Note: Brian is dead, let us rejoice!
Shamira- You read the chapters that I make comments on... which actually makes me think that you might be way ahead of where you seem to be. I dunno, I'm just strange like that. I too like Justus. Granted, I'm more of a Joseph C Phillips fan, because he was in the Cosby Show and I love the Cosby Show, so I'm playing favorites, but I do not care. Anti-Journey Elizabeth is indeed shudder worthy, so creepy. The dynamic between Damian and his Nana over the phone was something that showed how close they still were, while it showed how much the rest of the family didn't really care for him. The chankla IS a scary thing, we all fear the sandal of death! Remember, Damian's homefront isn't PC, it be Los Angeles. Ah, the Widow and her plans... will they never stop? Nope!
I was quite proud of myself for the 100k words, I was. And I'm even more proud of myself for the 100 reviews. Actually, I'm proud of you all for reviewing my story over 100 times, it makes me feel good. AND this is the 75th chapter. So much celebration, so little time. Carly was 'just watching' Sonny make the food, he's not stupid enough to let her touch the kitchen, nope. I wanted to do something with Max, and give him more of a role than the official door opener. He might be regulated to doing that from hereon in, but he had his moment in the sun. Carly's process will be slow and painful, but when it comes to a head... oh, that's going to be fun. Don't you just love that dynamic between Sonny and Damian. Sonny's always trying to buy the boy, but he basically doesn't want any money at all. I love it, personally. Of course, I wouldn't write it if I didn't love it. You should love your Piano lessons. I wish I could play the piano. Besides, Damian can... heh.
Story-
Corinthos Household-
She sat on the couch, holding Morgan in her arms. Even though Leticia was there and was a great caretaker to both of her nephews, Courtney knew that they could be a handful. She had spent a lot of her time watching them. She understood the quirks that they had as well as, if not better than, Leticia herself. The sad part was that they both knew Morgan better than his own mother. It wasn't Carly's fault. Not entirely. She had spent most of Morgan's life not knowing how much she loved him. Either by being in a coma, or by not knowing because her feelings had been temporarily shut down. During that time, Courtney took it upon herself to be their mother. While it hurt to let them go, she knew that it was the right thing to do. She could be content with being Aunt Courtney to her two nephews. She glanced over as the door opened and Damian walked in. She smiled as she mentally corrected herself: three nephews. "Hey," She said softly. Morgan was asleep in her arms. She didn't want to wake him up by sampling greeting his big brother. Her luck didn't hold out, however. He awoke as he heard her voice. To his credit, Morgan didn't fuss. But he was awake.
Damian frowned. He didn't mean to wake up Morgan. "Sorry," He murmured.
Courtney shook her head, "It's not your fault."
Damian walked over and put his finger around Morgan's little hand. "Nice to know that something isn't my fault."
"You're still blaming what happened yesterday on yourself, aren't you?" Courtney asked.
"I don't know why I do it," Damian admitted. "But the fact remains the same. Everything that's happened because of me is my fault. If I had never come here things would have been different."
"Things would have been worse," Courtney said.
Damian shook his head, "That's debatable."
"No, it isn't." Courtney sighed, "You don't know how much you mean to us, Damian. I don't know why you choose to ignore the fact that we care, but we do."
"I'm not ignoring anything, Aunt Courtney. The facts remain the same. Dad and Carly wouldn't have had that period where they were upset at each other. Maxie would have never been put in danger. My grandparents would have never met up with Faith and almost died. Michael wouldn't have been through all the trauma that I've put him through. I've done a lot since I've been here. I can try and lie to myself by saying that it was good, but the truth is that it wasn't."
"Try looking at it through my eyes," Courtney said. "If you wouldn't have come here my brother would have never known that he had a full grown son that wanted to help people because of his own pain. Michael would have never had a big brother to look up to when he needed it. Maxie would probably still be in a relationship with Kyle because you wouldn't have been there to save her when she needed it. I would have never found out that I've got a nephew who has the guts to stand up to Carly of all people." Courtney was silent for a moment before she spoke again, "Want to know a secret?"
Damian cocked an eyebrow, "Depends on the secret."
"Last night before we went to bed, Jason admitted that he could get used to you calling him Uncle Jason."
"I might as well have put a bullet in him, he was so shocked."
"His family isn't exactly the best family on the face of the world," Courtney mused. She'd been married into it twice, although the second time was thankfully without as many visits to the Quatermaine household. They weren't all bad, of course. Edward alone made her skin crawl, and she never wanted to be involved with him unless she absolutely had to be. "They've known each other their whole lives and they hardly ever call anyone anything other than their first name, unless they are the parents. You've barely known Jason for a month and you're already using an honorific on him. It's going to take him some time to adjust. But he will, in time."
"I want a good relationship with everyone in this family," Damian admitted. "Even Carly."
"She's going to be the hardest obstacle for you. She's the most stubborn woman I've ever met in my life. But once she lets people in, they see that she's really a good person inside."
"I want to believe that she is, and maybe a part of me does. But it is really hard to accept that someone can be a good person if she won't even let me prove myself to her."
"You shouldn't have to prove yourself to anyone," Courtney said. "If they can't see you for who you are, then they don't deserve to be someone that you can trust. You didn't try and prove that you were a good person to me, but I saw it because I couldn't deny that you were."
"I was so mean to you that first night I met you."
Courtney laughed, "I wasn't exactly the nicest person on the planet that night."
"You know, none of my aunts back in Los Angeles are as nice and supportive as you. I'm glad I finally have an Aunt that I can actually confide in."
"What was it like?" Courtney asked. "You don't really talk about your life back in Los Angeles very hard."
"It was hard, but they cared about me. They might have treated me differently, even before my mom died, but they never gave me a vibe other than one that showed how much they loved me. After she was gone, though, they distanced themselves from me. Or, maybe I distanced myself from them. It could have been either, or both. I took it really hard when it happened. I shut everyone out of my life for a lot longer than I should have. I stopped eating. I stopped talking to my family. I basically went to school and came home, staying in a dark corner of my room and waiting for everything to end."
"What helped you recover?"
"Ironically, when I thought about ending everything myself."
Courtney gasped. "You wanted to kill yourself?"
Damian nodded, "I gave it some real thought one night. I didn't really have anything worth living for anymore, or so I thought. But I remembered my mom and that was enough to keep me going. I had went a long period of time thinking that she didn't love me enough to stay. Eventually I realized that she loved me enough to keep me alive. I've never thought about it again after that. I was still reclusive, but I was certainly happier."
"I'm happy that you're here," Courtney said. She held Morgan out to him.
"What are you doing?" Damian asked. "Am I supposed to be looking at a new outfit or something?"
"Hold him for a second," Courtney stated with a smirk. "I need to get a drink of water."
"Hold him?" Damian didn't like where this was going. "I've held him once, isn't that enough?"
"Please?"
Damian sighed. "Let the record show that you forced me into holding my baby brother should he meet an untimely end." When he grabbed the baby and wrapped him safely around his arms Morgan giggled. "You think I'm funny?"
"You don't have to be so nervous about everything, you know," Courtney poured herself some water and took a sip. "Morgan can tell when you're nervous. He knew Carly wasn't feeling him like she should have the first time she held him."
"Sorry. Some things are just really hard to get over. I could learn to like this, though. I mean, he isn't crying or anything. Aren't they supposed to do that?"
"Only when you're not doing something right."
"I hope I never have to help someone this small fight for their lives," Damian said. "He's just barely started living. He shouldn't have any problems for a long time."
"He won't, as long as he has people like his big brother to protect him."
"I'm not a miracle worker, Aunt Courtney."
"Are you sure about that?" She wondered. "When you look at all the lives you've helped change just by being who you are. By the way, how's Maxie?"
"A little shaken up," Damian informed her. "But that's understandable, given what she's been through. Mac's pretty adamant on keeping us apart."
"I told you that he would be."
"Don't you just love it when you're right?" Damian asked sarcastically as he eyed Morgan. The baby was looking up at him. It felt oddly comforting.
"Most of the time," Courtney replied with a grin on her face. "But, in this case, I'm really sad that I was right."
"Mac's the least of my worries. The biggest problem in my relationship with Maxie is making it last. She's afraid of me now, Aunt Courtney. Not because I'd hurt her, but because someone could hurt me or hurt her because of me." Damian turned away from Morgan, but still kept the baby in his arms. "I can't help but think that it might be better if we do break up."
"It wouldn't be," Courtney said. "Jason and I have our differences, and we've thought things like that form time to time, but we stay together because loving one another is the only thing that we know how to do. We can't hate it each other. We can't be mad at each other for very long. Everything comes back to the fact that we feel that we are meant for each other. Do you feel that way about Maxie?"
"I feel that way about Maxie. The question is, does she feel that way about me?"
"Do you feel she does?"
"I don't know."
Michael came rushing down the stairs. "You came back!"
"Did you ever think that I wouldn't?" Damian asked.
"No, but you didn't tell me you were leaving. The last time you went away you didn't tell me you were leaving either."
"The last time I made a very big mistake," Damian admitted. "I don't ever want to make that mistake again. Where's dad at, Michael?"
"Right here," Sonny said as he walked in behind Damian. He had taken some time to himself as well. He hadn't been there for more than a minute, and he heard none of the discussion between his sister and his son. "You take care of everything that you were worrying about?"
"I did," Damian said. "I got some perspective on my life and re-evaluated where I wanted to be right now. I don't want to be alone. I don't want to go home to an apartment that I share with no one. I want to come home to a place where I have a father and two little brothers living with me."
"You can always have that, Damian," Sonny said with a wide smile. His boy was coming home.
"What's happening?" Michael asked.
Courtney took Morgan back from Damian so that he could talk to Michael without fear of something happening to the baby. Damian sat on the edge of the couch, "I'm staying for longer than you thought, kid."
"You're coming to live with me again?" Michael was beyond gleeful.
"Not just you. With my family." He felt that he was making the right decision. He didn't know what would happen down the road, but he could face it. More than likely he could face it.
119
Shamira- You read the chapters that I make comments on... which actually makes me think that you might be way ahead of where you seem to be. I dunno, I'm just strange like that. I too like Justus. Granted, I'm more of a Joseph C Phillips fan, because he was in the Cosby Show and I love the Cosby Show, so I'm playing favorites, but I do not care. Anti-Journey Elizabeth is indeed shudder worthy, so creepy. The dynamic between Damian and his Nana over the phone was something that showed how close they still were, while it showed how much the rest of the family didn't really care for him. The chankla IS a scary thing, we all fear the sandal of death! Remember, Damian's homefront isn't PC, it be Los Angeles. Ah, the Widow and her plans... will they never stop? Nope!
I was quite proud of myself for the 100k words, I was. And I'm even more proud of myself for the 100 reviews. Actually, I'm proud of you all for reviewing my story over 100 times, it makes me feel good. AND this is the 75th chapter. So much celebration, so little time. Carly was 'just watching' Sonny make the food, he's not stupid enough to let her touch the kitchen, nope. I wanted to do something with Max, and give him more of a role than the official door opener. He might be regulated to doing that from hereon in, but he had his moment in the sun. Carly's process will be slow and painful, but when it comes to a head... oh, that's going to be fun. Don't you just love that dynamic between Sonny and Damian. Sonny's always trying to buy the boy, but he basically doesn't want any money at all. I love it, personally. Of course, I wouldn't write it if I didn't love it. You should love your Piano lessons. I wish I could play the piano. Besides, Damian can... heh.
Story-
Corinthos Household-
She sat on the couch, holding Morgan in her arms. Even though Leticia was there and was a great caretaker to both of her nephews, Courtney knew that they could be a handful. She had spent a lot of her time watching them. She understood the quirks that they had as well as, if not better than, Leticia herself. The sad part was that they both knew Morgan better than his own mother. It wasn't Carly's fault. Not entirely. She had spent most of Morgan's life not knowing how much she loved him. Either by being in a coma, or by not knowing because her feelings had been temporarily shut down. During that time, Courtney took it upon herself to be their mother. While it hurt to let them go, she knew that it was the right thing to do. She could be content with being Aunt Courtney to her two nephews. She glanced over as the door opened and Damian walked in. She smiled as she mentally corrected herself: three nephews. "Hey," She said softly. Morgan was asleep in her arms. She didn't want to wake him up by sampling greeting his big brother. Her luck didn't hold out, however. He awoke as he heard her voice. To his credit, Morgan didn't fuss. But he was awake.
Damian frowned. He didn't mean to wake up Morgan. "Sorry," He murmured.
Courtney shook her head, "It's not your fault."
Damian walked over and put his finger around Morgan's little hand. "Nice to know that something isn't my fault."
"You're still blaming what happened yesterday on yourself, aren't you?" Courtney asked.
"I don't know why I do it," Damian admitted. "But the fact remains the same. Everything that's happened because of me is my fault. If I had never come here things would have been different."
"Things would have been worse," Courtney said.
Damian shook his head, "That's debatable."
"No, it isn't." Courtney sighed, "You don't know how much you mean to us, Damian. I don't know why you choose to ignore the fact that we care, but we do."
"I'm not ignoring anything, Aunt Courtney. The facts remain the same. Dad and Carly wouldn't have had that period where they were upset at each other. Maxie would have never been put in danger. My grandparents would have never met up with Faith and almost died. Michael wouldn't have been through all the trauma that I've put him through. I've done a lot since I've been here. I can try and lie to myself by saying that it was good, but the truth is that it wasn't."
"Try looking at it through my eyes," Courtney said. "If you wouldn't have come here my brother would have never known that he had a full grown son that wanted to help people because of his own pain. Michael would have never had a big brother to look up to when he needed it. Maxie would probably still be in a relationship with Kyle because you wouldn't have been there to save her when she needed it. I would have never found out that I've got a nephew who has the guts to stand up to Carly of all people." Courtney was silent for a moment before she spoke again, "Want to know a secret?"
Damian cocked an eyebrow, "Depends on the secret."
"Last night before we went to bed, Jason admitted that he could get used to you calling him Uncle Jason."
"I might as well have put a bullet in him, he was so shocked."
"His family isn't exactly the best family on the face of the world," Courtney mused. She'd been married into it twice, although the second time was thankfully without as many visits to the Quatermaine household. They weren't all bad, of course. Edward alone made her skin crawl, and she never wanted to be involved with him unless she absolutely had to be. "They've known each other their whole lives and they hardly ever call anyone anything other than their first name, unless they are the parents. You've barely known Jason for a month and you're already using an honorific on him. It's going to take him some time to adjust. But he will, in time."
"I want a good relationship with everyone in this family," Damian admitted. "Even Carly."
"She's going to be the hardest obstacle for you. She's the most stubborn woman I've ever met in my life. But once she lets people in, they see that she's really a good person inside."
"I want to believe that she is, and maybe a part of me does. But it is really hard to accept that someone can be a good person if she won't even let me prove myself to her."
"You shouldn't have to prove yourself to anyone," Courtney said. "If they can't see you for who you are, then they don't deserve to be someone that you can trust. You didn't try and prove that you were a good person to me, but I saw it because I couldn't deny that you were."
"I was so mean to you that first night I met you."
Courtney laughed, "I wasn't exactly the nicest person on the planet that night."
"You know, none of my aunts back in Los Angeles are as nice and supportive as you. I'm glad I finally have an Aunt that I can actually confide in."
"What was it like?" Courtney asked. "You don't really talk about your life back in Los Angeles very hard."
"It was hard, but they cared about me. They might have treated me differently, even before my mom died, but they never gave me a vibe other than one that showed how much they loved me. After she was gone, though, they distanced themselves from me. Or, maybe I distanced myself from them. It could have been either, or both. I took it really hard when it happened. I shut everyone out of my life for a lot longer than I should have. I stopped eating. I stopped talking to my family. I basically went to school and came home, staying in a dark corner of my room and waiting for everything to end."
"What helped you recover?"
"Ironically, when I thought about ending everything myself."
Courtney gasped. "You wanted to kill yourself?"
Damian nodded, "I gave it some real thought one night. I didn't really have anything worth living for anymore, or so I thought. But I remembered my mom and that was enough to keep me going. I had went a long period of time thinking that she didn't love me enough to stay. Eventually I realized that she loved me enough to keep me alive. I've never thought about it again after that. I was still reclusive, but I was certainly happier."
"I'm happy that you're here," Courtney said. She held Morgan out to him.
"What are you doing?" Damian asked. "Am I supposed to be looking at a new outfit or something?"
"Hold him for a second," Courtney stated with a smirk. "I need to get a drink of water."
"Hold him?" Damian didn't like where this was going. "I've held him once, isn't that enough?"
"Please?"
Damian sighed. "Let the record show that you forced me into holding my baby brother should he meet an untimely end." When he grabbed the baby and wrapped him safely around his arms Morgan giggled. "You think I'm funny?"
"You don't have to be so nervous about everything, you know," Courtney poured herself some water and took a sip. "Morgan can tell when you're nervous. He knew Carly wasn't feeling him like she should have the first time she held him."
"Sorry. Some things are just really hard to get over. I could learn to like this, though. I mean, he isn't crying or anything. Aren't they supposed to do that?"
"Only when you're not doing something right."
"I hope I never have to help someone this small fight for their lives," Damian said. "He's just barely started living. He shouldn't have any problems for a long time."
"He won't, as long as he has people like his big brother to protect him."
"I'm not a miracle worker, Aunt Courtney."
"Are you sure about that?" She wondered. "When you look at all the lives you've helped change just by being who you are. By the way, how's Maxie?"
"A little shaken up," Damian informed her. "But that's understandable, given what she's been through. Mac's pretty adamant on keeping us apart."
"I told you that he would be."
"Don't you just love it when you're right?" Damian asked sarcastically as he eyed Morgan. The baby was looking up at him. It felt oddly comforting.
"Most of the time," Courtney replied with a grin on her face. "But, in this case, I'm really sad that I was right."
"Mac's the least of my worries. The biggest problem in my relationship with Maxie is making it last. She's afraid of me now, Aunt Courtney. Not because I'd hurt her, but because someone could hurt me or hurt her because of me." Damian turned away from Morgan, but still kept the baby in his arms. "I can't help but think that it might be better if we do break up."
"It wouldn't be," Courtney said. "Jason and I have our differences, and we've thought things like that form time to time, but we stay together because loving one another is the only thing that we know how to do. We can't hate it each other. We can't be mad at each other for very long. Everything comes back to the fact that we feel that we are meant for each other. Do you feel that way about Maxie?"
"I feel that way about Maxie. The question is, does she feel that way about me?"
"Do you feel she does?"
"I don't know."
Michael came rushing down the stairs. "You came back!"
"Did you ever think that I wouldn't?" Damian asked.
"No, but you didn't tell me you were leaving. The last time you went away you didn't tell me you were leaving either."
"The last time I made a very big mistake," Damian admitted. "I don't ever want to make that mistake again. Where's dad at, Michael?"
"Right here," Sonny said as he walked in behind Damian. He had taken some time to himself as well. He hadn't been there for more than a minute, and he heard none of the discussion between his sister and his son. "You take care of everything that you were worrying about?"
"I did," Damian said. "I got some perspective on my life and re-evaluated where I wanted to be right now. I don't want to be alone. I don't want to go home to an apartment that I share with no one. I want to come home to a place where I have a father and two little brothers living with me."
"You can always have that, Damian," Sonny said with a wide smile. His boy was coming home.
"What's happening?" Michael asked.
Courtney took Morgan back from Damian so that he could talk to Michael without fear of something happening to the baby. Damian sat on the edge of the couch, "I'm staying for longer than you thought, kid."
"You're coming to live with me again?" Michael was beyond gleeful.
"Not just you. With my family." He felt that he was making the right decision. He didn't know what would happen down the road, but he could face it. More than likely he could face it.
119