Emily sat and tried to focus on the textbook in front of her, not the curious glances coming her way from the other college students gathered in the cafe.

All the while trying to resist the impulse to turn and run.

She shivered slightly and pulled the lightweight jacket around her a little tighter. Using the yellow highlighter, she went through and tried to mark the parts she thought the professor would quiz her on. That was what she was here, for going back to college was a major step towards getting her life back under control.

Not to mention that studying was supposed to help her forget a certain pair of brown eyes that seemed to have the ability to see right through her.

Sipping her coffee, she wondered how much those students staring at her knew about her. Probably a lot. Probably everything. Her modeling. Her drug habit. Her family. Her suicide attempt. Even her stay at Ferncliff. All of it had been fodder for countless tabloid covers. Some of them had even gone so far as to label her the poor little rich girl for the new millennium.

Emily blew on her coffee. She didn’t want their pity, their side looks that were so condescending they made her sick. All of them thinking what a waste, looks, money, prestige, and look what she did with her life.

Emily shrugged, despite the discomfort she was feeling she’d learned long ago to disguise her feelings around other people. She almost smiled, those acting lessons her former agent had insisted she take had come in handy.

“You must be Pre-Law?” The friendly voice across from her made Emily look up. Blue eyes smiled at her from a fresh and open face. At her puzzled frown, he pointed to the title of the book. “International Law and Economics. I don’t see many art majors taking that class.” He sat himself down across from her. “My name’s John. John Reynolds. And you are....”

“Emily.”

“Emily Quartermaine.” A slightly abashed grin crossed his face. “I already knew that.”

A closed expression crossed Emily’s face. “Look I’m a little busy at the moment...” Closing the book, Emily started to get up.

“Hey wait a minute. I’m blowing this aren’t I? Let me try again. I meant to say that I know who you are because we went to high school together. Not that you’d remember me or anything. I think I sat five rows behind you in Algebra and that was the closet I could ever get to you. I was kind of shy in those days, but hopefully its a character flaw I outgrew.”

This time Emily did laugh. “I think that’s a pretty safe assumption.”

They smiled at each other for a minute.

“Listen,” Jonathan grinned at her. “Can I talk you into an early dinner? I took that class with Lawson last semester so maybe I can quiz you and help you study for mid-terms. Just a study date, nothing else.”

Emily studied him for a minute and then nodded. “I’d like that.”

Neither of them noticed the silent figure that followed them as they walked out of the student union.

Penthouse

Sarah sat on the stool by the counter, her eyes flicking without much interest over the day’s issue of the Port Charles Herald In the living room, she could hear Jason and Benny conduct business but she kept herself out of the way, intent on playing the role of mistress. She figured Morgan would choose them for their looks not their brains, so keeping a low profile and playing it dumb seemed like a good idea.

She sighed impatiently. Morgan had better hurry up, the sooner he got his business done the sooner they could concentrate on their business.

She looked down at the tank dress she was wearing, the color was too bright a red for her tastes and the fit a little too tight, but she figured she looked like a mobster’s mistress and that was all that mattered at the moment.

She pulled the dress down a little.

“No fair. I was just beginning to enjoy the view.”

She smiled at one of the hidden cameras Jagger had placed throughout the penthouse and deliberately pulled the dress a little further down.

“You know considering the fact that I’m stuck in this hellhole by myself, I think you could be a little more generous.” Jagger whined in a teasing voice.

“Forget it Cates. Besides,” she kept her voice to a whisper as she moved away from living room to the other end of the kitchen to get a soda out of the fridge, “considering that you were MIA this morning, you’re lucky I’m not reporting you to the Consortium. Somehow I think they would frown on your current obsession.”

“Leave Emily out of this, Webber.”

“Gladly as long as you can promise me to do the same.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not about to screw this mission up so you can just take a breather. I may not have your flair but I’ve been in this line of work long enough to know what I’m doing. Hell I even saved your life once or twice if I remember correctly.”

Sarah sighed softly. “I know. I’m sorry. This whole thing is just getting to me, you know. I can’t wait till this thing is over and we can both put Port Charles behind us for good.”

“Yeah. For good.” Jagger paused. “Heads up. One of Jason’s men is heading in your direction and the last thing you want is for him to catch you talking to yourself like some lunatic.”

“Why not? Only a lunatic would be crazy enough to get themselves tangled up with Morgan.” Sarah muttered before quickly drowning the soda she was holding and placing it on the counter. She turned to the man with a smile and walked past him to the living room where Jason was going over reports with Benny.

Smiling evilly, she walked up behind Jason and pressed her entire length up against his back, snaking one arm around him.

“Jasie-poo, I’m getting bored hanging around here doing nothing. You promised to take me shopping, remember? You said if I did that thing you really liked over and over that you’d buy me a new pair of shoes and...”

Sarah could hear Jason’s stifled groan. “Not now Barbie. I told you I had some business to conduct. We’ll go out later.”

“Barbie” smiled. “But Jasie-poo I’m so bored and you know what happens when I get bored. You wouldn’t want Barbie to be unhappy because than I couldn’t make little Jason happy.”

She bit back a smile when she saw Jason flush red.

In the apartment below, watching the scene on a bank of monitors, Jagger started to laugh.

“Uhhh. Yeah. Right.” Jason Morgan found himself stammering, especially as the feel of her pressed against him and the gentle caress of her hand was having an effect on “little Jason” whether he wanted it to or not. He straightened and put some distance between himself and Sarah. He handed the files to Benny. “Everything looks good. Why don’t we call it a day. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Sarah stepped up to him, this time pressing herself against his front she trailed a path of kisses across his neck and down the opening of his shirt. “Not too early in the morning I hope Jasie-poo.” Grinning, she reached openly for “little Jason” as his arm caught her hand.

“No, not too early Benny. In fact, I’ll call for you when I’m ready to discuss business.”

Benny couldn’t hide his confusion. Jason dropping business for a dame? Hell he didn’t even stop business to take care of his wife. “Yeah. Give me a call when you need me Jason.”

Shaking his head, Benny walked out the door, taking the remaining guard with him.

Sarah waited until they were gone and then burst out laughing.

For a moment, Jason stood utterly still, transfixed by the sound of her laughter. Then he remembered that she was laughing at him. He glared at her. “Jasie-poo?”

The expression on his face made her laugh even harder. “Hey! You were the one who made me Barbie. Jasie-poo just seemed to be what a “Barbie” would call you.”

Jason shook his head. “I would not have a mistress who called me Jasie-poo.”

“You do now.” Sarah nodded as she tried to regain her composure. “Come on, the more brainless Kosokov thinks I am the better for our mission. Kosokov likes them stupid and willing, I aim to be both to keep him off guard.”

A slight scowl crossed his face as Jason contemplated what he just said. “So you still plan on sleeping with him?”

“I plan on killing him. If I have to have sex with him to do that, than that’s what I plan to do.”

“What the hell did he do to you?” Jason moved closer to her until they were almost touching. “You keep going on and on about your mission but we both know its more than that. This revenge on Kosokov it’s personal with you. You don’t just want him dead, you need him dead. Why?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“Dammit it of course it’s my business. It’s my life and the life of my son that you are risking in this little game of yours.”

Sarah flinched and would have taken a step back if he hadn’t reached out and caught her. “It’s not a game.” She said quietly.

“Then what is it? Tell me what this is about.” He lowered his voice until it almost sounded soft. “Let me help.”

She looked up at him and for a second all she could see was the blue of his eyes. “You can’t. No one can. Don’t you get it? Somethings you can’t change. Somethings you can’t get over. Somethings you just have to live with. Or die with.”

“So that’s it? You would risk your life to get this man?”

“In a heartbeat. Without a second thought.” Sarah paused for a minute. “I would gladly go to hell if I could take him with me.”

“Why? What did he do to you?”

She shook her head sadly. “You don’t want to know.”

“Yes. Yes I do.”

“No, no Jason you really don’t.” Breaking loose from his grasp, she turned and started to walk away.

Desperate to break through her wall of ice, Jason blurted out. “Did he rape you?”

Sarah stopped and the penthouse was completely still. Then she turned, “If we want Port Charles to believe that I’m your mistress, we have a lot of work to do.”

“Sarah I.....”

Ignoring whatever he was about to say, Sarah opened the penthouse elevator. “I’ll meet you in the limo.”

Jason watched the doors slide closed.

Frustrated with himself and the situation, Jason turned to his desk and drew out a file that Benny had given him before they had gone over their regular business.

According to this report, Jeff Webber and his wife had disappeared in Eastern Europe almost four years ago. No mention of their teenage daughter who had gone with them on that medical mission of mercy.

Benny had had to pull some strings at the UN to get this information.

In all the years he had known Liz, she had never mentioned anything about her parents being missing in Europe. In fact, if he remembered right, Liz still received the occasional post card from wherever the UN had them posted.

He looked at the pictures of the Drs. Webber. He could see a little bit of Liz and a little bit of Sarah in both of them. What had happened to them? Had they died? If they had, why hadn’t anyone ever told Liz?

More importantly, what had happened to that teenaged girl who had gone with them because she wanted to spend her senior year helping others?

She’d turned into a professional assassin. And maybe she was right, maybe Jason really didn’t want to know what had happened to make that change happen.

But that wasn’t going to stop him from finding out.

Carefully, Jason replaced the file before heading down to join “Barbie” in the limo.

The Docks

Emily stood and watched the sun begin it’s fall into the water, her mind only vaguely aware of the young man at her side.

“It must be tough.” John said sympathetically as he watched the water with her.

Emily looked up at him.

“What?” They’d talked casually over the last hour, mostly about her classes and stuff like that. He’d been a pleasant diversion, but she was beginning to find his wholesomeness a little wearing on her nerves.

“Trying to balance a full course load at school with your work.”

Emily shrugged. “The modeling career is pretty much finished, so its not that hard to cope. Besides I like going to school.” She laughed. “I never ever thought I would say something like that.”

“Come on,” John teased her cajoingly. “High school wasn’t that bad. If I remember right you were the most beautiful girl at our senior prom. All of us guys thought so.”

Emily froze. Her senior prom? She’d twisted her ankle badly two days before the senior prom which meant that she’d spent her senior prom at home with Juan watching old movies in the Quartermaine den with Reginald playing chaperone. Suddenly she looked at John sideways and he didn’t seem so fresh faced or innocent.

She laughed casually. Or tried to. “There were a dozens of girls more beautiful than me at our prom.”

“Not in my eyes.”

Emily took a step back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that I’ve been dreaming about this moment for so long...”

“It’s okay.” Emily babbled to keep herself from panicking. “I have to go anyway. I’m meeting my parents for dinner and I’m probably late as is...”

As she stepped further away, the pleasant look dropped from John’s face.

“I don’t think so.” He reached forward and grabbed her. She tried to twist away and felt her shirt tear. “In fact I think you and I are about to get better acquainted.”

“Who are you? A reporter?”

“A friend.” John smiled a cold smile that made her stomach twist. “A friend who needs your help.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you to convince your brother to cut out his business with Illyia Kosokov.”

“Fat chance. I don’t know who you are but the whole world knows that my so called brother cut me out of his life a long time ago. I could walk in front of a truck and Jason wouldn’t stop me.”

“I think not. Your brother might be angry with you, but he is still your brother. Family ties are important.”

“Brother are you out of it.” Emily snapped. “I’m a Quartermaine. Family ties don’t exist. My so called family barely tolerates me and given half a chance they’d lock me back up in Ferncliff without hesitation.”

A look of doubt crossed John’s face before he shrugged it away. “It doesn’t matter. Your brother will do as I say or I will kill you.”

“Jesus. If I had a nickel for every time somebody had said that to me in the last 48 hours I’d be rich. Wait a minute. I’m a Quartermaine. I’m already rich.”

“You will come with me.”

“No. No I won’t.” Emily stared at him steadily. “If you want me you’re going to have to take me by force. And I’ll scream and yell as loud as I can. You know things like rape that will get everyone’s attention. You see that talk imposing gentleman standing down there. His name is Taggert and he’s a cop. Not the smartest cop mind you, but when you’re that tall and that big you don’t have to be smart. Except he’s a crack shot on the rifle range I hear. Hell, even my brother is afraid of tangling with Taggert.” Emily lied gamely.

“I will not be scared.”

“I was afraid of that.” Emily said with quiet exasperation. “I suppose that means we have to do this the hard way.”

Without any further warning, Emily shoved John so that he lost his balance and tumbled backwards and fell into the river.

“Help! Help! My friend fell in the river!” Emily yelled loud enough to catch Taggert’s attention. In the resulting hue and cry, she slipped quietly away from the docks.

Her mind made, up she made her way to Jason’s penthouse, determined to let him know what had happened.

Or at least that was the lie she chose to tell herself.

Jagger’s hangout

Jagger took another sip of the coffee he was using to stay awake and after a second, shut off the camera monitoring the limo Jason and Sarah were in. He figured that Sarah could handle herself for the moment and the less he saw of Morgan, the better as far as he was concerned.

Going back to the cameras in the penthouse, he did a silent check of the empty penthouse. Jason’s guards had left their position by the door, sloppy, very, very sloppy. Other than that, everything looked quiet.

Too quiet. It gave him too much time to think. And when he thought, all he thought about was her.

He wondered what she thought when she woke up alone, wondered if she even had a clue as to how hard it had been for him to leave her this morning.

Probably not.

His mind was making up these incredible fantasies even as his gaze was automatically sweeping the monitors and trying to think through the plan he and Sarah had devised, mentally going through everything that could go wrong to make sure he was prepared.

Then he cursed. Loudly and violently as he saw a familiar figure get off the elevator and head to the penthouse door.

He should leave her alone. Let her knock and when she didn’t get an answer she’d leave. No big deal.

Then his eyes caught the torn shoulder of her shirt and his jaw tightened. Without another thought, he was out the door and heading up to the penthouse.

Emily had given up knocking and was just about to turn to leave when she saw Jagger get off the elevator. For a moment, their eyes locked and neither of them spoke, just drinking in the sight of the other.

Jagger took a step forward. “Are you okay?”

Emily shook her head in a daze. “What?”

“Your shirt? It’s torn. Are you okay?” Jagger repeated impatiently, his eyes sweeping her for any sign of anything amiss.

“There was this guy. He said he knew me but then he said that he was going to use me to make Jason....”

Jagger moved forward, his eyes darkening with anger. He stopped just short of touching her, but he didn’t need to. She could feel his anger and his concern as if he had. “Let’s go inside and talk.” Using the skeleton key he had made, Jagger unlocked the door to the penthouse and led Emily inside.

“What happened?” He asked softly, his hand reaching out to touch her torn shirt.

She told him all about her encounter with “John’ and he tensed, his jaw clenching tightly. “Damm Kosokov and damm your brother for getting mixed up in this mess and putting you in the middle of it. They would have killed you without a second thought.”

Emily shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. “You really know how to comfort someone.”

Jagger managed a rueful grin. “I’m sorry.” His deep eyes held hers. “You know that nothing is going to happen to you. I won’t let it.”

Emily nodded and then tore herself away from his gaze. “I know. I just...I thought Jason should know what happened.”

“I’ll tell him. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

Emily shook her head. “You don’t need to.”

“Yeah, I do.” He bit his lip against the temptation to kiss her. Groaning harshly, he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to the door. “Come on.”

Emily opened the door and stopped, feeling Jagger tense behind her as she found herself staring into the eyes of an older man with olive complexion, dark hair, and a mustache in some kind of uniform.

Even before Jagger’s hand went to the gun at his belt, Emily knew without question who this was. What he was.

Gulping, she did the only thing she could think of to avoid a bloody shoot out right then and there. Moving in between Jagger and the General, Emily turned to Kosokov and his men.

She gave them her best modeling smile as she moved forward to greet them. “General Kosokov? I’m Emily Quartermaine, Jason’s sister. Please come in, my brother should be back shortly and I know that he’s looking forward to meeting you.”

And ignoring the hard and angry gaze on Jagger’s face, Emily opened the door and allowed the devil to waltz right in.