Chapter Seventeen
At the Morgan home, Jason woke up with his head buried in one of his favorite spots and was about to wake up his wife when he heard his cell phone ringing. Groaning, lifting himself off his wife, he reached for the phone and snapped "Morgan."
"I need to speak to you." said the man on the other end. "I am back in Port Charles."
"Fine, meet me at my... uh... shit." Jason said sitting up trying to come up with a spot for them to meet.
"The boathouse." the caller said then hung up.
"Jason?"Elizabeth sat up, brushed her hair out of her face as she looked at her husband. "What is going on?"
"AJ."he answered as he leaned down to kiss her. "Go back to sleep, we were up late and I plan on taking Cam with me today."
"I should head to the hospital." she replied then asked "My test is in just a few days."
"I want you to take two guards plus your regular one. Just for a few days, please?" he asked, looking at her, worried about Carly and any member of the Spencer family who felt the need to create trouble.
"I am fine with that." she said yawning, then asking "What are you going to do about AJ? Especially considering what just happened with Carly?"
"I asked him to come back because of her, I just don't know how he is going to react." he said as they went to shower. "He might be still bitter."
Resting her arm on his, she said as gently as possible "Jason he has every right to be. His own brother believed Carly who you knew was manipulative. You threw him under a bus for a woman who created drama not because AJ was a screw up, (yes, he was), but because she wanted you not the father of her child. You let her, then you let Courtney do the same thing. I think AJ has every single right to want to deck you."
Ruefully agreeing, he said "I get that, but for now, I need him to put that away."
"Tough, because honestly, Jason... you were an ass to him." she said bluntly, getting into the shower alone and closing the glass door behind her. "I will tell you, even though we have talked your assinineness out, I assure you, when I see Courtney, there are times I want to deck someone too."
Wincing, he said "I know that too. I feel the same way, minus the physical violence about Lucky and Ric."
"Good."she said then peaking her head out the door said "We worked through our issues, but we do so by arguing, Jason that is what you need to do with AJ. Talk it out, find common ground, other than the two women you have both screwed."
With that, she ducked back under the hot water spray while Jason muttered about someone being feisty this morning as he went to get his clothes, since it looked like he was not getting any loving this morning.
Dressing Cam, Jason was waiting for Elizabeth when she left their bathroom. Handing off the baby, he took a quick shower himself, shaved and was brushing his teeth when his phone rang again. Looking at it, he quickly answered and said "Did you handle it?"
"Yeah, but you should know, it was close. He almost escaped." said the guard. "I have the traitors that helped him. What should I do with them?"
"Safe house. You know the one." he said coldly then went to join his family. Seeing Cam being fed by his mom, he sat down with his morning coffee and asked his son if that tasted as bland as it looked.
"Jason, it is good for him." she said with a smile then after a quick kiss said. "I love you, very much. You do know that."
"Yes."he said a bit more quietly than usual. "I love you too, I just wish that the mistakes of the last few years hadn't happened."
"Jason, while I have my share of regrets, in my heart, I just look at it as a bumpy ride leading me back to you." she said softly. "Do you remember the night we argued out Lucky and my mistake with Ric. What you said? And What I said?"
Flushing as he recalled telling her that he wanted to wipe all thoughts of those other men out of her mind, in all ways. She had smiled at him, then had asked him to explain. After a rather graphic verbal and then physical demonstration, she had told him that nothing, no one would ever be able to touch their love.
"I meant it, I know you don't compare me to them." she said. "Just like I don't compare those in my past to you. I let go of them ages ago, and I know you did the same. At the same time, our boneheaded decisions, we need to be reminded of them, every once in a while to prevent ourselves from making them again."
"It's just... I don't know how to face him, Elizabeth. You are right, I did what I did and I need to accept that I was wrong. I made the choices I did out of anger, out of a need to control and to hurt like he hurt me."
"Tell him that, tell him you are sorry." she said. "If he chooses not to accept your apology, well that is on him as long as you make an honest attempt at righting the wrongs."
Kissing her, then lifting Cam when he was finished with his oatmeal, Jason wiped his face then said "I will send Cam to day care with Steven. Are you sure you want to go to work today? I mean... Carly is still a patient."
"And I am still a nurse with access to sedatives." she said calmly then winked at him.
Jason was wrong, Carly wasn't at the hospital. She had checked herself out at six in the morning, showed up at Jason's penthouse and ripping down the police tape let herself in.
Sitting on the sofa, the words from the night before playing on constant rewind over and over again in her head, she began to laugh bitterly.
Standing, stalking up the stairs, she threw herself down on the bed in the master bedroom. Smelling the tacky scent that Sam wore, she screamed and tossed the bed linens off the mattress and laid back down.
Once there, her past with Jason played on fast forward in her head, then what had gone over the last twelve weeks. Her mind could almost pinpoint the day that that bitch had gotten her claws in so deep. Furious with herself for not being on the lookout, for not realizing what was going on, she stood, walked to the closet, and found... nothing.
Opening the other doors, she found the same... the third set, she saw shadows which when she opened the doors all the way exposed Sam's clothes. Sprinting to the bathroom, finding no evidence of Jason having ever even lived there, she tore apart the nursery, still nothing, not even a damn travel book.
Ripping the head of one of the multitude of stuffed animals, she went to the last room, curled her lips at the terrible decorating job that Brenda had done, she checked the closet, just in case.
Nothing.
Down the stairs, she hurried to open the hall closet, nothing, nada, no part of Jason in it. The desk was the same way, she tore the whole house apart and the only evidence that Jason had ever lived there was the pool table in the dining room and the work out equipment in the downstairs bedroom.
Stumbling back to the sofa, turning on the television that Courtney had insisted on getting, she saw the news was still full of Sam McCall kidnapper and Jason getting a hold of the baby by confronting the other woman.
Hearing the words from the screen... "She finally said those words to me. Sam, this idea, this dream you have, it wouldn't have happened because I am already a father, am already married. See in September, she did say all those things to me. And within minutes, I had her in front of Father Coates and we are married."
Carly shoved the small black box off the table, then walked to the door. Exiting, she hurried off to see Sonny... then recalled he wasn't at home, that he was in jail. Then thought about Lucky who was surely angry about this... no, he was in jail too and even had less of a chance of helping her right this wrong.
Father Coates, that was who she had to see, that was who could fix this... but when she arrived at the rectory, she was stunned to be told that Father Coates was in Rome on a pilgrimage.
Wanting to rage, but even Carly knew yelling at a nun bought you all sorts of bad karma. Instead she drove to her mother's house. Slipping up the back staircase, she almost shrieked with anger and resentment as she heard her mother, that crazy ass Laura and her equally nut job of a mother all saying how wonderful it was that Jason had married Elizabeth.
Stumbling away, she was about to drive see Courtney when she realized Elizabeth might be at GH. Arriving, pulling into a parking spot marked handicap and not even noticing as the police enforcement officer tried to get her attention, she started at the top floor and worked her way down, determined to deal with this.
On the roof, she found a nurse with Jax, scoffing at the corn porn tone of the blond, she left, found nothing on several different floors but almost had a run in with Georgie Jones who was talking to some dark haired boy she didn't know.
Finally arriving on the obstetrics floor, she saw Elizabeth going into a patient's room. Standing outside, waiting hoping to catch the woman unawares, she found her arm grabbed.
"Let me go." she said turning only to see Mac Scorpio standing there. "Do you want me to have my lawyer sue you, if not, let me go."
"Carly I asked him to remove you." said Alan shaking his head at the woman. Looking at the two guards, one who had stayed, the other who had come to get him, he said "You are not going to be bothering my daughter-in-law. You need to leave this hospital and quickly."
Elizabeth meanwhile was inside talking to Corinne, her grandmother and the baby's father. "If you need anything..."
"No, thank you, again. Ms. Morgan." said the young girl holding onto her baby while in the arms of the child's father. Looking up she said "Would you tell your husband, thank you for us."
"I will." she said knowing that Jason wouldn't want to be thanked, but hoping it might help relieve the guilt she was positive he was suffering from.
"And Mr. Jacks, you know him too, don't you?" asked the older woman. "He was the one who hired her Tommy."
The younger man blushed then said "He hired me without knowing about this. I promised Corinne, to never make decisions for her without her. I uh, was doing what I thought was best... but like her grandma said this could have been worse than it was."
"If it makes you feel better Tommy, even my husband tries to do that every once in a while. It didn't work out much better for him either." she said with a grin. "The best thing you can do is learn from your mistakes."
Exiting the hospital room just in time to see Carly arguing with Alan and Mac, she walked over and said "Carly, I can guess why you are here. So let me save you the trouble of creating a scene. Yes, Jason and I are married, yes he really is Cam's father. Yes, he really did cheat on Courtney, yes I really did sleep with him when he was engaged to another woman but frankly Courtney deserved it."
With that, she was about to walk away but instead added "Carly, we both know you pushed him into that relationship because you didn't want him involved with me, well too bad. We might have lost our way but we are together now, stronger than ever and frankly... well without Sonny, without Lucky and now without you around, our life should definitely be much easier."
"You bitch, I knew it, I knew you would make him chose between us." she shrieked.
"Carly I never asked him to make a choice." she said quietly then added "But we both know that is your real fear, that I would ask him and that he would chose me. Isn't it. Carly. You knew the truth, all this time and that is what all this hate has been about. Well guess what, Carly. I never asked him because I never wanted to make him chose. Not out of fear, but because I pitied you."
Mac almost felt for the blond as he watched her turn white at Elizabeth's words. Carly started to respond but it was too late as Elizabeth and her guards got onto the elevator.
Sam sat in her jail cell, her mind still reeling from her arraignment. She was being held in lieu of a million dollars bail. Resting her head against the iron bars, she was going over in her mind who had that kind of money and what it would cost her for them to bail her out.
Her mind went through the list, from those that would help and those that wouldn't and found the wouldn't list much much longer. Going from everyone she knew, she crossed over into those she didn't actually know but who would want the knowledge she had from her time living in the Morgan penthouse.
Scrambling for a name, she was about to give up when it hit her, Lorenzo Alcazar or that other mob family, the Zacharas, surely they would pay for what she knew. "I want to make a phone call."
Looking at the woman, leading her to the pay phone, the female guard watched as she started to call and stepped back, knowing that the recording equipment would catch everything she said.
"Hello, this is Sam McCall, may I speak to Lorenzo please?" she asked only for Alcazar to listen to her proposition then hang up without saying a word. Trying to locate a number for the other man, she was shocked to find it in the phone book.
Calling she got a youngish sounding man and said "I need to speak to Anthony please, this is Sam McCall."
"I am sorry but we don't take unsolicited offers." said the former mob prince hanging up the phone. "What a bitch."
""Who was that?"asked the man in the suit. Johnny looked at his father, then raised his eye brow and said "Big dude, flowing white beard, twinkling eyes, he wants his red suit back."
"Break his knee caps, then tell him to stop buggering the elves in the back room." with that, cackling at his own joke, Anthony left. Johnny just shook his head, then called the guards "What do you have for me today."
"Sir, I stopped in earlier while you were at the hospital. I left a file of your father's latest acquisitions." said the guard who gritted his teeth. "Your dad just pulled out of here like a bat out of hell in that Porsche."
"Track him by his GPS." said Johnny exhausted. He had spent the night doing of all things speaking to Georgie's father. The other man had had a rough day, he had given him a very sleepless night, but the man had after his shock agreed to disagree with him.
Johnny grimaced, the man's main complaint hadn't been the former mob stuff, it had been his age. Which he understood, after all, he was six years older. They had agreed on one thing, that Johnny would take things slow.
Today was the day he was going to tell Georgie about his father and why he had been at the building where they had met. He was hoping it went better than he was expecting but in truth he had kept it hidden too long for it not to be a problem.
Jason was speaking to Steven at the warehouse when the guard came up. "Sir."
"Is it the reporters again? Tell them to speak to the police." he stated, annoyed to know that for some reason the reporter from the Port Charles Herald was sticking around even after the rest had left. Sam's mess and subsequently Jason's confession of being married had had them coming out in droves.
When the news had finally found proof that it was a legal marriage and that it had been before Sonny and Lucky's failed kidnapping attempt, what had happened was being rehashed and looked at with new eyes. Jason couldn't wait until Sonny's trial, it would be even more of a media circus.
The only good news was that no one had found out where Elizabeth and he lived and hopefully by the time they did, the story would have died down or Mac would have taken care of it since they were... "Oh shit."
Steven looked over to where Cam was having his nap then at his nephew's father. "Jason?"
"I live next to the police commissioner." he groaned. Seeing Steven looking at him like duh, he said "Most don't know that I am done with Sonny and the other side of the business."
"Oh si—uugar."said the doctor and saw the way Jason recalled his sleeping son. "How about I run over to the station, speak to Mac. Then come back and get Cam. Your meeting isn't until two right?"
Nodding, Jason went back to what had brought Steven there in the first place. Audrey Hardy and the visit the guards had observed between the Quartermaines and her."What do you think she is up to?"
"I have no idea. My father made it clear he wasn't interfering, not that he has ever done so." he said rolling his eyes at Jeff's words. "I am going to keep an eye on her but with Grams' who knows what is going on in her head. I have no clue, none why this all matters this much to her. What about Spencer, don't take this the wrong way but why is he still alive?"
"Because I would be the first suspect." he pointed out then shook his head. "Steven, I am done with that life. Like Manny Ruiz said, with Spencer's mouth and sense of entitlement, he will piss off the wrong person and he will cease to be a problem."
"Well I have to deal with what Lianey Winters asked me." he said, he wasn't a big fan of the doctors methods, but she had had a run in with Sonny while there and her response has amused Steven. "She was a bit shocked during her jail house visit. Corinthos wasn't too thrilled that she offered to drug him but refused to have him moved."
"I know that Mac was worried that he would try to escape, but there are very few guards loyal to Sonny and I am dealing with them as fairly as I can but not so that they jeopardize your sister or my family." Jason watched the other man leave, then went over to where his son was sleeping.
"You know, he looks a bit like father." said the man entering the warehouse office wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khakis. Looking at his brother, he said"Shocked to hear you had a kid."
"AJ." he said even as he moved closer to the door. "I thought we were meeting at the boathouse."
"We were, but then I saw the newspaper." with that, AJ tossed down the paper, with its picture of Carly being wheeled out of the Towers on a gurney. "Read the article. Interestingly enough, while this Sam woman is public enemy number one, Carly is very close to being number two. Funny how that works."
"Look, as much as we need to talk... I don't want my son here for this." said Jason looking over at Cameron.
AJ glanced at the sleeping little boy, then said "We will keep it down."
"Don't care. Elizabeth would not be pleased." he replied. Jason knew that AJ had every right to be angry and to not care about the fact his son was there, but Jason wasn't going to let this happen while Cameron was there.
"Jason?" Seeing Steven returning with Lorenzo Alcazar, Jason frowned a bit but the blond continued over to where Cam was and then looked towards AJ. "He told me who was here, I came back for Cam."
"Thanks." with that, Jason handed over his diaper bag and then went to pick up his son. Kissing his forehead, he tucked him back into his jacket, then wrapped him up in a blanket against the cold weather then handed him off to his uncle. "Don't forget..."
"I know, and he will let me know if I do." Steven said humorously. "Cam does not like to miss a meal."
When the man carrying the baby had left, there was silence in the room for a moment then AJ looked at the two mobsters or if the paper was correct, an ex mobster and an ex arms dealer. "Why am I here?"
"Michael." said Jason simply then nodding at Lorenzo said "He is married to Carly, I will let him explain."
Lorenzo looked at the man in front of him, there was weakness but also proof of the younger man hardening up. Lorenzo had been worried, especially considering the way Michael had talked about Elizabeth and her child in Venezuela, but he didn't get an overwhelming feel of entitlement or of being better than the whole world from AJ, more an attitude of he was not going to be walked upon. Good, he was going to need it to deal with his horror of an ex. "Carly has alienated Michael to the point that last night he asked me to let Morgan and him live on my estate in Venezuela."
Looking scathingly at his brother he asked "Did you bother to tell him you two are enemies."
"His brother, not Jason." replied the taller man frowning a bit. "I had to explain that I couldn't take him, that when his mother had brought him earlier this year it had been illegal. Michael and I hadn't spoken much until that trip."
Angry that yet another man was playing father to his son, AJ was about to go off when Jason spoke. "This was while we were cleaning up your record so you can come home."
"Michael wasn't looking for a father figure, Quartermaine, he was looking for someone willing to listen to him. I did that, then almost changed my mind about divorcing Carly. Then I heard what Morgan your brother was up to regarding getting you home, then a conversation with Mac Scorpio helped me decide to get you here as soon as possible."
"So, now that both of you have decided I need to be here, why? My son has been brainwashed into thinking I am the bad guy." he stated bitterly, while he had made the choice to try to not be bitter, he hated that others seemed to feel they had a the right to decide what was right for his son.
"No, I haven't been."said the young man entering. Looking at Lorenzo, then at his uncle he said "I know the truth. I know what my dad, what Sonny did to you. Uncle Jason told Leticia to tell me, he knew I wouldn't believe anyone else."
AJ felt weak in the knees as his son came into the room. When the young boy set his back pack down, then looked at him assessingly, he didn't know what to say.
"When I got my computer, I researched you." said the boy. "Mom didn't know, I didn't tell her. She doesn't know that I know everything."
"Michael, what do you mean by everything?" asked Lorenzo while Jason stayed quiet.
"About Mom and what she did to Grandma Bobbie, what happened with Uncle Jason, you and me." he said. "I know what Robin did and why. I know everything. I just didn't know if I wanted to meet you."
That made AJ flinch as his son met his eyes again. "You screwed up dad. So did Uncle Jason, but he stayed to try and help me. Dad has done bad things, he hurt Uncle Jason's wife."
AJ looked at his brother, saw the way Jason was clenching his fists then at Lorenzo who didn't look much happier about what had gone down and said "I had no choice but to leave Michael."
"I know that." he said. "I don't blame you for leaving. Like I said, I know what happened. I just want to know two things."
AJ looked at his son and asked what?
"One if you will stick around now and make changes including forgiving Uncle Jason because I heard Grandma Bobbie talking today, she says that Uncle Jason paid and paid dearly for years for helping Mom. That he should have been with Elizabeth and Cam should be much older than he is."
Jason blinked at that one but let it go for now. "And the second thing?"
Michael moved in to stand right in front of AJ and asked "Can you be here for me and not try to keep me from my brother or sister. 'Cause I ain't leavin' Morgan or Kristina. You can't insult their dad, you can't be mean to them or I will find a way to run away to Mr. Alcazar's place."
That caused the South American to start to speak, but he seemed to have second thoughts and waited to see what happened next.
AJ looked at his son, at how big he was, how scared too. "I will try."
"No try, do." said the kid with a quick grin at using the movie quote. "I know Mom is going to give you a hard time, but if you want to be there for me, stick around, forgive and don't take what happened out on the innocents."
Blinking at the very grown up attitude, Jason was about to ask him about it when Lorenzo said "Michael, where did all of this come from."
"Oh, the lady I said was not too bright. I talked to her. She isn't that bad. You are right, she used to be a doctor. She was really nice to me when I spoke to her. Did you know she worked with my grandma Bobbie?"
Seeing AJ looked confused. Lorenzo said "Leslie Webber is staying at the Brownstone, Laura Webber and she have been there since Luke died."
"Spencer is dead?"he asked surprised.
AJ heard a beeping cell phone, then saw Michael grimace as it played a funeral march. "What is that?"
"My mother." he said walking slowly over to pick it up. Whatever he heard, he didn't share then they heard him saying. "No mom, I haven't seen Uncle Jason today."
Hanging up, he said to the three men. "Yeah, I lied, get over it, she would show up here before AJ could hide. I am guessing you don't want her to know he is in town yet, since he has been sneaking around."
"You need to get back to school before Bobbie finds out you are gone." warned Lorenzo then looking at AJ said. "Morgan and he will be in the park four, Carly will be kept busy and I will speak to Bobbie Jones."
Nodding thank you at the cool customer who was urging his son to grab his back pack, he was surprised when Michael turned around and looked at him with a smile then a wave as he said "Morgan likes grape juice boxes."
There was silence again as AJ looked at his brother. "I still haven't forgiven you."
"I haven't forgiven myself. Elizabeth and I spoke about this, she called me an idiot."
"Really?" asked AJ."She has her own thoughts, she isn't a yes woman?"
"Not in this lifetime or the next. You know Elizabeth Webber."
"Ah yes, the woman you were in love with when you fucked my wife." he said mocking his brother. "You know it took a while for me to figure it out. But when I did, I got it and had a good laugh once I realized the lucky escape I had."
"I am sorry AJ. I wish I had a better excuse than the truth but simply put. I was hurt, she was acting hurt and after Elizabeth left, well I was..."
"Blinded by Courtney's oh so innocent act." he said smugly. "Yeah, I know it well. It funny, when I met that con woman Sam, I knew what she was. When I heard you took her in, I expected you to fall for her lines. You tend to like women who worship the very ground you walk on. I never saw Elizabeth Webber as the sort to do that."
"No, she isn't." he said thankfully. "I lost her because I tried to make decisions for her. Twice. First time with- hell what am I saying I lost her three times by do so. The first time in the park when I didn't give her all the facts like that I was in love with her."
"Hell, she needed to be told that, all she should have had to do is listen to Carly. Anyone who sets Carly off, there has to be a Jason involved reason."
"Elizabeth has some of the same trust issues I did." Jason said then continued "When Sonny faked his death, she walked out."
"Which led you two to being played by my two bitchy ex-wives." mocked AJ again.
"And by our own fears and pain." he said "Then when Emily was sick, we almost got it right but..."
"The Gorgon interfered again?"
"No, my own fear. I felt guilty for wanting to be with Elizabeth before ending things with Courtney, but then the next morning, we were talking at cross purposes. I lost her and went home. Before I realized it, I was eloping and wishing I was with a different woman than the one I was marrying."
"That is what happens when you let a woman keep your balls in her jewelry box." scoffed AJ. "When did you wake up?"
Turning to the window, Jason said "Elizabeth left town, I just accepted that I had no choice but to let her go. The tests showed Zander was the father and since I didn't actually realize there was a chance it could have been mine after her hit and run..."
Jason sat down on the desk, then said "When Elizabeth was leaving, I ran into her at the courthouse, I felt my son kick and it just about killed me because at the time... I just... I knew I had lost her forever."
Swallowing hard, but knowing that AJ should be told, he continued. "While she was gone, you know the Sonny, Sam stuff. Anyhow, she came back, I heard her talking to Sam and well... I was drawn to her, I had held Cam, had held my son and didn't know."
AJ didn't feel sorry for him, at least he finally learned the truth and would be a father to the boy. "Anyhow, Kristina got sick and I suspected Ric was Cam's father because of something I had overheard."
"Which would have made him a match for Kristina." said AJ.
"Yes, but Elizabeth who had gotten the paperwork but was waiting for Sam to give birth because it was so troublesome told me about my son."
"Were you angry little brother?" he mocked.
"Yes, but not at Elizabeth." he said. "I just took it as god giving me another chance to make my life what I WANTED, not what everyone else wanted."he said. "But you should know I have had doubts for months, since Carly and Sonny's custody case about the two of them. I finally faced what I couldn't before."
"What, that your hero had feet of clay."
"No, that the reason I fought so hard to keep things going here was because I had screwed up and done the wrong thing for Michael. It meant facing a lot of things but I really just kept sticking my head in the sand."
"What changed?"
"Elizabeth, we uh, we spend the first month talking every single night. Either at her place or on the phone." Jason said his mind going back to their deal regarding the phone calls. No hanging up, no pretending anything to get out of talking. Those calls had been eye opening for both of them.
"And she and I called each other on our crap. One night however she got mad, broke our deal and hung up."
"Over you and Carly?"he asked.
"No." said Jason with a grimace. "Over something I said about Lucky. I went over to her place, she lives next to Mac Scorpio so you can imagine... anyhow, we had an out and out argument that night and a lot came out. I didn't even realize what I was telling her. What I had confessed about Michael until after I had said it."
Seeing he had his brother's complete attention, Jason said "She called me on it and we ended up sitting down on the bench in her kitchen and she just listened. Then told me if I felt this way, I owed it to you, to your son to get you home and reunite you."
"We shouldn't have had to be reunited. I know I screwed up, several times, Jason."
"Elizabeth said you did that because I let Carly throw you under a bus but that Carly's reason wasn't Michael's welfare but her wanting me. The same with Courtney."
"I knew she was a smart woman." AJ told his brother.
"Yes she is." he said his mind on his wife and how things had changed for them since September. "I thank god every single night that I have her. She is without a doubt, pure perfection. At least to me."
AJ was almost tempted to chase after the brunette, but that was the old AJ, the one who had always wanted Jason's life which had always seemed so much easier than his. Now it was clear that his life hadn't been any easier. "How have the family taken your news?"
Raising his eye brow,"Edward started off his usual nonsense but according to a call from Ned, he had a new cause. Emily's love life."
"God help her."muttered the other man. "And the others?"
"Monica seems happy, Emily is ecstatic other than being mad she didn't get to be a bridesmaid. Alan caught us in a supply closet and he didn't seem to upset. We were going over to talk to Grandmother but thanks to this nonsense with Sam, I haven't been able to. Elizabeth is going there this afternoon. "
"You trust her with Grandfather?" he asked.
"I am not worried."said Jason with a secretive grin then shared with his brother."Audrey Hardy is unhappy about us, she is going to turn Edward onto her."
That caused a sense of alarm. "You know... that is not going to be good. Edward may call you names, but god forbid anyone out of the family go after one of us."
"What about Courtney?"asked AJ.
"I have no idea, why would she care. We have been done for over a year now." said Jason."And to be honest, I think even she has to agree that we were a mistake from the beginning. Besides, she has even bigger problems."
Jason decided to take a chance, hoping that AJ would take the high road and said "I don't know the whole story but rumor is Lorenzo was trying to get Carly to file for divorce, so he slept with Courtney."
Laughing, AJ said"Couldn't happen to two nicer women."
"Problem is Courtney is pregnant and care to guess who the father is." asked Jason.
"No." said AJ who was almost bent over double from the laughter. "Does Carly know?"
"I don't know, I had a run in with Courtney when she was desperate to hide it. I figure she will go to Carly before Lorenzo."
"Why? Why not go to the less volatile person?" asked AJ.
"Because Courtney is going to try scheming her way out of this." said Jason. Seeing the clock, he said "I have to go, I have a meeting with Jasper Jacks in fifteen minutes at what used to be the hotel."
"Jax? Really?" asked an astonished AJ. As they left, Bobbie had pulled up. "Jason, so it is true? AJ, we have to have a long talk. Before Carly finds out you are here."
"Here." with that, Jason tossed them keys then said "Bobbie, do you remember where Elizabeth's studio is?"
"Yes, but she hasn't had that in year... Never mind." she said heading towards the building. Once inside, seeing all the changes, she waited until the door had been unlocked then when they were inside, sat down to have a long talk with the man who was going to have to work with her.
TBC