Ch. 43 Turn The Stone

"I don't understand. How does one person just disappear like this?" he asked. Jason was less than happy to hear that, not only could no one find Robin, it was as if she had never been back to Port Charles in the first place. Apparently she never even let Mac know that she was back in town.

"You've go to have major resources to be able to vanish like that. Resources that Robin doesn't have. She's got someone helping her." his friend voiced.

"Of course she's got help! She wouldn't have been able to-" he stopped, realizing he was shouting, he calmed his voice down before speaking again. "She wouldn't have been able to do that to Courtney on her own."

Sonny sighed, putting his face in his hands for a moment. It was true. Robin wouldn't have been able to anything that she had done on her own. Now, not only did they have to find out where she was, they needed to find out who she was working with.

"How's Courtney doing?" he asked.

"She's…different." he answered. "I don't know, since the accident something's changed. It's like she's withdrawing into herself."

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't know, Sonny." he said honestly. "Maybe she's feeling pressured to remember, or maybe she remembered something bad and she doesn't want to remember anymore."

"Have you talked to her?" he asked, rubbing his chin.

"I haven't gotten the chance. She's been spending most of her time in the bedroom with the door closed." he explained.

"Maybe you just need to give her time. I mean, she's got a lot to come to terms with." Sonny suggested.

"Maybe." he agreed. "I'll see you later."

"Alright." Sonny said as his friend left.

Jason walked over to his place and up the stairs. The door was open and Courtney wasn't there. As a matter of fact, she wasn't in the penthouse at all. He walked back to the hall and looked to Max.

"Have you seen Courtney?"

"She left earlier with Michael and Mrs. Corinthos." he informed.

Jason nodded, part of him glad that she was getting out, but the other worried. Hoping that Carly and Michael weren't too much for her. Carly especially.

"Courtney-" she said concerned, taking a step towards her.

"Don't" she said, holding up a hand to stop her from coming any closer. "Just-Just stay back."

Carly did as her friend requested and stopped. She had no idea what was happening with her, but she wanted to help. Now she felt horrible that Michael had invited her out. She was sure that if it was her who asked, if it was anyone besides Michael asking her to come out with them she would have said no. Now she had no idea what was going, but it wasn't good at all.

"Honey, what's going on? Talk to me." she pleaded.

"I don't know." she answered honestly, putting a hand against her temple.

"I'm going to call Jason." she informed. Carly them reached in her purse and pulled out the small cell phone.

"No, don't." Courtney said, stopping the woman before she could begin dialing the number. "I don't need Jason. I just need to go home."

"Are you sure?" she asked, not getting a response from the woman. "Courtney?"

"Shh." she said.

"What-"

"Shh. Just be quiet for a minute." she asked.

It was happening again; she could hear a voice. She wanted to know what the hell it was saying, then maybe it would go away and leave her alone. They stood in silence, save for Michael swinging away unaware of what was occurring, and Courtney tried to listen. Nothing, it stopped. All of it; the voice, the prickling against her skin; it was gone. All she felt was the sun beating down against her. All she heard was the sounds of the park around her. It was over. Slowly, she turned around to face Carly, who was watching her with the fear and worry written all over her face.

"Are you.." she began, but seemed unsure what to ask. "Is it…I mean…"

"Yeah. It's-It's over." she said, feeling under the microscope. She was going to ask questions now. Questions she didn't have the answer to. She had no idea what was going on in her own head, how could she explain it to someone else?

"Uh, Michael. Michael, come on its time to go home." she called to the boy.

"Aw…mom we just got here." he complained.

"No arguments we're leaving." she said, and got a sigh from her son who jumped off the swing and slowly moped towards them, obviously upset that his day in the park had been cut short. Carly looked to the woman beside her and offered at least what she hoped would be a slight bit of help. "We'll take the path by the gazebo, it doesn't take as long."

"Thanks." she said, generously glad that they would be getting out of there sooner. "Guess the day out didn't go as you planned. Sorry."

"It's ok. I think he worked off most of that sundae anyway." she said, lightening the mood as best she could. "Besides I'm not sure, but I think someone might have a new video game waiting for them in his dad's closet."

She said the last part loud enough for Michael to hear. It worked as she wanted and the boy was immediately a ray of sunshine once again. He ran towards them, now excited and unable to get out of there fast enough. When he reached them, he grabbed his aunt's arm and tugged on it to speed her up.

"Let's go!' he ordered.

The action struck something with Courtney who cried out and fell to her knees as a surge of pain ripped through her skull. She put her hands to her head and held tight trying to make it stop. She heard her nephew and Carly saying something to her, but they sounded muffled; like trying to listen to someone from underwater. She blinked several times hoping it would stop soon enough. God knew what seeing her like that was doing to Michael. Suddenly the pain in her head seemed to intensify by the thousands as a strange, unfamiliar scene played through her head.

It was night. She saw herself walking through the park along the same path. Courtney recognized the bench they had been at earlier. She stopped walking and just stood there, staring at her hand. At something on her hand. What was it?

"Mrs. Jason Morgan." she heard herself say.

Suddenly there was a man behind her, no two. There were two behind her, she didn't seem to see them at first. Then she did. She turned to run away, but one of them grabbed her arm.

"Let's go." one of them said.

She fought back. She screamed. She tried to get away. They were stronger. One of them put something on her face; a rag. She fought. She fought until everything went black.

She opened her eyes, waiting for the little stab in her head that remained to vanish. She pulled her hands off her head and realized how hard she had been squeezin as she saw a few strands of hair entwined in her fingers. Courtney began to take in shallow breaths. That combined with her tears made it hard for her to remember where she was or what had triggered it. Then she heard Carly's voice beside her, and she remembered. God, what was Michael thinking right about now?

"What was it?" she asked, quietly, trying not to freak out not just for Michael's sake who was scared enough for the both of them.

"Oh God." she said, through her tears. Looking down at the ground, feeling nauseous. "Oh God. It-It happened right here."