Breaking Ties: An Ensemble Story (Read 248,967 times)

[heroicmuse]

Jun 25, 2019 18:47:16 GMT -5 Kpatch said:

I missed a chapter, but I'm guessing JJ's text has to do with getting Paige and Hannah to the surprise party.

Not yet. Doug suggested taking Hannah and her parents out for ice cream to try to diffuse some tension between Valerie and David. We'll have that mini-party before the real party

[heroicmuse]

Week 238 - 3

David smiled sadly as he looked at the memorial plaque for Tom and Alice. “This town sure has changed since I was last here. This is all we have left of my great-grandparents, huh?”

Rory nodded. “Julie gets teary eyed too sometimes when she comes out here. She’s got books and books of photos too. I told her I could get them onto the computer for her but she doesn’t want it. She says some things should stay the way they used to be.” David nodded and Rory said, “Why’d you take off, anyway? Something huge must have happened cause every year at Christmas she takes out your ornament and says she wishes this was the year you were here with us.”

David bit his lip. “I don’t want to speak badly of her to you. She’s clearly been far better to you than she was to me.” He crossed his arms. “Mom’s not a terrible person. She’s big hearted and generous, but she’s also… well, she has to have it her way and I wasn’t built for having it any way but mine, I guess.”

“You two are two peas in a dish or however it goes,” Rory said. “That’s what your problem is.”

David looked him up and down. “No offense, cause I think you’re a cool dude so far, but how the hell did my mother ever accept a long-haired ex-stoner as her son?”

“It took some doing,” Rory said, “but once I heard she might be up for taking me in, I didn’t give up. I mean, at first it was kinda hard cause she had her ideas that didn’t fit me, ‘specially about me dating Marissa. And no way in hell was I gonna let her decide that. But I couldn’t be too mad at her cause no matter how irritating she can be, she’s still a hell of a lot better than the so-called mom that wrote me off forever before I was even out of high school.” Rory’s face trembled. “Til I crossed paths with Julie I didn’t think I got to have a family. JJ was always blowing me off to go hang with his mom or his sister or this one and that one and me, all I had was a loser brother who’d put booze over me any day of the week. N-not that I didn’t love Kurt, no one else misses him but him being gone left a hole in my life and I wish he could see me now. But without Julie and Doug… I’d either be locked up or six feet under. So next time she gets under your skin, just remember there’s way worse things than a mom who’s always in your space.”

David was quiet for a second. ”I’ll try,” he said. “There’s a lot more to what went wrong between me and my mother than - “

Just then, Hannah came running up to him. “There you are!” she said. “We’re ready for ice cream, are you coming?”

“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Rory said. “Though I gotta be careful, I’m only supposed to get the kind that doesn’t have sugar in it.”

“That can be arranged,” David said. “Come on, little brother. Let’s go.”


Sarah glared at Melissa as she came into her hospital room. “Come to gloat, did you?”

“Amazing,” Melissa said, crossing her arms. “You’re the same sober as you are drunk, accusing me of being a horrible sister who hates you. I’m starting to think you hate me. Either that or you’re just an ungrateful bitch.”

Sarah’s eyes filled with tears. “You don’t mean that.” She rubbed her stomach. “I don’t feel good after overdoing it last night, I’m not exactly in the mood for you standing there telling me how I was supposed to stay sober while Mom and Victor were here. I screwed up again. I get it! God, do I get it.” She breathed in sharply, then grabbed a bedpan just in case. “Between being all pukey and this stupid bump on the head…”

“You’re lucky, you know,” Melissa said. “You were just mugged, you could have been kidnapped or worse, you could have been found dead in that alley.”

Sarah bit her lip. “It takes a lot more than some dumbass mugger to kill me.” She rubbed the back of her head. “Though it was kind of scary waking up and not knowing where I was or what happened to me. If some guy working over there hadn’t wanted to be a Good Samaritan…”

Melissa frowned. “Some stranger rescued you?”

“Sort of. I mean, I was smart enough to bang on the door and insist he let me in and then called 911 for me. I think.” She frowned. “Come to think of it, I didn’t see a single cop, not that I want to see them, but I was mugged so…”

Melissa had a look on her face that was halfway between an angry scowl and utter confusion.

“What?” Sarah said.

“Nothing. Just, I wonder if your good Samaritan was a random person.”

“Of course he was. What else would he be?”

Melissa remembered the look on Victor’s face when Maggie told him not to resort to violence to solve this. “Nothing. I just had a weird feeling for a minute. Anyway, how are you, besides hungover?”

“Like you don’t know.” Sarah’s tone was suddenly bitter. “I’m sure the doctor told you all about how I can’t drink anymore.”

“He didn’t, actually. He said he could only talk to Mom. I left Victor in the waiting room by himself to come see you.” Melissa sat down. “Talk to me, Sare. What’s going on?”

Sarah bit her lip. “The doctor showed me some sort of liver scan. He said it was mine but I’m not sure Victor didn’t pay him to say that.”

That might not be far from the truth, Melissa thought. “Why would he do that?” she asked cautiously.

“I don’t know. Because he’s Victor Kiriakis.” Sarah picked up her pillow and hugged it to herself. “Anyway, this scan, if it was even real, showed that my liver is a-all swollen.The doctor said I have to stop drinking or it’ll never go back to normal and I’ll… I’ll get really sick.” Sarah grabbed Melissa’s hand. “It’s not true, is it, Melissa? It can’t be, it has to be phony. Right?”

“How should I know?” Melissa asked. “I’m not a doctor.” She crossed her arms again. “Maybe you should stop drinking, at least for now. You know, so you can see if the doctor’s right.”

Sarah played with her pillow, thinking. “I don’t mind giving it up most of the time. I don’t have to drink every day. But I should be able to have one once in a while, like on the weekends or something.”

“Sarah. Your liver is swollen. You can’t - “

“I told you, that’s a lie! Victor made the doctor say that!”

“He did no such thing,” Maggie said, coming in, “and if that’s what you think, you’re in worse shape than I thought. You have liver disease from drinking, Sarah! Now what are you going to do about it?”


In the waiting room, Victor sighed deeply. “I have every intention of being there for you during Charley’s surgery. However, I may need to be there from afar. I have yet to ask Maggie her opinion, but I suspect she will need me by her side for a while longer. Besides, I have to make sure that the investment I made recently will pay off.”

“What are you talking about?” Philip asked. “Do I even want to know?”

“Most likely not, but I will tell you once I am back in Salem.”

“Which won’t be until long after Charley is out of the hospital, right?” Philip crossed his arms. “Look, Dad, the last thing I want is to be petty, but I would appreciate it if you would put me first for once in your life.”

“Philip - “

“There’s Chloe with Charley,” Philip said. “I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up without another word.


Horowitz sighed deeply as she looked over Bev’s statement.

She’d taken Bev to the bus stop down the street, the same one that Hannah had been standing in front of when she was arrested. There were a few people sitting on the bench, but Horowitz flashed her badge and said, “I need this area for just a minute.”

“How we supposed to get the bus?” someone complained.

“You can stand right on the other side,” Horowitz said. “I just need this bench.”

People grumbled, but they moved.

“Now,” Horowitz said, putting her arm around Bev. “I’m going to record your statement in a second, but first, are you all right?”

“Y-yeah,” Bev stammered. “I mean, I didn’t get hurt. It’s just… w-when I saw cops pointing their guns or whatever it… for a second I remembered when Jeff shot me.”

Horowitz nodded. “I know that had to have been scary. I’m sorry that some of my fellow officers felt it was best to draw their weapons.” She squeezed Bev’s shoulder.

There was a knock on the glass. Bev flinched, then looked. “Oh. That’s just Rebecca. T-the friend I was trying to have coffee with.”

Horowitz beckoned Rebecca over. When Rebecca came in, she told her, “Your friend seems all right, just shaken up. I’m just going to take her statement and have an EMT check for any injuries.”

“I don't have time!” Bev said. “I’m supposed to be at Mason’s school in 20 minutes, if I’m late she definitely won't admit him.”

“It’s okay,” Rebecca said. “We can spin this so she understands.” She turned towards Horowitz. “I saw the whole thing. Bev went up to the protesters to ask them what was going on and this girl got in her face and started shouting that she didn't care because she’s white. God, what is wrong with some people? Don't they realize that doing crap like that defeats the purpose of airing whatever grievance they have?”

“Couldn't tell you that,” Horowitz said. “Bev, I need your version of events.”

“It’s like Rebecca said. This girl started screaming at me and everyone kind of followed her lead and then you guys showed up and arrested that lady with the megaphone and that made them madder. T-they weren't going to back off b-but then the girl who started it ran away and the rest of them gave in.”

Horowitz nodded. “We’re going to look at our bodycam footage and see if we can ID her, but in the meantime, tell me what you remember about this girl who started all the trouble. What did she look like?”

“Tall,” Bev said. “She had light brown skin and her hair was tied back in a tight ponytail.”

Horowitz wrote that down. “How old, about?”

Bev shrugged. “I suck at guessing ages. She was my age or maybe a little older, I guess.”

“Either of you ever seen her before?”

Bev frowned. “She seemed familiar but I’m not sure where I’ve seen her.”

“Yeah, me too.” Rebecca crossed her arms. “I wonder if she was a defendant recently. I’m a social worker for the courts so I run across a lot of them.”

Horowitz shook her head now. “I hate that Bev got caught in the middle of this and that 50 people went to jail when none of this would have happened if it wasn't for that manager calling us on Hannah Martin over the color of her skin in the first place. And the protester who caused all the trouble got away.” She flipped a page. “At least we know who she is, but still. This whole thing sucks.”

There was a knock on the wall by her desk and then Prescott came around the corner. “You look like you could use a break.”

“I don't know what I need.” Horowitz rubbed her temples. “You work out of East Salem. You got any ideas how we can make things better between here and there so we don't keep having situations like this?”

“Maybe,” Prescott said. “Let’s discuss it someplace that’s not here. How’s that sound?”

“I guess.” Horowitz logged out of her computer and got up. Prescott held out his hand. She took it and let him lead her out of the office.

[André DiMera]

It’s so nice to see David and Rory getting to know each other!

I doubt Sarah’s gonna listen to either Maggie or Melissa, but I’m glad they’re trying to impress upon her how serious this is. Somehow, I doubt the scan is fake, but we’ll see. I understand Philip’s frustration.

Glad Jamie and Horowitz are gonna talk about this. That must have been so hard for Bev. I’m glad they know that Paula did it, even though they didn’t catch her.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

I agree with Philip. It would be nice if Victor put Philip first for once, especially now when his baby daughter is undergoing surgery.

[heroicmuse]

Week 238 - 4

Roman leaned forward. “Look,” he said, “if you wanna come after me for not lookin’ as close as I needed at that arrest, fine. I dropped the ball, I’ll pay the price. But don’t you dare try makin’ up a bunch of hogwash and passin’ it off as facts, not when you know I’ve put 30 years into this police force and all that time I put my heart and soul into tryin’ to make Salem a safer place for everyone. And I mean everyone.”

“I see.” Agent Maxwell kept her voice neutral. “Are you or are you not saying that you told Officer Wolfe not to bother with the bodycam footage?”

“I’m saying that I don’t remember whether I said that or not, and when I say I don’t remember, it doesn’t mean I don’t wanna admit to it. It means I don’t remember. Now we can go around in circles or we can move on. Which is it gonna be?”

Agent Maxwell’s eyes narrowed. “I think you’re forgetting which side of that table you’re on, Commissioner.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That said, there is no point to this line of questioning so I suppose we have to move on. If you had said it, is there any conceivable explanation you could give me that would make some sort of sense?”

“Yeah, there is. Now like I said I don’t remember the specifics but I do know one thing. My main focus was the Larson murder. I was closing the net around what I thought was a guilty suspect and I didn’t have time to think about anything else, and certainly not a crime as minor as what Hannah Martin was arrested for.”

“Let’s talk about that. You were focused 100% on Paige Larson, a suspect who turned out not to have had anything to do with the crime. What made you so sure that this suspect was guilty?”

Roman sighed. “The evidence seemed to be pointing that way. She had no alibi, there was bad blood between her and the defendant, and we had hair and other circumstantial evidence that could have pointed to her. And on top of that, my grandson decided to be an idiot and text Paige suggesting she destroy a scarf that looked like the murder weapon. So pretty much if we took Paige’s personality out of the equation it added up to murder.”

“So your grandson told Ms. Larson to destroy evidence he knew you would want to see, and that is what led directly to Ms. Larson’s arrest, is that correct?”

Roman nodded. “We got a warrant to search Ms. Larson’s things and her fireplace at home. Abe found the scarf and I found fibers in her fireplace that suggested she had attempted to burn the scarf.”

“Ms. Larson was charged with attempting to destroy evidence in addition to murder, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And your grandson was not charged with anything in relation to this incident even though he told Ms. Larson to destroy that scarf?”

Roman hesitated. “No.”

“Why was that, Commissioner?”

Roman was silent, thinking. “We’d got what we thought was the murderer, we figured justice was done.”

“Really. So it didn’t have anything to do with Will Horton being your grandson?”

Roman’s eyes narrowed. “That’s got nothing to do with how I do my job. The law’s the law. Paige Larson is my sister’s granddaughter. That makes us family too. But I didn’t blink before giving Abe Carver the go-ahead to track her down and arrest her.”

“You certainly didn’t. And she spent 90 days in jail for hiding a scarf that turned out to be completely irrelevant to the Jill Larson murder case. Tell me, Commissioner. Do you have any regrets over the way you handled this case?”

“Course I do. I hate that Paige was locked up for 90 days over something she had nothing to do with and that I was so damn stubborn I didn’t see anything other than what I wanted to see.”

“Did you investigate other suspects, or did you focus exclusively on Ms. Larson?”

Roman stared down at the table. “Sad to say I focused in on Paige Larson even after Hope told me there was evidence Zoe Browning was framing her.” Roman sighed deeply. “That girl’s never gonna be the same cause I was neglectful and I hope it doesn’t cost me my badge but if it does… I understand.”

Agent Maxwell crossed her arms. “Two girls spent far too much time behind bars because of your neglect, Commissioner. Two girls. Not one. Paige Larson did 3 months for a murder she didn’t commit and Hannah Martin spent nearly a year behind bars for an open container while the girl who bought her the beer got away scot-free. And both of those girls lost their freedom in part because you didn’t do your job as thoroughly as you might. That cannot go unpunished. But before I decide what to do about this, I have one more question for you.”

“What’s that?”

“You have a ton of regret when it comes to Paige Larson’s unjust incarceration. But tell me, Commissioner Brady: do you have any at all when it comes to Hannah Martin’s?”


JJ leaned his phone on his ear. “No way!” he said. “You’re okay, though? That’s good to hear. Listen, I’m meeting my cousin Hannah for the first time down at the ice cream shop, she just got out of jail today. You wanna come down? Oh. Hey, good luck. And let us know what happens.”

He hung up the phone as Hannah and her family came in along with Paige and Rory. JJ waved them over and said to Paige, “Bev call you too?”

“Bev?” Paige said. She frowned, looking at her phone. “Oh, she did. I must have been so busy catching up with Squeaky I didn’t hear the phone. Anyway, you obviously have news but first there’s someone I want you to meet.” She put her arm around Hannah. “This is your cousin Hannah, aka Squeaky. Squeaky, this is my amazing boyfriend JJ.”

Hannah looked away, her cheeks reddening. “Hi,” she said, shyly. “It… it’s nice to meet you in person.”

They shook hands and JJ said, “How you doing now that you’re out?”

Hannah sank down into her seat. “I don’t know. At first it was amazing and meeting Grandma Julie and everybody was more than I could have ever asked for but now it feels like too much.”

Paige patted her hand. “I understand how you feel. It was overwhelming for me at first too. JJ took me out to dinner to celebrate and the idea of actually getting to decide what I wanted to eat was too much for me and then all the people…”

JJ squeezed her shoulder. “I told you,” he said to Hannah, “we got a huge family. Any time you need a break, just say the word.”

“Thanks.” Hannah bit her lip. “Um, so Paige told me you play the guitar?”

“It’s just a hobby,” JJ said. “When I was a kid I thought it was gonna be something else but it didn’t turn out that way.”

“But he’s really good,” Paige said. “You two should do something together. Squeaky sings, JJ, you should hear her.”

“But not in the middle of the ice cream parlor, I hope,” Valerie said. “Anyone know what kind of ice cream they want?”

“I do,” Hannah said. “Five scoops of mint chocolate chip with that hot fudge sauce and caramel too.”

“Someone’s eyes are bigger than her stomach,” Julie interjected. “You’ll be eating that for a week, darling.”

“Let her indulge,” Doug said. “She deserves it after what she’s been through. Besides, what she leaves over I’ll take.”

“Here,” Valerie said. She took some slips of paper out of a container on the table. “Everyone write what you want and Julie and I will take care of turning these in.”

Everyone did. Julie said, "We'll need more hands than this." Valerie gave David a look and he sighed and said, "Rory, about how you and me take up the slack?"

"I guess." Rory stood. "You'd better tell me if I miss anything good," he told JJ. 

Everyone left and Paige said to JJ, “What were you saying about Bev?”

Just then, the door chimed. Hannah turned automatically as someone came in. Then she gasped and grabbed onto the table, her eyes wide with fear.

It was cops. Two of them, a guy and a girl. They were talking to each other and not paying any attention to her, but Hannah couldn’t help staring at the cuffs and guns on their belts and praying they didn’t look her way.


Sydney had put her head down on the kitchen table and cried until she had no tears left. Then she just sat there, trying to make herself cry more. It wasn’t fair! Johnny was the one who told her to try to steal the mints and she wasn’t even going to. And her mom was always on her side, but this time she was mean.

“I want Mommy Nicole,” Sydney whimpered. She got up and tiptoed across the room. Maybe she could call Mommy Nicole from the big phone in the kitchen without getting caught.

She heard footsteps and then a thud in the dining room as she made it to the landline. Instead of calling, she opened the kitchen door a crack and watched.

Johnny was sitting at the table, his arms crossed.

“Oh, we are going to talk about this,” Sami said. “As it happens, I learned a thing or two about police interrogations from Grandpa. So you can either start talking now or things can get much worse for you. Which is it going to be?”

Ha ha, Johnny’s in trouble, Sydney thought, but the crazy look in Mommy’s eyes scared her too.


Emily sat cross-legged on her bed, organizing her notes so she could study for her History of Journalism test. She kept looking over her shoulder at the dorm room door, but it stayed stubbornly closed.

“It doesn’t matter how late Alison is to meet me,” she said to herself. “It’s not like she got mugged again, she just is out late with Kelsey. I’d better get used to it.” She bit her lip and went back to studying.

After a second, she took out her phone and started scrolling mindlessly through PalPage instead.

There was an ad in the middle of the screen for some dating app, featuring people with wide smiles and perfect teeth.

“Yeah, right,” Emily said to herself and kept scrolling. But then she scrolled back up and stared at it. “Maybe this wouldn’t hurt,” she said to herself. “I mean, I’m the only one of all my friends who doesn’t have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, and if these people don’t work out maybe some of them will become friends.”

She hit install.

Just then, a key turned in the lock. Emily put her phone down and pretended to be studying.

“Sorry I’m late,” Alison said. She collapsed onto her bed. “I, um…” She twisted her ring. “Can I talk to you?”

“About what?” Emily put her notes aside, concerned.

“About something you’re totally not going to be objective about but that I really need you to be.” Alison played with her ring some more. “I… something weird happened with Kelsey and I don’t know what to make of it. So can you put aside how much you hate her and give me some advice?”


Ciara crossed her arms but said nothing. Hope said, “We’re waiting, Ciara.”

“Fine.” Ciara kicked her feet against the bottom of the couch. “In case you don’t know, you shouldn’t talk back to cops. That girl was stupid enough to argue with them and she went to jail forever over a stupid open container.”

“I could do without the snark, but all right,” Aiden said. “I’m gonna add this to it. What happened to Hannah Martin was unfair. The way she tried to explain herself rubbed the cops the wrong way and they used their discretion to haul her off to jail when it wasn’t necessary. That’s part of what I want you to both to get. If you’re ever in trouble, either of you, don’t talk your way into more of it. Tell them you want a lawyer and then zip your lips.” He gave Ciara a look.

“What?” Ciara said.

“You have a serious case of loose lips,” Aiden said. “We’ve talked to you about gossiping I don’t know how many times. If the cops ever want to question you for any reason, that’s gonna need to change in a hurry.”

“They won’t,” Ciara smirked. “They wouldn’t dare, not when Mom’s practically the commissioner.”

“I am not,” Hope said. “That’s a thankless job that I don’t want. Ever. And honestly, Ciara, that second chance you got at school is your only get-out-of-jail-free card. If you keep breaking the law - “

“Blah blah blah.” Ciara crossed her arms. “While I was sitting in court I heard Hannah’s mother talking. She thinks Hannah will never forgive her for letting her stay in jail. So you shouldn’t try it either.”

Hope raised an eyebrow. “Ciara Alice.”

“What?” Ciara said. “I’m just saying.”

“And I’m just saying go to your room!” Hope snapped. “Right now. And when you’re done thinking about how to talk to your mother, you can write me an apology letter.”

“Whatever,” Ciara said, but she left.

Chase was still sitting on the couch, his eyes wide with fear. Aiden said, “Go practice your guitar. I need to talk to Hope.”

“‘K.” Chase slid off the couch. “Ciara isn’t really going to end up in jail, is she?”

“We hope not,” Aiden said. “Try not to worry.”

Chase left. Hope said to Aiden, “What is going on with my daughter?”

Aiden shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s feeling left out cause Chase is seeing a shrink and she’s not.”

“Maybe it’s not a bad idea.” Hope shook her head. “This isn’t just normal teenage rebellion. This is… I don’t know what it is, but something’s wrong.”

Aiden’s phone rang. “Hold that thought,” he said, frowning. “I need to take this.”

“Right now?”

“I’ll only be a minute, I promise.” Aiden walked off.

Hope glared at the space he was just in. "So much for being in this together." She picked up her own phone and looked at a photo of her with Ciara, shaking her head.

Roman leaned forward. “Look,” he said, “if you wanna come after me for not lookin’ as close as I needed at that arrest, fine. I dropped the ball, I’ll pay the price. But don’t you dare try makin’ up a bunch of hogwash and passin’ it off as facts, not when you know I’ve put 30 years into this police force and all that time I put my heart and soul into tryin’ to make Salem a safer place for everyone. And I mean everyone.”

“I see.” Agent Maxwell kept her voice neutral. “Are you or are you not saying that you told Officer Wolfe not to bother with the bodycam footage?”

“I’m saying that I don’t remember whether I said that or not, and when I say I don’t remember, it doesn’t mean I don’t wanna admit to it. It means I don’t remember. Now we can go around in circles or we can move on. Which is it gonna be?”

Agent Maxwell’s eyes narrowed. “I think you’re forgetting which side of that table you’re on, Commissioner.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That said, there is no point to this line of questioning so I suppose we have to move on. If you had said it, is there any conceivable explanation you could give me that would make some sort of sense?”

“Yeah, there is. Now like I said I don’t remember the specifics but I do know one thing. My main focus was the Larson murder. I was closing the net around what I thought was a guilty suspect and I didn’t have time to think about anything else, and certainly not a crime as minor as what Hannah Martin was arrested for.”

“Let’s talk about that. You were focused 100% on Paige Larson, a suspect who turned out not to have had anything to do with the crime. What made you so sure that this suspect was guilty?”

Roman sighed. “The evidence seemed to be pointing that way. She had no alibi, there was bad blood between her and the defendant, and we had hair and other circumstantial evidence that could have pointed to her. And on top of that, my grandson decided to be an idiot and text Paige suggesting she destroy a scarf that looked like the murder weapon. So pretty much if we took Paige’s personality out of the equation it added up to murder.”

“So your grandson told Ms. Larson to destroy evidence he knew you would want to see, and that is what led directly to Ms. Larson’s arrest, is that correct?”

Roman nodded. “We got a warrant to search Ms. Larson’s things and her fireplace at home. Abe found the scarf and I found fibers in her fireplace that suggested she had attempted to burn the scarf.”

“Ms. Larson was charged with attempting to destroy evidence in addition to murder, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And your grandson was not charged with anything in relation to this incident even though he told Ms. Larson to destroy that scarf?”

Roman hesitated. “No.”

“Why was that, Commissioner?”

Roman was silent, thinking. “We’d got what we thought was the murderer, we figured justice was done.”

“Really. So it didn’t have anything to do with Will Horton being your grandson?”

Roman’s eyes narrowed. “That’s got nothing to do with how I do my job. The law’s the law. Paige Larson is my sister’s granddaughter. That makes us family too. But I didn’t blink before giving Abe Carver the go-ahead to track her down and arrest her.”

“You certainly didn’t. And she spent 90 days in jail for hiding a scarf that turned out to be completely irrelevant to the Jill Larson murder case. Tell me, Commissioner. Do you have any regrets over the way you handled this case?”

“Course I do. I hate that Paige was locked up for 90 days over something she had nothing to do with and that I was so damn stubborn I didn’t see anything other than what I wanted to see.”

“Did you investigate other suspects, or did you focus exclusively on Ms. Larson?”

Roman stared down at the table. “Sad to say I focused in on Paige Larson even after Hope told me there was evidence Zoe Browning was framing her.” Roman sighed deeply. “That girl’s never gonna be the same cause I was neglectful and I hope it doesn’t cost me my badge but if it does… I understand.”

Agent Maxwell crossed her arms. “Two girls spent far too much time behind bars because of your neglect, Commissioner. Two girls. Not one. Paige Larson did 3 months for a murder she didn’t commit and Hannah Martin spent nearly a year behind bars for an open container while the girl who bought her the beer got away scot-free. And both of those girls lost their freedom in part because you didn’t do your job as thoroughly as you might. That cannot go unpunished. But before I decide what to do about this, I have one more question for you.”

“What’s that?”

“You have a ton of regret when it comes to Paige Larson’s unjust incarceration. But tell me, Commissioner Brady: do you have any at all when it comes to Hannah Martin’s?”


JJ leaned his phone on his ear. “No way!” he said. “You’re okay, though? That’s good to hear. Listen, I’m meeting my cousin Hannah for the first time down at the ice cream shop, she just got out of jail today. You wanna come down? Oh. Hey, good luck. And let us know what happens.”

He hung up the phone as Hannah and her family came in along with Paige and Rory. JJ waved them over and said to Paige, “Bev call you too?”

“Bev?” Paige said. She frowned, looking at her phone. “Oh, she did. I must have been so busy catching up with Squeaky I didn’t hear the phone. Anyway, you obviously have news but first there’s someone I want you to meet.” She put her arm around Hannah. “This is your cousin Hannah, aka Squeaky. Squeaky, this is my amazing boyfriend JJ.”

Hannah looked away, her cheeks reddening. “Hi,” she said, shyly. “It… it’s nice to meet you in person.”

They shook hands and JJ said, “How you doing now that you’re out?”

Hannah sank down into her seat. “I don’t know. At first it was amazing and meeting Grandma Julie and everybody was more than I could have ever asked for but now it feels like too much.”

Paige patted her hand. “I understand how you feel. It was overwhelming for me at first too. JJ took me out to dinner to celebrate and the idea of actually getting to decide what I wanted to eat was too much for me and then all the people…”

JJ squeezed her shoulder. “I told you,” he said to Hannah, “we got a huge family. Any time you need a break, just say the word.”

“Thanks.” Hannah bit her lip. “Um, so Paige told me you play the guitar?”

“It’s just a hobby,” JJ said. “When I was a kid I thought it was gonna be something else but it didn’t turn out that way.”

“But he’s really good,” Paige said. “You two should do something together. Squeaky sings, JJ, you should hear her.”

“But not in the middle of the ice cream parlor, I hope,” Valerie said. “Anyone know what kind of ice cream they want?”

“I do,” Hannah said. “Three scoops of mint chocolate chip with that hot fudge sauce and caramel too.”

“Someone’s eyes are bigger than her stomach,” Julie interjected. “You’ll be eating that for a week, darling.”

“Let her indulge,” Doug said. “She deserves it after what she’s been through. Besides, what she leaves over I’ll take.”

“Here,” Valerie said. She took some slips of paper out of a container on the table. “Everyone write what you want and Julie and I will take care of turning these in.”

Everyone did. Valerie and Julie left and Paige said to JJ, “What were you saying about Bev?”

Just then, the door chimed. Hannah turned automatically as someone came in. Then she gasped and grabbed onto the table, her eyes wide with fear.

It was cops. Two of them, a guy and a girl. They were talking to each other and not paying any attention to her, but Hannah couldn’t help staring at the cuffs and guns on their belts and praying they didn’t look her way.


Sydney had put her head down on the kitchen table and cried until she had no tears left. Then she just sat there, trying to make herself cry more. It wasn’t fair! Johnny was the one who told her to try to steal the mints and she wasn’t even going to. And her mom was always on her side, but this time she was mean.

“I want Mommy Nicole,” Sydney whimpered. She got up and tiptoed across the room. Maybe she could call Mommy Nicole from the big phone in the kitchen without getting caught.
She heard footsteps and then a thud in the dining room as she made it to the landline. Instead of calling, she opened the kitchen door a crack and watched.

Johnny was sitting at the table, his arms crossed.

“Oh, we are going to talk about this,” Sami said. “As it happens, I learned a thing or two about police interrogations from Grandpa. So you can either start talking now or things can get much worse for you. Which is it going to be?”

Ha ha, Johnny’s in trouble, Sydney thought, but the crazy look in Mommy’s eyes scared her too.


Emily sat cross-legged on her bed, organizing her notes so she could study for her History of Journalism test. She kept looking over her shoulder at the dorm room door, but it stayed stubbornly closed.

“It doesn’t matter how late Alison is to meet me,” she said to herself. “It’s not like she got mugged again, she just is out late with Kelsey. I’d better get used to it.” She bit her lip and went back to studying.

After a second, she took out her phone and started scrolling mindlessly through PalPage instead.

There was an ad in the middle of the screen for some dating app, featuring people with wide smiles and perfect teeth.

“Yeah, right,” Emily said to herself and kept scrolling. But then she scrolled back up and stared at it. “Maybe this wouldn’t hurt,” she said to herself. “I mean, I’m the only one of all my friends who doesn’t have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, and if these people don’t work out maybe some of them will become friends.”

She hit install.

Just then, a key turned in the lock. Emily put her phone down and pretended to be studying.

“Sorry I’m late,” Alison said. She collapsed onto her bed. “I, um…” She twisted her ring. “Can I talk to you?”

“About what?” Emily put her notes aside, concerned.

“About something you’re totally not going to be objective about but that I really need you to be.” Alison played with her ring some more. “I… something weird happened with Kelsey and I don’t know what to make of it. So can you put aside how much you hate her and give me some advice?”


Ciara crossed her arms but said nothing. Hope said, “We’re waiting, Ciara.”

“Fine.” Ciara kicked her feet against the bottom of the couch. “In case you don’t know, you shouldn’t talk back to cops. That girl was stupid enough to argue with them and she went to jail forever over a stupid open container.”

“I could do without the snark, but all right,” Aiden said. “I’m gonna add this to it. What happened to Hannah Martin was unfair. The way she tried to explain herself rubbed the cops the wrong way and they used their discretion to haul her off to jail when it wasn’t necessary. That’s part of what I want you to both to get. If you’re ever in trouble, either of you, don’t talk your way into more of it. Tell them you want a lawyer and then zip your lips.” He gave Ciara a look.

“What?” Ciara said.

“You have a serious case of loose lips,” Aiden said. “We’ve talked to you about gossiping I don’t know how many times. If the cops ever want to question you for any reason, that’s gonna need to change in a hurry.”

“They won’t,” Ciara smirked. “They wouldn’t dare, not when Mom’s practically the commissioner.”

“I am not,” Hope said. “That’s a thankless job that I don’t want. Ever. And honestly, Ciara, that second chance you got at school is your only get-out-of-jail-free card. If you keep breaking the law - “

“Blah blah blah.” Ciara crossed her arms. “While I was sitting in court I heard Hannah’s mother talking. She thinks Hannah will never forgive her for letting her stay in jail. So you shouldn’t try it either.”

Hope raised an eyebrow. “Ciara Alice.”

“What?” Ciara said. “I’m just saying.”

“And I’m just saying go to your room!” Hope snapped. “Right now. And when you’re done thinking about how to talk to your mother, you can write me an apology letter.”

“Whatever,” Ciara said, but she left.

Chase was still sitting on the couch, his eyes wide with fear. Aiden said, “Go practice your guitar. I need to talk to Hope.”

“‘K.” Chase slid off the couch. “Ciara isn’t really going to end up in jail, is she?”

“We hope not,” Aiden said. “Try not to worry.”

Chase left. Hope said to Aiden, “What is going on with my daughter?”

Aiden shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s feeling left out cause Chase is seeing a shrink and she’s not.”

“Maybe it’s not a bad idea.” Hope shook her head. “This isn’t just normal teenage rebellion. This is… I don’t know what it is, but something’s wrong.”

Aiden’s phone rang. “Hold that thought,” he said, frowning. “I need to take this.”

“Right now?”

“I’ll only be a minute, I promise.” Aiden walked off.

[André DiMera]

I’m so glad Maxwell is saying all of this to Roman! Even though he says he regrets it, I don’t think he really understands just how badly he screwed up Paige and Hannah’s lives. Of course, there are others who are more to blame, but it wouldn’t have even gotten this far if Roman had done his job.

Glad J.J. finally got to properly meet Hannah! I hope the cops don’t do anything.

This has got to be hard for Sydney. Interested to see what Sami actually does to Johnny.

Hopefully Emily can help Alison.

Ciara definitely needs to drop the attitude. She hasn’t learned anything at all from almost being expelled. I hope Hope and Aiden find some way to get through to her.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 238 - 5

“I’ll tell you the whole story later,” JJ told Paige, “but for now you gotta know - “

Just then Paige noticed Hannah out of the corner of her eye. Hanah was grabbing onto the table and gasping for breath. “Squeaky!” Paige said. “What’s wrong?”

Hannah could barely speak. Her eyes were wide with fear and she stammered, “C-cops. Over there. We gotta…”

Paige put her arm around Hannah. “I understand,” she whispered. “It scares me too when I see them. But they’re not after you this time, I promise.”

“You don’t understand.” Hannah’s voice shook and she felt embarrassed cause everyone in the whole ice cream parlor was looking at her. Please don’t let my mom and Grandma Julie see me like this, she thought. PLEASE! “I’m on probation, I gotta follow a billion rules and m-maybe I broke one already without realizing, maybe I wasn’t even supposed to go in Grandma Julie’s car or something.”

“Ssh…” Paige said. “Just breathe, it’s okay. I have Aiden’s number on speed dial, if they come anywhere near us I’ll call him and if I can’t get him I’ll get Mr. Berger, okay?”

“Want me to go distract them?” JJ asked. “I gotta ask Horowitz something about this protest Bev got caught in the middle of anyway.”

Hannah blinked back tears. She’d forgot JJ was there and now her cousin was going to think she was weak. “P-protest?”

JJ nodded. “A hell of a lot of people are mad about what happened to you, they were outside the S-Mart stopping people from going in there and it got kinda ugly.”

Hannah made herself breathe deeply but she still couldn’t get a handle on the anxiety. “T-they don’t think I told them…”

“I’m sure they don’t,” Paige said. “JJ’ll get the story out of the cops. You just sit here with me, okay?”

Hannah nodded.

JJ left. Paige squeezed Hannah’s shoulders and said, “My therapist told me when I get all freaked out, it can help to look around the room and remind myself that I’m not in jail anymore.”

“L-long as I don’t look in the cops’ direction,” Hannah said. She made herself take a few deep breaths. Her body began to relax and she sat up straight, feeling like herself again. “I wanna keep my eye on those cops just in case,” she said, “but I’m okay now, I guess.” She looked away, embarrassed. “This ever gonna get better?” she asked. “Cause I can’t take the anxiety. Feeling all hopeless is bad enough, but it’s better than having my nerves all on edge every second.”

“It’ll start to get better once you’re used to being out,” Paige promised. “The guards in jail were terrible to both of us, it takes time to get used to the idea that you’re not being watched by people who want an excuse to punish you.”

“Yeah,” Hannah said, “except I still am. This probation’s like being in jail while you’re out on the street, one wrong move and it’s back to the police station in handcuffs.”

Paige patted her hand. “I know how you feel. I mean, my probation isn’t nearly as bad, I just have to go to therapy every week for the next year. But JJ had to convince me that the nightmare was over and that I wasn’t going to get arrested again the second I set foot outside the house. In fact, I still haven’t driven a car, not once, because every time I’m about to get behind the wheel I get scared about getting pulled over and arrested all over again.”

Hannah gulped. “They made me put my mom’s car on that paper I had to fill out,” she said. “My lawyer said I could go back to jail if I drive anyone else’s.”

“That’s a stupid rule,” Paige said. “It’s bad enough you were arrested the first time for something ridiculous, borrowing a car shouldn’t be against the law.”

“Tell me about it.” Hannah played with her watch. “Those cops still here?”

“JJ’s talking to them. Don’t worry, they’re not coming this way.”

“Right.” Hannah looked down at the table. “Can you not tell my mom and grandma I freaked out? Especially my grandma. I want her to think good things about me.”

“Oh, Squeaky,” Paige said softly. “I’m sure she does.”

“Please?” Squeaky begged. “I can’t take her knowing.”

“Knowing what?” Valerie asked as she and Julie came back with trays full of ice cream. She frowned as she looked from Paige to Hannah.


Bev sat in the reception area in the principal’s office, tapping her fingers on her knees impatiently.

“Sorry we didn’t get to have coffee or anything,” Bev said as she pressed the button to open her car door, “but you wanted to get to know me, and boy did you. Now you know that I’m a magnet for disaster and probably not the kind of person you trust to ever watch your kid if he and Mason were to have a play date. And - “

“Bev,” Rebecca said. “Stop. This wasn’t your fault.”

“Right,” Bev said, trying to keep her voice even and failing.

Rebecca said, “Hey. It sucks this happened, but I still want to get to know you. I’m not some weirdo who’s going to ask you to let me take you to your appointment when we barely know each other, but I do want to give you my phone number so that we can make plans another time. And you can feel free to reach out any time, okay?”

“Okay,” Bev said. “Thanks.” She took her phone out of her purse. “Mine’s 773--555-1612.”

Rebecca typed that into her phone. “Okay,, you should have a text from me.” She smiled slightly. “Tell me later how the meeting went.”

“I can already tell you how it’s going to go,” Bev said to herself now. “Crappy, that’s how.” She sighed and put her head in her hands.

Just then, the door opened. “Ms. Walters?” the receptionist said. “Mrs. Lockridge will see you now.”




Judge Thorpe had gone back to his chambers in the courthouse to continue going over his files.

His clerk came in. “There’s a police officer here to see you with a warrant request, your Honor.”

“Send him in,” Thorpe said, rubbing his temples.

A second later, Rafe came in. “Judge Thorpe,” he said. “So we meet again.”

“We certainly do,” Thorpe said. “I hope you actually have a warrant request and not more inane questions for me about my friend’s unfortunate situation.”

“I do, actually,” Rafe said. He took a paper out of a folder. “Abe Carver asked me to bring this to you for your signature.”

Thorpe put on his reading glasses. “To any peace officer: you are commanded to arrest and bring before the Salem County Court the below named person: PAULA RUTH JEFFERSON…” His eyes widened and he looked pale for a second. He took a sip of water to cover, then went on, “to answer charges of: assault against Beverly Ann Walters, disturbing the peace, and evading a police officer,” He raised his eyebrows. “Really? Do you have evidence other than Ms. Walters’ statement?”

“It’s all in there,” Rafe said. “We got 50 people cooling their heels in cells over at the police station who aren’t too happy that she’s not with them cause she was part of the same protest that got out of hand that they were. Beverly Walters was just walking by and Ms. Jefferson instigated an attack against her. We also got body cam footage that shows Ms. Jefferson running away when she was ordered to back off Ms. Walters and surrender.” He crossed his arms as Thorpe frowned. “You got a problem signing a warrant against this particular defendant?”

“Of course not. It’s just that Ms. Walters herself is well-known for her own criminal behavior. She nearly went to jail for 25 years for her part in kidnapping Paige Larson. So I’m not sure that her claim -- nor the claims of 50 people who are facing jail time themselves for assorted nonsense -- are strong evidence.”

“Like I said, we have the body cam footage too.” Rafe leaned forward, grabbing onto the underside of Thorpe’s desk and looking him in the eye.” Besides, that’s for a jury to decide, isn’t it?”

“Of course.” Thorpe bit his lip. “I will sign the warrant. But tell Abe Carver he needs to be very careful. After the way we all flubbed Paige Larson’s case, I am loathe to have any sympathy for a police department that regularly oversteps its bounds, and if it turns out Paula Jefferson is also treated unfairly I will be more than happy to award her a large settlement.”

“Duly noted. Thanks, your Honor.” Rafe waited for Thorpe to sign the warrant, then took it and left.

As soon as he was gone, Thorpe made a phone call, unaware of the bug Rafe had placed under his desk. “Wanda, it’s me,” he said as Rafe listened in on his phone. “We have a major problem. A warrant has been issued for Paula’s arrest. No, I cannot quash it. Because I was forced to sign it, that’s why. Anyway, I suggest you find a way to get ahold of her and encourage her to turn herself in. With any luck, I will be able to get her case just like I was last time. But if she continues to hide from the police, there will not be much I can do for her.”

“Sounds like I hit the jackpot,” Rafe said to himself. “Question is, why is he doing this for her and her daughter?”

[André DiMera]

After all she’s been through, it makes sense that Hannah would be afraid of cops. I wonder how much Valerie heard.

I hope Bev is wrong about how the interview will go. Glad Rebecca wants to be friends with Bev!

I really hope Thorpe doesn’t get Paula’s case if and when this even goes to court. Glad Rafe is closer to catching her!

Can we please have previews, heroicmuse?

[heroicmuse]

Thank you André DiMera, Kpatch, and krw627 for your comments this week! As always, I'm grateful for each and every comment. I feel successful when I see people enjoying my story!

Next week is the big party as well as some other exciting developments. Let's take a look.

Coming up on Breaking Ties...



The Fourth of July is coming and so is Doug and Julie’s party for Paige and Hannah, which is combined with an Independence Day celebration! Doug is firing up the grill, Jennifer is bringing donuts, and Abe is bringing… a date!

The barbecue might not be the only thing heating up, as Jennifer still isn’t entirely comfortable with Abigail bringing T to the party (and neither is Julie), Hannah and David still have issues with their mothers, and Theo is still reluctant to come because he doesn’t want to deal with Johnny. Plus, JJ thinks now is as good a time as any for Paige to give up the fear of driving she’s had since she was released from jail -- will the guest of honor make it to the party if she’s the one responsible for getting them there? And when Valerie and David sit with Abe and his date, will Valerie’s jealousy cause problems with both the men in her life?

There’s good times to be had too, as Doug leads everyone in a reading of the Declaration of Independence, JJ has a surprise for Paige, and Rory and Marissa work on something special for David.

In the lead-up to July 4th, Hannah tries to cover with her mother by telling an obvious lie, which Valerie doesn’t appreciate. She does appreciate Paige admitting they have a secret that Hannah would rather keep private, though she alienates her daughter further with her fear that it’s some problem that will lead her back into trouble. Both David and Hannah are surprised when Julie suggests Valerie respect Hannah’s privacy, though Valerie thinks Julie is just disagreeing with her to undermine her. However, to everyone’s surprise, Julie is the one to get through to Hannah about being less hard on her mother.

Later, everyone goes back to Doug and Julie’s, where JJ and Rory whisper about planning a surprise for Paige. Valerie again walks in on people whispering, but this time she has an idea to help get Paige out of earshot for a bit so that JJ and Rory can talk openly.

Valerie tells Hannah that it’s time to go, which Hannah is unhappy about, and invites Paige to come to their apartment to help Hannah and David get re-settled and they head to East Salem, where Hannah is very negative about the neighborhood she lives in and how small her apartment is. David and Valerie both expect her to be grateful she’s no longer in jail instead of complaining, which Hannah finds difficult to do. After giving Paige a tour of her apartment, the girls go to her bedroom, where Hannah admits to Paige that she’s feeling depressed about being on such restrictive probation. Hannah also shares a big dream for her future she once had that she thinks going to jail has ruined forever. Paige wants to help her put the pieces back together, but Hannah’s probation might get in the way, as her curfew requirement stops her from going over to Paige’s later. Will Paige be able to help her get out of her depressive funk anyway?

Meanwhile, Prescott and Horowitz come up with an idea to try to resolve the racial tension that the truth about Hannah’s arrest seems to have sparked before they are interrupted by JJ. After JJ learns about Paula’s involvement in Bev’s attack, he feels guilty, wondering if it would have happened had he given in to Paula’s threats. This is the first Horowitz has heard about the threats and it makes her more determined to bring Paula to justice. Will she be able to do it and will Paula actually spend time behind bars this time if she does?

Elsewhere in Salem, Philip is upset that Victor isn’t coming back for Charley’s surgery. He and Chloe share a tender moment after she gets him to admit that he’s really worried about the surgery more than anything, and then Parker calls from Daniel’s -- will that be enough to cheer Philip up? And in Nashville, Maggie makes a little progress with Sarah, but Sarah still refuses to accept help with her drinking.

Finally, Mrs. Lockridge makes a decision about Mason, Abe runs into someone while visiting Lexie’s grave, and Hope tries to get to the bottom of what’s going on with Ciara.

[André DiMera]

I can’t wait for the party! This is gonna be awesome! I hope Paige gets over her fear of driving. Wonder who Abe’s date is. Can’t wait to see J.J.’s surprise for Paige, and what Rory and Marissa have planned for David.

Glad Julie is being supportive of Hannah, and gets through to her. Wonder what Hannah’s previous plans for the future were. Hope Paige can help Hannah get out of this funk.

Glad J.J. tells Jamie and Horowitz about the threats. I really hope they catch Paula soon!

Of course Sarah’s not gonna give up drinking. Why am I not surprised? Glad Philip and Chloe talk about how Philip is worried about the surgery.

Can’t wait for the decision about Mason! Wonder who Abe runs into, and what’s going on with Ciara.

Thanks for the previews, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 239 - 1

“I don’t know if I have any real answers,” Prescott said. “I try to be cool with everyone I run across, but half my department’s not on the same page. Look what happened that time we had to arrest the Deveraux kid. He was terrified he was going out in a body bag, and between you and me, that maybe wasn’t unrealistic.” Prescott sighed. Lowering his voice, he said, “Some people think the reason he didn’t’s cause of the color of his skin.”

“Well, that’s stupid,” Horowitz said. “The reason he didn’t get shot was cause you’re good at making connections with suspects. You got him calmed down.”

“Not saying I believe it,” Prescott said. “Just saying what people say.” He stared down into his ice cream. “You really think it’s right, us talking about this? I work in East Salem, but I don’t live there. You think maybe we should be asking the people who do what they need from us?”

“That’s a good idea,” Horowitz said. “Talk to your public relations person about setting up some community meetings and I’ll do the same here in Salem.”

“Cool,” Prescott said. “I hope it helps, cause looks to me like the news about the Martin arrest’s got a lot of people’s blood boiling and if we don’t get a handle on it somehow, stopping people from going into a store’s gonna be the least of what these protests are gonna look like.”

Horowitz nodded. “Speaking of news,” she said, “here comes JJ Deveraux.” She made herself smile as JJ approached. “JJ. Good to see you. What can we do for you?”

“For one thing, I heard some protesters almost put Bev Walters in the hospital. Anything you wanna say about that on the record?”

“Just that she's fine. We got there in time, we got the crowd under control, and she gave us a statement and then went back to what she had been doing.”

“Yeah, I got that. She called me. How close a call did she have?”

“When we got there, there were a large number of people surrounding her. No one had touched her but they were crowding her and yelling at her. Maybe it would have got violent if we hadn’t shown up when we did, maybe it wouldn’t. I don’t know.”

JJ crossed his arms. “Tell me something, Officer, totally off the record. This my fault?”

“Your fault?” Horowitz’s voice was soft. “Why would you think that?”

JJ turned away from her. “I reported Hannah’s story in the first place. I got told not to, I even got threatened by this low-life who said she’d mess with Hannah and Paige and make sure I lost my career. And now people are getting violent and Bev got caught in the crossfire.”

“You know what I think?” Prescott interjected. “I think you’re taking on someone else’s guilt, cause no one told anyone to deal with this by getting violent.”

“Yeah,” Horowitz said. “Jamie - I mean, Officer Prescott’s -- right. Now what’s this about someone threatening you?”

“Hope already knows,” JJ said. “I told her last week.”

“Well, tell us too,” Horowitz said firmly. “People trying to intimidate each other isn’t the way things are going to go in this town from now on, but we can’t help if you don’t tell us what’s going on.”

JJ swallowed hard. He opened his phone and showed Horowitz the text. “This was after I ignored her first warning. Hope traced the number or whatever, she said it belongs to a girl in East Salem named Paula Jefferson.”

Horowitz and Prescott turned and stared at each other. JJ said, “You know that name?”

“She’s very well known to us,” Prescott said.

Horowitz added, “We’re going to tell you something off the record, but you are not to do anything about it. Do you understand me?”

“I get it!” JJ snapped, irritated with everyone telling him to chill out like he hadn’t worked hard to change. He made himself breathe deep and switch back into the dude he most wanted to be. “What’s up?”

“What’s up is that Paula Jefferson is the woman who attacked your friend Bev,” Horowitz said, “but she ran away from the scene. But don’t worry, we’ve got a warrant for her arrest and now, thanks to what you just told me, when we catch up with her we’re going to arrest her for messing with you too.”


Hannah and Paige looked at each other. “What we don’t want you to know is, um…” Paige began.

“I really want to move in with Grandma Julie,” Hannah said. “She has a lot more space and a big backyard.”

“I somehow doubt that’s what you were talking about,” Valerie said, crossing her arms, “but in any case, Daddy and I already told you that that’s not happening.” She turned towards David, who was coming back with Rory and a couple more trays of ice cream. “Would you encourage our daughter to tell the truth?”

Hannah’s eyes snapped. David said, “About what?”

“She and Paige have some secret they don’t want me to know and they’re trying to get around it by claiming they were talking about her wanting to live with your mother.”

“We were!” Hannah protested, even though she felt terrible about lying.

“Squeaky, don’t,” Paige said. “We weren’t talking about that, but we were talking about something that she wants to keep private.”

“I got that,” Valerie said, “though I wish you would not continue to call her by her prison nickname. And what, pray tell, is so terrible that she doesn’t want me to know about it?”

“Oh, let the girls have their secret,” Julie said. “Come on, Valerie. Don’t you remember being young, wanting to have your secrets that only your best friend knew?”

David raised his eyebrows. “Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”

Valerie crossed her arms. “Why do I think she’s only respecting Hannah’s privacy because I don’t want to?” She let her breath out slowly. “Paige,” she said. “Since you respected me enough to be honest with me I will ask you only one question. Is this secret something that could get Hannah in trouble?”

“Of course not,” Paige said. “I wouldn’t keep that kind of secret.”

Valerie nodded. “I’ll leave it alone for now, then. I just hope you’re using good judgment, Hannah.”

Hannah pushed her ice cream away, irritated. Julie said, “Eat, darling, don’t let this misunderstanding ruin your appetite.”

“I’m not,” Hannah said. “I know you spent good money on it, Grandma, I wouldn’t waste it.”

“Oh, I don’t care about the money. I care about you.” Julie sat down on Hannah’s other side without being asked. “I know a thing or two about parents and children,” she said. “Your father will tell you I was a lousy mother and maybe he’s right. After all, it took him over 20 years to set foot in Salem again and that was because he wanted to be there for you, not because he had any great desire to see me. But believe it or not, I did learn a few things from all those years of silence.” Julie patted Hannah’s wrist. “Your mother means well, darling. She’s been beside herself the whole time you were locked up and she doesn’t want to see it happen again. None of us do. So if she’s getting on your last nerve, just remember that sometimes parents don’t know any way to love you but to drive you completely up the wall.” She gave David a meaningful look, then turned back to Hannah. “Someday if you are blessed with a little girl or boy of your own, you’ll see for yourself that as soon as you hold that child in your arms you just want to stop them from ever getting hurt. And when something goes horribly wrong like when you were arrested… well, maybe she shouldn’t, but your mom’s doubling down on trying to keep you happy and safe now that you’re home. So do you think maybe you could cut her a little slack?”

Hannah looked from her grandma to her mom. Valerie had her hand over her chest and she had tears in her eyes. “I’ll try,” she said uncertainly.

“That’s all we ask, darling,” Julie said.

Hannah pulled her ice cream back towards her and started gobbling, trying to show Grandma and Mom that she wasn’t upset anymore.


Johnny glared at Sami. “Allie’s the one you should be getting on. She’s the one who knew Amelia was allergic to peaches and she didn’t say anything.”

“That’s a nice story,” Sami said, “but I’m not in the mood for anything except you explaining yourself. Why did you switch Amelia’s smoothie with Allie’s?”

Johnny wriggled. “I thought it would be funny,” he mumbled. “You know me, I’m always the class clown.”

“Yeah, that’s something that’s going to change.” Sami crossed her arms. “Did you know Abe Carver was here earlier?”

Johnny’s eyes widened. “Did he question Allie?”

“He did, actually.” Sami smirked as Johnny’s eyes got wide with fear. “But not about that.” She laughed. “You should see the look on your face.”

“That’s not funny!” Johnny said. “You scared the - “

“Oh, you don’t like jokes that are designed to upset you?”

Johnny swallowed hard. “What did Abe want for real?”

“What he wanted,” Sami said slowly, “is to know what I was going to do about you bullying Theo. Now I don’t know what happened between the two of you and I will always stand up for you to Abe or anyone else. But that comes at a price. I hate bullies, Johnny, and that’s what you’ve become. You’re playing mean jokes, you’re picking on a kid like Theo Carver, and let’s not get started on what you do to your sisters regularly. Do you think I believe for one second that this so-called joke on Amelia was Allie’s idea or that stealing candy from a diner that probably would have given it to you for free if you’d asked was Sydney’s? Uh uh. That’s all you, and it stops now.”

(In the kitchen, Sydney’s eyes were very wide. “I’d better go sit down like Mommy told me,” she said to herself. “I don’t want her turning all that crazy on me.” She backed away slowly.)

“It was not!” Johnny said. “I’m telling you - “

“Don’t even try it!” Sami snapped. “Here’s the deal. You make other people’s lives miserable, so I’m going to make yours miserable. Lucas is going to take Sydney and Allie to Julie’s party tomorrow...without you. I’m going to stay home thinking up creative punishments for you making me miss a party I would have loved to attend while you stay in your room being grateful I didn’t call Abe back here to arrest you for poisoning Allie’s friend and thinking about how you’re going to go about turning over a new leaf. And rest assured, if the police ever come to my door again saying you did something to one of their kids...you will be answering to them. Now go to your room -- and I do mean YOUR room, not Allie’s, and not the kitchen to mess with Sydney -- and think about being the kind of person I raised you to be.”

Johnny’s eyes flashed. “Like you’re so perfect,” he mumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.” Johnny turned and ran down the hall. The next second, his door slammed so loud the house shook.



“Charley asleep?” Philip whispered as Chloe came out of Charley’s room.

“For now. I hope she stays that way.” Chloe sighed. “I hated having to take her to the doctor to get blood drawn and everything. She’s so young and she doesn’t understand.” She shook her head, remembering how hard Parker had cried before his heart surgery because he didn’t understand why he couldn’t eat. “It’s such deja vu. Parker was what, four, when he had to have heart surgery? And now in two days our two-year-old - “

“I know.” Philip put his hand over Chloe’s. “I will be there for you and our daughter every step of the way, just like I was with Parker.”

“At least we don’t have some stupid petty fight with Daniel hanging over our heads this time,” Chloe said. “Though I was kind of hard on Jennifer when I found out she’d be helping take care of Parker until Charley is out of the hospital.”

“It’s understandable. There’s too much out of our control.” Philip crossed his arms. “Like my father.”

“Well, that’s no big surprise,” Chloe said. “I hate to say it, but as soon as he said he was going to Nashville I knew we wouldn’t see him again til long after Charley’s surgery. I know you wanted him there, but honestly, I’m just as glad. All I need is him breathing down our necks, criticizing our every move.”

“He’s not like that… anymore. Now that we’ve given him grandchildren - “

“Damaged grandchildren, which I’m sure he blames me for.”

“He does not. And anyway, as hard as it’s been for me to accept that Charley has this… condition, I’ve finally come to see that she’s not damaged. She just has a birth defect, that’s all. One that we are finally going to fix.”

“I hope so.” Chloe picked up a picture of both the kids, smiling sadly. “I can’t blame Victor for wanting to stay in Nashville. Not this time. I mean, if Maggie’s daughter is drinking so much that she ended up in the hospital… not to bring up a sore point, but I suffered through this with Brady, I know how bad it can get.”

“Yeah, and you know what my father’s solution to that was? Send some goon to drag him off to rehab.”

“Well, I’m sure he didn’t do that to Sarah. It sounds like she landed in the hospital all by herself.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. I know my father, and there is nothing he wouldn’t do if he thought it would help. Sometimes that’s purchasing the best specialist money can buy and other times… well, it’s using his mob connections to drive the point home about overdoing it with alcohol, if you know what I mean.”

“I do. Your mother isn’t much better, no offense.”

“They really are soulmates,” Philip agreed. “Cold, heartless soulmates, but honestly I can’t believe my father was willing to trade her in for Maggie.”

“Oh stop,” Chloe said. “You must really be in a mood if you’re saying things like that.” Philip shrugged and Chloe said, “You know what I think? I think you’re more worried about Charley than you let on.”

“I guess.” Philip sighed. “No matter how old I get, I never stop wanting my father, especially when things get scary and complicated. Only as usual, I’m lowest on his priority list and as selfish as I know I’m being, I just wish he’d leave Sarah in Maggie’s capable hands and come home in time to be with me.”

“I know.” Chloe’s phone beeped. “I know what’ll cheer you up,” she said. “It’s time to call Parker. How about you do the honors?”

[Kpatch]

Great conversation between Philip and Chloe. Philip has always needed Victor and Victor was never able to give Philip what he needs, even now. But Philip knows Victor well and he suspects Victor intervened in Sarah's situation, and not in a good way.

I can't wait for Sami to mete out punishment to Johnny.

[André DiMera]

So glad Horowitz and Jamie are talking about this! And that J.J. told them about Paula. I hope they’re able to catch her soon!

Glad Julie had that talk with Hannah.

It’s good that Sami’s being tough on Johnny.

This situation has to be so hard for Philip and Chloe. I can understand Philip wanting his father, despite knowing that that’s not who Victor is.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 239 - 2


Bev sat carefully down in the seat across from Mrs. Lockridge, who smiled at her and said, “Thank you so much for making the time to come so quickly.”

“Of course.” Bev stared at the pearls on Mrs. Lockridge’s necklace, hoping the principal hadn’t noticed the slight stammer in her voice. “Anything for Mason’s education, right?”

“Right.” Mrs. Lockridge sighed. “Mason is a delightful child,” she said. “I very much enjoyed getting to know him. He certainly seems like a happy, creative child, and I have no doubt that with the proper education he could go far in this world.”

“Thanks.” Bev’s voice was flat. She was waiting for the ‘but’ that she was sure was coming.

“On that basis alone I would admit Mason to our school,” Mrs. Lockridge said. “But as you know, here at the Pierce Community Academy, we are about more than just educating children. We are about being a community of parents and children committed to certain values. Now, at our board meeting a member brought up some concerns in that regard.”

“Like what?” Here it came. The rejection Bev knew from the beginning was going to happen.

“Nothing that would disqualify you,” Mrs. Lockridge said. “We all did stupid things as teenagers. That’s why our parents all had high quality attorneys on speed dial. So your weed smoking escapades don’t concern me, and your more serious case was ultimately dismissed. But what does concern me is your present attitude and behavior.” She leaned forward. “I invited you to that meet and greet so that you could get to know the other mothers. You left early. Why was that?”

Bev wriggled. “I…”

“You had a conflicting engagement, is that it?”

“Right.” Bev’s mouth was dry. “I had someplace else I had to be.” She did her best to look Mrs. Lockridge in the eye even though she didn’t like lying to her.

“Of course. We appreciate you giving us the time.” Mrs. Lockridge tapped her pen on the desk. “Unfortunately, you didn’t make a positive impression, and at the board meeting a member had a decidedly negative opinion of you. I did my best to fight for you, and it was close, but unfortunately we will not be able to offer Mason a spot at this school at this time.”

“You couldn’t just tell me that over the phone? I had to come down here to - “

“I wanted to tell you in person because I wanted to assure you that I think this decision was mistaken and that I did everything I could for you. I did secure the ability to put him on a waiting list, so if a spot should open up - “

“A waiting list? Like college?”

“Like that, yes.” Mrs. Lockridge smiled slightly. “I know this is a great disappointment to you but I am glad to see you handling it appropriately.”

Bev’s throat felt tight with anger. She didn’t like the way Mrs. Lockridge was talking to her, as if she was still a teenager. Mrs. Lockridge held out her hand and Bev had to use all her strength not to slap it away from her.

“I’m not the only one who will be disappointed,” she said as she stood. “Rebecca Walston was looking forward to Mason and Jimmy having a lot of playdates together.”

“Really?” Mrs. Lockridge’s voice rose with surprise. “Well, I’m glad you made a friend among the mothers, anyway. Good luck with finding a more appropriate school for Mason.”

Bev’s shoulders deflated. She had been sure dropping Rebecca’s name would do something for her but even that hadn’t saved her. “Thanks,” she said flatly, and walked out.

Mrs. Lockridge made a phone call. “We need to reconvene the board,” she said. “There’s something we need to discuss.”






Aiden leaned his phone on his ear. “As you know, custody’s not my specialty, but I’ll definitely forward you some names. In the meantime, try to relax. Nothing’s happened yet. As of right now, that little girl’s yours and Eve’s. Enjoy being with her while you can, all right? No, I’m not saying you’re gonna lose. I’m just saying, if they find her flesh and blood it might be a harder battle than you think. Yes, that’s a good idea. Pray on it and I’ll get you that list of names before morning.”

He hung up and went back to the living room. “Sorry about that. It was a client call that really couldn’t wait. Now where were we?”

“Where we were was nowhere. I was trying to talk to you about Ciara and you walked away to take a call.”

“I told you, it was an emergency. Besides, I’m here now. How can I help?”

“I don’t know. I think maybe I’d better go talk to Ciara by myself and try to get the truth out of her.” Hope stomped off.

Chase was watching from the top of the steps as Aiden rubbed his temples. “Ciara better not ruin things for my dad and her mom,” he said to himself, strumming his guitar. “If she does she’ll be sorry.”


Everyone had come back to Julie and Doug’s after they finished at the ice cream parlor. Rory came up to JJ, who was staring into space and thinking about what Horowitz had said. Something didn’t add up about Paula and that protest. She had to know that messing with Bev was gonna get the whole thing shut down. Why would she want that?

“I’d offer you a penny for your thoughts but I’m broke,” Rory said, coming up to JJ.

“Funny, dude.” JJ made himself smile. “Listen,” he said, lowering his voice, “you and me gotta come up with a surprise for Paige. It’s her birthday, dude, she needs some cheering up more than anything.”

“She already knows about the party,” Rory said. “What more can she want?”

“I dunno, but we gotta come up with something. She’s been down on herself lately, she needs something extra special this birthday. I’m bringing my guitar, you wanna get some drum stuff together and go in with me on it?”

“I’ll call Marissa,” Rory said. “She’s gonna want in on this too.”

Just then, Valerie came up to them. “My goodness, every time I turn around someone’s whispering,” she said. She was smiling slightly but JJ wasn’t sure she was joking.

“Nothing bad, I swear.” JJ lowered his voice again and said, “I don’t know if Hannah told you, Sunday’s half Paige’s birthday party. Rory and me were trying to think up a surprise to make it extra-special.”

“I see,” Valerie said. “Well, I know one thing I can do.”

“What’s that?”

“I can get Paige out of here for a little bit so she doesn’t come over here wondering what you’re mumbling under your breath.” Valerie walked off without waiting for an answer. She came up to Hannah, who was sitting on the couch with Doug.

“Try a little lower,” Doug said. He blew into a pitch pipe. “That’s an A flat, see if you can match it.”

“Excuse me,” Valerie said. “I hate to drag my daughter away from this, but we haven’t had a minute to ourselves since she was released and we do need to get her settled at home.”

“Mom!” Hannah said. “It’s still four hours til my curfew, why can’t I - “

“If we leave right now I’ll let Paige come over for a little while,” Valerie said.

“I guess.” Hannah turned towards Paige. “Want to come see the world’s smallest apartment?”

“I’m sure it’s not that small,” Paige said. “I’d love to come.” She turned towards JJ, who was standing nearby talking with Rory about something or other. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Nah,” JJ said. “It’s good to see you doing stuff with your friends like you used to.” He hugged Paige. “Have a good time, okay?”

Paige saw Rory wink at JJ as she walked off. “Now what are they up to?” she said to herself as she followed Hannah and Valerie to the kitchen to get David.


Sarah glared at Maggie. “This is why I didn’t want you to know I’d got drunk a couple of times, Mom.”

“A few times?” Maggie snapped. “Oh, it’s more than that, Sarah. You don’t end up with a swollen liver because you overdid it once or twice. And on top of that, what about the bump on your head? You were mugged, Sarah! Someone took advantage of you in your drunken state and took your things. You’re lucky he didn’t take your life while you were at it.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Do you and Melissa go over your notes together or something? She said the same thing.”

“Because it’s the truth!” Maggie crossed her arms. “Now look. I know I can’t make you stop drinking. I can’t make you go to a meeting. I can’t even make you admit that this wasn’t a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence. But damn it, I have to try, because I’m your mother and I can’t just sit idly by while you kill yourself with alcohol.”

Sarah’s face trembled. “Why do you care? It’s not like I’m anything but a big disappointment to you anyway.”

“Oh, Sarah.” Maggie’s voice was soft. “That’s not true at all.” She turned towards Melissa. “Would you do me a favor and go check on Victor? He has to be going stir crazy by now.”

“I’m sure Victor can find ways to amuse himself,” Melissa said.

“Melissa.”

“Just saying,” Melissa said. “I’ll go, Mom, don’t worry.” She kissed her mother on the cheek. “Good luck.” She turned back towards Sarah. “I’d say I hope you feel better, but you probably need to feel worse before you come to your senses.” She shook her head sadly, then hurried away.

“Now,” Maggie said, sitting down next to Sarah’s bed. “Where did you get this idea that you’re a disappointment?”

“Nowhere.” Sarah made herself laugh but it came out short and bitter. “You know how it is, Mom, when you’re hungover and miserable you say all sorts of stupid things you don’t mean.”

“And sometimes you say things you do mean.” Maggie sighed. “Sarah, you are my daughter and I love you. I hope you know that.”

“I know,” Sarah said uncertainly.

Maggie patted her hand. “If you’re worried about me knowing you have a drinking problem, don’t be. How could I judge you, Sarah? You have a disease, and I’m not just talking about the way your liver is swelling up! You’re an alcoholic, and God forgive me… I gave that to you. I passed it on just like I passed on my red hair to you!”

“Mom - “

“Neither of us can help that you have a drinking problem. That’s just the way it is. But when you’re ready, we can do something about it.”

Sarah bit her lip. “Don’t talk AA stuff to me. Please. I can’t stand it, even if I was an alcoholic I’d never want to go to AA.”

Maggie frowned. “Why?”

“It’s just not for me, Mom. All that God talk and repeating slogans.” Sarah shuddered. “No offense, but it’s like a cult. Anyway, I don’t need it.” She crossed her arms. “All I have to do is stop drinking until my liver goes back to normal. I’ll do that easily. You’ll see.”

“I hope so. But I’ve lost track of how many promises like that I’ve broken over the years. The ONLY thing that works is the program, Sarah. Promises don’t mean a thing til you change your behavior and since the doctors are going to all the trouble to detox you, you might want to start taking action to make sure you stay detoxed.”

“No! Not if it means going to AA. I’m going to stop drinking without them or not at all.”

“Famous last words.” Maggie sighed. “I hope you’ll do something before it’s too late. I really do. I love you more than you know, and the idea of you dying a slow, painful death from liver disease because you won’t put down the bottle… I can’t take it, Sarah. Please, if you won’t do it for your own sake, do it for mine. Don’t make me bury my daughter when you could live a long and happy life if you would just get some help.”

“Long, maybe. I don’t know about happy.”

Maggie sighed. “Why so unhappy, Sarah? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing you would understand.” Sarah stared into space.

“Well, try me!”

But Sarah shook her head. “Not now. I feel awful and I don’t have the energy to… in fact, you’d better go so I can take a nap.”

Maggie sighed deeply. “All right. But I’m just a phone call away if you need me.”

Maggie left. Out in the hall, she leaned against the door, her face trembling.

Inside, Sarah shook her head and said to herself, “Sorry, Mom, but I don’t have to try you. I know you wouldn’t understand, but you definitely would judge me.”



Abe had put on his darkest suit and gone to the graveyard, where now he was putting flowers on Lexie’s grave. “Ah, Lexie, you left us too soon,” he said softly. “Especially our son. I miss you too, of course, but he’s really suffering.” He looked up at the sky. “There have been many times when I have prayed for some sign that you are still with us in some way, but I have never felt your absence as keenly as now. Theo is… well, he’s fine, but I’m concerned about something and I don’t know the right way to handle it.

“Do you remember Valerie Grant? I know, you never met her in person, but I told you about her many times, I’m sure. Anyway, she’s back in town. Don’t worry, I’m not looking to rekindle what we once had. I never really had it with her anyway. She was a… a placeholder. It wasn’t until I met you that I knew there was any such thing as true love and that there was more to life than the work I was doing with Roman.

Abe squeezed his eyes shut, remembering the argument he and Roman had had. “Roman’s getting up there,” he said, “and so am I, I suppose. I can’t believe our son is 14 years old. I remember the day we brought him home from the hospital and the day we found out he had Autism. On the spectrum, they call it now, but back then it was Autism, pure and simple.” The wind blew, making Abe’s tie flop in the wind. “You’re right, I’m meandering, talking about everything except what I came here to talk to you about, which is this. Julie has invited us to a party. No, it’s not strictly a July 4th party though tomorrow is the 4th so… anyway, it’s a kind of a… a coming home party. For Valerie and David and their daughter. But Theo absolutely refuses to go. You know how his social anxiety is,but that isn’t it, not this time. No. Theo… well, I made the mistake of telling him that Valerie and I were involved many years ago before I ever met you, and now he has it in his head that I’m out to steal her from her husband and that he is going to stop me by putting his foot down. That’s our one-of-a-kind son. I’ve always tried to be firm but fair with him but this time… he’s got me cornered. I don’t want to push him to go when he has social anxiety but I don’t want him to learn he can get his way by stomping his feet and insisting on his way come hell or high water. So tell me, Lexie, what do I do? How do I parent our 14-year-old son by myself, how do I navigate the turbulent emotions that he is even less equipped than the average fourteen-year-old to deal with?”

The wind blew but otherwise the world was still. “No answer, huh?” Abe said. “I didn’t think so.”

Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder. But it was not Lexie’s. When he turned he saw Maxine standing there, a sad smile on her face.

[André DiMera]

Wow. It really sucks that Mason can’t go to that school yet. Wonder what Lockridge needs to talk about, and who she called.

I get that taking calls from a client is his job, but Aiden really should have talked with Hope, since it concerns their children.

Glad Valerie figured out a way to keep Paige occupied while J.J. and Rory are planning. Can’t wait to see what they have planned!

I, too, wonder what’s going on here. I hope Sarah stops drinking, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t. Wonder what she thinks Maggie would judge her for.

That was a touching scene, Abe talking to Lexie’s grave. This has to be so hard for him! Glad Maxine showed up!

Great chapter, heroicmuse!