Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. The powers that be at General Hospital do. They just don't use them very well. There are some original characters in here as well.

Feedback: Is greatly appreciated. If you like it tell me why, if you don't, please tell me what you don't like. It's how I learn.

Author's notes: A lot of the characters on GH will be in this fic, if you don't see them right away give me time. I like fic's with a lot of characters in them, so that is how I write them.

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What If…

Chapter 15

~Docks~

"Well, well, well if it isn't the much maligned Jason Morgan," Taggert said with a smile, rocking his head back and forth, "So how's anger boy these days?"

Jason said nothing and just looked at Taggert, he knew the man hated it, when he didn't speak. He felt Rory shift behind him, and unconsciously countered her movements with his body keeping her partially concealed from Taggert.

"Well I see, you still can't think and speak at the same time." Taggert taunted.

Jason could almost feel Rory's anger coming off of her. As much as he loved her temper he really hoped for once she keep her mouth shut. Taggert was easier to get rid of it you ignored him.

"So accosting women on the docks, it that what your doing for Corinthos these days?" Taggert pushed with a smile moving closer, one day he would find the trigger on Jason's temper and then he would have him. "That make's my job so much easier."

Jason stared at Taggert, "Is there a point to this?"

"Look it speaks," Taggert shook his head in amazement, "Well let's see if your brain damaged head can comprehend this, I'll speak slowly so I don't lose you."

Jason tilted his head to the side waiting for Taggert to continue, with a half smirk on his face.

"What you were doing to the young lady is at worse assault, and best attempted murder, oh yes today's going to be a good day." Tagggert said with a grin, barely controlling the urge to rub his hands together in anticipation of finally putting Jason away.

Jason stifled a groan he knew what was coming.

"Look Kojak I don't know what's in those lollipops of yours but you definitely got a bad one," Rory said loudly stepping clear of Jason.

Taggert's mouth dropped open and stared at her in shock, "Elizabeth you're dead." He stated in confusion.

Rory threw her hands up in disgust, "Remind me to move here when I want to start my criminal career." She said to Jason, "I will have no problem if these are the cops I have to deal with." She finished icily decimating Taggert with her eyes.

"I don't understand," Taggert said shaking his head trying to clear her image from his mind. He had gotten to know Elizabeth Webber pretty well, during her rape case and the Tom Baker incident. He had spoken to her on numerous occasions and seen countless photos of her, he had even partially attended her autopsy, so it made no sense that she was standing in front of him.

Jason glanced at Rory, who rolled her eyes at him, he quickly turned back to Taggert keeping his expression blank.

"Come on Jason, let's go, if we wait for him to have a coherent thought we will be here for weeks," Rory said slipping her hand in Jason's and pulling on him to make him move.

"Hold it Morgan," Taggert ordered sharply. The woman couldn't be Elizabeth but it didn't matter now, she was with Jason Morgan and that was enough to catch his interest. The fact that she looked like Elizabeth only heightened his concern for her safety and awakened a need to protect her from Morgan and Corinthos, before another innocent victim was caught in their cross-hairs.

Rory sighed heavily pausing, "What is it officer?"

"Lieutenant," Taggert corrected automatically, ignoring Rory's amused snort. "There is still the matter of anger boy here, trying to throw you off the dock."

"God how dense are you?" Rory asked ignoring the way Jason's hand tightened on hers in warning, "look you have obviously only been on the force for what an hour? If you can't learn the difference between teasing and an actual assault you won't make it a day."

"I saw anger boy here holding you over the water, and I heard you yelling at him to put you down," Taggert asserted stubbornly.

"Well clueless boy, you really need help then." Rory spouted back.

Jason let go of her hand and stepped in between Taggert and Rory, trying to head off her attack, "You heard it nothing happened," he said coldly before turning to leave.

"Hold it Morgan, here or at the station."

Jason stopped with a shake of his head and turned to stare at Taggert, angling his head, in a way the projected confusion. Taggert fell for it all the time.

"Yo Kojak, what is your name and badge number?" Rory asked digging in Jason's coat pocket for his notebook.

Taggert focused on her, noting the familiarity between the two, "Why?"

"Oh, I'm going to need if for when I file charges against you for harassment," Rory said pulling the pen from Jason's back pocket. "You intrude on a private conversation between two people, you constantly, belittle and insult one of the people, and when they decide to leave you threaten them with arrest. Let's see what that adds up to." She paused tapping the pen on her chin before smiling, "I know soon you'll be asking if you want fries with that."

Jason bit his lip to keep from smiling when Taggert's sneer vanished and a look of surprise crossed his face again. Maybe this wasn't so bad Jason thought settling in to enjoy the show.

"Miss will you come here for a minute?" Taggert asked taking a deep breath and gesturing to the bench behind him.

"Why?"

"Please," Rory shrugged and moved over to the him, "Morgan you wait right here." Taggert said with a glare, before moving over to the bench a few feet away.

Rory sat on the bench ignoring Taggert when he sat beside her. She could tell by the way Jason was holding himself that he was upset, she wanted this idiot cop gone, more for Jason's sake than for her own personal aversion to cops. So maybe, she told herself, if you shut up he would leave faster. It was just so hard when the perfect target was sitting beside her.

"Miss what is your name?" Taggert asked softly.

"Why don't you have a cute little nickname for me, officer?" Rory asked it was just not in her nature to cooperate with idiots, especially cops.

"Lieutenant." Taggert corrected, "Miss look at me," he said and waited.

Rory focused on him, "Nichols, my name is Rory Nichols." She said with a sigh, turning back to Jason.

"Look at me." Taggert said again, when she did he continued on softly, "Ms. Nichols, if you are afraid of Morgan, of what he might do to you if you tell the truth don't be. I can protect you from Morgan all you have to do is tell me the truth about what happened here." He smiled at her persuasively his dimples winking, "You will be safe I promise you."

Rory stared at him incredulous for a full five seconds before laughter erupted from her, the sound echoing around the docks, "You're going to protect me from Jason? Oh god that's rich," Rory gasped out finally.

"I'm serious," Taggert snapped.

Rory bit off a laugh, "Oh god I think you are," she said after studying him through tear filled eyes, "That's so…so pathetic."

Taggert glared at her, and put his hand on her arm to stop her when she rose to walk away.

Jason moved over then, "Let her go." He ordered coldly.

Taggert half smiled at Jason and raised his hand, his eyes going speculative when he got to his feet, this was new. Emotion from Jason Morgan, interesting, he may have found Jason's trigger.

Rory caught the shift in Taggert's eyes as he studied Jason and quickly acted, "Look officer there is no problem here, Jason never hurt me, nor would he ever hurt me, you just got your wires crossed."

"Look Morgan here is a dangerous criminal, a thug, a lap dog for Sonny Corinthos. He always gets the people around him hurt, while he walks off without a scratch. There is no need for you to try to protect him, he will only get you killed." Taggert snapped, focusing on her trying to get through.

"Oh you know that for a fact, that he is a dangerous criminal?" Rory asked her eyes cold.

"Yes."

"Then why isn't he in jail?" Rory paused waiting, "If you know so much why isn't he behind bars?"

"Oh he will be, there or in the morgue, it's only a matter of time. I just don't want to see you in the morgue along side of him." Taggert said coldly trying to shock her, "You know you wouldn't be the first girl he's gotten hurt, are you ready to die?"

"Taggert back off, if you want to talk someone talk to me, you don't talk to her like that." Jason said quickly stepping in front of Taggert so he was only a few inches from Taggert.

"That sound's like an order anger boy." Taggert said, yes she was Jason's trigger.

Rory interrupted, she knew Jason was getting angry, "So your so smart, so brilliantly capable, that it's only a matter of time before you get Jason is that what your telling me?"

Taggert kept his eyes locked on Jason's not wanting to break the staring contest first, "That's right."

"So as this what super cop? You're prepared for anything, any question and action your just omnipotent right?" Rory asked.

Jason kept his eyes on Taggert and waited for the punch, he knew Rory was setting him up.

"Anything, unlike anger boy here, I have the brain cells to comprehend things," Taggert taunted.

"Okay that's good to know, in fact it's great," Rory said shaking her head, "So what's one plus one?"

"What?" Taggert blinked and looked at her in confusion.

"Buzz. That's a wrong answer care to go to the next level where the points can really add up?" Rory jeered with a sneer.

Jason turned a laugh into a cough when he saw Taggert color.

"Now you listen here…"

"No, you listen to me," Rory interrupted her eyes blazing in fury, "You have wasted enough of my time with your inanity, your incompetence, and your stupidity. If you are an example of the boys in blue in this town, I am seriously concerned about staying here. So believe me when I tell you that if I ever need a cop in this town it sure as hell won't be you. Now leave us alone, or I will call 911 and report your ass. Somehow I doubt it will be first complaint against you."

Taggert assessed the woman before him and saw that she would back up her threat. He couldn't reach her now, with Morgan here, but there would be another time. Jason Morgan had finally revealed his weakness so it would only be a matter of time. Once he had Morgan he would have Corinthos, "Morgan we'll be seeing each other soon," Taggert said abruptly. "Rory I'm sure will be meeting again too," he said with a smile and then he turned and walked away.

Rory watched him walk away before, turning to look at Jason. Jason sighed wearily and scrubbed his hand over his eyes, "Rory," he said with a shake of his head.

"No, you cannot be mad at me," Rory said quickly.

"You should have just let him talk. He talks, I don't answer, he gets frustrated and leaves, it's quick and it's easy," Jason said putting one hand on his hip, using the other to gesture, "Now you've drawn his attention and curiosity to you, he'll be back now. Why didn't you just keep your mouth shut?"

"Don't do that to me," Rory said the hurt caused by his words visible in her eyes, "I will not stand by and let someone insult you. I don't care who they are, they will not do it in my presence. So don't you dare try to tell me not to, because I won't listen."

"Rory it's easier."

"I don't care I won't," Rory snapped, before taking a deep breath and crossing to him. She took his hands in hers before continuing. "When your alone, you can play that dance with Taggert anyway you want. It's your call, I don't care." She paused and stared at his hands, the way they seem to engulf hers, before looking back up at him, "But when I'm around he won't call you names, or treat you like that. I know it doesn't matter to you what he says, you probably don't even hear him, but it matters to me, I won't let anyone treat you like that, so don't try to make me."

Lucky walked around the corner of the docks and spotted the two below him on the docks, he quickly stepped back out of eyesight, but stayed within hearing range.

Jason sighed and bent his head resting it on hers, his hands tightening on hers, "It's just Taggert's going to focus on you now, I don't want him coming after you with all his crap about me."

"Let him. What do you think Taggert could tell me about you that I don't already know, or haven't guessed?" She asked, she felt him tense and cursed herself, his work was a subject that they avoided. "I mean," She said pulling back slightly so she could look into his eyes, "there is nothing, nothing, that Taggert or anyone could ever tell me that would make me turn on you." She paused, "And that Jason Morgan is my promise to you."

Jason studied her, "A promise from you? I thought you didn't make promises," he said with a smile.

"Yes a promise, and I've never broken a promise," Rory said seriously her eyes held his, she needed him to know how much she meant those words.

Jason ran his hand down her cheek, lightly stroking it, she leaned into his hand, "Jason don't you know by now how much you mean to me?"

Lucky heard her words and felt the punch of them in his gut he had to stop this. He looked around trying to find anything that could help him he smiled slightly when he noticed something directly across from him.

Jason kept his eyes on hers, was she finally going to tell him, her hand reached up to close over his holding it on her face. "Tell me." He said softly.

Rory was caught by the mesmerizing quality of his eyes, "Jason I lo…" She stopped when she heard a loud crash behind her.

Jason reacted instinctively, at the first sound he grabbed Rory, and pulled her behind him to shield her from whatever was causing the noise. His eyes focused on a trashcan as it rolled down the steps and passed in front of him. When Rory felt his grip on her arm slacken she moved up to stand beside him and watched the trashcan roll and pitch off the side of the dock with a splash.

"Well that's interesting," Rory said looking back up the steps to the empty landing. "I guess it was bath time."

Jason's eyes continued to scan the area, the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, something was going on here, he could feel it.

She moved away from him to study the trashcan as it slowly disappeared in the murky water. Now she really was glad she hadn't made the trip into he water. She shook her head at the realization that she had a cop to be grateful to, now that was a new experience, she thought with a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Jason asked moving to stand beside her, his eyes flicking over to the landing.

"Well I'm finding myself in a strange situation. I'm grateful to a cop." She said with a shudder, "I don't like that, it messes up the natural order of things."

"What's the natural order?"

"Well to me cops have always been someone to be made fun of, harass, or avoid. So being grateful to one is decidedly unsettling." She pouted before turning to look at Jason, she poked him in the ribs, "And it's all your fault."

"Ow, why is it my fault?" He asked catching her hand before she could poke him again.

"Because if you hadn't been about to throw me in, Kojak would have had no reason to stop and harass us. Morgan you really need to learn how to take a joke."

"He would have stopped anyway, that's who he is. Why are you calling him Kojak?" Jason asked.

"Jason." Rory wailed putting her hands on her hips, "Don't you ever watch the boob tube? You know the show, "Who love's ya baby?" She asked him in a singsong voice, groaning at his blank look. "You know you could check out TV Land occasionally instead of those travel books, you might learn something."

"So I'll learn stuff from TV and not books?" He asked her, scratching his chin, "That's a new one."

"Ugh, don't you have somewhere to be Morgan?" She moved over to the bench.

"Yes actually I do, but I wanted to ask you something first." He said sitting beside her.

"What?" She leaned against him.

"Do you want to have dinner with Sonny and Carly tonight? We were going to go to the No-Name."

Rory smiled, "Well food is always good for me, and dinner with Sonny and Carly sounds interesting." She said with a smile anticipating round three, "and how can I refuse an invite to the famous No-Name?"

"Good. Do you want to come with me now?"

"To where?" she asked settling her head on his shoulder.

"To meet my grandmother."

Rory jerked her head connecting with his jaw. Meet my grandmother the words ran through her mind, sending her nerves haywire. "Now?" she asked.

"Yes now," Jason said sharply rubbing his jaw. He watched her get to her feet and begin to pace in front of him, "I told you I was going to see her today."

"Uh, yeah you did." She said meekly her mind racing. Meeting Emily, Sonny and Carly was one thing, but meeting his grandmother now that was a scary thought. She knew he adored Lila Quartermain. She was the epitome of class in every since of the word, and who was she? She thought stopping her pacing her mind going off on a terrible tangent. She was a nobody, an orphan, who had no memories of her parents, who traveled from place to place with an uncle who was always on the grift, looking for the next bigger and better deal. She could spot a mark at fifty paces, his grandmother would take one look at her and sic the dogs on her.

"Rory." Jason got up, worried by her unnatural stillness and her paleness. He brought his hands up to cup her face, surprised to find it was now chilled when it had been warm only a few minutes ago, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She snapped, closing her eyes before going on in a lower tone, "I think you should see her by yourself today. She hasn't seen you since last August, and Emily told you she was missing you. I think it should be your day with her." She said with a distracted smile her brain racing she sucked in a breath and held it. I can't meet her looking like this, she thought and glanced down at her blue jeans and sweater, she would probably serve tea. She stifled a groan, God what do people wear to tea? A dress, a suit, a tiara? This was nuts, Lila was a lady and she was just a mutt, everything started to get darker. God she was out of her element here.

"Rory take a breath." Jason ordered shaking her slightly.

Automatically she obeyed, and thankfully the darkness receded. To think that a few minutes ago she was going to tell him she loved him, Rory snorted at the memory. What was she thinking? She wouldn't fit into his family's world, she had a GED and they did finishing schools. She closed her eyes saddened at the thought, she took a breath before she opened them again, "Sorry." She said softly.

"Where did you go?" He asked he could see the hurt and sadness in her eyes. What had he done wrong?

"Nowhere," Rory said quickly pulling away, he was hers now, and she was going to hold on to him for as long as she could.

"Rory come with me, I told you I wanted you to meet her. Lila, Emily, Monica and Ned are the only Quartemains that have ever even tried to know me."

"Jason I will meet her if that is what you want. I just think you need to see her first by yourself." She saw the argument in his eyes, and cut him off with the only weapon she had, "Besides she probably knew Elizabeth Webber, you don't want to spring me on her, with no warning."

Jason sighed and nodded, "You're right, but you will meet her." He said firmly, pulling her into a hug. He felt her arms tighten hard around him she clung to him a bit longer than usual. He wished he could read her better, sometimes he didn't have a clue as to what she was thinking.

With one final squeeze Rory stepped back, "Go on you don't want to keep her waiting, I'll meet you later at Jakes." She said with a smile trying to shove off her melancholy.

"Are you sure your okay?" Jason asked studying her.

"Yes, I'm hungry. You know me, if I go a few hours without food I get crazy. It's a good thing I have a fast metabolism or I would weigh 300 lbs.

Jason shoved his hands in his pockets, "You don't have to lie to me, not ever." He said quietly.

"I know." She said before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him, "So go already or you won't see your grandmother today."

"Okay." Jason said with a laugh when she began to shove him down the dock, "I'll see you later."

She watched him walk away before turning to study the water, she felt chilled all of a sudden without him there, and wrapped her arms around her waist. She knew it wasn't reasonable, it wasn't even logical, but she had this fear that his family wouldn't approve of her. She knew he was estranged from them, that their approval didn't mean anything to Jason, but she also knew that his grandmother's opinion did matter to him.

She shook her head, it made more sense for her to be worried about Sonny and Carly's reaction to her, not the Quartemains, after all they were the family he had chosen, but the idea of meeting Lila Quartermain terrified her. Rory bowed her head against the wind, lost in thought.

"Are you okay?" Lucky's voice came from behind her.

Rory tensed, when she heard his voice, not now, she thought pulling herself out of her depressing thoughts and turning to face him. "L-lucky?" she asked in surprise he looked so different.

"Yes, it's me." Lucky said with a grin.

She studied the man in front of her, gone was the frosted spiky blond hair, instead it was a soft brown, and cut and styled in a decent way. He seemed taller too, and leaner it was almost like she was looking at a different person. She noticed a confident gleam in his eye that had been missing the other times she had seen him. "You look different."

"Yeah, well I feel different." Lucky said with a smile moving up beside her, to study the water, he noticed her shift slightly to increase the distance between them and deliberately kept his voice casual. "If you mean the hair, this in my natural shade, I have no idea why I went blonde I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time," He looked down at her and shrugged, "To tell you the truth I was drunk, I got that way a lot."

"Oh," Rory said feeling unsure of what she was supposed to do now.

Lucky stepped away from her and sat on the bench, her eyes followed his movements and noticed he was carrying a large black book.

"Well I should get going." She said heading away from Lucky.

"Wait." Lucky called after her, but made no move to get up to try and stop her.

"Why?" Rory stopped but didn't turn around.

"I would like to show you something, and try to explain some things to you." He said, holding his breath.

"Well I don't…"

"I won't touch you, you can leave anytime you want, I won't try to stop you. I just think you might understand better if you knew where I was coming from." He interrupted, focusing on her set shoulders he knew how stubborn she could be.

"Why would that make a difference to me?" She asked.

"Please." He had to get her to stay, "Unless you're afraid of me."

She turned around then to glare at him, "I'm not afraid of you."

He swallowed the smile, she was so like the Elizabeth he had first met all of those years ago, fearless and prickly, "Then why not stay?"

"Because I…"

"Did Jason order you not to?" Lucky interrupted again.

"Of course not, Jason doesn't tell me what to do, no one tells me what to do." She snapped moving closer to Lucky.

"So stay then," Lucky said with a smile patting the bench beside him, "I dare you," he taunted.

Her eyes lit and she looked at the man on the bench and the book he was holding. Sighing she made up her mind, she hoped she wasn't going to regret this. She moved over and dropped on the bench beside him, "So talk Spencer."