Title: When the Unthinkable Happens
Author: aethra
Feedback: aethra12@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13, may be R in later Chapters
Category: Long, WIP
Type: Angst
Summary: After Jason and Sonny disown Courtney, she finds herself being stalked by Alcazar. When the unthinkable happens will she let them save her? Will their families ever be the same?

A/N: I’m sorry this update has been so long in coming, but I just wasn’t satisfied with the way things were going (and I wasn’t getting much information from my tv!).  I’m still not totally satisfied but it will do.

Chapter Five: Preparing for the Fight

When he left Courtney, Justus went straight to Sonny’s penthouse, where he knew that Carly, Sonny and Jason were waiting for him.  They wouldn’t like what he had to say.  He shook his head; Courtney’s denial might be too much for Jason to bear.  It was clear that Courtney believed that her brother and ex-husband had failed her, left her exposed to danger.  And now she might spend the rest of her life in prison because of that danger.

Marco opened the door for him immediately and he was confronted by three tense faces, Jason in particular did not look well.  Carly spoke first.  “Well,” she demanded, “how did it go?”

“Not well,” Justus replied as he helped himself to a glass of Sonny’s scotch.  “It’ll be a tough case.”  Quelling Carly’s immediate protest he continued, “I’m not saying we can’t win, just that it will be a fight, and Courtney isn’t making it any easier.”  He turned to face them then forcing himself to meet his cousin’s eyes as he spoke, “She doesn’t want any help from you; in fact she specifically forbade me from even discussing the case with you or Sonny.  Since she is my client, I am legally obligated to abide by her wishes.”  As Jason and Sonny immediately started to protest Justus held up his hand for silence and continued with a slight smile, “That’s why I am here to talk to Carly.  Now please don’t interrupt us, and I’ll try to ignore the fact that you aren’t supposed to be here while I talk to her.”

Following these words Justus focused on Carly and began, “Unfortunately Courtney has a clear motive for murder.  She hated Alcazar and blamed him for the death of her child, and Ric knows that.”  Justus took a deep breath, interrupting his explanation to warn Carly, “Some of this may be hard for you to hear, I know that you and Alcazar had a – a thing.”

Carly shook her head, “That’s long over, I realized just how unhealthy his attachment was; he never loved me it was, well, it was obsession.  Courtney told me that from the beginning, it just took me longer to understand that.” 

Reassured Justus continued, “Then you’ll understand that Courtney had every reason to believe that he was a danger to her.  Alcazar had been stalking her for weeks, harassing her at every opportunity.  It seems that when he realized you were unattainable he transferred his -” Justus paused and then continued delicately “affections to Courtney.  And he was just as persistent.  Courtney, however, did not have your ‘resources’ at her disposal,” he glanced at Sonny to Jason as he uttered these words. “You knew that if things got out of hand you would be protected.  Courtney didn’t believe that she had anyone to rely on.  So she had to defend herself.  Hopefully with your help, we can convince a jury of that.” 

Justus looked at Carly questioningly as he asked, “Would you be willing to testify to the fact that Alcazar stalked you? Harassed you?”

Carly’s response was immediate, “I’d do anything to help.  Courtney would never willingly hurt anyone.  And after everything that Alcazar did to our family, he deserved what he got.”

“Maybe we can find a better way for you to say that in court.”  Justus’ smile was grim as he looked at Carly, “Something that sounds less like a motive for murder.”  He rose to his feet then and nodded in farewell to Jason and Sonny, forcing himself not to acknowledge the devastation in his cousin’s eyes.  “Okay, we can meet later to discuss the details of your testimony, Carly.  I just wanted to check in with you and verify that you would be willing to testify.  Courtney’s bail hearing is tomorrow morning so I have a lot of work to do in the meantime.” 

Chapter Six: The Bail Hearing

Transcript:

In the court room:

Bailiff: This is the case of New York versus Courtney Morgan. Murder in the first degree.

Judge: Will counsel identify yourselves, please?

Ric Lansing: Good afternoon, Your Honor. Ric Lansing on behalf of the State.

Judge: Mr. Lansing.

Justus Ward: Good afternoon, Your Honor. Justus Ward on behalf of Courtney Morgan.

Judge: Mr.Ward.

Judge: Mr. Ward, how does your client plead?

Courtney Morgan: Not guilty, Your Honor.

Judge: We’ll hear from the State on bail?

Ric Lansing: The State requests remand Your Honor.  Mrs. Morgan is charged with a brutal crime; she has ample personal resources as well as ties to organized crime.  She’s a clear flight risk, Your Honor.

Judge: Mr. Ward?

Justus Ward:  Mrs. Morgan has voluntarily surrendered her passport and has strong ties to the community.  It is also clear that she is a victim here.  She was defending herself from a man who had terrorized her.  She has no reason to fear the outcome of this trial and no reason to flee.  We request that she be released on her own recognizance, Your Honor.

Ric Lansing:  Mrs. Morgan is Sonny Corinthos’s sister and Jason Morgan’s wife, Your Honor, if this trial doesn’t go her way she will have no difficulty leaving the country with or without her passport.  No amount of money will be sufficient deterrent to prevent her flight, Your Honor.  The only way to ensure she is still here for the trial is to detain her in police custody.

Justus Ward:  Mrs. Morgan had already severed ties with both Mr. Corinthos and Mr. Morgan before the incident in question, Your Honor.  Divorce proceedings are already underway and Mrs. Morgan has no interest in reconciliation.  The alleged wrong-doings of her former associates should not be held against her. 

Judge:  I’m going to go with the State on this one; Mrs. Morgan will be a guest of the State for the time being.

End of Transcript

“It will be alright, Courtney.  This is only temporary,” Justus caught her elbow as she was being led away.  “It will be alright; we will take care of this as quickly as possible.  You will be out in no time.”

Courtney’s face was blank as she looked back at Justus; she smiled bitterly and replied, “It doesn’t really matter, Justus.  I killed a man; I deserve to be in jail.”

After Courtney was taken out of the courtroom Justus gathered his papers and snapped his briefcase shut, then he walked towards the entrance of the courtroom.  Approaching Ric he spoke confidently, “There is still time to dismiss the charges, Ric.”

“What?” Ric exclaimed, “Twelve people witnessed Alcazar’s death; I have an ironclad case.  Why would I let her out of it?”

Justus smiled, “Last chance, Ric.  If you insist on pressing charges things are going to get ugly.  I promise you aren’t going to come out of this smelling like roses.”

“Are you threatening me, Justus?” Ric asked.

“Of course not, consider it a friendly warning,” Justus replied.

Ric laughed, “I’ll take my chances,” he said walking away.

Chapter Seven:  You’ve Been Served

Ric Lansing sat at his desk going over his prospective list of witnesses for Courtney’s trial.  He would need to interview everyone who was present at the Hybernian to decide who to call.  Who would present the incident in the most damning light? He made a few notes about the type of witness he wanted - he needed to choose someone whose credibility could not be called into question.  Irritated, he ignored the initial knock on his door - didn’t they know that he was working in here, why wouldn’t they just leave him alone.  However, it didn’t take long for the insistent knocking to ruin his concentration and he called out a terse order to enter, “What is it? Don’t you know that I’m busy in here?”

A young woman opened the door.  “Mr. Lansing?” she asked.

“That’s what the name on the door says, isn’t it?” He confirmed brusquely.

Hearing his confirmation she hands him a brown envelope and asked him to sign for it. 

He took the envelope and scrawled his name impatiently on her confirmation slip asking, “What is this?”

She smiled and turned to leave.  “You’ve been served,” she replied as she walked out the door.

“What the hell?” Ric growled as he tore open the envelope.  Reading the document he slammed his fist into the table, unable to contain his fury.  “A material witness summons? You have got to be kidding me.”  Grabbing his phone he called down to his secretary, “Get Judge Doyle on the phone, I need to see him right away.”

Half an hour later, Judge Doyle’s Chambers

“Good afternoon, Your Honor,” Ric greeted the judge perfunctorily as he entered the room.  “I’m sorry to trouble you, but if you would just take a look at this, I’m sure that you’ll agree -”

He was interrupted by the judge, “we’ll wait for Mr. Ward if you don’t mind, Mr. Lansing.”

As much as Ric did mind, he knew better than to antagonize the judge before whom he would shortly be presenting a case.  “Of course, Your Honor. 

A moment later Justus walked in and smiled at Ric, “Good afternoon, Your Honor.  What’s this all about?”

“I think that’s a question I should be asking you, Mr. Ward,” Judge Doyle responded.  “I understand you have subpoenaed Mr. Lansing.  He’s opposing council, Mr. Ward, surely you expected some questions.”

“Your Honor,” Ric broke in unable to contain himself, and doubly unwilling to let Justus have the first word.  “Surely you can see that this is nothing more than a ploy on the part of the defense to have me removed from the case.  Justus thinks that his client would fare better if I am not the one prosecuting her.”

“If I may explain, Your Honor?” Justus politely waited for permission to respond.

“Please do,” the judge responded casting a reproving glance in Ric’s direction for his outburst.

“Mr. Lansing is privy to certain information that is essential to Mrs. Morgan’s defense, Your Honor.”

“What information?” Ric demanded.  “I wasn’t present at the scene of the murder.  My connection to the case is as prosecutor; surely Mr. Ward doesn’t expect me to discuss that on the stand.  Anything I learn as prosecutor he can discover on his own by doing his own research.  And my testifying about such things would be hearsay anyway.”

“He has a point, Mr. Ward.”

“Actually, Your Honor, he is completely mistaken.  We intend to present on self defense and necessity.  Mrs. Morgan’s entire history with Mr. Alcazar is at issue to explain why her fear was reasonable.  The information that Mr. Lansing can provide is the result of his personal experience with those involved: his experience with Mr. Alcazar and his direct knowledge of the history between Mr. Alcazar and Mrs. Morgan.  I give you my word, he will only be question about events on which he has direct personal knowledge.”

“What information do you want, Justus?” Ric asked.  “Maybe we can find someone elae who could testify to it instead.”

“Surely you don’t expect me to preview my case for opposing council?” Justus responded. 

“He has you there, Lansing.”  Judge Doyle laughed.  He turned to Justus, “Is there no one else who could testify to the events in question, Mr. Ward?”

“No one as credible as the district attorney,” Justus said.

“Even so, if there is anyone else you tell me who and I will decide whether their credibility is enough of an issue to compel Mr. Lansing’s testimony.”

“Very well,” Justus answered immediately.  “The only others that I am aware of with knowledge as complete as Mr. Lansing’s are Sonny Corinthos, Jason Morgan, and the defendant herself.  A defendant’s credibility is always suspect so if corroboration is possible, she is entitled to it.  As for Mr. Corinthos and Mr. Morgan, well I’m sure Your Honor is aware of both their reputations and their relationship to the defendant.  Carly Corinthos is privy to some of the information and will be called to testify as well, but again she’s just not that credible.  Your Honor, I know a lack of credible witnesses is a burden that a defense attorney must be expected to bear, but where there is an available witness who is both believable and able to testify” Justus trailed off with a significant glance at Lansing.  “My client is entitled to present a defense, Your Honor.  The district attorney’s office cannot be allowed to curtail our access to our only reliable witness.”

Judge Doyle sighed at the Justus’s mention of Sonny and Jason, but by the conclusion of this speech he was nodding.  “You are correct, Mr. Ward.  If this information is really as important as you say, I see no way to deny you the right to call Mr. Lansing to testify.”  He looked over at Ric, “I assume you are unwilling to step down as prosecutor?” he asked.

“Your Honor,” now it was Justus’s turn to protest.  “If he is allowed remain as council how exactly will he cross-examine himself? The prosecution cannot be given unfettered freedom to speak during the presentation of the defense.”

“I agree, Mr. Ward,” the judge responded.  “So, if Mr. Lansing wishes to remain as prosecutor he will have to appoint co-council to handle the cross-examination.  And Mr. Ward since his status prevents you from preparing this witness as you normally would, I’ll go ahead and grant you permission to treat him as hostile.”  He briefly made eye contact with each man before asking, “Does this plan work for both of you?”

This plan definitely did not work for Ric, but he had no reason to protest which the judge might be willing to accept so he gave his assent.  Justus, on the other hand, looked pleased.  “Very much so Your Honor, thank you.”

Ric and Justus left the judge’s chambers together and Justus paused outside.  “Regretting that decision not to dismiss, Ric?” he asked.  “If you aren’t now, I can promise you that by the time you get off the stand, you will be,” he continued.  Justus turned to leave but then stopped and turned back, “Oh and Ric, if you perjure yourself on the stand, I will make very sure that everyone knows you’ve done so.”  Justus turned again and walked away.

Watching Justus leave Ric cursed, knowing that he had been out maneuvered but unwilling to give in. 

Chapter Eight: Visiting Day

After leaving Judge Doyle’s chambers Justus proceeded to the jail, he needed to discuss the case with Courtney.  He waited for her in one of the interview rooms provided for this purpose.  Leafing through his notes, Justus looked up and smiled when the door open, expecting to see Courtney.  He was a little surprised to see Lucky Spencer instead.  “What can I do for you Officer Spencer? I was expecting my client.”

“And she’s on her way, Justus, I won’t take but a minute of your time.  It’s possible that I am not supposed to tell you this, but I thought, well - Look when a prisoner is booked we take pictures, right?” Seeing the blank look on Justus’s face, he continued, “we’ve had trouble in the past with police brutality charges so when anyone comes in already injured we take pictures of the injuries so they can’t later try to blame the injuries on us.  It’s standard procedure; I wasn’t sure if you’d know.” 

Justus was pretty quick on the uptake, though and he smile, “Thank you Officer Spencer, I didn’t know that.”  As Lucky left the room, Justus made a note to himself to request copies of the photographs from Courtney’s booking.  If Lucky was dropping hints like that there would be something useful there.  A moment later, Courtney was shown into the room. 

“How you holding up?” he asked trying to manage a bolstering smile; she looked terrible. 

“I’m fine,” Courtney answered tonelessly.

“No, you’re not,” he said.  “Courtney, I can tell you’re not fine.  I know this is hard, but you have to keep it together.  Things are not as bad as they look, I promise.”

“How can you promise that, Justus,” she exclaimed standing up and stalking away from him.  Reaching a wall Courtney stood and half turned back to him, “I did kill him.  A lot of people saw me.  I’m not really seeing a way out of this and it’s what I deserve anyway.  Don’t make me promises, Justus.  I don’t have much faith in those these days.”  Courtney turned back to the wall and rested her forehead against the cool surface, “So many broken promises,” she whispered. 

“Courtney,” Justus tried to calm her.  “Did you mean to kill Alcazar?”

“No!” the word burst out of her. 

“When you kicked him, were you afraid of him?”

“Yes,” she said closing her eyes as she leaned into the wall for support.

“Afraid of what he intended to do to you?”

“Yes.”

“So you were trying to defend yourself against him?”

“Yes.”

“That is what we call self-defense.  And that is why I can promise that things are better than they seem.  You are entitled to fight against someone who you reasonably believe is going to hurt you.” 

Courtney could feel Justus’s eyes on her.  She looked back at him and managed a tremulous smile, “Thank you Justus.  I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you.  I know that you are just trying to help.”

“It’s alright, Courtney.  You’ve got a lot going on, and I can take a little yelling.  But how about you tell me how you’re really doing?”

Courtney nodded and came over to sit back down across from Justus.  “Really, I’m doing as well as can be expected.  They’re treating me fine and everything.  I just, I haven’t been sleeping so well.  You know, there’s just, there’s so much going on in my head and I can’t seem to shut it all down.”

She was staring at her hands now, “I just lay there thinking, trying to figure out where things got so out of control.  I mean, if I had just let Alcazar die that night in the basement, or just let Sonny kill him.  But then I think, and things were already, it was already bad then.  So I think back further, what would have happened if I had stayed on that damn boat.  Would Jason have rescued me? Or would I still be there? I can’t stop.  Every time I close my eyes I see her.” Courtney looked at Justus, “Is that crazy.  I mean, I never saw her in the first place, but now I see her all the time.  She would have had Jason’s eyes.”  Courtney started to cry, “If I hadn’t lost her none of this would have happened.  Jason would still love me.  He would have protected me.  I wouldn’t have been alone there for Alcazar to come after.”

Justus reached out and covered Courtney’s hands with one of his own, “Courtney, your daughter’s death is not your fault.  Nothing that has happened is your fault; you were just trying to do the right thing.  If you want to get your life back you are going to have to stop blaming yourself.”  Justus knew better than to mention Jason himself, she probably didn’t even realize she had brought him up.

Courtney nodded, breathing deeply, “Carly said the same thing.  But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s dead and it’s my fault.”  She shook her head as if trying to clear it.  “I’m sorry, Justus, you didn’t come here to hear all this.  You need to be preparing for the case.  So what do we need to talk about?”

“Don’t apologize Courtney; I am you lawyer, but I’m also your friend.  If you need to talk I’m here.  But you’re right we need to talk about the case.  There’s not really anything else you can do, but I do want to talk to you about what we’re going to do.  I think that it’s important you understand the legal ramifications of everything that is going on.”

*                      *                      *

Justus next task after leaving the jail was supposed to be interviewing witnesses from the Hybernian, but when he left that day he knew there was another stop he had to make first.  Knowing that Courtney wouldn’t appreciate his interference he pulled out his cell phone anyway.  “Hey, meet me at your place in half an hour we need to talk.”

Justus walked into Jason’s pent house without bothering to knock and saw Jason waiting for him.  “You look like hell, Jason.  When was the last time you slept?”

“I don’t remember,” Jason answered.  “Why’d you call? Is she ok?”

“No,” he answered.  “I was going to suggest that you talk to her, but from the look of things, you aren’t in any condition for that.”

“She won’t see me anyway, Justus,” Jason said.  “I went to see her the day she was arrested and she asked me not to come back.”

“I know what she says, but Jason she needs help.  She told me she hasn’t been sleeping.  She blames herself for everything that’s happened.  There’s a very real chance she will throw this trial because she thinks that she deserves prison for what she’s done.” 

“Alcazar was a monster,” Jason protested.  “After everything he did he deserved to die.  She shouldn’t be punished for killing him.”

Justus looked Jason in the eyes and spoke very seriously.  “It’s not killing Alcazar that she wants to be punished for.  It’s your daughter’s death.  She still blames herself and part of her thinks that you blame her too.  She’s haunted by it.  Jason, if she can’t get passed this there’s no telling what she’ll do.  For now she’s going along with what I say, but I’m just not sure that she’ll do that once the trial starts.  Someone has to convince her to save herself, and Jason, I think that you may be the only one who can.”

“I can’t Justus, she won’t see me; even if I go to her I don’t think that I could convince her of anything,” Jason said.  “I abandoned her when she needed me most.  Nothing I could say can reach her anymore.”

“You’re wrong, Jason,” Justus said.  “She still loves you.  She’s hurting and angry, but she loves you.  And she thinks that you blame her for losing your daughter.  You can make her fight, Jason.  You have to make her fight.  I know that you once promised her you would protect her.  Now’s your chance to keep that promise.  Protect her Jason, protect her from herself.”

“I’ll try, Justus,” Jason said, standing up and heading for the door.  “But I can’t promise anything; I still don’t think that I’ll be able to help.”

“Jason,” Justus stopped him.  “Two things before you go.  First, don’t mention that I came to you.  She’s asked me not to talk to you, and if I’m wrong and you can’t help her, I’m definitely going to need her trust.”

Jason nodded his assent and asked, “What else?”

“A piece of advice before you go.  Man, take a shower first, I mean how long’s it been?”

Jason paused, startled, “Um, I don’t know.  I guess I’ve been a little distracted lately.” 

*                      *                      *

“You have a visitor,” the officer announced to Courtney as he came up to the door of her cell.”

“I’m not expecting anyone,” she muttered not rising from her bunk.  Justus and Carly were the only visitors she would be willing to see and each had already visited, “Who is it?”

“I didn’t ask; I don’t care; now get moving.”  Jason had told the guard that Courtney wouldn’t want to see him and then bribed him to see that she came anyway; he figured the easiest way was to lie.

Courtney sighed; she was tired and really didn’t want to see anyone, but figured there was no reason to antagonize the guard.  “Alright, alright,” she grumbled standing and waiting for him to open the cell door. 

A moment later he ushered her into one of the private visiting rooms.  “No!” she said as she saw her ex-husband waiting.  Courtney turned around to leave the room but the guard had already left locking the door behind him. 

“Courtney, please just - look I know that you don’t want to see me, but I had to come, ok? I had to see you - to talk to you,” Jason spoke quickly, stumbling over his words.  He had to get her to listen before she got to angry to hear him. 

But Courtney was ignoring him; she was busy banging on the door demanding that the guard come back and take her to her cell.  Unsure of how long his bribe would hold the guard against Courtney’s angry mix of pleas and demands he came up behind her and grabbed her hands.  Pulling Courtney away from the door and back against his own body he held her.  Still grasping her fists, he wrapped his arms around her and just held her.  In spite of her struggling he held her until her shrieks turned into sobs and she relaxed back against him.  As Courtney sobbed out how much she hated him, he buried his face in the hair at her neck and whispered that he loved her, “Please, Courtney, just listen to me.  Just hear me.  I love you, please.”

Finally, regaining her composure Courtney twisted out of Jason’s arms and stood facing him.  “Alright,” she said, fighting calm down, “I’m listening, why are you here? I seem to remember telling you that I didn’t want to see you.”

“You said that,” he confirmed, “but I had to see you anyway.  I love you Courtney, and I’m worried about you.”

“Don’t,” she protested, but whether she meant ‘don’t love me’ or ‘don’t worry about me’ she wasn’t sure.  So the protest died on her lips and she let Jason continue.

“Courtney, I-I can’t let you go to prison.  I want you to know that if it comes to that I will take you away, whatever it takes, I will take you away,” staring into her eyes Jason swore to protect her in the only way he had left. 

“No,” Courtney said, “you won’t.  When it comes to that I will go to prison.  I killed a man, Jason; it’s no less than I deserve.”

“Not over him, Courtney.  Alcazar got what he deserved; no one should go to prison for his death.  My God, at the moment of his death he was trying to hurt you.  You can’t blame yourself.”  Jason stared at Courtney willing her to hear his next words, to hear him - believe him.  “Courtney, from the very beginning you have been the only innocent party in all of this.  Sonny, Alcazar, me, we all chose to live this life.  We made our choices and at some point those choices catch up to us.  All you ever did was try to protect the people you love.  Nothing that’s happened has been your fault - not Alcazar’s death and not our daughter’s.” 

“She was the innocent party,” Courtney contradicted him, “and I hurt her.  I let her die.”

“No,” Jason’s voice was harsh now, “you did everything you could to protect her, Alcazar’s the one who put you in that situation.  If anyone was at fault for her death, he was.  Not you.  I can’t let you pay for his crimes, or for mine and Sonny’s.  We are the ones who got you into this.  Fight this Courtney, fight for yourself, please,” he begged. 

But Courtney turned away from him.  “Just go, Jason.  I don’t need you now.  I don’t want your help.” Jason could see the pain in her gaze as she looked at him and said, “Please, just walk away.”

“You’re not easy to walk away from,” he whispered, echoing the words he’d spoken at the very start of their relationship. 

“You’ve done it before,” she accused sharply.  “You walked away from me, Jason.  ‘It's like you're a stranger to me. Love and family mean nothing to you.’  Do you remember that? Do you remember saying that? Well, I’ve accepted it; I’m a stranger to you.”  Courtney’s next words hurt Jason as nothing else could have, “So just leave and don't come back, because there's nothing here for you anymore.” 

Unable to bear her angry words anymore, Jason rose to go. If Courtney was trying to get him back, make him hurt the way that he’d hurt her she’d succeeded.  And he was equally certain he’d failed.  Courtney was no more determined to fight for herself than she had been before his visit.

*                      *                      *

Jason gave a resigned sigh as he walked into his home, “Not now, Carly,” he said.  “Whatever it is, I really can’t handle it right now.”  Ignoring her he headed to the kitchen, if ever there was an occasion that called for a drink this was it.

“You went to see her, didn’t you?” Carly accused.  “I told you to stay away from her for now.  I told you she was too vulnerable to see you.  But did you listen? No, no one ever listens to Carly.”

“You were right, Carly,” he muttered wearily.  “I shouldn’t have gone to see her, but Justus -”

“Justus doesn’t know how to handle something like this.  I do.  You should too.  If this were Sonny what would you do? What have you done? You ought to know this, for now just give her what she needs.  Don’t confront her until she calms down.  Come on, Jason, you knew better than Justus.  You went to see her because you wanted to.  Justus just gave you an excuse to do what you wanted but knew you shouldn’t do.”  Running out of steam for her lecture, Carly changed tactics, “How did it go?” she asked. 

“Exactly as you expected,” Jason said collapsing on the couch with a beer.  “She lashed out.” The understatement of the century but Jason was in no mood to provide details. 

“Care to be a little more specific?” Carly inquired.

“No,” Jason grumbled, but he continued anyway, “She didn’t say anything that I didn’t deserve.  For that matter, she didn’t say much of anything that I hadn’t said to her already.”

“That bad, huh?” Carly commiserated.  Seeing his confused look, she explained, “You broke her heart Jason.  I’m guessing she was in the mood to break yours.”  She gave him a hug and then rose to go, “She’ll come out of this Jason; Sonny always does.  And if it makes you feel any better, she wouldn’t be trying to hurt you so badly if she didn’t still love you.  Don’t give up on her; just give her space right now.”  The voice of experience there, she and Sonny had hurt each other time and again because they loved each other, but because they loved each other they always found there way back.

“There may not be time,” Jason protested.  “She’s on trial for murder and she doesn’t seem to care.  She thinks she deserves to go to prison Carly.  I can’t let her go to prison.”

She won’t go to prison,” Carly assured him.  “We won’t let that happen.” 

Coming soon: The Trial