Casting note: I picture the blonde at Jake's as Laura Wright (Cassie GL; Allie LOV/City)

Chapter 29

Monica stood staring out of the window of her office, tears running down her face. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair that they could just walk in and ruin her family. Take away her children. Ruin their lives. But this time, she wouldn't let it happen. She couldn't.

Inhaling sharply, she pushed her shoulders back and swiped at her tears, turning back to her desk and the files that lay on top of it. But they were not what held her attention. Instead, she sat in her chair and unlocked a drawer, pulling out a file that was starting to become brittle and yellow with age, and started to glance through the pages. There wasn't any proof, a voice chided, but there had to be a connection. "You won't take another child from me," she muttered as she stared at the picture of the man, before shutting the file, and shoving it back into the drawer. Pausing for a second to take out a picture she didn't very often allow herself to look at. Stare at a face she didn't let herself remember. . .

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Jason sat on the couch of the small cottage he shared with Elizabeth, one arm draped over her shoulders, the other holding out a tissue to her as she sniffled and swiped at her eyes with the one she held in her hands. "Really, Jason. . . I. . . I can't believe even she'd say something like that!"

"She's worried about her friend, Liz," he said softly, cringing slightly as her head snapped up and she fixed him with a cold look.

"How can you defend her?"

Jason sighed, knowing he was not going to be able to back track his way out of this. "I'm not. I'm just saying that when she's worried. . ."

"She what? Because it. . . you know what? It sure sounds like you're defending her! She told me it was my fault I was raped."

"I think you misunderstood. . ."

"Misunderstood?!?!?!" Liz asked, incredulous. "She said: 'and isn't that what people say about people like you?'"

"After you said that Donna got what she deserved. She didn't ask for what happened to her any more than you did," he tried to reason.

"Jason, she led him on and then filed for a restraining order when he acted on her passes. Hell, considering that she's a friend of Carly's I wouldn't put it past her to have faked that fall!"

Jason stared at her blankly as he tried to come up with an answer to that. Luckily, he was saved by the chiming of the doorbell. As he rose, Liz frowned. "Don't get it."

"Our cars are out front," he shrugged as he stood and started towards the door.

"It's probably Carly wanting to lie her way out of what's happened. I'm telling you, she can beg all she wants, but I'm not letting her off easily!"

"Yes, Dear," was all he muttered as he opened the door, surprised to see Skye there, even if his expression remained impassive.

"Jason, I'm sorry to bother you," she started a bit nervously. "But I need a favor."

"Oh. Well, come on in."

"Actually, I don't have the time. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind coming with me to try and track down AJ."

"He took off?"

"I have a feeling he's most likely at Jake's and I'd prefer not to go there alone."

"Let me get my coat," was all he said as he stepped back from the door and reached into the closet.

"Jason, where are you going?" Liz pouted as she walked over towards the door, having been unable to see who he was talking to from the couch.

"With Skye to see if we can find AJ," he replied as he shrugged into his jacket.

"I'll come with you."

"No, stay here," he said tensely, then softened his tone slightly, "AJ might come here."

"You're right. He knows he'll get support here," she smiled as she kissed his cheek.

Nodding, Jason stepped away and out of the house. "Ready?" he half said/half asked, causing Skye to jump slightly. "You OK?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking over a few things," she answered as she twisted the strap of her purse around her fingers.

"I'm not going to bite."

"Not what you used to say," she muttered, then sighed. "And you're not making me jumpy, at least not any more so than you usually do. The situation is," Skye admitted as they started towards the driveway.

"Then why'd you ask me to come with you?"

Skye rolled her eyes, "because I'm not up to going into a bar in that area of town alone, and even a reforming Jason Morgan has a reputation that people there won't mess with," then looking him in the eyes, she asked. "Why'd you agree to come with me?"

He shrugged, then started with characteristic honesty: "You asked. Besides, I needed to get away from Liz."

"Trouble in paradise?"

"She and Carly got into it over what happened and I'm apparently supposed to take sides even if they're both wrong," he shrugged eyeing her car for a moment. "We're better off in my car. Less chance it'll be stolen."

"Fine," she agreed as they walked towards his car and she waited till he opened the door. They remained silent till he had pulled out of the driveway.

"Skye, can you explain something to me?"

She sighed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "Liz feels that you should automatically take her side over Carly's even if she's your best friend."

Jason laughed slightly at that, "I know. Johnny explained when it was Robin and Carly."

"Oh. Then what?"

"Do you think it was on accident?"

"I wasn't there."

"That's not what I asked."

"He was drinking."

"Wasn't that his excuse the last time?"

"You asked."

"And you still haven't answered."

"Because I don't know!" Skye told him. "I know what I want that answer to be. I don't know what it really is. I wasn't there. He hasn't been talking to me. Hell, I didn't even know about the restraining order!"

"She have a reason to want one, or is Liz right? Did Carly put her up to it? Did yet another one of Carly's plots backfire and hurt someone?"

"If Carly influenced her it wasn't necessarily part of a plot," Skye admitted tiredly.

"What does that mean?"

"Let's just say she wouldn't have been the first to have a reason to be concerned by the amount of attention AJ was paying her."

Jason looked at Skye as he stopped for a light. "Then why are we going to find him? Why are you going to help him?"

"Because that's what families do, Jason," Skye started. "The light's changing."

"I see that," he said testily.

"Come on, Jason. Don't pull the self-righteous crap with me. You covered up a lot worse working for Sonny. Hell, you did worse!"

"We didn't hurt people indiscriminately."

"Having a reason makes it better?"

"You know what I mean."

"No, actually I don't, and I don't care. See, Jason, what I care about is our brother and helping him to get it together. I don't have the time to wonder if it was an accident or not. I have to keep AJ from self destructing. Have to keep the family name out of yet another scandal. That's my job. You're the golden boy. AJ's the screw up. I'm the god damned clean up crew! Fix it. Hide it. Pay someone off. It doesn't matter as long as it doesn't make the family look bad, and if G-d forbid it does, spin it so it looks like their fault and not ours. But that doesn't matter right now. I need to make sure AJ doesn't get too far into a bottle!"

"And again I have to ask. What am I doing here besides acting as a bodyguard?"

Blinking back surprise Skye sighed, understanding why he had the reputation he did for reading people. "Keeping me from joining him in one."

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~I walked in the band just stunk

The singer couldn't carry a tune in a bucket

Was on a mission to drown her memory but

I thought no way with all this raucous



But after one round with Jose Cuervo

I caught my boots tapping long with the beat

And after two rounds with Jose Cuervo

That band was sounding pretty darn good to me~

AJ sat at the scarred table throwing back shots as the country song played behind him. Smirking as she poured another shot he couldn't help but think it was appropriate. So he preferred Smirnoff to Cuervo, he was still drinking to rid himself of a memory.

No scratch that, he thought as he poured and downed another one, memories. Memories of Courtney crying. Memories of how it all started here. Started after too many shots of vodka in the hopes of being able to forget. Ironically enough, he couldn't remember what he was trying to forget then. . .

~Then some stranger asked me to dance

And I revealed to her my two left feet

Said don't get me wrong I'm glad you asked

But tonight's about me and an old memory~

Turning in his seat, he signaled the bartender to bring him another bottle. His hand froze mid-wave as he caught sight of the blonde at the bar. She was dressed in a white floaty, eyelet skirt and what he assumed was a peasant blouse. Normally he would have ignored her, but there was something. . .

~Then after three rounds with Jose Cuervo

I let her lead me out on the floor

And after four rounds with Jose Cuervo

I was showing off moves never seen before~

As if sensing his fixation on her, she turned slightly, and he froze, the shot glass just reaching chin level before his hand went lax and the glass tumbled out of it and to the floor.

The sound of the glass shattering caused his transfixion to break and him to push back from the table, toppling the chair as he looked at her panicky, before rushing towards the stairs.

~Well around five or round six

I forgot what I came to forget

And after round seven or was it eight

I bought a round for the whole damn place~

Sighing, she put the paper umbrella she had been twirling in her hands back on the bar before swirling away from it, and raising slowly to follow him. . .

~And after nine rounds with Jose Cuervo

They were countin' me out I was about to give in

And after ten rounds with Jose Cuervo

I lost count and started counting again~

He staggered into the room that had been Jason's--- the room where Michael had been conceived--- and looked around it, wishing it and his world would stop spinning. That things would start making sense. Tripping over his feet, he slid across the floor, hitting his head on the edge of the footboard of the bed.

From the doorway she watched and rolled her eyes before walking slowly towards him. Reaching his side she knelt down next to him, watching as he blinked his eyes to try to bring her into focus.

~One round with Jose Cuervo~

"Careful there, little brother, head injuries can be killers. Believe me, I know," she admonished as she helped him into a sitting position.

Eyes wide he gapped at her, "Dawn?"

~Two rounds with Jose Cuervo~

"In the spirit," she quipped as he reached behind his head to rub at the sore spot.

~Three rounds with Jose Cuervo . . .~

Song credit: Ten Rounds of Jose Cuervo- Tracy Byrd