Jax walked into the penthouse and noticed his mother’s purse on the couch. He also couldn’t help but smell the large breakfast on his dining room table. The papers that were scattered around on the desk were now in a neat pile. In the short time she was there Lady Jane managed to tidy up the place a bit.
Jax walked into his bedroom to find Lady Jane sitting on the edge of his now neatly done bed, holding a picture of V. She ran her fingers across the picture, slightly sniffing. Lady Jane and V had gotten extremely close. They would talk on the phone constantly and sometimes she would call the penthouse and immediately ask for V instead of talking to Jax. Jax was always amused, occassionally mocking jealousy.
Jax watched his mother for a few more seconds before slowly backing out so she wouldn’t see him. He didn’t want to interrupt her thoughts. He walked back into the living room, sitting down at the table and uncovering some of the dishes. He settled on the eggs and sausage and dove in. He heard his mother’s footsteps coming down the steps and looked up briefly and smiled. Lady Jane smiled back at him, happy that she didn’t have to force him into eating a full breakfast, as she joined him.
A few minutes later after the usual monotonous chitchat, Jax and Lady Jane sat silently. Jax played with his food while Lady Jane watched him silently, wondering what was going through his head. She finally cleared her throat, breaking the silence.
“Where did you head off to this morning?”
“I went to see V,” he said, eyeing her, waiting for her reaction. Jax’s parents, not to mention is friends, made it a point of not mentioning V after a while. No one wanted to forget her, but it hurt them to see all the sadness in Jax’s eyes once the euphoria of talking about V wore off. It was as if, he would mourn her all over again as if she had recently died.
“Oh,” she nodded.
“I wanted to ask you something,” she said cautiously.
“Yes?”
“Alexis called this morning and wanted to know if you’d accompany her and Ned to the New Years Eve celebration at the Port Charles Grill. It seems practically everyone in Port-Charles is invited."
Jax shook his head. Ned and Alexis were always trying to get him out of the Penthouse one way or another. “I don’t feel up to it Mum. I just want to spend New Year’s Eve here…and go see V,” he trailed off.
“I think you spend too much time at the grave sight Jax. She’s gone honey.”
He could feel himself getting angry. “Don’t talk to me like I don’t know she’s dead!” He saw the look on his mother’s face and immediately regretted his outburst. “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand why everyone is constantly coming up with little projects and functions for me to go to so I can forget about V.”
“No one wants you to forget about V, but just to start healing…to stop hurting. You can’t spend the rest of your life like this.”
“Can’t I?” He looked at her directly in the eyes.
“V wouldn’t want you to-“
“Don’t do that. I don’t need anyone telling me what V felt or would want or would say or using V’s memory to guilt me into doing something I don’t want to do.”
“It’s not what I was trying to do,” she said putting a hand on his. “If you won’t do it for V, do it for me and your father. “Jax, this could be a new beginning for you. You have to start living again and what better way then to be with family and friends celebrating the New Year.”
“I’ll go.” There was no excitement or happiness in his voice, but his mother would take whatever she could get.
“Thank you,” she said getting up and kissing him on the cheek.
“I have to get to your father. He’s probably sleeping the morning away,” she smiled.
“Okay. Please remind him that I have some papers I want to go over with him.”
“I will,” she said, grabbing her purse and walking towards the door. “Finish your breakfast.”
“I will,” Jax said before she walked out the door.
To be continued…