Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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"What's the big deal?" Jerry leaned back in his chair, looking at the
file Jax had handed to him. "So she didn't tell you." he finished.
"So? Don't you think it's rather important information?" Jax stated
frustrated. He didn't understand how V could keep something like this
from him.
"And you did pay her..." Jerry tossed the file back on Jax's desk.
"That's not the point....maybe...I don't know..."
"So why don't you ask her..." Jerry glanced at his watch.
"Oops...gotta go. I have a lunch date with Bobbie."
A flash of light entered Jax's eyes. "Bobbie, huh? So she finally
lost all of her sense and agreed to meet with you."
"You know me...I have that effect on women."
Jax laughed. "Go. And good luck."
Jerry swung his feet from Jax's desk, getting up from the chair. Jax
waited until he closed the door and then picked up his phone, dialing.
"Scorpio Detecive Agency. Ardenowski speaking."
"V, it's me."
"Hey." V smiled. "Is this business related or are you just calling."
"Both."
"Okay...I don't like that tone. What's going on?"
"I need to see you. When are you free?"
"Not until 1:00."
"That's fine. The Outback at 1:30 then?"
"Alright." V hung up the phone, wondering if she could wait 2 hours to
find out what had her best friend so upset.
Keesha walked into Jake's, looking around. Seeing Carly, she headed
over to the jukebox. "Carly."
Carly turned and stared at Keesha for a moment. Carly glanced back at
the box, requesting her song and then moved past Keesha-walking to a
table.
Keesha sighed and walked over. "How's Michael?"
"He's just dandy. But you can save your fake sentiment for someone
else."
"If I wanted to be fake, I would have expressed concern for you...not
Michael." Keesha pulled up a chair and sat down across from her.
"So...how's Jax...you know, the man who's using you."
"I heard that AJ agreed to share custody with you." she ignored Carly's
attempts to upset her.
Carly on the other hand, as always, wasn't so inclined to let anything
go. "I don't need AJ to have custody."
"Really? With all the trouble Jason is in, Mrs. Morgan?" Keesha
emphasized, pushing every button she could.
Carly cut her eyes. "What's your point?"
"Depends. I hear you paid Jerry a visit. Why?"
"None of your business."
"Maybe. But I can see...you think you know something...you have that
destructive glare thing going..."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know what your problem is? Major mixup of priorities It's you,
then Jason, and somwhere way down the list...then Michael."
"There is no me without Jason and Michael."
"But you can't have both right now-you have to know that. Aside from
the fact that AJ hates you, hates Jason, and is a powerful
Quartermaine...Jason...your husband...is in jail..."
"Because of Jax."
"Because of *Jason*. And he's going on trial for so many things,
there's no chance in hell that, with you staying together, that any
judge was going to allow you to share custody if AJ contested. None.
AJ did you a major favor."
"So you're here to expound on the greatness that is AJ, as usual. I
figured you would have learned by now. Then again your next choice was
even worse...."
Keesha shook her head. "Right now we're on your favorite subject." she
smiled sarcastically. "You. So...why do you think AJ did you a favor
Carly...well? Not because he likes you, but because for some reason he
*had* to." Keesha watched as Carly's wheels began to turn. "Maybe,
for once you ought to just be thankful and let things go. And I'll
tell you something..." she stood. "Jason would want you to
also...because through you, he keeps his ties to Michael. If it wasn't
for whatever reason AJ decided to be this selfless, neither you nor
Jason would ever see Michael again."
V continued returning Jax's stare. "What?"
"Remember when I asked you to dig into Sonny's past for me?"
"Of course."
"You left an important part out...mind telling me why?"
V kept staring at Jax.
Jax sighed. "I know about Marcus."
"Marcus...what are you talking about?"
"Don't tell me you didn't know..."
"Excuse me? Because I've lied to you before right? If I remember
correctly, you and Marc are the ones who tend to keep things from
me-not the other way around."
"I'm sorry for that...and I've told you that before. But this isn't
about that."
"No? Then what's it about."
"I told you I needed to know *everything* about Sonny's past. That
includes who..." Jax lowered his voice and leaned over the table.
"...who was his father's partner on the police force."
V shook her head....she just didn't understand...what did that have to
do with..."Marcus?" she looked into Jax's eyes once more. "Marc's
partner, that was killed, that was Sonny's father?"
"You didn't know?" Jax asked, releived.
"Of course I didn't know!" V felt a pang of hurt. Then she realized
something. "But you know if I *did* know, I probably wouldn't have told
you....sadly enough." she admitted. What had happened to their
friendship?
Thinking V kept something so important from him bothered Jax, but not
just because he needed to know. But because their friendship mattered
so much. "You wouldn't have..."
"I don't want Marcus anywhere near this..."
"Wait a minute..."
"Because you and him...you turn into totally different people when it
comes to Sonny. You're like...pit bulls, you won't let go. And that
has always, *always* wound up being trouble...so I don't want you and
him working on anything having to do with Sonny together. Ever."
"V...what did I tell you? It's important..."
"That Sonny stay in jail for as long as possible. I understand that, I
really do." V's eyes softened, as her desire to help Jax came to the
forefront again. But... "But Marc can't help you. Not when it comes
to his ex-partner. Definitely not when it comes to Sonny. Jax...you
have to keep him out of it. You *have* to."
"Okay..." Jax understood that.
"Really?"
"I want to....but...I might not be able to." he said, needing to be
honest-like she always had been with him.
"Look, I understand that Keesha is your priority. But Marc is mine.
And I let go what happened before, but I'm never doing it again. If
you drag him into this...."
"I don't want to be at odds with you. But...I can't just let this
go...if Sonny can wind up going to trial for his step-father's murder,
I need for that to happen..." Jax stared at V with a sigh before
continuing. "Though I really want to I can't *promise*...but I
promise I will try to do this without Marcus' help. And if things
change-I'll tell you first. Okay?"
V shook her head as she thought.
"I want to do this for you..." Jax repeated emphatically. "...but I
need for you to give me some leeway here...if I involve Marcus, I'll do
it as little as possible...and only as a very last resort and only
after letting you know. I swear. Okay?" he repeated, wanting her to
understand...to agree.
V looked up at Jax again. "Fine. But...."
"I wouldn't purposefully cross you V."
She sighed, smiling softly. "I know that....I trust you." she stated
simply and Jax knew V needed for him not to betray that. "Excuse me, I
have a boyfriend to go and kill now." she got up from the table and Jax
watched as she left.
"Tomorrow at 11.." Keesha looked up from the phone as the front door
opened. "I have to go." she hung up. "What's going on?"
"Do anything productive?"
Keesha watched as Jax leaned up against the door, looking at her.
"Yes...but you look...exhausted. What's wrong?" she started towards
him.
Jax reached his hand out, and Keesha finished her walk over, taking it.
She looked up into his eyes and waited.
"Marcus was Deke's partner. I just found that out...because V didn't
tell me. So I was angry, and then I felt like the heel I should have
because she didn't even know. But now...sometimes I can't beleive the
mess that I've made. I couldn't even promise what she needed me
to...after everything she's done for me, and I couldn't make her a
simple promise..." his voice trailed.
"V wants you to keep Marcus out of it."
"Yes." Jax looked at Keesha again. "And for that reason I really want
to. But I couldn't *promise* to."
"I'm sure that your wanting to means the most. And she knows you,
you're going to try...Jax, sometimes relationships...sometimes they get
tested...the strong ones survive as long as both people work at it.
And your and V's friendship can do that...because it's important to you
both, because it's real and because you're trying, and she knows that.
So though now things aren't the way you and her want them to
be...you're both flexible enough to make it work...this will be over
sooner or later, and things will go back to normal."
Jax didn't answer. Because who knew when this would be over...who knew
if things would ever be normal. All he knew was he couldn't think of
anything else to do-though he had tried desperately to do so the rest
of the day. If only...
Jax opened his arms for a hug and Keesha wrapped her arms around him.
He couldn't live in *if only*. He could only deal with *now*. Now he
had to keep Sonny behind bars as long as possible-and that meant trying
to get evidence against him for Deke's murder.
Now he had to keep V's trust in him. And that meant doing beyond what
he could, to leave Taggert out of this.
Keesha stroked Jax's back softly. She'd talk to Jerry herself
tomorrow. And then she would meet with Miranda.
She'd just tell Jax about everything later. After she had a better
handle on everything...so she could be as helpful as possible.
Peter looked at Taggert. "V seemed very adamant that you stay out of
it."
"She doesn't understand. I have to help. If we can pin this on Sonny,
then I can finally let go."
"Understood. So...I get to meet this *Jax* person now?"
"No...but you do get to meet his brother." Taggert stood and waved
Jerry over.
Shani
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