Chapter 33

Courtney sat in the grass outside of her friend's house. Both women had been upset after their encounter that morning, and needed the escape. That was what the picnic in the back yard was about. They both needed to relax, so Carly was inside ordering burgers, fries, milkshakes, and ice cream from Kelly's, they needed their sugar.

Courtney looked at the backyard. It was rather cozy. It opened to the woods in the back, had a nice wood fence going around, a pool off to one side, and a garden to the other, with a small pond planted in the middle of it. It was soothing her nerves, which were way out of control.

She had expected Sonny to explode, she had, maybe not so much, but she expected it. She was glad Carly, and Michael had been there to deal with Sonny, because she had been in no position to do so. She had been too focused on Jason.

Jason. God would it have been easier to deal with anger from him, and then she would have more of a reason to be mad. However to see the hurt and pain in his eyes made her heart break. She just hated to see him sad and to know that her actions had done that to him.

Carly watched her friend from across the yard. She could see she was beating herself up over everything. Courtney made it all to clear by the look on her face. Truth was Carly was as mad and upset about the situation, and Sonny, what right did he have to say anything.

Carly approached her friend and plopped down next to her. The two stayed lost in their thought as the both focused on the scenery. Neither was sure what to say. It was foreign ground to both. Sure they had both been accused of betrayal, but never had either been as unsure as they were now about how the men that were their entire lives at one point would react.

"Are you ok," Carly questioned as she turned to face her friend.

Courtney stayed silent as she contemplated the question. Was she ok? No she wasn't. She was lost, confused, hurt, and oh so angry. Most of all though she was worried, worried about Jason, Sonny, Michael, Carly, Morgan, but most of all she was worried for her daughter for Emma. Emma was her lifesaver, the reason that Courtney was still lived for.

As she sat there thinking about her daughter, she realized she was ok, or that she would be as long as Emma was ok. She loved her daughter, and when all was said and done seeing her daughter even partially smile made her day. To know that Emma was happy, healthy and alive made Courtney's life that much more important.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Courtney, said as she turned to face Carly.

"Are you sure," Carly said not believing her friend, "Sonny said some pretty harsh things, and Sam."

"Sam is not my concern," Courtney said firmly, "And she shouldn't be yours. She has what she thinks she needs Carly, but she doesn't have the love for him that you had, or have."

"What are you talking about," Carly said as she shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell you every time you come to visit me."

"And what's that," Carly said already knowing the answer.

"That Sonny will always love you. Whether either of you like it, or realize it, it is there. The love is there, and you gave it up for something that didn't even concern you," Courtney told her friend.

"My niece is my concern," Carly said turning away from her friends gaze, "Sonny and I ended a long time ago. We have done things to each other that neither could forgive, and him not going to see his niece, and sister just made it that much easier for me to leave him."

"That's why it was so easy for you to move on," Courtney said with a slight laugh.

"He wasn't the right guy Court," Carly affirmed.

"That's because you left the right guy years ago," Courtney added.

"Court, I just wasn't ready for a relationship then," Carly said, as she got lost in her thoughts…

FLASHBACK

She walked into The Cellar. Her and Sonny had been apart for sometime, close to 10 months, Sam had moved in with Sonny already, after only a couple months of them being apart. Ok so it was closer to five, but he and Sam had broken Jason's heart, and hers. That was part of the reason she had decided to go out with him, sure she like him, but it was nothing like what she felt for Sonny. She had been angry that Sonny could move on so quickly.

It had been a few weeks since she had last seen her 4-month-old niece, and she planned to go in a few days to see the angel, but she had to do one thing first. She had to break up with Steven.

He had asked her out just 2 weeks after she left Sonny, and she had said yes. She had been hurting from seeing Sonny in the park with Lila and Sam, they looked so happy, like he had just forgot about her, and his sister. She had wanted him to just see his sister, to visit her, and see his niece. Instead he was hanging out with the home wrecker and breaking her heart. She knew that she could go back and he would take her, but she was to proud, just like him.

She saw him sitting at a table in the corner. The restaurant was pretty empty and that was fine by her, but there was one man she wished wouldn't show up there. Sonny. She knew he was waiting for her to break, to go back to him, but she wouldn't, she couldn't. Her heart wouldn't let her.

She walked to the table and took a seat across from Steven. She sat in silence as he ordered drinks for them. She was playing with her fingers when he finally spoke.

"Are you ok," Steven said as he observed her.

"No," Carly said in a whisper as she looked up at him, "We need to talk."

"About what," Steven said, not yet getting nervous.

"Us," Carly said as she looked back down at her hands.

"Carly, I really li…" Steven started.

"Steven, Please let me get this out," Carly said, "You're a great guy, and last night, it was wonderful, It really was, you made me feel so loved, but I just can't do it to you. I'm not ready, I'm not sure if I ever will be. It was just to soon."

"Carly I understand," Steven said as he looked at her, "I just wish you would give me a chance."

"I'm sorry. I'm just not ready. I'm not sure I ever will be," Carly said again as she stood up and walked out.

"Carly, Carly," Steven called after her as she walked out.

Carly never turned back. She couldn't truth was that she was in love. She was in love with Sonny, but she was so afraid that she would end up like Courtney. Alone and betrayed by her own family. She knew Courtney wouldn't say it, but they had let her down, not the other way around.

So out of fear Carly stayed alone.

END FLASHBACK

"And what about you Court," Carly says coming from her thoughts, "You never…"

"Carly, Please," Courtney said with a laugh. Sure Carly had always wanted her with Jason, but that didn't mean she hadn't tried to get Court out of her house and away from her baby girl. Heck, Emma had been in on a few of Carly's 'Get Courtney Some Action' plans, but they never seemed to work.

"Yeah, Yeah," Carly said sarcastically just happy to see her friend not down in some slump, "So what are you going to do about Emma?"

.-

Sonny stood in the hall glaring at his son. His anger was evident in his posture, and facial expression, though it didn't bother Michael any as his anger was soaring as well.

Jason on the other hand stood looking at the elevator doors in complete shock. Just minutes ago he found out he was a father. A father not to a baby as he always thought it would be but to a young woman, a teen. Who had been living with him for the past week, or so, Emma was his daughter, his flesh and blood.

Sam stood in the hall observing them all. She needed to think of something fast, because her plans, all her hard work was going down the drain. She finally had what she wanted, she had had it for years, and then Emma comes to town with that mother of hers, and the power to ruin everything.

"Well know that that is over who wants breakfast," Sam said as she tried to get hall cleared out, it was too quiet, and she could work Jason and Sonny better if they were alone.

No one responded to what Sam said, they were all lost in their own trances of anger, and pain. This infuriated the brunette. She didn't like to be ignored. She liked to be the center of attention. She had to be.

"I don't get it," Sam said in anger, "That little tramp comes parading into town with some bullshit about her daughter, and you all buy it. You all are so consumed with her that you, Sonny, don't even pay attention to your own wife."

This got their attention as the three men turned to face her. Sonny and Jason had no clue what to say, as they believed what she said. They had ignored her since Emma's arrival, and now Courtney's. Michael on the other hand was fuming; Sam's words had opened an entirely different 'can of worms'.

"He hasn't paid enough attention to you," Michael said not believing his ears, "To you."

"Yes to me," Sam said with an arrogant sense of confidence.

"You are one self centered bitch," Michael said as he gained angered looks from the people in the hall. Michael didn't care as he continued on, "You get mad because My Dad and Uncle have ignored you for a total of what 2 minutes. When they ignored the fact that their sister/ex-wife was off in California giving birth, and raising one of the kindest people I have ever know."

"Well maybe if Courtney had told someone about that precious baby girl of hers," Sam said sarcastically.

"Michael," Sonny said as he saw the glare on his son's face directed at Sam, "Courtney kept this secret from us. What were we supposed to do? It wasn't our fault, we had no idea what was going on."

"You son of a…" Michael stopped himself. He shouldn't go there, tempers would only flare if he did.

"You should watch your mouth. Both of you," Michael said as he eyed his father and uncle.

"Aunt Courtney, and Mom might forgive you if you two S.O.B. are nice, but the second you blame either one of them, and Emma hears it," Michael continued with a shake of his head, "God help the one who said it because Emma has a temper like no other. She'll rip you down so far that anyone of the Q's would be running in fear."

"She's a little girl," Sam said snootily, "I doubt she could do that much damage."

"She's taken you Sam, and Lila. Not to mention Emma is Courtney's daughter, and grew up around my mom. And truth be told whether she likes it at the moment or not, Emma is very much like the two of you. So I would watch your backs if I was you," Michael said as he walked to the elevator and pushed the down button.

When the elevator arrived he walked on and the doors shut without another word said, leaving three very flabbergasted people in the hall.

"Jason we need to talk," Sonny said as he walked towards Jason's penthouse.

"Sonny, what about breakfast," Sam whined.

"I have things to discuss with Jason," Sonny said angrily as he opened the door to Jason's, "We can do breakfast another time."

"Fine," Sam said in a pouty voice as she watched both Jason and Sonny disappear.

She then turned on her heals and walked into her penthouse leaving the hallway empty except for the guard, Logan, who had been trying to hide in the corner to avoid the wrath of Corinthos and Morgan. He had already had Mr. Corinthos yell at him, on his first day guarding for him, something about where Mr. Morgan went, and he wasn't looking forward to it again.

Logan leaned against the wall next to the door as he let out a breath. Sure he had appreciated Mrs. Corinthos, as she insisted they call her, stepping in, but it hadn't helped much. Emma on the other hand, well she could get both Morgan and Corinthos to act like great big teddy bears. God knows that she needed all the help she could get with all the trouble she had gotten in over the weeks.

God did he hope Emma came back.