Breaking Ties: An Ensemble Story (Read 240,824 times)

[heroicmuse]

Week 486 - 2

Harris checked his phone, anxiously, while the girls were washing up for dinner. “Nothing yet,” he said to himself. “Please tell me they’re gonna catch these idiots without dragging Jade into it.”

He put the phone away as the girls came to the table. “Go ahead and have a seat,” he said. “I hope you’re hungry cause we’ve got more food than we know what to do with.”

“This is amazing,” Jade said, “especially after all the time we spent behind bars.” She glanced at Ruby. “I don’t know how it was at juvie, but at Salem City Jail you got this tiny little tray that was smaller than what we got in grade school, and everything tasted like it came out of a box.”

“I’d rather not talk about the cafeteria in juvie,” Ruby said flatly. “Or anything having to do with jail. I wish I’d never listened to Olive in the first place.”

Harris patted her hand. “That’s all behind us now. And don’t you worry about the Fire Lions. They’re not gonna hurt you anymore and that’s a promise.” He reached for both girls’ hands. “I’m not usually a praying type of guy, but tonight, I think we should say Grace. See, we are all so very fortunate to be free and safe and together, and I don’t want to ever take any of our blessings for granted.”

“Lame,” Ruby said under her breath.

Harris raised his eyebrows. “I know I’m not hearing anyone mumbling something rude.” Ruby bowed her head, ashamed, and Harris said, “Come on. Let’s thank God for everything we’ve got and then fill our stomachs.”

Ruby hesitated, then took his hand. Jade took his other hand and reached across the table for Ruby’s hand.

“Just one thing,” Harris said. “Anyone know any prayers?” He grinned.

Jade said, “I prayed a lot for God to protect Ruby while I was in jail and for us to be taken away from our horrible excuse for a father so I guess I could swing a prayer now.” She squeezed her sister’s hand and said, “Thank you God for getting Ruby out of juvenile hall in one piece and giving us a second chance. Thank you for bringing us to Uncle Harris and for keeping us safe. Thank you for giving us proper food instead of that crap they serve in jail. Please make sure that the Fire Lions can’t hurt us anymore and that they leave Ruby alone from now on.”

“Amen to that,” Harris said. They all clinked glasses.

Harris took the covers off the plates. The girls sat stiffly at attention, waiting for permission to take food.

Hal reached across the table and slapped five-year-old Ruby’s wrist as she reached for the mashed potatoes. “You’re gonna learn some manners, little girl,” he growled. “You eat only when I give you food.” He took a swig of his beer as Ruby began to cry. “Stop that crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.”

Ruby clasped her hands in front of her on the table now, waiting patiently.

“I’m guessing you girls didn’t have much of a family experience at dinner with your dad, huh?” Harris said. “Here’s how it works. “You take as much as you want of the food that’s in front of you, long as you leave some for everyone else, and then pass it to the next person. Let’s get food on plates as soon as we can so we can get to the important part, which is talking about our day while we eat.”

“Oh.” Ruby hesitantly took a spoonful of rice, her heart pounding for no reason. She glanced at Harris nervously as she put it back.

“You sure that’s all you want?” Harris said. “Cause I tell ya, I could take that whole pot of rice if other people leave it over.”

“I-I’m too nervous to eat,” Ruby stammered.

Jade patted her hand. “Rubes. Don’t let the Fire Lions get to you like that. Take a normal sized dinner.”

Ruby bit her lip, hearing her father’s voice in her head warning her that selfish, spoiled brats got spankings. “It’s not that. It’s… Daddy… he, um…” She blinked back tears and whispered, “If I take too much I’ll get the belt.”

“Not anymore,” Harris said gently. “Didn’t you hear me tell you to take as much as you want? Go for it, Ruby. It’s safe to take enough to fill your belly. I promise.”

Ruby nodded. She breathed in sharply as she took more rice and forced her breath out, telling herself to stop being such a baby. There was no reason for her face to be hot and sweaty and her stomach to do flip-flops just because she was taking a full serving of rice. “C-can, um I mean, may I have some meat?”

“I’ll trade ya,” Harris said, picking up the meat dish.

Ruby managed a small smile as she handed him the potatoes and took the platter of meat. But her heart was pounding so hard she thought she might be having a heart attack.

Harris thought to himself, This can’t go on like this. Soon as we have this Fire Lions issue settled I gotta do something to get Ruby comfortable with living here.


Joy had come to the end of her presentation. “Any questions?”

Dani’s eyes widened.

Dani raised her hand and Joy pointed to her. She stood and said, “Are you single? I’d love to have a cop of my own to protect me.”

She blinked hard. This was not the time to be thinking ridiculous things like that. She raised her hand for real and when Joy called on her, she said, “Um, t-the, um, security measures you outlined on campus are fine if we stay here. B-but I have to go downtown sometimes, how do I know that’s safe?” She went bright red, sure she sounded like an idiot, while she waited for Joy’s answer.

[Kpatch]

I'm relieved Dani didn't say that out loud.

[André DiMera]

The prayer Jade said was great! It’s sad that Hal made it to Ruby’s afraid to eat much.

Glad Dani asked a different question. Wonder what Joy will say.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 486 - 3
JJ pulled the door open. “Everything all right, Uncle Steve? Something didn’t happen to Aunt Kayla, did it?”

“No, she’s fine,” Steve said. He crossed his arms. “My Little Sweetness is worried about you, though. Heard you were palling around with Jeremy Horton.”

JJ’s eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “You mean my cousin Jeremy?” he said. “The one who’s doing everything in his power to turn his life around but certain people won’t let him forget it? I know what that’s like, Uncle Steve, and I’m not gonna turn my back on him just cause Stephanie thinks I should.”

“Course not,” Steve said. “But you oughta have your eyes wide open if you’re gonna throw your weight behind him and his so-called reformation. Everyone’s not like you, Happy Junior. Some people don’t deserve a second chance.” He sighed deeply. “Look, before you slam the door in my face, can I come in and give you the way I see it? Can you at least give your old uncle a couple minutes of your time?”

“Fine,” JJ said, his jaw clenched tight, “but no yelling. Mariposa’s asleep and we want her to stay that way.”

Steve held his hands out. “Not a problem. Yelling never solved anything anyway.” He came in and closed the door behind him. “Now,” he said, “I told Stephanie I’d talk to you and make sure your head’s on straight. That doesn’t mean I’m gonna tell you what to do. But I am gonna give you the facts as I see them.”

Paige put her hand on JJ’s shoulder. “I’m sure JJ’ll listen with an open mind. That’s what reporters do.”

Steve said, “Now, what I’m about to tell you, you’re probably not gonna like. And to be fair, I wasn’t there. The only two people who know exactly what went down are Stephanie and Jeremy. But my baby girl, she hasn’t been the same since she crossed paths with him. There were a lot of years when she wouldn’t even set foot in Salem. And that’s on him. Did she tell you what he did to her?”

“She said he snapped and shoved her under the water or something,” JJ said, “and then she started yelling cause I didn’t tell him to go to hell.”

“Yeah,” Steve said. “Look, it was a lot of years ago and maybe the guy’s changed. I don’t know. But what I do know is that the way Stephanie tells it, she’s lucky to be alive. Jeremy Horton put his hands on her neck and pushed her head under the water, and he held her there long enough she almost passed out. That’s not something you get over easily.”

Paige swallowed hard as she and JJ exchanged glances. “Like when Jeff put his knife to my throat,” she said flatly. “I still feel it sometimes. It’s a lot better than it was, but…”

JJ reached behind him and took her hand. “I get that,” he said. “I’m not saying I”m thrilled Jeremy did it. But I also know how many people thought I didn’t deserve a second chance cause of what I did to the bookstore window. If Paige had listened to them, we wouldn’t have Mari cause there’d be no us.”

Steve nodded slightly. “You got a point there,” he said. “The things I did before I met Kayla… let’s just say I was no saint and I’m just glad I didn’t come to Salem til after John Black did cause if I had I might have ordered him to do something while he was brainwashed he’d regret for the rest of his life.” He sighed. “And your dad was no saint either, not to bring up panful memories again, so I can see why you’d want to forgive Jeremy.”

“Thanks.” JJ squeezed Paige’s hand. “Even though I have a feeling there’s some sort of ‘but’ coming.”

“Just be careful, that’s all. Not everyone uses their second chance the right way. Some people waste it, pretending to have made a turnaround while they’re still doing the same old things. Stephanie’s got a restraining order out on Jeremy for a reason, all right, so I just want you to keep your eyes open and if he’s not what he claims to be, don’t pretend you don’t see it.”

“He’s not gonna…” JJ said.

“Hope not.” Steve stood. “I said what I came to say and ball’s in your court. I just don’t want you to get hurt, or the Missus either. So promise me if you see red flags you won’t ignore them.”

“I won’t,” JJ said, “but there won’t be any.”

Steve nodded. “I’m not sayin’ anything your dad wouldn’t if he wasn’t here. You probably wanna scratch my good eye out right now, but I’m only tellin’ you this cause I love you.” He put his hands on JJ’s shoulders. “You take care of yourself, you understand?”

JJ put aside his annoyance and gave Steve a hug.

After Steve left, JJ let his breath out slowly. “That didn’t change your opinion of Jeremy, did it?” he said to Paige.

Paige shook her head slightly. “He’s your cousin. And I can tell he’s trying to change.”

“Yeah,” JJ said.
Harlow said from behind them, “So it’s true what he did to her?” JJ and Paige turned and saw that she was standing there, her arms crossed and her eyes wide.


Allie and Ciara were both sleeping over at Claire’s.

“Thanks for letting me join you,” Ciara said as she unrolled her sleeping bag, “even if my brother only let you invite me because he thinks he can keep an eye on me.”

“On both of us, probably,” Allie said. “Ever since I got in trouble for tackling that stupid Ruby, everyone’s been treating me like a criminal.” She sighed. “It’s not fair that Vicki couldn’t be invited just because my mom got it in her head that she’s the bad influence that made me do that. She has it all wrong as usual and I don’t get why anyone’s giving in to her.”

Claire shrugged. “Sometimes it’s easier, I guess,” she said. “We’ll make it up to Vicki later. Anyway, did Ruby say why she did something so stupid?”

“She’s a bad person, that’s why,” Ciara said. Claire raised her eyebrows and Ciara said, “What? You don’t expect me to give the benefit of the doubt to the bitch who held me up at gunpoint, do you? She tied me up and left me at the bus stop in a snowstorm, remember? I could have died.”

“But you didn’t,” Claire said, “and it’s not like you’ve never done anything horrible yourself.”

“Nothing that horrible,” Ciara said. “I’ve never tried to kill anyone.”

“I never did either, at least not on purpose,” Allie said, “but I’m really lucky I wasn’t locked up in juvenile hall back in L.A.” Claire and Ciara both raised their eyebrows and she said, “Oh. I forgot you don’t know. Mom made me keep it a secret but I guess I can tell you. It happened at camp when Johnny and I were like, nine years old. Johnny switched this girl’s smoothie with mine and she was allergic and almost died. And, um, I saw him do it and I didn’t say anything.” She looked at Ciara. “I’m trusting you not to use that to blackmail me. So don’t disappoint me.”

“I don’t do things like that anymore,” Ciara said. “At least, not to people who don’t deserve them. Speaking of, what are we going to do to teach Ruby a lesson?”

“How about nothing?” Claire said. “She did something stupid, you both got punished at school, now forget about it.”

“I can’t forget about it when I have to tutor her for the next two weeks and I can’t stand the sight of her,” Allie said. “And like Ciara said, she’s violent. She robbed Ciara at gunpoint and her stupid Fire Lion friends tried to kidnap me and Vicki just so they wouldn’t get arrested. I used to feel bad that I shot someone, but now that I know it’s her, I don’t anymore.”

“You’re already more than even then,” Claire said, “so don’t.”
Belle called up the stairs, “Claire! Come get these bowls of candy and bring them upstairs.”

“Be right back,” Claire said. “No plotting stupid ideas while I’m gone.”

She hurried away.

Ciara said, “Our ideas aren’t going to be stupid, so there’s that.”

“Nope,” Allie said. “Look at these messages I keep getting from some weirdo. Do you think they’re from someone who can actually help us?” She showed Ciara the messages on her phone.

[Kpatch]

Paige would never forgive Jeff, so why should JJ expect Stephanie to ever forgive Jeremy. In a way what Jeremy did was worse because she was dating him and trusted him.

Steve should know all about second chances. He's been given many. I'm surprised he would lecture JJ about not giving someone a second chance.

[André DiMera]

Glad Steve was honest yet didn’t try to convince J.J.to turn his back on Jeremy. Wonder what Harlow will say.

No, Allie, they’re not from someone who can help you. I hope Claire can talk her and Ciara out of doing something stupid.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 486 - 4
Joy’s eyes widened and she was sweating slightly. Dani let the thought flash through her head for a second that maybe Joy was nervous cause she liked her too, but then she made herself cut that out. Joy was just nervous about answering the question properly and she knew it.

“Um,” Joy said, “We haven’t gotten any specific threats against any part of the city, including downtown, just like we haven’t gotten any specific threats against this campus. This is all precautionary measures, that’s all.” She let her breath out slowly while Dani inhaled so sharply it hurt the back of her throat and she had to force herself to concentrate on what Joy was saying instead of worrying about whether Joy thought she was stupid. “So I’d say,” Joy went on, her voice rising with confidence and making Dani shiver with desire, “that the best way to protect yourself is what I said earlier. Pay attention to your surroundings and if something feels weird or wrong, don’t doubt your gut instinct. Just get out of there. And don’t try to be a hero, either. If anyone sees someone breaking into a room or doing anything else illegal, get out of there and call 911. Let us be the ones to risk our lives if need be, not you.”

Alison asked, “If there are no specific threats, why are we taking all these precautionary measures?” She crossed her arms.

Dani bit her lip, feeling sorry for Joy, whose eyes narrowed. Joy said, “You can never be too careful where the Fire Lions are concerned. While we don’t have any specific reason to worry, we know the Fire Lions will strike one way or another. They’re desperate to keep Natalie Simmons from being convicted, and if they can’t scare the witnesses against her out of testifying, they’re going to try to hold the city hostage somehow. We’re trying to prevent that from happening.”

Alison asked, “Who are these witnesses? Are they students here?”

“Alison!” Emily hissed, elbowing her. “This isn’t a press conference.”

Before Alison could answer, Joy said, “I’m not at liberty to tell you that. I’m sorry. Like I said, the chances are nothing is going to happen. But we want to do everything we can to make sure of it.”

Samira got up and said, “Let’s all thank Officer Wesley for her time.” Dani couldn’t help smiling to herself at the way Joy looked away, embarrassed, when everyone clapped for her. Samira said, “To recap for those whose minds might have wandered, make sure to have your student ID on you at all times. Campus Police will be randomly stopping people on campus and checking IDs to make sure they belong here and will be checking IDs when you enter campus buildings. You can still have visitors, but they must get a temporary ID at the Visitor’s Center and you must accompany them to any building they wish to enter. Campus Police also reserves the right to stop and question visitors and residents if they believe anything suspicious is going on. Any more questions?”

Dani had one but she didn’t want to ask it in front of Joy. She hoped and prayed that it wasn’t a violation of her probation if she was randomly stopped and searched because of the new security rules.


Horowitz had come to see Shawn.

“Did you find anything?” he said under his breath, glancing toward the stairs to make sure the girls hadn’t heard. He didn’t want Allie to learn that Claire had snitched about the messages she was getting, which would only cause trouble.

“Not yet,” Horowitz said, her voice equally quiet. “I searched the park area but nothing had been placed yet and all I found was an idiot jogger who thought he needed to protect me from the danger in that area.” She rolled her eyes. “Allie is upstairs?”

“Ciara too,” Shawn said. He crossed his arms. “My sister’s put her bad behavior behind her. I hope, anyway. And I’d like to think she’s not vulnerable to being recruited by the very gang that held her at gunpoint. But she can be a bit… wild. So I figured it’s best to keep an eye on her tonight too.”

Horowitz nodded. “Good thinking. So who exactly is here?”

“Besides me and my wife, you mean? My daughter is here with Allie and Ciara. We made up a story about Allie’s mom not wanting her to hang out with Vicki Hansen so that Vicki wouldn’t be here getting in the way.”

“Probably a good call, though if I’m gonna warn the girls about gang recruitment, I’d rather do it all at once,” Horowitz said. She sighed. “Should I go upstairs or do you want to bring them down?”

“No need,” Claire said, coming into the room holding a bowl of candy. “I was going to bring these up, but now I’ve heard the whole thing and I know my dad called you to put the fear of God in us. So I might as well get Allie and Ciara now so we can get this over with.”

“Hang on,” Horowitz said. She touched Claire’s wrist. “You were a good enough friend to tell your dad about the messages Allie was getting,” she whispered. “Now I need you to do one more thing for me. I know you don’t want to keep snitching on your friends, but I need to know if either Allie or Ciara has said anything that indicates they’re thinking about doing something stupid.”

[Kpatch]

I think this is too much for Joy and maybe she wasn't the right person to hold a press conference.

[André DiMera]

Joy did well, despite all of the tough questions. Hopefully Dani will find an answer to her question.

Glad Shawn called Horowitz. Wonder what Claire will say.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 486 - 5
Roman was wiping the bar down at the Pub when Abe came in. “Abraham, my old friend!” he said, grinning.

“Max and Chelsea have you on bar duty, huh?” Abe said after they shook hands.

“Nah. I volunteered so they could spend the evening with their little girl. She’s growin’ up fast, you know, next year she’s gonna be in first grade, can you believe it?”

“Seems like just yesterday Theo was that small,” Abe said. “In another year he’ll be graduating high school.”

“Yeah,” Roman said as Abe sat down. “You on the job or can I get you a beer?”

“I wish,” Abe said, sighing. “I’ll have to make due with a Coke cause right now we’re dealing with a red ball.”

Roman frowned, but he said, “You got it.” As he poured the soda using a sprayer attached to a machine behind the bar, he said, “I know I’m not police anymore but I’m a damn good listener and I know how to keep my mouth shut, so if you wanna tell me about it, go ahead.”

“I appreciate that,” Abe said. “I can’t say too much, not in a public place like this where anyone could overhear.” He stirred his ice with his spoon, staring into the cup. “I sure do miss the days when we were partners, though. I could use someone like you on my team right about now.”

“Yeah, me too,” Roman said. “I don’t know that I’d pass the physical anymore. I’ve slowed down some these last few years. But if there’s some way I can help, say the word. I like to keep my mind active and one way I can do that is by giving it a good old fashioned investigation to crack.”

Abe nodded again as he took a sip. “You ever had any dealings with the Fire Lions when you were on the force?”

“That’s that gang that robbed my niece, isn’t it?” Roman said. “And terrorized my granddaughter Allie too, tried to drag her off at gunpoint but she’s got her grandpa’s genes and managed to get the gun away and shoot at the perps.” He shook his head slightly. “Good thing Harris Michaels isn’t reacting to her shooting his niece the way Orpheus did to me shooting his wife, that’s all I gotta say.”

“That’s one trip down memory lane I’d rather not take,” Abe agreed. “Anyway, the Fire Lions are causing trouble again and one line of defense is protecting Allie.” He lowered his voice. “Shawn and Belle convinced Sami to let Allie sleep over at Claire’s tonight, but she doesn’t know the real reason.”

“Uh oh,” Roman said. “I’m guessing it’s something that would make Sami’s head explode, though truth be told it doesn’t take much for that to happen.”

“Yeah,” Abe said. He opened his phone and whispered, “Shawn sent me this earlier.”

Roman took his reading glasses out of his pocket so he could check out the text. “You think this is the Fire Lions trying to get revenge on my granddaughter?” he said under his breath.

Abe nodded. “There’s bad blood between her and Ruby Michaels. Ruby’s the one who held up Ciara, but she’s trying to turn her life around now that she’s out of juvie, but Allie got in trouble for getting into a fight with her at school. And the Fire Lions want revenge on them both. Ruby failed to kill an undercover we put in juvie with her and Allie got the better of them when they tried to take her hostage. So I’m thinking they’re gonna try to play them against each other somehow. They both got messages encouraging them to sneak out of their homes late tonight to go to the park, where God only knows what’s waiting for them.”

“So you sent Allie to Claire’s so Shawn can keep an eye on her?”

“That and get it into her head to let go of this vendetta against Ruby,” Abe said. “I have an officer there who’s ready to have a chat with her.”

Roman nodded. “What about the Michaels girl?”

Abe took another sip. Speaking very quietly, he said, “Harris Michaels called me after he got out of the girls that Ruby was being threatened. Nothing specific but they have her scared they’ll hurt her if she doesn’t do what they say. Harris and I convinced her and her sister to stay put for now and hopefully it stays that way.”

“Damn,” Roman said. “So we gotta somehow get whoever’s behind this plan in the park without Sami getting wind of the Fire Lions messing with Allie or Ruby deciding to give in to their demands cause she thinks she can’t trust us to keep her safe.” He whistled under his breath. “Sounds to me like you could use an extra set of eyes on this, so tell you what. If we can get out of here without anyone realizing what I’m up to, you can brief me at the police station and that way I can keep my eyes and ears open while I’m workin’ the bar and see what I can find out.”


At the law office, Jeremy shook hands with Justin. “I’m sorry to bother you this late.”

“No bother, though I do need to go uptown to talk to another client soon,” Justin said. “But first, what can I do for you?”

“It’s like this.” Jeremy threw himself into a seat. “Back in Africa, I did some stupid things, and the last I heard there was a warrant for my arrest. I was hoping there was some way to clear it up without turning myself in on the other side of the world cause before I can be hired at the electrician’s company I want to apprentice with, I have to be able to show proof that my criminal behavior was all in the past. Is there anything you can do to help me?”

[André DiMera]

I always loved Abe and Roman’s friendship! Wonder if Abe will agree to Roman coming along.

I’m not sure that there’s much Justin can do about a warrant in another country, but we’ll see.

Can e please have previews, heroicmuse?

[Kpatch]

I think Roman misses working on the force.

Hopefully Justin can help Jeremy but he doesn't work for free.

[krw627]

Apr 5, 2024 7:24:49 GMT -5 André DiMera said:

I always loved Abe and Roman’s friendship! Wonder if Abe will agree to Roman coming along.

I’m not sure that there’s much Justin can do about a warrant in another country, but we’ll see.

Can e please have previews, heroicmuse?

It's Salem, they can take care of legal matters on Mars. Africa's no big deal.

It's nice to see friendships in the stories as they're mainly forgotten on the show.

[heroicmuse]

Thank you André DiMera, Kpatch, and krw627 for your comments this week!

Big week coming up with lots of movement forward in the cops' efforts to protect Salemites from the Fire Lions! Read on for spoilers.

Coming Up on Breaking Ties...

Worry spreads through Salem about the Fire Lions. Rafe tells Gabi that he's concerned the gang could try to recruit Ari. She doubts it, but when Will arrives, Rafe convinces him to have a serious talk with the pre-teen about it. Meanwhile, Ari says something to Gabi that makes Gabi worry that Rafe is right about how vulnerable she is.

Dani leans on Sarah when the stress and fear of the Fire Lions' presence tempts her to drink.

At Shawn's, Ciara tries to talk some sense into Allie while Horowitz questions Claire about whether there's any reason to be concerned. And there is a reason, but not what everyone thinks, as Nat reveals her plan to her contact (and we finally find out who it is.)

Elsewhere in Salem, Jeremy is surprised and touched by Chanel's offer of support and JJ reassures Harlow that his cousin is no longer dangerous.

[André DiMera]

Wonder what Ari says. I hope the Fire Lions don’t try to recruit her.

Glad Dani talks to Sarah.

Curious who Nat’s contact is. Hope Ciara can talk sense into Allie.

Love how supportive of each other Chanel and Jeremy are!

Thanks for the previews, heroicmuse!