Ned Ashton was as well dressed as always when he walked into Kelly’s for breakfast Monday morning. The place was almost empty by now. Most of the regulars were on their way to work.

He looked around for Jason, but his cousin had not arrived. Ned was beginning to wonder if he had imagined yesterday’s phone call.

As he sat down at a table and ordered coffee, Ned recalled how upset the Quartermaine family had been last January, when Jason rode out of town on his motorcycle. All but AJ, who was happy as a clam to have his younger sibling and lifelong rival out of the picture. AJ’s happiness had not lasted long.

Ned remembered the way Alexis had tried in vain to contact Jason after the accident. Everyone knew the two brothers never got along. But Alexis and Ned were both sure Jason would have returned--if for no other reason than Michael, whose parents were both so seriously injured in the crash.

Now he was finally here in Port Charles again. Ned wasn’t sure what brought Jason back, but he knew he would find out shortly.

When Ned had told Alexis about Jason’s phone call yesterday, she speculated that it might have something to do with Sonny Corinthos. And Alexis should know, Ned reflected. It always made him uncomfortable to realize how closely the woman he loved was tied to Port Charles’ crime boss.

Their ties were only of a professional nature, of course, but that was bad enough. In light of the danger Alexis had been exposed to in the past because of her own family, Ned wished she would now limit her professional life to something a little safer than representing someone like Sonny.

But Ned had to admit there hadn’t been any need for Alexis to represent Sonny in quite a while. Things had been really quiet in town for months--no arrests of Alexis’ clients, no street wars, and no new Federal investigations that anyone knew about.

If Jason’s return was linked to any possible resurgence of any of that, Ned almost wished he had stayed away.

But at the same time, he couldn’t help looking forward to seeing his cousin again. Ned had always looked out for Jason--especially since that day nearly five years ago, when AJ drove his car into a tree, and the Jason everyone knew disappeared for good. Ned understood that the new Jason wanted virtually no part of the Quartermaine family. But that didn’t stop him from keeping an eye out for Jason’s interests whenever he could--even if he got little or no response from Jason for his efforts.

As Ned sipped his coffee, he was more eager than ever to find out what Jason wanted to talk about this morning.

***

Jason awakened early again, eager to tie up loose ends and get on with his new plans. As he showered and dressed, he felt more confident than he had in a long time that things would work out well.

Jason locked the door of his penthouse and headed for the elevator. Francis was on duty this morning outside Sonny’s door.

“Jason!” Francis greeted him happily. “Johnny told me you were back. It’s great to see you, man.”

“You too, Francis.” Glancing toward Sonny’s door, Jason asked, “Do you know if he’s got plans for today?”

“He hasn’t told me anything yet,” Francis answered.

Jason wasn’t surprised. “Well, don’t bother him now. But if he comes out, let him know I’d like to talk to him, okay?”

“Sure. But won’t you see him at the warehouse?”

Francis obviously thought he was on his way to work at the coffee business, Jason thought. He made no attempt to correct the bodyguard. “I’ll be here at my place a little later. If you see him before I get back, just let him know I need to talk.”

“Okay. See you later.”

The elevator door opened and Jason got in. He rode to the garage, where his truck now occupied the parking space once reserved for his motorcycle. He backed out of the space, then drove out of the garage in the direction of Kelly’s.

It didn’t take long to get there. Jason parked and went inside. After stopping for a second at the counter to say hello to Tammy, who greeted him effusively, Jason headed for the table where Ned was already waiting.

“Jason. It’s good to see you again,” Ned said warmly. “When did you get back? Have you been over to the house yet?”

“Yeah, I saw Emily Saturday night, right after I got into town,” Jason answered. “She told me everything.”

Ned nodded. “Then you know all about AJ.”

“Yes. Emily said she’d go with me if I want to see him.” Jason added, “Emily told me about you, too. She said you’re running ELQ again.”

Ned gave a small smile. “Duty called. It was me, or Grandfather--unless we wanted to bring in somebody from the outside. And none of us wanted that.” Ned paused a second, then asked, “So, what’s been happening in your life?”

Jason filled him in on his travels, and his long stay at the monastery in southern Illinois. Ned was understandably surprised.

“Jason,” he asked cautiously, “did you happen to tell the monks what you do for a living?”

Jason smiled just slightly. “Nobody asked. Nobody cared. They gave me a place to stay, and work to do.” He added, “I liked it. But now I’m ready for something else.”

“And you’re about to tell me what that is.”

“Yeah.” Jason paused to collect his thoughts. “Look, Ned, Emily told me you’re doing a great job back at ELQ. But she said you can’t really do anything at L&B any more.”

“That’s true,” Ned said, nodding. “And I miss it. But at least V has agreed to help out. I hated to have to ask her. She’s got another life with Simon now, and nobody deserves the happiness she’s found more than V does. But there was nobody I trusted more, and nobody I knew I could depend on more than V to take care of business at L&B.” Ned paused again, then asked, “What is your interest in this, Jason?”

“I want to help you,” Jason answered flatly. “I want to work at L&B.”

Ned couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was completely out of left field. “Tell me more,” he said quietly.

Jason leaned forward. “I know you think I never noticed how you tried to help me, Ned. But I did.” As Ned nodded, Jason continued, “And now I think we can help each other.”

“Well, before you continue, let me ask: Does this mean you’re giving up the coffee business with Sonny?”

“Yeah. I’ve already told him.”

“And how did he react?” Ned asked curiously. He knew how erratic Sonny could be.

“He’s fine with it.”

“Okay,” Ned said. “Tell me the rest.”

Jason settled back into his chair. “I think you know I’m in pretty good financial shape,” he began. “And I’ll be getting a lot more money when Sonny buys me out of the coffee business.”

Ned was silent as Jason continued. “Emily said you’re having a cash flow problem right now. She said it’s why you haven’t been able to promote Juan yet.”

Ned looked rueful. “Emily has a bit of a one-track mind, doesn’t she? But she’s right. At the moment, we can only handle acts that have been with the company for a while.”

“What would you say to a new investor?” Jason asked.

“I’d say we could use the money. Depending on what the investor wants in return,” Ned responded.

“Work,” Jason answered. Before Ned could say anything else, he added, “Not with the talent. V knows more about that than I ever could. I’m talking about day-to-day operations. Keeping track of the money. I like working with numbers, and I’m good at it.”

“I know you are,” Ned answered. “And if you’re serious, I think we can work something out.”

Jason nodded. “Good. Can you tell Alexis I need to see her as soon as possible to draw up the papers for me to sell my interest in the coffee business to Sonny? Then we can decide how much I put into L&B, and everything else.”

“Okay. I’ll give her a call as soon as I get to the office.”

As the two cousins finally got around to ordering breakfast, the usually down-to-earth Ned allowed himself a rare flight of fancy. Visualizing the last scene of Casablanca, Ned pictured himself as Bogie. Jason probably wouldn’t like to be Claude Rains, but that didn’t matter--he’d never know. All that mattered were the words echoing in Ned’s mind: I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

***

After breakfast, Jason took time out to stop by the Quartermaine mansion. He had promised Emily he would visit his grandmother today.

Lila was thrilled. “Oh, Jason, it is so good to have you back!”

“It’s good to be back,” he replied, kneeling and taking her hand.

Lila was even happier when Jason told her what he and Ned had discussed that morning. “But don’t tell anybody yet, okay?” he asked.

“I’ll let you do that, dear,” she answered.

It was amazing how quickly the wheels of business could turn when everyone was in agreement. Alexis had the papers drawn up by late that afternoon.

As Jason expected, Sonny had no objections to buying out his interest in the coffee operation. After that, it didn’t take long for Jason, Ned, and Alexis to work out the terms of his investment in L&B, and the salary he would receive for his new duties.

Jason and Ned showed up at the L&B offices together the following morning. Ned left after showing Jason around, telling his cousin to take as long as he needed getting settled into his new job.

Jason was doing just that when Nikolas Cassadine arrived for work.

Both Jason and Nikolas remembered their last encounter, at the hospital Christmas party, where an angry Nikolas had slugged the still-recovering Jason. Nikolas believed Jason was sleeping with Elizabeth Webber, and he hated the idea. It wasn’t true, of course, as Nikolas found out later. But seeing Jason here this morning brought it all back with crystal clarity.

Nikolas had been raised to appreciate good etiquette. But today, he was in no mood for politeness. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.

“I work here now,” Jason answered.

As Nikolas glared at him, Jason informed the L&B public relations director that he was taking over V's responsibilities in the day-to-day running of the record company. “Look, Nikolas, I know you don’t like me,” he concluded. “But unless you want this place to be an armed camp, we better get along.”

“You ruined Elizabeth’s life,” Nikolas responded. “She left town because of you. You ruined Robin’s life, too,” he added spitefully.

Jason’s voice was calm but cold as he answered, “My relationship with Robin is none of your business. And I’m sorry Elizabeth was put in danger because of me. But she’s getting on with her life now. And so am I. That includes working here.”

“We’ll see about that,” Nikolas answered.

Nikolas stormed out, and drove immediately to ELQ headquarters. Heading for the CEO's suite, he tried to be calm as he asked Ned’s secretary if he could have a few moments with the boss.

“What’s up, Nikolas?” Ned asked, as his secretary ushered the younger man into his office. But he already knew.

“When were you going to tell me you hired Jason Morgan?”

“Sit down, Nikolas,” Ned said quietly. As Nikolas took a chair opposite him, Ned continued, “Jason and I have worked out an agreement that’s good for both of us. And if you care about L&B, which I think you do, you’ll understand that.”

“What kind of agreement are you talking about?” Nikolas asked.

Ned explained that Jason was not only Nikolas’ new co-worker, but an investor as well. “He’s offered us some needed capital, and I’ve accepted it.”

“So, he hands over some cash, and he’s a member of your family, and you give him a job? Is that how it works?”

Even Nikolas knew he sounded irrational, but he couldn’t help it. “Ned, does it even matter to you that Jason is a criminal? Do you know what it could mean to L&B for the company to be associated with him? For God’s sake, he’s Sonny Corinthos’ partner!”

Ned answered with more patience than he felt. “Nikolas, you do an excellent job as PR director, and I want you to continue. But it’s not up to you to question who I hire, and whose investment money I accept. First of all, Jason is no longer Sonny’s partner. And even if he was, Sonny has never been convicted of anything, and neither has Jason.”

Nikolas was quiet as Ned continued. “Secondly, if being a member of my family was the main criterion for working at L&B, I could have asked my mother to join the company a long time ago. I am not giving Jason a job. I am hiring someone who I know is intelligent and capable.”

Ned went on, “He’s no threat to your job, if that’s what you’re worried about. Jason wants to crunch numbers, and keep the books balanced, and make sure the bills get paid. I don’t think you’re interested in that, are you?”

“No,” Nikolas admitted.

Nikolas knew he had no choice but to accept Ned’s decision. “All right. I’ll let him do his job, and I’ll do mine.”

Ned could only hope he meant it.

***

As Jason wrapped up his first day on the job, he headed over to Kelly’s. Carly was working the dinner shift, but she was almost finished.

“So, what’s up?” she asked, as nonchalantly as possible.

Carly hadn’t seen Jason since Sunday, and he lots to tell her. But he wanted to do it without everyone listening in.

“I just wondered--would you like a ride home?” he asked.

“Sure. And I know Michael will love to see you again.”

Jason had not been able to see Michael on Monday. With all his business dealings, there hadn’t been time until late that evening, when Jason was sure Michael was already in bed. But he vowed to himself that from now on, he would be there to say good night to Michael every night, either at Bobbie’s house or at the Quartermaines.

As Jason drove Carly home, he told her all about his new job at L&B--everything but his confrontation with Nikolas Cassadine. With any luck, Nikolas would accept the inevitable and they could both do what they had to do without any more angry face-offs.

Carly loved what she was hearing. She was sure now that Jason really meant what he said about staying around. And that could only mean good things for both her and Michael.

Jason and Carly didn’t talk much the rest of the way to Bobbie’s house. They just enjoyed the comfortable feeling, as they listened to Garth Brooks singing from the tape player.

______________________________________________________________________________

A Friend to Me is copyright 1997 Minka Music/Maverick Music/WB Music Corp./Major Bob Music Co., Inc./No Fences Music. It appears on Garth Brooks’ Sevens.

To hear the song in a slideshow featuring Jason and Carly, check out: http://members.tripod.com/karaatwtfan5/jcfriend.htm

Coming up in Chapter 9: A secret is shared. If you have any questions or comments, please E-mail me. [email protected]