Chapter 28

"MOMMY," Emma screamed as she maneuvered herself around Jason and went running full speed into the hallway.

Sam wore a worried look on her face. She had known who Emma was from the moment she stood up for herself, and Family. She had acted too much like her parents. Sam was just worried about what Sonny and Jason would do when Emma started to talk.

Sonny and Jason looked on confused. The only people in the hall were the two of them, Sam, and Courtney. Who in the world was Emma talking about?

No one had to wait long for the answer, as Emma went plowing into Courtney.

Emma threw her arms around her mother's neck as she jumped into her arms, literally. The girl had lifted herself off the ground and into the air wrapping her legs around her Mother, as Courtney wrapped her arms around the girl.

It had been how they would always greet each other when Courtney returned from a business trip. Emma would always fly into Courtney's arms and Courtney would always catch Emma. Of course Emma wasn't a little girl any more, she was a teen who weighed a whole lot more than a 5 year old kid, so the outcome of this 'welcome ' was slightly different.

Courtney had begun to stumble backwards at the increased weight of her daughter in her arms. She was slowly walking backwards trying to gain her balance it never came.

Sonny, Jason, and Sam all stood in shock, all for different reasons. They hadn't expected that. So none of them saw what happened next coming.

Courtney tripped backwards over a plant in the hallway. She fell, Emma still attached to her, right into Sonny sending the three of them crashing to the ground.

Sonny was on the bottom silent as ever, and confused. Courtney was on top of him, in pain. Emma, Emma was laughing her ass off.

Emma remained on top of her Mother, and Sonny laughing the situation away. Sam had moved off to the side when the collision occurred, not wanting to get herself crushed. Jason, he was unsure of what to do. He wasn't even sure what had happened.

"Goofy Girl, Get off," Courtney laughed after a few seconds on the ground.

Courtney wasn't shocked at Emma's reaction to her, it was normal, whenever Emma got excited she would just blurt things out like this morning. Courtney was fully aware that neither Sonny nor Jason knew Emma was hers, Jason would have said something last night.

Realizing that her giggling laughter filled teen wasn't about to move, Courtney pushed her off to the side. Emma landed on the carpeting next to the pile as Courtney sat up. She had crashed into something, and it hadn't registered as to what it was until she sat up.

She was sitting on Sonny's stomach. Courtney looked down at him, unsure of what to do. She gave him a small unsure smile as she quickly stood up.

"Sorry," Courtney responded as she offered Sonny her hand.

Sonny just sat on the floor. What had just happened? He wasn't sure he could handle it; Emma had not called Courtney 'Mommy' it wasn't possible. It must have been a mistake. That was it. It was a mistake. Emma was an eccentric, she did unconventional things, and so it must have been a joke.

"No. No, I should be apologizing. Emma just came to stay with us. She is a little energetic. She shouldn't have tackled you, a complete stranger," Sonny said as he bought into the bullshit his brain had fed him.

Emma stopped laughing at his words. He didn't get it; maybe they could just leave it that way. Emma looked to her Mother hoping they could let it go. The look in Courtney's eyes said that it wasn't going to happen.

Emma slowly pulled herself off the ground as she looked through the hallway. Everyone was waiting for Courtney to say something and no one expected Emma to speak.

"I'm sorry," Emma, said as she looked to the ground and kicked it, like there was sand she was moving.

"Why are you addressing me," Sonny questioned, "Tell Courtney you're sorry."

"Do I have to," Emma begged her Mother with pleading eyes.

"You or me," Courtney said.

"Fine," Emma said as she returned her eyes to the floor.

"What's going on," Sonny said, as he got rather uncomfortable with the conversation.

Jason had watched the two. He didn't want to believe it, he couldn't. Courtney would have told them, she would have. She had wanted this more than anything and would have said something. Right?

Courtney looked at her daughter. She was struggling with how to get the words out. How to tell them? Courtney didn't want to push Emma, but she had opened the door to this, maybe not intentionally, but it had been opened, and Emma had to do it. She had to let her insecurities go and say it.

Emma didn't want to do it. She was scarred as much for herself as for her Mother. She had heard the stories of Sonny, and Jason and how they both got when they were betrayed. It was so much like her.

Over the few weeks she had spent here she had forgotten who exactly they were. They weren't Sonny and Jason the men who didn't come see her, but rather the men who had given her a place to stay, and welcomed her into there homes in a sense. Emma couldn't help but think that it was all about to change.

"Do I have to ask again," Sonny demanded getting a bit irritated, "What's going on?"

"Go on Munchkin," Courtney encouraged.

"Mommy do I have to," Emma whined.

As soon as the words were out of Emma's mouth a hand flew to her face. Her hand. She had placed it over her mouth in hopes that she wouldn't say anything else. She hated when her Mother did that.

Courtney had to let out a small giggle. Emma always let things slip when she didn't want to. All Courtney had to do was egg her on a bit.

Jason stood in shock. It wasn't a mistake. Emma had called Courtney Mommy twice. Jason's heart broke as the confusion in his eyes turned to anger, hurt and pain. Courtney had a daughter. She had a life, and he wasn't a part of it.

Sonny's anger rose. He hadn't wanted to believe it, that his own sister, his flesh and blood would keep a secret this big from. She had a daughter. He had a niece, one who his wife and daughter had picked on. How was this possible, why didn't he know.

Courtney saw the anger rise in Sonny. She could see the hurt, the pain, and it killed her, but she did what she did. There was no going back, and she wouldn't even if she could.

Courtney saw a similar reaction in Jason. He was hurt, sad and so unsure. She had caused that with her secrets, and she wouldn't change it.

Emma still looked at the floor where her eyes had returned after she had called Courtney Mommy for the second time. She really hadn't meant to do it, it was an accident, but she couldn't take it back. She slowly brought her head up and looked at them.

Jason and Sonny both stared at Courtney. Emma could see all of there emotions play across there faces, and she was scarred. How would they react? Would the take her in open arms, or push her aside like they did her Mother.

Emma didn't care anymore as she shut down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. They knew, and Emma wouldn't care about there reaction. It didn't matter, not to her anyways. She couldn't let it matter.

Jason observed Emma's behavior. She wasn't the same. He saw her emotions play over her face as her eyes shut. He wasn't sure what was going on, but when she opened her eyes they were different. Her eyes weren't filled with the worry, the questions, or the pain. They were blank, empty, like the girl they had all come to know was gone. And she was.

"Say it Courtney," Sonny said, the anger visible in his eyes, "You owe me that much. You owe Jason that much."

Courtney knew he would be mad, she knew he would be angry. She just wasn't sure how to react, wasn't sure what to do. Courtney opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She didn't have time to speak after her first hesitation someone beat her to it.

"She doesn't owe you a thing."