Breaking Ties: An Ensemble Story (Read 240,723 times)

[heroicmuse]

Week 229 - 4

“What do you want me to do?” JJ kept his voice neutral, not wanting this woman to know he was trying to figure out her plan so he could neutralize her.

“Smart boy,” the woman said. She leaned forward. “Get your pen and paper out because this is the statement you’re going to share with Nicole Walker.” JJ reached for his tablet but she said, “Uh uh, no technology. You’re not getting one over on me.”

“Fine,” JJ said, aggravated. He grabbed a napkin and took a pen out of his top pocket to write with.

“That’s better,” the woman said, “Now, my statement is that Judge Thorpe is a good man who has never had a complaint against him and that I am sure he was just as fair with Hannah Martin as he was with any other defendant. In addition, Ms. Martin acted inappropriately in court, causing the judge to have no choice but to impose the maximum sentence on her.” She watched JJ write something on the napkin.

“Why?” JJ said. “What was she doing?”

The woman looked him in the eye. “I said, she was acting inappropriately. That’s all you need to know. Now are you going to take my word for it or are you going to put your nose where it doesn’t belong and cause this defendant extra trouble?”

JJ held his hands out. “Nicole’s gonna wanna know why I didn’t ask follow up questions.”

“And you’re going to tell her that you checked the court transcript and it confirms my account. You’re also going to tell her that the Judge Thorpe angle was a dead end and that you no longer have any interest in pursuing it.” JJ’s eyes narrowed and the woman said, “Of course, if you want to risk Hannah Martin’s freedom - “

JJ stared at her. “How do you sleep at night, knowing you’re helping screw up innocent people’s lives, just so you can keep your job? Judge Thorpe obviously did something or else you wouldn’t - “

“Think what you want. Just drop this story or Hannah Martin will pay the price.”

JJ's eyes flashed. “Tell me one thing, off the record. Why’s this so important to you?”

The woman hesitated. “Judge Thorpe is a good man,” she said again. “I can’t let him go down just because you hate him.”

“I don’t,” JJ said. “All I want is the truth, all right, and if he’s as good a guy as you say - “

“The truth is only what people think it is,” the woman said, “and I’m not letting you hurt him. Do what you’re told, Mr. Deveraux. And don’t play games where you sit on this story til after Hannah Martin’s release, either. Remember: she’s not really a free woman, not if she’s on probation, and you wouldn’t want the judge to go hard on her if she screws up again.” The woman stood. “I am sorry Judge Thorpe sent your girlfriend to jail. That was a mistake. But you wouldn’t want another judge to make another one if she’s ever accused of not complying with her court mandate. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

JJ nodded slightly.

“Good,” the woman said. She pulled her hoodie over her head and tightened it. “I’ll be watching Nicole Walker’s show every night from now on. Good luck.” She walked away, leaving JJ to sit there, anger and fear fighting for control of his face.


Agent Maxwell had set up a camera to record her interrogation session with Wolfe. “State your name, rank, and badge number for the record please.”

“James Wolfe, patrol officer 32nd precinct, badge number 253.” Wolfe’s voice was flat.

“Thank you. Now, this interview is part of an internal investigation into the events surrounding the arrest of Hannah Martin on September 12, 2018. Officer Wolfe, I need to advise you for the record that you have the right to have a union representative present during this interview. Do you wish to avail yourself of that right?”

Wolfe crossed his arms. “I’d rather get this over with.”

“Very well. Tell me in your own words what the events were that led to Ms. Martin’s arrest.”

“Like I told Commander Carver, we got a call from the store manager over at the S-Mart on Walnut about two girls causing a disturbance.”

“We being?”

“Me and my partner. Paul Stone.”

“And what information did you get from dispatch?”

“10-13 at the S-Mart on Walnut Street, two female African American suspects about 18 years of age, one wearing a blue kerchief over her head.” Wolfe fidgeted with his hands, nervously. “They added they thought the girls were crossovers.”

“Crossovers?”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s how the department refers to kids who come into Salem proper from East Salem looking for trouble. Could be shoplifters, could be armed robbers. Never know what you might get when you’re dealing with them so we need a code to tell each other to be on the alert.”

“I see,” Agent Maxwell said. “Is Commissioner Brady aware that you use this code?”

“I don’t know, ma’am. It’s never come up.”

“Are you sure about that? You never told him during the course of discussing this arrest or any other that a suspect was a ‘crossover’?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. Why?”

“Because it’s a term with negative connotations that has not been officially sanctioned by this department, unless, of course, Commissioner Brady condones its use. Now - “

“Wait a sec,” Wolfe said. “You’re not looking into whether I did my job correct. You’re hoping to get me to put the Commish on the hook for this, aren’t you?”


Allie sat slumped over in her seat, watching as Sydney ate a piece of cake.

“You know why Sydney gets cake and you don’t?” Sami said to her. “Because she ate her lunch and you just picked at yours.”

“I don’t care about cake,” Allie said. “I’d probably choke on it anyway.”

Sami’s face fell. She said to Sydney, “Go eat that in the living room.”

“Yay!” Sydney said. She took her piece of cake and jumped up.

“Don’t run,” Lucas told her. “You’ll end up dropping that on the floor and the carpet won’t enjoy it as much as you will.” He glanced at Sami, then away. “Here, I’ll go with you to make sure it makes it there in one piece.”

Lucas left with Sydney. Sami sat down next to Allie and said, “Okay. It’s just you and me. Johnny isn’t home to make his stupid snide comments and Syd’s talking Daddy into letting her watch cartoons, so she won’t be interrupting us any time soon. So how about you tell me the real reason we have a choice between force feeding you and letting you wither away to nothing.”


Abigail glared at the board. “Don’t bother asking her,” she said. “I know what she thinks.” She crossed her arms. “Mom thinks, you know, she thinks I’m a baby. And now she…” She stared into space, thinking.

“I do not!” Jennifer said. “I don’t, Dr. Asher, I just think she has some limitations right now that she’s refusing to see.”

Dr. Asher started to say something but Abigail said loudly, drowning him out, “She just doesn’t want me to be… you know, I like someone and he likes me and she can’t stand it.”

“HOLD ON!” Dr. Asher said as Jennifer opened her mouth to respond to that. “I’m sorry to come on so strong. Maybe it doesn’t seem professional. But the whole reason the two of you are here is so that we can work through this huge conflict, so it doesn’t do anyone any good for you to fight the same way you do at home. Now, Abigail, you feel that your mother wants to control you and that she disapproves of you having a boyfriend. So we will write that issue on the board.” He did. “Now, it is your mother’s turn. Jennifer, how do you feel about Abigail having a boyfriend?”

“I have concerns,” Jennifer said, “but I’m not trying to control her. I just… I don’t see how she can possibly have the mental capacity for a relationship until she gets better, if that ever happens, and as her mother I have to step in. I have to protect her. And I understand that she’s not happy about that, that she sees it as me treating her like a baby, but the reality is that she is vulnerable, that she does need protection, and sometimes as a parent you have to do things that your kids are going to hate you for.” She crossed her arms as she turned towards Abby. “Do you think your grandmother was happy when her parents put her in a mental institution? She didn’t want to be there, Abigail, she didn’t see the need and she saw it as her parents trying to take over, trying to take her family away from her. She hated that they were raising me while she was locked up. But they had to do it. They had to, because she couldn’t take care of herself, and no matter how much it hurt her they had to do what was best for her.” Jennifer blinked back tears. “I never wanted this for you or for JJ either. When you were born I prayed that I hadn’t passed on the schizophrenia gene to you and I thanked God you seemed to have escaped it. For a while I was worried your brother hadn’t, that I was going to relive the nightmare with him that I’d already lived through with my mother, and thank God I was wrong. But now you… you’re disabled in a different way, and I have to do the same thing my grandparents did even though it makes you angry, and i just wish you could understand that.”

Abigail’s mouth moved silently. “Too many words, I can’t…” She blinked back tears too.

“I know,” Jennifer said.

“Let me help,” Dr. Asher said. “Abigail, your mother said that she thinks this is like when her mother was struggling with schizophrenia and had to be put in the hospital even though she didn’t want to go. She’s upset because she loves you and wants you to understand why she’s trying to protect you now. How do you feel about that?”

Abigail said, “It’s different. I… you know, I don’t think my brain works right when it doesn’t.”

“Okay. You’re aware you have some limitations so you don't think this is the same situation as your grandmother's illness. But how do you FEEL about what your mom said?”

Abigail twisted her necklace, her mouth moving but no sound coming out. “I… love my mom,” she said, her voice shaking, “but she’s wrong and it makes me so… ANGRY.”

Dr. Asher nodded. “You’re communicating very clearly. Now keep going. Look at your mom and tell her why it makes you so angry.”

Abigail turned towards Jennifer. She pushed her hair behind her ear, looking so much like her old self that it brought tears to Jennifer’s eyes. “You do too much,” she said. “It’s like you’re… you know, you don’t want it to be Grandma all over again but you think it’s happening when it’s not . Yes, I can’t… you know, the words swim in front of my eyes when I try to see what they say, and I can’t go places by myself. But I’m not… you know, someone who can’t do anything. And my friends can help me too, not just you. I can… you know, the thing you said that means I have a boyfriend, I can do that. And I want that.”

Jennifer shook her head sadly. Dr. Asher said, gently, “Jennifer, you said you wished your daughter could understand your fears for her. It sounds to me like she does understand, as best as she’s able. But what about you? Can you understand how she feels about the way you’re dealing with her disability right now?”

[André DiMera]

This woman is clearly crazy if she thinks J.J. is gonna give in to blackmail (I’m sorry, “not blackmail”) like that. I hope J.J. tells Nicole everything that went down there. Wonder what’s up with that lady?

The interview with Wolfe is interesting so far. Wonder how Maxwell is gonna respond to that.

I really hope Allie opens up to Sami!

So glad Jennifer and Abby are having this session, even though it sounds like Jennifer isn’t listening. I hope she is.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[tghca]

Why is Sami allowing Sydney to call Lucas Daddy? He is not her father, EJ is and I know EJ if he were alive right now he definitely would not stand for Sydney calling Lucas Daddy

But Sami trying to force Allie into talking is gonna have the opposite effect

JJ is being blackmailed but he can't prove any of it because the person blackmailing him isn't stupid and they aren't gonna let JJ get one over hence why she's blackmailing him...JJ doesn't even know her name and JJ can't record any of this either because it is off the record and if he tries to go public Hannah pays the price...this woman is dangerous but she's smart obviously

[Kpatch]

Dr. Asher is making good progress. Jen can say she's not babying Abby, but that's exactly what she's doing. I can't really blame her though, under the circumstances.

[heroicmuse]

Week 229 - 5
Sarah rubbed her temples as she threw a bunch of empty beer bottles into a trash bag. “Wow. I really overdid it the last few days,” she said to herself. “Maybe a few days’ break while Mom’s here wouldn’t be so bad. Although, I could use one, just one, so I could take the edge off this hangover.”

She sighed as she pulled the trash bag closed and went to the refrigerator, opening it to see what was in it. “Maybe I’ll clean out this fridge while I’m at it,” she said to herself. “All these takeout containers from God knows when, they’re probably all moldy and gross now.” She grabbed a bunch of containers and threw them away, then looked in the fridge again. “Wait, is that…”

Yes. It was. There was a full bottle of vodka hidden behind all the takeout containers that she had bought once and forgot about.

Sarah stared at the bottle, thinking. Mom would be here in an hour. So she couldn’t drink TOO much, because then Mom would know she was drunk and she couldn’t have that. In fact, it was better to leave it til after Mom was gone. Then she could celebrate having got through the visit sober by drinking as much as she wanted.

“Let’s see,” Sarah said to herself. “Today’s Friday and Mom’s going to be here til Wednesday so that’s…” she counted on her fingers. “Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Six days. Wow. That’s a long time to go without a drink at all.”

She started to take the bottle out, then put it back. “No. Not when she’s about to get here. Maybe tonight while she’s sleeping I can sneak a drink or two.” Sarah rubbed her temples again.”But I need it now to get rid of this hangover.”

She started to take the bottle out of the fridge, then shook her head and put it back. She closed the refrigerator.

Just then, her phone buzzed.

Text from Melissa
Don’t stress too much about the cleaning. Big accident on the highway so it’s gonna be a while before I get back w/Mom & Victor. (I’ll tell you later the struggle I had to stop Victor from insisting on renting a car for them WHEN I WAS ALREADY HERE!!!)

“Well then,” Sarah said to herself. “If I’m going to deal with Victor I’m going to need a drink. Besides, it’ll probably be hours before they’re here.” She opened the fridge again and took out the bottle.



Squeaky and Angel were playing basketball. “I’m glad your ankle is better,” Squeaky said to Angel. “It was no fun playing out here by myself.”

“Same too,” Angel said. “I only wish it was Tweener was here with us too. Not that I’m sad for her she went home.”

“I talked to her today,” Squeaky said. She bounced the ball, nervously. “She said her boyfriend is trying to put me in the news like he did her.”

“So you will be going home too soon, then.” Angel sighed. “Meanwhile I have an extra six months because my fists. It won’t be soon we meet on the outside.”

“I don’t know.” Squeaky bounced the ball again. “News or no news, the best my lawyer can get is probation and the judge might not even go for that.”

Just then, a shadow fell over them. “What are you two up to?” a guard demanded.

“It look like we’re doing anything but bouncing a ball?” Angel demanded.

“Dunno,” the guard said. “I don’t like how close you’re standing. Seems to me you’re up to something.” She beckoned another guard over and said, “These two are acting suspicious. Let’s see what’s up.”

“Okay,” the other guard said. She grabbed Squeaky by the arm. “You. Come with me and don’t even think about talking back.”

Squeaky bit her lip to stop herself from protesting. That’s what had got her in trouble in the first place, talking back when she was falsely accused. She let the guard drag her across the room. “Get your hands on the wall,” the guard ordered. Squeaky did and the guard said as she started to pat her down, “Want to tell me what you and your amiga over there were really doing? Was it drugs, is that it?”

“No!” Squeaky’s eyes filled with tears that she knew better than to let the guard see. “We were just playing basketball, nothing else.”

“Uh huh,” the guard said. “So what’s this, then?” She shoved something in Squeaky’s face that looked like a hollowed out pen.

“How do I know what that is?” Squeaky said. “I never saw it before.”

“It was on your person!” the guard said. “That means it’s yours. And I’m not stupid, I know a makeshift crack pipe when I see one.”

Squeaky’s mouth dropped open as the guard grabbed one of her wrists and pulled it behind her back. “A what? I don’t - “

“Save it,” the guard said as she cuffed Squeaky. “You’re going to the hole for possession of drug-related contraband, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the warden calls the DA in on this.”

Squeaky swallowed hard. She couldn’t believe this was happening all over again, her getting arrested for something she didn’t do. And right when she was about to get to go home, too. There went that. “Do I get a lawyer?” she asked weakly.

“What you get is a night in the hole while the warden decides what to do with you,” the guard said. “If I were you, I’d start practicing being sorry.”

Squeaky stared at the ground as she was dragged away, feeling defeated. She was getting locked up all over again and her chance at probation taken away, all over nothing. It’s always going to be like this, she thought. Even Tweener and her boyfriend can’t help me.


“How’s your sandwich?” Bev asked Paige as she blew on a spoonful of soup to cool it. “I’m guessing it’s good by how fast you’re eating it.”

“I was never such a fast eater before jail,” Paige said. “But it’s good. Or it would be if I could slow down enough to taste it.” She made herself put her tuna sandwich down and sip her tea instead. “My first night home, JJ took me out to eat and the idea of being able to decide for myself what I wanted was so foreign. I tried to be grateful that I had the freedom to eat whatever I wanted and I still am, but it’s still a little weird, you know?”

“And you were only there three months. Try being locked up for a year.”

“Right.” Paige played with her phone. “I wish Kayla would call me back about my internship already. I mean, I guess it’s a hard no or she would have called me by now, but I’d still rather get hearing it over with already.”

Bev patted her hand. “Maybe it’s not a no. I mean, she’d get back to you either way, right? So if she hasn’t, she’s still thinking about it.”

“I guess.”

Just then, JJ came over to them. Paige slid over to make room for him. “Finished with your source?”

“You could say that,” JJ said flatly. He sat down. “Hey, Bev. How’s it going?”

“Not great, considering that I had to deal with Melinda Trask at Mason’s preschool this morning,” Bev said. “But I’m guessing that it’s even worse for you. What’s wrong?”

“Not here,” JJ said under his breath. He took the napkin out of his pocket and pushed it towards Paige. He’d written:

Source is BS & trying to blackmail me to drop the story. Explain at home.

Paige’s eyes widened as she read it.


A while later, JJ and Paige sat on the couch at home, holding hands. Paige said, “You don’t really think she can do anything, do you?”

“I dunno,” JJ said. “She’s probably just some crazy lady who has stars in her eyes for Thorpe but after what we’ve been through, I don’t wanna take chances.”

“Right.” Paige pushed her hair behind her ear. “You’re not thinking of giving into her, are you? You can’t, JJ, it’s too important.”

“I’m not!” JJ snapped. “But we gotta neutralize her first, Paige, she said she could get a judge to send you back to jail and there’s no way in hell I’m risking that.”

“She can’t do that,” Paige said, but her eyes darted every which way nervously. “First I’d have to be arrested again and Abe isn’t going to let that happen twice.” She played with her phone. “I’m calling my dad. He’s ISA, he can help us make sure they didn’t bug your phone or anything and he’ll know how to stop them.”

“I don’t think they’ve gone that far, but go for it if you want.” JJ squeezed Paige’s hand.

“He can help us, I know he can,” Paige said. “We need to get Hannah home where she belongs and we can’t let some crazy judge and his assistant stop us.” She pulled out her phone, but just then there was a knock on the door.

JJ went to go see who that was. “It’s Daniel,” he told Paige, and opened the door. “Hey, man,” he said, shaking hands with Daniel. “This isn’t a great time. We -”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Daniel said, “but Kayla asked me to talk to Paige. It has to do with that internship she wants so bad. You think I could have a minute?”


Ciara sat across from the principal, her arms crossed.

Mrs. Smith said, “I already know that you somehow broke into our computer system to register your niece. If I were you, I’d tell me the whole story. Who helped you and how did you do it?”

“If Aiden were here he’d tell me I don’t have to answer that,” Ciara said, “so I’m not going to.”

“Ciara Alice,” Hope said quietly. “I have never been more disappointed in you in my entire life. Now, you’re lucky that we’re having this conversation here and not at the station. Start talking.”

“No,” Ciara said. “I have rights. Besides, you’re not going to arrest your own daughter.”

“I hope she’s not,” Mrs. Smith said. “But I know what I’m going to do.” She turned towards Hope. “I’m sorry, Detective Brady, but I have no choice but to suspend your daughter from school pending a decision on whether or not to expel her.”


Marlena was going over paperwork when there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” she called.

Roman did. Marlena smiled. “Roman. What a nice surprise.” Her smile faded as she saw the creases in his face and that he looked tired. “What’s wrong? It’s not one of the children, is it?”

“Uh uh. Sami and Eric are both just fine. Wish I could say the same for Allie, though.” Roman rubbed his temples.

“Right. I’m concerned about her too. I can’t say too much, but I did give Sami a referral to a therapist for her and I hope she’ll take her up on it.”

“Me too. But I didn’t come to talk about her. I came to talk about me.”

“You?” Marlena was surprised. “What’s going on?”

Roman sank into the seat across from her. “It’s like this, Doc. I screwed up pretty bad with that Jill Larson murder and Abe thinks… well, he thinks I’m gettin’ too old to keep running the department.”

Marlena frowned. “You think there’s anything to that?”

“I dunno. I was under a lot of pressure and I wasn’t thinking straight, but that’s no excuse. Anyway, I got this feeling IAB might try to push me into an early retirement and I was wondering… there any test you can give me that’ll prove conclusively everything’s working just as good up here -- “ he pointed to his head -- “as it was the day I graduated the Academy?”

[André DiMera]

This is gonna end badly. I’m guessing Sarah’s gonna be drunk when Melissa gets back with Maggie and Victor. Then again, maybe that’s good, so Maggie can try to get her help.

Of course someone planted a makeshift crackpipe on Hannah. And, of course the guards didn’t listen. Looks like she won’t be getting out soon, sadly.

Glad J.J. told Paige what happened with the “source”. I’m not sure the ISA need to get involved just yet. Wonder what Daniel’s gonna say.

Unless Ciara wants to be expelled, and possibly have a trip to the station, she needs to drop the attitude and come clean. I know she did what she did for pure reasons, but it still was wrong.

I don’t think it really works like that, Roman. Glad he’s talking to Marlena, though.

Can we please have previews, heroicmuse?

[tghca]

Great...just great Maggie has to make everything worse by bringing Victor here to Nashville...big, big, big mistake. Maggie should know how Sarah feels about him...Sarah hates her step father so did Maggie really think bringing him here was gonna make things any better? She essentially made things worse. I knew Sarah was gonna drink and now that she is...she's most likely gonna end up drunk. Sarah is most likely gonna turn violent now that she is drunk or Sarah might take off from the house and drive drunk. Great, great parenting on Maggie's part. Melissa is no better either because she insisted on their mother being here never mind the fact that Melissa she hates Victor too just as much as Sarah does.

Roman going to his ex Marlena for advice...is that really wise?

JJ still can't prove much of anything neither can Paige...they don't know this woman's name or her real story so they have no way of tracking her down...all they know about her is that she works for Thorpe but JJ can't expose her or even tip her off in any way because if he does that he not only risks Hannah's freedom he also risks Paige's freedom too...yeah sure Paige can involve the ISA because both her father Eduardo and her grandfather Shane work for the ISA but I don't see what the ISA can do in this situation especially when it is not a government issue...the ISA is a spy agency right?

[Kpatch]

That had to be hard for Roman.

Sarah should not be drinking shortly before Maggie and Victor arrive. They'll be there sooner than she thinks.

Ciara should definitely suffer consequences for her action as well as her disrespectful behavior.

[heroicmuse]

Thank you André DiMera, Kpatch, and tghca for your comments this week! I'm so excited about everything that's coming out of Paige having been in jail with Hannah and I hope you are too!

Here's a sneak peek at what's happening next week.

Coming Up on Breaking Ties




Roman is disappointed when Marlena says that there is no simple test to prove his mental fitness. She wants to refer him to a neurologist, but he isn’t sure he wants to do that. He feels that losing his job is inevitable given the mistakes he made during the investigation into Jill’s death, and he’s not sure what to do with himself once it happens.

Roman feels that being a cop is part of his identity and he doesn’t want to be forced to retire. He also fears that his recent mistakes could be a sign that he is developing the same dementia that ultimately robbed the world of his mother. Marlena, however, thinks there may be a less dire diagnosis: Roman could be suffering from depression related to Caroline’s illness and death.

Roman has a hard time hearing this possibility. Marlena says depression is far more easily treatable than dementia, but Roman doesn’t think it’ll help save his job to get this kind of diagnosis. He does admit to Marlena that this is not how he expected his retirement to go and that the fact that he has no romantic partner while Marlena has John doesn’t help. However, instead of dealing with those feelings he’d rather spend time with Chelsea and Max, especially since he knows Chelsea is pregnant even if she hasn’t said so. Marlena isn’t sure that will be enough to make him feel better, but Roman leaves to meet them anyway -- will that really help him as much as he thinks?

Roman isn’t the only one struggling with difficult feelings. Being put in solitary for a second crime she didn’t commit is making Hannah feel hopeless, as she is sure her chance at probation is gone and that no one can do anything to get her out of the jail sentence she never should have had in the first place. Alone in her cell, Hannah has a self-destructive thought that scares her, but does her best not to give in. Later, the warden comes to see her and has some surprising news: she’s not pressing charges against Hannah for the crack pipe. However, the warden insinuates that Hannah needs to repay this favor by following her directions when it comes to being interviewed by the press. Will Hannah listen, and will she even be able to hold on long enough to make it to her interview with Nicole given the situation she’s now in? And while Hannah is struggling with feelings of despair, she is unaware that Angel manages to reach out to someone to help with Hannah’s situation and that she may be able to get out of trouble after all.

Meanwhile, Daniel talks to Paige about her potential internship. He encourages her to sign the release form so that Kayla can talk to Paige’s therapist, something which Paige is reluctant to do but agrees to consider doing so that she can get back to work. Later, Paige gives JJ the good news that her internship is probably back on, but JJ can tell she’s less than thrilled. After Daniel leaves, the young couple has an honest talk and Paige admits that she’s upset about having to get her therapist’s permission and also afraid that the woman who threatened JJ won’t stop at blackmail if she doesn’t get her way. JJ does his best to reassure Paige that he will be safe, and Paige changes the subject to the contest that Alison mentioned. She really wants JJ to enter so that he can be rewarded for his hard work on Hannah’s story. She also wants a date night and is disappointed when Alison calls JJ to ask him to meet her at Nicole’s office, where Alison has got her hands on something relevant to Hannah’s case, but tells JJ to go ahead because she doesn’t want to be selfish.

Kelsey and Alison meet briefly and Kelsey gives Alison the evidence she’s managed to get from a computer at work, but Alison is also disappointed when Kelsey is in such a rush not to get caught that she almost doesn’t hug her goodbye. Could this story take over both JJ and Kelsey’s lives and leave their partners feeling unappreciated?

In any case, JJ and Alison interrupt Nicole’s conversation with Sally to update them. Nicole is about to go on the air, but she’s glad that JJ isn’t giving in to blackmail and promises to help him. She also thinks that once they have the entire story, JJ and Alison should go on air to present a special report. JJ is shocked that Nicole thinks this story is that important, but they don’t have time to talk about it as Nicole has to go. Later, JJ, Alison, and Sally discuss the story and JJ realizes they have a lot of pieces that don’t quite fit together. Will the evidence Alison has help them once they finally look at it? And while they’re doing that, across town Judge Thorpe receives a visitor who just might represent a major conflict of interest for him.

Elsewhere in Salem, Sami begins to get through to Allie, but Johnny returns before Allie can tell her mom the truth about what’s been bothering her, while Ciara is shocked both by the potential punishment Hope brings up for her behavior and by the principal sending her to in-school suspension for the rest of the school day. In the suspension room, Ciara encounters a strict teacher who makes her write an essay about why she is being punished, but will that do anything to change her behavior? And later, she’s not happy when Hope makes Horowitz babysit her while Hope goes to talk to Aiden about the situation, which seems to convince Ciara that her mother is overreacting, but can Horowitz get her to see how serious what she did was? And finally, Abigail and Jennifer’s session continues and Dr. Asher has an insight that makes Jennifer uncomfortable, but could he be right?

[André DiMera]

That is an interesting diagnosis. I can’t wait for Roman and Marlena’s conversation!

Wonder who Angel reaches out to. Glad Hannah isn’t going to be punished, but I have a feeling listening to the warden will be just as bad.

If Paige wants to get anywhere at the moment, she’s gonna have to let people talk to her therapist. And I seriously doubt this lady will actually do anything that she threatened to. Something’s up with Kelsey, I’m just not sure what. It just seems like more than not wanting to get caught. Wonder who Thorpe’s visitor is. So glad Nicole this that this story is important!

Ugh! Johnny, go away! I hope someone can get through to Ciara about how serious this is. Can’t wait for more of Abby and Jen’s session!

Thanks for the previews, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 230 - 1
Squeaky sat cross-legged on the floor of the cell she’d been put in, staring at the concrete wall. It was dark in here and the cell was small, smaller even than the one she’d been held in at the police station when she was first arrested.

She remembered suddenly the night of her arrest, the pay phone outside her cell where the cops had taken her so she could make her phone call.

“Mom! I swear it’s not how you think. This whole thing is a big mistake and if you’ll just come down to the police station - Serious? You’re going to let me sit in jail all night over nothing? I'm telling you, I didn't deserve this!  All right, fine, go to work. I hope you spend all night thinking about how you let your only daughter stay locked up for no reason and you can't concentrate on a damn thing!”

“I thought that was the worst night of my life,” she said to herself now. “Only difference between then and now’s, then I was dumb enough to think it would be over soon, that it just had to get straightened out and I could go home.”

Her face trembled. She didn’t know what the warden was going to do to her now, but one thing was for sure: that probation she thought she was getting was down the drain and she’d probably get extra time tacked onto her first sentence. Drugs were way serious and doing them in jail was worse, and it didn’t matter she hadn’t really done a thing. She lived in East Salem, the cops thought everyone who lived there was on drugs and there wasn’t a single judge who’d believe a guard put something on her that wasn’t hers just like no one believed that beer wasn’t hers, not even her own mother.

Tweener believed you, a voice in the back of her head said.

Yeah, but a fat lot of good that had done. Tweener got her that lawyer and the very same day she was arrested all over again for another thing she hadn’t done. She almost wished Tweener hadn’t done it, it would have hurt less to be locked up without a minute of hope that she’d get out early.

She wondered how long she’d be sentenced to now. Angel had got an extra six months for fighting, so drugs… it would be at least another year, probably more.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hannah saw her bedsheet falling off the bed. Better go fix that before she got in trouble for her bunk being unmade too.

She made herself get up and grab the bedsheet to straighten it out.

Her lifeless body hung from the bedpost, thanks to the noose she’d made out of the bedsheet.

“No,” Squeaky told herself. “No. Tweener would miss you and so would Angel.” She put the bedsheet down and backed away from the bed, scared she might go through with hurting herself if she looked at it for another minute.

Footsteps sounded down the hall. She turned, scared, as the warden came up to her cell.

“Hands behind your back when you’re in front of me,” the warden said, “even if there are bars between us.”

Squeaky’s eyes flashed but she didn’t have any energy left to fight. She did what she was told.

“That’s better,” the warden said. “Now be quiet and listen to what I have to say to you.”


Paige got up. “Um, sure,” she said, hoping Daniel didn’t notice how wobbly her legs seemed. “You can come in the kitchen with me.”

“Be right back,” Daniel told JJ. He patted JJ’s shoulder before he followed Paige into the kitchen.

Paige opened a cabinet and rummaged through it. “I should offer you something, I guess,” she said. “We need to go shopping, it’s been a crazy week and - “

“Relax, Paige,” Daniel said softly. “All I need’s a glass of water, why don’t you get yourself one too and then sit down so we can talk.”

“Right. Okay.” Paige got a glass out of the cabinet and filled it from the faucet on the fridge. She put it on the table. “Oh, I forgot the ice.”

“Not necessary.” Daniel watched as Paige grabbed another glass and overfilled it with ice. “Paige… there is no need to worry. You are not in any trouble here, all right? Kayla wants to hire you, she just wants to - “

“Make sure I’m up for it. I know. She told me that too.” Paige put water in her glass and put it on the table before she sank into her seat. “Whatever it is she sent you here to say, can you please just tell me? The suspense is making things worse, I keep thinking all sorts of awful things.”

Daniel nodded. “Kayla, she’s worried about you, as you know. She said she’d feel more comfortable if you’d sign that release form so she can talk to your therapist.”

Paige froze. “I’ve only seen the therapist once so far. I have another appointment tomorrow but how can she possibly know anything yet?”

“Maybe she doesn’t. But maybe, Paige, maybe she does and you… you haven’t wanted to admit that to yourself.” Daniel patted Paige’s hand. “What’s the reason for this hesitation?”

“First of all, you’re 12 hours too late,” Paige said. “This morning I talked to Eric and he got me to see I need to listen to my therapist and take one step at a time. But I want to be in control of my own life, it’s not fair that I have to have permission from my therapist to get an internship.”

“You’re preaching to the choir here.” Daniel crossed his arms. “I told Kayla, stopping you from working, that’s just gonna be one more way your life’s messed up thanks to going to jail when you did not belong there. I told her, I’d be happy to let you shadow me for as long as it takes, and that you don’t need to interact with patients until you’re ready.”

“But that wasn’t enough for her,” Paige said bitterly. “She’s insisting I sign the stupid release form. Has she ever thought maybe I want my therapy to be private?”

“You don’t have to give her permission to hear everything,” Daniel said. “When you sign a release, Paige, you can specify what your doctor’s allowed to share. And Kayla, all she wants is your therapist’s opinion about what accommodations she needs to make so that you can go back to work. So what do you say?” Daniel took a folded form out of his pocket. “Will you sign the form so Kayla can feel comfortable letting you work with me?”

Paige hesitated. “I’ll think about it,” she said, taking the form. “I don’t like it, but…” She played with the edges. “I’d really get to work with you again?”

“I told her I’d be happy to be your mentor.”

Paige bit her lip, thinking. “Can I ask my therapist about it tomorrow and see what she says?”

“Of course,” Daniel said. He squeezed Paige’s shoulder. “You are doing the right thing,” he said softly. “This… this will work itself out and I really think that getting back to work, that will help you clear your head more than anything.”

I hope so, Paige thought as she nodded.


Jennifer was quiet, thinking. “I understand how she feels,” she said. “It’s how my mother felt. And maybe she’s right, maybe I need to let go, but I can’t help thinking that if I do, something terrible could happen and it would be my fault.” She crossed her arms. “A few months ago you couldn’t even cross the street, Abigail. You were lucky that all that happened was Eve Donovan gloating endlessly that she was the one to bring you home safe because when I think about who else might have got ahold of you, my blood runs cold.”

“But they didn’t,” Abby said. “They didn’t… um… what you said didn’t happen.”

“If I may interject,” Dr. Asher said. “This seems to be where you two are stuck. Jennifer, you say you understand your daughter’s need for independence, but you also have a lot of fear that is holding you back. And I wonder, is this solely about Abigail’s difficulties right now?”

“Of course it is,” Jennifer said. “What else would - “

“Well, you’ve mentioned twice now that your mother was institutionalized against her will. And I know that must have strongly impacted you. How old were you?”

“Five, the first time,” Jennifer said. “She left me on a bus and if it weren’t for my grandmother God knows what might have happened to me.”

Dr. Asher nodded. “That must have been scary, to be a small child, to be abandoned and not know why and later to see your grandparents have to force your mother into a mental hospital.”

“It was a long time ago,” Jennifer said. “I grew up and I understood she couldn’t help it, she was very sick.”

“I’m sure you did. But you know, we’ve worked together in the past to help you let go of your son and now it seems you’re struggling to let go of your daughter. And I know that part of it is that Abigail has some very real limitations that you are not sure how to navigate. But is it possible, Jennifer, that part of the reason it’s been so hard for you to let go of either of your children is because you don’t want to ever be abandoned again like your mother did to you when you were just a little girl yourself?”


Hope raised an eyebrow. “Expelled? Don’t you think that’s a little harsh?”

“On the contrary, Detective.” Mrs. Smith’s voice was calm, devoid of all emotion. “What Ciara did is serious enough that I’d be justified asking you to call some of your fellow officers to take her to juvenile hall this afternoon. Given those circumstances, I’d say expulsion is a light punishment. However, I’m not unreasonable. I’m sure in your line of work you make deals with the perpetrators of crimes all the time in which they receive a lighter sentence in exchange for giving you information you are interested in knowing. So here’s the deal. If Ciara tells me who helped her break into our computer system, she will merely be suspended for 14 days, not expelled. Fair enough?”

“I should have asked my fiance to come to this meeting,” Hope said flatly. She turned towards Ciara. “I hope you’re listening, Ciara Alice. This wasn’t a game and it definitely isn’t one now. If you’re expelled it doesn’t just end with us finding another school to take you -- which would be hard enough when they see the reason you were asked to leave this one. When you grow up, when you want to go to college, when you want to get a job… having this on your record could seriously hurt you. So you had better do the right thing and tell Mrs. Smith the full truth right now.”

Ciara’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to be a snitch, but whatever. Wyatt’s a creep anyway, he’s always trying to get close enough to me I can smell his breath.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“Wyatt who?” Mrs. Smith asked.

“Seriously? Is there really more than one Wyatt in this school?” Ciara crossed her arms. “I don’t know his last name. He’s short and ugly and he wears these glasses that are as thick as bottles of pop.”

“I don’t like you calling anyone ugly,” Hope said, “but that’s certainly enough of a description to go on.” She crossed her arms. “Was Chase involved?”

Ciara laughed. “Like I’d trust him with something like this. He’d feel so guilty about breaking a rule that he’d go running to tell someone right away.”

“I understand now why Jennifer sent JJ to boarding school,” Hope said to herself. Aloud, she said, “You’d better be telling the truth. Mrs. Smith is going to question Chase and she’ll get it out of him.”

“I am!” Ciara said. “And it’s not like he’s so perfect, he’s the one who almost went to juvie for stealing when we weren’t even in double digits yet.”

Mrs. Smith raised her eyebrows but Hope said, “We’re talking about you right now, not him, and you’re the one who decided to work with Wyatt and whoever else to do something stupid and illegal. Now I am more than unhappy with your behavior. I’m going to have to talk to Aiden about what to do about it, including whether he thinks you really have the maturity to stand up at our wedding.”

Ciara gasped. “You can’t do that!”

“I can and I will, if Aiden agrees. But that’s for us to discuss at home.” Hope turned towards Mrs. Smith. “Are we done here? I’d rather not air any more of our dirty laundry in front of you.”

“Almost,” Mrs. Smith said. “I need to talk to Chase.” She wrote something out, ripped it off its pad, and handed it to Ciara. “Go to the in-school suspension room. You're going to spend the rest of the day there and then the next two weeks at home."

Ciara’s mouth dropped open. “This is sooo overdramatic.”

“Talking back does you no favors,” Hope told her. “Go. Right now.”

Ciara’s eyes flashed, but she stomped off. Hope said, “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s got into her. But her stepfather and I will be insisting on an attitude adjustment at home, trust me.”

Mrs. Smith nodded. “I’m sure you will. One of the reasons for the long suspension is to give her a chance to regroup and decide to make better choices. I don’t think Ciara is a bad kid, just a spirited one, but if she doesn’t start learning to work within the rules, she could have real problems when she’s older. Now, let’s get your stepson in here and make sure he wasn’t involved and then we’ll call it a day.”

[André DiMera]

It’s so sad that Hannah has to go through all this. So unfair. Wonder what the warden wants.

I would think Paige would be more willing to do whatever it takes to go back to work. I get she wants her therapy to be private, but it’s not like Kayla’s gonna hear anything. We’ll see what happens when she talks to her therapist.

I think Dr. Asher is on to something!

Whatever punishment Hope and Aiden give, I hope it gets through to Ciara. She really needs to drop the attitude. She should be thankful she’s not being expelled or going to juvie.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[tghca]

Ciara no doubt gets her attitude from her late father Bo but Ciara is a Kiriakis so she's definitely getting it from her Grandpa Victor when it comes to her personality and attitude...Ciara may be grounded but I don't think she cares one way or another

Hannah is in jail essentially for being in the wrong place at the wrong time

[Kpatch]

Ciara is getting off easy.

If I were Paige, I'd be hesitant to sign that form also.

[heroicmuse]

Week 230 - 2
Marlena raised her eyebrows. ”It’s not as simple as that, Roman. There are batteries of tests you can be given to check your cognitive function, but there is no one test that will show us definitively whether or not you are competent to do your job.”

“All right,” Roman said. “Guess it was worth a try.” He sighed. “Thanks anyway, Doc.”

“Wait,” Marlena said. “I could set you up with the tests if you really want. I know a few excellent neurologists.”

Roman hesitated. “What the hell good’s that gonna do me? Whatever the tests show, if it’s not definite IAB isn’t gonna care. Far as they’re concerned, I’m washed up anyway. Anyone else would have been pushed out a couple years ago, my union rep convinced the brass to look the other way on me hitting mandatory retirement age cause I was still sharp as ever. But now… all they gotta hear is one word from Abe about my abilities declining and I’m gone.”

Marlena frowned, concerned. “You seem pretty sure that’s what’s going to happen.”

Roman shrugged. “I know how it is. I’ve been at this a long time, Doc, when something like what happened to Hannah Martin happens, they gotta find someone to blame. I was the Commissioner when it all went down, and Paige went to jail when she shouldn’t have on top of this girl getting locked up on the word of a store manager who was more or less acting out of racial bias. So I gotta answer for it and the easiest thing for them to do’s give me enough of a retirement package to make it worth my while to leave quietly so they can say they addressed the problem and hope it’s enough to restore public confidence in the police.”

Marlena was quiet for a second. “I can see how much that saddens you.”

“Course it does. I’ve never been anything but a cop and never wanted to be. Dunno what I’ll do if they really push me out.” Roman sighed. “I’m not meant for workin’ behind the bar in Ma’s - I mean in our Pub. I’m meeting Max and Chelsea after this, I want them to take it over, but if I end up with a ton of free time on my hands, how the hell else am I gonna fill it?”

“It would be a very difficult transition for you. If that happens, you may need some help navigating it. Not from me. I’m too close. But let’s not worry about that yet. Are you sure there’s not a way you can preserve your job?”

“I dunno.” Roman sighed deeply. “Thing is, Doc, what Abe said… I’ve been mulling it over in my mind. I was under a ton of pressure with the Larson murder and that’s what got me stuck on Paige as a suspect. That and the evidence seemed to add up if you took out that it’s not in her personality to kill someone, and I figured everyone has their breaking point, especially cause this girl was tormenting her, taking her place in Eve’s life, trying to pass her baby off as JJ’s and later trying to get Paige sent to jail over nothing… it seemed logical Paige would snap. Anyway, point is, I wasn’t thinking any too clear when I focused our investigation on Paige and I sure as hell wasn’t thinking clear when I told the cops that arrested Hannah Martin I didn’t need to review the body cam footage cause it was a minor crime. Now, I chalk that all up to the pressure I was under but truth is, a couple years ago I would have made the right choice, pressure or no pressure. And then I think about Ma. She had that Alzheimers thing, she wasn’t too much older than me when her memory started failing and we didn’t see the signs til she was pretty far gone. So I gotta wonder… c-could I… could this be the start of me getting like she was?”

“That’s one possibility,” Marlena said, her voice very gentle, “and again, a neurologist could rule out Alzheimers or any other form of dementia. But you know, Roman, there’s another possible reason for some of this.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, Caroline had been very sick for a while, and she was getting worse. You must have known the end was near while you were focusing on the investigation into Jill’s death, and in fact she did pass away soon after Paige was arrested.”

“Yeah,” Roman said thickly. “But what’s that got to do with anything?”

“I imagine,” Marlena said slowly, “that it was very upsetting to see the condition your mother was in, how far she was now from the person you knew and loved your whole life. I know how close you were with her and how much time you devoted to taking care of her at the end. I think you might have been depressed about Caroline’s condition and that might have been part of why you weren’t at your best during the investigation into Jill’s case. Do you think that might be true?”



Squeaky started to cross her arms, but the warden raised her eyebrows. She put them back behind her back. “I’m listening,” she said. “Go ahead and get this over with, how much time am I doing for that crack pipe the guards planted on me?”

“Your attitude needs work,” the warden said. “You’re already in enough trouble as it is, you can’t afford to be rude.”

Squeaky’s eyes narrowed. “I have a lawyer now. Maybe he should be here.”

“You only have the right to a lawyer if criminal charges are filed against you. In this case, they’re not going to be. I’m not calling the DA in on this.”

“Y-you’re not?” Squeaky’s eyes were wide.

The warden shook her head. “I needed to get your attention,” she said quietly. “There’s press sniffing around the Tiana situation, and you’re especially interesting to them because apparently there’s rumors that your arrest was unfair. Now, I can’t tell you what to do about any of that, but I can tell you that I’m not about to lose my job over what Tiana tried to do to you over her feud with Paige Larson and I have friends in other areas of the justice system who I’d rather not be smeared with false claims of racism.”

Squeaky’s eyes flashed. “So you had me framed?”

“I never said that,” the warden said. “Model prisoner or not, maybe you did get into bad habits. You used to hang out with that prisoner who was sentenced to rehab for crack cocaine use, after all.” Squeaky scowled and the warden said, “Look. I could call the DA in on this and I’m not, and I could keep you in segregated housing for a long time. But I’m not going to do that either. Not this time. So since I’m being so lenient on you, how about you do me a favor too? Refuse to tell the press anything they could use to indict this jail or the people who put you in it.”

“I will. I swear.” Squeaky had tears in her voice and she hated that. She didn’t want the warden knowing she was weak. “Now can you let me out of here?”

“Not yet. You need to sit in here for a day or two so that you understand exactly what the stakes are. Besides, as far as anyone knows you’re being disciplined for possession of drug paraphernalia. I wouldn’t be much of a warden if I let you out after only a few hours. So sit tight and practice saying ‘no comment’ to the press until I’m ready to send you back to general population.”


Ciara dragged her feet as she approached the in-school suspension room. “I don’t belong in here,” she said to herself. “I’m not one of the bad kids. Okay, so I bent the rules a little to get Claire in, but it was for a good reason, I wasn’t trying to make trouble.”

The door opened and the teacher said, “I thought I heard someone out there. Let me see your suspension paperwork.”

Ciara sighed deeply as she handed the teacher her papers. “I’m really not bad,” she said. “I swear I’m not. I’m spirited, that’s what everyone says, and - “

“And you were suspended for severe infractions of the school rules,” the suspension teacher said. “Well, I’m glad you came here like you were supposed to. That shows you are capable of following directions after all. Come in.”

Ciara scowled, not liking being talked to like this. She looked around. The classroom looked like a regular classroom except there were only about five kids in it. The kids all sat at desks that had a ton of room between them so that nobody could talk to each other.

“This is your desk,” the suspension room teacher told Ciara, gesturing towards a desk in the front of the room. “Have a seat and pay attention while I go over the rules so you don’t get yourself in worse trouble.”

Ciara crossed her arms as she sat down, irritated.

“You’ve been assigned to in school suspension for the rest of the school day,” the teacher said. “While you are here, you will be graded on how well you follow rules, how much work you get done, and your general behavior. You will be given a point for each time you violate the expectations. It’s like golf. Lower is better and if you get five points you’ll be sent home to start your out of school suspension. The rules are simple. Stay in your seat unless you've been given permission to get up, do your work, and do what you are told. No talking to your fellow students, no phone use, and absolutely no fighting or talking back. Is that clear?”

Ciara nodded, but the teacher said, “You have a voice. Use it.”

Ciara’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. I understand.”

“Good. Now, here’s a piece of paper and a pen. Your first assignment's to fill this page with an explanation of why you were suspended and what you’re going to do differently next time. And do not include the words ‘Next time I won’t get caught’ or you will receive two points towards out of school suspension.”

“What difference does that make?” Ciara asked. “Mrs. Smith said I’m suspended out of school for 14 days starting tomorrow.”

For a second, it looked like the suspension teacher’s face softened, like she actually had some empathy for Ciara. But then she said, her voice hard, “Better 14 days than 15, don’t you think? Get to work.”

Ciara slumped down in her seat for as long as she dared after the suspension teacher walked away.


Allie wriggled. “Do we really need to talk about this? I ate most of my sandwich.”

“How about we open a can of soup?” Sami said. “Soup can’t get stuck in your throat, right?”

“I guess,” Allie said.

Sami got up and got a can of soup out of a cabinet. She dumped it in a pot and said, “Now, while that’s boiling, let’s pretend I didn’t forget my previous question. What’s really going on, Allie?”

Allie shrugged. “I get worried about choking, that’s all. You always said I was more high strung than Johnny, right? So I am.”

“Uh huh.” Sami got up to stir the soup. “Did you know I had problems with eating too when I was just a little older than you? I used to eat too much and then make myself throw up. I made myself very sick doing that and the worst part was, I didn’t think I could tell anyone, especially not Grandma Marlena. I mean, she was a shrink, right? So if she thought I was crazy I’d know for sure I was and I couldn’t risk that.”

“I'm not worried about that,” Allie said, staring straight ahead.

“No?” Sami said. “Daddy said you ran away shouting that we weren’t going to treat you like you’re crazy when he first brought up the idea of talking to her.”

“Right,” Allie said. “I was just mad, I didn’t mean…”

“You know why I was making myself throw up?” Sami asked. “Because something else was really really bothering me and I didn’t know how to deal with it. Just like something else is really bothering you.” She sat back down. “Out with it, Allie. What happened at camp last summer?”

Allie stared into space, thinking. “Amelia had an allergic reaction,” she said flatly, not wanting to say anymore. “She couldn’t breathe and she had to go to the hospital.”

“Amelia…” Sami’s eyes widened. “Wait, I remember now. Her mom was a real bitch and tried to blame you for her eating something with peaches in it. Like her kid didn’t know what she was allergic to and couldn’t say no when you offered to trade.”

“Right,” Allie said. “The thing is…”

Just then, she heard Rafe outside saying to Johnny, “Stop fooling around, Johnny. I liked hanging with you today too but you gotta go back in sooner or later and I know you got a key.”

“Never mind,” Allie said. “I don’t want Johnny to hear.”

“So I’ll tell Rafe to let him pretend not to have his keys for another five minutes. What were you saying?”

“Nothing,” Allie said. “Can we start home school now that Johnny’s back?” She got up and left without waiting for an answer.