I got sick almost as the semester was ending and it’s taking me some time to get back on my feet. However, there are still three weeks left until the new semester and I intend to get cracking on this site. First, there will be a new layout and then I will start readding some of the older stuff. Cross my heart, stick a needle in my eye.

Secondly, my beloved Tangle was nominated for Favorite Mystery at the Safe Place Awards. Also nominated was my plucky little Amalia Maria Zacchara. Crimson Glass, my archive, also got a nod for favorite archive, which is very sweet of you guys considering this is barely rating as an archive. I swear, you will be rewarded for your devotion.

I’m still working on my stories in my head, I’m watching GH a little bit. (Not much but since I have my own DVD recorder, I have to watch it for my sites) Hopefully, I’ll be able to show you some actual proof of this work. Tangle is part of a larger universe and I’ve been putting a lot of grunt work into setting up this universe so that the later parts of Tangle can include hints of what’s to come.

Daughters is coming along, I’m finally in a place in my head where I can write it. These Small Hours is always at the top of my list. I’m almost finished the next chapter and the overall story plotting is just about finished. Mad World is still undergoing my heaving editing, so I’ll be getting back to that shortly.

I appreciate all the patience. You are all very lovely

And I won’t even tell you about Jason.

So the only bright spots are Patrick and Robin. I don’t have the time to FF an entire show for the occasional hope bright spots of their little family, so until I read some recaps of a show I don’t want to explode into a million pieces, there will more than likely be very few updates.

When my winter break hits, I’ll work on getting the older stuff back up but it’s unlikely you’ll see anything new until I’m done being pissed off at the show.

Tuesday, November 4, 200

Disney’s Boardwalk Villa: Suite

Johnny set a small suitcase on the end of the king-sized bed and turned to Nadine. “It’s still early afternoon. Did you want to go to the park today or would you rather hang out at the resort tonight?”

Nadine ignored him and disappeared out onto the terrace, which overlooked the pool. Johnny exhaled slowly and warned himself to have patience. In the last three days, Nadine’s entire life had turned upside down and she was still angry at him for his decision to allow Jason to handle the Kate situation. She just didn’t understand that it was safer for everyone if he stayed out of it.

She hadn’t spoken to him since the morning before and he was aware enough of her personality to know that it was very odd for her to be silent for so long. Oh sure, she’d snarked with Claudia about her clothes for this short vacation and she’d held her own against Anthony regarding her statement to the PCPD, but to Johnny, she had nothing to say.

And after spending the night in the same bed — Claudia decided until further notice that it was for the best to have the same bed (one never knew when Scott Baldwin would pay a visit) — and then driving to the airport, the flight to Orlando and the drive from the airport…complete silence.

“Are you really going to ignore me for the next two days?” Johnny demanded. He stalked out onto the terrace. “We’re supposed to be selling this newlywed crap and you’re wrecking it.”

“Oh, give me a break!” Nadine whirled around and jabbed him in the chest. “I have more than upheld my end of the bargain. I am not the one who decided, after he got the benefit of my lies and cooperation, to renege on the agreement–”

“I didn’t renege,” Johnny interrupted. “All I did was take the safest route. I told you that we would find out what happened to Kate. And we will. Jason will find out–”

“Jason has other things on his priority list,” Nadine snarled. “Sonny’s out of commission, okay? Jason’s got his own organization to run, he’s got Elizabeth and Spinelli and Carly to worry about. His top priority is not going to be to clear your name; it’s going to be keeping the people that matter to him safe. You’re not one of those people, Johnny, and neither am I. I’m sure he’ll try to find out what happened, but what if Sonny gets better, leaves the hospital, and comes after you again?”

Johnny opened his mouth to respond then abruptly snapped it shut. He frowned at her. “I don’t care for the fact that you make a very good point.”

“Well at least you’re man enough to admit it,” Nadine grumbled. She bumped her hip against him to shove him to the side so she could go back inside the room.

Johnny scrubbed his hands over his face and turned to follow her. “Nadine, I’m just trying to keep everyone safe. On a normal day, it’s difficult enough to keep my father and Claudia from killing one another and with this situation with Sonny Corinthos, I’ve had to talk them down too many times over this last month. I didn’t want either of them going after Sonny, or God forbid Jason, and winding up dead. And now I have you to worry about.”

Nadine chewed on her bottom lip and flopped onto the end of the bed. “You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

“Just because my father and Claudia are behaving themselves now,” Johnny said slowly, “doesn’t mean they will forever. You’re a liability to them.”

Nadine drew her eyebrows together in a frown. “Why? I’m doing exactly what I promised to do. And then some.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Johnny responded. “You’re in possession of information that could put me in prison and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re a bit protective of me.”

“Hard to miss it.” Nadine sighed. “Okay. I get it. You’re in a crappy position. I just…” she hesitated. “I want to feel like I’m doing something worthwhile here. If I just sit back and let someone else fix all of this, it’s like the only thing I’m doing is protecting someone who is technically guilty, and I don’t really like that feeling.”

“Okay.” Johnny paused. “Okay,” he repeated, “we can come up with some sort of compromise. I want to know who shot Kate as much as you do, okay? So I’ll make inquiries. I just can’t go gung ho the way I think you want me to do. It’s not safe.”

Nadine pursed her lips. She was a fan of the idea that when you put yourself into something, you put everything into it, but this was Johnny’s world. And surely he had a better idea of how to go about that than she would. “Okay. I think I can agree to that.” She hesitated. “I don’t mean to make your life difficult.”

For the first time in hours, Johnny found his lips curving into a slight smile. “No, I imagine it just comes naturally.”

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Wyndemere: Study

“Miss Claudia Zacchara, sir.”

Nikolas glanced up at this interruption and frowned at his long time butler. “Who?” he inquired.

“Miss Zacchara,” Alfred repeated, his dislike for the visitor dripping from his voice. “She wishes to speak with you. Shall I turn her away?”

“Oh, relax, Jeeves.” Claudia passed by him and patted him on the back. “I’ll take it from here.”

“It’s all right, Alfred,” Nikolas sighed. He stood and moved from behind his desk. “I’ll see to Miss Zacchara.” He waited until Alfred had left the room before continuing. “What brings you out here, Claudia?”

“I wish I could say it was a social call, but unfortunately, it’s business.” Claudia stripped her leather jacket from her shoulders and tossed it on the chair. “That nurse you had stitch me up last spring.”

“Nadine,” Nikolas murmured. “What about her?”

“Can she be trusted?” Claudia said briskly. “Can she take directions?”

He tilted his head to the side. “What has trouble has Nadine managed to find this time?” he asked, resigned. “Did she stowaway on a freighter that belongs to you? Perhaps she followed one of your guards?”

Claudia stared at him, a little nervous. “She’s not really that reckless is she?”

“She can be,” Nikolas replied. He leaned against his desk. “Particularly when she thinks she’s doing the right thing. What has Nadine done now?”

“Nothing,” Claudia admitted. “I mean, she didn’t technically do anything.” She paused, trying to decide just how much to tell this man. “I mean, it’s not like I blame her for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I just blame my brother for being soft-hearted.”

“John Zacchara, soft-hearted,” Nikolas scoffed. “Right.”

“Hey, Johnny sacrificed his freedom to bring your lunatic sister back for some help,” Claudia retorted. “He’s just not used to eyewitnesses, you know. Or how to deal with them.”

Slightly alarmed, Nikolas straightened. “What did Nadine see?”

“Nothing,” she replied. “I’m just saying that in this business you either make it worth the witness’s while to keep their trap shut or you make sure they do.” Claudia shrugged. “But you know, some guys have a hard on for a damsel in distress.”

“Claudia, I’m not amused,” Nikolas retorted. “What did Nadine see and what did your family do to her?”

“How is it you haven’t heard about this?” Claudia demanded. “Where have you been? On Mars?”

“I was in Greece,” Nikolas replied shortly. “This is not my favorite time of year and I didn’t want to be in this house during the last week or so. Stop playing word games with me, Claudia. What’s going on and what does Nadine have to do with it?”

“Fine, it’s not like you’re not going to hear about it tomorrow,” Claudia replied, rolling her eyes. “Your little nurse stumbled across Sonny Corinthos attempting to kill my brother. Unfortunately for Nadine, she saw Johnny shoot back.”

“Oh, God,” Nikolas scrubbed his hands over her face. “I swear, she just has a magnet attached to her face. If she’s not getting herself into trouble, it finds her.”

“Johnny took advantage of her shock, grabbed her and put in a car to bring her back to the house.” Claudia paused. “I think he was probably trying to keep her quiet at first but it’s possible he realized that she’s not exactly in a good position right now. Sonny probably saw her and it’s not like he’s the most stable man in the universe.”

“And what was Johnny’s bright solution?” Nikolas said scathingly. “Did he run off her with her? Are you here asking for me to get him out of the country again?”

“No.” Claudia wrinkled her nose. “Johnny thinks she’s in danger from Sonny and from my father so he did the only thing he thought it would fix everything. To protect her from my father and Sonny and to keep her away from Scott Baldwin and the rest of the PCPD.”

Nikolas suddenly had a very good idea where this was going. It was an approach that Sonny Corinthos had used himself–twice with Carly. “He married her.”

“That very same day.” Claudia tapped her lip thoughtfully. “Of course, everyone knows why he married her, or thinks they know, so it’s not like we’re getting away with much. Except the nurse knows how to lie. I’m just asking you if you think she can hold up under all of this.”

Nikolas crossed his arms, irritated. “And what if I tell you no? That Nadine has a penchant for finding trouble and dangerous situations? That she lets her mouth run without thinking and usually manages to offend most people. What happens to Nadine if you determine she’s a liability to your brother?”

“Oh, you make it sound like you think I’m trying to decide whether I should make her disappear or not,” Claudia said. She rolled her eyes. “Let’s get real. If I think she’s going to be a problem, I’ll just deal with it.” She sighed, a little wistfully. “It’s not like Johnny would let me get rid of her anyway. He’s got principles about that sort of thing.”

Orlando, Florida: Walt Disney World

Johnny Zacchara had eaten in the best restaurants in the world, had attended the best schools and universities in the world, and had partied with celebrities and models. He was a man of sophistication and culture.

He was married to a woman who was wearing mouse ears.

“No,” Johnny shook his head and ducked when Nadine attempted to place a matching pair on his head. “I’m drawing the line.”

“Oh, come on.” Nadine pouted. Her eyes lit up. “Just think of how seriously Baldwin would take our marriage if you were wearing the ears.”

“I’ll take the risk,” Johnny replied, backing away from her slowly. “I should think the Disney World honeymoon is enough proof of my devotion.”

“But it has your name on it and everything.” Nadine held the ears out to him. “Don’t be such a spoilsport.”

“I’ll find a way to live with myself.”

“I’m going to make you wear them,” Nadine told him firmly. She tucked the ears into her large tote bag and readjusted it over her shoulder. She scanned the surrounding park. “Where to next?”

“How about the hotel?” Johnny suggested brightly.

“Oh, stop it. You’re having fun and you know it.” She pulled the park map from her tote and studied it. “Let’s see. We’ve been on the Goofy roller coaster and Snow White’s Scary Adventures. ”

“You wanted to see the castle right?” Johnny said. He gestured towards the north end of the park. “We can head over there.”

“No, we can’t!” Nadine refused. “I want to see it at night, lit up with the lights after the parade.”

“The parade?” Johnny said weakly.

“Yep. There’s a parade of all the Disney characters and we missed it yesterday because you didn’t want to leave the hotel.” Nadine leveled an accusatory glare at him. “Some honeymoon.”

“You know, a lot of people would assume that it’s better to stay in the hotel on a honeymoon,” Johnny said dryly.

“Oh, please,” Nadine rolled her eyes. “We could have had sex back in New York. Why would we want to pay all that money for a hotel room at Disney World just to stay inside?”

Johnny stared at her. “I’m not even sure how to argue with that,” he said finally. “You’ve never spent a day or two in bed with someone?”

Nadine flushed. “Well, no. Not exactly. I mean, I have, you know,” she waved a hand. “I just…I have stuff to do, okay? I have a job, it’s not like I could call Epiphany and tell her I need a day off for sex.”

Johnny nodded slowly. “I’ve met Epiphany. I don’t imagine anyone would get away with that excuse to call out sick.”

“I don’t even know how we got on that subject,” Nadine coughed and cleared her throat. “We should go on the teacups.”

“The teacups,” Johnny repeated dubiously.

Nadine nodded with relish. “The teacups. I’ve seen them on television. They look like a lot of fun.”

Coffee House: Jason’s Office

Jason glanced up as Cody opened the door and looked in. “I got Miss Webber here to see you.”

Jason set his pen down and sat back in his chair. “Neal’s with her, right?” he asked, knowing Elizabeth had a tendency to pop over and not wait for her guard to show up. It wasn’t that she didn’t care for her own safety, but that any guard he assigned to her found it difficult to keep up as she flitted between the hospital, the penthouse, her house, and all the wedding plans in between.

Cody grinned. “He’s two inches behind her, but for someone with short legs, Miss Webber moves very fast.” He stepped back out and a few seconds later Elizabeth strode in, her somewhat beleaguered guard right behind her.

“I didn’t mean to forget to tell you I was going somewhere,” Elizabeth protested. She flashed a smile at Neal. “I just had this thought while I was in a patient’s room and I was going on break anyway and–”

“She didn’t make it to the parking garage,” Neal informed his boss with a resigned air. “Sam’s stationed there and stopped her until I could catch up. We may need to consider guards on every street corner.”

“Very funny.” Elizabeth dug a notebook out of her purse. “Don’t worry, Jason will yell at me and I’ll remember everything for about a week. I promise.”

Neal gestured over his shoulder. “I’m going to go stand next to Cody. Don’t go out the back.”

“Tried that,” Elizabeth huffed. “Cody sends Harry there as soon as I get here.” She waited until Neal left the room before looking at Jason in earnest. “I don’t do it on purpose–”

“I know. You’re not used to having someone with you all the time,” Jason said. He stood and rounded the desk to greet her with a kiss. “It’s barely been a month. We’ll get it ironed out. Things are quiet enough that we can make adjustments.” He leaned against the desk and drew her closer. “How’s Sonny?”

“Holding steady,” Elizabeth answered. “He’s out of the woods and Monica thinks it’ll be at most, another day or so before he wakes up. Probably less.” She bit her lip. “How is everything going here?”

“It’s okay,” Jason said. “Like I said, things are quiet. The Zaccharas are behaving themselves and Karpov is lying low.” He squeezed her hands. “I’d tell you if anything changed.”

“I know,” Elizabeth replied. “I also know that this isn’t really a good time to talk about the wedding, but if we’re keeping to the February date, there are some things we need to talk about soon.”

A little resigned, Jason sighed. “I told you, I don’t really care about any of that. You just tell me where to show up–”

“Jason,” Elizabeth cut in with a martial light in her eyes. “You don’t really think I’m here to talk about flower arrangements or the color of your tie, right? I’m not insane.” She arched an eyebrow. “Kelly and Lainey are handling all of that with me. I’m here about the security at the church.”

Jason sobered and nodded. This was an extremely important point for him. When Kate had been shot, he’d been on the verge of pulling back from Elizabeth yet again and he probably would have been able to succeed if not for the car accident.

Driving back from the airport to the hospital, Elizabeth had been broadsided by another car that had run a stop sign. Her own vehicle had been totaled but, miraculously, she’d emerged with only scrapes, bruises, and a dislocated shoulder.

It had driven home the point Elizabeth had been trying to make for nearly a year. No one was safe one hundred percent of the time and the only thing that Jason could do was to give her the best security money could provide. He’d originally wanted to marry her in a private ceremony, but Elizabeth convinced him to have a somewhat larger ceremony. They’d compromised by deciding to wait a few months in hopes that things would remain calm. It would be the first real test of their security system and Jason wanted to iron out any problems now.

“Father Coates is used to this sort of thing,” Elizabeth was saying, “because I think he handled one of Sonny and Carly’s ceremonies or something, so he told me that anything we needed to secure the premises, he would be happy to provide.” She reached into her large tote bag and drew out a rolled up set of papers. “So I asked him for a copy of the church plans when it was remodeled a few years ago, and Father Coates had them delivered to the hospital today. I wanted to bring them right over.”

Jason took the set of architectural plans from her and set them behind her on the desk. “I’ll have Spinelli look at them and work out the number of men and their positions. Once I have them chosen, I’ll send Maxie to take care of their outfits.” When he saw Elizabeth wrinkle her nose at the mention of her ex-husband’s ex-mistress, he sighed, “I know you don’t like her–”

“No, no, I know she comes with Spinelli,” Elizabeth responded. “It’s a package deal. Kind of like Carly.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “I have to go back to the hospital. My break’s over.”

He kept his hold on her hand and stopped her from drawing back completely. “And who’s driving you back?”

“I won’t forget Neal, I promise.” Elizabeth grinned. “Hey, what do you think about asking Edward to walk me down the aisle?”

Crimson Manor: Study

“So what did the prince have to say?” Anthony rolled his chair to the foot of the couch and glared at his daughter. Claudia had walked in a few moments ago, ignored his initial demand, and stretched out on the sofa.

“We may have a problem.” Claudia propped herself up on her elbows. “Nikolas refused to say much but I got the general impression. I think the nurse will hold up for a while, but apparently she’s got a tendency to ramble when she’s nervous. I don’t think Nikolas thought she’d be able to handle this because he seemed to think we had nefarious plans for her.”

“I won’t let anyone threaten John,” Anthony muttered. “She’s doing her part for now, but I won’t let her be a liability. I’ve come too far to let this get between us.”

“Well, there’s no need for any preemptive action,” Claudia said after a long moment. “For now, Nadine is holding her own and is doing what we ask her to. Plus, you know how John feels about damsels in distress. He will not take kindly to us interfering.”

Anthony pursed his lips, considering his daughter’s words. “We wait. And we watch.”

General Hospital: Sonny’s Room

Leyla Mir hummed under her breath as she made a few notes about Sonny Corinthos’s vitals on his chart. She sneaked a glance at the notorious crime lord under lashes. This man was the reason her best friend was currently embroiled in yet another scheme. If it wasn’t sneaking into bedrooms at the Commissioner’s house or onto Russian freighters, it was marrying young mobsters.

Nadine didn’t know how to live a quiet life.

She heard a soft groan from the bed and turned to look at Sonny. His eyes slid open, just a enough to see a slit of his dark eyes. “I’m not dead,” he said hoarsely.

“You don’t appear to be, no,” Leyla murmured. “Shall I send for Dr. Quartermaine?”

“Mac,” Sonny licked his cracked lips. “Get Mac Scorpio.”

“The police commissioner?” she repeated, feeling a sense of dread grow in her belly. Oh, dear. Nadine was in trouble now.

“Johnny Zacchara,” Sonny said. “He did this.” He blinked. “And the blonde…that works here. She saw everything.” He closed his eyes and lapsed back into unconsciousness.

“Bullocks,” Leyla muttered. She paged Dr. Quartermaine as a matter of procedure, but her first loyalty was never going to be to Sonny Corinthos. It was to her best friend.

Her second call was to Nadine’s cell. She left a voicemail.

And told no one else what Sonny Corinthos had confessed.

I almost have the next chapter finished, so hopefully I’ll be able to get that done this weekend so I’ll stay on schedule. I have the next chapters of Daughters and Tangle just about halfway finished, so once my school load slows down a bit after this week, I should be able to finish those.

I am absolutely swamped with school work and don’t get much of a chance to do anything except school and a bit of writing. When things slow down, I’ll get back to finishing up this site. Thanks for your patience.

—

Monday, November 3, 2008

Port Charles Police Department

Scott strode into the interrogation with Mac on his heels. He stopped dead at Nadine, sitting calmly next to Trevor. Johnny was standing to the side of the table, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed.

“What’s she doing here?” Scott jabbed a finger at Nadine. “She doesn’t need to be here.”

“She’s John’s alibi,” Trevor said, somewhat exasperated. “Unless you don’t feel you need to verify the alibi on the record. If you’d rather take John’s word for it–”

“This is all bogus,” Scott challenged. “You must think I’m pretty stupid.”

“Actually,” Nadine began but Johnny silenced her with a glare. “Well, he shouldn’t give me an opening like that. It’s not fair.”

“If we’re going to get this interrogation finished sometime today, you might want to begin,” Trevor told Scott. “My client is newly married and, as you can imagine, he hardly wants to spend his day here.”

Mac shoved Scott out of the way. “We just have a few questions,” he said. “We got the 911 call about 4:36 PM yesterday afternoon. Where were you from four until about five?”

“I was at home,” Johnny lied smoothly. He tilted his head at Nadine. “After about 4:30, I was with my father and Ric Lansing. Trevor was arranging for a marriage license. Nadine was with my sister, getting ready. Before that, Nadine and I were in my father’s study with my father, Claudia, and Ric.”

“Mmm,” Mac nodded, making some notes. He looked to Nadine. “You said you got done work at four and then Johnny proposed. How’d you get to Crimson Manor so quickly?”

“I was mistaken this morning,” Nadine said with a friendly smile. “You can imagine, I was little flustered with the busting in of my bedroom door on this day of all days.” She shrugged. “I clocked out at three and drove to Crimson Manor. I got there about four. You can check the shift information at General Hospital. It’ll reflect that.”

“Oh, she’s lying through her teeth!” Scott waved his arm dismissively. “Little tramp would do anything to save the guy she’s currently banging–”

He’d no sooner finished speaking than Johnny had closed the small distance between them, grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, and shoved the special prosecutor against the wall. “Don’t you ever speak about her that way again!”

“John!” Trevor got out of his seat. “Don’t do anything rash.” At his side, a slightly stunned Nadine rose.

Scott jerked out of Johnny’s grasp and glared at Mac. “Can you arrest him now?”

Mac got to his feet and raised his eyebrows at the still fuming Zacchara standing just inches from Scott. “For what?”

“Assault!” Scott countered, pointing at Johnny. “He assaulted me!”

“And you provoked him,” the beleaguered commissioner replied. “You think you can stand there and call his wife a filthy name and not be shoved against the wall? Hell, I think he held back. If you’d done that to my wife or anyone I cared about, you’d be through a wall.” Mac shut his notebook and looked to Nadine. “I apologize on behalf of this department.”

“Accepted.” Nadine hesitated for a moment but crossed to Johnny and put her hand on his arm. “Can we go now? Have we answered all your questions?”

“For now,” Mac allowed. “If, and when, Sonny wakes up, we may have some more. If you go on that trip, don’t leave the country and leave contact information with your lawyer.” He hesitated and looked at Nadine. “I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

He took Scott by the arm and forcefully steered him towards the door. “You’re just determined to get this department sued aren’t you?” Mac could be heard saying as they went into the squad room, closing the door behind him.

“Well, obviously he doesn’t believe me,” Nadine sighed, removing her hand. She glared at Johnny. “Do you like being arrested or something?”

“If I had let it go unpunished, Baldwin might have thought he could get away with treating people like that. I had enough of him doing that to Lulu. Wouldn’t surprise me if he did it on purpose to see how I’d react.”

“You may have a point,” Trevor allowed, shuffling some paperwork, including their marriage certificate, into his briefcase. “But can I please recommend in the future that we refrain from physical interaction?”

“Where Baldwin is concerned, I can’t promise that,” Johnny said dryly.

General Hospital: Kate Howard’s Hospital Room

“You’re out of your freakin’ mind, Connie!”

“Don’t call her that!” Maxie hissed at the same time her beleaguered boss and mentor, chimed in, “Don’t call me that!”

Olivia Falconieri glared at the pair. “Oh, yeah, because your name is really important right now.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not wheeling you anywhere.”

Kate Howard, still managing to look elegant and beautiful despite the hospital gown and the setting, turned her perfectly arched eyebrows to her assistant. “Maxie, please inform an orderly that I need help getting into my chair–”

“Why don’t you go find a shrink while you’re at it?” Olivia retorted. “Because only a crazy person would want to risk her recovery to go visit the man that put her there!”

“Um.,,” Maxie’s eyes darted back and forth between the battling cousins. “Perhaps I should just come back later–”

“Maxie, if you want to have a job when I get out of here, you had better do as I say,” Kate threatened.

“Oh, do not use the power of her paycheck to make her do your bidding.” Olivia flung a hand at the blonde. “She’s the only person who seems to give a damn about you.” She turned her attention to Maxie. “Do you think she should go visit Sonny?”

“Ah…” Maxie cleared her throat. “Well, Spinelli tells me that Sonny’s not awake yet and he’s not really up for visitors anyhow. One at a time in the ICU, you know. And Sonny’s dad has been in there all morning.” She hesitated. “Besides, you know Sonny would just want you to concentrate on yourself, right? Your recovery is important.”

“Words of wisdom,” Olivia nodded in approval. “You can’t argue with that.”

“All right, Maxie, you’ve said your piece,” Kate said slowly. “Why don’t you give Olivia and I a moment to speak?” Her eyes hardened. “Alone.”

“With pleasure.” Maxie scampered out of the room, eager to leave the feuding cousins in her dust.

“I respect that you believe Sonny is the reason I am in this bed,” Kate began. “And I suppose, in a roundabout way, you would be correct. I haven’t been able to communicate with Sonny since this began because you have seen fit to restrict my visitors to just you and Maxie and the doctors. I wasn’t able to reassure him that I love him and that I don’t blame him–”

“Why the hell not?” Olivia cut in. She jabbed a finger at the wheelchair in the corner. “That’s your reality, Connie. Because Sonny lied to you and he lied to himself. You’re not going to walk again.”

“That is not true,” Kate’s voice began to waver. “Dr. Drake seems to think if I apply myself to my therapy and work hard, there is no reason I shouldn’t regain the use of my legs. He thinks my paralysis might be temporary–”

“He said there was a slim chance,” Olivia interrupted again. “A slim chance you could eventually walk with the aid of a cane. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, how can you want anything to do with the person who left you with that future?”

Kate’s lower lip trembled. “I can’t think about that now, okay? He’s hurt and I have to be with him. After…after that, I’ll worry about what will happen next month or next year.”

“I do not understand this,” Olivia shook her head. “You almost died and you just want to go back to the world that did it.” She sliced her hand in the air. “Well, count me out. I’m not interested in watching you kill yourself.”

She stalked out of the room.

Crimson Manor: Conservatory

After their return from the police department, Trevor went to fill Anthony in on the interview while Johnny steered Nadine into the conservatory. “We have to get a few things straight.”

“Oh, what now?” Nadine huffed. She leaned against the sofa and folded her arms.

“I need to know what you said to Elizabeth Webber so that I can figure out what Jason Morgan is going to do,” Johnny said. “I need to know his next move.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Nadine rolled her eyes. “I just asked her if she could cover my shifts and that I had eloped and then she asked who with, and I said you.” She shrugged. “She was understandably surprised. She asked me if everything was okay, I said yes and she told me she’d cover for me.”

“You think she knows?”

“Oh, are you kidding me?” Nadine threw her hands up in the air. “I don’t think anyone in the city thinks we got married for real. I don’t know what Elizabeth thinks for sure, but I know she’s going to talk to Jason, and you know he’s going to put it together.”

“This is going to crap very fast,” Johnny muttered. He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Okay. Okay. We’ll come back to that.” He jabbed a finger at her. “You are not following the plan.”

“I resent that!” Nadine complained. “I think that I have been very helpful–”

“You were not supposed to lie outright to the police,” Johnny muttered. “You were supposed to just sit there and let Trevor invoke the privilege.”

“And that wouldn’t have been suspicious?” Nadine challenged. “I thought the point of this was to make it look real, and I don’t know about you, but I would think a wife would step up and provide an alibi willingly. They just can’t force me to testify.”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the effort,” Johnny argued. “I just don’t get why you bothered. You’ve made it very clear that you don’t like me very much or my life–”

“I don’t know you and the only thing I know about your life is the consequences,” she interrupted. “I don’t like the violence that comes with it, but it’s not like it’s unique to your world. There’s violence everywhere you go. Your line of work just doesn’t apologize for it.” She huffed.

“Look, I don’t think you shot Kate,” Nadine continued, “and I don’t think Sonny had proof that you did. He had no right to stand on those docks and threaten to kill you. I don’t blame you for defending yourself. The only thing that I want to get out of this is some answers and you are in a unique position to help me. Kate’s shooting put this into motion, so I think it’s only fair that we know how it happened and I’d like your cooperation in helping me end the counterfeit drug ring here in Port Charles.”

“I already agreed to Kate.” Johnny shifted and shook his head. “I’m not sure if I can help you with the drugs. It has nothing to do with my family or our business and I don’t know if it’s worth it to get involved–”

“It’s not worth it?” Nadine repeated, narrowing her eyes. “People are getting sick with medication that’s supposed to help them and they’re not just getting placebos anymore. They’re getting poisoned drugs. I’m a nurse because I want to heal people. You’ve been a patient at General Hospital and so has your sister. How is it not worth it to you to be sure that what medicine we’re giving our patients is right?”

“It might be a rival family,” Johnny said, irritated. “I can’t afford to start a war with them over something that doesn’t involve me personally. That’s not how this world works.”

Nadine crossed her arms and glared at him. “I’m supposed to be your wife, remember? How is it that something that affects me isn’t affecting you?”

“I’m not saying I don’t agree with the principle,” he shot back, “I’m just saying that I don’t think I’m going to be able to help you very much. I’m not in charge here and I can tell you right now my father isn’t going to give a damn about any of this.”

“Fine,” Nadine said tightly. “I’ll just continue my investigation on my own time.” She raised her eyebrows. “Is that it?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Johnny rubbed his head. “I can’t argue with you anymore.”
“It’s a good thing to learn that early in a marriage.”

The new voice startled them both and Johnny swung around, shocked to find Jason Morgan standing just inside the doors. “How did you …”

“Your security guards?” Nadine said. “You should probably fire them.”

“We’ve got some things to discuss,” Jason said, ignoring the byplay between them. “I don’t care to discuss them with Anthony. He’s not reasonable.” He looked to Nadine and his hard glare softened just a bit. “Elizabeth is worried about you. She wanted me to be sure you knew what you were getting into.”

“I appreciate that, and I think I’ve got it under control.” Nadine hesitated. “Mostly.” She bit her lip and looked to Johnny and then back to Jason. “Should I leave you alone?”

“You might as well stay, it’s not like you don’t know what’s going on.” But still, Johnny stepped a little in front of her. “I don’t know what you think happened–”

“I think that Sonny threatened you, pulled a gun,” Jason said calmly. “I think you shot him and I think Nadine saw it. I think you married her to protect her from your family and from Baldwin.” He raised an eyebrow. “How am I doing?”

“Um. That’s pretty close.” Johnny shifted from foot to the other. “What do you intend to do?”

“The only way to end this is to find out who shot Kate,” Jason said. “And that’s not you.” He jerked a shoulder. “It might be Anthony, or Claudia or even Trevor. But it’s not you. So I don’t intend to do anything. Sonny’s in the hospital, he’s out of commission. It gives me some lee time to find the real shooter.”

Nadine exhaled slowly. “So you’re not going to…retaliate or whatever right? Because you don’t think Johnny was wrong.”

“I think,” Jason said slowly, “that what happened yesterday was a long time coming. Kate’s just the excuse.” He paused. “Let me handle the Kate situation. You just keep your mouth shut and keep her safe,” he gestured to Nadine, “because she’s doing you a huge favor.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you worked together?” Nadine suggested. Both men turned to look at her oddly. “Well, you know, you both have a vested interest in avoiding conflict. Isn’t the best way to do that to find out who shot Kate and fast?”

“No,” they said in unison.

“What’s best is if Johnny stays away from the situation,” Jason went on. He looked at Johnny. “Concentrate on your own problems, you’ve got enough of them. I’ll worry about Kate.” To Nadine, he said, “If you need anything, you can come to me.”

He disappeared out the door. Nadine turned to Johnny and frowned. “You promised me.”

“Jason makes a good point,” Johnny said. “It’s enough for me to know that he doesn’t think I shot Kate and that he’s not planning to retaliate. I just have to make sure Baldwin and the PCPD don’t find out I did shoot Sonny.”

“You promised me,” Nadine repeated. “Kate’s shooting is why this is happening. It’s why I had to marry you or worry about what Claudia might to do me in my sleep. I’m not completely convinced that I don’t have to worry about that now. The faster we find out who shot Kate, the faster the PCPD will turn their attention away from you and we won’t have to worry about selling this so hard.”

“Nadine–”

“Or maybe I was wrong to trust you,” she said, glaring at him. “Maybe your word means nothing. I mean, you’re not interested in helping me find out who’s trying to kill the innocent people who come to GH for medical help, so why should I be surprised that you’re leaping at the first opportunity to weasel out of our agreement?”

“I already explained that to you–”

“You’re a coward,” Nadine said quietly. “I’m not sure why you think it’s best to go into a corner and hide, but that’s what you’re doing. It’s easier for you to let everyone else fix things. You let your sister lie on the stand to get you off the hook for Logan. You’re using me to keep from telling the truth about Sonny. It’s more convenient for you to let Jason handle Kate’s shooting. I just wish I’d known this before I said yes and tied myself to you.” She sighed. “I’m just disappointed. I don’t know why, but I thought…anyone who would be willing to go to jail to protect his girlfriend…would be someone who’d keep his word.” She paused. “I’m just sorry I was so wrong.”

Without another look at her new husband, Nadine left the room, leaving Johnny alone.

Crimson Manor: Guest Bedroom

Nadine woke abruptly the morning after her impromptu wedding. Her brand new sister-in-law threw open the door and started to drag her out of bed.

“What the hell?” Nadine snarled, digging her feet into the mattress and pulling back. “What is wrong with you people?”

“What’s wrong?” Claudia echoed, digging her nails into the soft flesh of Nadine’s upper arm. “Are you kidding? Scott Baldwin is downstairs and Trevor’s only going to be able to keep him away for so long. He’s on his way up and this entire thing goes down the tubes when he finds you in your own room.”

“Okay, okay, you could have just said that instead ripping my arm off,” Nadine sighed. She frowned when she saw Claudia digging through the stack of luggage hauled up the night before. “What are you doing now?”

“Do you own anything remotely girl like?” the brunette grumbled, tossing t-shirts and jeans aside until she finally found a short silk nightgown. “This is more like it. Put this on.”

Nadine crossed her arms over her Hello Kitty t-shirt and glared. “I’m drawing the line here.”

“This is supposed to be the morning after your wedding,” Claudia retorted. “You are going in there in this or you’ll be naked. I’m not kidding.”

Because Nadine believed her and wouldn’t put it past her to tie her down and strip her naked and just toss her into Johnny’s bed, she sighed, took the night gown and ordered Claudia to turn her back. Claudia grumbled, but agreed.

Once Nadine was suitably attired, Claudia hauled her out of the room and down the hall to Johnny’s room. Nadine could hear Scott Baldwin’s antagonistic voice in the foyer.

Johnny apparently wasn’t in on this plan either because when Claudia shoved the door open and then just shoved Nadine inside, he looked both suspicious and pissed. He’d been sleeping after all. “What the…”

“My words exactly,” Nadine sighed. “Shove over. Claudia’s convinced our plan is doomed if Scott Baldwin doesn’t think we bumped like bunnies all night.” She went for the comforter, and then frowned. “Are you wearing anything under there?”

“Yes,” Johnny said. “What does Baldwin have to do with anything?”

“He’s downstairs,” Nadine told him. She drew back the comforter and climbed in. “Move over.”

“He doesn’t waste any time does he?” he sighed, but he moved to the side and let Nadine settle against the pillows. “Bump like bunnies?” he repeated.

“Oh, leave me alone. At least Claudia didn’t rip your arm out of its socket and then insult your Hello Kitty nightshirt.”

Johnny glanced at the spaghetti strapped nightie she wore now. “So this is special for me?” he grinned.

“Hand picked by your sister,” Nadine returned with a friendly smile. “So you just think about that.” She huffed and closed her eyes. “At least you know your sister loves you.”

“Sometimes I wish she’d love me a little less. Claudia is nothing if not fervent and enthusiastic when she’s protecting me, which is why I’m surprised she put you in here with clothes at all.”

“That was my second choice,” Nadine returned. “Immediately vetoed, I might add.”

The bedroom door banged open again and Scott Baldwin strode in, followed closely by Trevor, Detective Harper and Commissioner Scorpio. Nadine and Johnny sat up, the former clutching the comforter to her chest. “What’s going on?”

Scott looked a little taken aback by what probably appeared to be she and Johnny sharing a bed. He blinked, and then narrowed his eyes. “So you weren’t protecting Nikolas at that trial. Were you already sleeping here with Babyface?”

“What’s going on?” Johnny repeated, tugging the blanket more tightly around his wife. “Have you lost your mind, Baldwin?”

“Let’s just arrest him and get it over with,” Scott ordered.

“For the last time,” Mac began, beleaguered, “you don’t give me orders. We’re not here to arrest him.”

“Arrest me for what?” Johnny demanded. He climbed out of the bed and crossed to his closet, yanking a pair of slacks from a hanger and tugging them on. “Trevor, what am I paying for you when you can’t keep the cops away from me the morning after I get married?”

“I’m going to want to see a marriage certificate by the way,” Scott remarked. “I don’t believe any of this for a second.”

“John, they seem to think that before tying the knot, you put a bullet into Sonny Corinthos,” Trevor reported. “I’ve explained to them that we were home all day, arranging for the ceremony.” He looked back at the trio of officials. “Johnny sprang the engagement on us very quickly. They were about to take off to Vegas before Anthony was able to convince them we could put together a lovely wedding here.”

“What was your hurry?” Scott demanded.

Irritated now, Nadine took the sheet from beneath the comforter and wrapped it around her, climbed out of the bed and went to stand near Johnny. “Because I wouldn’t put out without the ring,” she retorted. “I’m a good girl.” She waved her hand where a very gaudy diamond now graced her ring finger. “Clearly, holding out works sometimes.”

“Ah, she’s lying,” Scott dismissed her. “She’s already proved she’ll lie to protect whomever she’s worried about at the moment.”

“And you’ve already proved that truth and justice are just words to you,” Nadine returned.

Mac rubbed his face. “This is déjà vu all over,” he sighed. He looked to Scott. “Why can’t I have Alexis again? She never comes on interrogation trips.”

“Because I said so,” Scott snarled. He looked to Harper, who had wisely stayed out of it so far. “Cuff him.”

“Do not cuff him,” Mac contradicted.

“You should sue the city for harassment, seriously,” Nadine said. “Because the special prosecutor is a crackpot.”

“What is all the yelling about?” Claudia appeared at Trevor’s shoulder, with her father rolling up behind her. “What the hell is Baldwin doing here?”

“I’m going to have to fire some people,” Anthony grumbled. “Security guards aren’t worth a damn.”

“The cops think John shot Sonny Corinthos,” Trevor informed them.

“Sonny got shot?” Claudia asked, sounding interested. “Is he dead?”

“Why, did you shoot him?” Scott demanded.

“Oh, pick a theory already,” Nadine broke in. “You can’t have it both ways. You already know where Johnny was yesterday, so you have nothing else to do here.”

“I haven’t heard Johnny say anything. Just his mouth piece,” Scott tossed back.

“That’s why I pay him,” Johnny retorted. “I was here yesterday, with my family, with Trevor and Ric, and with Nadine.”

“All day?” Scott challenged.

“I had work until about four,” Nadine volunteered, knowing that they’d find that out anyway. “I met Johnny afterwards, he proposed and we were on our way to the airport to go to Vegas when Anthony and Trevor assured us we could get married right away here.”

“How did you manage that?” Mac asked, sounding somewhat interested for the first time.

“You spread a little money around, a marriage license isn’t difficult to obtain,” Anthony murmured noncommittally.

“It was a very beautiful ceremony,” Nadine reported. “Claudia planned everything to its last detail as a surprise for us. We’ll send you a copy of the photos from the photographer.”

“Satisfied?” Claudia arched an eyebrow.

“No,” Scott growled. He glared at Mac. “I want him downtown, in an interrogation room. Without the peanut gallery.”

Mac sighed and looked at Johnny. “You gonna come willingly or are you going to force Scott’s hand?”

“We’ll come in today,” Johnny said. He looked at Nadine. “We can postpone our flight for a day, if that’s okay.”

“Flight to where?” Scott demanded.

“Oh, for God’s sake, haven’t you ever been married?” Claudia snarled, planting her hands on her hips. “They’re going on their freaking honeymoon, if that’s okay with you.”

“Johnny’s taking me to Disney World,” Nadine reported. “I’ve never been there.” Everyone stared at her, including the Zacchara family and Nadine glared at them. “What? Every girl should go to Cinderella’s castle once in her life.”

Trevor cleared his throat. “Well, gentlemen, clearly we don’t need to continue interrupting their morning. John will be at the police station within an hour or so to answer all your questions so we can put this matter to rest immediately.” He swept the three officials out of the room, Scott Baldwin still demanding for Johnny to be cuffed and hauled off.

Anthony rolled after them, intent on finding out why he had not been informed the police were on the premises, and leaving Claudia to study Nadine with a somewhat curious look. “I thought you were going to just keep quiet about everything.”

“Yeah…” Nadine sighed, dropping on the bed. “I have a problem doing that. I see Baldwin and his stupid little smirk, and I just get so annoyed that he’s in position of authority over anyone and my mouth just kind of takes over from there.” She huffed and glared at Johnny. “And now I’ve lied to the cops. Fabulous.”

“Well at least she’s somewhat original,” Claudia smirked. “No one else would come up with Disney World. Normal girls pick something like Paris or New York. No. You want a fairy tale.”

Nadine got to her feet and kicked the sheet away from her feet. “I thought,” she said through clenched teeth, “that it might lend some credibility to this farce. If they think Johnny’s willing to go to a theme park for his new wife, maybe it’s actually real.”

“She makes a good point,” Johnny said. “Why don’t you go arrange for a complete vacation or something? Just in case Baldwin checks it out. If I don’t end up arrested and in jail by the end of the day, we’ll probably have to go anyway. To keep up appearances.”

“I am not booking a vacation to Disney World,” Claudia said, disgusted. But then her face brightened. “I’ll make Trevor do it.”

She disappeared down the hall, leaving the newlyweds standing in the bedroom, half dressed. Johnny cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “So you’ve never been to Disney World.”

“Oh, be quiet,” Nadine grumbled. “I doubt you have either.” She started across the room. “I better call Elizabeth and see if she can get Epiphany to let me off my shifts for the next three days. It’s all the vacation time I’ve got to me, so let’s hope you don’t end up in jail with me right next to you.”

“What are you going to tell her?” Johnny asked, suspiciously. “You know she’s Jason’s girlfriend–”

Nadine turned back to him. “She’s his fiancé, Johnny. She’s going to marry him. So no, of course, I’m not going to tell her what actually happened. But she’s not stupid, so you know she’s going to know. And you know Jason will, too. So you’d better figure out what you’re going to do about that.”

General Hospital: ICU Waiting Room

Elizabeth turned her cell phone off and dropped it into her pocket of her scrub pants, keeping her fingers wrapped around it for a second as she debated exactly what she was going to do about the phone call she’d just received.

She pushed open the door and was relieved to find only Jason and Spinelli seated within, the latter studiously typing away at his laptop. “Hey, guys.”

“Good morning, Fair Elizabeth,” Spinelli chirped. “I hope we find you well this morning.”

Elizabeth smiled at him and lowered herself into the chair next to Jason. “I’m a little tired of the over night shifts. You’d think with three years on the staff, I’d have some seniority around here, but apparently not.”

“You don’t have to work those double shifts, you know,” Jason told her.

“We’ve had this discussion,” Elizabeth said. “We’re not repeating it.” She cleared her throat. “I…think I should tell you something but I’m not sure if it’s really something I should. I don’t want to not say anything because it’s not like it’s not going to be news, but–”

“Elizabeth, just tell me,” Jason interrupted. “Is Sonny okay?” Spinelli stopped tapping at the computer and looked up.

She sighed. “Sonny’s condition hasn’t changed. It’s about something else. You remember Nadine Crowell?”

“The Fair Nadine?” Spinelli spoke up. “Is she all right?”

“She just called me to see if I could get her shifts covered for a few days,” Elizabeth told them. “She got married yesterday. To Johnny Zacchara.”

“The Septic Son?” Spinelli echoed. “She hardly knows–Oh.” He pointed in the air. “Oh.”

“It might be a coincidence,” Jason remarked. “But…probably not.”

“Probably not,” Elizabeth sighed. “I feel like I’m betraying her, but it’s not like no one was going to find out. And honestly, I’m worried about her. She has a tendency…to throw herself into situations where she thinks she can help. And I’m not sure if throwing herself into the Zacchara family is the best idea.” She paused. “I find it unlikely that this was a whirlwind love affair. Lulu was just transferred to the hospital in California a week ago and until three weeks ago, Nadine was sort of seeing Nikolas.”

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re right. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence. It’s just not something I’d expect Anthony Zacchara to go along with. If Nadine’s an eyewitness or she heard something, it’d be more likely she’d…” He trailed off but the implication was there.

“I just want to be sure that she knows what she’s getting into,” Elizabeth sighed. “Johnny seems nice enough, but his father, his sister…”

Jason leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’ll look into it and if she needs my help, she’ll have it.” He stood and looked at Spinelli. “Stay here.”

“I shall remain here until Stone Cold relieves me of my vigil,” Spinelli promised. Jason left the room and the hacker turned to Elizabeth with a smile. “Can I again extend my congratulations at the upcoming nuptials? It is very gratifying to have Stone Cold be somewhat…happy as often as he has been these last few weeks.”

Elizabeth smiled and glanced down at the modest diamond Jason had given her. “Well, the feeling is mutual. I think we’ve finally turned the corner, Spinelli. I can’t wait to start our lives together.”

[b]General Hospital: ICU Waiting Room[b]

Elizabeth Webber stepped into the small room and all eyes were on her immediately. Mike Corbin got to his feet, Carly Jacks put a hand on Jason Morgan’s sleeve and Damien Spinelli set his laptop aside to join Jason. “Hey.” She tugged her surgical cap from her head, letting her dark hair spill over her shoulders. “Sonny’s being wheeled to recovery now.”

“Is he going to be all right?” Maxie Jones spoke up. “I need to tell Kate every detail. It’s all I can do to keep her in bed right now.”

“The bullet…it did quite a bit of damage,” Elizabeth said. “It nicked the heart, but Monica managed to repair that damage and they’ve stopped the internal bleeding. It’s going to be touch and go for the next few hours.” She glanced at Maxie. “You may want to put a more positive spin on that for Kate.”

“What did Monica say?” Carly demanded. “Is he going to be okay?”

“She’s with him now. We are monitoring him very closely, Carly,” Elizabeth assured the blonde. “But you and I know that this isn’t his first bullet wound, and Monica’s concerned about the damage that was done a few years ago when he was shot outside the police station.” She bit her lip. “Monica said she’ll be down when he’s settled in his own room with a more complete analysis. All I’m supposed to tell you is that he got through surgery but he’s not out of the woods.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Mike said. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t suppose the police have any leads,” he directed at Jason. “I haven’t seen them since I got here.”

“Harper was here earlier,” Jason responded. “But there isn’t much to go on. Nobody was at the scene and there aren’t any witnesses. Until Sonny wakes up, there isn’t much they can do.”

“He probably went straight to Anthony Zacchara,” Carly stepped away and slumped back in her chair. “God, how am I supposed to explain this to Morgan? It’s bad enough he’s lost Michael and Jax this year. He hasn’t seen Sonny in months…but…” she shook her head.

“I’m going to check in with Kate,” Maxie told Spinelli. She kissed his cheek. “Maybe I can pry that awful Olivia from her side or something. God, who does she think she is, kicking me out of her room?” She rolled her eyes and left the room, Elizabeth stepping to one side to clear the way.

“When can we see him?” Mike asked.

“Monica will let you know. Not until he’s out of recovery.” Elizabeth stepped up to Jason, so relieved that they were out in the open and that she could place her hand on his arm. “I have to go back to work, but promise me you’ll eat something.”

“I will.” Jason put his hand over hers and squeezed.

“Spinelli,” she told him. “I’m counting on you to make sure he does.” She glanced at Carly who was just staring at the floor. “And make sure Carly does, too. I’ve seen them do this vigil before.”

“Your wish is my command, Fair Elizabeth,” Spinelli responded. “I shall look after Stone Cold and the Valkyrie most fervently.”

Jason sighed and shook his head. “I wish you wouldn’t encourage him,” he told Elizabeth exasperatedly. “The last time he tried to help me or Carly, he signed us up for online dating.”

“My motives were most pure, Maternal One,” Spinelli pledged hastily. “It was merely an attempt to force Stone Cold’s hand and make him admit that you were the one his heart yearned for–”

“Spinelli.”

“I’m shutting up,” Spinelli said immediately.

“I’ll be back when my shift is finished.” Elizabeth stretched up and brushed her lips over his. “It’s going to be okay.”

She disappeared out into the hallway and Jason lowered himself into the chair next to Carly. “Do you want me to call Mercedes to let her know you’ll be late?”

“No.” Carly blinked and sat up. “No. There’s no point in me staying here. I just…you know, this is what I do. Sonny gets shot, I come running.” She pursed her lips. “No wonder Jax can’t be bothered.”

“I’ll have someone drive you home.” He glanced at Spinelli, who, for once, seemed to get the message without needing specific instructions. He disappeared out of the room to call Cody and set up a driver.

“You’ll call me if there’s any change, right?” Carly asked. She squeezed his hand. “I just want all this violence to be over. I want to get on with our lives. I want you to have a life. It’s great that you and Elizabeth are out in the open, but damn it, Jason, why can’t this be over?”

Jason rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out what happened. I promise.”

[b]Crimson Manor: Guest Bedroom[/b]

Claudia tossed a garment bag on the bed. “Put that on.”

Nadine frowned and looked at it oddly. “Why?” she asked. “I thought your father was just going to arrange for a justice of the peace–”

“Because Baldwin isn’t stupid,” Claudia responded. “And this isn’t the first marriage for the sake of spousal privilege. Johnny says that he thinks Sonny Corinthos saw you on the steps. If Sonny did and he wakes up, he’ll shout to anyone who can listen that my brother tried to kill him and that you were there.”

“I don’t understand–I thought the point of all of this was so that I couldn’t be forced to testify,” Nadine shook her head. “Why does it matter if people know–”

“Baldwin can challenge the privilege and I imagine the judge would grant it. No, we have to make this look like a whirlwind courtship and great wedding.” Claudia jabbed a finger at the garment bag. “So you’re going to put that on, I’m going to do your hair and makeup because clearly [i]you[/i] can’t be trusted, and we’re going downstairs so you can get married. You’d better make this look convincing.”

“I don’t feel comfortable–”

“Listen to me,” Claudia cut in, lowering her voice to that menacing tone that Nadine was becoming very familiar with. “Maybe you don’t understand what’s at stake here. I nearly lost my brother this summer for a murder he did not commit. You saw me get on that stand and lie my ass off to save him. Do you think I’m going to let [i]you[/i] take his freedom away again?”

“I just don’t think you’re going to be able to convince anyone that this is a real marriage. You can dress me up, put your brother in a tux, and take a picture, but people are going to know that Johnny literally said goodbye to Lulu like a week ago and I was kind of seeing Nikolas for a while.”

“So you make people think this was a rebound relationship. I don’t give a shit,” Claudia snarled. “But you’d better sell this because just marrying Johnny isn’t going to keep him out of jail.”

Nadine narrowed her eyes and surprised Claudia by stepping forward and jabbing a finger at her. “I’m not interested in keeping Johnny out of jail. That’s [i]not[/i] why I’m doing this.”

Claudia blinked, not used to being treated like this by anyone, much less a diminutive blonde. “If you’re sticking that finger in my face, it’s not out of self-preservation either.”

“I’m sick of the perpetual violence,” Nadine countered. “I’m tired of bullet wounds being rolled in the ER and the fires and the explosions and the lives lost. Johnny had a right to walk on those docks without being threatened by Sonny, but you know what? Sonny had a right to get married without watching his fiancée get shot in front of him.”

“Johnny had nothing to do with Kate, and Sonny never had a shred of evidence saying otherwise,” Claudia retorted.

“But he hasn’t exactly been saying that, now has he?” Nadine planted her hands on her hips. “I told Johnny that if I ever find out he had anything to do with Kate’s shooting, I won’t bother with the cops. I’ll go straight to Jason Morgan. In the meantime, he’s going to find out who shot her. That’s my condition for doing this.”

“My, my, we are a brave one,” Claudia murmured. “Why do you care what happened to Kate Howard? Are you long-lost sisters?”

“I’m one of those pesky people who like to do what’s right. I imagine you don’t run into that very often in your line of work.” Nadine unzipped the garment bag to find a strapless white gown dangling from a hanger. “Do you like have a boutique attached to the house or something?”

“We have people,” Claudia responded. “They’re clearing out your apartment now. Your things will be here by tomorrow morning.”

Nadine opened her mouth to protest except that, clearly, it wouldn’t do her much good. “Fine. Whatever.” She picked the bag up and started for the bedroom. “Let’s get the show on the road.”

[b]General Hospital: Maternity Ward[/b]

Elizabeth grinned when she found her favorite doctor glued to the nursery window as usual. Whenever Patrick Drake disappeared while on shift, one always knew where to find him. The labor had been extremely difficult and she knew he was still shaken up from nearly losing both fiancée and daughter.

“Hey,” Elizabeth said, stepping up. “How is Alyssa doing this afternoon?”

Patrick glanced at her before looking right back at his daughter. “Getting stronger,” he replied. “Kelly says we might be able to bring her home in another week.”

“Fabulous. I just checked in with Robin. I’m surprised you haven’t had to strap her to the bed to keep her resting.”

“Her mom threatened that already.” Patrick cleared his throat. “How did Sonny’s surgery go?”

“Textbook. He’s in recovery.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “I’m thinking he should just wear a bullet proof vest at all times.”

“Might be a good decision in his case.” He hesitated. “I gave orders to security that the Zacchara family isn’t allowed on whatever floor Sonny’s assigned to. Just being cautious.”

“Probably for the best. Even if they didn’t have anything to do with it, Claudia Zacchara just likes to stir up trouble. She’s told me at least three times she’s sleeping with Jason.” Elizabeth smirked. “I’m sure she thinks that’s funny.”

“I’m not going to tell you what to do with your life,” Patrick said slowly, “I know that you didn’t go into this lightly without looking at all the angles. I know that Jason has already put about eight different guards at the hospital for you, including two I’m not supposed to know about.”

“But?” Elizabeth prompted.

“But I don’t want you to be the next bullet wound that gets wheeled in,” Patrick finished. “You’re too important to me, and to Robin. I know she feels the same.” He tapped the nursery window. “We were talking about it earlier and we wanted to know if you’d be Alyssa’s godmother.”

“Really?” she replied, pleased. “What about Anna or Maxie–”

“You’re a little more…stable than Maxie,” Patrick replied dryly. “And you’re here on a permanent basis. Besides, Anna’s still adjusting to Grandma. I’m not sure we want to saddle her with anything else.”

“I’d be honored.” Elizabeth squeezed his arm. “Who’s going to be the godfather?”

“We were going to ask Mac, but Robin didn’t it was fair to ask him to look after another girl. He’s got enough gray hair from Maxie, Georgie and Robin. And my father is out.” He pressed his lips together in a thin line. “Robin suggested Matt but he’d probably just throw it back in our faces.”

“She’s very grateful to him,” Elizabeth said. “If not for him, she might have bled to death in the parking lot. Matt’s a good guy. He’s just a little rough around the edges.” She slid him a wry glance under her lashes. “Sounds like someone else I remember.” She grinned. “Someone I had to crack over the head with a clipboard when being married wasn’t reason enough to stop flirting.”

Patrick rubbed his head absently, remembering that. “Yeah, well, Drakes have a hard head. I’ll ask him, but only because I don’t want him saying no to Robin.”

Elizabeth snorted. “Like Robin would let him get away with saying that.” She patted his arm again. “I’m going to finish my rounds and sign out for the night. If you need me, I’ll be up in ICU with Jason. At least for a little while.”

[b]Crimson Manor: Study[/b]

“Your sister has lost her mind,” Nadine whispered to Johnny as she stepped next to him. She frowned when she saw an actual priest standing there. Christ, the Zaccharas were connected.

“I’m not entirely sure she ever had it,” Johnny murmured. He glanced at her. “You look nice.”

“I think she stuck some of these pins in my brain,” she replied, grimacing. She blinked when a flash went off in her eyes. “For the love of–” she stopped abruptly when the priest narrowed his eyes at her. “For the love of cheese,” Nadine finished with a bright smile. She turned to glare at Claudia, who had changed into a cocktail dress for the occasion.

“Smile,” Claudia hissed. “We want pictures to prove that this was a beautiful ceremony.”

“Yeah, so beautiful I’m going to be blind,” Nadine grumbled. She struggled not to blink as a photographer–really, a [i]photographer[/i]?–snapped another photo.

“Just be glad she’s not insisting on a photo of consummation,” Johnny sighed.

“Ha, you clearly have faith in her that I lack,” she replied, shooting Claudia a suspicious look. “It would not surprise me if she’s already thought of that.”

Johnny frowned and looked at his sister. “I’m scared to say it, but you might have a point. I’ll talk her out of it.”

The priest cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here…”