Chapter Seventeen

Jason put his hands to his head and rubbed his eyes, then temples, with frustration. It was obvious that they were going to have to endure a few more rounds of Carly telling them to get out of there, and that thought alone made him want to turn around and go back home. His patience with her was going to be thin, since he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of having his wife and daughter in a city that reeked of danger. But, he was doing what he had to do, he would feel a hell of a lot worse if he hadn’t come and something had happened to her or anyone else.

He sighed deeply and Courtney reached for his wrists, pulling him to her. “Jason, don’t worry about Carly. Just focus on what you’re here to do and let her say what she wants. She’s just being herself, we should have expected this.”

His wife was right, Carly was like this, but it didn’t make her any easier to deal with. As usual, she would be yelling at him at the top of her longs through the whole ordeal, he knew. He could feel a headache coming on and he groaned. Leave it to her to give him one, it never failed.

“What’s wrong?” Courtney asked, in reference to the groan that had escaped his lips.

He gave her a weak smile. “Besides the fact that I know that Carly is going to be giving us hell every time I see her, unless we get really lucky, she’s already managed to give me a headache. And, I’ve got some things that I need to take care of on top of it.”

“I’ve got ibuprofen up in my bag. Do you want me to get if for you?”

He nodded slightly before she got off the counter and headed upstairs. He could feel the pain in his head growing, and he took his glass from earlier so he could poor himself some milk. He hated taking medicine otherwise, even though it was rare that he did anyway.

A couple moments later, Courtney brought the bottle of pills down and put it in his hand. After he’d taken them, he looked back at her “I’ve got to go out and meet someone, but I’ll be back.”

“I figured you would. It’s okay, we’ll be fine.” She took a step towards him and hugged him to her. He welcomed it and rested his face against her neck and shoulder. She was definitely going to be able to keep him from losing it.

He hoped.

~*~

It didn’t take long to figure out that Luke still owned his club. And, of course, that was where he found the man.

Not wanting to be seen, he snuck in the back entrance, the one Luke had never locked, and into his office, which was predictably unlocked as well. He could hear him out in the main room, talking with Roy and Mac. Well, at least I don’t have to go looking for both of them, he thought. He slid behind the desk and leaned back in the chair, ready to wait for them to make their ways to the office.

Nearly forty five minutes after Jason had entered the room, he heard both men coming down the short hallway. Their voices were loud, obviously in good spirits despite knowing the predicament that their old ‘friend’ was in. He could tell they weren’t drunk, and he was thankful for that, but a bit surprised. It was way too early in the day, though, and he needed to figure out what to do about, or with, these two.

The office door swung open and he saw the gray haired man jump back, startled and wide eyed. “What the hell are you trying to do, give us a heard attack?”

Chapter Eighteen

Roy shut the office door behind him as he and Luke stepped further into the room. THe gray haired man pulled up one of the other chairs, and promptly sat down in it.

"What is it you want to talk to me about? Lorenzo Alcazar told me both of you asked him about me earlier."

"Well, we heard about Sonny, and I knew this came out of the blue. He wouldn't be in the hospital if he'd known that something like this was going to happen, he would have seen it coming. And, we figured you would know about it," Luke responded.

He nodded, and took a cue stick that was leaning against the side of Luke's desk and started hitting it against the bottom of his shoes. He could always tell when someone was giving him the turth, and this time was no different. They were being honest with him, but it was quite obvious that Roy and Luke knew more about the situation. What that was, he had no idea, but it was definitely a lot more than he or Alcazar knew.

Roy leaned back into his chair, as his friend looked at him decisively. This was always an uncomfortable situation to be in, when you were the person with bad information, especially when it was something mob related. Situations like this got people killed, this dealt with Sonny Corinthos, and the man he thought was behind the entire ordeal.

Jason saw the look that Luke had passed to Roy, and gave them one of his own, laced heavily with suspicion. "You might as well tell me what it is now, because I'll find out anyway."

"We planned on telling you. But, you're not going to like it," the black haired man said, somewhat uneasily. He wasn't intimidated by Jason, they were equals in both of their eyes, but being the person with this information wasn't his favorite position to be in.

"There aren't many things I like about this, in fact I can't think of any, so go ahead and add to the list."

~*~

Jason walked into his penthouse later that night to find the living room uninhabited. For now, he preferred that for a few minutes, even after being away from Courtney and their daughter for most of the day. He was exhausted, moreso than he had been since they'd moved to the island, save for the few weeks after Abri was born. It was much like an out of body experience, now, to be here, almost like it wasn't even him inside his own body. It wasn't Jason Morgan who inhabited it, but instead someone else.

He'd spent the afternoon talking to Roy and Luke, hearing them out, and what they were thinking about the present situation. Since he didn't know much about Alcazar and Sonny's business relationship, he couldn't say if either of those two had thought that what the three of them had discussed in the office would come up. One was being targeted, and he didn't know which it could be.

He heard light footsteps coming from the top of the stairs and waited until his wife appeared at the botom, with Abri in her arms. The baby smiled immediately at the sight of him, and he watched her eyes light up with laughter. He couldn't help but chuckled, and wrapped his arms around Courtney's waist, hugging both of them to his solid chest. As she pulled away, Abri let out a shrill 'eee' and reached for her father.

"I think she missed me," Jason said, taking her from the blonde.

Courtney nodded and laughed. "Yeah, I think she did."

"I'm sorry I was gone all day. I..."

Blue eyes narrowed at him sharply. "Jason, stop. It's okay, we're okay, and you were doing what you had to do. We had fun today, anyway, while you were gone."

Jason looked at her with a puzzled expression as Abri took his face in both hands and scowled at him, leaning her forehead against his. Courtney giggled at the little girl's antics, and he pursed his lips to scowl right back at her. His narrowed blue eyes and the glint of light behind them, which was recognizeable by those who knew him well, caused her to burst into her own fit of giggles. He tried to keep the scolding look in place for a few seconds longer, but a grin made its way onto his lips. The spiky haired man managed to move his head slightly so he could see his wife again.

"So, what did you two do that was fun while I was gone?"

"Well, Max and I spent quality time together, looking at paint smaples for when I redo this penthouse, and Abri helped. I had him send one of the guys who was supposed to be off duty or something out to one of the hardware stores. The two of us couldn't decide on a color yet, though, so we'll have to get some other samples from a different store or something."

Jason looked at her with wide eyes. "First of all, that's my room, too! Why is Max helping you pick out a color for it? Second, you're domesticating my bodyguards! They're not interior designer people, they're supposed to stand out in the hallway and look mean."

Courtney laughed scornfully at him, with a good natured tone as well, and started walking towards the kitchen. "I don't know where you've been, but those bodyguards look anything but mean, even if they do have guns on them. Maybe it's time for you to hire some new ones if that's really supposed to be their purpose."

Blue eyes followed her, and then looked at the little girl in Jason's arms, forehead furrowed. Was she saying his bodyguards were a bunch of sissy men, and not the tough guys they thought they were? Did that extend to him, too?

Abri looked at her dad and giggled.

Chapter Nineteen

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? They're all talk and don't really do anything? If that's it, I'll have to prove you wrong, since both max and Marco have been quite mean to people who've tried to get into Sonny's penthouse without being told they could go in." Jason rambled, sitting Abri down on the counter and standing in front of her.

Courtney smirked and rolled her eyes, her back to him, as she went to one of the cupboards. She hadn't gotten the chance to tell Jaosn that one of his guards had also been sent out to buy dishes and bottles for his daughter. If they were going to be living there, they'd need them, since she had no intention of eating take out from Kelly's all the time. "I'm sure they have."

Abri looked from her mother back to Jason, a confused expression on her face. The man standing in front of her loked back wide eyes and she giggled. "I'm serious, ask Ric the next time you see him, I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you about it." He looked back at his wife, who had gotten a bottle from one of the cabinets, which was still open. "Where did all of those dishes come from? I know we didn't bring any with us and I had two plates when I lived here."

The blonde screwed the top on the bottle and turned around. She avoided looking at the blue eyed man, sure that she wouldn't be able to keep a straight face if she looked at him, and reached for her daughter. "Abri, give daddy a hug goodnight, it's time for bed."

The blondelittle girl held out her arms for Jason and he hugged her as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you." He let her go and glared playfully at her mother as she took Abri upstairs without answering his question.

~*~

Courtney found her way down the stairs again ten minutes later, and Jason was laying down on the couch. She walked over to it and sat on the little space that was left on the side of him.

"So, what color did Max pick for our bedroom? If it's pink-"

"Jason, it's not pink. We couldn't even decide on a color, chill out. If you want to have a say in what I paint it, tell me."

The spiky haired man scoffed, something that sounded a bit like a chuckle. "It doesn't matter what you paint the bedroom. We don't plan on staying here permanently."

Courtney was quiet, knowing that he was right. There was a bd feeling that she wasn't able to shake, and she hoped that it was just nerves or her preference towards the island. Hopefully, what was going on would be resolved sooner rather than later, and they'd be able to go home. Now that they were here, the situation was proving not to be ideal for any of them. "Did you see Sonny today?"

"No, I had some other stuff to do first, and then when I was done with that, I figured that it would be too late. Either that or Carly would have been there, and knowing how she is, she would have blown things out of proportion. Sonny doesn't need to deal with any of that right now."

Courtney mustered a small smile. "She wasn't too happy when she found out that we were both here." There was a small pause as she bit her bottom lip hesitantly. "Would it be easier on you if Abri and I just went back to the island?"

Jason sat up against the back of the couch, loooking at her questioningly. "Why do you ask that? I thought you wanted to be here with me if I came?"

"I do, but I don't want it to be harder on you if we are here. I'm sure you have a lot to deal with already, and I don't want to add to that."

He shook his head 'no' in response to her statement. "Hey, no, you and Abri are no problem. You're never something I 'deal with'." His hand moved to the side of her face and cupped her cheek. He looked her directly into those blue eyes she had with his own and repeated himself. "You and Abri are never something I have to deal with. I love you, and now I know I need you here with me, okay?"

Courtney nodded, and Jason pressed his lips against hers gently.

Chapter Twenty

Courtney awoke late the next morning, Jason's place in the bed empty, a she figured it would be. Surprisingly, Abri still slept in the playpen-turned-crib and she knew that Jason must have left very early.

Just as she went to climb out of bed for a shower, someone began pounding on the door downstairs.

~*~

Jason stepped into Alcazar's office to find him sitting behind his desk, obviously on the phone with a business associate. He didn't care, he just took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the oak desk to wait his 'turn'. He'd called ahead, Lorenzo knew he was coming, so he had no problem just walking into his office and sitting down in the middle of a phone conversation that most likely had nothing to do with him.

This wasn't about what would have been the 'polite' thing to do, his friend's life was on the line, if he was the person the car bomb was meant for. There was a good possibility that the man behind the desk in front of him was the target. Or, even more likely, both.

Lorenzo continued his conversation with one of the foreman for the legit coffee business. Every once in awhile, he would look at the blue eyed man in the chair, and back at the wall behind him. He was just as eager to end the phone call as Jason was to see it end, after hearing the name of the man Roy thought was the mastermind of the situation at hand. He watched Jason sit deeper into the plush armchair, and then place his feet on the edge of the desk lazily.

He gave the foreman one last order before setting the black phone down on the cradle in front of him. "So, let's get right down to it. Your...associate knows that he's behind it? Or is it jut a wild guess that he's depending on?"

"He's pretty sure and has good reason to believe that he's the guy. I wouldn't come to you and be sure about finding him if I wasn't confident that this was him."

Alcazar leaned back further into the chair. "And, who is your 'source'? I would like to know, since Sonny is also my business partner. I feel like I'm being left in the dark here, at least halfway."

"Well, you've met him before, I'm sure-"

The office door behind him burst open with a loud resounding crash, slamming into the wall. Four men nentered the room as Jason was barely able to turn in the chair, all armed with what appeared to be automatic weapons. He heard the window behind him shatter, and Lorenzo Alcazar was hit in the back of his head with a solid, blunt object.

The men wiht the guns started to shoot, sending bullets into the back of the chairs, the walls and over Jason's head as he attempted to dive to the floor as quickly as he could.

¤¤Flashbacks¤¤

The sun was shining brightly and the ocean water glistened like millions of diamonds spread across the earth. The sky was clear, not a cloud to be seen as seagulls called to each other, flying here and there above the beach.

There were only two people, a man and a woman, lovers, in the water or even on the beach. Just the two of them in their own little world, basking in each other’s presence. The blue eyes man held the woman around her waist; his strong arms making her feel safe and secure. It was almost as if she could conquer the world, all she needed was him standing by her side. The feel of his rock hard stomach and chest against her bare back made her skin burn with desire.

He looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms, her blond hair glistening like the water under the sun, her eyes the color of the sky, a color that matched his own. Her beauty mesmerized him and it was only made more spectacular by her sweet personality shining through with every smile, with every look in her eyes. She was more than he could ever ask for, more than he had ever expected or wanted to expect.

Slowly, she turned to face him, his hands now at her sides as she did so. The sensation of his rough, strong fingers gliding over the smooth wet surface of her skin sent a wave of tingling up her spine. They looked deep into each other’s eyes before he whispered three magical words, “ I love you.”

He could see the smile spread across her face as she whispered back to him, in a voice that was meant for angels, “I love you, too.” Before either of them knew it, their mouths had captured the other’s in a breathtaking kiss filled with desire and adoration. It deepened by the second, as her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, clinging to him as if she’d die if she let go. His arms held her tighter around her waist, never wanting her to leave. Slowly, he knelt down in the water, stilling hanging onto their kiss and swept her fully into his arms…

~*~

"Hey, hey, stop." she said, reaching out to grab his arms, hoping to stop him. She did and he was still panting from the fight with the wall.

Jason heard the woman tell him to stop but didn't want to. Bringing his left fist to strike the wall again, he felt her touch his arm, stopping him. Not looking at her face, only at the brick wall in front of him, he could feel her hands holding his and a charge of electricity ran itself through his body from the tender touch of her skin on his.

She didn't see his face, she just held his hands, bloody with deep gashes all over them. "You're bleeding. Did you notice?" she asked softly, worried about the man who had been so violent seconds before and still feeling comfortable with him. And those hands, they were so familiar to her, as if she'd seen them every day of her life.

He looked at the blond woman, with her long hair hiding her face as she looked down, examining his self-inflicted wounds. There was something about that voice, he knew.

And carefully, she lifted her head to look him in the face and ask what was wrong. As blue met blue, two worlds exploded in the atmosphere, a catalyst to the universe as two hearts bonded together, refusing to let go

~*~

Jason moved his eyes to her soft lips and back to her eyes and she nodded just barely. One hand removed itself from her waist and back to her cheek as he brought his mouth to hers, kissing her gently, tenderly. As they pulled apart, one thought crossed their minds. This is it. Courtney brought a hand to travel from the back of his neck again and to the side of his face, allowing her thumb to run itself over his chiseled features. Their tentative relationship had changed with that dance and with that kiss.

~*~

“I love you.”

She wasn’t surprised to hear him say it, she’d already known, but the words sent a flood of emotion through every inch of her. Slowly, she turned around to face him, still against his chest, and looked straight into his eyes. She freed her hand of his finger’s playful dance and brought it to the side of his face before kissing him. It was loving, a message that she loved him, too. He did nothing as she massaged his lips with hers, Courtney had full control. It was her kiss, and he was willing to let her have it.

As she pulled back, he looked into her crystal blue orbs, completely blown away by her response to his verbal admission of love as she made hers.

“I love you, too.”

~*~

“I love you, too. Forever.”

“Forever’s a long time,” Jason whispered in return, both a serious and playful warning.

“That’s good, because I wouldn’t say it if it didn’t last.” He brushed her cheek with his fingertips, enjoying the sensation of her soft skin as Courtney continued to run her fingers through his hair.

~*~

“Will you marry me?” he asked softly, before holding his breath waiting for her response.

~*~

“You’re more than ‘normal’ to me, Courtney,” he told her, her eyes shining deeply, enhancing the brilliant blue color. She was special to him, more than she or anyone else would ever know. He loved her deeper than he had ever loved anyone in his life, she was everything to him.

“I know, and you’re special to me, too, but I don’t want that opinion of me to make you think less of yourself, or that you don’t deserve to be happy, because you do. We deserve to be happy.”

~*~

Jason kept his gaze focused on her face, her hands resting in his, as the man next to them recited the wedding vows they were promising to each other. He could hear the words and feel and mean them when he spoke, but his concentration was on her and what he was promising to her. “I, Jason, take thee Courtney to be my wife. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. Forsaking all others as long as we both shall live.”

I’ll be your hope, I’ll be your love
Be everything that you need
I love you more with every breath
Truly madly deeply do

Courtney’s smile never left her face as she said her vows, in return to his words, and she saw his eyes sparkle as she looked into his eyes. “I, Courtney, take thee Jason to be my husband. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. Forsaking all others as long as we both shall live.”

Jason took the ring out of his pocket and ran his fingers over the engagement ring as he slipped the simple diamond next to it. “Take this ring and wear it as a symbol of my fidelity and abiding love.”

Her smile only grew wider as Jason placed the ring on her finger. Before he could pull his hand away, she gently squeezed it reassuringly and his eyes glowed. God, I love him so much. The Justice took the ring she was to place on Jason’s finger and put it in her hand. As she slipped the platinum band over it, she too repeated the same words he’d spoken to her a minute before. “Take this ring and wear it as a symbol of my fidelity and abiding love.”

I will be strong
I will be faithful
Cause I’m counting on a new beginning
A reason for living
A deeper meaning

As she looked back up to meet his blue eyes, she saw impatience flash through their depths. She knew that he was waiting for the man to speak again, and so was she.

“Now, I pronounce you man and wife.” He looked at Jason, who was waiting for permission. “Jason, you may kiss your bride.”

~*~

She nodded again slightly. She did know. “How do you feel about being a father,” she asked, moving her fingers across his hands as he responded to her touch.

They’d talked about children months ago, even before he’d proposed to her. The first time had stemmed from a discussion about Micheal and how quickly he was growing up, and they’d both agreed that they wanted children then, and every time it came up afterwards. How could I not? “I haven’t changed my mind since the last time we talked about it. I want to be a father, and I’d love for us to have a child.” He looked at her with curiosity. “Why are you asking?”

He sat up before leaning towards her. Courtney stopped playing with his hand and grasped it by his wrist before bringing it to rest on her flat stomach. His fingers sprawled out over the cotton of the shirt she wore and she pressed her hand against the top of his. Her blue eyes met his as she said quietly, “Because you’ve got a baby in here.”

~*~

Jason looked down at the little girl in his arms, just a day old, as her mother slept in the hospital bed in the room. He walked around the room, watching her wiggle just a little bit in his arms, and he took his finger and placed it right into hers.

And the little girl gripped it tightly, promising to never let go. And he promised her the same.

¤¤Flashbacks¤¤

He felt his head hit the hard floor as a searing pain hit his shoulder. And the lights went out.

~*~

Jason, Jason... he could hear her voice saying softly. Carefully and slowly, he managed to open his eyes. He saw her face and the sapphire color of her eyes, and the gentleness in her beautiful features.

He opened his mouth to try to speak, but his voice only came out in a small whisper. "I love you". Her felt her lips touch his softly, and everything went black once again.

Give me the kiss that'll
send me to heaven....