Chapter Eighty Six

Jason sighed, knowing that that was going to be a question asked eventually. His job here was what kept his life in the city form being flat. But, he knew that things changed, and right now as a prime example. “You know, I left Port Charles before, years ago, and didn’t work for Sonny for two years. I was fine, I wasn’t bored and I enjoyed it. If I’m not working and I’m not here, it’s a different story than if we were staying her and I wasn’t going to work. That’s not an issue. I won’t be restless or grow bitter. I’ll have you, our child, and I’d be away from here if this is what we decide to do.”

He sounded sure of himself and had been in the situation of leaving and not working the same job for Sonny before, so she felt a bit more sure of it, too. “Okay, I trust you and that you know yourself well enough when it comes to your job and what you can or can’t do. I understand all your reasons, but I don’t want to just say yes without thinking it all through. I mean, I’ve got to think about the company and what I would do with this if we were to go live on the island. So, I need some time to decide since you got to last night.”

~*~

Jason had left her office about an hour before, and now she closed a file on her desk. It wasn’t the time she normally left, but she was ready to stop anyway. Maybe if I just take a short break, I’ll be able to finish the rest of this, she thought and moved to the couch. She lay down on it, her feet propped up on the opposite end. Courtney closed her eyes and tried to relax, spending a couple minutes trying to clear her head.

It didn’t work, her thoughts insisted on wandering to her husband’s proposal. He’d already decided, but now it was her turn to make a choice. It wasn’t a hard one, really, the only thing about it was her company. She’d come to Port Charles at her grandmother’s proposal because she wanted both of the companies to be headed by someone who belonged in the family. If she and Jason went to live on the island, they wouldn’t have anyone to run the company in their family. She didn’t want to disappoint her grandmother, and she wasn’t sure if the woman would allow anyone else to take over. So, if that was the case, it would fold and everything her grandparents had built over the years would be for nothing.

God, if it wasn’t for the company, I would go in an instant. It’s just I don’t know what I should do about it. I know Jason can take care of us here and protect us, I trust him, but then, I admit, we’d both still be on edge, especially him. I don’t want it to be like that, either. I don’t want Jason to always feel as if he needs to be with us every second of every day. I don’t want him to be paranoid all of the time.

Frustrated with feeling torn, she sat up and leaned forward, putting her head in her hands. “Ugh,” she said gruffly as she looked at the floor. That didn’t help at all. Out of nowhere, a thought came to her and she stood quickly and practically lunged at the phone on her desk. Please still be there. Courtney punched the numbers into the device and held it to her ear. Her brother picked up on the second ring.

“Perry Matthews.”
“Perry, it’s Courtney. I really need to talk to you. Are you busy?”
The man on the other line could sense the urgency in his sister’s voice. “Nope, just going over a contract.” She heard the rustling of a paper through the phone’s receiver. “And, I always have time for you. What is it?”

The blonde launched into an explanation, first by telling him that she was pregnant. She told him of what Jason wanted to do, and her feelings and thoughts about going to the island and the company. When she finished, there was silence as the older sibling thought about what she’d told him. Moments later, he spoke.

“Court, you want me to tell you what I think?”
She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “Yes.”
“Well, I agree with what Jason wants to do, just like you do. I know what the does, and I honestly don’t think that a baby should be raised in that atmosphere. He’s smart and doesn’t want his child to go through any of that.”
“I agree, Perry, I just want to know what to do about this company, really.”
“A baby’s life is much more important than whether that company remains standing or not, and I think grandmother would agree. Just call her, give her the basic run down, not all the details, and see what she says. Besides, she doesn’t really need someone to come and take over as president. You can make all the executive decisions from that island and there can be an ‘acting president’ who goes between you and the clients.”

Courtney’s brother looked up form his desk as his brother-in-law walked into his office. Perry was almost run down when an idea flashed through his minds. “Little sister, I just find the answer to your predicament.”

~*~

The blonde arrived home late to find Jason on the couch, her laptop in front of him at the coffee table. He looked up and smiled at her before returning his blue eyes to the computer screen. He didn’t want to push her about her decision, so he opted to let her actually get in the door before he said a word. If she brought it up, fine, but if she didn’t, that was going to be okay, too. He had all night to think, so she would have as much time as she wanted.

Courtney tossed her purse and cell phone on the nearby chair before moving into the kitchen. She grabbed a granola bar from one of the cupboards and walked back into the living room. A quick glance at the computer told her that he wasn’t doing anything important, just playing solitaire, so she put her hand on the top and closed it gently.

Her husband looked up at her. Maybe she wants to talk already. He leaned back into the couch and Courtney moved to sit between his legs, so that her back was against him, her feet flat on the floor next to his. She leaned into him, the back of her head resting on his shoulder. “I talked to Perry earlier,” she told him quietly.

Jason moved his head slightly so he could look at her better. “Really?” Is this good or bad?

“Yeah, about the baby and the island. I had to talk to him about what would happen with Phillips-Matthews if we did.”

“That’s why you had to think about it.”

She nodded slightly, he already knew that, she’d told him back in the office. “Yeah, partly. That and I just didn’t want to say yes or no without actually putting some thought into it. Perry thinks it’s a good idea, by the way.”

He was relieved that her brother approved, but his opinion on this didn’t really hold water. “That’s nice, but I want what you think, not what Perry thinks.”

“Hey, I’m getting there. If you want to wait until tomorrow to discuss this, I can, because I don’t need you getting impatient with me.”

Courtney popped a piece of the granola bar in her hand into her mouth and moved to get up. Before she really could, he pulled her back down. “Whoa, no. I didn’t mean to be short. I’m sorry.”

The blonde tossed a glare at him and settled back into her previous position. “Fine. Anyway, he told me that I could still run the company from the island, I’d just need someone here to sort of act as a go between. Like a partner. Then, Alex walked into his office as we were talking, and Perry suggested the idea to him and put me on the speaker phone so all three of us could talk. Alex quit the place he’s worked at recently, so that’s not a problem. He said he’d do it if grandmother approves.”

Jason narrowed his eyes at her, curious. “Have you talked to her yet?”

The woman sighed and nodded before eating another bite of the granola bar. “Yeah, I did.”

“And what did she say?”

Chapter Eighty Seven

Courtney decided to let him squirm in the wind a little, so she finished the rest of her snack. Jason waited in silence, watching as she devoured the bar, and then she got up from the couch and walked back to the kitchen. Oh, so we’re going to play the suspense game. Okay, if she insists.

He’d already unintentionally annoyed her, so he wasn’t going to ask her again and risk getting her angry. He turned from watching her as she moved around, to staring straight ahead, just listening. It took her a few minutes, but she returned with a glass of water. The blonde took a drink and set it on the table before sitting down next to him. Her fingers found the edge of his t-shirt and played with it, running her fingers across the edges.

Finally, he looked at her, asking her silently to stop the suspense. She just leaned her head on his shoulder for a few silent moments, then looked up at him. “Courtney…” Jason warned finally.

“Do you want me to quote or just paraphrase?”

“I really couldn’t care less, they’re basically the same answer. You pick.”

“Fine. She said, quote, that ‘Alex might as well be family sine his sister is married to your brother.’ So, she is okay with him coming out here and being the acting and co-president.” Courtney paused and turned so she faced him and propped her right arm on the back of the couch, her head leaning on it as she looked into his face. “It looks like you, me and this baby are going to be moving.”

“Only if you’re sure about it, too. I told you, I don’t want this to be a decision I made and you went along with it for whatever reason. It has to be joint decision. Do you really want to do this?”

The blue eyed woman nodded and ran her fingertips through his short spiky hair. “Yes, I do. I think it’s a good idea, and not just because you and Perry think it is. I know that you could protect us if we were to stay here, but in the long run, it wouldn’t be a good environment for the baby. So, I’m with you. I want to go to the island.”

Jason nodded as he looked at her, so earnest about her decision. He was, too, and he was glad that they both agreed on what would be best for their unborn child. He wasn’t sure what they would have done if they disagreed. There wasn’t really any way to meet in the middle on an issue like this. “Okay, we’ll go work out all the details with Sonny later, but now…”

He reached up with one hand to the side of her face and pulled her soft lips to his. She moved and placed on knee on each side of his left thigh as he sat and placed her hands on his stomach. Jason’s free hand moved to the small of her back and he shifted, leaning and moving her back so she was flat on the couch, him above her. Courtney giggled into the kiss as the hand still on his stomach snuck down to the edge of his shirt once again, and pulled it upwards. “Yeah, this works,” she said before he silenced her with another kiss.

~*~

“You’re going to be the one to tell Micheal, Jason, not me.” Carly told him as he and his wife sat on the arm of the Corinthos’ couch. They’d just informed her of their decision and while she understood the reasons, she didn’t like that they were going to be leaving. Both were her two closest friends, so it was a little difficult for her to take. But, it was for the baby’s sake.

“I had every intention of doing it, Carly.” Jason responded before turning back to Sonny. “You said you had something else to tell us.”

The dark haired mob boss nodded and took a file off the desk before walking to his best friend and handing it to him. Jason opened it and Courtney peered into the folder also. Quickly, she looked at Sonny with a questioning look.

Jason followed suit. “What’s this?”

“What does it look like? That’s the house you’re going to be living in. If you read over the description papers, you’ll see that it’s two stories, three bedrooms and sits right on the beach. Balcony/patio off one of rooms upstairs and a deck off the living room downstairs.” He watched in amusement as Courtney snatched the folder from her husband and glanced through the papers. “The placed belongs to you. All the paperwork is done and you can move in once you get down there.” Sonny reached into the pocket of his black dress pants and tossed a set of keys to Jason.

The blonde looked up at Sonny in amazement. The house was beautiful, judging by the picture, and she could see the ocean just behind it. It didn’t sparkle and mesmerize the way it had when they were actually there sitting next to it, but she knew that it would. “You didn’t have to do this, Sonny…”

He held up a hand to stop her. “No, but I wanted to. I own the island, remember? So you would have been staying at one of ‘my’ houses anyway. Think of it as a late wedding gift.”

Courtney looked back at the information in her hands and blew out a breath of air. “Thank you.”

Jason nodded in agreement. “Thanks, man.”

All four sat in silence for a few minutes as the blue eyed couple finished looking through the file. Finally, when Carly saw that they were done, or almost, she asked, “When are you leaving?”

Courtney handed the papers back to her husband and looked at her best friend. “I talked to Alex early this morning before we came over here, and he’s going to be here the day after tomorrow. We can’t leave until I get him acquainted with the company, which will probably only take a day and a half to do.”

“So, probably at the end of the week. Wonderful, you can leave Saturday, after the opening of The Sequel.” She saw Jason open his mouth, ready to speak. “Uh uh, don’t even think about it. The four of us are having a small ‘party’ which consists of going to the club. Argue with me, and you’ll find yourself tied up, gagged, and being dragged there anyway.”

Chapter Eighty Eight

Alex arrived a day later, before noon and Courtney and Max picked him up from the airport, going straight to the Phillips-Matthews office building. Both wanted to get the ‘acquainting’ process done as soon as possible and so they’d decided to start right when he got to Port Charles, since they would have most of the day. Jason was busy, too, with packing the loft and then one last meeting with Sonny and the man who he’d brought in to be his new ‘enforcer’. Of course, the mob boss thought that no one would ever replace Jason and his role in their lives, but he still needed someone.

The spiky haired former enforcer would spend Thursday and Friday ‘showing the man the ropes’, much like his wife was doing with the new co-president of her company. Friday night, he and Courtney would be going with Sonny and Carly, and Alex if he wanted, to the opening of the new club, then the next morning, they would be flying to the island.

Jason closed the top of one of the boxes he’d packed with vases and picture frames from the bookcases, then grabbed the packing tape to secure it shut. As soon as he finished, he carried it over and set it on top of one of the other boxes, which were ready to be taken. They had to get everything packed before 9am the next morning, since they were shipping everything down ahead of time. The only things that were staying were the furniture, since Sonny had said that the house was already completely furnished. Courtney wasn’t selling the loft, she’d said she couldn’t, and so the bed, couch, coffee table, chairs and dressers in the closet would stay where they were.

The blue eyed man turned and looked around the nearly empty apartment. There were only a few things left to pack, a couple pictures on the wall, some books and the last of the dishes. We’re going to be eating out these last few days anyway. Also, their bedding had to be packed away but it was going to be going with them, not shipped ahead, so that could wait. Their clothes were packed, except for enough for the next few days they had left, which were in two duffel bags near their bed.

This is it, we’re really leaving, he thought to himself, a slight pang of sadness hitting him. This city had always been where he lived, even when he left it for two years to travel. He wasn’t regretting his decision at all, but as Courtney had put it when they started the process, it was bittersweet. They were going to do what was best for their family, but they were leaving behind people that they loved.

Micheal hadn’t taken the news easily, and he couldn’t really understand why his ‘uncle’ Jason and Courtney were moving to the island. They couldn’t tell him because he wasn’t quite old enough, but saying that it was ‘grown up stuff’ didn’t satisfy him anymore. They’d managed with telling the red head that Jason had gotten a new job on the island and they had to go there so he could do it. Thankfully, Morgan’s just a baby, he wouldn’t and doesn’t understand all of this. Jason looked down at the watch on his wrist, seeing that it was about time to meet Sonny at the warehouse. We’ll pack the last couple of boxes later.

~*~

Courtney sat in front of the computer on her desk, Alex standing beside her, as she went through the files of the properties the company owned. She informed him of which ones were not to be sold, as per her grandmother’s request, and then took him into the file room. There, she showed him the hard copies of the files that were in the computer.

“And, Elise makes the appointments in the computer’s date book, but I use a regular book. You can use either, it doesn’t matter.” Courtney walked back out of the file room, to her secretary’s desk and pulled out one of the date books, handing it to him.

“Yeah, I think I’ll probably use this, too. It’ll be much easier for me, instead of carrying around a laptop all the time,” Alex responded, opening the cover and thumbing through the empty pages.

“That’s not a big issue, which one you use. But, the policy that I expect to stay in place is that clients, or potential clients, are to make appointments by either calling Elise or by coming into the office to make one with her personally. No spur of the moment meetings, no emailing you or me to make an appointment, no calling either of us to talk. Our number on the island will be available as is my email, and both of yours will be also, but if someone wants a meeting, they are to go through the secretary.”

Alex nodded, showing that he understood and agreed with this policy. It probably wouldn’t have mattered if he hadn’t, this was still Courtney’s company, he was just helping her out while they made their move out of Port Charles and beyond. “Got it.”

Courtney laughed at him. They were close but nobody would really be able to tell if they didn’t know them. Both were professionals and acted like such until work was done in situations like this. “There are two exceptions to that rule. Carly Corinthos, who is leasing one of our buildings for her club, The Sequel, and I’ll talk to you more about that later. The other is Sonny Corinthos, Carly’s husband. He leases some of our piers and that relationship is on the difficult side. But, you won’t be doing business with him face to face for that reason, so it’s unlikely that he’ll need to meet with you. He’ll be doing business with me via phone and email, and I will be contacting you, making you aware of what is going on and when.” The blonde saw the questioning look on her friend’s face. “Yeah, I’ll explain that to you, too.”

~*~

Jason walked into Sonny’s office in the warehouse to find him sitting behind his desk, waiting patiently for his now former enforcer. James and Juan sat in two of the other chairs in the room while the third had Nico seated in it.

The blue eyed man nodded to all three of them as Sonny leaned forward, ready to lay down the terms and what would be happening when Jason left. Nico would be taking his place as enforcer and both Juan and James would be the ones taking up the other responsibilities that had fallen on Jason’s shoulders since his promotion years ago. Everything should go smoothly, Sonny thought. The only difference was, while people could be brought in to do the tasks he’d done for the past seven or eight years, no one could truly replace him in the business.

Chapter Eighty Nine

Jason walked into the Phillips-Matthews building and rode the elevator up to the floor her office was on. The meeting with Sonny and the other three men had gone smoothly. Now, he just had to fill Nico in on how things were done and specifics for the next two days, then Friday, go The Sequel’s opening to appease a certain dark blonde. Then, we leave.

The machine dinged as it reached the floor and the doors slid open, allowing him to step out. They closed behind him and he made his way back to his wife’s office. Max stood outside, staring straight ahead, and Jason nodded to the secretary typing away at the computer. He reached the door and held onto the handle as he knocked softly. Jason knew that both Alex and Courtney were probably inside discussing company issues and information, but it was around the time that she usually went home. A couple moments of silence followed before he heard someone inside walk from the other side of the room. Seconds later, the door opened and his wife stood on the other side.

“Hey,” she said with a smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him. He returned the hug, accompanied with a kiss on her forehead, and saw Alex, who had been sitting in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the room, stand up. Courtney released him and turned back to her friend, taking Jason’s hand as they walked over to him.

“Alex, this is my husband, Jason. Jason, Mandy’s brother.”

The two men shook hands as if they were old friends meeting again. “Nice to meet you, Alex. You sister talked about you a bit when she was here.”

The light brunette’s hazel eyes looked at Courtney with a mixed expression of curiosity and mock fright. Usually when his sister talked about him to other people, it wasn’t in a way he found flattering, but she found it amusing. “Do I even want to know what she said?”

The blonde chuckled and shook her head. “Probably not.”

“Well, they say ignorance is bliss, so I guess it will be in this case.” He turned to the blue eyed man. “Perry, Many and of course, Courtney told me a bit about you, also. But, don’t worry, nothing bad, which is most likely more than I can say for whatever my sister said.”

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t too bad.” Jason chuckled before turning serious. “Thanks for coming out here on such short notice to help Courtney out with the company.”

Alex shook his head. “It’s no problem. I wasn’t doing anything out there anyway and probably would have come over to the East Coast eventually, so it just sped things up a bit. I’m glad I’m able to help. It being a new place with new people is a plus.”

Jason nodded. He liked Alex so far. He reminded him of Perry just a little, only slightly younger. It could have been just that both had a close relationship with his wife, but they reminded him of each other. It was also obvious that he was Mandy’s brother, even beyond the eyes. Alex seemed to have her sense of humor to him.

“Speaking of new people, Carly is opening her club Friday and we’re going before we leave. Obviously, you’re welcome to join us.” Courtney offered, hoping that he would take them up on it.

He thought about it for a moment but instead of agreeing, he shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’m going to spend Friday and Saturday moving into an apartment close by, getting accounts set up and transferred. You guys can spend the night with your friends, but I’ll come see you off at the airport Saturday morning.”

Courtney glared at him, slightly. The real reason he didn’t want to go was because he wasn’t fond of clubs, either, but also because with the way he was, he would feel like a ‘fifth wheel’ so to speak. But, she didn’t argue with him, it wouldn’t do any good. He was as stubborn as his sister, if not worse, and most likely wouldn’t change his mind.

Jason looked at Courtney, questioning why Alex wouldn’t want to spend some time with her before they had to leave. Courtney just narrowed her blue eyes at him slightly, warning not to push. He nodded, barely noticeable, and set his eyes on the man again. “Well, then, would you be able to have breakfast with us Saturday before we leave? Sonny and Carly are going to meet us at the airport, so the three of us can eat and then head over there.”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, that sounds better. We can do that.”

Chapter Ninety

Thursday passed quickly, with both f the Morgans doing last minute tasks for each of their jobs. Before they knew it, Friday was upon them and Jason spent the day with Nico, Juan and James at the warehouse while Courtney had gone to check out the club with Carly before the opening later that night.

Now, they had fifteen minutes before they had to leave, and the spiky haired former enforcer stood near the window next to the fireplace. His wife was still in the bathroom getting ready for the last night they would spend out with Sonny and Carly, at least for a very long time. Jason had finished quickly after a short shower and was now dressed in nice black pants and a navy blue dress shirt.

He leaned his body against the wall next to the window and looked through the glass to the outside world. Night had already fallen much earlier than it would have in the summer, and Jason knew that in less than fifteen hours, they would be leaving this place to go somewhere that had summer pretty much all year. Thinking back a lot, aren’t we, he though to himself.

Everything had become increasingly bittersweet as the date of departure grew near and whenever he looked at anything in the apartment, a memory would immediately leap to the forefront of his mind. Even looking out the window now reminded him of the first time he’d looked out of it with her. It was pitch black and raining out, a thunderstorm…

**
Courtney watched as he looked out the window and up at the clouds she knew were there. His face showed nothing but awe at the deadly bolts she could see the flashes of outside, and it made her heart melt. He turned towards her and held out his hand. “Look at this.”

The thought of doing so scared her and she gently shook her head no. “I’d rather not.”

“Why not? It’s beautiful.”

Courtney bit her bottom lip slightly, a bit embarrassed that she was scared of storms and the idea of watching one in action didn’t exactly thrill her as much as it did him. “Well, I’m not a big fan of storms. They scare me.”

The tone in her voice was vulnerable and Jason’s heart broke at the thought of her being scared of anything, especially after hearing it in her voice. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He responded, in a way that was loving and reassuring, not condescending. A huge clap of thunder roared, making her jump again. He kept his hand held out to her. “Here, I’ll stay by you as you look out. Nothing will get at you.”

Courtney looked at him cautiously, not sure if she wanted to look at the monstrosity brewing outside. His blue eyes had melted into deep pools of raw emotion, love, caring and confidence. Slowly, she stepped forward and took his hand, squeezing it lightly to let him know that she was trusting him. Jason smiled and squeezed her hand in return, again letting her know that she could trust him not to let anyone or anything harm her, especially something that obviously frightened her to death. She sat on the ledge tentatively and Jason sat more confidently behind her, leaning towards the open window to get a better look outside.

The blond stayed back a little, still not looking out. Softly, she said, “I’ve never seen lightening before.”

The confession was an odd one, but true. Jason looked at her, astounded. “Why not?”

“I was scared of storms when I was little and my parents thought that it would frighten me even more to allow me to see the lightening. And, when I moved out, I could never bring myself to look out at it whenever there was a storm,” she explained. No one had known that about her besides her family, since she thought that it was something that the people around her would think was ridiculous. So, she never told anyone about it. Besides, it wasn’t exactly something that would come up in conversation at a meeting.

Jason was amazed that she could actually keep herself from seeing something as random as lightening. It was unpredictable, there was no way of knowing when it would strike, and she’d somehow evaded getting a glimpse of one of the powerful bolts her entire life. He still had her hand in his, and he lightly squeezed it another time, telling her that it was okay to be scared of a thunderstorm and lightening. A smile made its way across her soft lips, shyly, as they both leaned towards the window so Courtney could get her first look at the electricity of nature.

As if on cue, a large, white streak mad its way across the dark sky as thunder followed behind with a deafening roar. Courtney stiffened slightly as she watched the lightening bolt, her fear just barely relieved, mostly because of the hold Jason had on her hand

**

It was also the first night he’d spent with her, both in that apartment and holding her. She’d had a nightmare and originally, he had been laying on the couch, listening to her move. To clam her, he’d joined her under the blankets of her bed and held her body in his arms. It was the only way he’d known to comfort Courtney without waking her.

The blonde walked out of the hallway from the bathroom and, as she had so many times before, found her husband by the window. A small smile graced her face as she walked over to him and slipped her petite hand into his. His fingers wrapped around hers naturally and she lay her head against his shoulder.

“Having second thoughts?” she asked quietly. She could tell by the look in the depths of his blue eyes that he was immersed in thought.

Jason shook his head and looked down at her. “No, remembering. A lot happened in this loft.”

She agreed, A lot had. The first night they saw each other, other than their shared dream, she’d brought him back there to bandage his hands up. Later, they told each how they felt while sitting on the couch. Days afterward, they’d made love for the first time. Every moment spend in their home had been special in its own way and had embedded itself in their minds and hearts the moment it occurred. “Yeah, that’s probably why I couldn’t sell it, even if we are leaving. It’s too special, and it houses our memories. I don’t want anyone else making any here.”

He turned his head from the portal looking out to the other part of the world and placed his lips against her forehead as he ran his free hand through the loose curls in her hair. “Maybe we can come back here.”

After the baby’s grown up and out of the house, along with any other children we may have, she finished his sentence for him in her head. “We should get going, Carly will be getting impatient, since we told her we’d be a bit later.” Jason’s hand slid from her hair and down her slightly bare back as he looked at the dress she wore. It was little and black, one he recognized from one of their many club visits. Also, a favorite. “Yeah, let’s go.”

~*~

IT didn’t take long for them to reach the club, in fact, it took longer to find Carly and Sonny inside. The place was packed to its limit, but people outside were still lined up. Ric had done an exceptional job in making sure The Sequel’s club opening got plenty of publicity. Even though they were purposefully late, since Ric and Carly were both making a small introduction before the club’s opening ‘officially’ got underway, Jason and Courtney made their way through the line easily. Max had met them in the parking lot and paved their way through the people. Some didn’t like it, but Jason tossed those who spoke up a glare, which stopped them from continuing.

It was even more of a maze inside, but they finally found their two best friends near a table off to the side of the dance floor. The back room wasn’t being used, even though it was finished, at least for the public, so Courtney knew the four of them could move there if the crowd got to be too much.

As soon as they reached the table, the darker blonde wrapped her best friend in a hug as the two men shook hands. Tears were in Carly’s eyes already when the two women released each other, but Courtney shook her head. “No crying here. Not tonight. We’re here to have a good time, enjoy your project, so let’s save the tears for tomorrow. Today, nothing but smiles.”

Sonny turned and nodded in agreement. “I think we can all abide by that. They’re not gone yet, so let’s just have some fun.”

The blue eyed blonde tossed a look at her husband, who returned her gaze and nodded in agreement.

Every time our eyes meet
This feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take

“I agree. The airport is the place for that, not here. The club looks great, Carly.” Jason told the woman as she took her thumbs to her eyes and wiped away the pooled up tears.

“Now I know you’re trying hard to keep our minds off of it, you’re complimenting me without being prompted.” She chuckled slightly.

Jason looked at her sincerely. He wasn’t in the mood to tease, despite his, Sonny and Courtney’s comments seconds ago, they all just wanted to be there. “No, I mean it. You did a good job.”

He felt Courtney take his hand again and squeeze it gently, telling him what he already knew, that this was hard on all of them. They were all connected by the bonds of friendship and love, no matter what was happening, or going to happen the next morning.

Baby when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away

Carly accepted the compliment finally with a small smile. “Thank you.” She pointed to the table and motioned for them to sit. “I’ll go order some drinks. Courtney, water?”

“Yeah, thank you.”

As she walked away, the other three sat. The atmosphere all around the club was lively and full of laughter, people enjoying themselves. It was almost completely opposite of the four most important people in the room. Despite his spoken words of having fun just minutes ago, Sonny knew that that was something that would be the last on their minds.

The bitter will come first, the sweetness comes later, Jason and Courtney both thought. At the same time, their gazes found their way to Courtney’s midsection, the sweet in a bitter time. The blue eyed man allowed a small grin to cross his lips as he met his wife’s own blue eyes.

I’ve never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams

The darker blonde didn’t return to the table for ten minutes. The opening was going really well over all, and she’d talked to Ric. It was already better than The Cellar had done its opening night. But, it didn’t touch her, really. Not when this was the last night out she’d spend with her two best friends before they left.

Carly had gone to the bouncers on the door, and to Max, and instructed them to clear the people outside away and not to allow anyone else in. She hadn’t expected it, but she wanted the place thinned out, not packed. Maybe coming to the opening was a bad idea.

She returned to the table to find Sonny, Jason and Courtney in a small discussion about stocks, which she had no interest in at all. Despite this, she refused to say anything about the topic, because it was either that or deal with an emotional silence that wouldn’t help anything at all. Seconds later, one of the hostesses brought their drinks and sat them on the table. The small talk conversation didn’t falter, as if they were afraid to let it because of that same quietness between them.

But, as the conversation did begin to wind down and the topic was exhausted, Sonny took that chance to remove his wife from the table by asking her to dance. She barely hesitated and Courtney took the chance with Sonny and pulled Jason to his feet as well. The talk of stocks hadn’t been his focused and she knew he needed something. Maybe dancing will help him a little.

Jason could tell by the look in her eyes when he glanced at her that the same thoughts that were running through his mind were in hers, also. But, she wasn’t worried about herself, she just wanted to help him, that much was said through her body language. God, she’s wonderful.

I don’t know how you do what you do
I’m so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I’m amazed by you

They walked to the floor, a few feet away from the Corinthos’, and Courtney wrapped her arms around his neck after taking her hands and running them from his temple to his jaw line in a gentle, soothing manner. Jason closed his eyes and moistened his lips before whispering “Thank you.”

She offered him a weak smile in return. All she could do was be there, because she knew what was going on behind those deep blue eyes of his. He was elated by one of the best decisions of his life, but it was also one of the most weighted. He knew it was the right choice. He wanted it, he had no doubt in his mind about what they were doing. It didn’t stop the sadness of leaving some of his family behind, but it would give him and Courtney a greater gift than they could imagine.

Song Credits: Amazed by Lonestar

Our Dream Love is now finished. Hope you enjoyed reading it and thanks to those of you who emailed me feedback.