”I accepted you and what you did, because you accepted Jason Morgan. I thought I could trust you.” Jason had trusted few people in his life not being able to trust Sonny shattered one of the few illusions he had left.
“You can’t trust me now?” Sonny knew the answer to the question before he asked. Jason valued honesty above everything else nothing would change that.
“How can I? How can I look at you and not wonder? Did you want to be my friend? Did you want me in the organization? Or, did you keep me because I was her brother? Did you use me to keep tabs on my sister?”
Sonny hung his head, in a way he had. Having Jason close allowed Sonny to know Emily. It offered him an excuse to provide protection and assistance for his daughter. However, Jason rose through the ranks on his own merit. “It isn’t that simple, Jason.”
”Simple enough!” Jason exclaimed as Alexis walked through the door. “Tell me I am out of here. Far too much time has been wasted all ready.”
---
“What do you mean you never had parents?” Emily’s tone softened. The exchange had left her less frightened. She tentatively reached a comforting hand out towards Zander’s shoulder.
”This isn’t a hard concept, Blue.” Zander reluctantly shrugged off Emily’s touch. He didn’t need her compassion; he didn’t need anything. “Some people lose their parents. Not everybody lives in a fairy tale.”
“Don’t talk to me like you know me, or anything about my life. My mother died when I was young. The Quartermaines adopted me, and don’t even start with crap about being adopted by a rich family, because it isn’t comforting. It isn’t at all like you think.” Emily sighed and blinked back the tears that formed every time she recalled her mother’s death. It seemed like after so many years that the pain would subside, and for the most part, it did. Emily no longer expected her mother to be waiting when she got off from school. She no longer listened for the familiar rapping at her door that had so long served as a wake up call. Still, when she thought of her mother, of her absence at key events, it seemed, if only for a second, that no time had passed at all.
Zander softened slightly as he caught the change in Emily’s voice that signified oncoming tears. “I am so sorry, Emily. What was she like, your mother?” Sometimes, I think I can remember mine, but maybe I only remember remembering her. Does that make any sense at all?”
Emily smiled softly. She could still feel the remnants of tears, and she welcomed any distraction that would prevent their return. “Tell me what you remember.”
Zander wasn’t sure what made him talk to Emily. He wasn’t sure he had ever talked about his memories before. But, he wasn’t in the habit of making girls cry, and he decided he owed her something. “I don’t know, really. It isn’t anything specific, maybe just a feeling of warmth and love, a scent, a tune… all faint and unsure, but always present. Comforting and disquieting all at the same time.”
Emily smiled, his memories were so sweet and unsure. For a second she really felt for Zander, but Emily’s smile distorted into a stifled yawn. “Are we going to drive all night?”
“We will stop.” Zander sighed. Stopping could be dangerous, but they both needed sleep. “Think you can handle roughing it?” He asked while parking the car. Before Emily could answer, Zander was out of the car looking for the shortest way to the barn two to three hundred yards behind them.
---
“Grandfather, you do not have to be here.” Ned announced loudly. He hoped that people would hear and be warned of the impending arrival of the irate Quartermaine clan.
“Our daughter has been abducted, Ned. Where else would we be?” Monica followed closely behind Edward.
“Yes, how can we leave finding Emily to these blue color hoodlums?” Edward asked just as the reached the open office space of the PCPD.
“Father.” Alan shot up his hands. “These hard working officers are going to help us find Emily.”
”If these…” Edward chose not to use the word that sprang to his mind, if Lila found out he said that she would put him on the couch indefinitely. “If these officers did their jobs correctly and efficiently, the kidnappers would be locked up, not out on the street with Emily.”
“Edward now is neither the time nor the place to crusade against the police.” Monica worried her father-in-law’s tirades would take precious time from Emily’s rescue.
“I would listen to the doctors Quartermaine.” We are placing all of our efforts on the search for Emily.” Marcus Taggert interrupted the group that was causing a large commotion in front of his desk.
”And taking your attention from Hannah? My sister better be your number one priority.” The news of Emily’s predicament had an unfortunate sobering effect on AJ.
“Why is that? So you can make your move on her while I am gone? Hannah is my girlfriend. That is not going to change, AJ.”
”Hannah has nothing to do with this. My sister is missing. Forget about your sex life.” AJ couldn’t believe it. Why did everybody think his priorities were all screwed up? At least he knew that Emily’s life was the most important thing. “Get out there and find her!” AJ demanded as he confronted Taggert face to face.
“AJ, back off.” Jason said as he walked out of the interrogation room.
“Jason? What are you doing in here?” Alan was taken aback by his son’s appearance.
Jason moved between AJ and Taggert without acknowledging Alan’s words. It had been a trying day; he didn’t need the Quartermaines adding to his stress. “AJ, Taggert, cool it! I am going to find Emily. You can go home. I will bring her to you as soon as I can.” Jason waited calmly until the men backed down.
“You will make things worse, Morgan.” Taggert couldn’t believe that Alexis had sprung Jason. “Leave this to the professionals.”
Jason shook his head and started towards the door. “I don’t see you in any hurry to find her. I have to go.” Jason announced as he made his way to the door.
“I am going with you.” Nikolas moved into Jason’s path.
“I go alone, kid.” After today, Jason planned on trusting nobody.
“Actually, I am going with you.” Sonny barked from the back of the room.
“You don’t have the right.” Jason couldn’t deal with Sonny, not until he had time to think.
“Emily would want you to stay out of this. You stayed out of her life forever. You can stay out of it now, too. You are nothing to her.” Being powerless was hard enough; Sonny wouldn’t have any other advantages.
This criminal is nothing to her.” Edward grunted. He couldn’t have lost another family member to Corinthos. It was unacceptable.
Sonny said nothing to Edward and smiled at Jason. “I am going with you.”
“What good would you do?” Jason needed to prove he could help Emily on his own. If he could find her, he would prove he was Emily’s true family.
“Well,” Sonny paused for only a second “I know where to look.” Sonny flashed his cell phone. “I just talked to Benny. They found Nikolas’s car.”
Jason sighed. “Let’s get going.”
”You are nothing to her.” Nikolas called after Jason and Sonny.
“Nikolas. What is the meaning of all of this?” Edward crossed in front of his Granddaughter’s boyfriend.
Carly shot Nikolas a look. As much as she hated being abandoned, she couldn’t allow anybody to betray Sonny’s deepest secret.
“Nothing.” Nikolas turned away to keep his eyes from betraying him.
“Has Corinthos sunk his hooks into my granddaughter? Has he taken her away the way he took Jason? I will not stand for it. That gangster is not good enough to be in the same room as our sweet Emily.” Edward’s voice rose right along with his anger.
Edward’s ire enraged Carly. Before she could stop and think, the words had already escaped her lips. “They share more than you think. They share DNA. Your precious Emily is Sonny’s daughter.”