noaai: "Hi lovely! I would like you to write a prompt about Catherine asking Jackson about his problems with April and the ultimatum. To ponder about his true feelings and about if it really is what he wants. Thank you! 3 3"

Hi Friend! This is just going to be a conversation…or conversations…no realy big plot. I guess most of the time there isn't…but sometimes I have more of a plan. Anyway, I hope you like this.

100 Encore, Day 44: "Rock Bottom (Fairytale Moments)"

"Where is it?"

Catherine Avery glared at her son. "Well hello to you to. Come, sit, have a beer. "

Jackson glared right back. "I'm not here for happy hour. Where's the couch Richard needs help moving?"

"Oh, I uhhh….it's right here." She gestured to her new black leather couch, perfectly placed in the corner of her living room. "I just helped him this morning, no big deal but I thought you could…try it out." She said it quickly and casually, as if she'd actually tried to think of an excuse to make him stay.

"Mom, this can't happen just because you live here now. Nothing is changing except I'll see you at work now. You can't just trick me into coming over to pry into my life…I don't have time for this. I'm busy!"

"Oh yeah? Doing what? Spending time with your wife? The schedule says you're off today and she's working a double…"

Jackson threw up his hands, frustrated, and started walking toward the door. "You can't spy on us either, Ma! That's not gonna make me want to see you more."

"Well good thing that's not what I'm going for, here. Sit down."

"If there's nothing to do here…I'm gonna go now…" he started to reach for the door but his mother grabbed his arm.

"Jackson Harper Avery. I said. Sit. Down."

Jackson rolled his eyes but relented, shuffling slowly past Catherine and sitting on the couch. It was obvious he was in for an interrogation, and he could even guess why. This was the last conversation on Earth he wanted to have, and considering the state of his marriage, that was saying a lot. But if not today, he'd be forced into it some other day. There was no point delaying the inevitable.

"You want a drink?" Jackson nodded. They were both going to dance around the issue for a few seconds, pretend they didn't know that Catherine knew everything. But he wasn't dumb, and neither was she. He knew she knew, no need to act like he didn't need a drink to take the edge off.

"Beer? Wine? Jack and Coke? Richard already stocked the bar." They'd only been back from their honeymoon for three days.

"Because he's living with you. Jack and Coke's fine."

"You did it, and you turned out just fine." Catherine turned to fix his drink. "And Richard chose me. There is no one in the world he'd rather put up with. Same goes for me."

"Pssssh, because that's a marriage…"

"That's exactly what marriage is. I'm sorry, what do you think it is?"

"It's….nothing Ma…"

"Nothing? Well that's ridiculous what's going on? Where is April? I haven't seen her since the ceremony…why wasn't she at the party?"

"That's not what I meant, mom."

"I asked you a question. Why haven't I seen April? Or you? Are you two avoiding me? No, wait…let me re-phase that. You are avoiding me and I want to know why."

Jackson took a long swig of his drink. "Ma, we're not…"

"Jackson Avery don't you lie to me. I called both of you three times from Jamaica. Neither of you could pull it together for five minutes to pick up the phone and pretend?"

He sighed deeply, too exhausted to lie. "We're not speaking…there's a plane going to Jordan in three days and I think she wants to be on it."

Catherine sat down next to her son and raised an eyebrow, sipping her Pinot Grigio. "You think?"

He grimaced and shrugged, embarrassed by the confession. But Catherine kept pressing with her eyes until he cracked. "I told her I didn't know if I could wait for her if she goes again, right before your ceremony."

"I see." She looked away from him and kept sipping quietly.

The only thing worse than Catherine Avery's stare down was her silence. "I didn't want to ruin your wedding…we didn't want to ruin anything for you…"

"Jackson, what do you think marriage is?"

"I don't know, mom. I used to think…happiness, loyalty….you know…something like the fairytale, I guess." He shrugged. "But then…"

"Your son died," Catherine whispered. Jackson nodded slowly and looked away. "And you realized marriage is real life."

"I guess," he cleared his throat, again taking a drink to avoid finding words.

"But do you love her?"

"Of course! Of course I still love her mom. I didn't just agree to let her go to war because I had no choice. I didn't, really. But I let her go because I wanted her to heal, and I knew she needed it." Jackson was determined to hold back tears. He'd cried so much over the past year, he was sick of it.

"That was brave of you Jackson, to let her go…"

"I knew she'd come back. I never doubted that. She loves me too. Loved."

"And is there anyone else you would wait a year for? Anyone else you loved who you would do that for?" Catherine knew things about Jackson's former relationships, even though he kept most of them away from her, she had ways of getting information. She knew that her son had changed only after he got married. He tried harder, laughed longer.

"No."

"And is their anyone else in the entire world you would want next to you at your son's funeral? God forbid it were to happen again?"

"Mom…..why would you even…No! No!"

"What about steal away from an alter? Anyone else you can picture fighting for like that? When you think it's over…is there anyone else you would stand up and fight for?"

"No! Of course not. It's ALWAYS April…Always."

"But you are about to give up on her….why?"

"I'm still fighting. I have always been fighting. And she's always walked away…when it gets hard she…"

"Leaves. She leaves. But she always comes back to you. Because she loves you."

"I don't want to live like that. I want a life with my wife, not constantly waiting for her to come home, mom!"

"Life happens Jackson. Children die. Husbands throw things. Cancer comes back. Houses burn down. Marriage is real life, baby. But if you're lucky….you find someone to create fairytale moments with, or sometimes even hours or days. Someone that helps you realize that amidst this harsh reality, and I mean sometimes right smack in the middle of it, it is possible to feel true happiness, or comfort. Finding your partner really isn't about finding the person you want to make out with everyday. It's about finding the person you want next to you at rock bottom. You still haven't hit yours, Jackson. You might not want me to know much….but I know that. Who do you want with you?"

"But she wants to leave….I told her I needed to grieve but I think she's going to leave…"

"OK, so…do you want to be completely alone while you grieve? I know you don't want me there. Do you want Stephanie there? A new woman? Or do you want April…via video or whatever….It's about rock bottom."

Jackson bottomed up his drink, unable to look Catherine in the eye. He sat thinking for awhile, and she knew to let him. She came on strong but she also knew when to back off.

"I really gotta go Ma…talk to you later." He stood up abruptly and left. Catherine had a feeling he was going in search of his wife. She had hope, at least. She knew she wouldn't find out later. But maybe she'd know tomorrow, if April hugged her in the elevator instead of attempting to secretly take the stairs.