Disclaimer: I don't own anything…

A/N 2: Alright, here we go…This fic is AU and set in the future. It contains an OC, which I've never used before, but is necessary for the story. Everything that has happened with Journey has occurred in this fic right up to the anniversary of the miscarriage.

Summary: Things aren't always what they appear to be. Sometimes, the "perfect" marriage isn't perfect. Who do you turn to when the world collapses around you?

She Will Be Loved Ch. 2:

I'll fix these broken things
Repair your broken wings
And make sure everything's alright

Courtney looked down at her daughter, who was now squirming uncomfortably in her mother's arms. She was grateful for the distraction Hannah offered, but knew that Jason would not be preoccupied for long. Instinctively, her delicate hand fluttered up towards the bruised area around her eye. The action drew even more attention from Jason and she silently scolded herself for being so obvious.

"So, what happened?" He shoved his hands into his back pockets and began to rock back and forth on the soles of his black leather shoes.

"Just a little accident…" Courtney returned but refused to look him directly in the eye. She heard him release a soft sigh and knew that he would not press the issue any further.

"I didn't know you were visiting." He stated and was met with a gently shrug of his ex wife's graceful shoulders.

"It was kind of a spur of the moment type of thing." She offered.

"Doug here?" Courtney winced involuntarily at the mention of her husband's name. She hoped that Jason had not noticed but knew that he was too observant not to.

"No," was the only answer she could muster and once again it seemed to suffice. "Are you looking for Sonny?" She tried desperately to change the line of questioning.

"Yeah, sort of…" He really didn't have much of a reason to come over the his boss's apartment this morning, but needed the reprieve from his own penthouse.

"Well, he just took Via and the boys out for brunch. I'm not sure when he's going to be back…" Jason nodded, but didn't move from his position in front of her. Knowing that he wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon, Courtney decided to try and catch up with the man she once considered her whole world. She carefully placed Hannah down on the nearby leather sofa and offered her the plush stuffed animal that the little girl had discarded when Jason entered the room. "I was just making some coffee, would you like to join me?" He nodded once again and followed Courtney towards the kitchen, making sure to leave the door open so they could keep an eye on Hannah.

He watched as she went about making two mugs of coffee and oddly found himself wondering if she remembered how he drank his. His curiosity was quelled when he watched her drop two spoonfuls of sugar into the first mug and placed it in front of him.

"You're still drinking black with two sugars, right?" She asked, but already knew the answer.

"Yup. You still going for the light with extra sugar?" He asked and was met with a nod. A looked of disgust came across his face and Courtney laughed. "Why don't you just drink a cup milk and sugar?"

"Why don't you just drink a cup of tar?" She returned with a roll of her eyes. It felt good to joke back and forth with someone, especially Jason. "How's Penny?" She watched him tense up slightly at the sound of his spouse's name. It came as quite a shock when the invitation came in the mail a few years. Out of all the girls she expected Jason to end up with, Penny was definitely not one of them. She didn't even know that they had ever spoken except when he ordered at Kelly's.

"We're actually in the process of a divorce." His eyes remained on the steaming dark liquid in front of him. If he looked up, he would have saw the Courtney's cheeks reddening with embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered quietly but the light haired man just nodded his head.

"You didn't know…"

"I know, but…"

"Can we just drop it, please?" He didn't mean for his voice to come out so tight and immediately offered her an apologetic smile. She smiled back and silence fell between the two. He watched her glance out at Hannah every few seconds and wondered if she even realized the way her features lit up with every giggle from her daughter. He was happy for her when he found out about her pregnancy, but deep down a sharp hurt sliced through him. Doug was able to give her the children she always wanted. Not him, but Doug. Sonny shared his distrust for his sister's husband with him on more than a few occasions and Jason too began to feel a sense repulsion every time the arrogant ass's name was brought up. He never understood what Courtney saw in Doug. He was controlling, manipulative, and slick enough to grease a pan. Sure, Jason had only met the man a few times, but that was all he needed to assess Brady. He was like Jax, only slimier.

"How long are you staying for?" He wasn't quite sure why the question left his lips, but knew that the silence was becoming too much.

"I'm not sure," she replied as she fiddled with the handle of her mug. He hated to see her in such a fragile state. The pain that littered her eyes was not lost on him, no matter how hard she tried to hide. Even after all these years, he knew her better than he knew himself.

"You know that if you ever need anything…"

"Jase," she interrupted, but he shook his head and placed his hand on top of hers.

"Anything, Courtney." He finished and she nodded. A small smile played on her lips as she wondered how exactly they could fall back into place as if nothing had ever happened. He still need to be her protector and she still need him to protect her. Strange how something's never change.

Bearing the burden of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was never born

Five-year-old Olivia Brady eyed the men surrounding her suspiciously. She was completely lost this morning when she woke up in a bed that wasn't her own. Her mother sat her down and carefully explained to her that they would no longer be living in California, that Port Charles was their new home. She had visited the New York suburb a few times with her mother, but never even considered taking up permanent residence with the family she only saw once a year. But here she was, sitting at a small diner table with her uncle and cousins. It was odd to say the least and she wished that at least Hannah was here so she wouldn't feel so out of place. The boys, Michael and Morgan, were piling food into their faces like there was no tomorrow while her Uncle Sonny watched her carefully over the rim of his cup of tea. Strange, she had never seen a man drink tea before. He didn't speak, just glanced her way every few moments. It wasn't like she had much to say to any of them anyways.

The black suit jacket of a man caught her attention. Her father always wore coats like that and she briefly wondered if it was his. Upon further inspection, she realized that the man was not her father. A soft sigh escaped her lips. It wasn't like she missed the old man. Actually it was quite the contrary, she had lived in fear of her so-called "daddy" since the day she was old enough to understand the screams that he often directed towards her mother. Her poor mother that had tried so hard to shield her from the fights and abuse, but always came up a little short. Never once in her young life had her father ever laid a hand on her, but the beatings he placed on her mother was more than enough to cause trauma. Hannah was still young enough to be oblivious to it, but not her. No, she had been dealing with the torment for as long as she could recall.

There was always a reason, each one more absurd than the last. "The house isn't clean enough. Dinner is cold. Hannah's crying in the middle of the night when I have work in the morning. Everything would be different if you didn't become pregnant with Olivia." Her father's voice rang through her ears like it always did, reminding her that she was the reason why their family was so dysfunctional. Each comment would undoubtedly end up with her mother sporting a new bruise and tear stained cheeks.

"You alright, doll?" Her Uncle's soothing voice caught her attention and for a moment she was caught off guard by his term of endearment. Her father didn't have very many encouraging nick names for her or Hannah and her mother always regarded her as Via. She nodded, but didn't offer a reply as her eyes settled down on the stack of waffles in front of her. She really wasn't that hungry, but it would be rude to leave the plate untouched. If there was one thing her father taught her, it was manners. Like you always say you're sorry after placing a particularly deep bruise on the woman that you're suppose to love.

After forcing down a few more bites, Olivia pushed the still quite full plate in front of her and noticed that everyone was waiting on her. She felt the blush begin to creep up her cheeks in embarrassment for making everyone else wait, but that was quickly alleviated when her older cousin Michael spoke up.

"We eat really fast…" He assured all the while poking Morgan in the side who nodded enthusiastically in agreement. She smiled in return, but still couldn't seem to find her voice around practical strangers. She watched Sonny throw a few bills on the table before ushering the children out in front of him. They began their walk home in silence. Michael and Morgan had raced ahead of them leaving her alone with a man she had barely ever spoken to. He didn't say anything for a while and she wondered if he was determined to keep up their journey in silence, because that would be fine by her standards.

"I was thinking that maybe we could enroll you in school. Do you like school?" She nodded and he smiled. "That's good. I never liked school. It wasn't really my thing." She sensed the neediness in his voice and for the first time she felt like someone was actually making an effort to get to know her.

"I've only been a few times…" Her voice was soft and she saw the look of surprise etch onto the older man's face at the sudden use of her oratory skills.

"What grade are you in?"

"Kindergarten."

"I'll go down the school tomorrow and see what we can do to get you into the class, ok?" His hand reached down to grasp hers as they came to the crossing walk where Michael and Morgan waited diligently for their companions.

"I'd like that. Thank you." She offered him a bright smile before running ahead to catch the boys who were racing full speed towards Harborview Towers.

A/N: Hmm...Penny? I'm not even quite sure where that came from. I was having trouble finding someone to match Jason up with and she just came to mind. Not that it matters, because she isn't going to be much of a factor in the story. Also, credit goes out to Maroon 5 and Martina McBride for the use of their lyrics. Anyways, let me know what you think.