Notes --

Here we go again kids! This will be quite a different ride from my other story, so hang on tight.

I don't own GH or the characters, just the stuff I write.

The Art of Restoration

Chapter 1

Present Day

"We should be arriving soon Mr. Morgan."

"Thanks."

Jason released the button on the intercom as he settled back into his seat in the limo. The driver was keeping a steady pace; reassuring him he wouldn't be late.

He went back to reading the files his accountant had given him earlier. The coffee business appeared to be in the black, but there was a potential problem with a labor dispute in South America he had to deal with.

He was supposed to be on his way there to handle it, but had sent his second in command instead. There was something more important he had to do today.

Most times he would delegate when he had more than one responsibility to contend with. Ideally the South American distributor would want to meet with him personally, but Jason wasn't willing to leave his current task to anyone else.

He'd just left a meeting as it was, and didn't have time to change clothes before he was off again. His jacket and tie had come off the second he got into the car and his collar was opened two buttons down.

Exhausted of work, he exhaled and tossed the folder onto the seat next to him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to relax. It was almost a foreign concept lately, but he had no one to blame but himself.

Somehow he'd grown to welcome being busy. It kept him from thinking too much. And there were plenty of things for him to not want to think about.

One was the fact that his wife was at that moment fuming over him missing her annual luncheon for the Lila Quartermaine Children's Charity. He did his best to make it every year since she started it, but his absence this year couldn't be helped.

Jason had been very close to his grandmother when she was alive and wanted to honor her in death, even if it meant being bored to death and hanging out with stuck up society types who acted like you should be privileged that they deigned to give up their money for a good cause. Most of his time was usually spent at his wife's side trying not to look like he'd rather be anywhere else; that is when he wasn't at the bar.

The only thing that assuaged his guilt was knowing that his grandmother would understand why he wasn't there.

Another of the things he didn't want to think about was how he came to be so busy. Being in charge meant more responsibility. And Jason was definitely in charge. For the past four years he'd been boss of the formerly Corinthos and now Morgan Organization.

Being the boss wasn't the problem so much as how it happened. It had taken the death of his best friend.

Sonny Corinthos was killed in a hit ordered by an enemy named Lorenzo Alcazar. Of course enemies and the possibility of death were part and parcel with being in the mob, but Sonny's death wasn't mob related.

Lorenzo was obsessed with Sonny's wife Carly. When she rejected his advances in favor of remaining with her husband, it drove Alcazar over the edge. He decided to eliminate the competition permanently by ordering Sonny's death.

The jolt of it sent shockwaves through the people who loved Sonny. Carly, who'd been pregnant with their second child, went into stress induced labor. The child, a boy, was still born. It gave her two people to grieve, and her son Michael was also sent reeling from the loss of his father and the little brother he'd wanted so desperately.

Jason was there and remembered every second of that time. Each moment had played in a continuous loop in his head for the longest. He'd analyzed them and picked out everything he did wrong that led to Sonny being dead and the repercussions thereafter.

Had there been enough security? Why hadn't he realized what a threat Alcazar had become?

It was the first time he could remember having dreams at night since the drunk driving accident that killed Jason Quartermaine and created Jason Morgan. His mind just wouldn't let him forget; even in sleep.

The guilt would have eaten him whole if he'd let it, but there was no time for such luxuries. He learned at the reading of Sonny's will that the mantle of boss would be passed to him. Except for a stipend of money that was left to his wife Carly, son Michael, and any other children they had, Sonny had left all his holdings and business interests in Jason's hands.

He didn't suppose he was necessarily shocked at the revelation, but it still stunned him to be given all that responsibility. He was used to being second; to taking orders, not giving them. It was a drastic shift in his life. Still he took it on with the determination and fortitude Sonny would have expected of him. He vowed to protect all the man had held dear and run the business Sonny worked his whole life for to the best of his ability.

But that was after he'd gotten justice for his friend.

His first official act as boss was to avenge the murder of the man who'd been more of a brother than a boss. Being in charge it would have been expected for him to give the order for someone else to take out Alcazar. But Jason made the choice to do this one last job himself. The man hadn't even seen him coming, and then it was over; probably faster than he deserved.

After that, Jason had to learn about all he'd inherited. Luckily he had men who were with Sonny for years to help him stay organized and get situated. It was a fairly easy transition, but the ease was short lived.

The death of one of the most infamous mob bosses on the east coast was a development that couldn't be ignored. Some aspiring bosses, as well as those who needed the extra bit of leverage Sonny's power base would bring to make their mark, had come to take advantage of what they saw as a weak moment and steal the territory.

Jason, fortunately, was nothing if not solid in a crisis and made it clear what would happen to those who crossed him. He made an impression by calling a meeting of the Five Families, the ruling class of the underworld, and officially claiming Sonny's holdings as his own. It was bold and unexpected, but gained the respect he'd been aiming for. He was accepted into the fold and given the support of the dons, should he have any difficulty with a challenge to his claim.

After a few months it seemed that things were calming down for him, until a new threat rolled into town. Anthony Zacharra, a reputedly ruthless boss from Florida, came to Port Charles looking for a new way to ship through the international shipping lanes accessed by the relatively small but crucial Port Charles piers.

Jason had come to own the piers after taking control of Alcazar's interest in them upon his death. They were an asset to anyone shipping goods on the east coast, and he'd been smart enough to claim them before anyone could move on it. Zacharra apparently figured this out as well and decided he should have them.

It was a pretty covert attempt at a takeover. First he moved to town and tried to undercut Jason's position with the local bosses, then he sabotaged some of his shipments to make him look unreliable and weak in the wake of Sonny's death.

It didn't take long for him to figure out what Zacharra was up to, but he was hard pressed to do something that wouldn't start a mob war and endanger the people he loved. Fortunately for Jason, Zacharra had another unknown enemy who was in a position to do real damage from the inside.

When Zacharra came to Port Charles, with plans to stay once his plot came to fruition and Jason was taken out of power, he had his son Johnny in tow. The young man had been trapped under his father's thumb since he was a boy and his mother was killed. Ironically, she was killed by Anthony who was trying to kill his son. The man was insane with jealousy over his wife's devotion to their child and thought to eliminate the bond between them by killing the boy. His mother managed to jump in front of the bullet, saving his life but also leaving him at the mercy of his father. In a strange twist Johnny became his new obsession, since the boy was now all he had left of his wife.

Johnny resented the hold his father had on him all his life. He'd been kept practically under lock and key, only managing to escape at times for a few hours of freedom. One of those times was when he and his father arrived in Port Charles. Johnny snuck out of the house and went for a joy ride, and fatefully met a young girl hitchhiking by the side of the road. She was also in a less than ideal family situation which she resented, and they ended up falling for each other.

Anthony was not pleased to discover his son was seeing this girl and ordered him to stop. Johnny, empowered by his feelings for her, stood up to his father and moved out. Anthony was livid that his son was not under his control anymore and vowed to break the hold this young woman had on him. He arranged for the girl to be taken care of.

It was a tragedy in the town of Port Charles when the news reported that Lulu Spencer was tragically killed in a car accident. The girl was from a well known family and loved by many. They however weren't aware of her involvement with the son of a powerful underworld figure.

Johnny knew immediately that the girl he loved hadn't died by chance, his father was responsible. Yet again someone he loved had been ripped away from him due to his father's obsessive madness. Only this time, Johnny was old enough to do something about it.

He played along with the story that Lulu's death was an accident and went submissively into the fold of Anthony's organization. He learned his father's weaknesses and stockpiled the information for later use. When he felt the time was right, he came to the man his father was most hell bent on destroying and gave him the ammunition to take him down.

Jason was in disbelief when the young man came to him with everything he could need to not only kill Anthony Zacharra, but also take over his sizeable organization. At first he'd been suspicious of his motives, but when he'd learned the rationale behind the drastic action, he couldn't exactly blame the kid for wanting to finally be free from the hold of a mad man.

Jason also remembered what good friends Sonny had been with Lulu's father Luke Spencer. He would have wanted the man to have justice for his daughter's death. Jason didn't however let her family in on the real reasons for her death. He and Johnny had agreed that them knowing wouldn't make any difference, and might add to their pain.

Their alliance sealed, the two men methodically went about the destruction of Anthony Zacharra. Of course, he easily could have simply been killed and the matter over, but both knew he deserved to witness the dismantling of everything he valued.

In a matter of months, Zacharra was left penniless and powerless, a shell of the feared man he once was. He was soon driven to the brink by his sudden and complete decline and had to be institutionalized. Both Jason and Johnny went to see the man, broken and strapped to a hospital bed, to inform him of how he'd been reduced to such circumstances. Johnny did most of the talking, as Jason could see the young man needed to vent his anger and resentment to the father who'd once tried to kill him and ended up killing everything he loved.

It was a difficult thing to watch, and Jason could see that it threatened to break Johnny at times. But he'd stayed strong through it all, even as Anthony regained a measure of sanity and yelled at his traitorous offspring. Jason quickly got him under control so Johnny could finish what he came to say.

When he was done, they both knew the time had come for the inevitable end to this road they'd started on. Johnny knew better than anyone that his father was too crafty and dangerous to be left alive, even in the relative safety of the asylum he was committed to. Johnny wanted to stay and watch the man die, but Jason knew better. No matter how angry he was now, the sight of his father dying was something that would haunt him all his life. He'd gotten one of the guards to take him away while it was done.

According to the news, Anthony Zacharra was found dead of apparent suicide in his room at the asylum. Johnny thought it only appropriate that he be the victim of his own lies in the media as had Lulu.

Afterward, Jason could see Johnny struggling to find purpose in his life, a direction. It reminded him of how he was right after his accident; lost. Back then Sonny had taken him under his wing and shown him he was more capable than he thought. He decided to do the same for Johnny.

After Anthony died, his organization was taken over by Jason, with help from Johnny. Though it had been his father's plan that he take over one day, Johnny insisted to Jason that he didn't want the responsibility of the business that had driven his father insane. He visibly stepped aside in the eyes of the underworld and deferred the business to Jason's control.

He hadn't necessarily wanted the extra work and burden of it, but Jason could see no other solution if Johnny wasn't going to run it. He knew the two of them could easily have gotten along and held a truce between them. That would be uncertain with anyone else at the helm, so Jason had to be the one in control to ensure peace reigned. He also knew the young man was in no state of mind to shoulder such an extensive holding. But he promised himself that should the day ever come that Johnny wanted to take control, he would step aside and let him.

In truth it was a code that sons take over for their fathers, it was what also made them vulnerable in the business. Sons were strong, and could also carry on vendettas in the name of a fallen father. When a boss took over a business, or intended to, it was pretty much standard op to neutralize the son so he couldn't come after you later.

Jason took Johnny into his protection and made sure it was known that no one was to give him any trouble. He was free to go wherever he wanted then, but really had nowhere and no one to turn to. Jason offered him a job of his choosing, in the legal or mob related part of the business. Johnny told him that he'd once thought he wanted a normal life, but he just didn't know what that was; it was too foreign to him. He began to working as a runner and worked his way up to being Jason's second, just as Jason had been to Sonny.

It surprised him how quickly they'd become friends, and now he trusted the younger man as he did few others. Jason didn't know what he would have done these last few years without him. It was a lot to handle running Sonny's, Alcazar's, and the Zacharra holdings as one organization. There were times it threatened to become overwhelming, but the trusted men in his employ kept things on an even keel. Johnny was at the head of that line, and took on as much responsibility as he could. That was why he was at that moment in South America so his friend could take care of a more pressing matter.

Jason was more grateful than he could say for Johnny's friendship and loyalty, and tried to make sure he knew it was appreciated. He didn't treat him like some flunky who was only there to do Jason's bidding. As far as they were concerned, they were partners.

The business continued to grow and prosper under Jason's leadership, and few dared to challenge him. That meant however that he had his hands full all the time. Mostly he handled things himself, though he had plenty of people working for him, just because he liked having no time to think about how the events that brought him all this power had affected his personal life.

Basically, they had blown it all to hell.

"We're here sir."

Jason lifted his head from the back of the seat where he'd been resting his eyes when he heard the driver's voice. He looked out the window and saw the taxiing jets and small aircraft on the various runways that confirmed they were indeed at the airport. After gathering the files he'd been looking at and placing them in the leather satchel he used for a briefcase, he ran a hand through his hair to make sure it wasn't sticking up from his laying on it.

Usually he wasn't much for worrying about his appearance, but for some reason he didn't want to look like shit today. Well, he knew the reason, but it was one of those things he didn't like to think about.

The driver pulled up to the entrance and came around to let his employer out of the car. As always, his boss was already out by the time he got there. Mr. Morgan was not one for formalities, but that didn't mean he slacked off by not performing them anyway.

Jason exited the car and looked behind him to make sure the extra guards he brought with him were close behind. He was pretty used to taking care of himself after all these years, but today he would have company. He went into the terminal and went directly toward the gate where his private plane was normally held.

Out of the large windows he watched the gleaming Cessna Citation X pull up to the terminal and come to a stop. After a few minutes he saw the door open and walked over to the area where its passengers would enter the building.

A large man in jeans and a polo shirt came down the narrow hallway first. He looked around the area and nodded to Jason when he noticed him, then motioned to the man at the other end of the hall that it was safe to proceed. The door was opened and a little girl peeked her head out to look around. She was holding onto a feminine hand and released it when she saw Jason.

He smiled wider than he had in a while as she ran full speed toward him. The large man who'd preceded her off the plane reached out to stop her, but pulled back when Jason shook his head to let her come.

"Daddy!"

Jason knelt down on the carpeted floor and held out his arms as she flew to him. He took in her appearance as she came. Two long, curled blonde ponytails streaked behind her, she wore a pink t-shirt and purple overalls with colored patches on the knees, and sneakers that looked like they'd been spattered with paint.

He caught her up in his arms when she reached him and hugged her tight. Standing, he balanced her on his hip and looked into her precious face. Two midnight blue eyes stared back at him from a round cheeked smiling face.

He couldn't help but kiss that soft cheek. "How's my favorite girl?"

"Good. I played Go Fish with Marco on the plane, and I beat him every time!"

"You did?"

He chuckled at the youthful enthusiasm and felt all the tension from his day disappear. He gave her another warm hug and took in the smell of hot chocolate and crayons. There was definitely no place else on earth he'd rather be than here with her. But he sobered when he remembered she wasn't the only reason he was there.

"Where's your Mom?"

His daughter turned and pointed back to where she'd come from and the woman whose hand she'd been holding. Down the hallway strode the other person he'd come for.

He tried in vain not to look her over, but it was impossible not to. He started at her feet, clad in dark brown high heeled leather boots. As his gaze moved up he saw the perfectly fitted jeans which accented her curves, the thin gold belt at her waist, the simple white button down shirt with the cuffs turned up casually to her elbows. She had a child's backpack in one hand and a brown purse in the other. His eyes reluctantly went to her face, and the familiar stab of recognition hit him in the gut as he knew it would. Her hair was longer than last time he'd seen her. It hung in thick dark chocolate waves past her shoulders. It framed the same high cheekbones and porcelain skin he used to touch, and full pink lips he used to claim as his own. She wore no make-up, she didn't need it. She possessed that natural beauty most women spent thousands of dollars to try and emulate.

Once his initial perusal was over he came to the feature that always got to him. As if reading his mind, she pushed the large round framed sunglasses up onto her head and looked at him with the same hypnotic blue gaze their daughter had inherited. They burned him with their intensity and he tried to maintain his calm demeanor in the face of it.

He gave the little girl in his arms a squeeze, and she put her arms around his neck, as if giving him her support.

He was soon face to face with his biggest regret. The one thing he tried most not to think about with that mountain of work he almost purposely drowned himself in everyday.

"Hello Jason."

Her voice made him take a breath and he somehow managed to speak without giving away the tumult of emotions going on inside him. He had to get used to seeing her now, there would be no hiding from the past. She was back and they had to coexist for the sake of their child. They had to be … normal.

But nothing about him and his ex-wife would ever be normal.

"Hello Elizabeth."

To be continued …

Thanks for the reviews! They are fantastic and inspiring. And thanks to those of you who are giving another story of mine a go!

I also thank all my message board friends and fellow Liason fans who stick with me!