Well Merry Christmas to all, and Happy Holidays to anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chap.

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Chapter 22

"Courtney, Courtney Mathews."

"Your ex-wife right," Emma commented once again showing no reaction on the outside.

"Wait Courtney called," asked Sonny, Hope evident in his voice.

"Yeah she did. She was looking for Emma. Care to tell us all why,' Jason asked.

"Not so much, and why do you care anyways? The way Carly tells it you two let her leave, and then didn't even go see her," Emma stated. She knew that this was the last path she should be going down. She could barely talk to Cassie about all of this without breaking something or crying.

Her comment was like a knife to both Jason's and Sonny's heart. It ripped them apart that they had let her leave, but they didn't need to be reminded of it so openly. Little did they know that the pain they felt was just the beginning.

"That's really not the point," Jason reminded.

"Isn't it though? I mean if you two not caring enough to see your own sister, a woman you supposedly loved, if that isn't the point, then what is point?"

"The point is I want to know what your connection to my sister is."

"You think you still have the right to call her your sister, because I sure as hell don't," Cassie broke in rage evident in her voice.

"What do you know about it," Sam commented, "You have no right to judge Sonny."

"I have every right, and so does Emma don't think she hasn't told me all about you. Are you proud of yourself, are you? You are nothing but a no good tramp who needs to get out of Emma's face," Cassie screamed causing Emma to giggle.

"And you're supposed to be the calm one," Michael laughed looking up at a fuming Cassie.

Everyone looked at Emma, and Michael. The two were laughing, while they were trying to have a serious conversation. It confused everyone to no end, and the confusion just continued as Cassie soon broke out in laughter as well.

Sonny's glare at Michael was intense as the young man spoke, "What. It was funny. Of course you have to see those two together to understand."

"Not, funny Michael," Cassie commented as she threw a napkin in Michaels face, while still laughing.

"And are you calling me loud," Emma questioned as she glared at Michael, "because if you are that's not very nice and I may have to do something about it."

"I'm just saying you spend too much time with my Mom,"

"Well that's true," Cassie said earning a playful smack on the arm from Emma.

Jason just watched the interaction. He still wanted his question answered, but didn't want to interrupt. He loved to see Emma smile, and laugh, it made him all warm and fuzzy inside. He really wasn't sure what Courtney had wanted with Emma, but he had his suspicions.

"So why did Courtney call you," Jason asked trying to get back on topic.

They had finished eating, and just sat around the table wondering what Emma would say.

"I dunno you talked to her," Emma responded.

"It's like talking to a brick wall," said Sam, as threw her arms up in the air in frustration.

"Sam, can you and Lila clear the table while the boy's get dessert," Sonny ordered.

There was no room for argument in his comment. Sam and Lila rose as they began to clear plates with Morgan and Riley. Michael had tried to help, but Sonny had forced him to sit back down.

The four went into the kitchen as Sonny looked around the room. There were secrets floating around, and he wanted to know what they were. He needed to know the connection that these girls had to Courtney, if there was a connection.

Sonny looked at them, two teenage girls and his son, unlikely allies Sonny thought to himself, but then again he didn't know the connection they shared.

Jason sat back in his chair silent as always. He knew that there were secrets floating around from his conversation with Courtney earlier, what they were he wasn't sure, but he would find out tonight.

She didn't really want to answer their questions, because it was likely it would reveal one of the many secrets she held. She was very shocked that they hadn't figured it out yet, though she was sure they were suspicious. It wasn't that she was scared, Sonny didn't scare her, neither did Jason. She just felt she knew them too well, and she did. She was so much like them it was scary.

Cassie looked at Emma who had taken a seat next to her instead of staying on her lap. Cassie was the only other person that Emma had ever told her secrets to. Cassie knew everything, but she would never tell, it wasn't in her to betray Emma like that.

Betrayal. The word meant so much to Emma and Cassie, to all those in the room, but it was different for all of them. Cassie never thought she would be able to forgive any of them for what Emma went through, she felt they had let her down, and they had, but Emma didn't care.

Emma didn't care about the men in front of her. She couldn't, not yet anyway. She had regretted that day for so long, she should have held on when she was four, but she couldn't. It just wasn't in her, and then everything else happened and all she wanted was for them to be there, both of them.

Sure she had had her Mom, and Carly, and everyone else, but she had wanted them. She had wanted them to look her in the eyes and tell her it would be ok, to comfort her like a Father, and Uncle should, but they never came, and after that she had told Carly she never wanted to see them.

She was a child then, who as strong as she was, as much as she thought she could live without them, also knew she couldn't. That was a long time ago though. She wasn't that little girl, that little four year old, who had tried to do the right thing, but most importantly she wasn't that blind.

She had wanted to help her, help them, but she was wrong to want that, and it changed her. Without those two men there she was vulnerable, and weaker than she let on.

Then everything happened and it broke her. They all tried to help, but after some time she got over it, she let it go, and forgot, because she had to, because if she didn't the pain would consume her.

She had tried to blame them, but it never worked, it never helped, so she forgot they existed, went on with her life and hoped it would be ok.

Yet here she was, sitting in there presence and so unsure of what to do. She wanted to blurt it out, to scream it at the top of her lungs, but she didn't, she couldn't.

The look in both there eyes showed confusion and she knew it, they were still blind as to who exactly she was, and she couldn't stand it. Sure she didn't have her hair or her eyes, but she was still herself, she was still Emily Caroline Mathews Morgan, and they had no clue she was related to them so closely.

Emma hadn't realized that the tears were building up behind her eyes the entire time she had sat there. She couldn't stay in that chair she needed to get out, and now.

Standing Emma made her way around the table and to the door as a single tear slide down her face. She walked past the man waiting to enter the penthouse and straight for the stairs. She needed a walk before she burst.

Jason remained silent the entire time. He just stared at Emma and watched as her demeanor changed. She had gone from this cold hard state of mind to near tears in a matter of minutes. He had wanted to go after her, to see what had changed, but something told him she needed time so she would get just that.

Sonny too had watched her as well, they all had. They were all worried about her, but only one knew the full store while one thought he knew. Then there was Jason and Sonny completely clueless to the fact that she had run out because of them.

Michael had stopped Sonny when he had tried to reach out for her, and stop her from leaving. Sonny had obeyed knowing that he knew more of what was going on than he would say.

Cassie had just watched her friend, her sister break down. There was nothing she could do; Emma had to fight her own demons. Cassie knew where Emma was going, It wasn't that much of a stretch to think she would go there, so she pulled out her phone and made a call, Emma shouldn't be alone.

"Hey, Daddy," Cassie said into the phone gaining the attention of the room.

"Sweetie, what is it. What happened," Max asked a bit panicked.

"Nothing," Cassie paused. It sure as hell wasn't nothing, "Emma just ran off, I don't think she should be alone, but I don't think she needs anyone here. Not yet anyway."

"Ok, Cass. Sit tight I'll send someone to get you. Do you know where Emma is," Max questioned.

"Where she can fly away," Cassie said with a laugh.

"Ok, I'm on my way, don't go out alone. Love ya,"

"Love ya too Daddy," With that said Cassie placed her phone back in her pocket

"What the hell was that about," asked Lila, as she came walking out of the kitchen.

-.-

Courtney sat on her jet waiting for the pilot to take off. She had never really thought that Emma would agree to stay with Carly and she hoped that everything was ok, but for some reason she doubted it was.

The ringing of Courtney's cell phone made her jump. Taking it out of her pocket she looked at the caller Id, it was Max.

"Hey Max, I'm on my way. I should be there in the morning,"

"That's good, look I'm not sure what happened, but Emma ran out of Sonny's tonight really upset,"

Courtney's heart fell. What was wrong with her daughter? A thousand thought raced through her mind as she began to panic.

"I'm going to look for her right know, She'll be fine until you get here Court. Just enjoy your flight."

"Ok, Bye."

"Bye."

Courtney hung up her phone and spread out on the couch. What was going on? Why was this happening, and what could she do?

She looked up at the ceiling, she had planned on sleeping through the flight, but that seemed impossible now. So she continued to stare up at the ceiling and thought about everything that could have happened.