Frozen: Defend Those You Love

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--- Corinthos Penthouse

Carly couldn't believe it. She stared at Sonny as though he'd had entirely too much scotch and had finally gone insane. No way could Courtney do that to Jason. She wouldn't.

Sonny seemed to read her thoughts. "I thought the same thing… but there are pictures."

She shoved her hand forward, unwilling to do anything else without proof, "Let me see." Carly told him.

"Carly are you sure...." Sonny started.

"I need to be sure before I do something." She told him. Courtney may be like a sister, but Jason was something she couldn't even describe. He meant more than Courtney would ever.

Sonny silently passed the pictures. Carly opened the folder and looked, her heart hardening. They proved it. Courtney betrayed them.

She had betrayed Jason.

Carly got up and got her coat. She was going to find them. Sonny got up wordlessly after her.

--- Docks

Elizabeth wanted to go to him, to take him away from the scene about to erupt, but Courtney was still standing between them. With every word the blonde said she could feel Jason's wall getting higher and higher.

"How could you do this to me Jason?" Courtney yelled.

Jason stood there watching Courtney. She looked just like Emily had when she was high. How could he have missed it? He no longer cared, but it seemed so strange that he wouldn't have noticed…

He still said nothing. He wasn't about to waste his time with her. He didn't even care to let her know he knew the truth.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Courtney screamed. She wanted a response out of him. "How long Jason?"

Still he said nothing.

"When, Jason? While we were planning the wedding? When Carly was kidnapped? When I was kidnapped? Were you two screwing while I was losing the baby?" she screamed.

Elizabeth had been making her advance towards Courtney to stop her, but the last accusation stopped her dead. Baby? Courtney had been pregnant and she'd had lost it? Elizabeth looked to Jason to see if he had any reaction. He didn't.

Courtney had just thrown the loss of their child in his face and he didn't even flinch.

"Don't you ever say that to him again!" A woman's voice yelled. Elizabeth and Courtney looked at the stairs to see Sonny and Carly standing there. Carly looked furious.

Courtney adopted a whiny voice and spoke. "Jason's cheating on me with Liz."

Elizabeth expected Carly to charge her, but oddly enough she didn't even seem to care about what Courtney had just said. Sonny went next to Jason and looked concerned but he said nothing and made no other move towards him.

"Really? So what, you have Jason's permission to have sex with Alcazar for drugs?" Carly asked. Under Jason's mask he was slightly surprised that Carly knew. Sonny was watching him. Jason could see the guilt in his eyes as if somehow this was the older man's fault.

Courtney stood their gaping.

"I should be yelling at you. Hell, I should take a hit out on you. You're not even worth it." Carly all but snarled, "Go the penthouse and pack. You aren't living there anymore." She added.

Elizabeth was even more shocked but she would deal with that later. She needed to get Jason out of there.

Courtney opened her mouth to whine more, but Elizabeth cut her off as she walked to Jason. "Jason? Do you want to get out of here?"

Jason turned to look at Elizabeth. He shouldn't go with her but he wanted to. Something about her made him feel almost like himself. He hadn't felt that way in a long while and he wanted that safety. He wasn't even sure what that felt like anymore. He nodded numbly and let her steer him away. As long as she didn't touch him he didn't care anymore.

Carly watched Jason and Elizabeth walk away. She would get this trash out of his penthouse then take him home. If Elizabeth wanted to sit with him while she was doing it then that was fine.

Sonny watched as they went up the stairs. Everyone had a breaking point. Jason had reached his.

--- Elizabeth's New Studio

Elizabeth opened the door, beyond thankful that she'd recently moved into a new studio. Not only was this one bigger, but she'd had less time to accumulate a true mess. This one had a small kitchen area, a tiny bathroom and a smaller room off to the side which she used as a bedroom. While her supplies were the same, she'd bought new things to furnish the apartment/studio. Except, of course, the couch…she'd drag that thing from home to home until it disintegrated.

She ushered Jason in and went to turn on the heater. She was aware that Jason was shaking but wasn't sure if it was from the cold or something less defined. She turned back around and glanced at the couch expecting Jason to be sitting there.

"Jason?" she turned around to see him still in the same spot she had left him. Door open and Jason still on the welcome mat practically.

She slowly moved towards him. "Jason? You want to sit down?"

He shrugged and moved towards the couch. He stopped just short of it and spoke in that same monotone voice. "Same couch?"

Elizabeth nodded, happy he had noticed. "I couldn't throw it away."

Jason sat down on it and looked at her for the first time since she had bumped into him. He didn't say a word.

"Are you cold?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Elizabeth was surprised. "For what?"

"For not going after you. For lying about Sonny."

Elizabeth was shocked. What could have possibly have made him bring that up in the middle of a discussion about couches and heat? Still, it clearly meant something to him, and in her heart, she new exactly what to say, "You're forgiven."

Jason turned away from her, staring at something that wasn't there. "I wonder if Emily forgives me. I couldn't save her. What about my… the baby? Do you think it forgives me? No, how could it? Because of me it never got a chance to live. You can't forgive if you aren't alive."

And Jason started to laugh. Normally his rare laughter made her smile but this filled her with fear. It was devoid of all humor.

He kept on laughing though, probably the most he had ever done since the accident all in on shot. He was laughing so hard he was crying.

Elizabeth felt a tear of her own fall down now.

Jason didn't notice. He just sat there sobbing and laughing at the same time.

Now, don't be angry with me! Things will start looking up (in about a dozen chapters or so, but still, looking up!).

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