Title: Where'd You Go
Author: AbayJ aka Ashley Marie
Disclaimer: I own nada, song, The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most, belongs to the Dashboard Confessionals. Also, the transcript parts are from Journey Online.
Rating: K to M
Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst/Songfics/WIP/AU
Fandom(s): J-Lu & Journey (Hints: CarSon, CarJax, LuSam, Skate, Liason, LnL3, Jaxis, NiCo, Cassio, LnL2)
Archiving: Just ask.
Summery: Two couples deal with the reality's of life and how they can get past of so much pain and so many years of lies.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. School, family, and computer trouble delayed me but I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. The next one will be a bit more interesting for the Journey side.
Author's Note Two: This chapter has been revised and beta-ed. I just want to thank to Tiffany for all of her work. Thank you so much! All remaining mistakes are my own!

Part Three: The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most

Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself
And covered with a perfect shell
Such a charming, beautiful exterior

I took a deep breath as I listened to the other man on the phone. Spinelli was the best in the business and what he said when it came to finding things was usually right, but that didn't meant this didn't scare the shit out of me.

"Master, it would appear as if the Valkyrie is right in this situation."

He mummers and I take a deep breath and shake my head because this wasn't humanly impossible, people didn't die and then come back. Once they were dead, they were dead, right?

"Look pin point where it came from and call Sonny's pilot and have him standing by."

I tell him quietly and was about to hang up when I heard a voice.

"Master, is this about the second Mrs. Stone Cold?"

He asks and I almost hung up, but didn't, instead I took a deep breath and sighed.

"Yes Spinelli, it's about Courtney, the second Mrs. Stone Cold."

She was also the only woman I would ever marry, out of love anyway. Brenda's and my marriage had been a farce, a favor to Sonny and Brenda. It had been the only way.

"Wow, that bodacious blonde that you have the picture in the secret box of pain."

I close my eyes and decide to find another hiding spot for the box, Spinelli had probably seen the wedding pictures and I take a deep breath, ignoring the clench in my heart.

"Goodbye Spinelli."

I say quietly and quickly hang up the phone before he can say more. I turn to look up at Carly who had began to cry during some point and ran over to me, wrapping her arms tight around my neck. So tight I wasn't going to be able to breathe if she kept that up.

Sliding my head from around her arms, I point a finger at her.

"Listen to me, this isn't a sure thing, yet. Got it?"

I ask her quietly with a shake of my head.

"It is Jason; I can feel it, so let's go.

I shake my head again and grab her arm, leading her do the door and opening it.

"Go pack, tell Jax what you want, and be ready."

I say and then push her out the door and close it. Turning to face Elizabeth who looked like a deer trapped in headlights but then again that was her usually look. Shaking my head, I walk past her but stop when she grabs my arm.

"You aren't seriously going after a dead woman Jason, are you?

Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes
Perfect posture, but you're barely scraping by
But you're barely scraping by

This is one time, this is one time
That you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone
Or anyone at all...or anyone at all
And the grave that you refuse to leave.

We slowly both pulled from the kiss and I sighed, looking up at him with a wide smile and slowly move my hand to cup his face.

"You're gorgeous."

I whisper softly and lean forward to kiss his lips once more. He returns the kiss before pushing me away gently.

"So are you, but we need to talk."

He whispers and grabs my hand, leading towards his yellow sports car, opening the door for me and unlike the first time, I don't hesitate; instead I slide right in with a smile. He shuts the door and runs to the other side to join me.

"What about?"

I ask once he was in the car and had started it up. I move over a bit so I was sitting next to him, my hand wrapping around his arm, while his hand worked the shift.

"My father."

I looked up at him surprised; I had thought he had handled that. I thought he had made sure his father would never be able to hurt us or get near us again, that was one thing that Johnny had promised.

"It would seem he is lucid again, enough to make decisions."

He says with a sigh and kicks the speed up again, that was normal. For some reason the speed gave him a freedom that not even I could provide and I reached over. Pressing the button on my door and letting the window come down and the air blow in my hair. I knew he wouldn't talk about this right now and I still wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but at that moment, I didn't care. He was here, with me and for now we were alone and safe. I laid my head on his shoulder and let him take us where he wanted.

The refuge that you've built to flee
The places that you've come to fear the most
It's the place that you have come to fear the most

Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself
And hidden in the public eye
Such a stellar monument to loneliness

I walked into my home and look towards the stairs, where my husband and boys slept peacefully, as if nothing mattered at the moment. Taking a breath, I head up them and opened the door, walking and trying to be as quite as I could. For some reason I hoped he wouldn't wake so I could leave a note instead of having to actually tell him about this. About my best friend, his ex-wife, coming back from the dead. It was too difficult and I'd rather write it, after all, I would be telling Courtney soon enough.

But as soon as I opened the closet, I was damned.

"Carly, is that you..."

He mummers and sits up with a sigh, reaching for the lamp and flicking on the light and I turn my head and give him a slight smile.

"Yeah, um, I think we need to talk."

I say and walk over to the bed, leaving the closet door with my duffel bag near, and sitting on the bed next to him. I sigh softly and reach for his hand and he gave me a worried look as if he knew what I would say and he should be.

"Courtney is alive and me and Jason are going to go find her."

He looked at me, first in shock and then as if I had grown another head, but I could only shake my head.

"It's true, I got a call this morning, that was why I wanted to stay up, I knew something was going on Jax, I knew it!"

I tell him, feeling a smile form on my lips. I knew Courtney and me would find what we always had. A deep understanding of each other, a true bond.

"Carly, I saw Courtney die. I watched it."

He whispers and reachs for me but I shake away. How could he say that? Didn't he believe me? Courtney was alive and Jason may doubt it but at least he was going to go find her with me to be proved wrong but Jax hadn't even offered.

"Shut up, she is alive, okay...I know she is."

I say and get up, walking over to the closet again and grab my duffel bag. Walking in and pulling out a couple outfits and then go into the back of my closet, finding a jogging suit. Throwing that in for Courtney before turning around and looking back at Jax. He was still looking me at with disbelief.

"Look, you don't have to believe me, but I'm going."

I said to him with a shake of my head and move to the bathroom and grabbed my bag of make up, perfume, and other essentials. Throwing it into the bag, I grab my medication and throw that as well. Grabbing an extra brush and toothbrush for Courtney as well as some first aide kits and few other little essentials she may need. Then I walk over to my desk that was in the room and grab the latest picture of Spencer. He had just turned 4 and he was beautiful, just like his mother. I smile and put that in my bag as well.

"Carly...you...you can't believe this."

That stops me in my track for some reason and I turn to him and shake my head.

"I do and I am bringing her home."

I tell him coldly and shake my head.

"And you can't and you won't stop me."

I tell him and grab my bag and walk down the stairs and out. He was a fool but that didn't bother me, because I knew somewhere my best friend was waiting for me, and soon she'd be home with her family. Right now, that was all that mattered. Everything else, I was sure, would work itself out.

Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes
Perfect make-up, but you're barely scraping by
But you're barely scraping by...

Well this is one time, well this is one time
That you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone
Or anyone at all...or anyone at all
And the grave that you refuse to leave

I look down at the small hand and shake my head. I slowly pull it out of her grasp though I wanted to wrench it out and I open the closet, grabbing the bag I always had ready.

"I need to go meet Carly, or she'll be back."

I say quietly and pull out my leather coat and look up at the box, feeling a flash of memories flooding back.

She had looked beautiful, hair up and the dress fitting like a glove but my eyes had been on hers. Bright blue filled with happiness I thought was wasted on me. I reached for her hands and she smiled. Smiled with all the love I felt for her and she felt for me and at that moment I knew that was all that would ever matter for the rest of my life. To make her smile like that everyday. To make her wake up and go to sleep with that smile.

"You -- You look beautiful."

I some how managed to say and she rewarded me with another smile.

"God, the flowers, the sunset -- everything is perfect."

I smiled and I still didn't look at anything but her, even as she looked at everything around us. My eyes were on her and how beautiful she was. How she was about to become mine for the rest of my life.

"I tried to give you everything you want."

I whispered but somewhere along the line, that had changed. My wants, her needs, and our love all got tangled up and it seemed as if we weren't able to fix it that time or the time after that. To many people, actions, and commitments tearing us apart until we were nothing and I lost sight of what I promised to do. What I promised her and us. To love and cherish her until I died.

"Jason, Jason, Jason dammit talk to me!"

I felt the hand on my arm again and I turned to look at her with a sigh.

"You can't go, it could be dangerous. Think of Jake and me."

She whispered and I shook my head again.

"I promised Carly."

And I shook her hand from me again and walked out the door and to some great unknown that was scary for more then one reason. Reasons I wasn't about to let myself think about.

The refuge that you've built to flee
The places that you've come to fear the most
It's the place that you have come to fear the most

And you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone
Or anyone at all..or anyone at all
And the grave that you refuse to leave
The refuge that you've built to flee

"What are you going to do?"

I whispered, finally breaking the silence. Some where along the line we wound up near our place. The first place we made love, where I taken care of him, where we formed a bond not even my marriage and his father could break. Where our love had grown and blossomed and became the only beautiful things in our life.

"About my father?"

He asks softly and looks down at me and gives me a rare smile.

"Keep you safe no matter what."

He whispered and then got out of the car and came over to my side, reaching for my hand and grabbing it with his. I go willingly and we head towards the Haunted Store. I pull out the key and hand it to him. He opens the door and we both walk inside. We had made a few changes to it; thankfully my father was never in town long enough to notice and my stepmother could care less about the wreck.

There was a couch in the middle, across from the baby grand, along with a TV off to the side. There was also a little toaster oven and little burner by the bar so we didn't have to use that huge kitchen behind it. He left my side and I walked behind the bar, pouring him a scotch and me and brandy as he opened the sunroof and let the moon hit the piano. I smirked and looked over at him.

"Remember when we spent the night on top of that?"

I ask with a giggle as he walked back over to me and dropped a kiss on my head. Talk of his father erased from our minds as we basked in the moonlight and the aloneness only this place offered us.

"Remember? I think I still have that bruise you..."

I hit him softly with my hand before he can continue and shake my head.

"I do believe that position had been YOUR idea..."

I tease and we both walked from behind the bar to the couch and he topples on it before I do and I land with my legs in his lap. Just staring at the man I truly believe would be the only one I would ever love.

"You were more the willing..."

He smirks and I melt. He had that affect on me and I imagined my mother had the same feeling when my father smiled at her. Johnny and my father weren't so different. Sure Johnny had money while my father never did and sure they had different backgrounds but they had the same love for danger and adventure and that was why I was so drawn to him. The unknown, the unknown all Spencer's craved.

"I will always be willing..."

I whisper and I dropped my drink to the floor and move so I could crawl into his lap.

"I love you..."

I whispered before I took his lips with mine, his lips opening for my tongue immediately and I slowly deepened the kiss as my hands wondered to the front of his shirt, undoing each button with care.

"I love you too Bella Mia...more then you'll ever know."

He whispered and I sighed as we continue to find our passion in the kiss.

The places that you've come to fear the most
It's the place that you've come to fear the most
It's the place that you have come to fear the most