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. 6:

It's everything I wish I didn't know. Except you give me something I can feel.

The harsh glare of the morning sunlight invaded Jason Morgan's bedroom and settled directly on his face. He kept his eyes close in hopes of returning to slumber, but quickly deemed it impossible with the yellow glow beating down on him. He ran his hand over the right side of his bed only to find it empty. His heart fell to his stomach and he forced himself up. He did a quick scan of the room and found no remnants of her or the night before. He wasn't quite sure why he expected her to still be around. He should have known better. He should have known her better.

He moved through his normal morning routine, showering, dressing, ect. All the while trying desperately not to overanalyze what exactly occurred between him and Courtney. He didn't want to acknowledge the flutter of his heart that her kiss provoked or the way he felt like he could just melt into her and everything would be fine. It was stupid falling into bed with her, but at the same time it seemed inevitable. It was impossible for him to just live with her as friends, and he was naïve to think that it could work any other way. He let out a sigh as he entered the kitchen and was delighted to find a pot of coffee brewing for him. Alongside the machine was a sheet of notebook paper with a short note scribbled across it.

Jase,

Took Via to school and then meeting Carly for coffee. Hannah is still sleeping. If you are unable to watch her, call my cell.

Thanks,

Courtney

As if on cue, Hannah tumbled her way into the kitchen with a sleepy smile on her face as she reached up to Jason. He chuckled before gathering her off the ground and placing her on the counter as he went about making himself a mug of coffee.

"What do you want for breakfast, sleepyhead?" He directed to Hannah who just giggled in return. "Cereal?"

"Coca Puffs!" She clapped her hands joyously.

"How about Corn Flakes?"

"Coca Puffs! Coca Puffs!" The little girl chanted and watched as Jason's resolve quickly crumbled.

"Fine, Coca Puffs it is." He placed the bowl of chocolaty goodness in front of her and watched as a smile lit up her face. "Just don't tell your mother I gave this to you." Hannah nodded in return.

Letting out a sigh, he reached for the manila folder on the corner of the counter that contained papers for work. He sifted through making mental notes of which shipments would be coming in and which would be sent out. He expected a search from the PCPD any day now. They showed up annually to ravage through each crate in the warehouse, but came up empty every time. Sonny and himself had gone clean about four years ago, each deciding that there was no life left for either of them in the underworld of Port Charles. However, there was no telling that to Port Charles's finest, Mac and Ric were convinced that they were still somehow involved in shady business. It was entertaining to watch their faces fall each time their searches found nothing. Jason considered it payment for all the trouble they caused.

"All done," he heard Hannah call as she pushed the bowl away from her with a satisfied smile.

"You were hungry, weren't cha?" He easily wiped away the milk from her mouth and threw the bowl in the sink. "All right, time to get you cleaned up." Courtney often left Hannah with him in the mornings and they had worked out their own schedule. After her bath, she would watch cartoons for an hour while he worked.

And thus was how their day went. Only there wasn't much work being done on his part today. The night before preoccupied his mind as he wondered what exactly Courtney was thinking and how they were going to work through this. He didn't like the thought of losing her, but at the same time exhausted every possible scenario with no other solution in sight. Last night reawakened every feeling for her that he buried and there was no way to force them back down again.

Courtney entered Kelly's with a sense of trepidation. She needed to talk to someone about Jason, but wasn't sure if Carly was exactly the right person. She loved her sister-in-law, but it was hard to get a non-biased opinion out of her. Her best friend had held on steadfast to the assertion that she and Jason belonged together and even though the years had dulled it, her belief was still inside of her begging for the chance to reemerge. And her Courtney was, giving her that chance.

"Hey." Speaking of the devil. Carly sat a few feet away waving her over with a large smile illuminating her graceful facial features. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" The blonde answered a little too quickly.

"You sounded a little frazzled on the phone."

"No I didn't," Courtney tried. "I just wanted to meet with you for coffee."

"Why?"

"I didn't realize it was a crime to want to spend time with my sister-in-law/best friend," she replied with an annoyed shrug.

"It isn't, but there's something more going on. You're forgetting that besides Jason, I know you better than anyone." Courtney felt her face redden slightly at the mere mention of her ex husband/roommate. "Oh, this is about Jason isn't it?" Leave it to Carly to hit the nail on the head without even trying.

"We slept together," the younger woman blurted out. So much for discretion.

"What?" Carly's high-pitched screech caught the attention of most of the other diners, who raised questionable eyebrows. "You mean Ed McMahon sent you a check for a million dollars?" The brunette easily recovered. It elicited a forced laugh from her counterpart as both women waited for everyone to go back to what they were doing. "Sorry. So, tell me everything."

"There's nothing to tell. It just kind of happened…"

"Things like that don't "just kind of happen", Court."

"Fine. We got into a fight about Penny," Courtney watched her best friend make a disgusted face at the mention of Jason's ex wife. "He walked out. He came home a few hours later and we apologized. And then I don't know…one minute we were laughing and the next we were kissing. It was strange."

"Good strange or bad strange?" Carly prodded.

"A little of both," Courtney admitted. "I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't be having these feeling for him."

"You have feelings for him now?" The blonde threw her excited companion an exasperated glare.

"I don't know. It's just…"

"Just what, Courtney?"

"When I'm with him, there's no pain. He makes me feel good about myself again." She confessed with tears in her eyes.

"You make it sound like a bad thing." The brunette replied with confusion evident in her voice.

"Don't you see, Carly?" She was met with a shake of the head for a response. "Jason and I should never be anything more than friends, the past proves that. And now, Hannah and Olivia are going to lose him because I acted selfishly. I only thought about me and what I wanted. I've ruined everything."

"First of all, take a deep breath." Carly placed her bony hand on top of her friends in an effort to offer some comfort. "You haven't ruined anything. You and Jason are different people than you were seven years ago."

"Some things never change, Carly."

"Yeah like the immense amount of love that Jason has for you." She retorted and was met with an angry glare. "You know what I think?" Silence. "I think you're scared. I think that you are completely ass backwards in love with your ex husband and that scares the shit out of you."

"You're delusional. Jason deserves so much more than I can offer him." Was the only response that Courtney had. It was a lame and unsuccessful attempt to get Carly to back off.

"My God, Court. Doug really fucked you up." Pause. "The girl I used to know believed in love and everything that came along with it. She would fight 'til the death for it."

"That girl doesn't exist anymore." Courtney bit back.

"Yes she does. It's just a little harder for her to come out of her shell." The blonde's attention was diverted to the ring resounding through the thin black leather walls of her purse. She offered Carly an apologetic smile before reaching to grab it. The number to Olivia's school flashed on the screen and she could feel her heart leap into her throat.

"Hello," she did her best to control the shake in her voice.

"Ms. Matthews?"

"Yes."

"This is Jane Land from Port Charles Prep, your daughter's school." The woman's tone came off snotty and arrogant.

"Is Olivia alright?"

"She's fine at the moment, but we have a man in our office trying to sign her out of school. He claims that he's her father and is flashing documents that force us to release her into his custody."

"You haven't let her go with him, have you?" Courtney could feel herself spinning into a panic. Carly reach over and placed a comforting arm on her shoulder with a questioning look.

"No we haven't, but the papers say…"

"I don't care what the "papers say", just don't let him take her. I'll be there as soon as possible." She slammed her phone shut and was heading out the door in a matter of seconds.

"What's going on?" Carly called trying to keep up with her friend's long strides.

"Doug's is trying to take Via out of school."

"Oh my God."

"What am I going to do?" Courtney mumbled more to herself than her companion, but was met with an answer anyways.

"I'm going to call Sonny and Jason, ok?" Before an agreement was reached, the brunette was already opening her cell phone and dialing ferociously.

Jason had just finished reading Hannah a story when an anxious rap impeded on his door. He looked at the young girl by his side and gave her a comforting smile before going to greet the rather annoying visitor. He noticed Sonny's unsteady state immediately upon opening the door. The man's normally clear dark eyes were clouded over in a look of worry, which caused Jason's veins to ice over as he glanced over his shoulder at the young blonde, who watched in curiosity.

"Bring her over to my place. Leticia will look after her." Sonny ordered gently and watched as the younger man did just that. All the while he whispered words of assurance into her ear. Promises of being back soon and that everything would be all right helped to ease Hannah's worry. The older man waited until they were settled into the sleek SUV before briefing Jason on exactly what was going on.

"Doug's at Olivia's school. Carly and Courtney are already on their way there. Carly mentioned that Courtney was pretty upset and thought it would be best if we were there to you know… He's got some sort of legal document with him. I have Justus meeting us there as well."

"Right," Jason agreed. However, his mind was a million miles away. Don't think for a second that I would ever let Brady have the upper hand on you. His words from the night before mocked him as his stomach twisted in guilt.

A/N:  You didn't think I was really going to let Doug fade into the background, did you?  Credit goes out to U2 for their song Vertigo, who's lyrics I used at the beginning of the chapter.  Let me know whatcha think...