Author's Note: Hey you guys! I just wanted to let you know that this fic is going to be where my primary focus is. I think I'll be putting Undone on hiatus for the time being, because I want to concentrate all of my writing on this fic. Which means, more updates for you all! So yeah, that was just a warning. I like Second Time Around better anyways, I have tons of ideas rolling around in my head. ;)
As Courtney entered her home she smiled at her husband who was lying lazily on the couch, clicker in one hand, chips in the other. She let herself smile at him for a while until he realized that she was back and got up.
It had been two months since they had found out that the in-vitro procedure had worked, and neither of them could have been happier.
"Here, let me take that," Jason insisted as he reached out for the grocery bag that Courtney had been holding. "I would have done the shopping, you could have made me a list and I would have gone… I don't want you to…"
"Do too much," Courtney interrupted as she strode toward the kitchen, Jason following with the bag. "I know."
"It's just, Courtney, you know what Dr. Meadows said. You're supposed to be careful," Jason said as he set the bag down on the counter, seeing how Courtney was avoiding looking him in the eyes, he pinned her up with his body against the counter.
She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Jason put his hand to the side of her face and kissed her gently. "I just want you to be okay," he mumbled against her lips.
"I know," Courtney sighed, attempting to get free of his hold, but his hands were still planted firmly on the counter top behind her, "And I love you for it."
"I love you too," Jason said as he moved in for another kiss, but Courtney playfully turned her head.
"I have ice cream in that bag Jason, the last thing you need is for me to get you up in the middle of the night so you'll get me some," Courtney said with a smile as Jason nodded his head in understanding, not wanting to be woken up by a hungry pregnant woman in the middle of the night. He removed his hands from the counter and let her put away the few things she had bought at the store.
He smiled as he watched her do the simplest of tasks. Just the way she moved about the kitchen, the way she would have to get up on her tiptoes to put away the sugar, the way her hair fell around her face when she bent down to place something in its correct spot, and the way she smiled when she was finished. She constantly amazed him.
"You done staring?" Courtney asked as she shot him a playful glance over her shoulder as she exited the kitchen.
"Can I make you something?" At her mischievous glance, he added, "Something healthy."
"No, thank you though. I think I'm going to go and see Carly and my brother, and those sweet nephews of mine," Courtney said as she opened the door.
"I have to talk to Sonny anyways," Jason said as he grabbed her hand and let his wife lead the short walk to PH4.
"Hey Max" Courtney said as she approached the man she considered her friend that stood outside her brother's penthouse.
"Mrs. Morgan," Max acknowledged. Courtney glared at him for a moment, then proceeded to correct him.
"Courtney, Max. How many times are we going to have to do this? My name is Courtney. You know what?" Jason rolled his eyes, she was getting herself all riled up, over something silly, again.
"Yes?" Max replied, with all the patience he could muster. Sometimes Courtney could be so frustrating, but he liked her regardless.
"You're fired if you don't call me Courtney," Courtney commanded matter-of-factly. "I won't have any of this Mrs. Morgan crap. I'll fire you Max, don't think I won't."
"Courtney, you can't fire him," Jason said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Oh really?" Courtney spun to face her husband. "You don't think I can fire Max?"
"No, I don't," Jason replied, meeting her gaze with a warning one of his own, telling her to calm down.
"I'd divorce you if you didn't fire him," Courtney surprised herself by saying. She turned to Max, saw the blood drain out of his face. She put him in a clearly uncomfortable position, just like she wanted to. Turning back to Jason, she saw him smiling. The jerk, she thought, he had to go and ruin it for her.
"You wouldn't divorce me," Jason said, almost laughing.
"You wouldn't need to Mrs. Mo- I mean Courtney. I'll call you Courtney from now on, at least, if that's all right with you boss," Max said as he looked up to Jason.
"Whatever the lady wants," Jason replied, kissing the top of his wife's blonde head.
"Okay, well, in any case, I'm glad that the pregnancy's going well," Max said as he opened the door of PH4 for the couple.
"Oh, thank you Max, I promise that you can come shopping with me for the baby. You'll be a great help," Courtney said as she patted his shoulder before engulfing Carly into a hug.
"Sorry Max," Jason said as he shot the man an apologetic look, "Nothing I can do about it." Jason smiled as he shut the door.
"So, have the two of you thought of any names yet?" Sonny asked as he came down the stairs to join his wife, sister, and right hand man on the couch.
"Yes," Courtney replied.
"No," Jason said at the same time.
The blue-eyed lovers looked at each other.
"Well, I've had a few ideas in my head," Courtney admitted as she again focused her attention on her brother.
"Boy's names right?" Carly asked as she moved to sit on Sonny's lap.
"Well what would be the use in thinking up girls' names if I already know I'm having a boy?" Courtney asked,
Carly, clearly amused by the situation, laughed and said, "Let's hear 'em,"
"Don't laugh at me," Courtney started off by saying. "But I really like the names Joshua, Matthew, and Michael would be the middle name." Courtney twiddled her thumbs and waited for the responses of her family.
"I like them," Sonny said as he pushed Carly's hair back behind her ear.
"Courtney," Carly said, getting up and kneeling in front of her best friend, "Those are beautiful." She said, truly meaning it, and then the two women got all emotional and hugged. "Look, Court. If you really look, you can sort of see your stomach getting harder, and maybe a little rounder," Carly said excitedly, lifting Courtney's shirt up a little.
"Yeah, I was thinking that the other day. I tried to tell Jason, but he was doing paperwork and couldn't be bothered," Courtney shot a nasty look at her husband, who then decided that looking now would be the right thing to do.
"I don't see any difference yet," Jason said honestly, he looked into his wife's eyes a little while after he said it and saw tears beginning to well up in them. "Courtney, don't cry. Don't. I'm sure we'll be able to tell soon, or maybe my eyes are just going bad," Jason said desperately. He could never handle her tears.
"Courtney, I'm gonna make you something to eat okay?" Sonny said as he got up from his chair and walked over to her and hugged her first. "You're beautiful okay? I love you." And he walked into the kitchen, motioning for Jason to accompany him.
Sighing, Jason nodded and then he too embraced his wife. "I didn't mean anything by it Courtney. I didn't meant to hurt your feelings, I'm sorry," Jason said as he kissed her forehead and pulled away.
"Don't be, I was being silly," Courtney said as she shook it off and sat back down.
Jason nodded and went into the kitchen, knowing exactly what Sonny wanted to talk about.
"I don't know what you're thinking here Jason," Sonny said as his business partner entered the kitchen where he was stir frying something. Jason didn't know what the heck it was, he just knew that Courtney loved it.
"About what?" Jason asked, already knowing the answer to the question.
"Courtney and the baby!" Sonny said in an angry whisper. "You know how bad it is right now. Alcazar is helping us yeah, but the Sandovals are much stronger than we anticipated. They have people on the inside. I want Courtney, Carly, and the boys at the island," Sonny said, in typical, controlling, Sonny fashion.
"Courtney won't go," Jason said, putting his face in his hands.
"She will if we make her," Sonny said as he turned back to the meal he was preparing.
"If we make her, she'll stress out. She can't stress Sonny," Jason said.
"Well what's worse Jason? Your wife getting kidnapped? Or stress and her being annoyed with you?" Sonny asked as he pointed the spatula at Jason.
"I'll protect her," Jason said as he turned to walk out of the room, done with the conversation and not wanting to argue with Sonny with Courtney and Carly in the other room. Before he reached the living room he heard Sonny say,
"What if you can't?"