Emily gracefully tip toed through the manor, intent on reaching the kitchen without waking him.
"Nice try" She whirled around a smile tugging ever so slightly at her peach tinted lips. Nikolas leaned against the large wooden banister, his eyes sparkling in that way that made Emily blush.
"I was just trying to get you some breakfast in bed"
"You should let me do it you're too…"
"If you say weak I'm not getting Mrs. Landsbury to make you those pancakes you love"
He did not even crack a smile he was focusing too hard on checking for a hint of exhaustion.
"Nik I'm fine really, you need to stop worrying" Her arms slowly snaked around his neck pulling him closer to her lean body, pressing for his warmth.
"I just worry about you"
"I know and I wish you wouldn't"
"Can't help it I love you" Something inside Emily stirred with those words and she began to glow it was always like the first time every time she heard him say those three little words. He always made everything about her beautiful even when she barely had the strength to get out of bed, her hair knotted and hanging limply all he did was brush it from her forehead and tell her how amazing she looked.
"I don't deserve you," She admitted quietly, biting her lip in the way that told him how unsure she was.
"I'm the one that doesn't deserve you"
"Stop it" Emily playfully prodded his chest with her index finger blushing slightly.
"You're beautiful, intelligent and you care about everyone and everything and I love you" Nikolas wrapped his arms around her waist glancing above her shoulder towards the closest window where a hint of sunlight began shining through.
"That is what you are my sunlight and I would do anything for you" Emily turned to look into his deep chocolate gaze almost in wonderment.
"I know that's why I love you too" They both smiled, something that caused her to giggle in that insanely girlish way, she would never know how much he really craved that sound. It turned his insides to mush, no one laughed like that, only Emily, only her eyes could sparkle that way and only her smile could make him forget.
"The prosecution would like to call Mrs. Samantha Kelly to the stand" The judge nodded and Courtney sat a little straighter in her seat craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the mystery woman. She stood a little to the side decked out in head to toe black, causing her alabaster skin to stand out awkwardly. She did not seem to care that her appearance caused a few hisses and whispers it all brought a tiny smile to her painted lips.
"Who is she?" Courtney leaned over whispering in Carly's ear her eyes never leaving the witnesses slow moving form.
"She works at Kelly's with Liz" Carly didn't seem the least bit surprised by the younger girls appearance not even a raised eyebrow at the sight of her sliver chin stud shining beneath the light. That is when Courtney caught site of the rose tattoo winding along her chest the last bit of stem dissaperearing beneath the satiny material of her loose top.
"Miss Kelly tell me what happened that night in your own words"
"Well I was closing up with Liz when Jason came in, he looked real unhappy started yelling and swearing up a storm anyway Liz 'sorta took him to the side and tried to calm him down but eventually she couldn't control him so they moved outside"
She stopped abruptly in the middle of her story, to take a sip of the water in front of her almost looking pained. The black liner she wore made her eyes larger and Courtney almost caught site of tears but then it struck her. Samantha was not facing forward her body was at an angle perfect for staring straight at someone in the crowd.
"Continue whenever you're ready" Alexis was so calm it sent shivers along Courtney's spine, something wasn't right. Looking at Samantha again she could see the girls eyes wavering slightly shadily dancing through the crowd to stop in the same spot repeatedly.
Courtney turned following her gaze to the crowd again, even after Samantha's eyes began darting around again Courtney peered intently through the crowd of people. There had to be one person looking at the witness stand all the time whose gaze wouldn't travel just in case, and there he was.
Middle aged, graying hair and unlike the rest, he was dressed in a leather jacket and jeans not a suit jacket and slacks. That's not what struck her as odd it was the way he sat casually leaning against the chairs back as if the trial was more like a football game minus the beer.
"Samantha are you alright to continue?"
"Yes"
"Okay tell me what happened after that"
"Well Jason and Elizabeth didn't come back so I got worried, I went outside and there was no one there and then I heard the shot" Courtney didn't need to keep listening she could read his lips they slowly moved timed perfectly with Samantha's story.
Then he turned catching Courtney's eye, his lips twisting into a smirk, he almost expected her to look away but she was frozen in place. Ice shot through her veins, his eyes were so dead and lifeless it almost extinguished the spark within her. She wanted so badly to turn away but there was something in her head desperately trying to put his face to a name, he wasn't familiar but something kept her staring.
"If I get you a witness you gotta tell me where the gun is"Someone shrouded in darkness let out a tired sigh handing a bundle of cash over.
"The guns in the forest, buried beneath the body the police never look in the most obvious places, isn't that right Coleman?"
Everything was hazy, that pain ripping through her skull did not help any, and just as her eyes began to water, the judge called a recess allowing people to exit the courtroom in a blur. Courtney saw Carly stand up to stretch Sonny following her lead but both were still unaware of the vision. Jason turned calling her name but she barely managed to raise her head in response. Footsteps were pounding; voices echoed and breathing became harder for her. Clutching the arm of her chair, she let out a little moan of pain a hand coming to rest on top of hers.
"It's okay I'm here, just tell me what you saw" Jason, Courtney smiled a little as his hand stroked her cheek, hair anything they could touch all in the hopes of numbing the pain.
She latched onto him sliding from her seat onto the floor so they were both on their knees.
"There's a gun in the forest Coleman knows he bribed that witness" She pulled back a little hoping he had heard her hushed whisper. Only Carly and Sonny remained in the courtroom but something nagged her into speaking softly, she knew somewhere someone was lurking and it set her on edge.
"Are you sure?" Jason glanced around it was second nature to know who or what was behind him and it did nothing to ease Courtney's fears.
"Yes I saw Coleman, I felt something when he looked at me" She shivered at the memory, causing Jason's brow to crease in worry.
"Has he ever tried to talk to you?"
"No"
"Good you have to stay away from him he's trouble"
She nodded barely hearing what he was saying it was too intense, the pain boiling up and shooting bright and hot through her head every few seconds.
"Look I'm going to go tell Sonny what you saw and were going to find that gun okay"
"Okay"
Courtney heard her own voice and thought someone else was speaking her throat felt sore and used even after she had barely spoken. Then the coughing began nothing out of the ordinary so Sonny, Carly and Jason continued to talk huddled around one another. Courtney glanced at her hand slowly peeling it away from her mouth, she nearly cried then, tears sprung back to her eyes threatening to fall at any moment. Her palm was covered in blood. Courtney swallowed her tears pulling a tissue from her pocket and quickly wiping the substance from her hands. Even though she was frenzied she swore her heart stopped beating a cold sense of dread weighing heavily in her stomach, something was not right the pain in her head and the blood now on the tissue it was just too much.
"Courtney is something wrong?" Jason saw her staring intently at something in her lap but she rushed to put it back in her purse smiling as she readjusted the blouse she wore.
"Courtney is there something you aren't telling me?"
"No, of course not" He pulled her up and into his arms wrapping like a blanket around her shivering frame. Jason could swear her teeth began to chatter, but when he pulled back, all he did was smile a little too thinly, something in her eyes wasn't right.
"Courtney what's wrong? Tell me" She wanted to turn away but there he was by her side looking like a lost puppy waiting for the truth so she pulled her purse open placing the stained tissue in his hands.
"I think something is wrong with me" Courtney kept blinking but her eyes didn't seem to want to see anything, it was growing steadily blacker the only sound was the pounding in her head. Carly gasped her heels smacking against the floor and that is the last thing Courtney really heard before she began to tumble into the darkness, unable to resist its inviting depths.
"Guard help her, call someone, please!" Carly was hysterically screaming trying to push her way forward but Sonny's hands rested firmly on her arms holding her in place. They watched in horrified silence as Jason cradled Courtney's body in his arms, silently rocking her.
"It is going to be okay, I'm not letting you go anywhere" He hoped she could hear him even though her eyes were shut and her breath became less steady. All he could do was hold her wait for the familiar sound of the ambulance sirens. Then he saw the blood trickling from her mouth a little line of red. Jason stopped moving altogether letting his head fall into the crook of her neck, she was becoming less heavy and her breathing less frequent, he felt tears sting at his eyes and one slowly slip down his cheek and onto her cool skin.
"Please somebody help her" Carly's tears flew from her eyes, she stopped tugging away from Sonny letting him slowly move to her side, his arms winding around her.
"Shh, everything is going to be okay"
Jason heard him say that and almost wanted to ask him how he could promise that. Courtney was slowly leaving him he could feel it and holding just a little tighter was not helping he needed her so much, thoughts randomly shot through his head but only one he dared to voice aloud.
"Please don't leave me"
Sorry but I gotta leave it there hopefully I haven't worked myself into writers block. Anyway, I promise to have the next chapter out asap! Please read and review, it motivates me to type a little faster and post a little sooner! That is if you want to find out how Nike fits in to all this and what is going on with Courtney… (cue evil cackle… I know, I know I've used that line before…)