I'll Be Home for Christmas
The cold metal steel of his gun was pressed firmly against Jason's neck. He could feel the mans breath against his ear as he sneered at him, celebrating in early triumph that he would take down Jason Morgan, the most feared mob enforcer. But if it were something Jason knew, it was to never feel confidant about something until the job was done. Obviously, the man behind him had who had his gun shoved right behind Jason's ear had no concept of that notion. Just as the man told Jason his life was over, Jason surprised him by making a quick jab to the mans ribs causing him to hunch over in pain.
In that split second the man's guard was down, Jason took control of the situation. Swinging around with his right arm covering his face, Jason swung his left fist up, cutting the man right under his chin. The two men fought for several minutes. Jason held control of the situation for the most part, but the other man had gotten his fair share of punches in here and there. With a final kick to the man's side as he lay on the cold snowy ground, Jason pulled out his own gun and ended the man's life.
It was either Jason's life or his, and Jason made sure he would be the one to walk away from the situation.
Walking out of the alley, Jason placed a hand on his aching side. The man who was now dead in the alley he had just previously left had punched him real good in the side. Jason was sure that he was going to have a bruise in the morning. As he grimaced his way towards his bike, Jason wondered how he had ended up in that situation.
It was Christmas Eve and Sonny had asked him to do a simple job. A new mob boss had made a threat against Sonny's family, and he wanted the man to understand that he did not take threats lightly. He asked Jason to have a talk with the new comer and not leave until the other man understood where Sonny and his organization stood.
Sonny didn't care that it was Christmas Eve. He was at home with Carly and Michael. He was probably sitting by the Christmas tree with his wife and son basking in the family life while Jason maintained the new threat on Christmas Eve. Jason was never one for holidays, but he sure as hell didn't expect to be spending this one fighting away a surprise attack, almost getting himself killed, and leaving with an aching side and bloody nose.
He brought his thumb to his nose and wiped away the crimson blood that began to crust the area between his nose and upper lip. All he wanted to do was get home and keep his promise. With that thought in mind, Jason lifted one jean clad leg and began to straddle his motorcycle. Just as he was about to start the engine a loud pop in the air stalled his movements.
Throwing himself to the ground, Jason rolled away from his bike, towards the gated fence that separated the parking lot from the docks and dove behind a wooden pillar, hoping to be out of site.
He pulled out his silver gun from the waist band of his jeans. His ears strained to hear any movement. His eyes caught a shadow, just the slightest of movements. He turned his head towards the movement and raised his gun ready to shoot. He cursed to himself when he saw nothing but the murky waters of Port Charles. Just when he was about to look in the other direction, he saw movement again and caught a glimpse of silver.
He waited. He made no movements, afraid to even breathe. His blue steely eyes stared unblinking, waiting for the other man to make a move. And when he did, Jason jumped into action. The other man stuck his head out just far enough for Jason to see his face.
He was one of Alcazar's men. That knowledge alone made Jason's blood boil. His eyes turned to slits, his arm extended flexing his muscles and making his arm bulge. His long fingers gripped his gun. He didn't even blink as the gun went off; ending another mans life that night.
Jason stood motionless as he waited for a sign that anyone else was with the man. For several minutes the only sound that could be heard was the freezing water slapping against the wooden docks. Sighing, he closed his eyes and for the first time he could remember, Jason wished for something.
He wished that he could just get on his bike, keep his promise he made, and make it home.
When he felt he wasn't safe, or the threat wasn't over, Jason always had a gut instinct screaming at him that it wasn't over. But as he stepped out of the shadows and surveyed his area, that feeling never came.
He placed his hands inside the pockets of his leather jacket as he looked up at the sky once it began to snow again. He shook his head on his way towards his bike, knowing that he had to call someone to clean up not only one, but two bodies. Jason made the phone call to the guard on duty explaining that the job needed to be done five minutes ago and then hung up the phone with a scowl on his face.
Once more he threw his leg over the seat of his motorcycle and prepared himself for his ride home. Normally, nothing but his bike and the wind could ease his mind, but the ride back to his home would not be enjoyable for him. All he wanted to do was make it back to his penthouse and forget that rest of the night.
He inserted his key, placed his hands on the handlebars and attempted to turn his bike on. The bike sputtered, shook, vibrated under him and then died without even turning on. Cursing under his breath, Jason clenched his jaw and tried again. When his attempts only resulted in his bike making the same noises but also caused a black cloud of smoke to seep its way out of the engine, Jason quickly got off of his bike and kicked it once.
It felt so good to kick his precious bike and take the frustrations of the night out on it, he kicked it again. The bike titled slightly, kicking it once more for good measure, his bike finally fell to the ground and rewarded Jason with a nice crunching sound.
Reaching inside his pocket for his cell phone and coming up with nothing, Jason looked down at the snowy ground trying to find it. He searched for several minutes and when he found nothing but white snow, he walked back towards his bike and kicked it once more. The kick caused the bike to move slightly in the slippery snow and when it did, Jason found his cell phone. Apparently the satisfying crunch he heard when his bike feel was his cell phone shattering from his bike falling on top of it.
"Damn it!"
He looked down at his watch; looked at his bike, turned around to look at the area he had just came from and sighed in defeat. There was nothing he could do but walk home. Adam and the clean up team would be there shortly to clean up the two men's bodies, getting rid of any evidence. He would call them and tell them to get rid of his bike when he got back the penthouse. He could wait for them, but they needed to get the job done and he had a promise to keep.
Mind made up, Jason began to walk in the direction of Harborview Towers. When he caught a glimpse of his own breath in the cold night air he reveled in the fact that he was happy he couldn't feel the cold that much. He knew it was cold, could feel it slightly, but not to the extreme as others felt it.
His boots crunched in the snow, and as he came closer to his home he began to think that maybe his bad luck had run out for the night. Just as the thought crossed his mind, his foot landed in hole so deep, he fell to his right knee as his left leg feel into the hole up to his knee.
Bringing himself back to a standing position, Jason shook his leg out once, twice, and then a final third time attempting to shake the water free. He might not have felt the cold that much, but as the freezing water seeped into his jeans making them cling to his leg, he could defiantly feel the bite of the cold night air.
He began his walk again, taking longer strides wanting nothing more than to make it home and keep his promise. His gaze flickered right as he walked down the sidewalk just a block away from the towers. Right before he turned the corner he eyes landed on the neon open sign of the corner pub. His steps slowed as he wanted nothing more than a beer to calm his nerves. Not even looking down at his watch, Jason knew that it was impossible and didn't even give it a second thought as he turned left finally seeing the Towers in his view.
If he were an emotional man, one who expressed his feelings, Jason would have shouted for joy once he stepped foot into the lobby of The Harborview Towers. But he wasn't that kind of man. The only emotion he showed when he entered the elevator that would take him to his home was the softening of his face as he closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
Jason never opened his eyes until he heard the ding of the elevator signaling his arrival to his and Sonny's penthouse floor. Walking numbly out of the elevator, he turned left and pulled out the key to his door. Once he stepped inside, no words were spoken between them as he raced upstairs to their room and jumped in the shower to scrub away the filth of the night.
Not even bothering with changing into anything. Jason wrapped a white terrycloth towel around his trim waist after his quick shower and headed for the stairs bounding down them.
She was standing by the pool table in a silk nightgown with a matching robe. She stood right in front of the glass doors letting the moonlight shine over her body. When his feet landed on the last step of the stairs, she turned around and looked at him with love in her eyes and a smile across her lips. "You're just in time."
He spoke no words as he walked towards her in two strides. He cupped her face with one hand and brought his lips to her awaiting ones. Their kiss was slow and deliberate. Just as his tongue slipped from his mouth into hers, the squealing sound of a baby's laughter ended their kiss.
He pulled his lips away from Elizabeth's and turned his amused eyes to the bright blue ones of their daughter and picked her up in his arms. He kissed her on her forehead and held her close as his eyes turned back towards his wife.
"You promised that you would make it home for Christmas. I knew you wouldn't break that promise."
She lifted herself onto her toes in an attempt to match his height in order to reach his lips. He let her kiss him once but pulled back before she could deepen the kiss. "Nothing could keep me away from making it home to my two girls in time for Christmas. Thank you for waiting for me."
Kissing him once more when he wrapped his free arm around her waist, holding both of his girls in a tight embrace, Elizabeth cupped his face and looked into his bright blue eyes, trying to sound serious but her eyes gave her teasing away, "And we kept our promise," she turned her attention to their baby girl "didn't we?"
One hand stayed on Jason's cheek as her other hand reached over to smooth the small curls of her daughters dark blond hair, "We waited for daddy right under the mistletoe."