Jason had let Emily and Sam do a little catching up and do some brainstorming about the project. Sam said she should be going so Emily and Jason could talk.

"I really want you to hear this too Sam. You are in love with my brother, and since you're going to help me with this project, I want you to know."

"Are you sure Emily? I don't want you to tell me something you don't want to."

Jason smiled at Sam and sat her down on the couch. "Emily wouldn't tell you something she didn't want to. She's hard headed like you are." Both women laughed at him. Then Emily sat down on the couch on the other side of Jason.

"A lot has happened since you guys left town. As you know, Nikolas was in jail, and his cousin Connor was working with me to try and frame Helena to get Nikolas freed from jail. As it turns out, Connor really had no intention of helping to free Nikolas. He wanted revenge on me and Nikolas for what happened with his wife."

Emily got up and walked over to the fireplace. She was quiet for a moment and then sat down.

"If you're not ready to tell us what happened Emily, you know you don't have to."

"I'm ready, it's just sometimes still so hard to talk about it. The night Nikolas was killed in prison, Connor raped me."

Jason shot up off the couch. "I'm gonna kill him!"

Emily walked over to Jason and hugged him. "You don't have to do that."

"Like hell I don't! He raped you!" Emily let go of him and stared at him until he calmed down a bit. "You don't have to kill him because he's already dead. That night, after he fell asleep I burned the cottage down to the ground with him in it."

Jason and Sam both looked at her with shock on their face.

"This isn't my sister standing here. She wouldn't have ever done something like this."

"I know, this is the last thing either of you probably would have expected from me. I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't let him do that to me again."

"What if somebody finds out what you did Emily?" Jason shook his head, but Emily just smiled.

"Sonny took some men out to the site of the cottage and got rid of the ash and all traces of the cottage. There's no way anybody will ever be able to find out what happened there. Helena tried to make me think she had some type of proof, but I think it was just a bluff. You should have seen Sonny stand up to her for me. It was kind of funny."

"Helena is involved with this too?" Jason shook his head again.

"I love you Emily, but what did you get yourself into here? It's a good thing I came back when I did."

Sam got up off the couch and hugged Emily. "Jason might be upset at how everything looks right now, but I, for one, am so proud of you. Right now I get the feeling that you two really have some things to discuss that I don't think I need to know anything about."

"I still haven't told you how this relates to the project you're helping me with. Please sit down and let me explain it, and then Jason can have his time with me."

Sam and Jason both sat back down on the couch.

"A few days after Helena stopped by, Sonny took me and the boys to the island. It was so good for all of us. It was good for the boys because they were able to forget about Carly being at Ferncliff, and it was a way for me to put some distance between myself and the rape. While we were there, Sonny announced that he had a surprise for me. The surprise ended up being this center for women who are victims of rape or domestic violence. He did this partly for me, and partly for his mom Adella. In fact, the name of the center is going to be The Adella Bowen Center for Women's Safety and Wellness. It's going to be a place where women can meet for counseling, as well as a place where women and children can come to escape domestic violence. There's going to be rooms where support groups can meet, there's 100 rooms in the main building itself, and some apartment buildings for women who have children. There is also a clinic on the site to take care of any medical needs that need to be taken care of. I was totally blown away when Sonny surprised me with this. It's about the best thing anybody has ever done for me in my life."

"This sounds like a really huge project Emily. Do you think the two of us are going to be able to handle this by ourselves?"

"Well they've already laid all the foundations, and started on the pool and pond. The only things that still need to be taken care of are the interior designs, and the landscaping. I've hired a few landscape artists to draw up some plans for me and I'm going to pick the one I like the best. Aside from that, it's just a matter of getting brochures printed up to be handed out at free clinics and the police station for the grand opening on July 4th. I don't want it to be a huge public thing, but I want the women who will benefit from this to know about it. Right now Sonny is keeping the location of it a secret from me, which is driving me crazy. I think he likes driving me crazy. He's so good at it."

When Emily said the last sentence she was absolutely beaming. This didn't escape the notice of both Jason and Sam. "Then it's settled, Emily. I'm looking forward to working on this with you. This is gonna be so powerful to the women who are helped because of it. If I didn't respect you enough before, just for standing up to your family for Jason, you've certainly earned more from me now. You're an amazing woman. You must get that from Jason, even if you guys aren't biologically related to each other." With that Sam winked at Emily, gave Jason a quick kiss and headed out.

Jason waited until Sam closed the door. Then he sat down on the couch and motioned for Emily to come sit down with him.

"Jason please don't worry about this. Sonny made absolutely sure that Helena can't prove I did anything to Connor. He took very good care of me while you were gone. He knew that if he didn't, that you wouldn't be very happy with him. It was actually funny watching him go toe to toe with Helena. I wish you could have seen him."

Jason sat quietly for a moment. "I'm sorry Emily."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for Jase."

"I wasn't here when you needed me. If I had been here, maybe Connor..."

Emily put her hand on Jason's mouth. "Don't even think that way Jase. It's not your fault that Connor raped me. I took care of him and he'll never hurt me or anybody else ever again."

"But you shouldn't have had to take care of him. That's my job, and I failed you."

"You did NOT fail me Jason! Don't you ever think that again, you hear me?"

Jason nodded hesitantly. "Well I'm here now, and I'll make sure nothing happens to you ever again."

"Sometimes I think you and Sonny get your material from the same person. You do realize how much you say the same things he says, don't you?" Emily giggled and nudged Jason in the ribs.

"I'm glad Sonny has been here for you. But I'm here now, and I'll take care of you."

"You BOTH can take care of me. I knew I'd be safe here while you were gone. You were the one who told me to come to Sonny if I needed anything while you were gone. That was good advice. I wish you knew how much being here helping Sonny with the boys has meant to me. I wouldn't be as well as I am now if it hadn't been for them. I'm not ready to leave this place yet. I feel like I'm part of an actual family here, and I really need that right now."

"Alright, I guess I can share my sister with my best friend. It's the least I owe him for doing such a good job of taking care of you."

"I only took good care of her because it's what you would have done."

Jason looked up to see Sonny smiling at Emily. He had seen the way Emily's eyes had lit up the second he showed up, and he didn't like it, not one bit.

"I've got to find some way to make this 'thing', whatever it is, go away."