"Apparently, this is now an after hours self service bar and snack stand. Johnny?"
"Well, I could say come on back down and listen to my report but since you two look like you were going to bed, that probably wouldn't go over so well. However, doing it this way makes you want to come over and find out what I know."
Caroline turned and headed down the steps. When she got to the couch she shook her head at him before sitting down and speaking.
"You need to get out more."
"Probably."
Jason made his way over by then and plopped down next to her then turned to Johnny.
"What?"
"The guards you put on Lois Cerillo Ashton checked in. Lots of activity."
That wasn't so good. Once he learned about Tracy going after Ned's first wife, Jason figured he better put some people on her. Brooklyn was closer to Long Island than Port Charles.
"What?"
"Two hours after he left here, Ned showed up at her house with guards and a cleaning crew."
"A cleaning crew? What the fuck is going on with Ned?"
"Can't help you there. Can I finish my report?"
"Yeah."
"Less than an hour later, Ned comes out carrying his daughter while Mrs. Ashton has two overnight bags. Apparently, her parents and older brother Loui Cerillo were over for dinner earlier and still there when Ned showed up. The team worked the house for another hour after they left then went to her parent's home."
"Where'd Ned and Lois go?"
"Waldorf. Ned already had a suite."
Caroline isn't saying anything but she's listening with rapt attention. Especially after what Jason said about Ned earlier.
"Go on."
"They also impounded her brother and parents' cars. Ned's real good at this. Thorough and covers all the basis. Anyway, after the crew left her house, our people moved in to check things out. Her parents' house was clean, so were their cars. Mrs. Ashton's house—crawling. Infested. Phones too."
"Damn."
"They didn't remove any of the bugs. Left everything in place. Smart."
"Ok, so that's it? That means Tracy will still feel secure in her plan for Ned."
"That's not all."
The way he said that made Caroline and Jason sit forward.
"I said he's thorough. Ned didn't just sweep for bugs. There was a little something extra special under the hood of Mrs. Ashton's car as well."
Jason needed an extra moment for the weight of that to sink in. It chilled him and caused his heart to stop. Then he reacted.
"Shit!"
He walked the room for some time and neither were sure what was going on in Jason's head so they didn't say anything. Finally,
"I almost didn't tell him."
Johnny's clueless. Caroline's trying to follow that one but can't.
"Jase?"
"Tonight. I wasn't gonna tell him Tracy married Soleto. He didn't know. Finding out is the only reason he knew to go to Bensenhurst with guards and a cleaning crew. Lois takes Brook to the park every day at the same time. She would've started that car in the morning and..."
"Jase, you couldn't have known."
"Yeah, I could. I knew she tried to kill his first wife . And the only reason Tracy didn't actually kill her is because she thought Jenny was dead when she left her there. And that was without Soleto's kind of back up. I was planning on using that to work him with Tracy if I needed. Something is going on with Ned I have never seen before or its new I'm not sure."
Johnny knew to stay out of whatever this was.
"Lois was good to me right from the start when I got out of the hospital. Didn't treat me any different from anyone else. Gave me a key and told me to come & go as I pleased in their house especially when the old man was around. And until the day she left Port Charles, she was right beside me. She didn't try to talk me out of working for Sonny. Just as long as I understood what I was doing she said it was my choice. Defended me to the family every time someone started up and was quick to tell everyone to leave me alone and stay out of my way. Same thing when I took over. Told me to do whatever I felt I needed to do and be happy. When she left she said if I ever needed anything to make sure I called her and she would be there.
Ned did the same thing—not the Sonny thing, but he was the only one who stood between me and the rest of the family. He figured out a way to get me access to my trust fund when Edward cut me off. Took the heat for getting me my ELQ shares. Ned lost his job for that. They voted him right out of ELQ because he was trying to make sure I had money to be free of the family and could go anywhere I wanted. The only reason he was even here tonight is because he just did the same thing for Emily then got her out of that house. And I wasn't gonna tell him."
Jason walked over the fireplace mantle and rested his head against it. Caroline motioned for Johnny to leave the file and go. He was out of there quick and quiet because he knew that had to hurt.
She didn't say anything for a few minutes and he didn't move. Words or platitudes weren't helpful and they wouldn't change anything. She did not blame or judge him. She knew Jason and she knew what he was thinking when Emily filled them in on the Jenny situation. She agreed. This wasn't something either of them would have wanted or tried to set up but she knew they had to deal with it. After a few more minutes she got up and walked over to him placing her hand on his back. That got his attention and he turned around to face her. What she saw stopped her heart. Not once in all the time she'd known him had she ever seen tears in his eyes let alone streaming down his face. She pulled him into an embrace and he held on to her silently. He finally pulled back slightly and she moved them over to the couch. He would speak or he would not. It was going to be his choice.
"She could have died. They both could have died and it would have been my fault."
"Tracy's fault."
"No. Tracy may have fired the gun but I watched her load it and didn't say a word."
"Yes you did. That's why Ned went there tonight."
"Who's the boss around here? We knew Tracy was a threat to Emily. I knew she was a threat to Lois. That's why I assigned guards to her. How the fuck they missed the car I don't know but I'm gonna find out. Ned needed to know the threat to his family and to himself. If she would kill Lois and Brook, she'd kill him too."
Caroline couldn't disagree with that last part. Tracy wasn't even in the semi finals for Mother of the Year.
Jason was wrung out and she knew this wasn't doing him any good. Yes, the situation was bad and they were going to fix it but he had to get some rest if he was going to be of any use to anyone. She stood and held out her hand. When he looked at her questioningly she explained.
"Its past your bed time."
The fact that he didn't say anything and moved automatically told her he was finished for all intents and purposes. Caroline led him to his room and flowed with the nurturer vibe that took over. She sat him down on the bed and took off his shoes. Nothing, no response. He was slightly helpful in the undressing department because he didn't resist. That was about all the help she got. When he was ready she pulled back the covers and helped him in. As she turned to leave he took her hand and looked up at her wordlessly. Knowing immediately what he needed but could or would not ask for, she quickly undressed, grabbed a t-shirt and climbed in next to him. He still didn't speak so she pulled him close and held him. It took some time for him to finally fall asleep. But she did a repeat of her ministrations on the plane and it helped.
When Jason woke up in the middle of the night he immediately knew something wasn't right. Or something was different. His pillow was softer and a little too warm. A few more seconds and he registered that he wasn't alone. That never happened before. Then he remembered last night. Lois' situation hit him first and he knew he was going to have to address what needed to be done with Johnny first thing. When he opened his eyes he was treated to a sight he hadn't seen in a long time. Carly hated being woken up and was neither cooperative nor friendly. Sudden movements, additional lighting, noises, or attempts to rouse her were met with instant and brutal force while she still slept. He thought he might need to keep his head down. Then again, this was the first time he ever woke up next to Caroline. Maybe things would be better. When he shifted his position to look at the clock, Jason learned that Caroline and Carly reacted the same.
Resigned, he settled back down. It wasn't even 2:00am. He amused himself as a means of getting back to sleep by watching her. The only lighting was from the moon and it soften everything in the room. For some reason he did know and didn't even realize he was doing it, Jason started unconsciously stroking her thigh. Something must have seeped through delta sleep because she moaned seductively then rolled over on top of him whispering something he definitely found alluring and sexy.
"Mmm, Jason."
He wasn't sure what that was all about or what was going on but it felt good. Her new position felt even better. A little too good. Perhaps he should have paid more attention to that last thought, but he did not and gave himself over to whatever the unconscious mind had in play. Jason moved her so that she was completely in his favorite sleeping position. Then he wrapped his arms around her and drifted off to sleep.