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:
You wouldn't know that I was there, because I have been there all the time and if I had my way I'd hold you in my arms and leave this madness all behind. Cause you got so much to give, but you throw it all away and all you got to show for who you are is pain.
Sonny and Jason entered the main office of Port Charles Prep like men possessed. The secretary who greeted them seemed nervous by their determination and could only point down the hall to their desired destination. As they walked in long strides, neither man said a word. Both were preoccupied with thoughts of how they were going to stall until Justice arrived. The attorney had called them on their way to the school and offered an excuse of being called into judges chambers, but promised to get to the there as soon as possible. Sonny gave Jason an uneasy look as he pushed open the door that was suppose to lead to them to Principal Lane's office.
Instead they were met with a small waiting area where Carly and Olivia sat in the corner. Carly was trying fruitlessly to ease the young girl's fears and let out a sigh of relief when she recognized her husband and best friend. Olivia bolted from her seat and ran straight into Jason's arms, burying her head into his stomach as tears fell from her large blue eyes.
"Don't make me go with him. Please Jason. I promise not to fight with Hannah anymore and you can paint my room back to the color it was before. Just please let me stay with you and mom." She begged, her words muffled by the fabric of his shirt. Jason could feel his heart breaking as he tried desperately not to fall apart in front of her.
"Everything is going to be okay, babe. I promise." It was the last bit of comfort he could offer her before signaling for Carly to come and get her. It was no easy task for the petite brunette to detach the girl, but she managed to so with a little help from Sonny. Jason offered the girl he considered his own one last smile before disappearing through the door.
Courtney stood squared off against Doug in the posh office that was Principal Jane Lane's. Olivia was placed outside with Carly doing her best to entertain the young girl. It felt like hours since she arrived at Port Charles Preparatory School and hoped and prayed that Sonny and Jason would soon be there to help in this war that Doug had all of a sudden decided to wage on her. She took in her ex husband's appearance, a confident smile spread across his lips as his dark eyes taunted her with laughter. What judge in the world would award custody to him? She had read the papers very carefully and they demanded that Courtney turn over Hannah and Olivia to their father, citing unsafe living conditions as the reason.
"Why are you doing this?" Her soft voice pleaded with him for a reason.
"I just want my daughters to be safe," he replied throwing the principal a concerned look that the elder woman ate up.
"Since when do you give a shit about those girls?" Sonny's voice boomed through the office startling all three of the inhabitants. Courtney saw Jason creep in behind him and as if on instinct she gravitated towards him.
"Who are you?" Principal Lane demanded her arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Sonny.
"This is my wife's brother." Doug answered quickly with a wry smile. "I'm sure you've heard the name Corinthos in the news a few times before."
"Or she might have seen it on one of the numerous checks I've written for this place. Hell, my donations practically funded the entire west wing." Sonny shot back with a grin.
"Of course, Mr. Corinthos. I'm sorry that we've never had the pleasure of meeting. I'm still quite new here." Lane's backbone immediately turned to jelly before everyone's eyes. "I wish the circumstances could be different…"
"So don't I." Sonny agreed taking the woman's hand in his own and offering her one of his award winning smirks. Jason watched the interaction in some sort of amusement. Leave it to Sonny to have a 50-year-old woman eating out of the palm of his hand.
"Okay that's enough. I want my daughters and I want them now!" Doug's voice dripped with annoyance as he tried to clear a path through the crowded office.
"You can't have them." Courtney spoke up. Fear overtook her stance and without thinking Jason took her hand in hopes transferring some of his strength onto her. The gesture was not unnoticed by Brady who immediately zeroed in on the touch.
"Get your hands off my wife, Morgan." He spat out.
"I'm not your wife anymore, Doug!" Courtney screeched and was met with a look of shear arrogance.
"According to the courts you are."
"What?"
"I think the divorce papers got misplaced or something…" Doug informed her innocently and watched his wife's face turn a shade of red he'd never seen it take before. It satisfied and slightly worried him to some degree. Courtney would never dare cross him when she was alone, but now she had those two bone-headed thugs backing her up and there was no telling what kind of support they would offer.
"Why, Doug?" The blonde took a step towards him. "Did you not ruin my life enough when we were married? You wanted to come here and prove that you can take what I love most to finish me off?"
"Well, technically our marriage is still ongoing…" He reasoned looking her straight in the eyes. "And while I know it's hard for you to contemplate, not everything is about you, sweetheart. Did you ever consider that maybe I don't want my daughters around them and the lives they lead?" He pointed to Sonny and Jason in disgust.
"They're safer with me than they ever will be with you," Jason spoke in a low annoyed voice.
"I do believe that's up for the court to decide. I'm sure that the judge will love to hear about your job. Hit men do make such lovely parents."
"I'm a coffee importer," Jason replied with confidence.
"Now you are, but I'm sure the instinct to kill isn't buried too deep below the surface just waiting for a chance to reemerge. I bet you can feel it rising up right now. Can you barely resist the urge to put a bullet in my brain at this precise moment?" Doug's arrogance rose within each word as he closed in on Jason. Courtney knew what he was doing and prayed that he would not fall into the trap. A death threat wouldn't look good to any judge.
"Are you trying to provoke me?" Jason finally spoke as the tension started to decrease slightly. Sonny stood by his sister a worried look taking over his once complacent face.
"I'm just saying what you wish you could. Let's face it, Morgan. You've hated me since the day I took her away from you." He pointed to the blonde with a grin.
"Doug…" Sonny's voice was low and warning, but easily shook off as Jason's eyes narrowed on Brady. Before a word could be spoken, Justice entered looking slightly winded.
"Sorry I'm late…" He managed out between gasps of air. "I got here as fast as I could."
"We appreciate that…" Sonny handed him the legal documents that Courtney had placed in front of him on his arrival. The young attorney looked over them carefully, trying to find any form of a loophole.
"Who's this?" Doug's voice rose in anger.
"Mr. Brady, I assume?" Justice looked to Jason, who nodded. "I'm Justice Ward, Miss Matthews attorney."
"Actually it's still Mrs. Brady." Doug replied with a sly grin and ignored the handshake that Justice offered.
"Whatever. These papers have no jurisdiction in Port Charles, New York."
"Excuse me?"
"You got these papers in the state ofCalifornia through the California court system. If you read the fine print, you will see that these papers are only valid in the state that they were ordered in. And while my geography isn't great, I do know that New York is not a part of California." The attorney said the last part with a grin. "At this time, I'm serving you with a restraining order that demands you stay at least fifty yards from Courtney and her daughters. You have a great day."
Before Doug could respond Justice spun on his heel and walked out of the office, quickly followed by Sonny, Jason and Courtney.
"What just happened?" Doug looked at Jane Lane in confusion.
"I believe that you just got beat, Mr. Brady." She returned with a smile.
Carly looked at the quartet expectantly as they entered the small waiting area where her and Olivia had stayed. The young girl had passed out a few minutes before, the emotional distress obviously wiping her out.
"Everything okay?" The brunette asked hopefully.
"Yup. Let's just go home." Courtney replied as she picked her daughter up and carefully adjusted her as not to wake up the sleeping child. She threw the three men a thankful smile over her shoulder.
"I'll see you at home." Theblonde whispered intoJason's ear as she followed her sister-in-law, who was already half way towards the car. Justice waited until both women were out of earshot before speaking.
"The restraining order should hold for at least a couple of days. Until then, I'll start preparing in case he wants a custody battle. I'm going to need to sit down with Courtney and both of the girls."
"Sure," Sonny agreed. His mind was racing at the thought of possibly losing his nieces that he had just started to understand and know.
"Jason," the attorney's voice was low. "Keep your eye out for Brady and if he comes anywhere near the Penthouse, call the police. Do not under any circumstances handle it yourself, ok?"
Justice plea went unnoticed by the other man, whose steely blue eyes were focused on the Doug, who had just emerged in the waiting room. The tension was enough to suffocate all four occupants in its blanket. Sonny moved quickly to force Jason out the door and far away from Brady. Just as they were out the door, an unnerving comment stopped them in their tracks.
"Tell my daughters that I love them and Daddy's coming for them."
"You don't love them! You only care about them because you can use them to get back at Courtney." Jason spun around forcing himself into Doug's face. "You will not hurt them. I won't allow it, Brady."
"We'll see about that," he scoffed pushing past Jason with his head held high.
Carly moved through the quiet Port Charles streets with ease. She was worried about Courtney and her nieces, but also had her own life to worry about as well. And her life was filled with trying to reopen the Cellar. She had closed it about five years ago when her father was back in town and she was trying to get her life in control, but now seemed like the perfect time to pursue it once again. The boys were well past the ages where they needed to be babied constantly and her marriage was smooth. She needed a little excitement in her life. As she pushed through the door, her heart jumped to her throat.
In the middle of the dance floor stood a sharp dressed man. A large grin was spread across his face as he took in the brunette. She seemed surprised by his prescience, but he wasn't sure why. He had always promised to return to her. His work had called him away right when there relationship was beginning to develop, but deep in his heart he knew that she would wait for him. No matter how far apart they were, a connection like theirs doesn't just fade. And looking into her dark chocolate eyes, he's sure that it's still there and strong as ever.
"Hey there beautiful. Miss me?" Carly searched his eyes trying to decipher what exactly he expected from her, but they were impossible to read. Oh God, how is she going to explain this to Sonny? How is she going to tell him that the man she had silently held out hope for is marching his way back into her life?
"Steven…"
The door to the Penthouse swung open and Courtney was relieved to see Jason entering. It had been hours since she returned home from the school and she was beginning to worry that he was out doing something crazy. She took in his appearance and immediately noticed the weary look that took up residence on his stoic face.
"Where are the girls?" His voice is soft as he looks around the room for them.
"I put them to bed. They were a little shaken up, but they are okay now."
"What are you still doing up?" Courtney wasn't exactly what one would call a night owl. He often made fun of her going to bed at 8:00 pm and sometimes even earlier. She would just shrug it off and murmur something about liking to wake up with the sunrise.
"I was waiting for you. Where have you been?"
"Nowhere special." It's not much of answer, but she realizes that it's the only thing he is willing to give up.
"Thank you for coming to the school today. It meant a lot to have you there." She informs him hoarsely. He shrugged off her appreciation uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry Doug's back in your life."
"Me too, but what can you do?" She replied. "I'm not going to let him take Hannah and Olivia."
"Let's just hope that it doesn't come down to that."
"I called Justice. He's drafting a new set of divorce papers." She's not sure why she feels the need to tell him that. "I'm going to make sure they get finalized this time."
"If that's what you want…"
"Of course that's what I want." She affirms. "Are we okay?"
"Why wouldn't we be?" He avoids her question and her eyes at the same time. He tried to move past her, but she stood in his way.
"Jason," she stops in an effort to form her next thought.
"You don't have to say anything." He successfully made it half way up the stair before her soft voice lingered in the air.
"I don't regret it." She is standing with her back to him. "Not for a second, Jase."
"I'm not going to be the reason why you lose your daughters. Doug is going to use me against you." He whispers.
"You are the best thing that has ever happened to us and any judge in the world will see that." She tries, but he's unconvinced by the statement. "I can't lose you right now." There was something so broken in her voice and it made Jason sick to his stomach.
"I'm not going anywhere…" He moves back down the stairs and towards her. Her delicate frame is trembling when he takes it into her arms. "We'll get through this together."
"Promise?"
"Promise," he agrees placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head.
A/N: Steven? I realized that I hardly ever have any Sonny and Carly angst in my stories. Plus, I'm sort of intrigued by Steven Webber. I'm not sure how that's going to develope yet, but I'll figure it out. I do believe I promised some Journey goodness and I always make good on my promises. More is on the way along with morecrazy Doug, because I love writing him. It's a guilty pleasure of mine.Oh yeah and song credit goes toBlessid Union of Souls for their song, I WannaBe There.Leave me a review and let me know what you think.