A/N: Alright, so I was in such a rush to update this 'cause I just wanted to get it up already. So, I wrote everyone really quick little one line thanks. But I meant to hit "back" on my mail box and I accidently hit it on this page instead and I lost it all. So, I'm just gonna make a list of people who reviewd and give you all one big thanks. My thank yous were quick before anyway. So, as I'm sure you all know, this is the last full chapter. We just have the conclusion next. I promise to give long thanks' over there. And then, we start on the sequel! So leave me lots of reviews!

And sorry about the long wait for this one. Life's been really hectic.

So, thanks to:

middiegurl08; SuzieQ8487; Pureevil230; Jackie-Ken; emmalee05; kaleymc; journeyrox; Tania; Dianne; Jennifer; luvthemorgans; sexyt; anon14; DaniBabez; LoLogirl28; Starlet; Riker15; ILOVEMOBSTERS; Tamara Rose; vanessapc05; ImJustKidding89; and britchic

Chapter 20- Snapping into Action

"What are we going to do? How do you plan on beating Paula?" asked Courtney as they returned home.

"Blackmail, threats, bribery, whatever. I don't care anymore Courtney! I am not leaving Meg there any longer! I just need to do a little digging into her past" said Jason as he grabbed his laptop and started it up.

"Well, what can I do?" she asked.

"Just try to stay calm for me. Because I don't think I'm going to be able to control my emotions and one of us needs to" he told her.

"We both need to stay calm" said Courtney in a voice that showed she was anything but.

"There has to be something on her! She's the most out of control woman I have ever met. We will find something" said Jason as he started typing away at the laptop.

"I can't stay here!" said Courtney as she grabbed her coat. "I need to get some air" she said, running out the door.
"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked her in a concerned voice.

"No, it's fine" she said as she walked back over to him. "You keep looking" she said in a soft, in-control voice before planting a sweet kiss on his lips.

"I love you" he said to her softly.

"I love you too" she told him before kissing him once more and walking out.

"Hi Courtney" said Mike as he walked out of the diner.

Courtney was sitting at one of the tables, just thinking.

"I thought you might like some coffee" he said as he placed a cup in front of her.

"Thanks Daddy" she said quietly.

"I heard about Meg. And you getting arrested"

Courtney put one hand up to stop him from talking more.

"Daddy, don't you dare start judging Jason! This is not his fault, and the last thing I need is you jumping on his back"

"Don't worry Princess, I'm not going to" said Mike. "I know that this isn't Jason's fault. I've seen him as a father, and he's a good one. I know how much he loved Meg, and still does. You know, Jason was my friend at one time. Before he married my daughter. Now, I have to be the over-protective father-in-law. I gotta look out for my little girl"

"Daddy, I'm not a little girl. And while I appreciate you looking out for me, please try to lay off Jason a little bit. Please don't hate him"

"Hate him? Oh Courtney, I don't hate him. I just hate what he does. I hate how much its cost you over the years, and how it's hurt you. I just wanna look out for you" he said as he took her hand in his.

"I know, and I love you for it" she said as she bent over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you too. It's the best kind of love, feeling love for a child. For your child I mean. Being a parent. As much as you screw up, they still love you. They can still turn out to be this perfect woman that you can't believe is your daughter" said Mike, his eyes glistening as he looked at his only daughter. His baby.

"I just hope with all that Jason and I have screwed up with Meg, we get a chance to see her become a perfect woman" said Courtney.

"You will" Mike assured her. "Because if I know you and Jason, and I'd like to think I do, you are going to fight for this little girl. And nothing anyone says or does is going to stop you"

Courtney walked back into the penthouse later on to see Jason in the same position that he was in when she left.

"Hey" he said when he saw her.

"Hi" she said shyly as she walked in. "Have you been sitting there the whole time?" she asked.

"Pretty much, yeah" he said as he attempted to sit up and get up.

"Stiff back?" she asked with a smile.

"You have no idea" he told her.

"Here, lemme help" she said as she sat down next to him and began to massage his back.

"I should get a stiff back more often" he told her. "That feels good"

"Yeah?" she asked with a smile. "I remember when you gave me a massage"

"Yeah, I almost killed you" he said, and she laughed.

"You got the hang of it. Eventually" she said as she continued to massage him.

"So, where'd you go?" he asked her.

"Just to Kelly's. I spoke with my dad a bit"

"Hmm?" he said, closing his eyes as her fingers trailed up the back of his shirt to better massage him.

"We talked a little about you" she said.

"Me?" he asked, his eyes opening.

"Yup. We talked about how my father really does like you; he just can't show it because he has to be the overprotective father"

"So, Mike really likes me. I always knew he did. I just thought he stopped once we got married. Well, we at least know he likes to make me squirm"

"How so?" she asked him.

"I vaguely remember him making me ask him for permission to marry you"

"Oh right" she said as she started to laugh. "That was so funny. Well, not at the time. But in retrospect"

"Oh, it was funny was it?" he asked her as he turned around.

Before she had time to react he grabbed her and started tickling her.

"Jase! Stop!" she cried as she continued to laugh, but much harder than before.

"Nope, can't do it!" he told her. "It'll be funny in retrospect" he mocked.

She finally managed to get her hands free, and she quickly found his ticklish spot on his side. As the two started a full out tickle war, all their problems were forgotten. But their happiness was shattered by the ringing of the phone.

"Hello?" said Jason as he broke away from Courtney to answer it. "Nothing? Well keep me posted. I want you and everyone else to keep digging until you find something" he said in what Courtney had so affectionately called his 'business voice'.

He hung up the phone and turned away from her, squeezing the phone tightly.

"Jase, here" she said as she handed him a water glass that was sitting on the table. "Try to calm down" she told him. "Take a sip"

Jason did as she said, taking a sip of the water and trying to keep his emotions in check. He didn't even realize how hard he was squeezing the glass until it suddenly shattered in his hand, sending glass fragments flying everywhere.

"Jason!" Courtney cried as she ran over to him, taking his now bleeding hand in her own.

He stood there stoically, not saying anything as she inspected him.

"Are you ok?" she asked him, worry apparent in her eyes and tone.

"I'm fine" he said coldly as he jerked his hand away from her.

"Jason, I get that you are upset about Meg, but please don't take it out on me" she said tearfully.

He sighed and turned around slowly so that he was looking at her.

"You're right. I'm sorry" he apologized, looking down at his feet.

"It's ok, I know where you're coming from" she said as she walked over to him and raised his head so that he was looking into her eyes. "Now, can I take care of that hand?" she asked him as she gently kissed him.

"Yeah, you can" he told her softly as he bent down and kissed her again.

As Courtney went to retrieve the necessary first aid items, Jason looked at the blood coming out of his hand and sighed again. It was true what people said about him. He had a temper and he was violent. But he would never in a million years hurt Courtney or Meg, and he hated it when people accused him of such a thing. He thought back to the custody battle, and how Taggert and Scott had both said there was nothing to stop him from taking out his anger on Meg. They were wrong though. There was something to stop him. There was love. He loved that little girl more than anything.

"Whatcha thinking about?" asked Courtney as she came down the stairs.

"The custody trial" he said as he sat down on the couch so Courtney could take care of his hand.

"What about it?" she asked.

"I just remember Taggert and Scott and everyone else saying that I would hurt Meg. Or that I would hurt you. You don't think I would ever hurt you or her, right?" he asked.

"Are you crazy? Of course not. I feel the safest when I'm in your arms. You stop people from hurting me, you don't do the hurting" she said as she bent over and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, and you are a good man. You're an amazing husband, and an even more amazing father. Even my dad said so"

"Look's like I'm winning points from Mike today" he said with a smile.

"And lots of 'em" she said. "Sorry" she said when she saw him wince as she picked some glass out of his skin. "Maybe we should take you to the hospital. You may need stitches"

"Nah, not deep enough" he said as he looked at his hand. "You worry too much" he told her with a grin as he saw her concerned face.

"Yeah, so" she said with a mock pout.

"It's cute" he said as he kissed her again.

Courtney cleaned out his hand and bandaged it, kissing it all better as she finished. She cleaned up and then bent down to clean up the broken glass fragments on the floor.

"I'll do that" he told her.

"It's ok, I don't mind" she told him. "You just relax"

"I was relaxing pretty well when you were giving me that massage before" he said with a smile.

Courtney stopped what she was doing and walked back over to him, sitting down on the couch and massaging his back again, kissing his neck every now and then.

"You're meant to be a mother you know" he told her.

"It doesn't feel like it sometimes" she said with a sigh.

"I know. But you are. Meg loved you. You were great with her. And you always knew how to take care of her. And me" he added.

"It's easy to take care of the ones you love" she said.

"Not always"

"That better not be you you're talking about. 'Cause you take care of me better than anyone ever has. I love you more than anything Jason, and I love Meg. And I miss our family"

"We're going to get everything back together. We will. I promise" he told her.

"What if we can't convince Paula to let go. What do we do then?" she asked.

"Is Meg important to you?" he asked although he already knew the answer.

"I hope that was a rhetorical question" she said as she pulled back to look at him.

"We may have to go for the…unsavory option"

"You mean take her and run" she said.

"Basically. Would you be willing to do that?" he asked her.

"You and Meg are the most important things in my life. As long as I have you two, I don't care where I am. I'll be happy" she told him.

"Would you be willing to leave your family behind?" he asked her.

"You are my family. You and Meg"

"Good" he said as he kissed her again.

The two were interrupted by the ringing of the phone again. Jason sighed but broke away from Courtney to answer it.

"You have any news for me?" he asked.

He was very quiet for the rest of the conversation, and Courtney couldn't read his face. She couldn't tell what was going on. Jason said 'mhm' a few times, before finally hanging up.

"What happened?" she asked eagerly.

"Paula Richmond is dead. Accidental drug overdose" said Jason calmly.

"What! What does that mean for Meg?" she asked.

"I'm not sure" said Jason as he got off the couch and began to pace. "Apparently, there's somebody else. Somebody else who can take care of her"

"Someone other than us?"

"Someone other than us" he confirmed.

"Who?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I have people looking into it" said Jason.

A loud knocking was heard from the door, and Courtney and Jason both turned to it. They took deep breaths, trying not to let their expectations get the best of them. Trying not to get their hopes up that they were getting their baby back. Jason walked over to the door. He made eye contact with Courtney before tugging open the door.

"Yes?" he asked, his face falling as he found a young man in front of him, yet no Meg.

"My name is Craig Henderson. Are you Jason Morgan?" he asked.

A/N: I love my cliffhangers. Leave me reviews!