Corinthos Household-
While Jason didn't really want to go and have a social night, even one that was so close to his home with the people that he actually cared about, he knew that he couldn't get out of it. He had already given his word that he would go along with the idea that Carly had for a party, and that maybe, just maybe, he would have a good time while he was with his best friends and his wife. But promises were never something that Jason Morgan made unless he was absolutely sure that he would keep them. He couldn't promise Carly that everything would be all right at any time because he knew that deep down something would probably happen that would make the promise not come true, and he didn't want to think that he had caused her hopes to be crushed.
Carly's hope, however, were anything but crushed when she saw him walk into the house with his wife by his side. She smiled at Jason before looking over at Courtney, as if mentally asking if Courtney had won the battle against Jason's stubbornness. The smile on Courtney's face showed Carly that she had indeed been victorious. Carly, silent as she could possibly be, walked over to Jason and gave him a hug, whispering in his ear, "Thank you…"
Jason returned the hug lightly, barely a pat on Carly's back. Courtney wouldn't be that jealous of the fact that they had embraced. Sometimes she looked like she was jealous of the bond that they shared, and maybe on some level she was, but Jason knew that she was all too aware of the fact that Carly and Jason had a bond that nobody else could ever have. It was theirs, it was special, but it didn't, in any way, make the sacred vows that he had made to his wife any less poignant. If there were vows that would be made between lifelong friends, Jason and Carly would have made them a long time ago.
"I know how important this is to you," his voice didn't need to be a whisper, Jason, by default, tended to speak in a soft and soothing tone unless he was enraged, something that rarely happened. Jason was the epitome of calm and collected, something that was a very vital part of the life that he led. Sonny couldn't be anywhere near as collected as Jason was, even if he tried. Conversely, Jason couldn't match the vengeful passion that Sonny could sometimes unleash. Maybe, just maybe, Jason was afraid of that dark part of Sonny's soul… Carly and Courtney certainly were, and maybe Sonny was, too.
"I want you to realize how much you mean to me… you and Courtney."
"You never needed to say anything about it, Carly," he replied. "We've always known how much you care about us… we've never doubted it."
"And Jason and I can only hope that you know just how much we care about you and Sonny and the boys." Courtney smiled, looking like she belonged on the runway in some sparkling gown as opposed to the stark drabness of the penthouse. She stood out like a beacon of pure beauty, angelic in her nature. "You're our family, Carly… and family means everything to us."
"You know… before I met you people I didn't even really know what family meant," Carly moved over and leaned against the arm of the couch. "I mean, I had my adopted family… and deep down I loved them, I still do, I'll always be grateful to them for what they did. They gave me a home… maybe not the best home in the world, but it was better than nothing… but I didn't understand what it truly meant to be bonded by love for people until I met you, Jase… and later when I met you, Courtney. You're the best family that I could ever hope for."
"Don't get all weepy on us," Courtney, trying to hold back her own tears, being so touched by Carly's confession, stood by her friend, "You're going to ruin the mood…"
"All right," Carly waved her hands in front of her eyes, hoping to fan away the tears before they started streaming down her face like she was some animated character on one of Michael's cartoon shows, "No tears tonight…"
Jason watched the two most important women in his life from a safe distance. Courtney would always go the extra mile for Carly, and the same could be said if the situations were reversed, but Jason knew that there was some part of Carly's soul that was crying because of her current situation. The need to know who her birthfather was had long since consumed Carly's entire existence. She was like that. Carly went headfirst into a cause, even if it was something that she probably should have treaded around with caution. Caution was never something that Carly could really understand. She was setting herself up for a huge fall, one that Jason wasn't sure he could pick up the pieces from when she hit rock bottom, nor was he sure he could even save her from falling.
"So what do you guys think of the room?" Carly tried to present the reorganized furniture with a sweeping motion of her hand. "Sonny seems to be okay with it… I didn't have to fight him."
"Miracles happen," Courtney quipped, knowing how stubborn her brother could be. She loved Sonny for the strength of his decisiveness, even when it worked against him or the people that he loved. Sonny latched onto an idea and didn't let go, like a pit bull with lockjaw. Still, they weren't there to trade idle barbs about Sonny, they were there to celebrate. "I think it looks wonderful, Carly…"
"I haven't seen this much room in the penthouse since… well, a long time ago," Carly laughed. The place used to be a whole lot different, before she came into Sonny's life, and more importantly before Michael came into his life. When Michael became his son, Sonny found himself doing everything to accommodate the needs of a small boy. Carly knew then and there that she had made the best choice she could have made when it came to raising her child with a father figure. AJ would never do something like that for anyone, anyone but himself.
"I can't believe you just got this idea in your head…"
She snapped her head towards Jason, "You know just because I have the most horrible track record out of anyone who has ever lived on the planet Earth when it comes to my ideas doesn't mean that they're always going to be horrible…"
"I didn't say anything like that."
"No, but you thought it."
Jason shrugged his shoulders in a blasé way, "Can you blame me?"
Carly gave him a cold glare before it faded, the smirk appearing on her face as she giggled, "No, I guess I can't. You, of all people, have the right to criticize me and my ideas…"
"Thank you, I intend on using that right quite frequently…"
"You already do."
"You just said it was my right."
"I'm going to get you back tonight for always doubting me, Jason Morgan," Carly stated firmly. "I'm going to have a nice, long dance with you while you're all dressed up in your suit and tie…"
"Don't wear heels, I might step on your toes…"
"You're a great dancer, Jason," Courtney tried to reaffirm her husband of his dancing abilities. He couldn't break dance… or if he could it was something that he had kept hidden from everyone, including Courtney, not that she blamed him for keeping the fact that he was a master at break dancing hidden from the masses, but he could slow dance without stepping on someone's feet… too often.
"I'm not going to be held responsible for what might happen if either of you force me to dance with you… consider this my waiver of liability."
"It has been noted," Carly grabbed her best friend by the hand, standing up, "We should get that last minute shopping done before things get too hectic…"
"You just went shopping…" Jason muttered.
"One can never have too many clothes for special occasions, Jason," Carly walked by, dragging Courtney with her, "we're just being cautious."
"I'm just going to monitor her spending," Courtney explained her motive, "I swear."
"Whatever," Carly didn't believe Courtney. Carly's shopping habits had long since rubbed off on her best friend. Courtney wasn't the shopping hound that Carly was, since such things were impossible, but she was well on her way of the path. "Thanks again for watching Michael and Morgan while we do this, Jase. You're one of the only people I trust…"
"You know I'm always available to help you and the boys whenever you need it, Carly."
"I was just expecting Sonny to stick around, but he got some phone call and said that he needed to do something…"
"He didn't tell you what it was?"
"Does he ever?" Carly didn't try and hide the fact that she wasn't fond of her husband's secrecy. She didn't even know what was going on in his life, which was something that she had become adjusted to, but it didn't mean that she needed to like it. "We'll be back in a little while."
Jason heard the door close behind him, his back turned as he looked over at the fireplace, the tree still next to the fireplace. Sonny's tree was nice, but Jason had to admit to himself that the tree Dillon picked out was better. He'd never say it to Sonny's face, of course, because doing so would be hearsay and the last thing Jason needed to start was the war of who had the better Christmas Tree.
His mind was better suited with wondering what kind of phone call Sonny could have gotten. Sonny usually managed to tell Jason about every call, no matter how small, and if it was something that was so urgent that he needed to leave right away why hadn't Jason been informed? Was Sonny losing his trust in Jason's abilities, doubting his judgment? Why would Sonny do something like that? Jason was the levelheaded one of the two, he should have been involved… but he wasn't. Why?
The question would remain unanswered as the sound of someone coming down the stairs caught his attention. He knew who it was. Michael didn't have the most distinct sound when he was coming down the stairs, but Morgan was the only other person in the house, and Morgan couldn't walk.
Michael had stayed in his room for a majority of the day, having only come down for breakfast well before his mother had decided on her plan of action. For a moment, he stood there, stunned, his mind trying to comprehend what had happened to his home. Finally, not seeing any reason why, he just asked the first thing that came into his mind, "What happened to the living room?"
Jason smirked, Michael's innocence having the effect that it had always had on Jason. No matter what troubles were going on in Jason's life, Michael was able to somehow make them seem unimportant. Nobody else had that power, not even Carly or Courtney, it was something that was uniquely Michael's. Morgan probably wouldn't be able to do it, either, despite being named after Jason… Jason was never Morgan's father, even for a brief period of time. "Your mother decided to redecorate…"
Michael walked over to Jason, standing where the couch had once been. "I don't think daddy is going to like it."
"Sonny seemed to be fine with it… but maybe your mom was just telling me that so I wouldn't think about it any more."
"Why did mommy do this, Uncle Jason? Does she not like the way that the living room looked? I liked it…"
"Your mom is going to have a party tonight."
"Like a birthday party?" Michael's eyes gleamed with the thoughts that he could have presents, despite it being just after Christmas one could never have too many presents.
"No, buddy, this is an adults' party…"
The happiness was quick to fade. Michael knew all too well what it meant when someone said 'adults' around him. "That means I can't come, doesn't it?"
"You wouldn't like it."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm an adult and I don't like it," Jason smiled. "Trust me, buddy, this isn't going to be the type of thing that you're going to want to be a part of… not now, not even when you're old enough. You'll just find yourself forced to do it because people expect it of you."
"Why don't you just not do it, Uncle Jason?" Michael asked. "You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do, you always told me that, ever since I was a little boy. Damian told it to me, too."
"Sometimes we're forced to do things that we don't want… for the people that we care about. Don't worry, Michael, this is only going to be for a few hours tonight and then we'll go back to just being normal people. I wouldn't do it if it wasn't something that I thought I couldn't get through."
"You must really love mommy to do this for her."
"I love your mother…"
"More than Aunt Courtney?"
Jason was quiet for a second, not sure how to assess the question. He finally found his answer, "I love your mother in a way that I could never love your Aunt Courtney, just like I love Courtney in a way I could never love Carly. There are different types of love… like the way that you love your brothers and the way that you love your parents. You don't love them the same way, do you?"
"No, I guess not…"
"See, it's like that with Courtney and Carly for me. I care about both of them, but I do it in different ways."
"Being an adult seems confusing…"
"Sometimes it is… most of the time."
Michael walked over to the couch, which had been moved to another section of the room. "I wish I could stay a kid forever…"
Jason felt the smile creep up on his face, but in his heart he wished the same thing. He didn't want Michael to be tarnished with everything that would eventually come to be for him. He wanted Michael to stay the way he was, but there was nothing that Jason could do to prevent it from going away.