The Bodyguard

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own General Hospital. If I did Jason would be with either Brenda or Sam. Logan Hayes would not exist. Lorenzo Alcazar would have never died. Oh and Jerry Jacks would get way more air time.

Author's Note/Background Information: So this is an idea I've been playing around with for quite time (like not long after I found out that Cooper's last name was Barrett). I should let you know right away that its AU/AR. Cooper is a twenty eight year old war veteran who has been honorably discharged from the Army due to an injury he suffered during combat and is coming home to join the family business. He was primarily raised by his older sister Brenda (ten years older) and her husband Jason Morgan. The rest of the story you'll basically find out as you read. Thank you for taking a chance on me and this story. I really hope you like it.

The Bodyguard Chapter One

At first glance you would have never guessed he was one of the most feared men on the East Coast, if not the entire United States. People said he could shoot a man dead with his eyes closed. Cooper highly doubted that theory, but at the same time knew there was a reason Scott Baldwin always used to call him Angerboy. If only those people could see Jason now as he laughed and pushed his daughter on the swing. If you didn't know better you would have sworn he was an average parent spending the afternoon with his daughter. Cooper gingerly made his way through the park over to where the pair was joking. He hadn't seen his niece in at least six years but even from a distance he could tell she was still all Brenda. Once he reached them he sat down in the swing beside the pair. As soon as she saw him she squealed and jumped off the swing. "Uncle Coop!" She could have easily been a football player the way she tackled him. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "You've gotten so tall and beautiful. I bet your Dad already has to threaten boys."

"If you only knew," Jason joked. He'd known for weeks that Cooper was coming to visit but not until now did it seem real. Jason had known Cooper his entire life. In fact while Cooper was in high school he lived with Jason and Brenda. Upon graduation Cooper decided to enlist in the military. Ten years later, after being discharged due to an injury he received in battle, he was finally coming home. "It's been a long time Coop." Jason replied as he hugged the younger man, who he viewed almost as a son. "Bren is going to flip when she sees you. You're all she's talked about all week. Right Ava?"

"Right, it was Cooper this and Cooper that and I wonder what he's going to want to eat and if he's going to be comfortable in his old bedroom and should we buy him new sheets for his bed. It was torture, pure torture." Ava recalled. She loved her mother, but she had a tendency to worry for nothing. Even at twelve Ava was well aware of this fact. "If I didn't love you so much I would definitely be over you at this point."

Cooper laughed. He was realizing quickly that she may have looked like Brenda but she sounded just like Jason. "Well thank you for that." He joked as he ruffled her hair.

"How about you go work on your cartwheels for a little while so I can talk business with your Uncle?" Jason had decided long ago that he while he wasn't going to immerse Ava in his business he was not going to lie about it either. She knew that his work life was private and that he did everything he could to keep it separate from his home life. For the most part he'd been successful.

Ava sighed, her way of letting them know that she was not "down" with this plan. "Fine, but don't forget you promised me a sundae from Kelly's."

Coop watched as she skipped away. The last time he had seen her she was trying to learn to ride a bike. "Man she's grown so much."

"Yeah they have a tendency to do that." Jason replied with an impish grin. "Brenda and I felt the same way when you graduated high school. I mean I can still remember helping you tie your tie first dance. Isn't that when you were in love with Courtney Matthews?"

Cooper grimaced. "Don't remind me of that." Cooper had been in love with Courtney for all of high school, but she hadn't realized he even existed. Instead she'd been with Brian Beck, Mr. All American, who currently was a detective for the Port Charles Police Department. "How is Detective Beck?"

"For some reason he still isn't all that fond of me and I just can't figure out why." Jason replied with a shrug. "Still how are you? How does it feel to be back?"

"I'm good. I feel a little out of the loop, but I'm happy that I'm back. It feels like it's been forever."

Jason nodded in agreement. "Well it kind of has been. When you left I don't think it occurred to Brenda and I that it would be for this long. But we're all still basically the same. Well except for Ava, who gets moodier by the minute."

"I can see that. That was the quite sigh earlier."

"That was nothing. You should hear them when she's actually irritated. Anyway Brenda said you might be interested in coming to work with me." When Brenda had come to Jason with this news he'd thought at first that she was kidding. While Brenda tolerated his lifestyle she wasn't exactly enthralled to be the devoted wife of a mob boss. "Cause if you're interested I have a job for you. It's nothing overly dangerous but it's pretty important."

Coop motioned for him to continue. Somehow he'd always known this day would come. No matter how long he worked for the other side he knew in the end that he'd always known that his loyalties lay with the organization.

"Do you remember Maxie Jones? I think she graduated a couple of years after you. Well anyway Maxie is Brenda's assistant and co-conspirator in life. I usually refer to her as Brenda's right arm. Recently someone ransacked Maxie's apartment and wrote a threatening message on her wall. The thing about Maxie is she's more than just Brenda's best friend. She's the widow of the man who gave his life saving Ava. Maxie's husband, Jesse was Ava's guard and one day someone tried to kidnap her. Jesse was able to save her, but he was shot and critically injured. That was three years ago. We've been taking care of Maxie and her son Mason ever since. So I guess what I'm saying is it's a special job and Brenda and I think you're the perfect man for it. What do you say?"

Cooper sat there for a moment digesting all of the information that had just been presented to him. "So basically all I'd be doing is guarding her?"

"Well not exactly. You'd actually live with her. Separate rooms, same penthouse. Actually to be specific it'd be the penthouse across the hall. And it would just be until we were sure she was safe."

"Is she okay with this?"

Jason let out a strained chuckle. "She doesn't exactly know yet, but she'll go along with it. Brenda thinks you two will get along really well. I think she's twenty four and Mason's five. He's a cute kid. Did I mention Maxie was pretty and this was all Brenda's idea so if you say no she's going to pester you about it for the rest of your life?"

Cooper laughed at Jason's clear desperation. "As long as she's okay with the setup then yeah I'll take the job."

"Good, believe me Coop I wouldn't let you do this if I didn't think you could or if it was a bad idea. Maxie's a great girl, she's feisty and so much like Brenda it's scary." Jason stood up and called for Ava to rejoin them.

Coop nodded, but all the time he couldn't help but question what he just signed up for. The only member of the opposite sex he'd ever lived with had been his ex-girlfriend Liv, a nurse who couldn't handle his quiet ways. That had only lasted six months at the most. Now he was supposed to live with a woman he hardly knew and her five year old son. He knew one thing for sure, this was going to definitely be interesting.

This is my first ever 3M fic. I hope you like it. Thanks so much for reading. If you wouldn't mind reviewing to let me know what you think that'd be great.