Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing my story. I really appreciate it and they only make me wanna write more and faster. So please keep the reviews coming and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Show Me Your Love

CHAPTER 2

Courtney Quartermaine was slowly walking around the vast grounds of the Quartermaine mansion hoping to escape the constant business talk that threatened to spoil most of her waking hours. Her husband AJ, his cousin Ned and AJ's grandfather Edward had been holed up in the living room for hours on end, wheeling, dealing and scheming about ELQ Industries and Courtney swore if she heard the words profit increase one more time, she was going to lose it.

She needed a sympathetic ear and in hope of finding that, she had slowly made her way to the gatehouse where her best friend Carly was living with Ned. She didn't bother to knock, she never did when she was certain Carly wasn't off doing the horizontal mambo with Ned. The gatehouse seemed eerily quiet, Michael wasn't playing an obnoxiously loud computer game that he was usually glued to, Morgan wasn't fiddling with his that guitar Ned had given him for his birthday and Brooke Lynn wasn't having a screaming match with her father and step-mother. Courtney wandered around the place until she heard the sound of faint swearing that came from the master bedroom upstairs.

"Honey, come and help me pick out a dress for this pre-wedding dinner. I've been agonizing for ages now when you've been acting like a stuffed shirt." Carly said when Courtney entered the room. The other blonde was standing in her closet, furiously going through the racks and there was an entire pile of discarded dresses at her feet.

"It's only me. Ned's still in full blown business mode with my hubby and Edward. Watcha up to, girlfriend?" Courtney said with a laugh and plopped on the bed.

"I have to look good for this dinner thing. I hate it when I'm being upstaged by Brenda and everyone's always Brenda this, Brenda that, Brenda's so beautiful, she's so good, she's so righteous and she's a god's gift to this rotten town. She's on a freaking pedestal and everyone treats her like she's the end all and be all of Port Charles. One of the major reasons to want to move is the exclusive worship of the witch goddess Brenda. Please, she's a major phony," Carly said spitting out Brenda's name venomously.

"It's your pre-wedding dinner and the people who are invited are family, so I don't think we'll see any Brenda worship tonight thankfully." Courtney reassured Carly with a smile and then focused on the pile of clothes near her.

"Well, Edward thinks Brenda's the second coming of Jesus, Monica adores her, Emily never shuts up how awesome friend and mom Brenda is and my dear Neddy murders anyone with his gaze who dares to say anything negative about her. I don't get what's so freaking irresistible about her? What does she have that makes people buy her en endless laundry list of bullcrap? Isn't she into her third marriage now and has kids with two different men? That's not exactly angelic." Carly rattled on, conveniently forgetting that she too was about to enter her third marriage and had two kids with two different men.

"Forget about Brenda. She's just had a baby and we can all rest assured she hasn't gotten all of the weight off. You'll look svelte and gorgeous next to the bloated Brenda, so let's see what choices you have for tonight. Uuuuh, I really like this one. I think it would look stunning on you," Courtney said taking a green scarf dress into her hands. The dress was empire style with a stone rim just under the bustline and spaghetti straps.

"I was thinking we should co-ordinate and make sure we won't clash. We all know Brenda is wearing red, Emily will probably go for something blue and I'm most likely wearing the green. What are you wearing?" Carly said taking the dress from Courtney and looking it through to make sure there wasn't any dirt or holes in the dress.

"I was thinking the pink satin dress with the rhinestones. So what do you think Tracy and Skye are going to be wearing?" Courtney said thoughtfully.

"I completely forgot those two are going as well. I honestly don't know what Skye is wearing, that black widow shouldn't even get invited to these family functions. She abandoned the family when she married that too bit hood Lorenzo Alcazar. And Tracy, that spiteful witch will wear black since apparently she's in mourning now that Ned and I are getting married," Carly said frowning unattractively when she mentioned her future mother-in-laws name.

"That woman needs a muzzle. Last week Tracy asked me right there in the middle of dinner what kind of bleach I use and if it has, by any accident, seeped to my brain yet." Courtney huffed angrily. That embarrassing moment was well etched in her brain and Tracy would definitely be off her Christmas card list this year.

"Is that Ned?" Carly asked when they heard the front door open and someone bristly waking up the stairs.

"Sounds like him. I'll give you some privacy and go see if my husband is off his business zombie mode. See ya at the dinner Carlybabes." Courtney said and just as she exited the door, she all but crashed into the athletic frame of Lawrence Edward Quartermaine Ashton who offered one of his patented dimpled smiles and sidestepped, letting her exit the room.

"Hi Courtney. AJ is in a conference call with Hong Kong right now and wanted me to tell you that you should probably get ready without him." Ned said cheerily and couldn't help but laugh a little on the inside for the murderous look in Courtney's baby blues. Oh boy, Junior will be in so much trouble.

As soon as they heard the front door close with an angry thud, Carly jumped into Ned's arms and placed a passionate kiss on his lips.

"I take it I was missed, wasn't I?" Ned laughed and carried his blonde fiancée to the bed and gently placed her on it.

"Of course. You and your luscious leather pants are always missed by me." Carly giggled and took a hold of Ned's hands and pulled him to the bed as well.

--

Alexis was full blown spy mode. She was going to enter that hotel and find out if Ned's ex wife was indeed back in town. If it was true, Alexis was going to consider it the best Christmas present she had ever received in her life. Just as she was about to enter Metro Court, she heard the familiar ringing of her cell phone.

"Hi mom, it's me. I know I promised I'd have the girls home already but they don't seem to want to leave. They're playing hide and seek with Ric and you can't understand what it looks like to have my sisters beat my husband 10 to nothing," said the laughing voice of Alexis' first born daughter Sam Lansing over the phone.

"That's okay. Actually would you and Ric mind watching the girls tonight of us? Both me and Jax are in the middle of something very important right now and it sounds like Kristina and Molly are having a good time. I could come and get them first thing in the morning, how about that?" Alexis said scolding herself for getting that the girls were originally supposed to come home.

"Perfect. I've never seen Ric as happy as he is when he's with the girls with the possible exception when he's winning in court. But mom I'm so confused, he seems so into having this baby, but I'm scared to death. What if I can't be a good mom or even know how to take care of the baby," Sam suddenly blurted out and sighed.

"Sam, sweetie. You're going to be a great mom, I know that for sure. And I'll be there with you every step of the way, as is Jax and Ric." Alexis said with a warm comforting tone.

"I'm really sorry for dumping all of this on you. It's just there damn pregnancy hormones, that's all. I'm fine and I'll see you tomorrow. Do you want to speak to the girls?" Sam said casually changing the subject that saddened Alexis deeply. Sam still hadn't learned to trust her fully, especially with her feelings and true thoughts.

"I'll call them tonight before they go to bed tonight. Now you'll listen to your mother and go take a long bath. You need to relax, staying tense like this isn't good for my grandchild. Let Ric handle the girls," Alexis coaxed, fearing that her stubborn daughter would do the exact opposite.

"I'll go take a long, hot bath and leave Ric get annihilated all by his lonesome I swear. He's won all three of his last cases, his ego can't contain any more wins, so losing clean to my devious sisters will do him the world of good," Sam laughed and sounded so earnest that Alexis couldn't help but to want to believe her. With a goodbye, Alexis ended the phone call and made a beeline for the front desk of Metro Court.

"Hey Frank. I need a favor," Alexis said to the elegantly dressed older man who was standing by the huge, mahogany desk.

"Mrs. Jacks. What a pleasant surprise. How can I help my bosses lovely wife this evening?" The older man said with a nod in Alexis' direction.

"I need you to see if a Chloe Morgan is staying in the hotel at the moment. Can you do that for me Frank?" Alexis said giving the man a hopeful look.

"I can certainly do that. Let me see," the man said. He typed something in the computer and then replied: "I'm sorry Mrs. Jacks, there is no one under that name listed as a guest."

"Can you check under Chloe Aston?" Alexis said and the man obliged, again typing something.

"No, but we do have a room booked for Nate Ashton. Would he be someone who you are looking for?" the man asked courteously.

"What number is he staying in?" Alexis asked and knew she had gotten something. The only Ashton in town was Ned since his father Lord Larry hadn't been seen for the last two decades in these parts.

"2210, Mrs. Jacks. Would you like me to ring that room for you?

"No thank you Frank. I'll take it from here."

--

"You are not staying here for dinner. Brenda, he is not staying," Jason said with a murderous look and wasn't amused at all with Jax's easy smile and the smirk the taller man had sent in his direction.

"Honey, can I see you in the kitchen for a minute? Excuse us, Jax!" Brenda said and gestured for Jason to follow her out of the room.

"Jason, Jax is my friend and more importantly he is Ned's best friend. He's not here for me and I assure you that I will seat him the farthest seat from yours. You won't even have to talk to him, I promise." Brenda said and couldn't help but to reach out for touch her husband's face. He responded by pulling her closer to him and when he did that, she placed her other hand on their son's back.

"This dinner is already looking like the 9th circle of hell for me. Not only are my parents coming, so is AJ, Ned and now apparently the Aussie boy wonder. You sure know the ways to make me blissfully happy," Jason said mock-seriously and couldn't continue to stay mad at his wife. Not when she was looking into his eyes with those amazing golden brown eyes that contained more life than anyone else's that he had seen.

"I know, but if I can survive the shrieking, egomaniacal banshee Carly for the night, you can stand Jax being here for a couple of hours."

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Dinner starts and how is the resident of room 2210?