Note- Thanks for coming back to this story. Sorry for the delay in this chapter coming out. This story will now be updated frequently.

Lean On Me

Chapter 54

Friday November 23 2007

Tracy told Dillon, as they stood in the living room at the Quartermaine mansion, "I offered Sarah 20 million to leave you."

His face was already a crumbled mess of fear and grief before she even said that, when she started to allude to knowing that Sarah had a deep, dark secret. He didn't want to know if she did...he didn't want to risk the hold on happiness he had now.

Dillon was already afraid that seeing Lulu would make coming home to Sarah suddenly not enough for him. But he got through seeing Lulu and he would get through the rest of the weekend.

He didn't want anything else threatening his engagement- his whole future. But his mother had done that. She had tried to ruin his life.

"WHY?" he screamed. The sound shook the walls.

In a perfectly calm tone, Tracy told her son "I had to know if she would take the money and run. Her family has cut her off. Maybe she latched onto you because of your inheritance. I had to know."

"She's not like that!"

"You believe but I don't know this girl from Eve. I had to find out the true nature of her character."

"And if she had taken it? Then what? What? What about my life? I would lose this woman I love. Did you ever think about that?"

"If she took it then she wasn't worth you in the first place."

"That was not your call to make! Like you said, you don't know her. To plenty of people out there they would give up love for that kind of money and then live a life of misery when they realize what they've done. You had no business putting her in that kind of position and making her feel like a whore off the street. Why did you even tell me this? I would think you'd be ashamed."

"I'm telling you so there are no secrets between you and her. If you marry her-"

"I'm marrying her!"

"Fine. Then start that marriage honestly. Now all the skeletons are out of the closet. She knows what kind of family we are and we know what kind of woman she is. She was willing to keep my secret and never so much as show a hint of it in front of you. That's impressive. I learned a lot about her from that one conversation."

"You really think you did nothing wrong, don't you?"

"I did what I had to in order to make sure you were protected. We are a rich and powerful family, we don't operate like other families. Sarah comes from the same kind of family. She understands this lifestyle. She'll bear up to meet the challenges it imposes on her. You've made a fine choice in her, son."

Dillon let out a long breath. "I should have known better than to bring her to this house. I've got to go talk to her."

Tracy pressed her hands flat together and asked in a small voice "Please don't be angry at me."

"How can I be angry? It would be a wasted effort around here. And so would your apology...not that I heard one...because to say I'm sorry means you regret what you did, which you don't, and that you won't do it again, but you would if you felt you needed to, right?"

"I'll protect you whatever way I know how. That's what any good mother would do for her child, no matter his age."

"A little late to start trying to be a good mother, don't you think?" Dillon asked right before walking out of the living room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Johnny walked up to Milo, who was standing guard at the coffee shop, and said "I need to see Morgan."

Milo motioned for Johnny to raise his arms to get patted down, which Johnny did while rolling his eyes over it. Milo took Johnny's gun off him, to be returned when he left.

Then Milo said "Wait here," as he went into the office.

A minute later the door opened, Johnny looked in and saw Jason standing behind the desk. Milo said "Come on in."

Johnny walked in and nodded at Jason, as Milo walked out and closed the door. Johnny had known he would find Jason here, in charge, even if he wouldn't admit to the power he wielded.

These days Sonny wasn't fit to run a play group let alone any mob territory. He was guilt stricken because Anthony killed Kate at The Black and White Ball. And that guilt was not only eating Sonny alive but making him fall into a black hole where all he had to keep him warm was his blood lust. At least that was what the word on the street was.

Corinthos was gunning for Zacchara blood.

Just two nights before Johnny's boat that was bringing a shipment in blew up and a South American hitman was murdered on the docks. Word was that hitman was hired for Johnny. But Sonny turned on the man after some- more than likely- imagined betrayal.

Johnny could not be sure any of that was true. Most heads of the Five Families of Upper New York, if they were in Johnny's shoes, would call for a sit down at The No Name and work this shit out. But Johnny didn't like living by those sort of rules.

They all had guards. He said: Come and get me if you think you can.

And when he had problems, he went to the source.

Jason nodded at Johnny.

Johnny asked "There's a hit out on me?"

"I don't know anything about that." Jason shook his head as he said that.

"Cut the shit. Just tell me, are you still his second or are you running things now?"

"Sonny's the boss, same as always."

Jason backed Sonny even when the man was in jeopardy of getting them all killed. Johnny wondered just how far it would have to go for Jason to turn on his boss. It was well known that happened a few years back. Were they heading there again?

"Then we got problems, " Johnny said. "Because a hitman coming after me can only lead to a couple of places....you get lucky and I end up weighted down in the river or I get lucky, survive, and come looking for your ass. Is war what you're gunning for?"

"You stay in your territory and there won't be no problem."

"Bullshit. Corinthos is out for my head after what my father did to his fiancee. Can you rein him in or not?"

"There's no price on your head right now."

"You sure about that?"

"You got my word."

Johnny stuck out his hand. They shook. Johnny's whole tone changed. "It was a lovely service for Mrs. Howard. You have my condolences."

Jason nodded.

With that Johnny turned to leave. When he was back in his car a slow, filled with wickedness, grin came onto his lips. If Jason's word was good that meant Johnny could take Serena to bed without worrying about her being an immediate target because of him.

Sure, they would still have to be careful. Keep it on the down low. But he could have her if he wanted her. And he wanted her....badly. After two days of knowing her...he was already hard every single time she crept into his mind.

Lucky for him he had a will of steel and could keep her from invading every moment of his day in his memories. But his nights, alone in bed in his condo that overlooked the harbor, there he thought of her. Two nights he went to bed after fantasizing about her with a satisfied little smirk on his mouth, and two showers the next morning were also filled with thoughts of her hot body wet and soapy in there with him.

He wanted the real thing. Her hands on his body instead of just his own.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lucas stormed into his bedroom at the brownstone. Sean heard him from across the hall in the guest bedroom. He came over and stood in the doorway, watching his boyfriend clenching and unclenching his fists as he paced around.

Sean asked, his voice low and filled with concern, but also calm and steady "You okay?"

"Yeah," Lucas ground out between clenched teeth.

He was not known for ever getting like this.

Unless Sonny did something to his sister, or the time that Lucas heard about Jerry Jacks holding people hostage, Sean had never seen Lucas get pissed off and want to bang heads. And even those times he was just mad. Not fighting and spitting and killing someone mad.

Unless he hid it then, but he couldn't now. It had all been adding up. Like a powder keg that had finally exploded.

Sean walked toward. He placed both hands on each of Lucas' arms. "Hey...this is me. Talk to me."

"Do you know why I left town?"

"For the same reason millions of people do. You went to college. There's no crime in that and nobody expected you to stay around and guard your cousins from every danger in the world."

"I left for me."

"So what? There's nothing wrong with that. That's normal."

"I left so I could be out away from them."

"You wanted space to figure out who you are....stop feeling so guilty over doing what plenty of people do in this world. They move out of their parents house and take on the world on their own terms. You didn't promise to never leave and you shouldn't."

"Look at the mess that happened. Maybe I could have stopped this ass after he grabbed Lulu and kissed her against her will months ago! Before he ever had her in bed and then Maxie and now Georgie. He's messing with almost every woman on the planet that means anything to do! Wait...let me call my sister...maybe this guy has pulled a gun on her or screwed her over some how....but probably not because Jason would reach down his throat and rip his heart out through his mouth. That's what I want to see done to this Logan idiot."

"Lucas, baby, you need to relax. Chill. You know that stuff between couples...that's always messed up...and looking in on it from the outside..."

"Are you serious right now?"

"Hell yeah I'm serious. You're judging this when you were a thousand miles away from what really went down."

Lucas pushed away from Sean. "You just don't get it! I can never protect anyone I love. I suck in a fight. I just got a lucky sucker punch in on Logan today. Nobody thinks twice about hurting the people I love because what will I do about it? Not jack shit! That's not cool. I had to go and at least put the fear of God in that guy so that he knows if he dares steps out of line I'll be right there in his face again. Maybe that won't scare a roughneck asshole like him but I meant every word of it! I'll come back here and I will punch him again and again and again if he keeps hurting any of them.....especially Georgie."

"I believe you."

Their eyes held for a long moment. Lucas jerked his eyes away and turned away from Sean. He rested his hands on the dresser, breathing heavily still.

Sean walked over and rested his hand on Lucas' back. "You know...you're kinda hot like this."

Looking in the mirror to catch Sean's eye, Lucas smirked through his anger clenched jaw "Shut up."

"I mean it."

Lucas slowly turned around and kissed his boyfriend. At least there was one thing still good in his life. He had spent two years loving this man already but only a few months dating him. Every day they were together was a new test for Lucas....to be brave and open to life and love and possibilities....sometimes he failed those tests.

But Sean always gave him a second chance.

( I keep on falling

in and out

of love with you.

Sometimes I love you.

Sometimes you make me blue.

Sometimes I feel good.

At times I feel used.

Loving you darling....has me so confused.

I keep on

falling

in and out

of love

with you.

I never loved someone the way I'm loving you ) (Alicia Keyes)

Note- Glo next chapter! Georgie visits Logan.