Chapter Eight

Carly and Sonny Corinthos came home with their youngest son after his check up to find their best friends asleep on the couch next to each other. A closer look told them that Micheal was between them, also sleeping.

Carly looked at Sonny and said, “I guess they had a fun day” as Sonny approached the couch, a smile etched across his face devilishly.

“Yeah, at least we don’t have to worry about getting Micheal to take a nap. Do you think we should wake them up?”

Carly was unbuckling a sleeping Morgan from his car seat, The little infant’s check up had gone well and he hadn’t cried at all, but you could tell just by looking at him that it had tired Morgan out.

“Yes, but bring Micheal upstairs so he can sleep in his bed, first. Morgan’s asleep, too. Both of our boys had big days.” Carly took off Morgan’s jacket, causing the infant to stir in her arms as Sonny picked up the little red head and started up the stairs. “Oh, it’s okay, buddy.” Carly mumbled, her words comforting her son as she followed after Sonny to lay the two boys down to finish their naps.

*~*

Brian walked around the park; circling back to the place he’d seen Courtney and Micheal hours before. And Morgan. Yes, Morgan had been there, too, and Brian had made the mistake of not watching out or checking to make sure that he wasn’t anywhere nearby. He’d rushing into it and could have potentially made the move that would expose his alliance with Ric. Damn it, I should have known he was nearby. There weren’t any guards, that should have told me! Major damage control now, Beck.

And, he wasn’t totally thinking straight when he asked about the baby, either. He knew it would hurt her and that’s why he’d said it, sure. Ric had told him how upset she’d gotten at the time of the miscarriage, when she’d gotten home, and lashed out at Jason. Why not try it again now? But, this was going to take a lot of damage control, too, if he planned on getting her to trust him. It was a fatal mistake and it could force Ric to use another way of using Courtney to help bring down the mob kingpin and his right hand man.

Brian shook his head and headed back through the park. Duty called. His legitimate, ‘good guy’ duty.

*~*

Carly slowly came down the stairs in the Corinthos penthouse after kissing Micheal and Morgan goodnight. Sonny had opted to take a shower after laying a certain sleeping little boy in bed so that left Carly to wake up the sleeping Morgans.

Jason and Courtney had moved since she and Sonny had been upstairs. Courtney’s head was just barely resting on Jason’s muscled shoulder and his head leaned toward her.

“Aww, how cute,” the woman whispered to herself, wishing that they could see how sweet they looked.

Just as the sentiment passed through her head, another bright idea came to mind. Moving on her tiptoes towards the desk, she opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a Polaroid camera. Carly checked to make sure there was film in the camera before moving in front of the couch, preparing to take a picture.

Courtney stirred just slightly and Carly held her breath, silently urging her to stay asleep, at least for two minutes longer, just so she could get the picture of love and show it to them. Courtney continued to move but she didn’t look awake to the photographer. She moved one final time before settling into Jason’s touch again. Carly seized the moment and snapped the picture, the blinding flash going off and startling both of the sleeping adults awake. And, in front of them, Carly was caught red handed with the object that had elicited the blinding flash.

“Carly, what in the hell are you doing now?” Jason asked sleepily, although still clearly annoyed with being awakened by a flash of a camera. Courtney stretched and rubbed her eyes while Carly, who held the photograph in her hand, waiting for the picture to appear.

“You two looked so cute while you were sleeping so I decided to capture the moment and let you see for yourself,” she replied, placing the shot on the coffee table.

Courtney looked around, not finding Micheal where she remembered him being. “Where’d Micheal go?”

Sonny came down the stairs, dressed in a suit and answered his little sister’s question. “I took him upstairs when we got him so he and Morgan can finish their nap.” He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the print. The picture was finally clear and Sonny chuckled before handing it to Carly.

“It’s a cute picture!” she insisted, looking at it before passing it on to Jason. “You guys can keep it. Hang it on your refrigerator or something.”

Jason leaned towards Courtney on the couch, holding it out in front of them so they both could see it. “Well, I have to say it’s a good picture, for being taken by Carly.” Jason teased, a tiny, impish grin on his face.

In all honesty, he liked the picture very much, but he couldn’t tell Carly that. Courtney was another story, though. She saw right through him, past the teasing remark to Carly and knew that he secretly love the picture. Maybe because there was a point not too long ago when he thought he’d never get to hold her while they slept again. Slowly, Courtney took his hand in hers, letting him know she loved it too.

*~*

Somewhere else in the city, a man lurked, waiting for his accomplices to show up, they had details to work out before they could move forward.

Lorenzo Alcazar waited outside an old, abandoned warehouse in the shadows. He had to make sure he couldn’t be seen; he couldn’t be looked on with suspicion now. Especially not now. Lorenzo just hoped that neither of the two men he was expecting would be stupid enough to allow themselves to be seen or followed. After all, they were part of the police force and if they were spotted near a warehouse, especially an abandoned one, they’d blow the entire thing to pieces.

Checking his watch, Alcazar heard two pair of footsteps. “Finally. It took you long enough,” he spat, irritated.

“We tried. A man robbed a store and Beck had to bring him in, all the other cops were out. And, don’t yell at me about being late.” Lansing said, threateningly. “Now, what information do you have for us?”

Alcazar looked at the man, slick and professional, with utter displeasure. He hated him, angry that he had lived after helping Sonny with the rescue mission that had taken Carly away from him. But, what could he do? And, he was proving to be useful now. There was no telling how long that would last.

“One of my men overheard Sonny Corinthos talking to one of his bodyguards, saying that he and Morgan are going to Miami on business in two days. I don’t know how long they plan on being out of town but that’s irrelevant. I don’t want either of them to even make it off the ground, if you catch my meaning.”

Both of the men did, and although it was unlawful, the second man didn’t care anymore. He’d go back to being morally upright when Morgan and Corinthos were no longer breathing.

“Hmm, interesting. You do know that you will be the first person that Scott Baldwin looks at, whether your plan fails or succeeds, correct?” Beck questioned, just to make sure Alcazar knew that they would have to do this seamlessly in order to avoid being caught.

Alcazar chuckled at Brian’s question. “Yes, I know that. You forget who you’re talking to, Officer Beck. And, that is why you two will be especially crucial to this plan.”

*~*

“Jason, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute.” Sonny requested. He had business to discuss regarding their trip, although it wasn’t really business anymore. Jason got up from the couch at the same time Courtney did.

“Hey, I’m going to go out to the store, there’s some things I have to get.” The young woman said, grabbing her leather jacket off of the back of Sonny desk chair. “I’ll see you in a little while.” And, before leaving, she kissed her husband goodbye.

“I love you,” she said in a low whisper, as if she were telling him a secret that no one else could know.

“Jason, get your lips off your wife and get in here!” Sonny yelled at his brother-in-law, teasingly.

Jason groaned with regret and returned Courtney’s sentiments before walking into the kitchen. His wife giggled and said goodbye to Carly before heading of on her errand.

*~*

“Okay, you and I don’t have to go to Miami. I talked to Moralis and got everything worked out.” Sonny explained to his right hand man as they stood in the kitchen.

“Shipments and everything are okay? When’s the next one going to land?”

Jason could feel himself going into ‘mob mode’, as Courtney loved to call it. Hard working and precise when it came to business, kind and gentle when it came to their personal life. He made sure that the two did not mix, on his part. Even when he talked to Sonny, it was strictly business, except on very rare occasions. And when they talked to each other when business had no part in the equation.

“The shipment will land a week from yesterday and I should be back by then.” Sonny informed him. Moralis’ shipment was vital to their business relationship and he knew Jason knew that. If this shipment didn’t land perfectly, there could be a great deal of trouble in store for them.

“Where are you going? I thought you said we didn’t have to go anywhere.”

Sonny grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and poured himself a glass of milk before explaining what he meant by his previous comment. He rarely ever drank milk himself, even though he constantly badgered Micheal and Carly to drink it, but there wasn’t anything else that sounded good. The great Sonny Corinthos drinking milk. What would people think?, he thought to himself in amusement.

“Carly and I are going to go out to California for a few days. She wants to relax a little and I don’t blame her. Besides, it’ll get our minds off the Alcazar situation and I think she needs that.”

He took a gulp of milk from his glass as Jason nodded, clearly understanding what his boss was saying. Carly did need a break, and she deserved one, after all she’d been through since months before Morgan’s birth. Even Carly, the fighter that she was, needed some vacation time once in awhile.

“So, I want you to just watch things, run them, while I’m gone. Bobbie wants to keep Micheal and Morgan, since she barely gets to see them. I want Marco over there while we’re gone, for precautions.”

Jason nodded again. “Okay. I know Courtney’s going to want to spend some time with the boys while you’re gone, so she’ll probably help Bobbie out a bit. But, it’ll be fine, don’t worry about anything.”

It had bee so long since Sonny and Carly had taken a vacation and Sonny had forgotten what it felt like to actually be able to do so. It would just be him and his wife, no distractions and certainly no Alcazar to interrupt them. Sure, there life wasn’t bad but it was often so dangerous and busy that they forgot how to relax.

“We’re just going to be gone for three days. And, nobody knows we’re leaving besides Bobbie, you, Courtney, when you tell her, and the guards. Let’s keep it that way until after we’re gone. Alcazar could try to follow us and it could get ugly. He thinks you and I are leaving, I know, let’s keep it that way.”

*~*

Courtney walked through the grocery store, looking to her list every once in a while to see what she’d written down, not wanting to miss anything. Grocery shopping was definitely her favorite type of shopping but she didn’t like forgetting things and making extra trips. Neither did Jason, especially if she didn’t feel like going out again.

His reason for not liking it was much more vain, though. Jason didn’t think it would help anything if someone saw him walking down the produce aisle in a grocery store. Courtney scoffed at this whenever he tried to use it as an excuse not to go and sometimes forced him, the big bad mob man, to go with her. Either way, he could never get out of it.

Moving to the ice cream aisle, she saw a familiar male face looking through the freezer, a confused look etched across his face. Courtney couldn’t stand him, but she was amused and chuckled.

“Hey, Ric. What’re you doing?” she asked causally, opening a freezer door and grabbing a couple containers of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, among the flavors being Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey and Phish Food. “You don’t strike me as the type of guy who will go shopping for ice cream.”

Ric chuckled and Courtney shivered. She hated that evil sound but she tried not to show it. As much as she hated him, she wanted to be polite, for Elisabeth’s sake. “Yeah, I’m not. Elisabeth sent me out for some, but didn’t say what kind she wanted. Do you have any clue as to what I should get?”

Courtney couldn’t help but think about the reason why Elisabeth was sending her husband for ice cream. She was obviously craving it because she was pregnant. Shaking her head, she stopped herself from going down that road. It wouldn’t do any good, she knew. But, sometimes, she couldn’t help it.

“You men really are clueless when it comes to this stuff. I think she’d like this.” Courtney responded, reaching in and grabbing another carton of Ben and Jerry’s Fudge Brownie.

Ric looked greatly relieved when she handed him the carton. He was clueless, as Courtney’d said. “Thanks, a lot. I’ll see you later.” And he walked towards the checkout.

Ric could be nice when the wanted something, Courtney knew, but she wished he wasn’t so conniving. And, so crooked. Moving on, she finished her shopping and headed home, where she knew Jason would be, ready to ask what both Micheal and Brian had said to upset her. He could always read her and it was the same way around, neither could hide from one another. And they never wanted to.

*~*

Jason was sitting on the couch in the Morgan penthouse, staring at the ceiling while he wanted for his wife to return home from her latest shopping expedition. He wanted to talk to her as soon as she stepped in the door. Both Brian and Micheal had said something to upset her, although he knew that the little boy had done it out of innocence. But, Beck was a totally different story. If he’d done something to hurt her, he’d done it on purpose.

IF he’s done something? I know he’s done something!, he yelled at himself internally. Why couldn’t the cop just go back to Hayes Landing and leave them alone?

The handle to the door turned and Courtney came in, a brown bag of groceries in her hands.

“Hey, find what you wanted?” Jason asked, standing to his feet, waiting for her to tell him they that could talk. He didn’t want to pressure her; he’d just let her tell him on her own terms. He knew she would but she had to be ready. That was something he’d learned after the miscarriage.

She chuckled and slid her leather jacket off her shoulder, the grocery bag still in her arms. “Yeah, I did. I know you want to talk and so do I, but let me put these away first, okay?” she still felt the pain from earlier and only he could take it away. God, she loved him so much, he was everything to her. And someone always seemed to want to ruin that. At first, it was Elisabeth, then Sonny, Ric and Alcazar following very close behind. Now, it was Brian. The world seemed to be against them, but if it was, their love was much stronger than anything it could throw at them.

“Sure. I’ll help you.” Jason offered, following her into the kitchen.

*~*

Brian left the warehouse, making sure that no one saw him while he was on duty. Or, off duty, if he had to go back again before the plan would actually be carried out.

Initially, he didn’t like the idea of working with a drug lord to help get Morgan and Corinthos out of the way, but once Ric showed him that there was no way Courtney would talk to him about her husband’s business after what he’d done earlier, he had to agree. If Morgan were completely out of the picture, permanently, he’d be able to get to Courtney with no obstacles. She was all he wanted, and this was a sure way to get her.

Alcazar had wanted to meet him, drilling the cop to see if he could be trusted to not run to the authorities with the information that the Assistant District Attorney was partnering up with a mobster to kill two others. He was alive, so he figured he passed the test. Now, when the call came two days later and if Alcazar was arrested, Ric and Brian would be the ones to make sure he didn’t get charged with the crime.

*~*

“Brian asked me when there would be a baby,” Courtney informed her husband. They’d put the groceries away and were now sitting on the couch next to each other. She’d told him what Micheal had asked and now, she’d told what Brian had asked.

Jason was boiling with rage. The cop had cross this line before, although he hadn’t known it at the time. The night that she’d walked out on him, he’d set off the bomb and now he was doing it again, most likely hoping for the same results. “Did he say anything else about a baby? Or, the miscarriage? Anything at all?”

Courtney could see the rage in his eyes as they turned from their light, bright blue relaxed color to a dark blue. Their baby’s death still haunted them whenever someone brought it up, but this time, Brian had crossed a line he didn’t know existed.

He didn’t know that it wasn’t just their baby that had been lost. It was that she couldn’t conceive without medical help, or there was a slim chance of it. Brian couldn’t have known that, but that still did not condone his actions. This miscarriage was bad enough then the mistake the doctors had made on top of that was practically unbearably.

“He didn’t say anything else. I slapped him and then went to find you and Micheal,” she answered honestly. As if she’d be anything but honest with Jason.

“But, you’re still hurt. I know that. Talk to me about it. Let me help you.” Jason whispered, reaching to cup her face in his hand. She leaned into his touch as the comforting gesture did just what it was meant to do.

“I don’t know, it hurt. And, it was from him, and he was so cruel and snide about it, as if he was mocking me because of it. Because I lost our baby.”

Jason looked at her, pained at the look on her face, filled with pain, vulnerability and shame. The episode with Brian had made her feel ashamed that she didn’t have the strength to keep their baby safe in the freezing cold ocean water. The mean was heartless, even more so than people thought Sonny Corinthos’ hit man was.

“Come here.” Courtney settled herself into Jason’s arms as they sat on the couch together. “You are not to blame for what happened. No one is, besides Alcazar. You are not weak; you are the strongest woman I know. Don’t let him make you feel as if you aren’t good enough or strong enough.”

Courtney relaxed as he spoke with confidence about what he believed she was capable of. He believed she was strong and deep down inside, she believed it, too. Just, after the miscarriage, Sonny’s breakdown over ‘Lily’ and Carly being shot I the head by her own husband, everything seemed so dark and violent, as if they were all digging into a hole they’d never be able to get out of. Her self-confidence was torn to shreds and she didn’t know what to do. Courtney didn’t know what she was capable of, or if there even was something.

But now, all of that was behind them, She knew what she was capable of, even if she did have some insecurities left. But that was a path of healing she had to continue down, with her husband and family at her side. Courtney would be okay in the end, confident, strong and capable of doing anything she wanted to do. Jason knew it about her; she just had to rediscover it for herself. She had to prove to herself that she was strong.

“Thank you,” she said.

“I love you. It doesn’t matter what Brian thinks. He’s just trying to upset you, but you’re better than that.” Jason said, running his hand through her soft blond hair.

Soon, Courtney fell asleep, her head against her husband’s chest, his arms wrapped around her as if to protect her from anything that would try to hurt her.

Jason still lay awake, his back pressed against the couch, holding his wife. He didn’t want to sleep yet, but he didn’t mind that she was. She was emotionally exhausted and needed to rest.

The thought of Brian mentioning a baby to her, obviously trying to hurt her, made his anger and hatred for the heartless cop multiply by ten. He was trying to upset Courtney enough to the point where she would leave him again, and he was hoping that if she did, he would be the first person she ran to.

But that would not happen.

*~*

Two days later, Carly and Courtney were in the Corinthos’ penthouse, getting Micheal’s bag packed for his three-day stay with his grandma.

“Micheal, grab another pair of jeans!” Carly shouted to her son, who was upstairs getting his video games. He’d nearly been addicted to the game that he got for Christmas and insisted on taking it to Bobbie’s with him.

Courtney folded some of Micheal’s clothes and placed them in the bag. “Carly I’m sure that Bobbie has a washer, she could wash some of his clothes. You don’t have to pack so much, “ she teased her sister in law.

“Yes, I do, just in case.”

“You’re hopeless when it comes t packing, you know that? I’d hate to see your bag.”

Carly laughed and said, “Yeah, you would. I’ve been packing ever since Sonny told me we were going.”

Courtney chuckled as she finished Micheal’s bag. The little boy ran down the stairs, a pair of jeans in his hand. “Here, Aunt Courtney,” he said, handing them to her.

“Thanks, buddy. I’m all done with your bag, except for your games.” Micheal hurried upstairs to get the games he wanted as Courtney set the jeans in the bag.

Over the past two days, Courtney and Carly had spent quite a bit of time together talking and shopping. Carly found out about the incident with Brian after Courtney decided to talk to her about it and did her best to cheer her sister-in-law up. And, in truth, Carly wanted to get her hands around Officer Beck’s neck herself.

**Flashback**

“Courtney, I don’t want to offend you by asking this, but I just want to know your answer.” Carly said carefully.

Courtney looked at her sister-in-law and said, “I promise I won’t be offended by the question, Carly. Just ask.”

Carly took a deep breath and sighed. She knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Courtney say it out loud. She needed to. “If something bad happens again, would you leave Jason?”

Courtney wasn’t surprise or offended by the question. In fact, she knew it was coming. She’d asked herself the same thing before and had known her answer immediately. “Carly, I know I left him before and I regret that. I do. And, I know now that I couldn’t leave him again. Ever. I don’t care how bad it gets or what happens, I will always stay with Jason. I love him too much to not want to treasure all the time we have together, no matter how long that is.”

**End Flashback**

*~*

A knock came on Lorenzo Alcazar’s penthouse door and a guard stepped in. “He’s here”.

Alcazar looked up from the file in his hands and nodded to the guard, telling him to let the man in.

A man with dark hair, dressed in a blue t-shirt and jeans stepped into the room. His eyes were harsh and cold, but he looked particularly pleased with himself.

Alcazar approached him. “Is everything set”, he asked. They could not afford to screw up and have Corinthos and Morgan survive. There was no room for mistakes with this hit and the chance of survival had to be close to none. He wanted Carly that much.

The man nodded. “Yes, the device is in place. All I have to do is wait in the airport and once Cameron gives me the signal, which is a beeping noise on a walkie talkie, I press the button on the remote detonator. There is no delay. The millisecond I touch the button, it’ll go off.”

Alcazar was pleased with the information. Cameron would be sure to let Ray know when Morgan and Corinthos were in position. Both were intelligent men and knew exactly how to do their job and make sure it was done perfectly. They weren’t screw-ups and Alcazar was confident that their mistakes would not start here.

“Wonderful. You and Cameron will receive payment when the deed is done. And, if I’m not even brought in for questioning, I’ll give you an extra two million each. Call me when you know they’re dead.”

The hitman smiled devilishly before turning to leave. This job was one of the highest paying he’d ever done, but it was definitely the one with the highest stakes. And, there would be no mistake. Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan wouldn’t know what hit them.

*~*

Jason and Sonny stepped into the penthouse fifteen minutes before the Corinthoses had to leave for the airport to find their wives at Sonny’s desk, flipping through an interior-decorating magazine. Before they could even turn around to greet the guys, Sonny reached over both of them and snatched the magazine from under their noses.

“Sonny! We were looking at that!” Carly yelled, trying to grab it from him as he held it behind his back, refusing to give in to her demand.

“First of all, we’re leaving in about ten minutes and second of all, you are not buying anything else to put in this penthouse. You can spend all the money you want in California, as long as it has nothing to do with furniture.”

Carly stopped trying to get the contraband magazine almost immediately and looked at him with a shocked look on her face. Jason and Courtney were silent as they watched the exchange, as much as they wanted to laugh.

“Did you hear him, Courtney? Well, you better remember what you said, buster, or I’ll call Jason,” the older blonde threatened, daring her husband to take back his promise.

“Hey, hey, no, don’t bring me into it!” Jason protested, moving away from Carly and behind Courtney, who was still seated in her brother’s desk chair. Sonny laughed and went upstairs to grab both his and Carly’s suitcases, Carly had packed enough for a two-week stay.

“Excited, Carly? You get to go away for three days!” Jason said teasingly, sounding more enthralled with the fact that Carly was leaving than she did.

“Actually, yeah, I am. We finally get a real vacation, with no Alcazar in sight. We won’t even know we’re gone or where we’re going. And, when we get back, you are taking your wife on a trip,” she responded, just as Sonny came back down the stairs.

Before Jason or Courtney could respond, Sonny beat them to it. “She’s right. When we get back, I’m giving you a week off.” Jason started to speak but he was cut off. “Don’t even protest, Jase. Now, we’ve got to get going.”

Courtney got up fro the chair and gave Carly a hug goodbye while Max took the bags and Jason and Sonny shook hands. “I’ll see you in three days, sweetie. While I’m gone, decide where you want to go on your special vacation.”

Courtney laughed, thrilled that both Sonny and Carly were encouraging her and Jason to take a vacation. They did need one and the thought of being somewhere away from Port Charles for a while with Jason made her very very happy. He could always make her happy, no matter what. “Have fun, Carly. Don’t worry about the boys, just enjoy yourself.” Courtney told her sister-in-law.

*~*

Ray stood in the airport, walkie talkie at his side. He’d rather use a cell phone, but they were too slow, so it would have to do. The walkie talkie came alive with the sound of Cameron’s voice. “I’ve been informed that they’ve left the Towers and are headed to the airport right now.”

“Okay, let me know when they arrive.” Ray answered.

Luckily, he was in a secluded part of the airport so now one could see the man talking on the hand held radio; simply delighted that Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan would be killed by a plan he carried out.

*~*

In the Morgan penthouse, Courtney was folding laundry. She hadn’t needed to do any until today, and Jason had teased her about missing his black silk boxers. Her husband was now talking to Marco, who had been directed to guard the kids at the Brownstone with Bobbie. He’d left at the same time Sonny and Carly had and he should be home soon.

As Courtney folded a pair of Jason’s jeans, her mind wandered to the past to the loft, the first home they’d ever had together. It was a special place and it was also the home of many of the most special memories. The first time they’d made love there, when Jason finally saw that he couldn’t stay away from her, was one of the best. And, of course, the time during the Alcazar murder trial when nobody had known about their relationship. They were the happiest times of their lives, they’d admitted.

Her thoughts were penetrated by the door opening and Jason walking in. “Hey, everything okay?” he asked, setting his leather jacket down on the back of the couch and making his way to his wife. God, she’s gorgeous, he thought to himself, a slight grin crossing his face. He still couldn’t get over how wonderful she was and he hoped, and knew, he never would. She always could make him happy. She was his everything, all wrapped up in a beautiful woman who loved him in return. How lucky was he?

Courtney saw the smile come across his face and her heart leapt, as it always did when he smiled. “Yeah, everything’s great,” she answered, finding his boxers and holding them out to him. “Here, Mr. Picky. You boxers are now clean.”

Jason had to love her shy playfulness, mixed in with her love for him. She wasn’t as straight forward as she usually was when it came to the fun stuff, she was more shy, dropping small hints and leaving it up to him to make the first move. It was cute and innocent, and it appealed to him much more than someone would expect. He took the boxers from her and continued to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her body tightly to his, her back against his hard chest.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his lips right next to her jawline, slightly brushing it as he spoke.

Courtney whispered back, not wanting to break the magic of the moment, “You’re welcome,” as Jason continued his mission, kissing his way along her jawline and down her neck, occasionally biting the flesh softly, allowing both of them to slip into a sweet ecstasy.

*~*

“They’ve arrived. When it beeps, you know what to do.” Cameron’s voice said over the walkie talkie.

Ray slowly slipped the remote detonater out of the case, careful not to bump the very sensitive red button, the only one on the device. “How long should it take?”

“Three minutes. I’m out. Be sure you get it right, we can’t afford to screw up,” and the walkie talkie went silent.

Ray stood by the wall, his thumb barely a fourth of a centimeter above the detonation button. There would be no mistake, he was sure.

Three minutes later, the beep came and a thumb hit a red button. Immediately, an explosion rocked the airport and the man looked towards the window. Out on the runway, a demolished plan was up in flames and pieces of it were scattered all over it.

Ray smiled devilishly, his deed was done. He had not failed. Mr. Alcazar would be pleased and he and Cameron would be very rich men. As he left the airport, medical personnel and fire fighters rushed onto the runway towards the burning plane. Whether they would find bodies or not would depend on how hot the fire was.

*~*

As if in sync with the explosion at the Port Charles Airport, every radio station began to play a song seemingly sent from heaven, meant to speak to two special hearts, unaware of the shift their lives had taken at that moment. It would never be the same again.

We are standing at the crossroads

And now it's time

For you to go your way

And me to go mine

I will pray the Lord will keep you safe

Until the day

I see your face again, again

Chorus:

My Friend

We have been through

So much

And you have been

My Godsend

With your sure and

Steady love

My Friend

You know I will be there

If you ever need me

Cause you've always

Been a Friend

To me

I may travel

The world over

But one thing I

Know for sure

One day this road

Will lead you back around

To your door

I will pray the Lord will keep you safe

Some bonds are just too

Strong to break

In the end, in the end

Chorus

Nothing will change the way I feel

About you

Not the miles

Nor the years

Or the place this life takes me too