Keys to Happiness - Chapter 4
Jason stood looking at the door to his penthouse for twenty long minuets before forcing himself to reach out and turn the knob, opening the door. He hadn't left Elizabeth's side for any long length of time in four days and being away from her felt wrong. He had left her sleeping on her couch at the studio, while he ran some errands. First on the list had been to buy a bed for the studio and last was talking with Courtney. Things had never been great between himself and Courtney, but they had never been this bad either. Somewhere between sleeping with his brother's wife and Carly being kidnaped he had lost sight of the fact that he deserved to be happy.
Stepping inside the penthouse he closed the door behind himself. Jason wasn't prepared for the sight that awaited him. The livingroom was trashed; broken glass was everywhere, deeply embedded in the carpet. His pool table wasn't untouched by the sea of destruction; the green felt was shredded beyond repair and the legs were marred with deep scratches in the wood.
Worried about Courtney's state of mind Jason pulled out his gun, emptied the clip and chamber, engaged the safety and placed it on the ruined top of the pool table. Making his way upstairs he heard two voices, one Courtney's and the other that of an unidentified male. Retracing his steps to the pool table Jason reloaded his gun but kept the safety engaged as he crept back up the stairs. He had worried that Courtney's mental state would be so unstable that she would try to use the gun to harm someone, most likely herself, but now he was more concerned about someone trying to harm him. This he reflected was just another instance of how complicated simple matters, such as breaking up with your girlfriend, could become in the town of Port Charles, New York..
As he crept closer to the door of the bedroom Jason was shocked by what he heard exiting Courtney's mouth.
"I knew I should have backed up, I mean it was obviously too much to hope for that once would do the trick. But if I'd only backed up..."
"If you had backed up you'd currently be inhabiting a jail cell Courtney. You have barely stayed out of jail as it is. I suggest you keep thoughts such as that out of your head if you want to retain your freedom.
"Oh shut up Justin. We both know that I'll retain my freedom no matter what, you know Grandfather won't let it be any other way. It has been this long and nothing has happened."
"The moment you get cocky is the moment this fails Courtney. This is a job, nothing more. You have to keep that fore most in your mind at all times. Jason Morgan can be nothing but a means to an end, a fringe benefit."
"But what a nice fringe benefit he is. Justin what am I going to do? He hadn't been home or called since that night. If Elizabeth had gotten her claws into him she had to die. We can't afford to leave anything to chance this time."
"Don't worry about it, everything will be taken care of when the right time appears. Elizabeth Webber's days are numbered."
"Feeling sick to his stomach Jason crept ever closer to the door, unbelieving of what he was hearing.
"I can't wait for this to be done with, it is so tiresome to play the part of loving girlfriend and sister day after day. The first thing I'm going to do after this is over is dye my hair back to its normal color, blond is just sooo not me."
"Quit whining Courtney, you knew what it would be like going into this and you agreed."
"Well I thought things would move quicker that this. It has been over a year Justin, a year! When I agreed to this I was told that I would be here six months max. In fact you promised me that it would take no time at all to carry out your plans against Sonny and Jason. That I wouldn't have to worry, I was just going to be a distraction. Well news flash, I stopped being a distraction a while ago. I barely register as a blip on the radar screen any more."
"Stop whining we're almost done. Sonny and Jason are going to have no idea it's coming, it is just going to blind side them."
"You had better hope so Justin because if they do none of us are going to survive the aftermath. In the mean time you had better get back outside before someone notices and wonders where you have gone."
"What are you going to say about downstairs?"
"Tell the truth, well a version of the truth. I was so upset that Jason hasn't been home or called in four days that I simply lost it. I'll call the housekeeping service and have it cleaned up. The only people who know what really happened are you and I."
Before his emotions could get the better of him Jason crept back downstairs, out the door and across the hall into Sonny's penthouse. He found Sonny relaxing on the couch, news paper in hand. Sinking down onto the couch beside his partner Jason let his head rest in his hands. He didn't want to tell Sonny that Courtney was now a threat.
Just by looking at his best friend, partner and brother Sonny knew something was wrong. He hadn't seen or heard from Jason in four days, he hadn't been worried knowing how hard he had taken Emily's death, but looking at the figure sitting next to him he realized he should have.
"What's wrong Jason? Did something happen to Courtney?"
"You might say that. Courtney hit Elizabeth four nights ago. She hit Elizabeth, ran and covered it up. Courtney also happens to be leaking information on the business."
"What?!"
"She's working with a man she called Justin and someone she called grandfather. sigh What are we going to do Sonny? She said she was meant to be a distraction and she has been a big one to all fo us. You and I have been so distracted that we must have been missing signs of a leak."
"We'll go through our employees one by one and see if we can't find out who she is working with. I just don't understand it Jason, why would she do this? I mean why would she betray us when she in love with you?"
"She isn't in love with my Sonny, I was just a fringe benefit. What are we going to do about her hitting Elizabeth? I can't let her get away with it Sonny, she was trying to kill Liz!"
"Is that where you've been for the last four days, with Elizabeth?"
"Yeah."
"You were on your way to break it off with Courtney when you over heard all this weren't you?"
"Yeah. When I say Elizabeth lying on that hospital bed with all the monitors attached to her I knew I couldn't live without her. In that moment I felt more fear that I have ever felt in my life. Sonny if she had died I would have followed her. When she was in the hospital because of the embolism I wasn't this frightened, even when she flat lined, but seeing her there and knowing that she had so few reasons left to fight I was consumed with the fear that she would just give up, that I would never be able to ask her forgiveness for being so stupid."
"softly You love her don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. I want nothing more than to be with her, but I can't now because of Courtney."
"You'll find a way Jason. Now go and get back to her side. If Courtney asks you're out on business. Meanwhile I'll have someone I trust start looking into things to see if there is evidence of a leak."
Jason stood looking at the door to his penthouse for twenty long minuets before forcing himself to reach out and turn the knob, opening the door. He hadn't left Elizabeth's side for any long length of time in four days and being away from her felt wrong. He had left her sleeping on her couch at the studio, while he ran some errands. First on the list had been to buy a bed for the studio and last was talking with Courtney. Things had never been great between himself and Courtney, but they had never been this bad either. Somewhere between sleeping with his brother's wife and Carly being kidnaped he had lost sight of the fact that he deserved to be happy.
Stepping inside the penthouse he closed the door behind himself. Jason wasn't prepared for the sight that awaited him. The livingroom was trashed; broken glass was everywhere, deeply embedded in the carpet. His pool table wasn't untouched by the sea of destruction; the green felt was shredded beyond repair and the legs were marred with deep scratches in the wood.
Worried about Courtney's state of mind Jason pulled out his gun, emptied the clip and chamber, engaged the safety and placed it on the ruined top of the pool table. Making his way upstairs he heard two voices, one Courtney's and the other that of an unidentified male. Retracing his steps to the pool table Jason reloaded his gun but kept the safety engaged as he crept back up the stairs. He had worried that Courtney's mental state would be so unstable that she would try to use the gun to harm someone, most likely herself, but now he was more concerned about someone trying to harm him. This he reflected was just another instance of how complicated simple matters, such as breaking up with your girlfriend, could become in the town of Port Charles, New York..
As he crept closer to the door of the bedroom Jason was shocked by what he heard exiting Courtney's mouth.
"I knew I should have backed up, I mean it was obviously too much to hope for that once would do the trick. But if I'd only backed up..."
"If you had backed up you'd currently be inhabiting a jail cell Courtney. You have barely stayed out of jail as it is. I suggest you keep thoughts such as that out of your head if you want to retain your freedom.
"Oh shut up Justin. We both know that I'll retain my freedom no matter what, you know Grandfather won't let it be any other way. It has been this long and nothing has happened."
"The moment you get cocky is the moment this fails Courtney. This is a job, nothing more. You have to keep that fore most in your mind at all times. Jason Morgan can be nothing but a means to an end, a fringe benefit."
"But what a nice fringe benefit he is. Justin what am I going to do? He hadn't been home or called since that night. If Elizabeth had gotten her claws into him she had to die. We can't afford to leave anything to chance this time."
"Don't worry about it, everything will be taken care of when the right time appears. Elizabeth Webber's days are numbered."
"Feeling sick to his stomach Jason crept ever closer to the door, unbelieving of what he was hearing.
"I can't wait for this to be done with, it is so tiresome to play the part of loving girlfriend and sister day after day. The first thing I'm going to do after this is over is dye my hair back to its normal color, blond is just sooo not me."
"Quit whining Courtney, you knew what it would be like going into this and you agreed."
"Well I thought things would move quicker that this. It has been over a year Justin, a year! When I agreed to this I was told that I would be here six months max. In fact you promised me that it would take no time at all to carry out your plans against Sonny and Jason. That I wouldn't have to worry, I was just going to be a distraction. Well news flash, I stopped being a distraction a while ago. I barely register as a blip on the radar screen any more."
"Stop whining we're almost done. Sonny and Jason are going to have no idea it's coming, it is just going to blind side them."
"You had better hope so Justin because if they do none of us are going to survive the aftermath. In the mean time you had better get back outside before someone notices and wonders where you have gone."
"What are you going to say about downstairs?"
"Tell the truth, well a version of the truth. I was so upset that Jason hasn't been home or called in four days that I simply lost it. I'll call the housekeeping service and have it cleaned up. The only people who know what really happened are you and I."
Before his emotions could get the better of him Jason crept back downstairs, out the door and across the hall into Sonny's penthouse. He found Sonny relaxing on the couch, news paper in hand. Sinking down onto the couch beside his partner Jason let his head rest in his hands. He didn't want to tell Sonny that Courtney was now a threat.
Just by looking at his best friend, partner and brother Sonny knew something was wrong. He hadn't seen or heard from Jason in four days, he hadn't been worried knowing how hard he had taken Emily's death, but looking at the figure sitting next to him he realized he should have.
"What's wrong Jason? Did something happen to Courtney?"
"You might say that. Courtney hit Elizabeth four nights ago. She hit Elizabeth, ran and covered it up. Courtney also happens to be leaking information on the business."
"What?!"
"She's working with a man she called Justin and someone she called grandfather. sigh What are we going to do Sonny? She said she was meant to be a distraction and she has been a big one to all fo us. You and I have been so distracted that we must have been missing signs of a leak."
"We'll go through our employees one by one and see if we can't find out who she is working with. I just don't understand it Jason, why would she do this? I mean why would she betray us when she in love with you?"
"She isn't in love with my Sonny, I was just a fringe benefit. What are we going to do about her hitting Elizabeth? I can't let her get away with it Sonny, she was trying to kill Liz!"
"Is that where you've been for the last four days, with Elizabeth?"
"Yeah."
"You were on your way to break it off with Courtney when you over heard all this weren't you?"
"Yeah. When I say Elizabeth lying on that hospital bed with all the monitors attached to her I knew I couldn't live without her. In that moment I felt more fear that I have ever felt in my life. Sonny if she had died I would have followed her. When she was in the hospital because of the embolism I wasn't this frightened, even when she flat lined, but seeing her there and knowing that she had so few reasons left to fight I was consumed with the fear that she would just give up, that I would never be able to ask her forgiveness for being so stupid."
"softly You love her don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. I want nothing more than to be with her, but I can't now because of Courtney."
"You'll find a way Jason. Now go and get back to her side. If Courtney asks you're out on business. Meanwhile I'll have someone I trust start looking into things to see if there is evidence of a leak."
