Hi! I know I haven't updated this story in six months, but I am still working on it. If you are interested in me continuing, please shoot me a quick reply and let me know (it can be as simple as "yes.") I'm never sure how long people are willing to wait on a next chapter before giving up on a story altogether.

Thanks,

K

Stronger Than Pride – Chapter 19

A son. Jason was not prepared for Alexis to have a son. He'd pictured a flaxen-haired little Emily running behind her big sisters. A daughter who wanted to grow up to be just like her mother. Now, he had a son, a boy who would want to emulate him. It would be like Michael all over again. He worried for Joey, more than Jake. Jake had Lucky, a cop, for a stepfather. Lucky's actions balanced out his own misdeeds where Jake was concerned.

"Papo! You read me story!" Molly's voice interrupted his thoughts. At nearly four, Molly had entered the bossy phase of her life. He, Alexis and Kristina were all the recipients of her directions. He suspected part of it was due to her age and the other part was her refusal to let Joey push her out of her role as the baby of the family. "Anything you want, Peanut."

This was their time together. Alexis was feeding Joey and Kristina was with Sam and Lucky, who'd arrived home a week earlier after their two-week honeymoon to Greece. He made sure he had special time with each of their children so they would know they were equally loved and appreciated.

Molly picked out her favorite book, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. And though he'd read it to her at least 25 times in the past, he was more than happy to read it to her again. Two sentences into the story, they were joined on the sofa by Tiger.

About an hour later, he was awakened by a kiss on the forehead. Without opening his eyes, he knew it was from Alexis. He would have known it even if he'd been blindfolded in a room filled with 100 women. It was her scent, the vanilla and gardenia shampoo she used. It was also her soft caress. "Wake up, sleeping beauty."

"I didn't know I drifted off."

"You've been sleeping at least an hour. " She teased the hair at his temples. "The three of you were such a beautiful sight that I wouldn't have awakened you if you hadn't told me to."

"Right, Sonny." After a deep sigh, he remembered he had scheduled a meeting with Sonny that evening. The night after Joey was born, Sonny told him that he had know intention of going to prison, but he would reveal his plan at a later time. He'd suspected Sonny was going to go on the run. Jason would do whatever it took to talk him out of it, but if he insisted, he would help in anyway possible. They decided to table the discussion until Alexis and the baby got acclimated. Yet this morning, Sonny mentioned that they needed to talk sooner rather than later.

He handed Molly to Alexis. "Hopefully this won't take too long."

"Why are you meeting with Sonny?"

He and Sonny both decided to keep Alexis as far away from anything relating to a potential trial as possible. She would want to help and they both wanted to keep her as far away from accusations of Jerry's death as possible. "It's business."

"Business" He couldn't help noticing the way she grimaced. "I hate that word. Why are you talking to Sonny about business? He got out."

"Lex, I thought we agreed not to talk about the business."

Her voice remained low to keep from waking Molly. "We're not talking about your business; we're talking about Sonny's. And as Sonny's attorney…"

"I love you, but we're still not talking about this." He gave her a quick kiss on the mouth before slipping out of the door.

As he entered Sonny's penthouse, he was surprised to find Anna Devane sitting on the sofa with Sonny. "Hi Anna." To his knowledge, what had seemed like a budding romance between Sonny and Anna had fizzled months earlier. Still, he wanted his friend to be happy. "Sonny, I can come back if you want."

"No, Anna is the reason I asked to meet with you. She has some information about Jerry Jacks. " Jason felt his stomach skip. He knew Jerry was dead. He made sure of it when he found him trying to strangle Alexis. Still Sonny spoke as though the man was alive.

"This is off-the-record, of course," Anna added quickly.

He nodded.

"First you should know that the man with whom Sonny is charged with murdering was not Jerry Jacks."

Jason tried to wrap his mind around the new information. "Then who was he?"

"A former WSB Agent named Everett Brighton." Anna gave him the rest of the sordid details. Apparently, Brighton, became a hired gun for a few mob families after his time in the WSB.

Jason took a deep breath before joining Anna on the sofa. Once more his and Sonny's world had victimized Alexis. Still, if it hadn't been for this Brighton creep, he and Alexis would have never found each other and they'd never have their family, particularly not his little boy, Joey. "Why are you telling me this now?"

This time Sonny answered, "Because the real Jerry Jacks is alive. That's why I only confessed to killing Jerry."

He turned to Sonny. "How long have you known?"

"I found out it was a possibility while you and Alexis were in Italy."

"And you didn't tell me?" He was annoyed. Alexis may have found some comfort in knowing that he hadn't killed her best friend's brother.

"The two of you put it behind you. You were excited about the baby." Sonny sighed, "I wouldn't be telling you now if Ric hadn't stopped by this morning and bragged that he was pushing to get the trial moved up. Jase, I need you to get Jerry and bring him back to Port Charles."

"Where is he?" He was barely able to wrap his mind around idea that Jerry was actually alive.

This time, Anna answered. "Some of my friends were able to track a man we believe may be Jerry Jacks to a secret location in South Africa. He's being held by some of Brighton's associates. Apparently, Brighton was holding him as some kind of leverage."

"How do you know he's still alive? Brighton has been gone for over a year. Why didn't they try to get rid of any evidence that tied them to him?"

"Brighton was known to disappear for months on end…and they may have been waiting for further instructions. Sonny's arrest made international news and they may have just recently learned that Brighton is dead. They may still be trying to learn Jerry's identity or they may have already realized that he is the brother of a very wealthy corporate raider. Whatever the matter, it is probably better to act now rather than later."

"When do you want me to leave?" He hated the thought of leaving Alexis, especially only three weeks after Joey's birth. Still, he wouldn't have seen his son's birth if Sonny hadn't confessed. Plus, the girls loved and needed Sonny as much as they needed him.

"Jase, this could be dangerous. You should probably take a day or so to think about it."

"If I bring Jerry back, Ric has nothing to hold over our heads. He can't convict you for killing a man that is alive. So, the sooner we do this the better. I'll leave in the morning. Take care of Alexis and the kids while I'm gone." He left without waiting for a response.

Later that evening, as they lay in bed together, he decided to break the news to Alexis. He knew it was cowardly to tell her as she lay with her back to him, but he already knew he couldn't handle the look that would be in her eyes. "Lex, I'm leaving in the morning."

She turned to face him, all the while remaining in his arms. "Leaving? To go where?"

He couldn't tell her about Jerry. It would be wrong to get her hopes up before he knew for sure that Jerry was alive. "Can you trust me when I tell you that I have to do something that might help Sonny?"

"But you can't tell me where?"

"No."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know."

Her frustration became obvious. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't know. It could be a week; it could a couple of weeks. I'm not sure."

"Is this thing that you need to do dangerous?"

He brushed her bangs from her forehead. "I don't want you to worry. "

"You just ensured that I would with that answer." She turned away from him once more.

"Lex, you know I would never leave you if I didn't have to."

"I know. It's just that since we haven't been apart since the day you saved me. I haven't slept without you in a year." From the motion of her hands, he guessed she was wiping away tears that were beginning to fall.

She was making it harder than he hoped. Alexis was the strongest woman he knew. Knowing that he was the cause of her tears felt like a knife to his heart. He whispered into her ear. "You know how much I love you. I'll be home as soon as I can." He smiled to himself. "On a brighter note, when I get home, we'll be that much closer to your six-week check up." The doctor told them that they needed to wait six weeks after Alexis's c-section before they became intimate again.

"I don't want to wait." Her voice was soft. Once more she turned and faced him.

"But the doctor said…" While he wanted her, he didn't want to hurt her. She was rushing things out of her fear that something would happen to him.

"I don't care. I don't want to wait. "

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Jason, I've given birth to four children. I know whether I'm healed or not. I feel fine and I trust that you'll be gentle." She kissed his mouth. "I want to be with you… tonight, Jason." She ran her hands along his chest before moving them lower to his abdomen and then lower still.

Over the last year, his body was conditioned to respond to hers. And so, he made love to her as lovingly and tenderly as possible. As soon as she was asleep, he slipped from their bed, wrote her a note, kissed their sleeping children goodbye and left for South Africa.