~@~@ The Fall Out.

I Disclaim

** I've decided not to kill Kristina in the warehouse explosion, because I think TPTB are morons, and made a huge mistake.

~~

 "OH MY GOD…EMILY." Monica felt the world title at he thought of Emily hurt, and fought to regain her footing, but couldn't.

Jason watched in horror as Monica fell forward, and took a step to catch her. " Monica stop it, Emily is fine." He steadied his mother in his arms and took her chin in his hands making her eyes meet his. " Emily is safe, but I need to speak to you about her."

Monica shut her eyes, and let the feeling of calm come over her, for those few seconds when she feared for her daughter's life, the feeling had taken her back to the first days of Jason's accident, when she had felt like dying. She opened her eyes, and stared angrily at her son, before hitting him on the shoulder. " JASON…you scared me to death."

Jason stepped back surprised, Monica had learned early on that she shouldn't try to touch him without permission, but in her anger she didn't seem to care about his usual restrictions, and it gave him a new respect for the woman. " I'm sorry, but I need to speak to you about Emily." He looks past her and checks the foyer." Privately."

She furrowed her brow in confusion, if Emily wasn't hurt or missing, she couldn't really think to way he would want to speak to her, as far back as she can remember Jason Morgan always seemed to have better influence and knowledge of Emily then anyone else, much to the dismay of rest of the family. " Okay…follow me." Monica turned and headed for the conservatory a somber and anxious Jason following her.

 She reached the door and allowed Jason to enter before signaling to a near by maid to come to the door." Keep everyone out, Jean."

" Yes Dr. Quartermaine." The small brunette nodded before taking a stand outside the door, while silently praying that Mr. Quartermaine didn't happen by.

" Now what about Emily?" Monica took the seat across form the couch Jason sat down on and watched her son; he seemed slightly disturbed, and definitely unhappy.

" I don't like asking for your help, but I think… no I know that Emily is in over her head, and she's not listening to me."

" Jason I find that hard to believe, Emily thinks you walk on water, what is going on that has you at such a loss."

" Johnny O'Brien…"

" Who?" Monica searches her mind wondering why the name sounds familiar, and then remembers the guard the accompanied Emily this morning. " Oh… her bodyguard."

Jason's eyes narrow and his clenches his fist. " Yeah, her bodyguard." His pauses unsure of what to say, he wants to tell her exactly what's going on, but remembers Carly once telling him that some people can't handle the truth. " She and Johnny are close."

" So…I thought that's why you picked him, because he and Emily get along, what's the problem?"

He rolls his eyes, and begins rubbing his temples; he doesn't have the time to waste walking her through it, he needs to go make sure that Johnny is no where near Emily, deciding the Carly is wrong he barrels ahead with the truth. " They're having sex."

" WHAT?!?!" Edward bust through the patio door.

~~

A.J. looks at his wife who eyes had widened at the name, and then his sister who looks at him patiently." Court, you know this Johnny O'Brien."

Emily shakes her head at her brother." Yeah, and so do you met him this morning at the mansion."

" THAT OLD GUY." A.J.'s lowers his voice when he sees other patrons turn to look at their table. " Emily, that guy is almost twice your age, and a criminal."

Emily removes her cell phone and hands it to her brother who looks at her with a raised eyebrow." Pot, it's Kettle."

Courtney bite back a laugh, Emily Quartermaine was definitely adopted, there was just no way this funny, nice girl was related to the other Quartermain's, sure she could pass for one of Lila's relatives, but was just no chance that she could ever share genetic material with Edward.

" Emily this isn't a joke, he's dangerous." A.J. dropped the phone on the table, and glared at his sister. He had hoped that she had grown out of her bad boy fetish when her last boyfriend almost got her killed, but apparently like most Quartermain's, his sister just didn't learn her lesson. " You're talking to the wrong guy, there is no way I'm supporting this."

" A.J. the least you can do is listen to her?" Courtney laid he hand over her husbands and gave him a pleading look.

" Fine, talk."

Emily straightened and opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it; she didn't exactly know what to say. Telling A.J. that she spent all night and half the morning making love to Johnny was out of the question, she couldn't exactly tell him about their first kiss all those years ago, and while she suspected that Johnny loved her, she had no clue what exactly here feelings where, just that she didn't want to lose him.

" Gee Em, you're really winning me over with your heartfelt words."

" Johnny and I care very deeply about each other." Emily's eyes narrow as her brothers snorts and rolls his eyes. " A.J. this isn't like Juan or Zander, I …"

" You love him." Courtney said as she gave her sister-in-law an understanding smile.

" Yeah, it just hit me, but yeah I love him." 

 " Em…"

" No A.J., I love him not like I loved Juan or Zander or even Nikolas, I love him like I would gladly spend the rest of my life with him. " "I'm not backing down on this, and if I have to take you on as well as the rest of the family and the rest of Port Charles then fine, because I will not lose him, I can't lose him."

 A.J.'s heart tightened when he saw the tears forming in his baby sister's eyes, he had learned a long time ago that he couldn't handle it when she cried, but what guaranteed his support wasn't the tears but the look of determination, the same look he gave his parents when they asked him to divorce Courtney. " You don't have to fight me Em, I'm right behind you." 

~~

Edward makes his way into the room shaking an angry finger at his grandson. " This is all your fault you criminal, you introduced her to those deviants."

 " EDWARD ENOUGH." Monica stood up, waved off her father-in-law, and focused her attention back on Jason. " Are you sure?"

" Yes, she told me when I found her at Luke's about an hour ago."

" She just came out and said they're sleeping together?"

" No, she said she and Johnny were 'together', I realized they were having sex later on."   

" It is possible that you're wrong." Monica retook her seat and closed her eyes, and tried fruitlessly to regain the sense of calm she had when she found out Emily was home, but the news of her daughters latest fling was causing too much distress for her relaxed breathing exercises to work. 

" No, I confronted them and they confirmed it."

" This is all your fault, you let Emily believe that it was okay to socialize with those mobsters and this is the result, my innocent little granddaughter is probably carrying a little Al Capone." " Your sister's soiled reputation is on your conscience."

" SHUT UP." Jason stood and moved directly into Edward's face, and was barely able to restrain the urge to hit him." This isn't any of your business old man."

"None of my business, my granddaughter is none of my business."

" Edward shut up." Monica gives Jason pleading look." Now what exactly do you need my help on, I hate to say it, but Emily is a legal adult and doesn't even live here, if you don't have any influence on her then what hope do we have."
 

" I just want you to talk to her, I'm going to handle O'Brien."  Jason gave his mother a slight nod, before he pushed past Edward and strolled out the door.

~~~

" You are a dead man." Sonny dropped his coat on his chair and glared at Johnny who was just causally sitting on the couch across from Carly chatting like there wasn't a mob enforcer mad at him." What were you thinking? " Were you thinking, and if so then with what?"

" Sonny…" Carly saw a familiar look in her husbands eye, and jumped up from her seat to stop him.

" No, Carly." Sonny moved Carly out the way, grabbed Johnny by his shirt collar, and before the other man could react punched him in the face jerking his head back. Sonny tightened his hold on Johnny, before delivering a knee to his midsection, and letting go, leaving his bodyguard to fall to the ground grasping for air. " Now you know I had to do that, don't you?" Sonny wiped his face before throwing out his hand to help the fallen man up.

" Yeah… Ow… I know." Johnny took the hand and grimaced at the pain, but silently just thanked god that Sonny had been packing.

" You're lucky it's me, cause Jason wants you dead." Sonny hand takes out his handkerchiefs and hands it to him. " Clean yourself up."

" Sonny, it's not what you think." Carly walked away from the mini bar carry an glass of ice, before she handed it to Johnny who was cleaning the blood from his red and throbbing nose.

" Really what do I think?"

" You think that they're just having sex, and they're not…"

"JESUS Carly! Don't tell me that stuff." He tuned away with a look of disgust on his face." This is Emily, little Emily I've known her since she was ten, I don't need to hear stuff like that."

" What I'm trying to tell you is that sex has nothing to do with how he feels about her." Carly waves off his reaction and leads him over to the couch to sit down.

" STOP IT!" " Just stopping saying talking about that." Sonny shifted uncomfortably in his seat and paled at the conversation.

" Sonny, please just listen to him." She motions for Johnny to talk. " I don't even like Emily and after hearing about how he feels about her, I'm rooting for em."

" I'm listening."

" I love her, I am in love with her, she is everything that I want in a woman, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Sonny watches him closely, Johnny is talking quietly, but his words are sincere and heartfelt, as well as confident. He had known Johnny for well over fifteen years, and had never seen the other man, this relaxed, but while he was relived to know that his friend was happy, he was still angry about what was causing his contentment.  Jason was his best–friend, his brother, and that made Emily his little sister too, and he felt like he should hate Johnny just like he hated A.J., but he knew that Johnny was different and that if he said he loved her, then he did. " I believe you."

" Good, because I have a favor to ask."

Sonny threw back his head, and laughed." You're getting very bold Johnny." " Jason wants you dead, I'm preventing that and you're asking for more favors." " Go ahead ask your favor?"

 Johnny looks at Carly who gives him the thumbs up sign. " I want out."

~~~

" You're behind her about what Junior?"

Emily closed her eyes and silently groaned, Ned wasn't what she needed right now. He and A.J. were bound to fight, and complicate the issue, and it was just another headache. Putting a fake smile, and turned to her cousin." Hey Ned."

" Emily, I heard you were back." Ned smiled before he grabbed Emily in a large hug, and kissed her cheek, before turning to smile at his cousin's wife. " Hi Courtney."

" Hi Ned."     

" Now what are you supporting A.J." The older man turned and glared at his young cousin.

" Ned, don't be rude." Emily hit his shoulder and nodded to the red head behind him. " Who's your friend?"

Kristina stepped forward and stuck out her hand." Hi I'm Kristina Cassadine, and you must be Ned's favorite cousin, Emily."

Emily's eyes widened, she had never meet a Cassadine that smiled, even when Nikolas was happy, all he did was give a small grin. The woman was obviously not related to Helena." It's a pleasure, but you can't flatter me, I know for a fact that I'm the only cousin he acknowledges."

" That's because you're the best." Ned put an arm around her shoulders, and squeezed her arm. " Now stop trying to divert my attention, and tell me what you're doing that needs A.J.'s support?"

" Ned what don't you question her on your own time, we're having lunch, if you hadn't noticed."

" Junior, why don't you go play in the lobby while the adults talk."

" O.K. everyone just cool it." Emily said in a commanding voice as she stepped out of Ned's embrace and motioned to a waiter." Can you bring me two more chairs, Mr. Ashton and Ms. Cassadine will be joining us."  

A.J. stood up and began shaking his head." I don't think…."

" I don't care." Emily glared at her brother before turning the similar gaze to Ned; both men dropped their heads and sat down.

Kristina gave Emily and admiring smile." How did you do that, I never seen them just…"

" Act right." Courtney finished from her seat, just marveling at how quickly the youngest Quartermaine handled both men.

Emily retook her seat, and gave her cousin and brother a small smile, before looking at both women. " It's a Quartermaine thing, you learn it early if you want to survive."

" Em…" A.J. shook his head, and mouthed the ' not here'.

" Emily, what's going on?" Ned notices for the first time that while Emily looks perfectly healthy, she also looks nervous, and the last time she looked that nervous was right before ran off with her kidnapper. " Are you in trouble, cause if you are all you need to do is tell and I will do everything in my power to fix it, you know that."  

She smiled and grabbed his hand squeezing." I know that you would Ned, but I'm not in trouble, in fact it's the exact opposite." " I'm… in love, and I could really use your support when I introduce him to the family." Emily ignored the pang of guilt she felt for leaving out important information, but knows that Ned will forgive her for it later.

" Is that all." Ned let the breath he was holding go, and shook his head." Emily, I'm sure that while Grandfather will find some problem with this guy, as long as I know you're happy and safe, you have my support." " You're happy right, and safe?"

" I'm completely happy, and completely safe, trust me."

" Okay but that's it, you're just in love, and there's no problems or dangers or dead cops."

" Ned trust me, there are no problems."

~~~

Johnny opened the closed the door to his apartment and leaned against the wall. He was free; he had no further obligations or debts to the organization. All he had to do now was find Emily and tell her the good news, and then tomorrow he could look into to getting his restaurant back. He was sure that Quartermain's would be more accepting of a restaurant owner then a mob bodyguard. " Things are looking up."

" I wouldn't say that."

Johnny jumped at the sound before flicking on the lights, and paling at the sight. Jason Morgan was sitting on his couch dressed completely in black, and holding a .9 mm gun.