Author's note: Ooh, finally, the chapter I've been waiting for! Hopefully you all enjoy it! I did this chapter a little differently, sort of mergingtwo plot lines at the same time.. Anything in italics happened during the hours since the previous chapter. Happy reading and I'd love to know what you think!
Courtney stared down at her hands, refusing to look up even as she felt Jason's eyes on her. They had been sitting here for quite some time now, probably close to half an hour and neither had spoken a word. From the moment he had turned the ignition off, they had sat there with him looking at her and her in turn looking at her hands.
"It was the only other option Courtney," he said finally, letting his hands fall from the steering wheel. "I know it's not ideal, but--"
"Ideal?" She whipped her head to the left as she scoffed. "No Jason, this is definitely not ideal, in fact, I'd say it's the exact fucking opposite of ideal."
"I've never heard you swear before. I always thought you weren't capable of it." She cringed at the amusement in his voice.
"Yes, please, make jokes Jason, it's the perfect time for that, isn't it?" She sighed and stared out the window at the huge estate in front of her. Even in the dark, it was as impressive and daunting as she had always imagined. Well, not that she ever thought about the house up until the past few months. The very thought that she was about to actually go inside scared the hell out of her.
"I'm sorry." Jason sighed. "Are you ready though? If we sit out here any longer someone's going to notice and then they'll all come out here on their own."
"No," Courtney answered darkly. "I'm not ready to go in but it's not like you've given me a choice in anything today so what does it matter."
"I gave you the choice to live Courtney, be happy with that." Jason got out of the car, slamming the door so hard that she jumped.
"Yeah," she muttered staring down at her hand. "I'd almost rather be dead," she whispered as she fingered the cold silver band around her finger.
After Jason's last "I'm sorry" they had left the beach without another word. Instead of going back into Port Charles though, Jason had gone in the opposite direction and driven to a neighboring town, bringing the motorcycle to a stop at a tiny house on the outskirts of town.
"Where are we?" Courtney asked once they were inside. She rubbed her hands together, trying to warm herself and was thankful for finally being out of the rain.
"Hayes Landing." Jason crossed the main room and opened a door, revealing a linen closet. He grabbed several towels from the shelf and handed them to Courtney. "The bathroom is through that door there," he said, pointing to the left. "Go warm yourself up, I'm going to call and get us a car, it doesn't look like the rain's going to stop, I'll have Marco bring some clothes for you too." She tried not to blush as he unabashedly looked at her from head to toe. "Size seven right?"
She nodded. "What happens now?" she asked.
"You go take a shower and warm up," he said, picking up the phone. "I'll leave the clothes for you in the bedroom adjoining the bathroom. Other than that, I'll tell you later." He offered her a half-smile. "You're not going to die tonight Courtney, don't worry."
"That's comforting," she muttered. She took the towels from him and headed into the bathroom.
Sure enough, when she emerged not twenty minutes later there was a dress laid out for her on the bed, with shoes to match. She picked up the pale pink dress and let the silk slip through her fingers. With a sigh she dropped the towel and slid into the dress. She had to give him credit, it was a perfect fit. She finished drying her hair and stepped into the shoes before walking back into the living room.
She was surprised to see that Jason wasn't alone and the look on her face must have said as much because Jason smiled easily at her as he rose from his chair and walked over to her. He too, was in dry clothes and she couldn't help but notice they were both fairly dressed up.
"Courtney, this is Father David," he said, gesturing to the older man who was still seated at the table. "You look great," he added. "I hope you like the dress."
"It's lovely," she said uncertainly. "Father David, it's nice to meet you." She looked at Jason questioningly. "A priest?" she whispered.
Jason nodded and smiled at her once more as he leaned closer. "Father David is here to marry us, Courtney."
Courtney followed Jason on the stone walkway through a small lighted garden and up the steps to the front door of the house. He reached for the doorknob and she grabbed his hand to stop him. "Wait!" she pleaded, her hand still on his wrist. "Please, just a few minutes more."
Jason nodded and led her over to a bench that was off to the side, his hand on the small of her back. "We probably should talk about a few things before going in," he agreed.
"Like what?" she asked.
"This has to look real Courtney," he explained. "Adella, Sonny, Faith, everyone needs to believe that you and I are in love and married for that reason and not for any other. I don't mean to sound repetitive, but your life absolutely depends on it."
Courtney recoiled in horror and looked at him in disbelief. "Marry us?" she gasped.
"Yes," he said firmly. He looked back at Father David with a smile. "Excuse us one moment Father, I'm afraid Courtney needs a minute to get over the shock." He led her into the bedroom again and closed the door.
"We are not getting married," she said with a shake of her head.
"We are," he said simply. "It's the only thing I can come up with Courtney. It's the only way to ensure you stay alive."
"How?"
"The only unbreakable bond in the mafia world is family," Jason explained. "Family is untouchable. I am more of a son to Adella than Bobby ever was, and as long as you are married to me, she'll have no choice but to leave you alone. She won't be happy about it at all, but there won't be a thing she can do to harm you." He looked at her and she saw sincerity in his eyes. "I'm sorry Courtney, I know it's sudden and I know it's not right, but it's the only thing I can do to save you." He studied her as she stayed silent. "It's your choice though. I'm going to go back into the living room, whether or not you follow me is up to you. But I can't guarantee what will happen if you don't." He paused with his hand on the door and turned back to her. "Take a few minutes to collect your thoughts and make your decision, I'll be waiting for you either way."
The door clicked shut and Courtney sat down on the bed, fighting back her tears. Marry Jason? How could she do that when not half an hour ago he had a gun to her head? He was right though, she didn't have much of a choice, as unsavory as it was. She couldn't do it though, could she? Wasn't it against the church to marry someone if you didn't love them? She barely knew Jason, there was no way the priest could marry them, right? Unless of course, he was on the Corinthos payroll. She cringed as she realized she knew more about the inner workings of the mob than she realized.
Courtney took a deep breath and headed towards the door resignedly. She knew what she had to do, and not just for herself, but for everyone else involved.
"I know," Courtney sighed. "We have to look real, I got that."
"Good." Jason stood up and pulled her up with him. He gently pulled her back up the walkway to the door and turned to face her before opening the door. "You're sure you can do this?" he asked. She was surprised by the warmth in his eyes, they were actually a different shade of blue than they had been at the beach. If she hadn't been so disgusted by the fact that they were married or that she was about to be thrown into the lion's den, she might have found him attractive.
"Courtney?" His voice snapped her back out of her thoughts and she looked at him blankly. "Kiss me."
"What?" She looked at him incredulously.
"Kiss me," he repeated, smiling slightly. "We're just married, it would be unnatural if we didn't look like we enjoyed kissing." Before she could protest his hand was on her face, drawing her forward as his mouth descended on hers.
"Do you take Courtney to be your wife?"
"I do." Jason grasped her hand in his, sliding the platinum band onto her finger. She was surprised to see it was a perfect fit.
"And do you take Jason to be your husband?"
Courtney hesitated and she felt his hand squeeze hers. Whether it was for comfort or not, she couldn't tell. Her eyes flicked up to his and then back down again. "I do," she whispered quickly as she pushed his own ring over his finger.
"I know pronounce you husband and wife." Father David closed his Bible and smiled expectantly at the couple in front of him. Jason smiled reassuringly at Courtney as he picked up her hands and pulled her closer to him. He bent his head and whispered "It's going to be okay," in her ear before he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
Courtney closed her eyes as Jason's arms went around her, pulling her against his body. In the last 5 hours they had kissed several times, and each time it had been different. She took a shaky breath when he moved back from her and only opened her eyes when she heard him chuckle softly and felt his hand brush the hair off of her face.
"Yeah, I think you'll get used to that," he said once she looked at him again. "Who knows, you may even decide you like it a little."
"Can we just get this over with?" She asked impatiently, ignoring his smirk.
"Sure thing Princess." He opened the door then, and with his hand still firmly pressed against her back, led her into Adella Corinthos' house, which was now her home.
"Hello Amelia." He greeted the maid with a smile. "Is everyone home?" She nodded, looking curiously at Courtney who tried to force a smile onto her face. "Great, thanks." He leaned close to Courtney and whispered, "Look happy and in love," as he walked her into the living room.
Sonny and Faith were seated on opposite sides of the room, she on the sofa, reading a magazine and him at his desk working. They both looked up as they heard footsteps and they both dropped what they were doing.
"What the hell is this?" Sonny demanded, standing up.
"Ooh, Adella is going to be so mad at you!" Faith murmured gleefully. She didn't bother to stand up, but she did toss the magazine onto the table.
Involuntarily, Courtney dropped her hand into Jason's, gripping it tightly. She had heard stories about Sonny Corinthos, but had never been in the same room with him, let alone be the object at which he was staring daggers at. She was slightly comforted as Jason drew her closer into his side.
"Sonny, Faith," he nodded at each of them. "Where's Adella?" Before either could reply they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Jason!" Adella's voice rang clearly and cheerfully as her heels clicked down the stairs. "I've been waiting to hear from you! Tell me everything, tell me she suffered dreadful--" She halted on the staircase as she saw Courtney standing there. She advanced down the rest of the way, her steps no longer cheerful but angry. "What in God's name is she doing in my house?" She stood directly in front of her and Courtney shrank back. "How dare you stand here in my living room," she seethed. "after all of the pain and sorrow you have caused my family. Sonny!" She whirled around and looked at her eldest son. "Get the gun from the desk, I'll end this now."
"Adella." Jason's voice was sharp and she turned back to face him. "You'll do no such thing."
"No?" She scoffed and Courtney took a second to study her. Adella was every bit as intimidating as she had expected, if not more. She stood close to six feet tall, with her jet black hair pulled severely back from her face. In a cranberry red pantsuit that set off her olive colored skin, Courtney imagined she could be a very attractive woman, if it wasn't for the hatred in her dark eyes. "Jason, she's supposed to be dead. If you're not man enough to do it, then I will. Sonny, my gun!"
"You will do no such thing," Jason repeated. "You will not harm my wife."
Adella blinked. "I'm sorry, did you just say your wife?" She spat the words out in disgust.
"Courtney and I married," he said steadily. Sonny cursed loudly and Faith laughed.
"Oh my god, you knocked her up!"
"Shut up Faith." Sonny sent his wife a glare and then moved to join his mother in a face off between them and Jason and Courtney.
"Courtney and I got married today," Jason continued. "I know it's unexpected, and under the circumstances, rather inconvenient, but we were married before Sonny called me. Yes, it's sudden, but Faith was right before. There has been something going on between us ever since I came back to town." Courtney was stunned at how easily Jason lied to Adella but then again, she knew she shouldn't be that surprised.
"This is outrageous Jason, I will not allow it. I will not allow her to live in my house as your wife!" Adella's voice was full of fury as she continued on. "This is the girl responsible for the death of my son, the man you considered to be a brother, and instead of making her pay for what she's done, you reward her by giving her her life? No, absolutely not. I refuse to accept this marriage and you will annul it immediately." She paused to smile slightly. "And you can bet on that little blonde head of yours, that the second those papers are signed I will take great joy in choking the life from your body slowly."
"Enough!" Jason snapped this time and stepped forward, facing down Adella. "Courtney is my wife and you will accept it."
"Or what?" Adella asked icily.
"Or I take everything I know about you and go to the police so fast your head will still be spinning when they place the handcuffs on you," Jason said calmly. "You have entrusted me with everything Adella, and don't think for one moment I won't turn on you if you go after my wife."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Adella cried. "She killed Bobby! If I had known you were foolish enough to fall for the first girl that came your way I never would have brought you back to town. She deserves to die!"
"It was an accident!" Courtney was unable to stay silent any longer. "Yes I killed your son but I didn't mean to and I never would have if he hadn't tried to attack me!" She was surprised at the stinging slap Adella laid against her cheek.
Jason stepped forward again, shielding Courtney with his body. "That is the last time you will ever lay a hand on her," he said.
Adella laughed cruelly. "No Jason, that is the last time she'll dare speak ill against my dead son." She shook her head in disgust. "Do not think for a moment that I buy this little act. I know damn well you married her to keep her alive, though for the life of me I cannot imagine why. But." She held up her hands. "You're a smart man, Jason, you know my hands are tied." Courtney breathed a sigh of relief only to have her relief taken away with the next words. "But hear me closely, I will be watching you every single second of every single day. The moment you trip up, the moment I see that the two of you have entered this-this marriage with dishonest intentions, I will retaliate and you," she pointed at Courtney with one perfectly manicured finger. "You will wish with your last breath that Jason had killed you when you had the chance."
"I love Jason." Courtney surprised even herself at how calm her voice sounded. "I never meant to kill your son, but I don't expect you to believe that, or accept my apology. I do expect you to believe that I married Jason for no other reason but that I love him."
Adella regarded her closely, shocked herself, that this cowering little girl had spoken so soundly to her. "Welcome to the family," she said without any trace of warmth or sincerity in her voice.
"Okay, enough," Jason said tiredly. "It's been a long day, Courtney and I are exhausted, we're going to bed. You can berate and belittle me all you want tomorrow but you will treat Courtney with the respect that my wife deserves."
"Of course," Adella said tightly.
"This is ridiculous," Sonny insisted. "Mama, you can't seriously be rea--"
"This is what it is, Sonny," she said slowly, turning to face him. "And Jason is right, it is late, there's nothing that can be done tonight so I think it's best we all just go to bed and deal with this in the morning."
"There's nothing to deal with," Jason said mildly. "Unless of course you mean tomorrow morning you'll begin making the proper wedding arrangements. Today was a civil ceremony, I know you would want a big family reception."
"Yes," Adella replied. "Well, we can discuss that tomorrow."
"Good." Jason took Courtney's hand again and she squeezed it gratefully. "Good night everyone." They left the living room then, leaving the three standing there still.
"So that's it?" Sonny asked, turning on his mother. "You're just going to accept this?"
Adella laughed and patted him on the cheek. "Of course not, Sonny. That would be ludicrous. No." She stared off to the hallway where they had just retreated. "No, Courtney will get hers, don't worry. This isn't the end, this is just the beginning."
Faith sat back down and picked up her magazine again. "Things just got a hell of a lot more interesting around here," she muttered, flipping the pages rapidly.
Upstairs, Jason led Courtney into his bedroom and closed the door. "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Are you kidding me?" She sat down on the bed and rested her head in her hands. "I can't do this Jason, I can't keep this up."
"You have to," he said as he loosened his tie and hung it over the bedpost. He crossed the room to a closet and began rummaging around. "We're married now, and yes, she's not happy, none of them are, but they know they have to accept this."
"You're right," she said resignedly. She ran her hands through her hair and looked up at him. "How long do you think we'll have to keep this up?" she asked.
"Keep what up?"
"Being married."
Jason stared at her, a slight smile on his lips. "We don't believe in divorce Courtney," he said finally.
"What?"
"Grudges last forever," he said, unbuttoning his shirt and throwing it on a chair. "The minute we ended this marriage, you would be dead, and neither of us want that. Trust me."
"I will not stay married to you forever!" She cried. "I don't even like you, I hate you!"
"You won't always," he continued. He paused in his undress to hand her a shirt to sleep in. "You'll realize one day that you're appreciation for my saving your life has turned into love. I know that seems impossible right now, but, stranger things have happened."
"That will never happen!"
"Okay," he said with a shrug. "But think of it this way, Courtney. Say we divorce, you're on your own, and there's a target on your back. And Adella won't assign me to do the task the next time, oh no. I've made it clear I won't kill you." He turned and looked at her. "How do you want to die, Courtney? Because Sonny, he'll shoot you in the back of the head. Faith? Faith will poison you and do so with a smile on her face. And Adella? Well, when Adella says you'll suffer until your last breath, she's serious."
"This is sick," Courtney whispered.
"It is," he agreed. "But such is your life right now. I promise, it'll get easier. You're just in shock right now. And Courtney, you'll never want for anything, I promise you that." He moved to unbutton his pants and she shot up off the bed.
"What do you think you're doing?" She demanded.
"Huh?" He looked at her for a moment. "Oh this? I always sleep in the nude." He smiled at the expression on her face.
"Not tonight you don't," she snapped. She grabbed the shirt he had given her off the bed and headed for the bathroom. "You better still be dressed when I get back."
"Sure thing honey." He laughed as he began to pull the blankets back and toss extra pillows onto the floor. He was already in bed and underneath the covers when she came back out.
Courtney was beautiful, he knew that already, but seeing her in one of his button-down shirts that stopped just short of her perfectly tanned knees, Jason knew sharing a bed was bound to be uncomfortable. It didn't stop him from grinning though, as she realized that they would be sharing a bed.
"Can't you sleep on that?" she asked, pointing to the daybed next to the window.
"Nope," he said, crossing his arms behind his head and resting against the headboard. "There are a ton of maids in this house, not to mention Adella and Faith. How would it look if one of them were to walk in here and see that we spent our wedding night in separate beds?" He patted the mattress next to him. "I promise I don't bite," he said patronizingly. "And I don't even snore."
She glared at him for a moment, before turning the overhead light off and crossing the room to climb into the bed. She ignored the smile he sent her way and turned onto her side, facing away from him.
He stared at her back for a moment, resisting the urge to reach out and run his fingers through her hair. Instead, he leaned over her shoulder so his mouth was close to her ear.
"Good night, wife," he whispered before returning to his side of the bed.
Courtney didn't answer, she just squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. She wouldn't give him that, she wouldn't let him see her cry again she'd wait until he was asleep.
She was married to him. She had done this to herself. In every sense of the cliché, she had made her bed and was forced to lie in it, and she could blame no one but herself.
Unless… Her eyes sprung open in the darkness as a plan began to form in her mind. There was a way out of this after all, she realized. All she had to do was use Jason's own plan against him. It would take some time, she knew that, but if done carefully, she would have her life back.
Until then, she just had to convince everyone, including Jason, that she was resigned to this life, that she accepted her role as his life and maybe, just maybe, was open to the idea of even loving him.
She closed her eyes again, feeling calmer than she had in hours. She could get through this as long as she focused on the end. She would get out of this and everyone would still be safe. She just had to make Jason believe she loved him. That was the first step.
There was no other way.