Los Angeles, California-
Even thought it was no doubt approaching dusk in Port Charles, Los Angeles had the ever stereotypical Californian sun shining, trying to battle against the thick layers of smog that would forever pollute the city.
"I really do hate it here," Sonny admitted.
Jason cocked an eyebrow, "That's it?"
"What do you mean, 'that's it?'" Sonny questioned.
"You didn't say a word the entire time that we were on the plane, Sonny. And now we're finally in Los Angeles and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is how much you hate it here?"
"It's the truth, Jason," Sonny said. "I really do not like coming to Los Angeles."
"Why?"
"Because... everything that went wrong in my life... there are places that those things happened, and this is one of them. This is where I was forced on his mother, Jason. This is where I tainted a young woman who had nothing to do with what was going on in my life..."
"Sonny, you can't be swallowed in your pity right now," Jason said. "You need to be around that family for the sake of your son."
"I don't want to go..."
"But you're going anyway, remember? That's why you brought me."
"If you weren't with me, I would have turned around and gone back to Port Charles by now."
"You're running, Sonny. You don't run from anything, that's not who you are."
"Maybe I'm just becoming more like my father," Sonny said.
"And you're trying to say that becoming like Mike is a good thing?" Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing. There were people that Sonny admired, much like there were people that Jason admired, one of those people being Sonny himself. But on Sonny's list, which was very small, there was no chance of Mike Corbin being anywhere near that list. Sonny viewed becoming his father was one of the worst things that he could ever do in his life. Mike had ruined Sonny's life in a way that caused him to be the person that he was now. While there were certainly a few benefits that came with Sonny being the person that he was, Sonny also always wondered what it would have been like if he hadn't have been forced into the life that he was in. Jason didn't want to think about what his life would be like without Sonny. If Mike hadn't have done what he did, he would have never met Courtney's mother, which means Courtney would have never been in his life. He was sorry for the pain that Sonny's past had caused him, but Sonny didn't always realize how much good his choices had done for people.
"I don't know what I'm saying!" Sonny shouted. "I'm so confused right now."
"Why?"
"Why?" Sonny was shocked at the question. He thought Jason more observant than that, "Jason, I'm coming to the place where my child's family lives. The place where he lived for 20 years of his life without even knowing that I existed. I'm sorry if you don't agree with my level of discomfort, but... whenever I come here, all I see is failure. This is where I failed to stand up for myself, and this is the place that came to when I failed to keep my son safe from Faith."
"Mr. Morgan?" One of Sonny's men came in, looking at Jason.
"Yeah?"
"I just thought that you'd like to know about the checkup that we did on the person in question."
"What do you have for me?" Jason wanted the information.
"He appears to have recovered from the wound that was sustained and sends his thanks."
"Good," Jason said softly. "Thanks."
"If you need anything else, don't be afraid to contact me," The man walked out, leaving Sonny and Jason alone again.
"What was that all about?" Sonny wondered. "Who did you have looked into already?"
"Zander," Jason said.
"Zander?" Sonny hadn't even thought about Zander Smith since the incident they had together when they came to Los Angeles, and that was a month ago. "What does Zander have to do with anything?"
"I just thought that it would cheer Damian and Maxie up if they heard that he was doing okay with his new life on the West Coast, and that he survived," Jason knew how afraid they both were for Zander's life when Zander took that bullet for Maxie. Maybe they both still worried, the moment forever etched in their minds, forever tainting their dreams.
Sonny couldn't help but laugh, he wasn't trying to be rude, but he thought it was highly amusing. "I never thought that you'd care about him that much..."
"Who? Zander? I don't care about Zander, Sonny. I don't have anything against the guy, but I didn't check up on him because I was worried about Zander..."
"No, not Zander. My son."
"Oh," Jason stopped going on his tirade. "I never thought that I would care about him as much as I do, either."
"I have to admit that when he first came into my life, when I first learned that he was my boy, I couldn't think of a time when I would accept him as much as I have," Sonny sat down on the bed of the hotel room. He knew it was safe, he had plenty of places all over the world that were tailor made to keep him and his family safe. "And I thought that he'd never accept me once he found out about what I do... but he surprised me. He's always surprising me."
"People like him... they're not easy to come by," Jason couldn't think of a person that was quite like Damian. "The Quatermaine's don't have anything that's so... driven... so pure. Not even Emily. He's taken everything that was thrown at him, things that would have broken anyone else, and he's turned them into personal strength."
"He doesn't get that from me," Sonny remarked somberly.
"He gets plenty from you, Sonny. He has that passion that I see in you. And, look at the way he acts around Maxie. He's just as protective with her as you are with Carly."
"Maxie's good for him..."
"I think she is, too."
"But I still have to worry about her father," Sonny admitted. "Mac might try and use her against me sometime. I don't think that she can say no to her father, even for my son."
"Sonny, Mac respects their bond as much as he can. I don't think he would want to compromise the situation that much just to get at you," Jason was being optimistic, but he knew that Mac had a certain level of standards that the other cops on the force lacked. He wouldn't be constantly using the system against everyone. It wasn't in him. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"Taking stock of everything that's happened in his life since you've met him?"
"I almost lost him, Jason!"
"But you didn't," Jason pointed out. "Almost doesn't count, Sonny. You should know that above anyone else."
"Almost doesn't count, but almost is still very scary," Sonny chimed. "I almost lost it in that room with him. Knowing that he would have been saying something, trying to make me laugh... trying to make me feel better, but he couldn't do anything because he was barely even alive."
"It's all behind you now, it's all behind him."
"But I'll never forget."
"No one is expecting you to forget anything that happened last night."
Sonny sighed, "Last night... I can't believe that it's happened and it's only been twenty four hours, not even twenty four hours. That whole day seems like it lasted an eternity."
"Time always goes slow when you're worried about someone that you love," Jason remarked, trying to sound as supportive as he possibly could.
"Do you think that I should call him?" Sonny wondered.
"He's probably asleep right now," Jason said. "Besides, with the time change it's even later in New York, he's almost surely getting rest."
Sonny smiled, "You know what's funny?"
"What?"
"He's adapted so well," Sonny got up and looked out the window. "Look at everything out there, Jason. There's an entire world. Port Charles is nothing compared to Los Angeles, and he's just as comfortable there as he was here, maybe even more comfortable since he's got people that he cares about and he actually made some friends."
"Any child of yours would find a way to survive anything, Sonny," Jason didn't like what he was looking at. He didn't like Sonny dipping so dangerously close to the edge. He could have a breakdown. While keeping those a secret from Michael was easy, keeping them from Damian would be another story entirely. He would ask questions, he would find the answers to those questions one way or another. Jason knew that Sonny wouldn't want the secret of his mental stability out, even to someone he trusted. Courtney didn't even know the whole story. "Just like you have," He tried to make Sonny somewhat calmer. But he didn't know what was going to happen. Sonny was a lot of things, and loose cannon was one of them. If the Zuniga's didn't accept what had happened to Damian, and there was no reason why they should have, what would Sonny do? Was there anyway for any of them to survive Sonny if he tipped over?
Even thought it was no doubt approaching dusk in Port Charles, Los Angeles had the ever stereotypical Californian sun shining, trying to battle against the thick layers of smog that would forever pollute the city.
"I really do hate it here," Sonny admitted.
Jason cocked an eyebrow, "That's it?"
"What do you mean, 'that's it?'" Sonny questioned.
"You didn't say a word the entire time that we were on the plane, Sonny. And now we're finally in Los Angeles and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is how much you hate it here?"
"It's the truth, Jason," Sonny said. "I really do not like coming to Los Angeles."
"Why?"
"Because... everything that went wrong in my life... there are places that those things happened, and this is one of them. This is where I was forced on his mother, Jason. This is where I tainted a young woman who had nothing to do with what was going on in my life..."
"Sonny, you can't be swallowed in your pity right now," Jason said. "You need to be around that family for the sake of your son."
"I don't want to go..."
"But you're going anyway, remember? That's why you brought me."
"If you weren't with me, I would have turned around and gone back to Port Charles by now."
"You're running, Sonny. You don't run from anything, that's not who you are."
"Maybe I'm just becoming more like my father," Sonny said.
"And you're trying to say that becoming like Mike is a good thing?" Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing. There were people that Sonny admired, much like there were people that Jason admired, one of those people being Sonny himself. But on Sonny's list, which was very small, there was no chance of Mike Corbin being anywhere near that list. Sonny viewed becoming his father was one of the worst things that he could ever do in his life. Mike had ruined Sonny's life in a way that caused him to be the person that he was now. While there were certainly a few benefits that came with Sonny being the person that he was, Sonny also always wondered what it would have been like if he hadn't have been forced into the life that he was in. Jason didn't want to think about what his life would be like without Sonny. If Mike hadn't have done what he did, he would have never met Courtney's mother, which means Courtney would have never been in his life. He was sorry for the pain that Sonny's past had caused him, but Sonny didn't always realize how much good his choices had done for people.
"I don't know what I'm saying!" Sonny shouted. "I'm so confused right now."
"Why?"
"Why?" Sonny was shocked at the question. He thought Jason more observant than that, "Jason, I'm coming to the place where my child's family lives. The place where he lived for 20 years of his life without even knowing that I existed. I'm sorry if you don't agree with my level of discomfort, but... whenever I come here, all I see is failure. This is where I failed to stand up for myself, and this is the place that came to when I failed to keep my son safe from Faith."
"Mr. Morgan?" One of Sonny's men came in, looking at Jason.
"Yeah?"
"I just thought that you'd like to know about the checkup that we did on the person in question."
"What do you have for me?" Jason wanted the information.
"He appears to have recovered from the wound that was sustained and sends his thanks."
"Good," Jason said softly. "Thanks."
"If you need anything else, don't be afraid to contact me," The man walked out, leaving Sonny and Jason alone again.
"What was that all about?" Sonny wondered. "Who did you have looked into already?"
"Zander," Jason said.
"Zander?" Sonny hadn't even thought about Zander Smith since the incident they had together when they came to Los Angeles, and that was a month ago. "What does Zander have to do with anything?"
"I just thought that it would cheer Damian and Maxie up if they heard that he was doing okay with his new life on the West Coast, and that he survived," Jason knew how afraid they both were for Zander's life when Zander took that bullet for Maxie. Maybe they both still worried, the moment forever etched in their minds, forever tainting their dreams.
Sonny couldn't help but laugh, he wasn't trying to be rude, but he thought it was highly amusing. "I never thought that you'd care about him that much..."
"Who? Zander? I don't care about Zander, Sonny. I don't have anything against the guy, but I didn't check up on him because I was worried about Zander..."
"No, not Zander. My son."
"Oh," Jason stopped going on his tirade. "I never thought that I would care about him as much as I do, either."
"I have to admit that when he first came into my life, when I first learned that he was my boy, I couldn't think of a time when I would accept him as much as I have," Sonny sat down on the bed of the hotel room. He knew it was safe, he had plenty of places all over the world that were tailor made to keep him and his family safe. "And I thought that he'd never accept me once he found out about what I do... but he surprised me. He's always surprising me."
"People like him... they're not easy to come by," Jason couldn't think of a person that was quite like Damian. "The Quatermaine's don't have anything that's so... driven... so pure. Not even Emily. He's taken everything that was thrown at him, things that would have broken anyone else, and he's turned them into personal strength."
"He doesn't get that from me," Sonny remarked somberly.
"He gets plenty from you, Sonny. He has that passion that I see in you. And, look at the way he acts around Maxie. He's just as protective with her as you are with Carly."
"Maxie's good for him..."
"I think she is, too."
"But I still have to worry about her father," Sonny admitted. "Mac might try and use her against me sometime. I don't think that she can say no to her father, even for my son."
"Sonny, Mac respects their bond as much as he can. I don't think he would want to compromise the situation that much just to get at you," Jason was being optimistic, but he knew that Mac had a certain level of standards that the other cops on the force lacked. He wouldn't be constantly using the system against everyone. It wasn't in him. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"Taking stock of everything that's happened in his life since you've met him?"
"I almost lost him, Jason!"
"But you didn't," Jason pointed out. "Almost doesn't count, Sonny. You should know that above anyone else."
"Almost doesn't count, but almost is still very scary," Sonny chimed. "I almost lost it in that room with him. Knowing that he would have been saying something, trying to make me laugh... trying to make me feel better, but he couldn't do anything because he was barely even alive."
"It's all behind you now, it's all behind him."
"But I'll never forget."
"No one is expecting you to forget anything that happened last night."
Sonny sighed, "Last night... I can't believe that it's happened and it's only been twenty four hours, not even twenty four hours. That whole day seems like it lasted an eternity."
"Time always goes slow when you're worried about someone that you love," Jason remarked, trying to sound as supportive as he possibly could.
"Do you think that I should call him?" Sonny wondered.
"He's probably asleep right now," Jason said. "Besides, with the time change it's even later in New York, he's almost surely getting rest."
Sonny smiled, "You know what's funny?"
"What?"
"He's adapted so well," Sonny got up and looked out the window. "Look at everything out there, Jason. There's an entire world. Port Charles is nothing compared to Los Angeles, and he's just as comfortable there as he was here, maybe even more comfortable since he's got people that he cares about and he actually made some friends."
"Any child of yours would find a way to survive anything, Sonny," Jason didn't like what he was looking at. He didn't like Sonny dipping so dangerously close to the edge. He could have a breakdown. While keeping those a secret from Michael was easy, keeping them from Damian would be another story entirely. He would ask questions, he would find the answers to those questions one way or another. Jason knew that Sonny wouldn't want the secret of his mental stability out, even to someone he trusted. Courtney didn't even know the whole story. "Just like you have," He tried to make Sonny somewhat calmer. But he didn't know what was going to happen. Sonny was a lot of things, and loose cannon was one of them. If the Zuniga's didn't accept what had happened to Damian, and there was no reason why they should have, what would Sonny do? Was there anyway for any of them to survive Sonny if he tipped over?