October 13th 2004, Paris, France…

16 year old Harper was walking through a park after a long and exhausting day, unwilling to bring herself to go home after a bad fight with Sly the previous night… and tripped over a rock, catching herself from falling.

"This day just needs to end already!" Harper muttered.

But as she stopped to pick up her dropped book bag, she let out a scream after she was grabbed and her scream was cut off by a masked man clamping his hand over her mouth and her biting him before she stomped on his foot and grabbed the blue and red bag before she ran for it, screaming for help even as she was tripped up, turned onto her back and pinned down and thrashing around as the attacker ripped the lower half of her school blouse up.

"Stay still, you teasing and taunting harlot!" The attacker yelled.

"Stop! Get off me, GET OFF ME!" Harper screamed before she was sliced with a knife.

Her screams were answered when a man in his late 20s snatched the masked attacker off of her and slammed him into the tree, Harper closing her eyes in fright as the man continued to attack the masked attacker who had been targeting the teenager.

"Thought you were gonna have your way with her despite her kicking and screaming, huh?! Don't think so, you sick bastard! You go anywhere near her or any young girl or woman again, I will hunt you down and rip your damn spine out! Are we clear?!" The man threatened.

"We're clear…" The masked attacker responded in fear for his life, the younger man throwing him into traffic and letting a car run him over.

He turned to Harper in a gentle manner and crouched down to the scared girl, who opened her eyes.

"He won't be hurting you anymore, little one…" The man reassured her as he pressed a washcloth to the wound under her right eye. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Harper Eckert…" Harper responded in a trembling tone.

"You're gonna be okay, Harper. I'm Brayden Lavery… I'm gonna get you to a hospital." Brayden explained before he helped Harper up and to his car after handing her book bag to her.

Hospital Lariboisière Ap-Hp was visible by its illuminated sign and the 28 year old parked the car and helped the injured 16 year old into the ER, Harper leaning against Brayden as her being pulled down had caused her to injure her left ankle.

While she was being treated and had explained her story to the police, who wrote it down as well as writing down what Brayden had witnessed for verification, the nurse called Jenny, who rushed down to the hospital and immediately hugged her niece.

"Where are Sly and Uncle Paul?" Harper questioned after they had let go, the wound under her eye stitched up.

"Sly's out with friends and Paul got held up at work." Jenny explained before turning to Brayden. "Thank you for protecting my niece." She responded with a kind smile.

"It's no problem. I saw what was going on, I wasn't going to let that coward hurt her." Brayden replied before he lightly rubbed Harper's right shoulder.

Neither knew it at the time what their chance encounter would lead to but Jenny could see that Harper had made a good friend.

Even if he was older than Harper…

Present time…

Harper had gotten ready for the day and kissed Brayden before he went to go get cleaned off… but she could see the look in Jason's eyes.

"You're awfully quiet…" Harper responded, Jason turning to her.

"You and I didn't get to grow up together… but that doesn't mean we're not family. And despite what Carly said, I'm not trying to use you to replace Lily." Jason explained.

"I know you're not… I also know Sonny isn't but when he looks at me, it's like he sees someone else." Harper responded, Jason knowing that she was right.

"I think sometimes when he looks at you… he sees Karen Wexler. You do look a little similar to her." Jason replied.

"Scott Baldwin's daughter?" Harper asked, Jason nodding. "Damn, how many women in this town haven't slept with Sonny?" She responded, Jason muffling a laugh.

"I think we're getting a bit off track though." Jason replied before they sat down. "When Sonny first showed up here, he was working as an employee for Frank Smith, he had to run The Paradise Lounge… and Karen was working there as a stripper, Sonny kept her high. And when she realised the damage he was doing to her, she had left." He explained.

"She straightened out her life…" Harper responded, Jason seeing the sickened look in her eyes and the scar under her right eye… and while he knew it was partly from him telling her about Sonny and Karen, he could also see that she had rage from him mentioning Frank.

"Did Smith hurt you when you were a child?" Jason asked.

"No… he didn't physically hurt me but his men gunned Dad down, having mistaken him for Luke." Harper explained, Jason knowing that she still thought of Bill Eckert as her father… and despite the short time he spent in her life, Bill was the only father that Harper had known.

"Then what led to the scar under your eye?" Jason questioned.

"When I was 16… I was walking through the park one night. I had gotten tripped up, stopped to grab my book bag… and someone lunged out at me and grabbed me as I screamed for help. I fought back and ran but he… tripped me up. Had it not been…" Harper responded before Jason got her to sit down and sat down next to her.

"Had it not been for Brayden protecting you, your attacker would've taken things too far…" Jason replied, Harper nodding as she brushed her tears away.

"When Paul found out, he got furious and wanted the man who attacked me put away for a long time… and that man was. But the man who violently attacked Paul's daughter Susan wasn't… when I heard about Kyle Sloane's death, I thought "Good… I hope he suffered in his final moments just like he made my cousin suffer.''. He had it coming to him for escaping justice but Paul's other victims? They didn't deserve what he did to them… Paul was already gone after what happened to Susan, there was no getting through to him." Harper responded before she and Jason hugged.

After Jason left, Harper and Brayden had locked the door and were watching a movie when they decided to go and get something to eat.

But as they grabbed their coats and put them on, they heard a knock at the door… and Harper went to go unlock and open it but Brayden snuck his right arm around her and pulled her to him before he kissed her neck.

"Just ignore whoever it is and they'll go away…" Brayden replied as Harper turned to him and they kissed.

"I know you're in there with your boyfriend who's the same age as your brother!"

"Intrusive bitch!" Harper muttered before she sighed in agitation as Brayden lightly rubbed his left hand up and down her back.

Carly Corinthos didn't know when to leave well enough alone.