------------
Chapter 5
Somewhere between CA and NY
She didn't know what she was doing. She had promised herself when she was four, almost five that she would never go back. Yet here she was sitting on a plane with her Mother and Aunt flying to the east coast.
As Emma sat back in her seat on the plane she thought back to the conversation that happened just over a week ago that led up to this trip.
FLASHBACK
They sat at the table on the porch eating dessert and talking about everything they bought that day at the mall.
"Soooooo," Carly dragged out, "There's this party in like two weeks. You want to go Emma?"
"Carly you're leaving in like a week. How can I go to a party with you when you won't be here?" Emma questioned
Everyone was quiet. They weren't sure how Emma would react. She never talked about Port Charles much. At first Courtney thought it strange that after her fifth birthday she just stopped asking to meet her daddy, and uncle, but she soon let that feeling go.
Carly continued, "Well the parties at The Cellar, It's like an end of the school year bash. So you would be going to Port Charles, I was hoping you'd stay the summer." Carly knew she was treading on thin ice, but she acted like she couldn't tell that Emma was fighting a battle within herself, as Carly continued to scarf her cake down.
Emma sat there contemplating what to do. She wasn't sure. She wanted to go, but she promised herself she would forget them. They were better off without her, she had to think that, it was all she knew. She wanted to get to know them all of them, she figured that Carly was trying to give her the chance.
Emma looked up; she scanned the table as her eyes landed on those of her mothers. Emma silently searched her mother's eyes for an answer, finding none she turned to face her Aunt, who was know staring at her. Slowly Emma replied.
"If I go will you go with?" Emma questioned her Mother.
"I'm not sure if that's..." Courtney started.
"I think it's a great idea," Carly broke in.
"Court, you have that meeting in Italy next Tuesday, and then you're busy until like the end of June," Max reminded
"Oh, I could go to get you settled in, stay for a few hours, but then I'd have to go."
"What about Cassie can she go?"
"No, I can't not till like July, I've got that volunteer work, and I have dance classes till the end of June. So I could show up later."
"I'm not sure I want to go alone."
"You wouldn't be, you'd have me, and Michael. It'll be fun. You can meet everyone, maybe meet a guy or two, and you could learn to hate the home wreckers!"
"Carly!" Courtney scolded, as everyone, including Courtney, tried to hide their laughter.
END FLASHBACK
After much deliberation, Emma had decided to go. What did she have to loose. So there she sat on the plane waiting for it to land. She kept wondering what they were all like. What would they think of her? As she drifted off to sleep she continued to think of what Port Charles would bring her. She thought she was prepared for it, but she wasn't.
-.-
A few hours later, Port Charles, NY
Jason sat in the dark in his penthouse. He really wasn't sure what he was doing. He had told himself that he was ok with everything that happened all those years ago, but was he. As he lay on the couch he remembered his last conversation with Carly before she divorced Sonny.
FLASHBACK
"Jason just go see her!" Carly screamed at him for like the billionth time that day.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to see her."
"That's a load of crap and you know it. So just go see her. She'd be so glad to see you."
"Carly, I won't and I can't. I have responsibilities."
Upon hearing that Sam smirked. She had been sitting at the top of the stairs listening to the fight. She was proud of herself. She had gotten Jason so wrapped up in her and Lila that he wouldn't go after Courtney.
"What to Sam," Carly questioned, "Let Sonny deal with her. Go after Courtney!"
"And ruin Michaels family, he needs you and Sonny."
"Me and Sonny are over! Maybe we wouldn't be if he weren't so stubborn, but he is so we are."
Jason stood there shocked. He never really thought that Carly would leave Sonny. Sam smirked to herself again.
"If you apologize now you could go back."
"I won't apologize. He should, and you both should go see Courtney."
Frustrated with the woman in front of him, he ran his hand down his face to relieve some of the stress.
"Carly will you give it a rest."
"No, I won't. What do you think will happen when Sonny realizes that I'm not coming back? Do you really think he'll let Sam and Lila stay here? No he won't he'll take them like Sonny and I took Michael from you."
"Carly"
"No, you listen to me. Sonny will take them, and Sam will go. She's been playing you. The second Sonny asks she'll leave and you'll have nothing."
Upon hearing Carly's outburst, Sam came charging down the stairs screaming, "How dare you!"
"How dare me, Sam. How dare you! You think you can waltz in here and take Courtney's life your wrong. Jason will never LOVE you. You'll never hold his heart. And then when it's most convenient, when Jason's most attached to Lila you'll leave and go to Sonny!"
"I won't do that to Jason. Were friends..."
"Yeah, until you want more. Look Jase, by the time Sam's gone it will be too late for Courtney. She'll never stop loving you; you gave her too great a gift. Just go see her. You won't regret it."
With that said Carly walked out the door and away from Sonny for good.
Jason never listened to Carly. He stayed, never went to Courtney. It happened just as Carly said it would from there. He stayed, Sam and Lila left, Sonny got it all, and Jason was left with nothing.
There were a few times that he thought about going to see Courtney, but he could never build up the strength. What would he say? What would he say to the woman whose heart he had broken more than once? The woman he swore to protect. He didn't know. So he never went.
END FLASHBACK
Tired of sitting around, Jason removes himself from the couch and heads to Kelly's for a cup of coffee.
-.-
The plane had just landed in Port Charles. Courtney rose from her seat and scanned the plane; Carly and Emma were both asleep. As Courtney approached her daughter she took in her appearance. It had changed, She still wore her baggy clothing and bikini's, but now she had brown hair. As Courtney shook Emma lightly, and after a few minutes the young teen was staring up at her Mother with shocking green eyes, rather than her blue.
Courtney really wasn't sure she was ok with the changes, but Emma had asked. She had said that she wanted to get to know them, but wasn't sure if she was ready to let everyone know who she was. So Courtney had agreed to the color contacts, and hair dye, but only temporarily, if she washed her hair too many times it would be blonde again.
As the three got settled into the limo that would take them to Carly's home, she had moved out of the loft about a year after moving in so she could have a yard for her boy's to play in, Carly was the first to speak.
"I'm hungry."
"How about you take Emma to your house, and I'll stop at Kelly's to get some food."
"Sounds like a plan, Court." Carly replied
-.-
Outside of Kelly's
As Jason was walking to Kelly's he had received a call from Sonny about business, so he wasn't watching where he was going. Courtney came from the opposite direction paying about as much attention as Jason was as to where she was going.
CRASH. The two ran full force into each other, causing Jason to stumble back, and Courtney to fall to the ground. At the same time the two started to apologize non stop. As Jason reached his hand out to help the woman up that he had just knocked over, still apologizing, they locked eyes.