A/N: First, don't hate me for the chapter. :( I swear there is a reason for everything. Well, except for Lucky... he was kinda just my filler and I cringed when I wrote about him. But trust me, there is a method to my madness. Hope you enjoy this very long chapter though.
Secondly, sorry again for my gap with the chap 10 update, you all had me wanting to put myself in the corner for a timeout. haha. To make up for it, as you can see, I am updating back to back today instead of my every other day posting. Next update on Monday. Have a great weekend!
Edit: 12-05-18
Musical Inspiration:
Underneath The Night - by Rie Sinclair (Actual montage song on GH.)
Time To Say Goodbye
.~*~.
Chapter 11
Black And White Ball Part 2
Inside the castle, Jason had split from both of the men accompanying him. Jerry went to find his brother and Johnny said he could handle his father.
Jason's first stop was the ballroom. He was confused to find it empty but then came across Emily in the corner. She explained that when they finished Ric's surgery, Sonny came in to give blood and she left. She found Nikolas who appeared to have had another blackout. In an attempt to keep everyone safe from him, he begged her to lock him in the wine cellar. When she complied, he had another episode and demanded to be let out. Emily said she left him there but when she went back he was gone.
His sister pleaded with Jason to help her find Nikolas. He reached for her arm to take her to the stables but Emily refused. Suddenly, Jason was hit from behind. Turning to see his assailant, he found an erratic Nikolas coming toward him. The two began a scuffle to the floor. When Emily tried to stop the fight, she was knocked backward and hit her face on the edge of a chair. Jason gained control of the prince after a few punches and ran to grab the cord from the curtains. He dragged him to a chair and tied him up while Emily tearfully looked on.
Nikolas' episode passed and he was in misery to find he had caused the bruising on Emily's cheek. He beseeched Jason to take Emily away and keep her safe. After a very emotional exchange between the couple, Emily agreed and Jason took her hand to lead her away.
.~*~.
At the stable, Elizabeth was eyeing Brenda. Noticing she was alone, she inched closer. Elizabeth clasped her hands behind her back and pretended to be looking at something on the wall. "So—you and Jason—" she mentioned nonchalantly.
Brenda rubbed her forehead. "I am not discussing my relationship with you, Elizabeth," she cut her off in a curt tone.
Elizabeth shocked by Brenda's shortness with her, wandered back over to the other side of the barn.
The door handle started to jiggle. Everyone stared at it and became silent. Brenda stood up with her gun ready and aimed it at the door. She put her other hand up in the air as an indication for everyone to stay quiet. The nervous model lifted the shutter to peek at whoever tried to get in. When she saw a person face down on the ground, she decided they needed to investigate.
Not wanting anyone else to get hurt, Brenda told the rest of the group to stay put while she ventured outside. The rain and cold hit her as soon as she opened the door. Slowly, she walked over to the body on the ground. "Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep the shudder from her voice. She received no response so she used her foot to roll the man over. Still aiming her gun on him, she bent down and felt his pulse. There was none. Still trying to determine who this person was, she went through his pockets and found a picture. Her eye also caught the gleam of a gun which she removed from his waistband.
Once back inside, she placed the items down and told Spinelli she needed his help to move the body. He agreed knowing it would draw attention if it stayed there. Georgie also stepped up to help. Together, the three of them drug the dead man into the bushes away from the stable.
Back in the warmth of the barn, they noticed Elizabeth and Lulu staring over the photograph Brenda pulled from the guy's pocket.
"I have seen this man before," Elizabeth said, pointing to the picture. "He was at Kelly's"
Spinelli and Georgie shuffled behind the pair to look at the photo as well. Spinelli began to shake his finger at it. "That is the Demented One."
Georgie squinted her eyes and took a closer look. "He's right, that's Anthony Zacchara."
Brenda took the photo from them and stared at it. "I guess that was one of the mercenaries out there." She grimaced. "Well, now that we know what he looks like, let's try to stay away from him."
Loud banging at the door caused the group to pause. "It's Jason!" they heard him yell from the other side.
Brenda raced over to unlock and open the door. Emily pushed through and Brenda caught sight of Jason. As soon as he walked in she pulled him into a hug. With his hand grasping the back of her head, he tightened the embrace. Taking a step back Brenda frowned as she began to inspect the large purple bruise that was forming on his cheek. She touched his face gently. "Does it hurt?"
"I'm fine," he assured her as he rubbed her hand. Looking briefly at Emily, Jason began to whisper to Brenda, "We ran into a little problem with Nikolas." He continued to fill her in on the details of the altercation in the ballroom.
After he told her everything Brenda went to Emily and gave her a hug. She guided her to sit and talk.
"How are you doing?" Brenda asked as she rubbed her sister-in-law's back.
"Truthfully?" Emily shook her head. "I'm so scared, Bren. Nikolas was having blackouts back to back. Right now he's tied to a chair and anything could happen. What if Anthony finds him?"
"He won't because we are going to make sure Anthony is taken down," Brenda reassured her.
Emily rested her head in her hands. "I should be with him, I shouldn't be here."
"Listen to me," Brenda began and waited for Emily to look at her, "you are doing what he asked of you." She took Emily's hands. "Right now, you are giving him peace of mind that you are protected. Him focusing on that will keep him happy and that will keep everyone else safe."
"But Anthony—" Emily started to say but Brenda stopped her.
"I will go with Jason and check on Nikolas," she promised. When Emily went to speak Brenda put her hand up again. "It's what big sisters do." She smiled at Emily.
Emily nodded and threw her arms around Brenda. She rocked Emily in her arms and kept reassuring her things would be okay. When Emily gained her composure, Brenda stood and picked up the gun she took off the dead mercenary. She found Georgie and went to stand in front of her. "Georgie, did Mac ever teach you to fire a gun?" Brenda questioned.
"Yeah." Georgie nodded. "Mac took me and Maxie after I married Dillon." She rolled her eyes.
"Good— you're in charge." Brenda handed Georgie the extra gun.
"Brenda," Jason said eyeing her, "what are you doing?"
Brenda walked over and took his hand. "We are going back out there. I promised Emily I would look in on Nik and we still don't know where Carly is. Please don't argue with me."
Jason let out a small groan knowing that once again she was not going to stay. "Let's go."
Brenda smiled and squeezed his hand before they exited back into the rain. As they trotted through the mud on their way back to the castle, Brenda looked at the bottom of her gown. "You know, just once I would like to be able to wear an expensive dress over again before it gets ruined."
"I have a solution to that," Jason spoke as he scanned the area, looking for any threats.
Brenda arched her brow. "And what would that be?"
Jason looked at her and grinned. "Stop buying expensive dresses." Her scowl caused him to chuckle.
As the couple neared the courtyard, a woman's voice stopped them in their tracks. Brenda looked to Jason. "Is that—"
"Carly," Jason finished her thought. They both took off running in the direction they heard her.
Both of them arrived just as Carly was ducking and two men began to open fire. Jason and Brenda split to stand behind two stone columns. He nodded to her and fired his gun off to give Carly time to run. Jason pulled Carly to the side while Brenda took the opportunity to test out her shooting skills. She hit one of the missionaries and he went down. The other began to fire back and Brenda quickly hid out of the way.
Once Carly was secure, Jason stepped out of cover and started shooting. When the other gunmen turned to flee he caught one of Jason's bullets in the back.
Brenda peeked out to check if the coast was clear. Seeing it was, she ran over to Carly and hugged her. "You are one hard woman to track down," she exclaimed, squeezing the blonde. Brenda released her and looked her over. "Are you hurt?" she asked as she looked at her stomach and then back to her face. "Any problems?"
"No. Stop hovering, I'm fine." Carly glanced from Brenda to Jason. "Thank you both, I thought I was goner." She brought her focus back to Brenda. "And you—" Carly lifted her brows and shook her head. "Where did you learn to shoot?"
Brenda blew on her nails and buffed them across her chest. "I know, I got mad skills," she feigned cockiness and laughed.
"Why do you even have guards?" Carly asked, still surprised Brenda actually shot a gun.
"Carly, please don't give her any ideas," Jason pleaded. His tone caused Brenda to laugh. "We need to get inside, we're too exposed out here."
As they entered the castle, Sam came running into the hall. "I heard gunfire." She stopped when she saw them. "Oh— it's you three." She crossed her arms and looked between Carly and Brenda. "Well, I am sure you're both fine since the great protector graced us with his presence."
"What's wrong, Sam— Lucky not measuring up in the rescue department?" Carly smirked.
Jason tugged Carly to the side. "We don't have time for this. What we should all do is stay together and get back to the stable where it's safe. Emily is there with Lulu, Spinelli, Georgie, and Elizabeth."
Sam made a disgusted face. "Of course your Elizabeth is there. I am just surprised you didn't make your sweet innocent wife stay behind as well." She drawled out as she glared at Brenda.
"His sweet innocent wife is about to kick your ass!" Brenda began charging forward before Carly and Jason held her back.
At that moment, Lucky came running down the steps. "Whoa— what's going on?"
"Lucky," Sam called out in relief. She grabbed his hands and pulled him close. "I have been looking everywhere for you. Listen— Jason said people are hiding out in the stables. I think we should go, he said Elizabeth is there," she spoke with a glint in her eye.
After Brenda calmed down, Jason loosened his grip on her. They both stared at each other with the same thought. Sam was out for revenge and she was bursting to tell Lucky that Jason was Jake's father.
Carly was getting impatient. "Do whatever you want, we need to go check on Sonny." She turned to Jason and Brenda. "The last I heard he was going to give blood to Ric, I have to make sure he is alright."
Lucky and Sam went off on their own.
Brenda and Jason opted to follow Carly to the room they were keeping Ric in. Once there, they found Ric resting comfortably and Sonny passed out in a chair. Kate, Patrick, Robin, Skye, and Trevor all stood watch. As Carly ran up to ex-husband, Brenda embraced Robin.
Carly went on one of her rampages about letting Sonny do this. All the noise woke the mob boss up so Jason quietly briefed him on what was going on. It was decided that Sonny would go to a different room to keep everyone in Ric's room safe. Brenda, Jason, Kate, and Carly all helped the kingpin move to the other end of the castle. When he was settled onto a new couch, Carly said she was staying despite Kate protests. Jason gave the blonde an extra gun that he picked up along the way and told her to lock them all in.
Brenda and Jason walked hand in hand to the ballroom to check on Nikolas. Entering, they only found an empty chair and rope on the ground.
"Shit," Brenda mumbled, bending down and picking up the ropes. "What I am going to tell Emily?"
"There may be a chance he went to the stables looking for her," Jason offered.
"Okay, let's go check in." She swiftly stood up and began to wobble a bit.
Jason reached out and held her up. "Brenda, what's wrong?" he asked, his words laced with concern.
Brenda held her head and shook it a bit. "I think I just stood up to fast, and add that to my adrenaline coming back down. I'm fine now," she assured him with a smile.
"You sure?" he tried to confirm and she nodded. Jason kissed the top of her head and took her hand to lead her back.
As Jason and Brenda came closer to the stable, they heard yelling. Sharing a look, they quickened their pace. Walking through the barn door, they halted as Sam was screamed at Elizabeth. She was going to reveal the truth about Jake. Elizabeth looked over Sam's shoulder to Jason, her eyes pleading for help.
"Sam!" Jason yelled angrily, causing her body to jump. Lucky got protective and Sam tried to calm him down. Brenda looked quickly around the room and noticed Lucky, Sam, and Elizabeth were the only ones in sight. Sam had picked her timing perfectly. Now that Jason was here, she had backed down. Being that was the case, it surprised Brenda what Jason did next.
"This has to end." Jason grasped Brenda's hand a little tighter. He looked directly at Lucky. "Jake's not your son, Lucky— he's mine. I'm sorry you were lied to but that is the truth."
Lucky began to rant on about not believing him. Jason could see Lucky was losing control so he protectively moved Brenda behind himself. Elizabeth reluctantly confirmed what Jason had told him. The angry cop demanded a paternity test and Elizabeth agreed. Her easy response caused Lucky to focus his anger at her. It was settling in that he was lied to after she swore to him that Jake was his. When he called her a lying whore, Jason stepped in to defend her. Lucky took a swing and threatened him. Jason could feel Brenda begin to stir in back of him.
"Brenda, no," he said as he firmly held her arm behind his back. He moved the both of them to the side while Sam pulled Lucky away.
Lucky and Elizabeth continued to argue. The cop wanted to know why Jason lied but Elizabeth confessed he didn't know she was pregnant. The fight continued to get worse. Sam claimed that Elizabeth lied so long because Jason was stuck with a woman who couldn't have children. The upset nurse argued it was because Lucky was trying to get sober to be a dad. She said she should have let him go when he wanted to get married but she felt bad for leaving him with nothing.
The more Elizabeth talked the angrier Brenda got.
Lucky pointed out that Elizabeth lied under oath. It was explained that they thought Jason was going to prison and Jake shouldn't have had a father in jail.
Sam started in on Jason and once again, Brenda felt her hand being squeezed to stay out of it.
Elizabeth was about to reveal Sam's misdeeds regarding Jake but stopped when Lucky defended her. Finally, after some silence, Lucky looked at Elizabeth and told her it was really sad that she would have lied to Jake his whole life about who he really is. Brenda nodded in agreement and Lucky left.
Elizabeth began to yell at Sam about bringing this down on Lucky, while Sam defended that this was all her doing. This big lie she created poisoned everyone.
Brenda couldn't take it anymore and pulled herself away from Jason.
"That's it!" she yelled, "I have bit my tongue long enough." Brenda narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth. "She is right, this is completely your fault. Do you know what I heard a lot of tonight?" Brenda crossed her arms. "It was for Lucky— Lucky was killing himself— poor Lucky would have been left with nothing— you couldn't let Lucky go," Brenda mimicked Elizabeth. "Well, what about Jason? How about his pain? You stole his son from him and gave it to another man— for what, so you could continue to coddle Lucky. For fuck's sake, he's a grown man. Not to mention, who asks a person to give up their kid the day after their father dies? Have you no heart?" Brenda yelled out in an exasperated tone.
Elizabeth was taken back and both Jason and Sam looked on with shock. Jason tried to reel Brenda in but she wasn't having it.
Brenda continued on. "You claim you did this so Jake was safe from Jason's big bad mob life yet you made him a Spencer. A Spencer— you might as well have a shirt on the kid that says 'Helena come get me'.
Sam began to clap with a smug look on her face. "I couldn't have said it better myself."
Brenda turned to Sam and gave her a 'you got to be kidding me' look. "Don't even get me started on you," she said and let out a sarcastic laugh. "I get that you were hurt in all this, but with everything you pulled, it makes me realize that you are batshit crazy and should be in a padded room. You are right up there with boiling bunnies and need some serious therapy with Doctor Phil."
Sam scowled. "You have no right to judge me. You don't know what I went through that day Jake was taken. Standing behind that bush, I froze. Do you understand that?" She looked to Jason. "I froze."
"Were you still frozen behind that bush two days later while everyone was out searching for Jake?" Brenda asked forcefully with a head tilt. She noticed a new wave of anger roll onto Sam's face. "Yeah— didn't think so."
"I wouldn't be comparing crazy if I were you, Brenda, as I recall you were in a padded room," Sam pointed out in a cocky tone.
"Oh— you're right, I can't compare a nervous breakdown to kidnapping and pulling guns on babies. The two are VERY different," Brenda replied standing her ground. She suddenly realized they had not been interrupted at all. She looked over to Elizabeth. "Where is everyone?"
Elizabeth kept her head down. "Spinelli and Georgie are in the back. Emily and Lulu left."
Brenda threw her hands up. "You let them leave?"
"It's funny how you come in here and take charge while Jason doesn't say much to stop you," Sam bit out as she circled Brenda. "For someone who hasn't been around for most of this, you sure have a lot to say. You know— I kept thinking that Elizabeth was out to steal Jason all this time but maybe she was never the real threat." Sam looked like she just had a light bulb moment. "Sure, she has Jason's child, but you were always there in the background. All these years even when he was with me, he was confiding in you. What I don't understand, was that if you wanted him so badly— why did you let him get engaged to me?"
Jason gave Sam a cold stare. He still didn't get to discuss his feelings with Brenda and this was not helping his case.
Brenda gave Sam a sly smile. "You see, Sam, that's the difference between people like you and myself. I'm not selfish. When you love someone—" Brenda briefly looked at Jason. "All you want for them is to be happy, even if it's not with you." Jason looked at her stunned by what she said. Brenda unashamed held her head high and turned to the door. "I am going to go find Emily."
Jason shook himself out of his daze and ran after her. He grasped her arm and turned her around. As the rain was pounding down on the both of them he just stared in her eyes. She loved him, he thought to himself— all this time she loved him. He thought back to every time she told him that she wanted him to be happy. Jason draped one arm around her waist and placed a hand behind her head. With one swift move, his mouth was on hers. He swept her lips intensely with his own. The kiss deepened and every feeling of doubt he had washed away.
A furious Sam and a tortured Elizabeth looked on from the doorway. Any thoughts of their happy endings with Jason were now obliterated by Brenda.
When the kiss ended between husband and wife the pair smiled widely at each other.
Without warning, gunfire erupted around them. Jason and Brenda both ducked down but in the misdirection of things, they split going separate directions. Jason crouched on the side of the stable while Brenda took cover behind a tree. Both fired off their guns into the darkened forest. Brenda stopped because couldn't see which way Jason went and she didn't want to accidentally shoot him. Since the bullets seized, she thought it would be safer to go back to the castle. She hoped she could find Emily and meet up with Jason after.
Jason called out to Brenda a few times but heard no response. He banged on the stable door and when Sam opened it up, he rushed through.
"What is going on out there?" Sam asked. "We heard gunfire so we slammed the door shut and locked it."
Jason took a moment to catch his breath. He could see the concerned looks on Spinelli and Georgie's faces who came running from the back. "Someone just started shooting at us. We were separated and I don't know which way she went." He sped out trying to hide his panic.
"Maybe she went to find Emily and Lulu," Elizabeth suggested.
"When did they leave the stable?" Jason asked her.
"About five minutes before Sam and Lucky showed up. Logan came here to tell Lulu that Luke had a heart attack. Apparently, Luke got into a confrontation with Anthony and his heart gave out. He's held up in one of the rooms inside the castle with Tracy."
"Alright, I am heading back up there. Lock the doors and stay low in case there is any more gunfire," he warned and started walking out.
Sam followed him along. "I'm going to."
"Sam," Jason began as he held onto the door. "It's safer if you stay here."
"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Lucky, upset and alone, left to fend for himself against Anthony," Sam sneered.
Jason gave her a cold look. "Fine— do whatever you want. I don't care." He walked out the door and Sam trailed behind.
.~*~.
Brenda walked through the dark pathways of Wyndemere with her gun slightly raised. She was relieved to have finally found the ballroom. As she walked through the room, she accidentally rammed herself into a table and hit the shin of her leg. With a small grunt of pain, she hopped over to the corner of the room and inspected by the light of the window. After a few rubs, she turned to continue her search. With an instant stop, she stared out in front of her. All the air left her lungs as she blinked back the sight before her. "Emmy," she barely got out the name before extreme pain radiated through her head. Brenda dropped to her knees and everything went black.
.~*~.
When Jason and Sam got to the castle they parted ways. Jason thought Emily might have gone to check on everyone who was hurt so he started with Luke. He stopped in to see Luke and Ric, but there was no sign of Emily or Brenda. Lastly, Jason went to check on Sonny. Finding the room, he was annoyed to learn that once again Carly left. After a quick conversation with Sonny, he took off again to look for them. Working his way toward the middle of the castle, Jason found Carly, Jax, and Jerry together at the main stairwell.
"Carly, I told you not to go running off," Jason reprimanded her.
The blonde went and held Jax's hand. "I had to, Jase, I had to find Jax," she began, "I ended up finding Jerry. He told me about how Alexis had appendicitis and they put her on the boat to take her across the harbor. After the ambulance took her, they made their way back but the boat capsized. Jerry swam to shore and for the longest time, I thought Jax was dead. He just came back," she finished, smiling at Jax.
Jason rubbed his head. "Well, that's good then— the emergency services will send help."
Jerry shook his head. "The harbormaster won't let anyone cross until after the storm," he coughed out.
Jason rubbed his face with his hands. They were on their own.
"Emily!" A scream screeched out.
The group turned toward the sounds of a tormented Nikolas yelling. In a flash second, they all ran in the direction of his voice.
Jason was first through the entrance of the ballroom. He halted when he saw Emily on the ground. Nikolas was rocking her limp body.
He hurried over to ask what happened. The feeling of dread washed over him when he saw the rope wrapped around Emily's neck. Nikolas was still zoned out, holding her when Jason felt for a pulse. When there was none, he tried to pry Nikolas off so he could start CPR but the prince wouldn't move.
Carly intervened and Jason stood up. When Carly looked up at him and shook her head, Jason knew—his sister was dead. It was taking everything Jason had to keep it together. Anguish and anger took control of him— he wanted answers. He gripped onto Nikolas's arms and demanded he tell him who did this. The man was suffering from shock and was unable to supply any information.
Carly once again pulled Jason away and hugged him. She continued to tell him how sorry she was.
Jax walked around lighting candles so the room was no longer pitch black. When he got to the other end of the hall, he slipped on the floor and fell on his back.
Carly sought him out in alarm. "Jax are you alright?" she asked over Jason's shoulder.
"Yeah," he replied trying to stand up. "Someone must have spilt something on the floor and I lost my footing." Inspecting his hands to see what he slipped on, he realized they were covered in red. "Its blood."
"What?" Carly questioned, as she and Jason both turned in his direction.
Jax looked to the source of the blood and was horrified to see Brenda face down on the ground. "Brenda!" he yelled and quickly crawled to her.
Jason and Carly sped over to where Jax was. Jason pushed him out of the way to get to Brenda's side. "No— no, no, no," he choked out as he dropped to his knees and gently turned her to the side. He moved the hair out of her face and felt for a pulse. "It's really weak. We need Robin and Patrick!" he belted out.
Jerry said he would get them and took off.
"Oh my God," Carly brought her hands to her mouth. "There's so much blood— where is it all coming from?"
Jax moved to his wife to comfort her. "It's coming from the back of her head," he explained, "Stay with Jason— I'll go check on Nikolas." Jax hated to leave but knew there was no way Jason was going to let him do anything to help.
Jason balled up his jacket and put it under her head for pressure to stop the bleeding. Any control he held onto before was now gone. He couldn't stop the tears that were clouding his eyes. "Bren, don't you leave me, I just found out what it's like to love you and that's not something you can come back from," he begged and felt Carly's hand on his shoulder. "I need you— I have never needed anyone in my life as much as I need you. You have to keep holding on."
Jason was so focused on Brenda that he didn't notice Jerry running through the door with Patrick and Robin. Patrick bent down over Brenda instantly while Robin tended to Nikolas.
"Jason, I need to see how bad it is," Patrick spoke slowly and Jason nodded releasing her. The doctor turned her over, careful of her neck. "Robin, we have a medial laceration and contusion with fragments of the parietal bone. I'm going to need an extra set of hands."
Jason stood back and watched silently while Patrick tried to help Brenda. Carly stayed behind him with a hand on his back.
Robin wiped her eyes and knelt next to Patrick. She held Brenda's neck in place while Patrick got a better look at the wound. "Jerry," Robin called out. The man was by her side in an instant. "I need you to go get Elizabeth, tell her to find something to sedate Nikolas with."
Jerry nodded and was once again leaving the room. Jax followed him out.
Sonny and Kate sped through the ballroom doors. Sonny rubbed his mouth when he saw Emily on the floor. He looked away for a moment before sniffing and rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms. Trying to gain his composure, he noticed Jason. As he went over to tell him how sorry he was, he saw Robin and Patrick on the floor with Brenda. Sonny gasped and made a move to hurry to the floor, but Jason grabbed his arm. "Let them fix her, Sonny," he begged in a shaky voice.
"Jason, do you know what blood type she is?" Patrick asked looking up at him.
Sonny answered for him. "She's O Negative— just like me. She gave me blood when I was shot once. If she needs it, I'll give it to her."
"Sonny, you just gave to Ric and passed out. If you give anymore, it could kill you," Kate pointed out in a frightened tone.
"This isn't up for debate," Sonny replied.
Patrick looked up at Jason. "Alright, here's what we are dealing with." Patrick took a deep breath. "It looks to me like someone hit her over the head with a sharp object and they were not just trying to knock her out. She was hit with so much force it caused a deep wound and it cracked her skull inward. An injury of this magnitude would normally cause the brain to swell." Patrick looked to Robin and she nodded in agreement. "I rather leave the wound as is instead of stitching it up so her brain can continue to relieve that pressure. The problem is, due to the fragments, it's causing a good amount of blood loss. Until I can get her into emergency surgery, I think her only shot is a transfusion."
Sonny focused on Jason and nodded. "Okay," Jason agreed. Patrick gently picked Brenda up in his arms and moved her to a couch in the corner. Sonny found a chair and moved it over while Jason knelt next to her.
As Robin was leaving the room to get supplies, Elizabeth was walking in with a bag. She touched her hand to her chest as she gazed at Nikolas holding and talking lovingly to Emily. Elizabeth bit back her tears and tried to get him to let her go. She stood and went to where Jason was. "I need your help holding Nikolas down so I can give him a tranquilizer." Jason nodded and stood to assist her.
He walked behind the prince and tried to calm him. When Jason grabbed him from behind he began to scream. He held on to Nikolas' waist and arm while Elizabeth quickly gave him a shot below his shoulder. When he was subdued, she walked Nikolas over to a chair and had him sit.
Jason picked up his sister and gently laid her down on a lounger. She looked like she was sleeping. A beautiful sleeping princess. With a kiss on her forehead, he whispered in her ear that she was always the best sister anyone could have asked for.
Finishing his declarations, Jason stood up and wiped his eyes before going back over to Brenda.
As Patrick went over to update Elizabeth, Jason noticed Sonny sitting there gazing at his wife. "Did you know she's a really good dancer?" Sonny asked never looking anywhere else but Brenda.
"Yeah," Jason answered.
"A lot of people wanted to dance with her tonight— she's always had this energy that makes others want to be in her orbit," Sonny whispered as he rubbed his head. "I'm sorry I brought this on all of us, I should have left Zacchara alone. Maybe if I had, Brenda would be alright and Emily wouldn't be—" he couldn't finish because his throat closed. Kate made her way over to Sonny when she saw he was physically upset.
Jason was still in such a haze he didn't answer.
Robin came back into the room with the necessary equipment for the blood transfusion. She was failing to keep her emotions in check. Seeing her shakey hands, Patrick escorted her over to the corner to sanitize everything with the only alcohol they had left.
"Someone should find Cooper," Carly spoke out to no one in particular, "He should know what's going on with his sister."
Jerry got back in time to again volunteer himself to go collect Coop. As he went to leave he doubled over. Jax ran to his side, but Jerry waved him off. When he tried to get up again he fell right back down. Jax insisted he find somewhere to lay down so he took Jerry to a different room while Carly followed behind.
Jason watched over Brenda while the line was hooked up between her and Sonny. As the blood flowed through the tubing, Patrick bandaged the back of Brenda's head. Everyone in the room was so intent on making sure the procedure went well that no one noticed Nikolas had awoken and carried Emily's body out of the room.
Robin prepared to end the blood flow but Sonny tried to stop her. "No, Sonny," She shook her head. "I won't have you die in the process, you can't afford to give anymore." She unhooked him.
Elizabeth looked back to check on Nikolas. She panicked realizing both he and Emily were nowhere in sight. Her fear heightened when she noticed the gun Jason left on the table was also missing. Without a word, she ran out of the room.
After the blood transfusion was finished, Kate walked Sonny over to a couch to lay down. Jason took his chair and moved it closer to Brenda's side. He rested his elbows on his knees and bent over to hold her hand.
"How's she doing?" Jason asked Patrick as he checked Brenda's bandage.
"The wound is clotting which is making the blood flow lessen, now we just have to hope her heart keeps going." Patrick made a sullen face. "I'm sorry, Jason, this is really all we can do until help shows up." The doctor patted him on the back before walking away. He wanted to give the man some privacy with his wife.
Jason continued to stare at her and take in all of her perfect features. He closed his eyes and pictured her smiling and laughing like she usually was. His eyes started to again water and he tried to swallow back the tears. Brenda always took the pain away. The thought of losing her was agonizing— he didn't want to imagine his life without her.
.~*~.
Across the castle, others were dealing with their own worries.
Nikolas knelt beside the body of his fiancée and prayed for the courage to pull the trigger to end his own life. He cried out when he was unable to do so because thoughts of Spencer riddled his mind. He laid his weeping head on her chest and held onto her for as long as he could.
A concerned Elizabeth, who went searching for Nikolas, was cornered by Anthony. In an attempt to play more games he dragged her up to the turret room by gunpoint. Lucky caught a glimpse of them and went to investigate. When he arrived at the room, he found it empty. Hearing voices on the balcony, he stepped outside and was terror-stricken to see Elizabeth standing on the edge of the concrete railing. Lucky aimed his gun and told Anthony to drop his weapon. The old man began to laugh and taunt Lucky on whether or not he thought the girl could fly.
Anthony watched the looks between the two and smiled. "You're in love with her." He chuckled as he waved his gun. "I'll tell ya what— I'll make you a deal, you die for the girl you love and she can get down."
Lucky slowly lowered his gun and climbed up despite Elizabeth's pleas for him not to do so. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Lucky lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it to calm her. With a quick jerk, he pushed her backward. At that moment, Sam came onto the balcony with her gun and Lucky used the distraction to jump onto Anthony. During the scuffle, the deranged man dropped his weapon. In an odd turn of events, Anthony gave them a fast salute and leaped off the balcony.
.~*~.
While these events were taking place, Carly was hurrying through the lobby to check on everyone in the ballroom. Hearing a noise, she stopped and spun around. Before she could move again, a rope was suddenly pulled around her neck. As she heaved and gasped, no air made it to her lungs.
"Hey!" A voice yelled from across the room.
Carly felt herself being pushed down and the rope slackened.
Johnny put his hand on her shoulders and tried to help her up as she coughed to breathe. Her hand instinctively went to her stomach and she said a silent prayer the baby was okay.
"Are you alright?" Johnny asked while he helped her over to a chair. Carly wanted to tell him to go after the guy but she couldn't get the words out. Her only response was to nod. He walked over to the table and got her a glass of water.
Carly looked to the stairs when she heard voices. Lucky, Elizabeth, and Sam all came into view. When they saw the sate Carly was in, they quickly moved over to her. Johnny explained what happened. He told the trio that though he didn't see the guy's face, he knew it wasn't his father who did this. They all agreed and filled him in on the details of the turret room. They all came to the conclusion that there was another killer in the house.
After all the information was exchanged, everyone went separate ways in groups.
Lucky and Sam went to find where Nikolas took Emily's body.
Johnny led Carly and Elizabeth back to the hall before leaving to tend to his father.
When Carly entered the ballroom, she spotted Jason with his head resting on Brenda's hand. It broke her heart to see him like this. Unable to do anything, she went over to explain to a groggy Sonny everything that had happened. After finishing, Carly jumped up fast when she heard the sound of a chair slamming back to the floor. Sonny started to yell for Jason but he was already out the door.
The morning light hit Jason's face as he thundered toward the courtyard. He took out his gun and caught a glimpse of Trevor ushering his missionaries away from the castle. As he came to Anthony's battered body, he raised his arm to put a bullet in his head. Johnny jumped in front of him before he could get a shot off.
"Get out of my way," Jason demanded, his face deadly.
Johnny put his hands up in defense. "Look at him, he isn't a threat anymore."
Jason kept his gun raised. "My sister is dead, doctors are fighting to keep my wife alive— so either you move or I shoot you, then him."
Both men heard Anthony give a garbled laugh. "Your wife— all women do is betray you, you're better off." He coughed out.
"Shut up, Pop," Johnny yelled without looking away from Jason.
"You have 3 seconds to get out of the way," Jason began as he stared at Johnny with lifeless eyes. "One." He cocked back the gun. "Two." Johnny began to plead again. "Three—"
"Drop your weapon, Morgan!" Jason heard Mac say from in back of him.
Johnny put his hand to his chest and blew out a sigh of relief. He noticed Jason's face didn't change, he still looked lethal and void of anything other than anger. After being told again, Jason finally lowered his gun. Johnny had no doubt that if the cops didn't show, he would have a hole in his chest right now.
When Mac went to question Jason, he told them the only important thing was to get Brenda to the hospital. Mac called one of the medevac teams over and Jason directed them inside. Once Brenda was strapped to a gurney and more blood was hooked up to her, Jason and Patrick followed them out to the helicopter. They got on with her and a minute later, Luke was rolled on with Tracy.
Sneak Peek: Jason's on an emotional roller coaster. Fear, anger, and goodbyes. Fav/Follow/Review. :D
