Hi everyone, I just realized I wrote that Sonny was in the courtroom on Spencer's side in the last chapter when he's in prison right now, lol oops. I just edited it. Sonny is NOT in the courtroom.

Chapter 74- Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

Carly took the stand when Diane called on her.

"Ms. Spencer, please describe for the courts your relationship to both sides," Diane said.

"I am Josslyn's mother, Spencer's mother-in-law, Esme's former landlady, and Ace's soon-to-be grandma."

Felicia rolled her eyes.

"Please elaborate on the part about being Esme's former landlady," Diane said.

"I am the owner of Bobbie's diner, formerly known as Kelly's," Carly explained. "Esme moved in there with Ace after she was evicted from her previous home."

"Oh? Do you know why she was evicted?" Diane asked.

"I found out through Spencer that she couldn't afford rent."

"And is she still living at Bobbie's?" Diane asked.

"She is not," Carly said. "She moved into the Scorpio residence."

"Are you saying she's moved Ace between three homes in a short period of time?"

"Four," Carly said. "She was living at Kevin and Laura Collins' home last fall, prior to living in her own apartment."

"I see," Diane said. "Now, please tell the courts about your daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Cassadine."

"Yes, they are happily married and live in a lovely apartment. Josslyn has a lot of experience with children, between helping to care for her younger sisters and volunteering at Lila's Kids a few years back. She would make a wonderful mother, much better than Esme who is very unstable. I've also witnessed how good Spencer is to his little brother. Ace adores him. Spencer is very well off financially and my daughter works and attends PCU. They will have no problem providing a loving and stable home for Ace. And I am always around to help out."

"Thank you, no further questions."

GHGHGH

"I'll go get the doctor." Michael squeezed Wiley's hand gently and headed out to the hallway.

"What's wrong, baby, what hurts?" Willow asked.

"Earsh…" Wiley cried. "They're ringinf…."

Willow touched his cheek.

A moment later, Michael returned with Patrick.

"Hi Wiley. I'm Dr. Drake. Your Mom and Dad can stay, but I'm going to check you over, okay?"

GHGHGH

Laura nervously took the stand.

"Mrs. Collins, please state your relationship to all parties," Diane said.

"I am Spencer and Ace's grandmother. I'm Esme's aunt, and now Josslyn's grandmother-in-law."

"And if you could choose, who would have custody of Ace?" Diane asked.

Laura paused a moment before responding. "In a perfect world, my son and Esme would share custody of Ace and we would all be part of his life."

"But this isn't a perfect world," Diane said. "Based on the current circumstances, who do you believe should be Ace's primary guardian?"

Laura looked out at Spencer for a brief moment, then looked away, and her eyes welled with tears. "I believe he should stay with his mother. But I hope that we can all remain a part of his life."

Spencer and Josslyn exchanged angry looks.

Diane cleared her throat, not expecting that answer. "Why would you want your grandson with an unstable mother?"

"I think Ace should stay with Esme because I believe they need each other, and I know that Esme has been working hard to build a better life for herself and for Ace. And her family is helping her. And my husband and I are also there if she needs any support."

"Why don't you believe Ace should be with your other grandson?" Diane asked.

Laura dabbed her wet eyes. "I'd rather not say."

"Mrs. Collins, you are under oath."

Laura breathed in deeply. "Because I believe Spencer's fixation over his brother is becoming unhealthy. And he's not his father."

Diane stared at her for a moment. "No further questions, your honour."

"Mrs. Buchanan, would you like to question the witness?" Judge Carson asked.

"Yes, your honour." Nora took the floor. "Mrs. Collins, please elaborate on Mr. Cassadine's 'fixation' over his brother."

"Well, ever since Ace was born, Spencer hasn't been able to focus on anything else. I'd love to see him go back to school or get a job that he'd love. But all day every day, it's all about taking Ace from Esme. And I'm very concerned about him. It would be very different if Ace was his son and not his brother."

Spencer pursed his lips and Carly shook her head.

"No further questions."

GHGHGH

"Hey, Mom," Kristina said over the phone, while she sat in the waiting room with Avery.

"Hi Cookie."

"How are you?"

"Good. I just had a very nice visit with Danny. Though I'm not too happy that he skipped class. I was just talking to Sam about it."

Kristina laughed.

"Anyway, just checking in to see how you and the girls are doing."

"Fine, I guess. No real change. Other than we're at the hospital. Donna just went in with Dr. Winters. The court ordered art therapy for them."

"Oh, that's good," Alexis said. "That should help them."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Lainey is good. I remember she helped you."

"Yeah, I remember her too," Kristina said. "A bit."

"If anyone can get through to Donna and Avery it's Lai—"

Kristina screwed up her face when an alarm went off through the phone and the line went dead. "Mom? Mom? Are you okay?"

GHGHGH

"Mr. Cassadine," Diane said when Spencer took the stand. "Please explain to the courts why your little brother belongs with you."

"I am the closest thing to a father that Ace has ever had. We bonded right away and I vowed to always protect him. Esme is a danger to him. And I noticed a change in Ace's behaviour after Esme moved out with him."

"What kind of changes in his behaviour?" Diane asked.

"Ever since, he cries a lot and throws tantrums when he comes for visits. It's because his whole world was torn apart because of Esme."

"And how is Miss Prince a danger to him?"

"Because she is a psychopath like her father."

Felicia scoffed and started to stand up to argue, but Mac held her back.

"Please elaborate," Diane said.

"She manipulated me into helping her do her father's bidding. She stalked Ava and torched her car. Then she and Dex Heller drugged Trina and framed her for filming a sex tape of Cameron and Josslyn."

"But she wasn't sentenced for those things, was she?" Diane asked.

"No. Because she's a master manipulator and created a sob story to get the sympathy of the judge."

"What kind of sob story?"

"Objection, your honour," Nora said. "This is getting off track."

"I'll allow it," Judge Carson said.

Felicia balled her hand up.

"She lied and told everyone that her father was sexually abusing her," Spencer said.

Esme lowered in her seat and broke down in tears.

"That is enough." Felicia jumped up and squeezed Esme's shoulders. "Change the subject. Frankie, it's okay."

"Mrs. Scorpio, you are in contempt," Judge Carson said. "Return to your seat. However, I agree. Ms. Miller, Mr. Cassadine, change course."

"It's okay, baby, just stay strong," Felicia whispered and kissed the top of Esme's head before returning to her seat.

"In what other ways is she a danger to Ace?" Diane asked.

"She dropped Ace for one thing," Spencer said. "Luckily he landed on her backpack, but he very easily could have been injured."

"Thank you, Mr. Cassadine. No further questions."

Nora took the floor again. "Mr. Cassadine, please describe to the courts your daily routine when Miss Prince and Ace were living with you and your grandmother."

"Well, I'd wake up in the morning and play with Ace before Esme took him to work with her. There was a daycare at the Invader where she used to work. Then I'd usually go back to bed. Sometime late afternoon I'd wake up and hit the gym. Sometimes I'd meet Grandmother at the Metro Court for a late lunch. Then I'd take a nap. I'd wake up around dinner time when Esme got home with Ace. Grandmother would have a nice meal for us. After dinner I'd play with Ace and sing him to sleep. Once Ace was in bed, I'd call Trina and some days we would spend time together."

"And how about now?" Nora asked.

"I usually sleep in until 3:00pm. Grandmother will still meet me for a late lunch most days and I'll hit the gym. Then I spend time with my wife in the evenings."

"So, while Esme was working to provide for her son, you were spending most of your day sleeping? And now, while Esme is caring for her son and working to build a better life for both of them, you're still sleeping your day away?"

"Well…."

"Don't you have a job or things to do other than obsessing over your brother?"

"Objection, your honour," Diane said. "Badgering the witness."

"Sustained."

"Moving forward," Nora said. "One of your complaints is that you believe Miss Prince is a danger to Ace, correct?"

"Yes."

"And if danger is such a concern to you, why did you take Ace to the house of your uncle Sonny Corinthos, a local mobster, a couple weeks ago?"

"Objection, your honour," Diane said. "She is making accusations of Mr. Corinthos who isn't on stand."

"Overruled," Judge Carson said. "I'll allow it."

Spencer cleared his throat. "Uncle Sonny is a coffee importer and is not a danger to Ace."

"Really?" Nora asked. "Then how did a gunshot go off in front of Ace, killing a woman and severely injuring a child?"

"Objection, your honour," Diane said. "Irrelevance."

"Overruled. This is very relevant."

"I don't know," Spencer said. "The police are still investigating."

"And what were you doing while the children in your care were playing with Mr. Corinthos' firearms?" Nora asked.

"I was… I was with Josslyn."

"How did you not know that the children had guns upstairs?"

"I don't know," Spencer said.

"No further questions."

GHGHGH

Nina rushed to the hospital when she received a text from Willow saying that Wiley woke up. She hurried into his room. "Willow, I'm here. I'm here. How is he?"

Patrick dropped his flashlight inside his pocket and looked between Michael and Willow. "Can I speak with you both in the hallway?"

Willow nodded. "Mom, can you sit with Wiley for a few minutes?"

"Of course."

Michael and Willow kissed Wiley's cheeks and followed Patrick outside.

Nina sat beside Wiley. "Hi sweetheart."

"Ganma Eeya."

Out in the hallway, Patrick looked at Michael and Willow very seriously. "I need to run some more tests, but I'm very concerned. Wiley seems to know who you both are, which is good. But he is slurring his words and his coordination is very poor. Plus, the ringing in his ears isn't a good sign. It could go away with time, but we need to investigate more."

GHGHGH

"Sam?" Kristina asked frantically over the phone. "Can you get a hold of Mom?"

"I was talking to her earlier," Sam said. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I was just talking to her and an alarm went off, then the line went dead. I'm with Avery and Donna at the hospital and—"

"I'll try calling her. If I have trouble, I'll go over to the house to check."

GHGHGH

"Donna, can you draw me a picture of your family?" Lainey asked.

Donna chose the blue crayon and drew several people figures. One of the male figures held a gun in his hand. Then off to the side a small girl figure held a gun and a small boy figure lay on the floor. She grabbed the red crayon and scribbled over the boy figure's head.

"Can you tell me who everyone is?" Lainey asked.

Donna stared at her paper.

"Or can you write everyone's names above everyone?" Lainey suggested.

Donna grabbed the green crayon and wrote 'Daddy' over the male figure holding a gun, 'Me' over the girl figure with the gun, and 'Wiley' over the bleeding boy….

GHGHGH

Sam turned down her mother's street and gasped when she saw smoke. She pulled in front of the house and jumped out. "Oh my gosh, Mom!" She dialed 9-1-1. "My mom's house is on fire! 2183 Belleforest Drive. Hurry!"

Sam dropped her phone and ran into the house.