Breaking Ties: An Ensemble Story (Read 251,887 times)

[André DiMera]

Glad Alison at least knows what’s going on now, though I don’t think Emily will take her snooping well.

I hadn’t expected Molly, but I guess that makes sense, especially if she’s being blackmailed by Trask and Sloan.

Can we please have previews, heroicmuse?

[heroicmuse]

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

Next week, concern continues to mount when Ciars tells Julie that Johnny is waiting for a bus because Sami didn't come get him. Julie is critical of Sami, but surprisingly, Belle is understanding.

Later Julie goes upstairs just in time to stop a fight between Allie and Sydney about Ruby.

Elsewhere, Dani encounters an obstacle while trying to research Josh's past while Alison confronts Emily about her lie.

Finally, Saxon makes a last ditch effort to get through to Nat, while Andrew has a hard time being alone with the safe house residents instead of with Paul.

[Kpatch]

Time for Sami to show up, unless of course she's kidnapped. Thanks for the previews!

[André DiMera]

Of course Julie is critical of Sami, though I’m glad she stops Sydney and Allie fighting.

Wonder what obstacle Dani encounters.

There’s no getting through to Nat.

Thanks for the previews, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

 Week 516 - 1
Ciara stared at her phone as Julie put a tote bag down on the floor. “I know it seems like I went a little crazy,” Julie said, “but when your grandpa Doug went to Heaven, I might not have eaten anyt ing for weeks if Maggie and Marlena and Jennifer and… well, the whole family really, made sure the food was there and I didn’t have to do anything but pop it in the microwave.” She lowered her voice. “Though between you and me, sometimes I didn’t bother with that and ate it cold.”

“Yeah,” Ciara said, not listening.

Julie frowned. “What on Earth is so important on that phone? Your sister-in-law’s father just passed away. I’d think you’d care about that a little.”

“I do, I do!” Ciara said. “It’s just — “

“Then put that away.”

“I can’t! Johnny just found out and he’s waiting for a bus so he can join us, and I just don’t want him to be alone.”

“A bus?” Julie frowned as Belle and Claire came in from the parking garage. “No, he is not taking a bus, not at a time like this.” She turned toward Belle. “Apparently your sister left her son stranded and he’s trying to get on a bus so he can be with us.”

Belle’s eyes narrowed. “Sami must be more thrown off than I thought,” she said. “She’s a lot of things, but I can’t imagine her leaving Johnny to his own devices under the best of circumstances, never mind at a time like this.”

“He was at football practice,” Ciara said, “and the coach wouldn’t give him the message that John passed away until it was over. And Aunt Sami isn’t answering her phone.”

“Of all the selfish…” Julie began.

Belle held up her hand. “This one time I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. I think she’s hurting more than any of us know. Her relationship with John was complicated, but she loved him. She just couldn’t bring herself to admit it until it was too late and now she’s probably falling apart somewhere.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Julie said. “Still, we can’t leave Johnny to his own devices at a time like this, now can we?”

“No,” Belle said, her voice weary. “Tell him I’m coming to get him, Ciara. If he isn’t already on a bus, that is.”

“Only if I come with you,” Ciara said. “He needs me.”

“So does Marlena,” Julie argued.

“No,” Belle said. “Ciara’s right. He’ll want her there. Come on.” She jingled her keys while Ciara texted Johnny to tell him they were on their way and find out exactly where he was.


Dani frowned at her screen. “There is something,” she said to Sally, “but I can’t see it. It gives me Error 412.”

“That means it’s a sealed document,” Sally said. “We won’t get ahold of it without a court order, which I doubt a judge will give us. Things that are sealed are hard to get unsealed, especially since the whole point was to stop people from sticking their noses in them. But there are limited reasons things get that way. One is because the person was a kid at the time.”

“He could have had it sealed as part of a plea bargain,” Dani said. “They gave mine a fancy name that I forgot, but it basically means I’m on probation for a year and if I behave myself it’ll be dismissed and sealed when I’m done.”

Sally nodded. “They do that for very low-level crimes sometimes to give someone a second chance. Of course, if he’s a CI that might also be a reason to seal it. There’s no telling.”

“Yeah,” Dani said. “We’re just guessing.”

“Don’t give up so easily,” Sally told her. “There might be other ways to get the info.” She crossed her arms. “Did your arrest make the news?”

“I don’t know. Probably.” Dani’s cheeks reddened. “I haven’t exactly looked. I’d like to forget it.”

“Course you would. I’ve been there too. It’s a long story, but I spent some time in the back of a police car too when I was your age.” Sally sighed deeply. “Anyway, my point’s not to swap stories about the worst nights of our lives. What I’m trying to get you to see is that if someone could find out what one of us was arrested for with a quick Ewe Search…”

“We might be able to find out about Josh.” Dani slapped her forehead. “Duh. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Cause you’re new at this,” Sally said. “Now stop slapping that forehead and just run with the idea now that you’ve figured it out.”

“K,” Dani said. She typed something into Ewe Search, though she said, “But isn’t there an easier way? If Alison’s brother was arrested in 2012 for something, wouldn’t she know what it was?”

“Maybe,” Sally said, “but if he did become an informant, the whole thing might have been kept on the down low.”

“Right,” Dani said. “Though then they might not have reported it in the news, either.”

“I hear a lot of explanations for why this won’t work and not much activity,” Sally said.

Dani reddened again. She searched: Josh McCarthy arrest 2012 Chicago.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the screen.

[André DiMera]

Glad Belle’s going to pick up Johnny, and that she defended Sami.

Wonder what Dani found on her search.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

Sami is being selfish as usual. She may be hurting but no more than anyone else. She needs to get over to her family and be there for them and vice versa.

[krw627]

Sami not picking up Johnny makes me think something happened to her.

I'm glad Belle stood up for her with Julie, but I think I read a note of concern in her response.

I can't wait to discover what Dani found.

[heroicmuse]

Week 516 - 2
Andrew leaned on his phone. “I don’t know whether to ask about you first or everyone else. I just wish I could be there for you.”

“Same,” Paul said. “But we’re hanging in there. Honestly, I can’t wait til the funeral’s over. I know that’s a horrible thing to say about my dad. But it’s not like I’m here to visit him, and I’m glad to pay my respects, but after a while it gets to be a little much, you know?”

“Yeah,” Andrew said. “I get that. My mom sent her condolences too, by the way. She can’t travel so…” He swallowed hard. “Sometimes I think she’s next,” he said tearfully. “My mom was always so full of energy but now she can barely move and traveling’s out of the question cause she’s too damn stubborn to get her butt in a wheelchair, not even just at the airport. She’s more or less housebound now and she’s just not who she was.”

“Doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a lot of years left,” Paul said. “Hey, when this is all over and we’re both free again, holw about we got out to California and see her? That’ll cheer her up, won’t it? And you too, I bet.”

“Yeah,” Andrew said. “I wonder if we can get my sister to come with us.”

“Hey,” Paul said. “Don’t talk like your mom has two weeks to live, okay? I know my dad’s death threw us all for a loop, but that doesn’t mean anyone else’s days are numbered.”

“I know.” Andrew sighed. “It’s rough, being stuck alone guarding this house full of witnesses. I’m trying to put on my best face for them, but I feel as trapped as they do and every time it seems like this is over and we’re all gonna get to go home, something else happens.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know if I should talk about it over video chat.” Andrew sighed. “The witnesses don’t even know this one yet. But the judge made a decision that could — “ His phone beeped. He glanced at it and saw: SECURE LINE.

“Crap, I gotta go,” Andrew said. “Call me anytime, okay?”

“Try to hold on,” Paul said. “I’ll be back before you know it. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Andrew hung up. He answered his phone. “Donovan. Yes, Commissioner, what can I do for you?”


Allie’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, you like her? Do you have selective amnesia or something? That girl held Ciara up at gunpoint and left her tied up on a bench in the snow. If we hadn’t found her I don’t know what would have happened. And the only reason they caught her, the ON LY reason, is because she jumped between me and a guy with a gun who was trying to kidnap Vicki. I had to shoot that guy to get us away from him and that bullet hit her. And if it hadn’t, if I hadn’t gotten the gun… she’d be free and we’d probably be dead.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Sydney said. “Unlike you, I get that it’s more complicated than her being a bad person. Look, I didn’t plan to be friends with her or anything, but the girl who came to school today wasn’t anything like the girl who robbed Ciara, okay? She was… sweet. And shy. And kind. And I invited her to have lunch with us on the first day of school, so you’d better be nice.”

“I don’t have to be anything.” Allie’s eyes flashed. “If she sits with us, I’m leaving, and I’m sure Ciara and Johnny will agree, and I bet Vicki doesn’t want to see that girl either. Have fun sitting with her by yourself.”

“Allie!” Sydney said.

“No!” Allie said. “If you want to be a traitor to this family — ”

“HEY!” Julie said, coming in. “We will not have that kind of talk, not today. We are all here to support one another through our grief and to remember your grandfather positively. Do you think he would be happy about the type of language I just walked in on?”

Allie crossed her arms. “No, but he also wouldn’t be happy about Sydney wanting to adopt the stupid bitch who held Ciara up that time.”

“That’s very strong language,” Julie said, “and not appropriate for where we are. Now, who wants to tell me exactly what’s going on here so that we can get past it and stop behaving so disrespectfully?”

[André DiMera]

Wonder what the phone call is about. Glad Andrew and Paul are trying t9 be there for each other, even if they cant be physically.

I figured Allie wouldn’t take it well. At least Julie is trying to get her and Sydney to talk reasonably.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

I agree with Allie. Sydney can't expect the others to accept Ruby after everything that's happened.

[heroicmuse]

Week 516 - 3
Saxon watched as a cop cuffed Nat’s hand to the table in the conference room next to the courtroom. “Is that really necessary?” he asked. “She’s not going to hurt me, and she can’t run away with you right outside the door.”

“She’s still a ward of the state,” the cop said, “and until the judge orders otherwise, she has to be cuffed when not in court or her cell. Sorry.”

“I understand.” Saxon sighed. “At least give us some privacy, please.”

“Of course.” The cop checked the cuffs. “Behave yourself,” he warned Nat. “I’m not going far.”

Nat’s eyes spit fire, but she said nothing until the cop had left. Then she said, “Way to stand up for me.”

“We have to pick our battles,” Saxon said. “It was clear that cop was not going to budge on cuffing you, so there was nothing to be gained by fighting with him over it. Besides, you’ll be out of these cuffs soon enough if you don’t shoot yourself in the foot like you’ve been doing. The judge is giving you the option of going to a halfway house. That’s a huge improvement over jail.”

“Is it? Sounds to me like jail with another name.”

“It’s not. For one thing, it’ll be a lot lower level of security. You won’t be cuffed all the time and you won’t be treated like a criminal. You’ll be treated like someone who needs to learn certain skills. Yeah, you’ll have to attend therapy and the rest of it, but if you put up with that, you’ll have a lot more freedom than you’ve had since you were arrested.”

“Yeah, but — ”

“Look.” Saxon leaned forward. “You getting out on bail is not an option. The best we can do is this halfway house for the rest of the trial and God willing, we manage to get an acquittal even though you’ve been acting like a fool this whole time so you can go home.”

Nat’s eyes were very narrow. “Acting like a fool? You’re gonna disrespect me like that?”

“It’s called tough love.” Saxon crossed his arms. “THe court doesn’t work the same way as the streets, Nat. THese little displays of power you keep trying to make, they come off in court as you being disrespectful to the judge and not taking this seriously. Juries don’t like that. So if you don’t want to go to prison for a very long time, you need to drop the attitude. You come to court and you keep your mouth shut unless you’re asked to speak and you act respectful, you understand? Cause their case against you is weak. It mostly depends on the word of two girls with criminal records, one of whom is a convicted murderer. There’s no reason for those 12 people to believe them over you. But if you keep throwing your weight around like you’re on the street, they’ll see you as a troublemaker. Don’t tell me you don’t know that.”

Nat scowled. “I don’t like that judge acting all high and mighty, acting like she’s better than me. Probably thinks cause her skin’s white and mine ain’t she’s better than me.”

“This isn’t about race, Nat. It’s about you showing that jury that you’re being lied about. They’ll have sympathy for you if you act right. You lost your brother, you took these girls in, and they repaid you by blaming you for crimes. That’s our closing argument, and we don’t need to act like you’re the biggest and baddest there is cause that won’t help you.”

“Ok,” Nat mumbled. “So the plan is for me to keep my head down and my mouth shut? I’ll try, but you know me, I’m not real good at being anyone’s bitch.”

“I’d recommend leaving that kind of language at the door before going into court,” Saxon said, “and go to that halfway house and do everything they ask of you. It’ll matter, trust me.”

Nat nodded, but Saxon wasn’t sure he was getting through to her.


“Well?” Alison said. “What do you have to say for yourself, Emily?”

“I can’t believe you’d accuse me of sabotaging you!” Emily snapped. “Yes, I got this threat and kept it to myself. But that was only because I knew you wouldn’t care about it. If anything, it would make you twice as determined. So the only way to protect you was to keep this to myself and try to convince you to go home.”

“I’m not going home.” Alison crossed her arms. “Not until I have the proof I need. If you want to, you can.”

“Alison…”

Alison held up her hand. “Unless you’re going to apologize for giving in to stupid threats that are 99% guaranteed to be empty, I don’t want to hear it. I know you think that trying to get me to back off is love, but it’s not. If you care about me, if you ever cared about Josh… you wouldn’t want him in jail for 25 years for something it’s likely he didn’t do. You’d want to know the truth, to make sure that if he is going to stay in jail, it’s because he actually did something to deserve it.”

“What good does it do for us to go to jail in his place?” Emily snapped. “Cause that’s where we’ll end up.”

“Maybe,” Alison said, “but if that’s the price of telling the truth, so be it.” Her phone buzzed. “That’s Dani. She’s been working with Sally to help me out, so I’m gonna see what she has to say.” She walked off to answer the phone.

Emily sank into her bed and rubbed her temples, not sure what to do now.

[André DiMera]

No way is Saxon actually getting through to Nat. She thinks far too much of herself to listen to anyone telling her not to be an idiot.

Glad Alison isn’t backing down about this, and told Emily so.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 516 - 4
Paige opened the door to find Eve standing there, holding Erica’s hand tightly. Eve said, “I’m sorry to just drop in on you like this.”

“No, you’re not,” Paige said. “But it’s okay. JJ and I were going to head over to Marlena’s in a few minutes, though.”

“So am I,” Eve said. She lowered her voice. “I’d rather not expose your little sister to all that sadness. It’s bad enough she had to hear the news about Jill when she was only two years old. So I thought since you have a full-time nanny, she wouldn’t mind watching two children instead of one just this once.”

Paige crossed her arms. “I don’t really think that’s fair to Harlow.”

“Well, someone has to watch Ericka, and I’d hate for you to be unable to come pay your respects to Marlena.”

Paige rolled her eyes. “Mom…” She sighed. “I can’t just ask Harlow to do double the work without any warning.”

Harlow came into the room. “Mariposa is finally down, so you can…” She cut herself off. “What’s all this?”

“This,” Paige said, “is my mother expecting she can just demand you watch her child too.”

“Only for an hour or so. I don’t want her to have to be around all that sadness.”

“It’s fine,” Harlow said. “I’m sure she won’t be much trouble, and she’s big enough she can help with Mariposa if need be, yeah?”

“If you’re sure,” Paige said. Her phone buzzed. “JJ’s downstairs. I’m just going to give Mariposa a kiss and then I have to go, but if you’re not comfortable with this…”

“It’s fine,” Harlow said again. “Your mum doesn’t need the extra stress with all this happening and nor do you. Besides, I don’t mind a bit.”

“Okay, then,” Paige said, “but just remember I’m only a phone call away.” She went into the other room to say goodbye to Mariposa.

“Listen,” Eve said to Ericka. “I have to go somewhere for a few hours, so I need you to be on your best behavior for Miss… I’m sorry, what’s your name again?”

“Harlow,” Harlow said.

“Harlow. I’ll remember that. And this little angel is Ericka, who is not going to give you one bit of trouble.”

Paige came back out. “All right,” she said. “I guess I’ll see you over there, Mom.” She thanked Harlow again and walked out.

Harlow could hear their voices in the hall as she locked the door behind Paige. Eve was saying, “So how about I at least walk you to the elevator?” and Paige said something she couldn’t hear in response.

Ericka tugged on her sleeve. “Um, where’d Mama Eve go that she doesn’t want me to know about?”

Harlow’s eyes widened while she tried to think of how to answer that.


“It isn’t important,” Aliie said to Julie. “And besides, you told us to drop it.”

“I did,” Julie said, “but I don’t buy that it’s not important, not when you’re calling each other horrible names so loudly I could hear you down the hall.”

Allie bowed her head. “That wasn’t like me. I shouldn’t have said that Sydney was a traitor to the family.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. But I’m not the one you need to say that to.” Julie crossed her arms. “And whatever it is that prompted it, I suggest you think about whether it’s really worth saying such terrible things to one another. If the last year has taught us anything at all, it’s that life is short and unpredictable, and you just never know when someone will take their last breath. That’s why we’re all here, because John Black was fine one moment and gone the next. How would you feel if something happened to your sister and the last thing you ever said to her was that she’s a traitor to the family?”

“Truer words were never spoken,” Lucas said, coming over. “Your mom’s on her way with Eric. Do we need to tell her to get you two in line?”

Allie shook her head. So did Sydney.

“So then I won’t have to walk in on you two fighting and being so nasty to each other that Julie has to lecture you again?”
“No, Dad,” Allie mumbled and Sydney added, “No, Lucas.”

“In that case, it’ll be our secret,” Lucas said, checking over his shoulder to make sure Sami hadn’t come in yet. “But do not do it again or all bets are off.”

Lucas walked away. Allie threw herself onto the couch next to Sydney. “Hey,” she said under her breath. “I’m not starting a fight again, I promise, but if you’re gonna be friends with Ruby, be careful, okay? That girl is capable of fooling a lot of people and I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Sydney swallowed hard, but said nothing.

[André DiMera]

Wonder what Harlow will say. Nice that she was okay with watching Erica.

Glad Julie and Lucas got Allie and Sydney to stop fighting.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!