A/N – Thanks for the comments! I'm glad you're happy about Jason's mob status and glad you liked the realism of the bullying!

Chapter 45 - Shattered

They drove the rest of the way home in silence and when Jason parked the car, he asked Elizabeth to wait for them in the house. He turned in his seat so he could look at Cam. "I get why you did what you did. I also know you get why it was wrong. It's hard to think about what you did as being a mistake. I get that. There are going to be idiots out there who are going to attack you because of my past and what happened to me and your brother. If you fight every one of them, you will not only be hurting physically, but you'll get kicked out of school. If you don't react, then usually, they'll back down because it's no fun for them unless they get a reaction. In fact, smile at them and they'll probably think you're crazy and it will keep them wondering."

Cam slightly smiled.

"If they don't back down, walk away. People are crazy nowadays. You don't know if these kids have weapons or what but you also need to protect yourself too. I'll give you some lessons on some defensive moves in case you are attacked. But Cam, you can't hit anyone unless they are hitting you and you have to defend yourself. Is that understood?"

He nodded. "Yes."

They got out and Jason hugged him. "I love you Cameron. You're a good big brother."

"I love you too."

They went into the house and Cam went up to his room and Elizabeth hugged Jason tightly.

"He's going to be okay."

"I know. I'm just hate he has to deal with this. Thank you for setting that guy straight. Asshole."

Jason smirked. "See, Cam gets his feistiness honestly."

Liz smacked his arm.

"Do I need to suspend you?"

She glared at him. "I dare you to try it."

Jason grinned. "I love you Elizabeth. He'll be fine. It's a tough situation."

"I know."

They went outside. Jake and Danny were in the pool with Georgie and Dylan.

"I'm going to miss having a full house," Elizabeth said.

"I know. It is nice having everyone here and I never thought I would say that."

Liz smiled. "You're softening. Oh my God, how was the meeting?" It had completely slipped her mind.

"It was fine. I think they'll be siding with me. Duke will probably call me later."

"Good. Let's go put our suits on and join them."

Jason smiled. "Okay."

She poked her head into Cam's room. "You want to go swimming?"

He was lying on his bed. "No, I just need some time."

"Okay. I love you."

She shut his door and went into her room to change.

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Dylan knocked on Cam's door.

"Come in."

He went inside and grabbed a chair and sat down. "You want to talk about it."

Cam sighed. "Nothing much to say."

"I'm sorry that they messed with you."

"Me too."

"This whole thing has to be very hard.

"I'm happy to have Jake back. It's just a little weird, but I'm trying to be a good brother. I don't want him to be picked on either. He's been through enough."

"He has, but he's a tough kid. He'll follow your lead."

"I know that's part of the reason my mom is upset."

"They understand too. She told me that Jason stood up to the kid's dad in the office."

Cam smirked. "Wish I could have seen his face, but I did hear the argument."

Dylan smiled. "He loves you like his own. When you want to protect your kids, sometimes you lose your head. He gets why you did what you did but he still wants to protect you."

"I guess I'm kind of lucky huh?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I have a lot of people who care about me," Cam said.

"You do. You and your mom are family to me. I'd do anything to protect you too. You're a good kid."

"Thanks. I feel the same way."

Dylan smiled. "Why don't you come out and swim with us. It will make you feel a little better to laugh and have some fun."

Cam sat up. "Okay."

"See you out there."

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Elizabeth smiled when she saw Cam walk towards them.

"Cam, look at me," Jake said before he started swimming.

Cam smiled. "Good job."

"Look at me," Danny said as Jason pulled him around the little end as he kicked his feet.

"Good job."

He jumped in and swam over to Jake who frowned.

"What happened to your face?"

"I got in a fight."

Jake was surprised. "Why?"

"Some kids were picking on me but I should have walked away."

"Why?"

"Because I got in big trouble and fighting isn't good."

Liz slightly smiled.

"No fighting," Jake said.

Danny repeated it and Cam smiled.

"Did mommy kiss it better?"

"No."

Jake looked over at his mom and gave her a look and Liz chuckled. She swam over to Cam and as gently as possible kissed his cheek.

"Better?"

Cam smiled. "Thanks mom."

"Race you," Jake said.

Cam gave him a head start and then swam like him and let him win.

"I won," Jake yelled as he smiled.

They all clapped for him. Georgie swam over to Jake. "Okay Jake, you have to pull me back."

Jake smiled. "Okay GG. Hold on."

Georgie held onto his waist and kicked her feet and they swam to the other side. Jake was so proud of himself.

They heard a splash and turned around and AJ had jumped in.

"Uncle AJ," Jake yelled.

AJ smiled. "Hey Jake."

"Can you swim on your back?"

"Yup."

AJ floated on his back.

"Daddy help me," Jake said.

He passed Danny over to Elizabeth and then flipped Jake onto his back and told him what to do.

"I'm floating mommy," he said.

"I see Jake. You're doing really good."

Jason looked over at AJ. "How's it going?"

"Okay, I think I'll announce my return tomorrow."

Jason was a little relieved. "Sounds good."

"I just spoke to Michael. Morgan got a month in jail, probation for a year, a fine, and has to do community service and therapy."

"Wow. I thought it would be worse actually."

"Yeah, I guess he's been diagnosed with bipolar."

Jason was surprised. "I guess that would explain a lot. I don't wish that on anyone."

AJ nodded.

A squeal was heard and Jason smiled when he saw Molly jump in the pool. Danny clapped as she swam up to him.

"Hi Jason," Molly said.

"Hey, it's good to see you."

Molly smiled. It had been hard on her when she found out that Sam and Jason weren't going to get back together. She had always really liked Jason, but she was getting to know Elizabeth a lot more and she liked her too and thought Georgie was really cool.

They hung out at the pool for a while and then AJ slipped away and got prepared for his showdown with Sonny.

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Sonny slammed back his fourth drink. He heard about Morgan and the sentencing. The last thing he ever wanted was for his kid to have bipolar. It was a depressing thought. He sat at his desk in his home office and looked at a picture of Morgan and Michael before pouring himself another shot. He wanted to be drunk; so drunk that he didn't give a shit about how fucked up his life had become.

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Michael went into Sonny's house and called out his father's name and was relieved that he didn't answer. He ran upstairs to leave a letter that Morgan had written to his dad before he went to jail. He put it on Sonny's pillow and then looked around for a moment and thought he heard raised voices so he walked down the hallway and froze when he heard AJ's voice.

"You're dead. Get out of my house," Sonny yelled.

"I'm not going anywhere," AJ said pulling out his gun. "It's time for you to die Sonny. The world will finally be rid of one of the biggest pricks I have ever met."

Sonny threw back another drink. "You have no idea who you're fucking with."

"Who you gonna call?" AJ asked mocking him. "You killed me and as a result, Michael almost destroyed his life. Morgan almost ended Michael and Josslyn because of your stellar parenting. Tell me again how I'm the worst thing that could have happened to Michael."

"Michael was better off without you because you would never have put him first. Even when you had a chance you threw it all away and physically attacked a woman. You could have walked away from ELQ and chose to be a father, but you chose the bottle instead. It proved that we were right about you AJ."

"It must be so great to live in that la la land you call a mind. You are a career criminal. You shot your own son. You shot Carly in the head and because of you Michael was shot as well. God Sonny, you had to be one of the worst examples of being a father ever. I did some pretty despicable things, but I still can't top your track record. You have to be one of the biggest hypocrites I've ever met."

Sonny hurled his glass at AJ and he ducked and it shattered against the wall. Michael stepped into the doorway and could tell they couldn't see him so he crept down the stairs.

"Tonight, I will get revenge you piece of shit. I feel like I'm doing the public a service. Come to think of it, maybe I'll only kill you a little bit that way I can bury you alive in a small casket, and you can go mad from claustrophobia. Now that sounds like the best way for you to die."

Michael walked up behind AJ. "Dad, don't."

AJ kept his gun on Sonny and then turned his head to look at Michael. "You need to leave because I need to finish this."

"Wait, let him stay and watch you murder me in cold blood so he can see the monster you really are."

AJ turned to look at Sonny. "Change of plan." He grabbed Michael and put his gun up against his temple. "Get your gun out."

Sonny stared at him like he was crazy.

"Get your gun out or I will kill him."

Michael was stunned. "Dad, what are you doing?"

AJ ignored him. "Get your fucking gun out now," he yelled.

Michael was starting to get scared. "Dad…."

"Shut up. You are nothing to me. You are just like Elizabeth. When the times get tough, you'll leave. I could see how you looked at me towards the end. I disgusted you. Sonny killed me and now he needs to pay."

Michael looked at Sonny, pleading to him with his eyes to do something.

Sonny took the gun out and placed it on the desk in front of him.

"Pick the gun up and place it against your temple."

"No."

AJ looked downright sinister. "Someone is dying tonight, either you or Michael. Who is it going to be Sonny? I could see you going either way, but you're selfish so we both know who you'll choose. Somehow you'd reconcile Michael's death in your head and think you didn't have a choice. You couldn't save him right? I see you going that way because you are so full of yourself that you think you're more important. You don't owe him shit right?"

"No, I won't do it."

"Open your mouth," AJ growled to his son.

Michael opened his mouth and AJ shoved the gun into it.

"Goodbye Michael."

Sonny stood up. "Wait. Don't kill him AJ. Please. He's your son. You're acting like a monster."

AJ smiled. "Pick up the gun," he said pulling his out of Michael's mouth and returning it to his forehead.

Sonny picked it up and held it to his head.

"You have until five or he dies. That's it. His death will be on your conscious. You're going to die regardless Sonny. It might not be today because I want you to live with what you caused. So, you can either die by my hand or yours."

Sonny looked at Michael. He was drunk and numb. If he killed himself, Michael would hate AJ forever. He would get the last laugh. He put the gun to his forehead as Michael whimpered. "Tell Morgan I loved him."

"No," Michael yelled as Sonny pulled the trigger.

Michael sobbed loudly as Sonny's body collapsed to the floor. AJ let him go and grabbed his head and fell to the floor. He was in incredible pain. "Help me. Helena did something to me. It's making me do things I don't want to. Please help me Michael."

Michael was in shock. He watched AJ for a moment and then mechanically went into his father's desk drawer and grabbed a throwaway phone.

Jason answered. "Hello?" He heard a man crying and someone else in the background sounded like they were in pain. "Who is this?"

"It's Michael. I'm at dad's. He's dead. AJ—AJ made him shoot himself."

Jason was frozen for a second. "I'll be right there."

Johnny looked up at him. "What's going on?"

"AJ made Sonny kill himself."

"Fuck," Johnny muttered.

They told Cody to stick close to the house and called Francis on the way.

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Jason walked into Greystone and saw AJ sitting against the wall with a gun and Michael was on the floor staring at him, rocking.

"Michael?"

He got up and rushed over to Jason and hugged him as he cried.

Jason embraced him while Johnny covered him. "Tell me what happened."

Francis walked up behind them.

"AJ confronted Sonny and they both didn't realize I was here. I walked up behind AJ and I think he changed his plan. He grabbed me and held the gun to my head first and then put it in my mouth." Michael thought he'd never get the way that tasted out of his head. "He made Sonny choose me or him. Sonny shot himself to protect me."

Jason looked over at AJ. "Has he said anything?"

"He said Helena was making him do things that he didn't want to do and asked me to help him. He's in a lot of pain."

Jason looked over at Johnny. "Cover me. If he points that gun at me, shoot it out of his hand."

Francis pushed Michael behind him.

"AJ, talk to me."

AJ's head tilted up and the look on his face was pure murder. "What the hell are you doing here? Are you going to protect Sonny like you always do?"

"No. You need help."

"Since when do you want to help me? You hate me. You never choose your real family. You'd rather choose that asshole who slept with that skank Carly instead of showing you the same kind of loyalty you showed him. You must be brain damaged because no one is that stupid."

"AJ, please let me get you help."

"You're going to turn me in. You are the enemy and I have to kill you just like I have to kill that bitch Elizabeth."

Jason was shocked and the pure hatred. "Why do you want to kill Elizabeth?"

"She turned her back on me because I wasn't good enough. She's probably been telling you how horrible I am so that you will hate me again."

"AJ, what did Helena do to you?"

He didn't answer.

"He said that his leg and his head hurt," Michael said quietly.

"AJ, please put down the gun."

All of a sudden AJ sucked in a deep breath. "You never choose me Jason. We are brothers in name only. For once, I wish you'd be a brother to me and really want to help me, but you won't. Because all you see when you look at me is someone who disgusts you."

"Give me a chance AJ. Please."

AJ put the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger as Michael yelled, but it didn't fire and Johnny rushed him and knocked it from his hand and tackled him. Together with Francis, they managed to handcuff him.

"What do you want us to do?" Francis asked.

"I need to clear Sonny's security cam."

"It's off for the next hour," AJ muttered.

"Take Michael and AJ to a safe house. I'll tell the cops that I found him."

Francis frowned. "They won't believe you. Forensics will back you up but that will take time. You'll be thrown in jail."

Michael cleared his throat. "You have kids. I can't let you do that. I'll tell the cops that I found him. Dante will believe me."