Ch. 2  

Courtney made her way out to her car with the large black duffel bag swinging precariously from her shoulder.  Her breath was ragged and tears streamed down her cheeks as she desperately fumbled for her keys. She needed to leave. Suddenly the proximity to this building had become unbearable, and the longer she lingered the faster her heartbeat became. A curse slipped past her lips as she dropped her keys in her hurry to open the car. Crouching, she reached for them, and this time managed to unlock the door. She haphazardly threw her bag on the passenger seat and was silently thankful Rosie was taken care of at a neighbor's apartment. Standing beside the open car door, she turned back to their building one last time. Her blue, watery gaze scanned the exterior and slowly came to rest on the darkened window of their loft. One last tear slid down her cheek, and she turned to get into her car. She didn't notice the light that flashed on to illuminate the window, or the black motorcycle parked in the shadows, as she slowly drove out of the parking lot and away from her happiness.

Jason could barely contain his excitement. He took the stairs two at a time, reaching their loft in seconds. Slowly, he raised his hand and hesitated only a moment before gently knocking on the solid wood of the door. He waited, unable to banish the smile that had crept onto his lips and into his heart. He waited, thinking of how much pain he had caused Courtney, and how he could make it up to her. He waited, impatiently shifting from one boot clad foot to the other. He waited, thinking of the words of love and commitment that were eager to flow from his lips to her ears. He waited… and slowly realized that Courtney was not going to answer his knock. A frown claimed his features, and he slowly pulled out his keys to the loft and slid them into the lock. Pushing the door open he was greeted with darkness and shadow. He slowly stepped over the threshold and turned on the light.

He knew instantly that Courtney wasn't there. He could feel the emptiness of the room envelope him, and he could see the changes in the décor. The room looked just like it had when they had moved in, before Courtney had made it a home; his home. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, rubbing his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. With slow deliberate steps he moved further into the abandoned loft. The crunching of glass beneath his feat alerted him to the destroyed picture frame that lay on the floor. He knelt, careful to avoid the glass, and retrieved the frame. It was empty, but he knew what it used to hold. He could only assume that Courtney had taken the photo with her, and this offered his dejected mind a glimmer of hope.

Jason remembered the car he had seen in the parking lot. He was sure that it belonged to Courtney, but then where was she? He turned and left the loft, not bothering to lock it. The pace of a desperate man carried Jason back down the flight of stairs and out into the cold night. He flew through the doors, pausing as he surveyed the empty parking lot. The car was gone. Courtney was nowhere in sight.

Jason didn't know how long he stood there, staring out into the starless sky, his mind despondent and wandering. A light rain began to fall, and he turned his gorgeous blue eyes towards the heavens, silently berating them for the memories they were inflicting upon him with their rain. The rain…

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He could hear the blood pounding in his ears. His eyes raged red as he stepped into Jake's, his gaze forever searching for the bastard that was hurting Courtney. His only instinct was to protect her, at any cost. Without any thought for himself he lunged at Coleman and issued a passionate, rage induced warning. "You listen to me. You don't touch Courtney again. You don't call her; you don't come to her apartment. The next time you come near her, you die."

Coleman stood up, but Jason didn't care. He could vaguely hear the other man's taunts ringing in his ears before he brought his fists in to do the talking for him. He was in the zone, he could feel it. His surroundings melted into oblivion as he concentrated on destroying the threat that was in front of him. He had to protect Courtney…

Courtney… suddenly he thought he could hear her voice. There was a note of fear in her tone, and this slowly pulled him back into awareness. She was pleading with him, "No, Jason, Don't!"

He turned to look at her, confusion registering in his eyes, his tone harsh, "Get out of here!"

She shook her head, her beautiful blue eyes filled with fear and insistence, "No! I don't want you to hurt anyone for me! Come on, Jason, we don't know that Coleman's the stalker, and even if he is, I don't want you to do this! Please, Jason, just come with me."

Reluctantly he tossed aside his weapon; a hapless pool cue. Turning back to Coleman, he pierced the wounded man with his icy stare, "Tonight never happened. You come near Courtney again, you're dead."

With that he turned and grabbed Courtney by the arm, pulling her out of the bar and into the rain. She roughly pulled away from him and demanded, "What is wrong with you?"

Jason frowned, not wanting to discuss this with her, "I'm taking you home."

Courtney, however, refused to leave. A myriad of emotions Jason couldn't identify filtered across her face as she shouted back, "What if you had killed Coleman? How am I supposed to feel if you go to prison because of me?"

Jason paused. His icy blue gaze danced with her large, warm eyes. For the first time he noticed how disheveled she was. The rain had soaked her hair, causing the long blond strands to hang in locks that clung to her neck and cheeks. He slowly realized that the fear he had seen in her eyes earlier had not been fear of him… it was fear for him. He tried to calm himself down, but his words still carried an edge as he tried to explain, "Look, I gave my word to protect you and I've lost my patience. I want to finish that guy!"

Courtney didn't miss a beat. She pointedly countered, "You can't just bust into places and start beating people up, especially when we don't have evidence!" She stopped, her blue eyes searching his face. He swore he could feel her gaze caressing his skin.

Softly, Courtney continued, "Jason, I am afraid for you."

She moved towards him, her hand gently identifying the cut that still bled from his scalp. "God, look at you, you're still hurt."

Jason didn't know what was happening. He could feel the heat radiating from her body; he could feel the soft touch of her hand against his cheek. The rain continued to fall as he tried to avoid the sensation that was developing in the pit of his stomach, "No, it's OK. I'm alright."

She would not be deterred. Their eyes locked and they drew closer to one another. She captured his face in both her hands, her voice barely a whisper, "No, I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you. When I saw you lying on that floor, I thought…"

Jason couldn't stand it anymore. The adrenaline from his earlier fight raged through his system   as he faced the woman that held his face. Her fingers branded his skin with sensations he hardly recognized. His hand lightly caressed her arm and then moved to her face. A spark ignited itself between them, and suddenly his mouth claimed hers in a kiss. Their lips moved in unison, both driven by a passion that took them by surprise. He had never felt a need like this before. He yearned to feel more, to taste more. Suddenly, however, he felt her pull away. Reality slowly infiltrated his mind, and Courtney looked at him with confusion and shock in her baby blue eyes. Her words were soft and laced with uncertainty, "This… this is crazy. I love AJ"

Her words tugged at his heart. What was he doing? He quickly responded, "I know. It won't happen again."

Her eyes again found his. He could see the battle being waged within her mind and her heart. He knew he was the cause of this pain, and he couldn't stand it. She nodded, her voice firm, "It can't.

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, "It won't."

Courtney was clearly distraught. She pushed her hair behind her ear and voiced her concern, "He's probably wondering where I am."

Jason couldn't stand to see the despair that settled into her gaze. He nodded, "Ok, I'll take you home. Let's go."

She simply stood there, her eyes never leaving his as she slowly shook her head, "No. You have to go to the emergency room."

He sighed, "Look, I'm ok."

Again she simply shook her head, water streaming down her cheeks in a torrent of raindrops. "I can't be near you. You have to give me your word that you're going to go to the hospital. Promise me!" She yelled, begging him to comply.

Jason didn't know what to do. He could still feel the heat from her lips on his own. He knew she was right; they couldn't be near each other. "All right," he agreed.

She nodded slowly, regaining her composure, "go, now. Just make sure that you're okay." Slowly she moved forwards. Her arm brushed against his and his eyes connected with hers. He knew she had felt the shiver of electricity at their touch as well. His gaze dropped to her lips, and his body leaned into hers. Almost inaudibly Courtney whispered, "you promised," before she cautiously turned away from him and disappeared into the night.

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Courtney stood beside her car in the parking lot of the Port Charles Hotel, not caring that the rain was slowly soaking through her clothes. She couldn't help but think of that kiss in the rain; their first kiss.  She gently lifted her tear stained face towards the night, allowing the soft rain to wash away her tears.