Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot

Summary: Courtney and Jax left Port Charles over 16 years ago, but what happens when a tragic event forces Courtney to come home and face the mess she left behind?

Home, back home
Where the memories all have gathered up and
Slowly turn to gold

Tim McGraw

Sonny looked about the same to her, the only difference being the gray that peppered his dark mane and the creases around his eyes. He looked tired and uncomfortable in the formal black tux that she was sure Carly had picked out. "What the hell are you doing here?" His razor sharp voice cut right through her. She hadn't expected a warm welcome, but somehow she thought that it would be better than this.

"Good to see you, too." Courtney mumbled in return. She watched her brother shake his head in annoyance and waited for the lecture that was sure to follow. Things between her and Sonny had been strained to say the least. He never understood her relationship with Jax and refused to attend the wedding. He cut her out of his life and she did the same with him; after awhile it became as though that she didn't even have a brother.

"You're not welcome in this town any longer," his low voice broke into her thoughts. She knew that he would be angry, but the fire in his eyes showed so much more.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you spoke for the entire community of Port Charles," she returned dryly.

"This isn't a joke." He replied. "There isn't anything funny about what you did to everyone that once loved you. Do you even care that you turned your back on your family?" A few tears sprung to her eyes, but she refused to cry in front him.

"What exactly did I do, Sonny? Marry someone that you didn't approve of? I hardly think that the blame should all be on my shoulders; you made it very clear that it was either you or Jax."

"And you chose Jax over your own flesh a blood. You ran away and never looked back. You couldn't even be bothered to return for Mike's funeral." He roared in frustration.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Courtney's ears perked up as she looked past Sonny to see Jay making his way into the lobby. His face was red with anger and annoyance, which made her wonder how much of the conversation he had heard. He forced himself into the little space the separated her from Sonny, who seemed a little surprised at the younger man's actions.

"This is none of your business, kid." Sonny said.

"The hell it isn't. No one speaks to my mother like that." Jay replied hotly.

"Mother?" His eyebrow shot up as he threw a skeptical look at Courtney. Jay nodded as Sonny began studying the boy and she knew that the resemblance to his best friend would not go unnoticed by her brother.

"Sonny, this is Jay." She whispered trying to keep her voice from quivering. "Jay, this is Sonny… my brother." She saw the look of shock come across her son's face. He had heard of Sonny before, usually when his Mom and Dad were fighting. But as far as their relation to him, Jay had never been sure. All he knew was that Sonny was Carly's husband, and Carly and his mom had been friends years ago.

"Jesus Sonny! Don't you know it's rude to leave your own party?" Carly bellowed as she entered the lobby, her face becoming pale when she noticed her sister-in-law. Courtney turned back the counter and grabbed the key that the concierge had left.

"Room 206. I'll be up in a little while." She said turning to her son and placing the key into his hand. He glanced back and forth between Sonny and Courtney with a look of worry on his face. "I'll be fine." She gently pushed him in the direction of their room and watched as he threw one more dirty look at Sonny before disappearing into the elevator. She could feel the couple's unwavering stares sizing her up. She turned back towards them determined to handle this in a mature manner.

"He's a little overprotective." Courtney muttered.

"He must get that from his father," Sonny replied pointedly. A wave of nausea came across her, but she tried to ignore it as she smiled weakly.

"We heard about Jax. I'm very sorry, Courtney." Carly offered. Courtney studied the face of the woman that she had once called her best friend. She had aged gracefully and still held the air of confidence that most women envied. Her dark hair was pulled back to reveal the sincerity and remorse in her almond shaped eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered as she shifted uncomfortably. Her gaze wandered over to the huge oak doors that Carly had just came from wondering who would emerge next.

"How have you been?" Carly asked trying to remain cordial on her husband's behalf. Before Courtney could respond, Sonny cut in.

"Oh I'm sure she's been just great. You know—she has the perfect life that she always wanted. Who gives a damn about the people she hurt in her quest for the American dream?" Sonny growled. Carly prodded her elbow into his ribs, but the damage had already been done. The tears that Courtney had been trying so hard to keep at bay where now coursing down her flushed cheeks, but Sonny was not done yet. "Was he worth it? Huh? Was Jax worth everything?"

"Stop it, Sonny!" Carly interjected.

"Yeah, he was worth it. Jax may not have been perfect, but he never once turned his back on me. He loved me unconditionally even when I didn't deserve it. He took good care of his family and never put us in danger. I am not sorry for choosing him over you." Courtney spat out. "Now this has been fun, but I need to check on my son." She turned around and headed upstairs never once looking back to see the astonished looks on her brother and sister-in-law's faces.

She found Jay sitting on the bed closest to the window when she entered the small hotel room. He looked tired and confused. His mother could only imagine the questions he had for her.

"You ok?" He asked studying her for any trace of emotional distress. She had become very good at hiding what she was feeling in order to protect him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled reassuringly.

"How come you never told them about me?" Courtney took a deep breath trying to think of a way of explaining the situation to him.

"I didn't tell them, because it was none of their business."

"Are you ashamed of me?" He sounded hurt and her heart broke.

"No, of course not," she assured him taking a seat next to him on the corner of the bed. "My brother is a very difficult man. He loves people when it's convenient for him and when it's not, while you are as good as dead to him. He never approved of me and your father's relationship, which is why he cut me out of his life. I didn't want to give him the chance to do the same thing to you."

"How come he didn't like dad?"

"Umm, well you see…" she strained to find a way to explain it to him without going into too much detail. "Before me, there was a woman that both your dad and Sonny were in love with. They butted heads a lot over her and that caused a lot of bad blood between them. And I guess neither of them ever really got over it."

"Well, we don't need him," Jay scoffed.

"I don't want you to hate him, Jay. Deep down he's a good guy and he is your uncle." Courtney advised. Her son nodded in response, but she knew better. Once someone got on her son's bad side, it was nearly impossible to redeem yourself in his eyes. Another charming quality he got from his father.

"Does Sonny know my biological father?" His mother was caught off guard by the question. Jay knew that Jax was not technically his father, but never brought up anything about his real father. To her son, Jax was his Dad whether or not the DNA matched. She had expected him to get curious and ask questions, but had not prepared herself to answer them. Seeing the perturbed look on his mother's face, Jay quickly retracted his question. "You know what? Never mind. I'm just going to brush my teeth and go to sleep."

"Jay," she said softly, but he just shook his head and kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't worry, Ma. We'll talk about it some other time." He murmured before heading into the connected bathroom.

The incessant banging on the door was an unwelcome wake up call for Courtney. She peeked out of one eye to see Jay still fast asleep. Lucky kid could sleep through anything.

"I'm coming!" She groaned forcing herself out of bed. Opening the door, she found a bright-eyed Carly standing there with a huge grin on her face. "Damn it, Carly! It's 7:44 in the morning!" She growled.

"We need to talk," her best friend announced and Courtney let out a sigh. She looked over her shoulder and saw her son begin to stir in his bed.

"I'll meet you at Kelly's in twenty minutes."

"Ok, but if your not there, I'm just going to have to come back here and make even more noise." Carly explained innocently and was met with the door being shut in her face. Great, just the way I wanted to start off my day, Courtney thought to herself before jumping in the shower.