The Parthenon
:: Cameron was glad that Delilah had stepped in for him, because he didn't have it in him to perform another monologue about why he did what he did. The response to his actions thus far had been surprising. It was a lose lose situation for him. Had he kept his feelings for Haleigh, they would be worried about what that might cause him to do. Now he had removed those feelings and people were worried about what might happen to him because of that. He could talk to Dominique about this situation because she was somewhat removed from things. But the rest of The Six, they had spent the better part of a decade trying to convince him that he and Haleigh were a dead end road, and that being together would create an unholy and unhealthy alliance from the team. Part of him wanted to know what they thought now. They had kept Cameron and Haleigh apart for so long, caused them to subconsciously believe their words, and now Haleigh had joined league with Malice. What would have been worse? Cameron and Haleigh..or Haleigh and Malice. ::
"Haleigh, Malice AND Cameron."
:: Perhaps they were right. If they would have been together, in an official capacity and Haleigh had revealed what she did, he would have followed suit with Ava and joined league with Hellfire to be with her, to keep an eye on her. It would be him attacking The Six in order to protect her. The whole situation was a tragedy that Cameron was certain he would never fully recover from. But that was why he had done it. Cameron had everything in life that he wanted, and he still wasn't happy with himself. Because he didn't believe that he should be, because he didn't believe that he deserved it. Because so many voices in his life had told him as such. And it was all because of his bloody, dripping heart. He wanted so badly to be loved by everybody, and he sought out love that was destructive because it was a foregone conclusion. He craved relationships he knew wouldn't work out, because he was a masochist. The thrill of seeking love and approval that he would never get. It was a pattern that had cost him a LARGE chunk of his happiness in life. It was a theme that caused him to hurt Alycia, to isolate Vivica, and Cameron was done. Facing what they were about to face, it had caused a shift in Cameron. Alison never wanted her brother to be like her. Their polarity was what made them powerful, but it was because they both needed some of what the other had. Alison..after so many years, had softened. He had felt her heart beat on the astral plane and it had been one of the most beautiful experiences in his life. He had been able to effect her HEART. That feeling had done more for Cameron than any of the others knew. It was the first time in his life that he experienced true and pure LOVE. The kind that could only come from somebody who was a part of you. After that, things shifted. He began to look at things differently. When Haleigh betrayed them, he took it as a sign. One that he wasn't willing to look at initially. But then she sent the video to him, and he realized how much he could be used against The Six or perhaps against his sister. Alison had logged MORE than enough field hours. She had her own destiny to fullfill. It was time for him to step up. Be the man that she deserved to call her brother, in a different way. He knew it was a desperate and grand gesture, but it was neccessary. Cameron wasn't stupid. He knew there would be consequences, and he knew that they would probably be great, because they always were. Nothing in his life was ever easy. But he WAS willing to pay for what he had done. He WAS willing to accept what would happen with open arms. Because Cameron was ready to be different. He was ready for the chapter of his life that wasn't defined by his love for Haleigh...or defined by the impulsive decisions of his heart. ::
:: Thankfully, the conversation subsided and while it was clear that there was still a bit of tension between Delilah and Morgan, they made haste to say goodbye to Karen and Mike. On that point, Cameron was relieved and also worried. He would need to make more of a presence known on Aerie. No doubt Karen and Alison would pick right up on their plans to destroy Talisman. Cameron would not make that easy for them. Not by a long shot. Talisman may have been a monster, but she was HIS monster. They wanted to kill her because of what she had done to Karen and Frost, and because he wasn't stupid, he knew they wanted to kill her before she ever had the chance to make contact with him, because they knew that it would complicate things. His sister may have known and been prepared to deal with the fallout from them taking his only shot at knowing the woman that could have been his mother, but Cameron had been known to surprise even his SISTER with what he was capable of when pushed enough. Nobody had came to him regarding Talisman, nobody had given him the respect he deserved in this situation, and it didn't sit well with him, and he wasn't going to let that go. Just like he had told Sharon and Alycia, Cameron was done apologizing for the person he was, and he done not getting the respect he deserved because he just like everybody else in the goddamn universe was flawed. ::
Shadow Weaver said:
<< Karen could sense her daughter's genuine emotion as she lets go of them, and steps back, looking at Tinker, and gently stroking the side of her face before responding to Morgan and Blaze.>>
Karen: I know what's happened << up till the Firebird vs Persephone situation>>. I watched as Black Widow, armed with the knowledge that I helped her uncover, made an insane choice and INVALIDATE all the effort that I made, all the WILL that you all demonstrated to see her through this, and she's given herself to the woman more or less responsible for every terrible thing that has shaped our lives...since BEFORE MOST OF YOU WERE BORN!
<< she looks at Delilah, Cameron, Nicolas, and the rest assembled.>>
Karen: Ava Cassadine, a woman that I performed psychotherapy on for MONTHS to help her recover from trauma, TRAUMA that lead her to have an unintentional role in 42 children dying no less, REMOVED the safe guards I put in place, and INVALIDATED my efforts as she chose to dive into DARKNESS...and NOW she has HURT people I care about. Do you know what else I've seen?
<< she looks at Cameron>>
Arrogance.
<< Delilah>>
Stubbornness.
<< Michael>>
CONDESCENSION.
I've seen reckless and willfull behavior that has wasted time and exposed you all to vulnerability that you're only just NOW beginning to address...and I've had JUST ABOUT ENOUGH.
<< Her unhappiness was quite clear in her tone>>
You're sending me away to protect me from clear and present danger. Given the situation, I do understand, and that's why I've agreed to go along with it.
Karen: Who will protect YOU from your reckless and INSANE choices?
<< This was it, this was the build of all the frustration and anger that the doctor felt since the Frost caper, Talisman and everything up till now. She looks at her daughters>>
Karen: Who will protect YOU? Or have you all FORGOTTEN just who it is that Haleigh GAVE herself to?
<< and if anyone could remind them of just what a looming figure Malice was, it would be Karen.>>
<< Morgan and Blaze look at Michael, he could see them both bearing Karen's withering remarks.>>
:: He flexed with anger for a moment. They were trying to protect her and help her and she was being obstinate and rude. They were all going through pain though, nobody cornered the market on it right now. So while it was rather annoying and infuriating to hear her chastise everybody, especially somebody who liked to get drunk and tear through people with reckless abandon on occassion, he listened. She was just as upset as everybody else was about things. Everybody else had gotten their moment in the sun, so to speak, so he let her insult roll off like water off a duck's back. ::
:: Thankfully Delilah stepped in and did what she did. It seemed to calm things. ::
Shadow Weaver said:
<< Karen sighed as she looked at Delilah, then behind her to Blaze and Morgan, and then over to Michael.>>
<< She replied in a lower tone as well.>>
And for Frost too...and
<< Karen trembled...not with fear...but with RAGE, and Delilah could sense that.>>
...Talisman.
Delilah, that woman CAN'T BE ALLOWED to continue! Frost's soul demands justice! And so do I!
<< They looked at each other intently for a moment>>
"And what of Malice? Or how about pursuing justice for the soul of my sister? Of my mother? My father? Why is justice only pursued when a member of the Victory family has been wronged. Where has my justice been? When will anybody seek reparations for what has been done to MY FAMILY. Malice has done so much, and they focus on Talisman as if she is worse. As if she is on the top of most wanted list. She's not. She's at the bottom. Right beneath MALICE AND HELENA. Why can't they see that?"
:: Dominique was worldly and Richard was sweet, but Cameron couldn't get certain things out of his mind. ::
:: And then Cass spoke. He didn't know WHAT to think of her right now. He knew exactly what she was doing with Benjamin Lewis, and he was no novice. The second he detected Cass, he did a preliminary light sweep of Benjamin's mind as well. He had been bedding Talisman for a bit now. He was conflicted. Didn't know what he wanted. He was just as disjointed and non sensical as Cass was being right now. He promised he would be there for her, but it was clear that after ONE interaction with him, she was entertaining a life without The Six and giving Delilah attitude that wasn't deserved. Delilah just called her on her immature bullshit. Cass needed to get together, get in line, and get over herself. And she needed to do so soon. She could be a bridge for the team, but it seemed like she wanted to set that bridge on fire to prove a point. He didnt like that. ::
Cassandra: “TRUST ME…we aren’t ‘babying’ you at all. We’re just…keeping our BEST asset hidden for the time being.”
:: Prophet furrowed his brow as he grabbed Karen's hand. ::
"Look, I'm not gonna try and sugar coat this. You're pissed off and you have your reasons. They're justifiable to you and I recognize that."
"Our relationship hasn't always been easy. I am who I am. And I've done a lot of changing over the years. We said our peace earlier in my penthouse, and I feel good about that, so I am not about to try and start an argument or disrupt the peace in this moment."
[sighing]
"You've done a lot for us, Karen. But there are some things you just can't fix. No matter how much you want to. No matter how responsible you feel for certain things. I know that you are often the matriarch, a mentor to many of us..but I understand the guilt that you feel about the things that Christopher has done. How it never seems to end..how it never gets better...all because of a choice you made."
"He was a monster. But there was a part of him...that you loved. And despite whether or not that was an act on his part, to you...at some point it was real. You loved that man enough to have a baby with him. To have a life. You're not a foolish woman, so that leads me to believe, that at some point, that love...those feelings you had for him, they were real on his part too. It's not easy or comfortable to think about, but it had to be there at some point. And because you loved him, it made it really hard to realize who he was. And when you did...it felt like it was too late."
:: He squeezed her hand. ::
"But it wasn't. You got out and you did the right thing. But trust me when I say that I deeply understand what it is to live with a mistake that won't die. I watched your daughter try and destroy the world, thanks in large part to things that I did. I ran away from all of this to try and protect myself and then Alexis was gone. Alison and Ava were tortured almost beyond recognition. Blaze Fielding died. And I can say that I wasn't there, or that I didn't have anything to do with it, but I did.."
"So you overcorrect. You try and make sure you don't make the same mistakes. And you get really far, you get to a point where you think...just maybe, that you've been absolved. That you might have done enough pennance to make up for it. And then a bomb goes off, and you realize..that nothing is ever going to make up for the decisions that you've made, no matter what the circumstances were. No matter how far you've come."
"Karen..I get that more than you might want to give me credit for."
"I say all of this..because..I want you to hear it. I want you to know that...despite our age difference..despite my so called arrogance..I understand a lot of what you are going through..and a wise friend of mine [smiling at Nicolas] once told me there is a reason that doctor's don't treat themselves. If you need somebody to talk to..I'll be there."
:: He was conflicted. So mad for what Karen was planning but also caring about her so deeply. They had always been oil and water because of the origin of their relationship , but they had been through a lot together. She was the only woman who had ever presented herself as a mother figure and (read above) Cameron had a habit of trying to win people over in his life. He loved Karen. He was appreciative of everything she had done, even if he didn't agree with what she wanted to do. ::
"We may fight. We may even try and kill each other. But I love your daughters. We've been doing this for over a decade now. They aren't just friends. They are my family. And if anybody wants to hurt Blaze..OR Morgan, they're gonna have to go through ME."
:: Cameron hugged Karen. ::
"And I need you to go, because I can't be with Alison right now. I don't like her isolating herself as much as she does."
:: Though he was worried and angry about what the two of them might concoct regarding Talisman while together, he cared about his sister enough to know that it might be WORSE if Alison was left to her own devices. ::
"This will be over soon, Dr. V. I promise."
As it turned out, nobody told Karen about what SHE did – because Karen didn’t immediately turn her into a toadstool 
– so Cass was safe…FOR NOW. ::
