A/N: I edited the first seven chapters and reposted (06/17). To clarify, any mentions of John is Johnny Zacchara and Johnny refers to Sonny and Jason's guard back in the day.

April 2004

Claudia dropped her purse on Jason's desk, "You wanted to see me?" It had taken a few years, but she finally established a good working relationship with the Corinthos-Morgan organization. She didn't trust Sonny, but for the most part she trusted Jason. He wasn't going to double-cross her, if he was going to go after her territory he'd be up front about it. Their organizations traveled in different circles and as long as they stayed out of her business she stayed out of theirs.

Jason nodded to Milo, dismissing him. "Close the door behind you." He motioned for Claudia to sit down. "How much money did you lose this month because of Alcazar?"

"That's none of your business." Alcazar stole two of her shipments and sank another. The only reason he wasn't dead was because he had government connections that would come gunning for her if he turned up dead.

"I'm guessing you've lost close to seven figures because of him. I know you lost three shipments."

"This matters to you why?" Claudia asked, her voice filled with suspicion.

"Every time Alcazar interferes with one of my shipments, I'm guessing he interferes with one of yours. I've lost eight in the past few months. I think he's gearing up for a war and I want to know where you stand."

"Think I'm going to side with that sociopath?" Lorenzo Alcazar was scum and deserved to die. Not for messing with her shipments but for kidnapping her brother last summer, holding him hostage until she agreed to move his shipments. John was just a kid, he wanted nothing to do with the business, much to her father's disappointment. He should've spent last summer traveling around Europe with his friends before his first semester of college. Instead he was chained to a wall like an animal until all of Alcazar's shipments arrived in tact.

Jason tossed a stack of photos on his desk, "He's sleeping with Faith."

Faith Rosco was crazy on a good day, on a bad day she was dangerous. She was a horrible business woman, when Sonny killed her husband she had all the resources available to her to make it on her own. But she wasn't driven by logic, she was driven by revenge and spite. She squandered away her husband's money trying to avenge his death and in the end, she was left with a string of properties that were useless without the proper finances. The only reason that anyone ever did business with her was because they needed her piers. Faith didn't have enough money to bankroll a war, but Alcazar did. Her piers coupled with Alcazar's bank account and connections, meant one thing for her and Jason - trouble.

Claudia flipped through the pictures disdainfully, "They deserve each other." It was because of women like Faith that she had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously as a businesswoman. Her father doubted her, he underestimated her and the only reason he let her get involved was because he trusted her more than Trevor. She was well aware of the fact that she'd never have full control, that when her father turned his business over he wanted John to run it. Luckily for her the last thing on John's mind was the business, he was more interested in school and music than territory and drugs. "Thanks for the heads up."

"I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" Claudia smiled, "Sounds enticing."

Jason reached inside his desk and handed Claudia a stack of documents, "I have an arrangement that can be mutually beneficial. A way to stop Alcazar with minimal bloodshed, but I need your full cooperation."

Claudia started flipping through the papers, "Okay - this is a listing of our combined properties." They had more holdings than Alcazar and Faith, but Faith's piers were the most sought after property on the waterfront.

"Keep reading."

Claudia set aside asset sheet and picked up the next document, her jaw dropping slightly as she read it. "This is a marriage license."

"We work well together. The best way to ward off Alcazar is to present a united front and a business marriage is the way to do that."

"Are you crazy? Why the hell would I marry you?" Just because she and Jason had a good working relationship didn't mean they needed to pick out china patterns. "We have a truce - "

"Do you trust me?"

Claudia hesitated before answering, "Mostly." Jason was honest but he wasn't loyal to her - he was loyal to Sonny. He had to look out for his best interests and she had to look out for hers. Sometimes his best interests matched hers, but often times they didn't.

"Right - I mostly trust you too. But how do I know you won't sell me out to Alcazar?"

"How do I know you won't sell me out?"

"You don't," Jason said. "I don't." He reached in his desk again and tossed a jewelry box at Claudia.

Opening the box, Claudia gasped. "Is this - "

"A red diamond."

"Is this natural?" Red diamonds were rare, she had a few but it was practically impossible to get a hold of a natural one.

"The certificate says so."

"So because you gave me an incredible ring, I'm supposed to marry you. I don't want to get married." Marriage destroyed her mother, she refused to let her life be ruined for something so trivial.

"People like us aren't meant for real marriages or families. It makes sense for us to be married, we can keep Alcazar at bay - "

"Until he's dead or leaves town and then you think you can buy me off with a hefty alimony settlement?" Claudia asked as she skimmed the prenup. "I don't need your money. I'm Claudia Antonia Zacchara and I do not need a man to provide for me. I have - "

Jason rubbed his forehead, "I can take it out."

"While you're at it, tell your cousin to draw up a will and add some sort of clause that if I die of something other than natural causes, your assets along with mine go to my brother." She doubted that Jason would kill her in her sleep or stage a car accident, if he hadn't killed her already she didn't think he would once they were married, but she wanted her bases covered.

"Fine. I want the same clause in there for me, and your assets go to my business partner."

Claudia laughed, "This has to be the worst marriage proposal I've ever gotten."

"What? You want me down on one knee?"

"Maybe some other time," Claudia teased. Every so often she wondered why she and Jason didn't get together. She didn't know much about his personal life, but from what she did know almost every woman he was involved with had a problem with his job. The one exception to that had been Carly, but she'd wrecked him a different way. If she and Jason had ever gotten together, the last thing either of them needed to worry about was one seeing the other as a cold blooded killer, because they both were. The fact that they'd never hooked up had more to do with Jason than herself, she probably would've followed him anywhere - for a night. But he had too much self-control to cloud his business judgment by sleeping with the enemy. "You said this was mutually beneficial - aside from keeping my territory how does this benefit me?"

"Your father will hate it."

"He will." The older her father got, the more he had to depend on her and he hated it. Hated having to depend on a woman for anything. The only reason her father let her get involved at all was because he trusted she wouldn't screw John over. She hated her father didn't fully trust her but if she wanted to work in the family business, she had to put up with it.

Her father still had delusions about her meeting a nice man and settling down and starting a family. More so, he was going to hate that by marrying Jason she now had more power than him and everything he held over her head no longer applied. "Sonny's going to hate it too."

"What Sonny thinks doesn't matter."

"The rumors are true then, about Sonny leaving?"

"Sonny is leaving town next week, he's transferring everything to me. I want us married before he leaves."

Claudia nodded in understanding. It was important that Sonny support this decision, at least publicly because even though he was leaving he still had some sway and connections. Jason needed Sonny's contacts to have faith in him, if Sonny trusted and supported him they would too. "Next week? Short engagement, but to be clear I am not having an engagement party with your family."

"That won't be a problem."

"Do you have everything planned or do I need to hire someone to plan a wedding?" Unlike most women, she hadn't had her wedding dress picked out when she was ten. And if she had to pick a maid of honor, she didn't have a clue because she didn't have a single female friend.

"No. I figured we could get married at the court house and then have a reception and invite everyone that needs to know."

"Good, I don't need a white dress then. What's in it for you?"

"Your name - your shipping lanes."

"You use me - I use you." There were some people that were hesitant to do business with Jason because he wasn't as established as some of the older families. Marrying into her family legitimized him in certain circles and would also help with the transition of power from him to Sonny. Having her family an ally would keep anyone that doubted the transition at bay. Even if her father wanted to make a move against him, he couldn't because she would undercut him. "That works. By the way, I'm not living in your penthouse. We have to live together, right?"

"I'm not living with your family."

"I don't even like living with my family." The only reason she'd stayed at home as long as she had was because of John. Now that he finished up his first year of college he planned on moving out and she no longer had a reason to stay home.

"We can rent out the penthouse floor at the Port Charles Hotel."

"What is it with you and penthouses? Doesn't your family own that hotel. I'm not living there."

"I don't care where we live - you can pick, just make sure there's room for a pool table."

"Fine, you're in charge of the reception and I'll find us a place to live. While we're negotiating - I don't care if you have a mistress or a string of mistresses, but I don't want them in my home." She had no illusions about her impending marriage, she knew Jason didn't love her and she didn't love him. But there was no way in hell that she was going to be disrespected in her home. Her mother had stood by while her father flaunted mistress after mistress in front of her and it ultimately broke her. The circumstances were different, but she wasn't going to let her husband disrespect her.

"The same goes for you."

"Fine." She wasn't seeing anyone seriously, she never did. She had more ambitious goals than falling in love. "So do we have a deal?"

"Yeah. " Jason gestured to her ring. "Put that on. I'll have Justus redraw the papers and your lawyer can look them over. I'll be in touch."

Claudia slipped the ring on her finger and left. She admired the flawless red diamond for a moment then grabbed her phone, dialing her realtor.