Author's Note: Here's the next installment. I really wanted to try to recreate the whole 1920's montage in this story, but after watching that episode over and over, I still couldn't figure out how to do it, so this is what I ended up deciding on instead. As always, feedback is appreciated!
Love, Daisies, and Troubadours – Chapter 7
"Have you ever thought about going to school?"
Courtney opened her eyes and picked her head up off of Jason's chest. "That came out of nowhere," she said. It was the night before Carly's club opening and she and Jason were on the couch in his living room. In the two weeks since the flower incident she hadn't spent a night alone, either she stayed at the Penthouse or Jason stayed with her. They stayed in mostly, not because they didn't want Sonny to see them like Carly assumed, but because Jason was spending all of his time at work. In fact, it was past midnight and he had just gotten home and found Courtney asleep on the couch. When he had tried to take her into the bedroom she had woken up and they hadn't moved since.
Jason shrugged, hoping he could keep this conversation nonchalant. "Well have you?" he asked again.
She nodded slowly. "I used to all the time," she admitted. "I always thought school was going to be my escape from my mom. Don't get me wrong, she was great, well, she was when she tried at least," she amended. "But my future didn't always look so great at times."
"What do you mean?" Jason guided her head back down and let his hand slide down her back.
She shrugged into him. "Like I said, my mom tried. She did her best, but stability wasn't something she knew a lot about. There was no way we could afford to send me to school but it didn't matter, she always said she couldn't bear to be away from me for that long. Not until her next con came along anyway." When she spoke there were no traces of sadness or regret in her voice, it was all very matter-of-fact.
"What did you want to study?" he asked.
She laughed slightly. "I never could decide," she answered. "I wanted to do it all I guess."
"You still could you know." Jason hated saying the words. He was beginning to see that Sonny's plan might actually be easier than they had anticipated and he didn't like how that felt.
"What do you mean?" She picked her head up again to look into his eyes.
"Sonny," he clarified. "Courtney, whatever you wanted to do, wherever you wanted to go, he could make it happen. He would be more than happy to."
She nodded before resting her chin on his chest. "I know he would, but…" her voice trailed off hesitantly.
"But what?" He threaded his hand through her hair and pulled lightly, causing her to scowl at him. He grinned sheepishly.
"But maybe I don't want any of that anymore," she finished thoughtfully. "Maybe I'm starting to find the stability I always wanted right here." She caught her lower lip between her teeth for a second. "I don't know, I guess I can always keep it in mind," she added.
"Yeah." Jason smiled into her hair, realizing he wanted her to stay just as much as she did. He was getting tired of this; he couldn't deny that this girl was getting under his skin for much longer. If they didn't tell Sonny soon he wasn't sure he could keep doing this.
"So, about tomorrow night," he began.
"What about it?" She tapped her fingers across his chest trying to keep time with his heartbeat, but she was just a half a beat off.
"Carly said she had my clothes all picked out for me."
Courtney giggled. "She does, and I've seen them," she said, her eyes twinkling. "But I can't tell you what she picked."
"Why not?"
"Because then you won't go." She laughed again before kissing him just under his chin. "Just promise to be a good sport about it?" she pleaded.
"I better not look stupid," he grumbled. When Courtney only kept giggling instead of reassuring him, Jason flipped them over on the couch, so that she was on the bottom now. "Am I going to look stupid?" he asked, his hands sliding under her thin tank top to tickle the sides of her stomach. "Am I?"
"No," she managed to gasp between giggles. "I promise." She breathed deeply as he let go of her, and her breath turned into a yawn. "It's getting late," she said reluctantly. "And you know Carly's going to be here before the sun is up with little errands for you to run for her."
"Yeah, I can't wait," Jason remarked dryly. Courtney yawned again and he smiled. "All right, you head on up and I'll be up as soon as I take care of a few things."
"You still have work to do?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No, I just need to make a phone call, and then I'll be up, I promise."
"Okay," she said as she stood up from the couch. "Don't be too long, I don't know how long I can stay awake."
"Five minutes," he promised as he watched her climb the stairs. He made his phone call and as promised, was on his way upstairs in less than five minutes.
He leaned against the doorway and paused to take in the scene before him. For the last week or so, Courtney hadn't bothered to sleep in the guest bedroom so she was curled up in his bed, with Rosie at her feet. Both were sound asleep, which he had expected.
Jason sighed and rested his head against the hard oak frame of the door. As much as he hated to admit it, Sonny was right. As long as Jackson Parelli knew that they were onto him, Courtney wouldn't be safe, and as much as he cared about her and wanted to be with her, he couldn't risk her life just so he was happy.
That was the other thing he didn't want to admit, the extent of his feelings for the girl sleeping in his bed. As far as he had always been concerned, Jason Morgan didn't fall in love. He had come close with Robin, but in recent weeks he realized that this was much more.
With another sigh he turned around and headed back downstairs. He needed to end this war with Parelli before it really even started. He knew Sonny was forming a plan, but it was one that would take months, possibly years to execute. Jason didn't think they had that kind of time anymore.
And if it was true, if he did indeed love Courtney, he was going to have to do something, anything, to keep her safe.
"All right, we're coming down! Are you ready?" Carly's voice floated down into the living room of the penthouse and Sonny rolled his eyes at Jason. It was an hour before Carly's club was going to open their doors and they were all getting ready to leave.
"Yeah Carly we're ready. If you don't hurry it up, we're going to be late to your own party."
"Oh that's just nonsense," Carly called back. "We all know a party isn't a party until I'm there!" She grinned at Courtney. "Let's make an entrance, shall we?" She grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs, stopping to pose dramatically at the last step. "How do we look?"
Carly was an exact replica of Marilyn Monroe from the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, from the bright pink strapless gown and matching gloves, layers and layers of sparkling diamonds around her neck, right down to the bleached blonde hair.
Courtney's costume, picked out specifically by Carly, was that of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. She wore a black cocktail dress, black gloves, and a matching necklace and tiara set of pearls and diamonds.
"Ahem," Carly tapped her foot impatiently. "I said, how do we look?"
"Wasn't Breakfast at Tiffany's made after the 1950's?" Sonny asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he grinned. "And wouldn't it make more sense for Courtney to be Marilyn, seeing as how she's the blonde one?"
"It's my party and I can do whatever I want," Carly said, blowing a kiss at her husband. "And if anyone asks, the theme is Old Hollywood Glamour, okay?"
"I'm just teasing, calm down. You look gorgeous, you know you do." Sonny tried to pacify his wife as he walked over to her and took her hand to hold her at arms length. "Are those diamonds real?"
"Would I wear synthetic?" she scoffed.
"Hmm. Don't lose them." He looked over at Jason and then back at Carly. "How come Jason still gets to wear his leather coat and I'm stuck in this monkey suit?"
"First of all, that monkey suit came straight out of your closet," Carly said, smoothing his tie. "And just so you know, you look just like Cary Grant. Doesn't he?" She looked at Courtney for confirmation. "See, you do. And well, as for Jason, come on. He's the perfect James Dean."
"I look stupid Carly," Jason spoke up finally.
"No you don't. I would never let my best friend look stupid. Not at my party anyways," she said airily. "Courtney, tell Jason he looks gorgeous please."
Courtney shot her a look. "You do not look stupid," she said, trying not to make eye contact with Jason, knowing it would tip Sonny off.
"See, and Courtney doesn't lie." Carly looked at the clock on the mantle. "Okay, we've got to go Sonny, I need to make sure every thing is perfect, let's go!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him out the door. "We'll see you two there!" she called as the door slammed shut.
Courtney laughed. "I think she's on a pure adrenalin rush," she said, approaching Jason with a smile on her face. "But she was right, you do look very nice tonight."
Jason made a face. "I still feel stupid." He smiled then, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her the rest of the way to him. "You, on the other hand, look--" he fumbled then, not sure of which adjective to use, knowing that nice wasn't going to be the right choice. "Beautiful."
"Thank you," she said shyly, feeling her cheeks flush. "Are we going to be able to do this?" she asked suddenly.
"Do what?"
"Tonight. Act like we're just friends around Sonny?" She looked up at him. "Can we do that?"
"We have to," he said simply. "And then tomorrow, we'll tell Sonny the truth." He was hoping that they would. The only way they could though, was if the plan he had come up with last night worked. "Come on," he opened the door for her. "We better get there quick, I don't want to miss any of Carly's meltdowns tonight, as I'm sure there will be more than one."
Four hours later and Carly's opening was a success. All of Port Charles had shown up, with quite the array of Hollywood costumes. There were Frank Sinatras, Dean Martins, Elizabeth Taylors, even an Elvis or two were seen. Much to Carly's chagrin, there were a few Marilyns and Audreys as well. She had gotten over it though, once Sonny assured her that she was the most gorgeous one there, and had convinced her to stop overseeing everything for a while so that they could dance.
Across the room, Jason and Courtney were standing against a wall, watching them. Well, Courtney was watching them and Jason was watching the crowd for anyone suspicious. He didn't think anyone would show up, but that didn't mean he was going to let his guard down.
"Hey." Courtney nudged him with her shoulder. "Let's go dance."
"I don't dance," he said, his eyes still roaming the crowds.
"You don't dance," she repeated slowly.
"No, I hate it." He finally tore his eyes away from the room and looked at her when he noticed she had gone silent. "I don't know how," he explained, hoping it would be enough. He sighed when she just nodded, hey eyes still fixated on the floor. "Come on," he said, taking her hand and leading her across the room to another corner. He opened a door Courtney didn't even know was there and shut it behind them.
They were outside now, on a ground level terrace with strands of white lights illuminating everything. "What are we doing out here?" she asked, facing Jason.
"This." He stepped closer and kissed her. "I'm sorry I don't dance," he said kissing the side of her head.
"It's okay," she said, leaning into him. "This is nicer."
"Are you having fun?"
She laughed. "I think I'm having more fun than you are," she answered. "But you're being an awfully good sport about this whole night, and I know it means a lot to Carly."
"It's Carly," he said with a shrug. "She knows I'd do anything for her, just like she would for me. For a while, all we had was each other. We'd lie our lives down for each other if needed."
"It has to be incredible to have that kind of connection with someone," Courtney said, resting her head on his shoulder. "Carly's very lucky to—"
"You too," he said suddenly, backing away so that he could look at her.
"What?" she asked, confusion evident in her eyes.
"You have that connection with someone too," he said quietly. He hesitated, knowing what he wanted to say, but not sure how to go about it. He had no clue if he sounded like an idiot, but hey, he was dressed as one, he may as well sound like one. He realized Courtney was still staring at him so he cleared his throat and went on.
"Just so you know, I would lie my life down for you just as I would for Carly," he finished, hoping that would be all he had to say. No such luck.
"Why?" Courtney whispered, looking at him quizzically.
"Court, I lo—"
The rest of his sentence was cut off by a collective scream coming from inside the club, followed by what sounded like gunshots and glass breaking. "Damnit!" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a gun. "Stay here!" He demanded, pushing Courtney down to the ground and throwing the door open again. The open door only intensified the sounds coming from within, and now Courtney could see what was happening. There were two men at the top of the staircase, firing down into the crowd, while three more were spread out on opposite ends. Tables had been flung onto their sides to use as shields, and she could see not only Sonny and Jason with their guns firing back, but Mac Scorpio and Scotty Baldwin were as well.
Just as suddenly as the attack had started, it was over. She didn't know if the other men were still there or if they had fled, but people were getting up from the hiding spots and the gunshots had ceased.
Courtney raced back into the room, and was immediately grabbed by Carly.
"Court, thank God, I didn't see you, are you okay?"
"I'm fine Carly, I was outside." She looked around the room. "I don't understand…" he voice trailed off.
"Where's Sonny?" Carly's voice grew high-pitched as she looked around for her husband. "I don't see him. Courtney, where are Sonny and Jason?" She gripped Courtney's arm and started to drag her into the center of the room.
"Carly!" Sonny's voice snapped Carly out of her frenzy and he appeared on their left. "You okay?" he asked, putting an arm around her.
"Yeah, God Sonny! Who was that? Are you okay? Was anyone hurt?" The questions came faster than anyone could answer them.
"Hey." Jason's voice caused Courtney to jump and she sighed in relief when she saw that he seemed to be okay.
"Jase." She wrapped her arms around him and was pleased to see he held onto her just as tightly. "You're bleeding," she realized as she pulled back. "Jason, you're hurt, where are you hurt?" She gasped when she saw he was holding onto his right arm. "You were shot," she whispered, leading him over to a chair and making him sit down.
"I'm fine," he insisted. "Look, take Marco, you and Carly both get out of here. Go back to the penthouse, and wait for us."
"No!" she said, shaking her head. "Jason, I'm not leaving you, not right now." She ran the palm of her hand over the side of his face. "You need to go to the hospital."
"I've got to stay and talk to the cops, I'll be fine. Please, it'll be better if the two of you just go."
"All right," she said, nodding. "Fine, we'll go." She rested her forehead against his. "You promise you're okay?" He nodded against her. "Okay." She tilted his chin up and kissed him.
"What the hell is going on over there?" Sonny demanded, nodding at his sister and his friend. "Carly?"
She just shook her head, not sure what to say. "Sonny, I—"
"Courtney!" Sonny's sharp voice brought her back and she pulled away from Jason, her eyes still closed. This certainly wasn't the way she had planned for Sonny to find this out.
However she was saved by any further confrontation when Mac and Scott decided to use that exact moment to place handcuffs on both Sonny and Jason and escort them out of the club.
"Come on," Carly said, taking Courtney's arm. "We'll follow them to the PCPD."
"He saw us, didn't he?" Courtney murmured as she and Carly slid into the backseat of the limo that was waiting for them.
"Yeah honey, he did." Carly clucked sympathetically. "But maybe you'll be lucky. Maybe this random act of mob violence will take his mind off how he just saw his best friend's mouth on his baby sister's."
"You think maybe he'll take it okay?" she asked, lifting her gaze to meet Carly's.
"Aw Sweetie, look on the bright side." Carly reached over and patted her hand. "Maybe he'll end up spending the night in lock-up."