Show: General Hospital

Title: Las Vidas de los Corinthos' II: Chapter 15

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: Thank you very much for last chapter's comments; I really appreciated them. I have one

problem: reviewers with 'aol' email accounts on my email list, for some reason, I can't seem to

send you 'chapter update' notices – they keep getting sent back for some reason or the other.

Just letting you know so you don't think I'm slighting you in any way. Well, on to the show…

enjoy!

*~*~*~*~*~*

New York City

Johnny had found him and, by the look on the guard's face, something was wrong. He beckoned

for Jason and he followed him from the solitude of the backroom without a word. The din of the

main room hit him in the gut like a bowling ball and it took he could not to cover his ears with his

hands as he strode toward his best friend and partner.

Sonny's face and eyes were grim.

"What's wrong?" asked Jason.

"We've got another one," he answered.



Jason looked away with disbelief. "Who?" he asked.

"Patrick Silverman. He was a –"

"Guard," cut in Jason. "I know."

Silverman worked the nightshift along Pier 52, one of Sonny's strongholds. He was a tall

imposing man, honest and hardworking, with a family of five mouths to feed. Jason could see the

regret in Sonny's eyes.

"How?"

"Multiple stab wounds to the chest."

"So what now?" he asked.

"We go back to PC tonight. I need to get to the bottom of this," he replied with a trace of regret.

They had all had reservations at the Marriott for the night but now…. His eyes sought out Alexis

in the crowded room, finding her talking to a critic for People Magazine, her infectious laughter

ringing out at some amusing thing the man had just said. She would be disappointed, but she of

all people would understand. "I'll go tell Alexis. Find Courtney," he added, heading towards his

fiancée.

**Find Courtney…** Easier said than done, he realized looking around the crowded room.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Alexis," he whispered in her ear softly.

The tone of his voice and the look in his eye warned her that something was wrong. She excused

herself from the conversation and stepped away. "What's wrong?" she asked concerned,

threading her fingers in his.

"Someone else is dead."

"Oh no." Alexis looked away, dread colouring her features.

"Jason and I need to go back to PC tonight," he continued.

"Ok, let me just tell Ric and Elizabeth and I'll leave with you."

"No," Sonny shook his head. "Stay here with Elizabeth."

"Sonny…" she trailed off pointedly. "I don't want you to do anything rash."

"I'm not going to do anything rash. I just need to see this for myself."

Alexis studied his features. She could see the guilt lurking in the shadows of the chocolate pools.

More than likely, he would be paying the victim's family a visit tonight, a duty he would not relish

but he would do nonetheless. She nodded slowly, though reluctantly. "Ok," she conceded. "Try to

keep your temper with Taggart," she continued seriously.

Sonny flashed his dimples albeit reluctantly. "Don't I always?" he asked, kissing her firmly on the

lips.

She smiled softly as he pulled away and turned from her. "Sonny," she called. He turned back.

"Try not to let this eat you up inside, ok?"

Sonny paused, never breaking her gaze before nodding in acknowledgement.

*~*~*~*~*~*

He eventually found her, standing by the bar, nursing an apple martini, a favourite of late. She

looked sad and despondent, sitting alone at the bar, her long blonde hair and golden curtain

blocking her face. He laid a warm hand against the cool smooth skin of her shoulder, and she

jumped in surprise, before swinging toward him.

Guilt him like a wrecking ball. She was sitting so sad and lonely out here, while his lips were still

tingling from Elizabeth's kiss.

"Jason! You nearly scared the pants off me!"

He felt guiltier, not because he was going to have to skip out on her, but because the statement

had not sent any delicious images shooting into his head.

"I'm sorry."

Courtney's brow furrowed. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I have to go back to Port Charles, tonight."

She set her drink down. "What happened? Is everything alright?"

"No… another of our employees was murdered."

Courtney's breath left her in a whoosh.

"I know we had planned a special night for just the two of us, but I'll make it up to you later, I

promise."

Courtney smiled shakily. He had made so many promises to make up to her in the past… none

were filled. She kissed his cheek. "Be careful," she implored.

"I promise." He affectionately tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and turned to join

Sonny and Johnny who were waiting impatiently by the door.

Courtney watched as the three men exited the building. Someone else was watching. Liz's eyes

were glued to Jason as they left. She looked up and caught Courtney looking at her before she

hastily dropped her gaze. Courtney narrowed her eyes and took a healthy gulp of her drink,

draining her glass,

She hadn't been surprised because of Jason… she had thought it was Elizabeth.

He smelt like her… he stunk of her perfume!

*~*~*~*~*~*

Something was up.

She had been mixed up in the Mafia long enough to know when something was up. She saw it in

her father's body language while he spoke to her mother, in Johnny's stance as he waited for his

bosses, in Courtney's look of concern for Jason while he obviously told her what was going on.

She watched Jason as he switched in Enforcer mode as the three men exited the building. She

sent a prayer to God for their safety and hoped no one had seen her staring.

No such luck. She looked up to see her aunt staring at her intently. She dropped her gaze hastily

and turned away.

*~*~*~*~*~*

(12:00 a.m.)

The ride in Sonny's limo to the Marriott was a quiet one. Alexis and Courtney on opposite seats,

facing one another in their own corners. Each woman was trying hard not to scream in concern

for the man they loved. Alexis looked over at the woman who was going to be her sister-in-law in

few short months. She had known of Courtney, known how important she had become to Sonny,

but had never become close to her, hesitant to be caught in the middle between her and

Elizabeth. Much as it might plague her daughter to admit, Courtney loved Jason and he loved her

in return… in his own way. They deserved to be happy. But now, Courtney just looked plain

miserable.

"He'll be ok, you know," Alexis said, breaking the silence.

Both Courtney and Liz turned to her in surprise.

Ric raised an eyebrow. Courtney flushed. "Is it that obvious?" she asked.

Alexis smiled ruefully. "I recognize the signs."

Ric rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry," she continued. "Jason won't let Sonny do anything stupid."

Courtney sighed and looked out the window. "I hope so. But in this life… you never can be too

certain," she continued cryptically.

This time Alexis's eyebrow shot up and she looked to Ric pointedly.

Ric shrugged. He didn't have a clue what that statement meant either.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Elizabeth's apartment, 1:00 a.m.

"So, Jason Morgan, huh?" Daniel asked, kissing her shoulder gently. The two lay cocooned in the

sheets on Elizabeth's bed, their bodies still slick with sweat after she had practically thrown

herself at Daniel in a misguided attempt to get the image of Jason out of her head. It had

worked… for a while… but Daniel was just a substitute, a mere flicker to the inferno she knew

would ignite if she and Jason ever got together… in reality.

And now he had brought those same images swimming into her psyche the moment he said his

name.

Liz gathered the sheets closer about her and sat up. "What about him?" she asked.

"I didn't know you were such good friends…. You two seemed mighty cozy in that backroom all

by yourselves."

Liz's gaze jerked toward him, seeing the jealousy swimming unabashedly in his eyes, hoping that

he couldn't see the desire – for Jason – swimming in hers. "Can we not talk about my father's

business partner?" she asked.

Daniel's eyebrows shot up at that and he opened his mouth, obviously meaning to say more, but

Liz cut him off… with her mouth.

"Just drop it, Toreno," she whispered against his lips.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Port Charles.

It had taken them an hour to fly from New York City to Port Charles in Sonny's private jet and

they had arrived on the scene to find it crawling with the PCPD. It had taken all his self-control not

to punch out Taggart as he tried to guilt-trip him about the guard's death. Only Alexis's plea for

him to watch his temper around the bald-headed detective kept him out of the holding cell for

police assault.

After leaving the crime scene, he had personally made the trip to the victim's house. Keeping his

composure while his widow wailed and railed against him and what he stood for before he offered

his condolences and the promise that he would to everything in his power to find out who did this

to her husband and make them pay.

Now, back at the penthouse, his shoulder felt as though they were about fifty pounds heavier and

he felt about fifty years older. Someone was trying to get to him, and was killing off his employees

in order to do that. He wracked his brains to come up with some idea as to whom would do this,

but the task was pointless. He was the head of the PC Mob; the most powerful mob-boss on the

Eastern Seaboard – he had more enemies than the United States government.

Sonny sighed and took a sip of the first bourbon he had had in weeks. There was a new guy in

town… he felt sure of it… and he was out to get Sonny Corinthos.

Question is… why?

TBC…

A/N: What do you think? Did you enjoy? Drop me a line and let me know, I'd love to hear from

you.

P.S: Skipper took of her wedding ring today (2003.12.03)! Could the end be near? If only Liz

would stay away from that sociopath Ric, everything would be so great and Liz and Jason could

spend Christmas together!