This chapter is much longer. I hope you all like this chapter and review.

Chapter 2

Courtney had fallen asleep on the couch. She lay on her right side in a curled up position. As she started to come out of her sleep, she heard the pitter-patter of small feet. She ignored the whispered, "there she is!" She went on sleeping until two small bodies sat up on her left side.

"Get-up-Miss-M-get-up!" The two girls said simultaneously. They bounced up and down with every syllable. It hurt but only a little.

"Hey, you two! Don't do that, it really hurts!" Courtney whined as she up on a fake sad face. She actually loved seeing those girls happy. She though of her child at the same age and how he or she would have looked, if only…

If. God how she hated that word. If she hadn't walked out on Jason… If she hadn't been kidnapped… If she hadn't kissed Jason that first time in the rain. If. That word signified all the choices that she didn't make. Those choices that she would now be happy with had she made them.

Would she be happy with them? She wouldn't have met Jason. He helped her out on her first day working at Kelly's. He protected her from the stalker and comforted her when she found out that it was AJ. He chose HER over Sonny once. Jason was the only person who ever made her feel like she was really safe and loved. She never wanted to forget that. 'If' didn't help her. She couldn't change the past and she knew it.

"Ms. M?" Marie's voice snapped Courtney back to the present. Marie's sister had run off. Courtney looked down at Marie whose frail body was now kneeling beside the couch. She was staring at Janine's jewelry box, which sat between her and the couch.

The little girl raised her eyes and they locked with Courtney's. Marie saw that they were filled with tears. "Oh, poor Ms. M cried last night, didn't she?" the girl said as she positioned herself on Courtney's lap. Courtney sat there, wiping her tears away. She was furious with herself for not being able to control her emotions.

How about we go get some breakfast," Courtney smiled. She didn't want Marie to be upset.

"Ok," the girl's eyes brightened. "Can we have Frosted Flakes?" Marie questioned.

"Sure," Courtney responded. "Go upstairs and I'll be there in five minutes," she instructed.

"Ok," Marie said as she shot up the stairs.

Courtney smiled. She picked up the box and walked over to the door of her room.

Courtney's room had periwinkle blue carpet. The walls were white. There were two paintings in the room. Both were of the rolling ocean at sunset. One of them had a white lighthouse in it. Those pictures always reminded her of Jason. He helped her so much with getting used to the ocean again after the whole miscarriage…

Directly across from the door sat her single bed with a blue comforter. Next to the bed was a nightstand. It had a blue lamp on top of it. To the right of the door was a chest of drawers. To the left of the door was a bookshelf with a few books and her pictures. A wooden rocking chair sat in the corner next to the bookshelf. She often sat in the chair with one of the kids if they woke up from a bad dream. They always asked about the people in the photographs. She would tell them a story about the person they picked to get them back to sleep.

Matt, Angela, and Marie all had their favorite people to hear stories about. Matt loved to hear about Sonny, Michael, and Mike. Angela liked Carly, Morgan, and Rosie. Marie would only listen to stories about Jason. If Courtney tried to tell her about anyone else, she would throw a fit. Marie constantly asked Courtney when Jason would visit, so she could meet him. "I'm not sure," was always the answer that Courtney gave.

On the wall adjacent to the rocking chair, there was another door that led to the kids' room.

Courtney put the jewelry box back into the nightstand. She dressed quickly and walked into the adjoining bedroom.

The room had a double bed for the twins, a single for Matt, and a toddler bed for Clair. The room had dark green carpet. The beds all had white comforters and sheets.

Clair still lay asleep in the bed. Courtney smiled to herself as she picked up the sleeping girl. Clair slowly awoke and Courtney dressed her. They went back out to the living room and up the stairs. The little kids and Courtney lived in the basement. On the ground floor lived Madison Kraus and with the seven school aged children: Jen, Ashley, Nicole, Michelle, Harrison, Robby, and Kyle.

The ground floor included a living room, three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a huge kitchen. This was where most everything took place. The office was near the front door.

The building was run by Jessica Carol. She took care of the children's bussing to and from school, donations, bills, and groceries.

Courtney stepped off the stairs and into the living room. She weaved her way threw the mismatching furniture toward the kitchen.

Marie nearly made Courtney drop Clair as she ran from the kitchen. "Ms. M., hurry up. I want my Frosted Flakes," Marie said waving an empty bowl in the air.

"Ok, calm down," Courtney said trying to pick up the Queen Anne chair that she had knocked over.

Courtney followed Marie into the kitchen. Jen and Kyle sat behind a box of Sugar Smacks. Anna Villare, who looked after the 13-18 year-olds, sat with coffee and a part of the daily newspaper. Matt sat between Kyle and Anna with a blueberry pop-tart. Angela sat next to Jen with an empty bowl. Marie plopped down next to her sister.

"Your crew is always up early, aren't they?" Anna smiled as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah, and they drag me out of bed," Courtney responded sarcastically while pouring Frosted Flakes into the twins' bowls. She placed a bowl of Cheerios in front of Clair, who started tossing them around the room.

'After breakfast, we have to go to the hospital,' she thought to herself. This was their off week, but there was a fund-raiser in three days and they were helping set up. Some people at the hospital asked Madison, Courtney and their kids to help pick out decorations. They thought that the kids might have good ideas for colors they could use, food to eat, and games to play.

Courtney looked at the four youngest kids at the table, 'her' kids. If only they really were hers… hers and Jason's kids. A tear came to her eye, but she blinked it back.

Jason… She missed him so much. She wondered what he was thinking. What was he doing right now? 'He's probably still sleeping,' she thought looking at the clock. It was 7:47 AM. In Port Charles it would still be 6:47.

Her mind drifted to the family that lived across the hall from the love of her life. 'Michael is probably up and dragging around Leticia or a grumpy Carly. Carly hates to be waken up. I wonder if Sonny is already up and making breakfast.' She closed her eyes and tried to remember the smell of Sonny's cooking. She had been over there many times but she couldn't remember the scent.

"Come on you four," she said standing up, "we have to get moving so we can be at the hospital on time. We have to be there by nine."

Courtney took one last sip of the coffee she had poured herself. She had thought a lot about Jason lately. Maybe getting ready for this fundraiser would get him off her mind for a little bit. 'Yeah right,' she thought.

And there it is. I hope you all like it. Review please!

Allie