Breaking Ties: An Ensemble Story (Read 251,574 times)

[heroicmuse]

Week 509 - 5
Eve had wanted to check out dresses in Barrons. Theresa said under her breath, “She’s going to spend so much on the wedding that the rest of us are going to be taking care of Erica until she’s old enough to go to college.”

“You know my mom,” Paige said. “Only the best will do. But don’t worry.” She lowered her voice. “I’m going to find an excuse not to buy my maid of honor dress today and look for a cheaper knockoff online.”

“Good thinking.” Theresa smiled slightly. “I didn’t think you had a devious bone in your body, so I guess I taught you well.”

“Ha ha.” Paige looked over her shoulder, frowning. “Dr. Evans is way behind us,” she said. “I think we’re walking too fast.”

Eve said, “Now how can that be? I used to see her power walking around the lake and there was no way anyone on Earth could keep up with her.”

“I don’t know,” Paige said, “but I’m doubling back so that she won’t feel left out.” She went back to where Marlena was.

“Sorry we left you behind,” Paige said. “You know my mom, she’s so caught up in excitement she’s not thinking of anyone but herself.”

“Oh, it’s all right.” Marlena made herself smile. “I’m just not as fast as I used to be, that’s all. But you don’t need to hold yourself back for me.”

“I’m not,” Paige said. “I’m walking with you.” She crossed her arms. “I think you’ve forgotten I’m a doctor. I can tell you’re a little short of breath and that walking through the store is taking a toll on you. I don’t want to pry, but that could be a sign of anemia.”

“I’m aware.” Marlena smiled slightly. “I am a doctor too, after all. Plus, I saw Kayla a few days ago.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t let it get around, but my iron and B12 aren’t where they should be, and Kayla thinks it might be celiac disease.”

Paige nodded. “That explains it,” she said. “But are you sure you’ll have the stamina to — “

“Of course I will,” Marlena interrupted. “I’m not a feeble old woman no matter how it looks right now.”

“Of course not,” Paige said, “but there’s no shame in using a wheelchair if you need to. I did it when I was pregnant with Mariposa.”

Marlena hesitated, thinking about it.


Justin said, “I don’t see how that would work. First of all, Kate turning herself in would only bolster the case against you. I did try to argue, not very successfully, I admit, that without her being charged with a crime, the idea of you covering hers up was nnsensical. But if she is not only arrested but turns herself in and pleads guilty… well, that only gives the prosecution ammunition against you. They’d have the crime, they’d have the perpetrator behind bars, and all they’d have to do is prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you had knowledge of it and looked the other way. So no, if this is supposed to be a strategy to get you out of trouble, it fails miserably.”

“I think she was thinkin’ she’d only confess if all charges are dropped against me,” Rafe said.

“It doesn’t work that way. Usually, when you make a deal with a prosecutor, it’s to get charges dropped or reduced against yourself, not someone else. Even trying it… it’s the kind of trick that looks like more of exactly what you’re being accused of.” Justin sighed. “Now, be straight with me. How much of this has she already put in motion?”

“None as far as I know,” Rafe said. “She came over to run it by me.”

“She… came over? To your house?”

Rafe nodded. “I wasn’t thrilled about it, considering…”

“...that you already got in hot water for hanging out wth her after the incident.” Justin straightened his tie. “All right. So one of the things we need to do is rein her in before she tanks your case. How I’m going to do that, I don’t know, but I have to find a way because right now, she’s the very definition of ‘with friends like these, you don’t need enemies.’”

Rafe swallowed hard, aware that Justin was right.

[André DiMera]

Glad Paige went back to check on Marlena. Wonder if she’ll agree to use a wheelchair.

Curious what Justin will do to attempt to rein Kate in.

Can we please have previews, heroicmuse?

[Kpatch]

I actually forgot Paige was a doctor. Marlena was condescending when she said "I'm a doctor too."

Paige's idea to find a cheaper Matron of Honor dress is a good one.

[heroicmuse]

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

Next week is another exciting week in Salem, with lots going on. Read on for spoilers.

Coming Up on Breaking Ties...
The cops' treatment of Alison and Emily makes Alison all the more determined to find out what happened to Josh, but as they head to the police station to talk to Prescott's brother, Emily isn't so sure it's a good idea. Will Alison convince her to help her with her effort to uncover the truth?

Meanwhile, in Salem the safe house residents are unanimous about what Kenneth should do about testifying, while in court Abe takes the stand, only to find that Saxon's reactions during his testimony are surprising. 

Paige is empathetic and supportive toward Marlena, but what will happen when Eve comes over to find out what's taking them so long to catch up with her and Theresa?

And finally, Charley is surprised by Izzy's behavior toward her at camp, while Mr. Woods tells Vicki about an exciting new program that will start once school begins.

[André DiMera]

Hopefully Alison will be able to convince Emily, despite those stupid cops.

Wonder how Saxon reacts to Abe’s testimony.

Hopefully Eve won’t make this an issue.

Wonder what Izzy does. Can’t wait to hear more about this program!

Thanks for the previews, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

I hope Charley is doing okay. I bet she's anxious for summer camp to end.

Eve needs to keep her busybody nose out of Marlena's business.

[heroicmuse]

Week 510 - 1
Alison held her breath as she was patted down, aware that the cops were looking for any reason to arrest her and Emily and that she had to pray they weren’t going to plant something on her. She didn’t care what they did to her. If they arrested her over nothing, it would just prove that Josh’s arrest was bogus and she’d make sure to get the word out to Nicole somehow so that all of Salem, and maybe Chicago too, would know it.

She hoped Emily was okay. She didn’t dare look at her to check, but she knew Emily had to be freaking out.

The pat down seemed to take forever and then the oop finally let her go. “Okay, you’re clean,” he said. “You don’t have any warrants out for your arrest, do you?”

“N-no sir,” Alison said, trying to sound calm and confident but also deferential.

“Well, we’ll see,” the cop said. “Sit down, both of you, and wait for us with your hands clasped in front of you on the table.”

As soon as the girls had sat down, the cop walked off to check their IDs.

Alison glanced at Emily, who was blinking back tears. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Fine.” Emily’s voice was flat.

Alison’s eyes darted to the cop guarding them, then back to Emily. “IT’s all intimidation tactics,” she whispered. “That means we’re onto something, or will be soon.”

The cop guarding them came closer. “Something to say, ladies?” The girls shook their heads and he said, “Sit up properly, then. It’s just like when you were in school. No whispering.”

Alison’s eyes narrowed, but she did what she was told.

The other cop came back. “They’re clean,” he said, sounding disappointed. He threw their IDs on the table and said, “It’s like this. You say you dropped that wrapper, I say you littered. I could write you a citation or take you in, but honestly, it’s a waste of time to do all that paperwork over a wrapper. So it’s your lucky day. I’m letting you go this time. But this is a beautiful city and we want to keep it that way. If we catch you throwing trash around again, we won’t be so nice about it. Do we understand each other?”

Alison knew he wasn’t just talking about trash. “Yes, Officer,” she said, and Emily added, “Thank you, Officer.”

The cops shoved the IDs across the table. “Put these away and get out of my face,” one said, and then the officers walked away.

Emily let her breath out slowly as she put her ID away. “I really thought we were going to jail over that wrapper.”

“No, not yet,” Alison said. “They’re trying to scare us out of investigating.” She put her ID away. “Which means only one thing. We need to get the police station and talk to Gerald Prescott right away.”

Emily’s eyes widened with fear as she stood so she oould follow Alison, but she said nothing.


The safe house residents had gathered in the living room. Paul said, “I wouldn’t talk about your testimony, either of you, since there’s someone else in the room who might be testifying, but you guys can talk about anything else you want.”

“Can we discuss whether Kenneth should testify?” Hannah asked. “That’s kind of the point of this. He’s not sure he wants to and we need to discuss it.”

Paul sighed. “Technically, you guys aren’t supposed to influence each other’s testimony at all. But if anyone asks, you were just talking about how you hope you can get out of here soon.” He stepped back.

“That’s one strike against testifying, huh?” Kenneth said. “The sooner we get home, the sooner we’re free to talk about whatever we want.”

“Not if Nat gets away with it,” Brianna said. “If the DA lady suddenly wants you testifying, she’s got to think the case isn’t strong enough yet.”

Hannah added, “The more evidence she’s got the better, that’s why I think Kenneth should go for it. Thing is, he’s afraid what it’ll do to me, and I just wanted to check you guys would be okay if we’re stuck in these jail like conditions the next few days.”

Brianna’s cheeks darkened. “You… you were concerned about me?”

“Of course I am,” Hannah said. She reached for Brianna’s hands. “Look. I know I haven’t been very nice to you. What you did to Kenneth back in the day wasn’t cool, and I don’t know I”m completely over it. But you’re also Kenneth’s cousin and in some weird way, even though we’re not blood related, we’re sisters cause of what Nat did to us.”

Brianna’s face trembled. “You don’t know how much that means to me. I know I can’t ever fully make up for what I did. I took a life and everything. But I swear I’ll do my best to be a good friend now.” She blinked hard. “And when we get back I’ll sit in a Restoration Circle with you and let you give it to me full blast.”

“What’s that?” Jeremy asked, putting his arm around Brianna. “That sounds like some creative new way of punishing yourself.”

“It’s not, exactly. It’s this thing we had to do at the Second Chance House. If you broke the rules they didn’t just kick you out, unless it was really bad like bringing drugs home or something. You had to have a meeting with whoever you hurt with what you did and you had to confess to it and listen to what they had to say about how you made them feel. So maybe it’s crazy, but I thought if Hannah and I did that, maybe we could, I don’t know… move forward?”

“I’ll do that with you,” Hannah said, “but let’s not get off track right now. How do we all feel about being stuck here so Kenneth can testify?”

“We’ve made it this long, what’s another few days?” Jeremy said.

“Yeah,” Brianna agreed. “I”ve lived in worse situations, and at least at the end of it Nat’ll get justice. We hope, anyway.”

“I’m not as tough as I like to make out,” Hannah said, “but I’m not gonna be the one standing in the way of Nat getting what she deserves.” She turned toward Kenneth. “So it’s up to you, baby. We’re all fine with staying here if you want to take the stand. So the only question is, do you?”

[André DiMera]

Glad the girls didn’t actually get arrested.

Hopefully Kenneth will agree to testify. Glad everyone else is okay with sticking it out in the safe house for a few more days.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 510 - 2
Rubin leaned her phone on her ear, speaking quietly to the Salem District Attorney. “Yes, ma’am. He’s going to give me his answer about testifying after Abe Carver’s finished. Hopefully, Commissioner Carver’s testimony will be strong enough to offset the fact that two of our witnesses have criminal records, though honestly, since we’re prosecuting a gang leader, the jury should not be surprised that the strongest witnesses are former recruits who turned against her. No, Miss March, I know. I won’t take anything for granted. Um, with all due respect, it’s way too early to talk plea bargains. For one thing, our defendant has dug herself into a deep hole with the judge. She’s currently watching the trial from behind bars because she wouldn’t stop throwing tantrums in court. That won’t play well with the jury, nor will her lawyer’s constant disrespect of the judge. Yes, I will keep you posted.”

She hung up and sighed deeply. “I know what I’m doing. I’m not wasting time offering a plea deal to that sorry excuse for a human being who wouldn’t take it anyway.”

Rubin walked into the courtroom and took her seat. Saxon was sitting at his table by himself, looking sad.

Rubin came up to him. “Is your client all set up with CCTV so she can see the proceedings?”

Saxon shrugged. “What’s it to you?”

“Believe it or not, I want her to have a fair trial. By law she has the right to bserve the proceedings, so if there’s a problem…”

“I’m not such an idiot I wouldn’t inform the judge.” Saxon let his breath out slowly. “Sorry,” he said, holding his hands out. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just that it’s abudnandtly clear that the judge thinks I’m completely incompetent.”

“Is that what she said to you in chambers?” Rubin asked.

Saxon shook his head. “She pretty much made it clear that she knows I’m letting my client lead me by the nose, so… same difference.”

“There’s an easy solution to that. Stop letting your client call the shots.” Rubin gave Saxon a wry smile. “Look, Jimmy, I know you. I’ve goen up against you in court before and always respected you. But the things you have done in this trial…”

“I know, I know. My reputation is in shreds.” Saxon swallowed hard. “You don’t understand how… difficult a client Natalie Simmons is. I have to defend her but…”

“What do you mean, have to?” Rubin raised her eyebrows. “Jimmy… has Natalie Simmons threatened you?”

The bailiff came over. “Excuse me, Ms. Rubin, but the judge is about ready to come in, so if you could please take your seat…”

“I will in one second.” Rubin sighed. She turned toward Saxon. “If something’s going on that shouldn’t be…”

“It’s not. I told the judge and I’m telling you. Now go sit down before you end up in contempt of court.”

Rubin raised her eyebrows, but she went to her side and sat down.

Saxon slumped down in his seat. Rubin said to herself, “Something’s going on that shouldn’t be, but if he won’t talk, there’s nothing I can do for him.”



At camp, Charley had joined the archery group. She couldn’t believe that she was only going to get to do this for a few days and then camp was over and she’d have to go home and go back to school.

The instructor said, “The first thing we’re going to go over is safety. Now, these arrows we’re going to be using are capped so that you can’t hurt anyone with them, but you still need to learn to be responsible. A bow and arrow in the wrong hands can be just as dangerous as a loaded gun. In the real world, arrows are not capped and they can cause organ damage or other serious injuries if they hit someone. Even capped, that can be the case, because they are flying quickly through the air. So… before anyone gets any arrows we need to understand that you NEVER point a bow and arrow at anyone or shoot it at them. Arrows are for shooting at targets only. You are to stand in the marked areas only, as those have been measured to ensure that you will be far enough away from others that you won’t accidentally shoot anyone when trying to hit the target.”

Charley gulped. Maybe this isn’t for me, she thought. If I can get hurt…

There was a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw Izzy, who waved.

Charley hugged her. “I thought you were doing horseback riding.”

“I was gonna but I decided I’d rather do what you’re doing,” Izzy said. She was smiling widely.

Charley took a step back. She wasn’t sure, but she had this feeling Izzy had a crush on her and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

[André DiMera]

Glad Rubin at least tried to talk to Saxon, and that she won’t consider a plea bargain.

I think Charley might be misreading things, but we’ll see.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

Good to see Charley. I can't remember how old Izzy was supposed to be but I think it's a lot older than Charley. Charley is getting a different kind of education at camp. I wonder if her parents will ever send her to camp again after this.

[heroicmuse]

Week 510 - 3
Abe had taken the stand. “I’ve been the police commissioner for a long time,” he said, “so I think it’s fair to say that I have seen more than my fair share of violent crime, and even more fair to say that quite a bit of that crime was caused by the Fire Lions.”

Rubin said, “Let’s stick to crimes you have witnessed this defendant commit. When did she first get on your radar?”

Abe said, “Several years ago, we got a 911 call from Valerie Martin. Her daughter Hannah was planning on testifying against Marcel Simmons, and somebody got a gun, followed Hannah home, and emptied his revolver into her window. Fortunately, neither Hannah nor her mother was hurt, but it was clear that this was an attempt to intimidate Hannah out of testifying.”

Rubin glanced over her shoulder at Saxon, sure he was going to object, b ut he sat still, staring straight ahead. She turned back to Abe and said, “And was this shooting linked to Natalie Simmons?”

“Yes,” Abe said. “A couple of days later, the shooter turned himself in. During a custodial interrogation, he told us that he was acting on orders from Natalie Simmons to force Hannah to withdraw her agreement to testify.”

Saxon started to stand, then sat down again without saying anything.

Rubin raised her eyebrows before she asked the next question. “Was this the only time you encountered Natalie Simmons’ name during a police investigation?”

“Not at all. About six months later, there was a spress of robberies in Horton Town Square. Stores smashed up, owners held at gunpoint and forced into storage rooms, employees finding their managers bound and gagged and in one case a manager disappearing. The robbers targeted patrons doing Christmas shopping too, confronting them with guns in the parking lots and bus stops and leaving them tied up after they stole their things. Needless to say, this was a crisis situation, and we pulled out all the stops to get the culprits behind bars so that Salem would be safe again. We arrested over a dozen young people, and all of them told us who ordered the robberies.”

“Was that Natlie Simmons?”

“We got to her eventually. She was determined not to get caught, so she ordered other Fire Lions to pass on the message that the gang was to terrorize shoppers.”

“I see,” Rubin said, glancing at Saxon again. Where is his hearsay objection? she thought. He wouldn’t win it, most likely, but it was such an obvious objection that she couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t making it. Turning back to Abe, she said, “Now let’s get to the kidnapping of Kenneth Hansen. You were called to the Hansen home by a child, correct?”

“That is correct. Vicki Hansen was about 11 or 12 years old at the time. Marcel Simmons had grabbed her brother at gunpoint while he was outside putting a bag of trash in his bin. He marched Kenneth back into the house and tied him and his uncle up while Vicki hid in a closet and texted me. By the time mye and my officers arrived at the scene, the uncle was tied to a stool in his kitchen and Mr. Simmons had taken Kenneth away with him somewhere. Fortunately Vicki was unharmed, though she told us that Marcel Simmons had come into her bedroom looking for her when he heard a noise. It gives me nightmares to this day to think of what he would have done to her had he found her.”

“I understand,” Rubin said. “But that was Marcel Simmons. How was his sister involved?”

“Natalie Simmons acted as a go-between. She knew where her brother was holding Kenneth and she went there with food, and supposedly to talk him out of further violence. She also met with Hannah Martin to tell her that she was working on getting Marcel to exchange Kenneth for Hannah. She told Hannah that she would let her have Christmas with her family, but she intended to abduct her afterward.”

“I see. And did she abduct Hannah Martin?”

“SHe didn’t get that chance because officers were tracing her movements after she met with Hannah. We followed her back to the warehouse where Kenneth was being held and arrested her outside of it before raiding the warehouse. We found Marcel Simmons passed out on the floor and Kenneth Hansen bound to a pipe and blindfolded.”

“Marcel Simmons was passed out. Was it determined what had happened to him?”

“Yes,” Abe said. “Natalie Simmons poisoned his food with sedatives. I don’t know what she would have done had she gone back inside after the sedatives took hold because we arrested her. She maintains she wanted to set Kenneth Hansen free, but given that she had plans to force Hannah into the trunk of her car so she could exchange one prisoner for another, I have my doubts on that score.”

Rubin glanced over her shoulder to see if Saxon was going to object on the grounds of speculation. He didn’t.

“And have you had any dealings involving Ms. Simmons since?” Rubin asked Abe.

“I”m afraid so,” Abe said. “You see, a couple of weeks ago I got a call from Hannah Martin. Someone bumped her parents’ car from behind and sent her a message warning that if she chose to testify against Natalie Simmons, next time the accident would be far more serious.”

“Thank you,” Rubin said. “Nothing further.”

“Your witness, Mr. Saxon,” Judge Hildebrand said.

Saxon didn’t answer, just stared at his hands.

“Mr. Saxon?” the judge said again.

Saxon sat up straighter. “Um, sorry,” he said. He stood, but he seemed energyless.

In her cell, Nat was watching on CCTV as Saxon came slowly up to the witness stand. “What the hell is wrong with him?” she said to herself. “He needs to eat that dumbass cop for lunch, not fall asleep on him.”

[André DiMera]

Abe’s testimony was strong. Seems that Saxon may have finally realized that Nat isn’t worth defending.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 510 - 4
“There,” Alison said, pointing at the police station building. “I told you we were supposed to turn right no matter how many times the GPS said to turn left. But no matter. Here we are, and hopefully this Prescott guy will have some answers for us.”

“Yeah, I hope so.” Emily pushed her hair behind her ear. “Um, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, we almost got arrested over nothing. What do you think this cop will do to us if he doesn’t like our questions?”

“Hopefully nothing,” Alison said lightly, “but I’m sure Sally will bail us out if need be.” Emily crossed her arms and Alison said, “I’m kidding. Mostly.”

“Not funny.” Emily blinked hard. “I’ve never been in trouble in my life! Not even a speeding ticket! And they were ready to cart us both away over a stupid wrapper that didn’t make it to the trash!”

“I know.” Alison’s voice was soft. She put her hand on Emily’s shoulder. “It sucked, but if we back off now, that’s just giving them what they want, okay? Besides, Josh is counting on us.”

“Is he? He acted like wanted us to back off. He said it’s better he take his lumps than get killed.”

Alison’s eyes widened. “They’re threatening him? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I don’t know. I guess it just seemed so ridiculous, like something out of The Godfather, not something that could be happening in real life to someone we know. But anyway, don’t you think we should be more cautious?”

Alison crossed her arms, thinking. “Nope.”

“Al…”

“Look, if it’s too much for you, I get it. I won’t be offended if you want to go back to the hotel and wait for me. But if Josh told you he’s scared that if we poke around he’ll get hurt, that proves he’s innocent. He knows he was set up and he’s scared of what’ll happen to him if we prove it. So as far as I’m concerned, my brother needs me. He’s sitting in jail for something he didn’t do, and we’re the only ones who can get him free of all of this.” Alison put her hand on the door. “Coming or not?”

Emily sighed. “I’m coming, I guess.” She followed Alison into the building.


Vicki pulled at a pigtail. “New program?” she said. “Wait… is it forensics? Am I gonna get to work in a real law enforcement DNA lab?”

“It’s not quite that exciting,” Mr. Woods said, “though it’s possible you will get some hands-on training with DNA analysis.” He smiled slightly. “Maybe if they hire you at that hospital, they’ll stop making so many DNA test mistakes.”

Vicki rolled her eyes. “I do not want to work in a hospital. I want to be a forensic detective, not any old expert in DNA.”

“I see. Well, while we can’t get you that, this new program may get you one step closer.”

Vicki tugged harder at her pigtail. “Why? What is it?”

“I’ll tell you if you stop doing that with your hair. I know you need to keep your hands busy when you feel anxious, but you are far too old to do it that way. Use a fidget spinner or something else that won’t result in you pulling your hair out.”

Vicki shoved her hands in her pockets. “Fine. I stopped. Now what’s the big idea?”

“The idea,” Mr. Woods said, “is that I have been able to set up an internship program as a class for all students. You will be able to choose from one of a dozen internship opportunities, take classes to prepare you for your duties, and work under the supervision of both educational faculty and the owner or manager of the business you want to learn about.”

Vicki’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t sure what her uncle meant, though she was glad that he seemed so excited about it and didn’t want to ruin the mood by asking him to explain further.

[Kpatch]

If Mr. Woods is excited, then so am I.