Chapter Twelve
Agreeing to Elizabeth's request with plans, Emily went downstairs at the Quartermaine house in time to hear Dillon and his mother arguing while Brook stomped back upstairs. "What is going on?"
"Brook has gone to invite that Sam person to this house, she has decided that she is lonely and since she is almost family that she could."reported Tracy. There was no way that Tracy was going to let a jumped up hooker get a toe hold into her family.
For once on her side, Emily groaned and said "Jason is trying to get her out of the penthouse, and his own family are not helping. Dillon, you need talk to her, my mother is not going to be very happy about this at all."
"What is the big deal, its not like we will be eating a normal dinner."asked the girl as she came back down the stairs wearing her coat."She was going to order Chinese food and eat by herself all alone. Jason has all but deserted her there."
"THAT is Jason's business, Brook." snapped Emily as she recalled all the calls from the woman living at the penthouse, all the needy requests, trying to locate Jason. "She is playing you, why can't you see that."
"She is alone, Emily." she said. "I can't believe you, You were all so gungho when she was carrying her baby but now... poof, she is no one to you."
"I know the situation a hell of a lot better than you do." she said."Jason agreed to help out for Mikey's sake. He wasn't going to stand in as the father, he only agreed to give her a place to live and help until she gave birth. Now, he is giving her time to heal, but Sam wants more."
"So, what is wrong with that?" she asked. "Sam is a nice person, she deserves a better deal than what Sonny gave to her. I mean, he knocked her up, then pawned her off on Jason like it was no big thing with he went back to Carly, then dumped Carly and has a kid with Alexis... I feel bad for her."
"So Jason has to sacrifice his life for her? I don't think so Brook."she said as gently as possible. "Brook, I am sorry but Sam isn't going to win Jason's heart or any of these other romance novel scenarios going through your head."
"Brook, if you are so worried about her, why don't we... why don't we take some pie over after the family meal." suggested the every diplomatic Dillon.
"I thought you wanted to try and talk to Georgie?" she probed. "If we do that, you won't have a chance to talk to her."
"I called, she is busy with family today. Her cousin Robin is in town for the holidays, then tomorrow she is working this mysterious new job she has." he continued speaking then looked at Emily who was wearing scrubs. "Why are you dressed like that?"
"I have a shift at the hospital today, but first I am going to greet grandmother." she said. "Oh and one of those pies cook made is for me to take to Elizabeth's later. The chocolate one."
Brook went to take care of the pie for later with Sam, still feeling bad for the poor woman but getting that if she wasn't going to have a chance with her uncle Jason, inviting her to the Quartermaine mansion might not be a good idea.
"What should we do now?" asked Dillon after Emily left with the pie."Want to go to the park?"
"And swing? Aren't we a little old for that?" she asked skeptically as they ended up in front of the television watching TV. "Dillon, do you think you can fix things with Georgie?"
"I don't know, she is pretty mad at me. I guess she is right, we felt so guilty about the way we treated Sage, we did the same thing to Georgie." he said. Standing, he decided to go to the Scorpio residence only to knock on the door and get no answer.
Elizabeth who was taking Cam out of her car called out. "Dillon, no one is home."
"But I thought their cousin was in town." he said getting annoyed because every time he tried to work things out, Georgie wasn't available.
"She is, they went to have an early with her at some historic inn outside of town. Robin was on her way to Pennsylvania, something about her mother." She offered then saw the boy leaving. Inside, she called Jason and asked if he had gotten away unseen that morning.
"Yes, I drove off just before Maxie left her house. Just think, starting tonight, no more sneaking around." he said grinning at the thought of no longer keeping their love a secret then said "Why did you go back to the house?"
"Someone has a stinky butt." she said humorously as she carried Cam upstairs to change him. "Then we will head over to GH to see Steven, he is coming back with us for dinner later."
"Well, Carly is back in town. I am glad that for once she obeyed me." he told her as he pulled out of the Brownstone driveway. "Bobbie said that they arrived at four this morning. No Lorenzo though. She is still sleeping, so luckily I didn't have to pry her off of me. I warned Bobbie about giving in to her, told her that I won't rescue her any more."
Stopping at the warehouse, running in to pick up the small surprise he had gotten for Elizabeth, Jason had no sooner placed it on the back seat when he heard footsteps. "Jason, I need to talk to you."
Looking at Courtney standing there, he saw she was shivering and when she moved to get into the truck suggested they head back into the office. Once there, he looked at his non ex-wife and said "What do you need to talk to me about?"
"I am pregnant." she said bluntly. Not wanting to tell him the truth, she gave him the story she had made up. "I did something stupid and I need your help to keep the secret."
Not saying a word, he listened as she said "I slept with Nicolas Cassadine, the baby I am carrying is his. But he doesn't remember it, and I can't hurt Emily that way. So, I was hoping..."
"What?"he asked wanting her to say it so he didn't put words into her mouth. This was proving to be interesting, as she tried to lie to him about Nik who wasn't around to defend himself she thought.
"I was hoping you would agree to say that you are the father. After all, I mean we love one another, we just got lost after the tragedy of losing our child. Please, Jason. Do this for me. I mean... this can replace the child I miscarried. Our child." Courtney was positive this would work. Jason didn't love Sam, she knew that at least. Plus he had to be bored with only the con artist around.
Looking at her, Jason led her gently to a chair, not wanting to manhandle a pregnant woman. "No, Courtney."
"Look, I know that he should be told, but don't you see, not if it hurts Emily." she said knowing that the only reason he was rejecting her suggestion was that he was afraid yet another child was about to be ripped from him.
"Emily isn't the issue here. I won't play daddy to another man's child. I did it before to spectacularly tragic results." he said. "You need to tell the truth and Courtney don't go behind my back and try to tell your story. I hate to hurt your feelings but if you do, I WILL tell the TRUTH."
"Jason... please?" she begged, her mind on what people would think if the truth were to come out. "You don't get it, this is not going to have a happy ending if I tell the truth. It will ruin Micheal's life."
"Courtney, I don't get how your being pregnant with Nik's child affected Michael." he said sternly. "No more games, I am done. I have to leave, and you need to go. I will get a hold of Nik's current whereabouts and have Bernie give them to you. Good Luck."
Stunned, she blurted out the truth. "No, please, Jason you have to help me. I lied, I lied the father of my baby is Lorenzo Alcazar."
Shocked he looked at her for some sense that she wasn't being truthful but he could see that she was. "Why on... I don't know, don't care. Courtney go to Carly, go tell her the truth. I am not getting involved."
"You will do it for that bitch Sam McCall, but me, I was married to you and you can't even help me. Why not?" she asked bitterly. Courtney was not happy with his response.
Looking at her he said "Because last time I helped you and kept a secret for you, it cost me the woman I loved. Oh, I lied and said I didn't in the hope that you would leave her alone once I screwed up and slept with you, but in truth, I got with you, let things get so twisted up because I was trying to hurt Elizabeth for not believing in me, but I didn't give her something to believe in."
"You are lying, you told me..." she couldn't believe her ears, as she looked at him in shock.
"What you needed to hear. I did a lot of that over the last few years, well it has cost me too much. I am done catering to others and putting my own wishes last. Go home, Courtney. Figure out how to tell the truth, but either way, don't involve me in it."
"Why not? You owe me, it was your enemy that cost me our child." she tossed out there hoping some emotional blackmail would work. Jason couldn't believe her, the irony of it was, that the boat she had jumped off of had belonged to the very man whose child she was carrying.
"And you almost cost me mine." he said evenly. When she snarled what was he talking about he said "You, your jealousy, your drug addiction, it almost cost me everything I care about. Well Courtney go find someone else to fix things for you."
"What about what Sonny would want?" she cried out. "He would want you to help me."
"Sonny is in jail, where he belongs." he said evenly then watched as she stood. "Courtney you are on your own."
"How can you? You know what, you are betraying Sonny."
"Something tells me that if you were to tell him you were pregnant with Lorenzo Aclazar's child, he would be shouting about betrayal and he would leave you hanging in the wind." with that, he escorted her out the door and went home to his family unaware that she had followed him.
With narrowed eyes, Courtney began to put the whole thing together and vowed to make him pay as she drove off. Carly was due back at the end of the holiday weekend and she would tell her, between the two of them, they would make Elizabeth Webber pay and pay dearly.
The man watching as she got out of her car and began to pace up a Vista Point, watched and laughed silently as she plotted out loud. "You are most definitely on the naughty list."
In town, Carly had woken up and been pissed to find she had lost her cell phone, hearing the boys talking to her mother, she went to the house phone and called Jason. Getting his voice mail, she said "Get over here for dinner, Jason. I know that you have missed the boys and we have missed you too."
An hour later, when he hadn't called back, she called and left another message then decided to go the penthouse. Getting dressed, telling her mother she would be back and that Jason would be joining them, she left.
Bobbie counted to ten then decided just to be on the safe side to put out another plate as she counted to make sure she had fifteen set. Returning to the kitchen to check her turkey, she heard her phone ringing and quickly answered it.
"Lorenzo, she just left." was all Bobbie told him. She didn't care for the man and truly wished Carly had better taste in men, as she deftly avoided telling him where she had gone. Hopefully Jason could get her to see now that Sonny was in jail, she had no reason to be with her current husband.
"Grandpa, guess what?" asked an excited Micheal as he joined her in the kitchen. "I got to ride a real horse."
As she listened, Bobbie conceded that maybe Lorenzo wasn't all that bad as the two boys spoke about the man her daughter was married to. Not that it mattered, Carly would do what Carly wanted, no matter what was good for her children, look how she had lost Jason by doing something so stupid.
Her door opened and in walked Lulu and Leslie along with to her shock Laura Spencer. Greeting her in shock, they were quietly talking when Bobbie was again rocked to the core as Laura said that maybe going to jail was good for Lucky.
"How can you say that?" she asked as she looked at the blond woman who seemed almost normal in front of her.
"Bobbie, Luke was slowly but surely turning my son into him. Lucky isn't Luke and this nonsense of what he did to Elizabeth, attempting to force her to go along with him. That he wanted her son dead... that my son was that far gone, well I want better things for him and the best way for him to get there is to wake up and face that life doesn't owe him a damn thing just because he is a Spencer." she replied.
In shock, wanting to protest even if it was the truth, Bobbie went to fix another place setting just as Mike entered with the extra's from Kelly's. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago."
"Sorry was renting a room to a pregnant girl that Jax had called about."he said. "I was worried about her, she looks just about ready to give birth but her boyfriend tossed her out. I made her a few sandwiches before coming here."
"You should have brought her along." said Bobbie as she felt bad for being worried about things she couldn't change and yet here was some poor girl who more than likely had nothing. "Poor girl. Who is the father? Do we know him? Or her family?"
"She said no." replied Mike as he answered the first part of the question then went visit with his grandsons. Laura meanwhile was still feeling her way, her mental issues were cloudy so when the tall blond entered, she at first was confused until Lucas called her Courtney.
"Oh, that is right, you're Jason's girlfriend." she said to her as she finally recalled where she knew her from.
The still angry blond wanted to snap the truth but instead just dirtied him up. "No, Jason dumped me when I miscarried our child. He has moved onto his next pregnant woman. Oops, no, I have that wrong, his next time of claiming a child that doesn't belong to him."
Mike looked up at his little girl and figured that Courtney was just jealous of Sam. He understood where she was coming from but it was never a good idea to be speaking like that to anyone outside the family.
Carly meanwhile had let herself into the penthouse with the key Max had given her. It was the first time she had used this particular key so no one knew about it. Seeing the mess, she grimaced and was about to make a comment when Sam came from the kitchen. "Why don't you clean this place up a bit, you are a pig."
Looking at her magazines spilling across the sofa, worried that Carly might realize some were baby catalogs, she said. "They must have spilled when I went to the kitchen. What are you doing here Carly?"
"I want to speak to Jason." she snapped. "Where is he? I know that you have kept him busy with all your needy whining crap. You act like you are the first person to lose a child, hell even that other needy little bitch didn't whine this much when Faith pushed her down the stairs. Grow up, Sam."
"Fuck you, I lost my baby." she said as she began to cry. "Like you would know anything bout that. You are just a cold-hearted bitch who is glad my child is gone."
"You got that right and I will be even more excited once the hell you are out of Jason's penthouse." she snarled. "Stop trying to hang onto a man who doesn't want you Sam."
"You mean like you do? I know that Jason told you to stop clinging to him, why do you think he did that? He did so because I told him that it bothered me. Why do you think he isn't at your beck and call anymore? Because I told him it was unseemly the way you act around him. Carly I won, you are on the way out of his life," she smirked as she thought about what she had overheard Jason saying to his attorney about the tall blond.
"You have no idea what you are talking about. There is no way you will push me out of my best friends life, Jason knows that I am always there for him, not like some johnny come lately who is only in his life because she got knocked up by Sonny who dumped you." Carly didn't know why she was letting this no one get to her, clearly she had no life but Carly did so she would get her licks in then head out to track down Jason.
"Oh Carly, believe what you want but we both know the truth, after all, just how much time has he spent with you lately?" she taunted the blond. "Wait, watch, he won't show up to wherever you are today. He won't be there, I guarantee it." Wanting to smack the smug brunette, Carly left the penthouse when she realized she had to get back to her family.
Carly arrived back at the brownstone only to see Courtney storming off while muttering something against Mike Corbin. "What is her problem?"
With a sigh, Mike pulled her off to the side, "She is upset about Sam McCall being with Jason. She doesn't realize that it is only because of Sonny. Sam has been snooping around, Jason has been busy with warehouse business, I have seen him ducking out of sight repeatedly. Courtney has nothing to worry about."
Carly did as she got that that guttersnipe was trying to win Jason and there was no way she would ever let a tramp like Sam McCall win. No way in hell. Joining her family for dinner, seeing her husband was still absent, she looked around watching the clock wondering as it got closer to six o'clock where Jason was.
Arriving back at the house, Jason watched as Cam was babbling to his mommy who was telling him all about her plans for dinner. "So, Cam what do you think?"
"I don't know what he thinks, but I on the other hand think you are just perfect." he said walking into the kitchen and taking in Elizabeth wearing an apron. "What is this?"
"I don't want to get anything on my clothes." she said standing on her tip toes to give him a kiss. "So how was your morning?"
"Don't ask." he said with a groan then realized he had to at least warn her about Courtney. "Courtney is pregnant, Lorenzo is the father."Jason almost felt for the poor schmuck.
"Carly's husband." she asked shocked but at the same time not he was the only rich left in town that she hadn't slept with short of Edward or Alan Quartermaine.
"She asked me to help cover her it up. She suggested I say I was the father." he said still stunned at the nerve of the woman. "It was ugly, I told her no. I know we want to tell about Cam, I let something slip, she isn't likely to piece it together."
"It doesn't matter if she does." she said with a smile at her husband."We are starting with Emily, we will just let it happen as it happens."
"Let what happen?" asked Steven entering from the garage carrying a small box with food. Setting it down on the counter he began unloading it while enjoying the smell of the turkey dinner cooking to completion in the oven.
"Telling everyone about Cameron." she said watching her brother then noticing that Jason had stilled; looked at him instead.
"Our marriage too." said Jason looking at her uncertainly. "I mean, you were planning on telling Emily about that."
"Yes, of course." said Elizabeth. Seeing his uncertainty and aware that their past had left wounds on both of them, she reached out and grasped his hand. "WE have one secret more to tell. One we haven't shared with you."
"That you are pregnant?" Steven asked calmly. Seeing her surprise, then her look at Jason, he said "Sorry but I am a doctor. I know the signs."
"I wanted to keep it a secret, but first Jason figured it out before I could surprise him, now you." she said with a smile as she hugged her husband. "I want to tell the world."
Settling into dinner, the three talked while Cam slept. "Where is Gram's today?"
"I heard Bobbie talking, Gram's is going over there for dinner." said Elizabeth who then looked at Jason with a grin and said "So anyone want to make bets on what the Quartermaine family is eating today?"
Steven looked at his sister then said "I already know about the pizza, Elizabeth. I heard Dr. Lee teasing Emily about it during her shift this morning. She said she was coming over here after dinner, she was hoping you would have leftovers since you weren't kind enough to invite her to dinner itself. I would guess your best friend is a little miffed at you for not thinking of her."
Blue eyes met blue eyes as they laughed and Elizabeth said. "I didn't even thinking about it. I hope she isn't pouting."
"Go call her, invite her to dinner." ordered Jason while hiding his laughter. Elizabeth rushed to the kitchen where she left her cell phone. "Em?"
"Elizabeth?"she questioned while glaring at the pizza in front of her. "Please tell me you aren't canceling."
"No, I was calling to see if you would like to join me for turk-"
"I will be right there." she said before Elizabeth could finish asking. Standing, she leaned over kissed her grandmother and said to the others. "Elizabeth invited me to dinner."
"Can I come too?" asked Ned looking balefully at the white boxes on the table. "Please?"
Hesitating, Emily was about to say no when she saw the desperation in his eyes."Hey, wait, that isn't fair," protested Brook. "If I can't go, you can't go."
"I know Elizabeth, you don't." said her father as he quickly went to grab his suit coat, then watching as his brother stuck his tongue out at him like the juvenile delinquent he could be, he said to his daughter that he would be sure to let her know what real turkey tasted like. "You had a chance to go to Bensonhurst. You made the choice to be here."
Lila gave a soft laugh as she saw Monica and Alan were debating trying to crash Elizabeth's dinner. "Monica, you were almost her stepmother."
"Alan, I was married to Jeff BEFORE her mother was." she said exasperated with her husband then she cheered up and said "Wait, you are her boss."
"My darlings, do you really think Elizabeth is ready for all this uninvited company." chided Lila. "Now, Emily and Ned you are dismissed, the rest of you, just accept that we are having pizza."
Dillon looked at Brook and asked in desperation "Is Kelly's open?"
"No."she said sadly. She loved pizza but for Thanksgiving, no, there was just something wrong about that. "We can't crash Georgie's house since they aren't there. Wait, what about the Jones house. Do you think..."
The two stood, kissed Lila and nodded at the rest before skedaddling out of the house. Edward was now huffing and puffing as Monica's beeper went off. "Okay now this is it. No one else is leaving this table."he said glaring at Tracy and Alan who looked at one another with dismay.
"What do you think they are serving the prisoners at the Port Charles Police department." lamented Alan as he took a slice of pizza and signed in resignation. "Maybe I should call Mac Scorpio and find out.
TBC