay a fine and not go through a hearing today."

"Really?" Esme asked.

Mac nodded.

"And just think," Maxie said. "Who would be so willing to marry Ryan? That was super creepy what she said."

Esme tensed up. "She told me about that on the phone. She said he abused her and forced her to marry him."

"That's not the story she gave me at the PCPD this morning," Felicia said.

"She also said that when Daddy told her about me, she realized we have a lot in common, so she wanted to meet me and spend time with me. And I need a genuine friend."

"Uh, I'm trying to be a genuine friend," Cameron said.

"But I don't think she's genuine," Felicia said.

"Maxie didn't want anything to do with me and didn't want me around her kids before either, and now she's doing the same thing with Nelle," Esme said. "You're not giving her a chance."

Maxie sighed. "I was wrong about you but I'm not wrong about Nelle. She's worse than I thought you were. She's a serial killer."

"Daddy hurt her too and you're just kicking her out," Esme said. "Are you going to kick me out too?"

"Never," Felicia said.

"Then stop telling me who I can and cannot be friends with. I hate you. I hate all of you." She ran upstairs and they could hear her bedroom door slam.

"She sounds a bit like Maxie when she was a teenager," Georgie said.

Maxie rolled her eyes. "I suppose. She probably just needs to cool down."

"She said she hates us," Felicia said.

"Don't let that get to you, Mom," Maxie said. "I used to say that all the time to you and Mac. It's obvious Esme loves you. She's just mad."

"I guess I should get going," Cameron said. "Thanks for having me over."

"Maybe we should go too," Cody said. "I'll talk to you guys soon."

After Cody, Sasha, and Cameron left, Felicia massaged her temples. "I should go check on her. Nelle's getting in her head already."

"Nelle's whole statement yesterday was really creepy," Maxie said. "But when exactly did she marry Ryan? I'm trying to figure out the timeline. Surely it overlapped with either her marriage to Shiloh or to Julian when they were still alive. So, she really thinks Esme is her stepdaughter? Then why isn't she trying to get close to Sam too or Lucas? If Esme is her stepdaughter, then so is Sam."

"She's trying to come between us," Felicia said. "And I don't know what she's planning. Frankie just wants a friend, but Nelle wants to be her mother. Whatever's happening here, it's not going to be pretty."

GHGHGH

"Mhhmm…." Nelle spoke into the phone in her office while she opened an email. "Hang on, I'm opening it." She clicked on the images of a mansion. "What the hell is this? What did you just send me?"

"It's a lovely home just outside of Port Charles and it's within your budget," the real estate agent said.

"I told you I want a modest-sized home within the city but on a quiet street, with a white picket fence and a swing on the porch, and four bedrooms that are close to each other not spread out in a massive mansion. I don't want to have to walk a mile just to see my son and stepdaughter."

"It's difficult to find one to that description. You could afford to build a home like that from scratch. The west end is really building up and it has quiet neighborhoods. Would you like me to search for a lot there?"

"Yes, but you better not waste any more of my time," Nelle said. "The next email better be the one." She hung up and pulled up her MyFace on her computer. She typed in 'Esme Prince' into the search engine and clicked 'Add Friend'. She scratched her chin, then typed in 'Felicia Scorpio' next and clicked 'Add Friend'. Then she did the same with Michael and Willow. She went back to her own profile and clicked 'Upload photos'.

GHGHGH

Felicia said goodbye to Spinelli, Maxie, and the kids then helped Georgie to bed while Mac went to check on Ace. On the way to the stairs, Felicia pulled out her phone and saw a notification for MyFace. She opened the app and saw a friend request from 'Janelle Chamberlain'. She groaned and clicked on Nelle's profile without accepting the request. She clenched the phone tightly when she saw the photo on her page. "What the hell?"

GHGHGH

Esme sat moping in bed and heard her phone ding. She saw a MyFace notification and opened the app. She smiled a little when she saw a friend request from 'Janelle Chamberlain'. She shivered at the Chamberlain name, but then immediately accepted. She clicked on Nelle's profile to check it out. But her mouth dropped when she saw the picture.

GHGHGH

Felicia tried to set her anger aside and knocked on Esme's door. "Frankie, can I come in?" She slowly pushed the door open. "Frankie?" Her heart raced when she realized she was gone again.

GHGHGH

"Yes, I'd like the Corinthos shipments sent to our Palm Springs branch," Nelle said over the phone. "I will return there in a few months when I take my family on vacation at my summer home." She jolted a little when the door swung open and slammed against the wall. Esme was standing there fuming.

"I'll have to call you back." Nelle hung up and jumped up and moved over to her, grinning ear to ear. "Esme! You came to visit me. Don't worry about those people. They're just jealous of our bond—"

Esme slapped her.

Nelle placed a hand over her cheek and gaped at her. "What was that for?"

"What was that for? What was that for? My mom was right about you. You are trying to come between us and you don't want to just be my friend."

"Of course I don't want to just be your friend, Esme. We're family. I'm your stepmother. What is this about?"

"I saw the picture that you posted," Esme said. "It wasn't even a good one of me. I was looking at Maxie when you took it. But the headline!"

"What about it?"

"Mommy and Esme? Mommy and Esme? I have a mom and she's the best. I looked for her for so long and I wanted her my whole life. She's the only one I call Mommy. You crossed a line!"

"But Esme, I warned you about Felicia. She doesn't care about you. She tried to take Ace from you."

"No, she didn't," Esme said. "She was there for me all along and wanted to have a party for us to celebrate that I didn't lose him. I wanted you to be my friend… my friend. Not a substitution for my mom because she can't be replaced. So, take down the photo."

"Esme, I—"

"Take it down! And leave me and my mom alone." Esme stormed out.

GHGHGH

"Mac? Mac?" Felicia rushed into their bedroom. "Esme is gone again."

Mac sighed. "Are you sure?"

"She's not in her room."

"Did you check downstairs?" Mac asked.

"Yes. Mac, she was so angry. She said she hates us."

"She can't keep doing this to you. She keeps running away and it scares you."

"But what if Nelle took her? I don't know what she's planning with Frankie."

They heard the front door click and the door slammed.

Felicia's eyes widened. "Frankie, honey, is that you?"

They heard the stairs creak, then Esme ran into their room and crashed into Felicia's arms, crying.

"Hey, it's okay." Felicia kissed the top of her head. "It's okay."

"Where have you been?" Mac asked, setting his hands on his hips.

Esme rested her head on Felicia's shoulder and looked at Mac.

"Are you just going to keep doing this to your mother every time you get upset or don't get your way?" Mac asked.

"Mac, don't—" Felicia started.

"I just finished putting your son to bed," Mac said. "The son you fought so hard to keep, Esme, and you can't even have the decency and respect for your mother to send her a text or leave a note to tell her you're going out and leaving your son with us but will be back?"

"Mac—"

"Haven't you read the Boy Who Cried Wolf?" Mac asked. "That's essentially what you're doing, crying wolf, even if it's presented in a different context. You keep running away and terrifying your mother, that's not going to last forever. One of these days something will actually happen and we won't believe it."

"Mac, that is enough!" Felicia rubbed Esme's back. "Come on Frankie, it's okay." She led her to her room.