Jason was very aware of Sonny�s accusing glare as he wrapped his arms around Brenda in a fierce hug. Even so, he couldn�t help running his hands down her arm and catching her hand in his when the hug ended. She said nothing more, just stood beside him in silence as the service continued - occasionally squeezing his hand in reassurance to remind him that she was there. Tears clogged Jason�s throat. He hadn�t realized how alone he�d felt until he saw Brenda walking towards him. Not that this loyalty she was displaying would do anything to put him back in Sonny�s good graces. He suddenly realized that at the moment he didn�t actually give a damn. Brenda was here and that was all that mattered.
He�s dying inside, Brenda thought, studying Jason out of the corner of her eye. She also hadn�t missed the hateful looks that Sonny was sending his way. She briefly wondered at that but then decided to focus on that later. She was just so relieved that it seemed like she had done the right thing in coming here. But how was she going to help Jason get through this? She wasn�t good with things like death and dying. She released a slow steady breath. Just be here for him, Brenda, that�s all you can do . . .
"They�re uh . . having a get together at Kelly�s." Jason told her softly after the service had ended. They were slowly walking towards her rental car, hand-in-hand. Neither one being willing to let go of the physical contact just yet. "We can go if you want."
Over his shoulder, Brenda noticed that Sonny was heading in their direction. "No. Why don�t we just get you home?" Tony had driven him to the funeral, but Jason had decided to take Brenda up on her offer on the ride back to the penthouse. He nodded and climbed into the passenger seat.
"Brenda . . ."
Her shoulders tensed then she reached for the door handle. "Not now, Sonny." She climbed into the car and jammed the key in the ignition, not caring that dirt from the parking lot was creating a small dust storm around her ex-fiancee as she backed up and sped out onto the road.
"I could�ve waited while you talked to him." Jason said, keeping his gaze out the window.
"I�m not here for Sonny." She shook her head slightly. "Look, Jason . . I know we�re not exactly best friends . . ."
"If you don�t already have a hotel room, you can stay at the penthouse for however long you�re here." He cut her off, not really wanting to get into an in-depth conversation right now.
"Thanks." She decided not to push her luck and just concentrated on driving.
"I�m going to go lay down for a while. Make yourself at home." Jason told her upon entering the penthouse. She threw him a small smile and sat down on the couch. "Brenda, I�m glad you�re here." He said suddenly, without turning around.
"Me, too." She whispered, watching him disappear up the stairs. Once he was out of view, she leaned her head against the back of the couch and expelled a long sigh. Her mind wandered back to the service and the daggers that Sonny had been shooting his right hand man. What was that about?
"Sonny blames Jason. He told Jason it�s fault."
Brenda wasn�t even surprised this time when Courtney appeared at her side. "You again. What are you talking about? This isn�t Jason�s fault."
"I know. But Sonny needs someone to lash out at and Jason�s the perfect target."
"Well, that�s just stupid. He�ll get over it and he�ll realize that Jason loved you more than anything." She felt a quick stab of jealousy at those words and tried to temper it down. She had no right to feel jealous.
"Don�t feel that way. I told you - things aren�t always what they seem."
Brenda growled in irritation. "Look, if you�re gonna be my own personal �Casper� - we�re gonna have to set some ground rules here. Number one - stay out of my head." Not wanting to disturb Jason, she lowered her voice a notch. "I can�t believe that Sonny would seriously blame Jason for this."
"He does and if someone doesn�t talk to him. . ." Courtney looked at her pointedly.
"Oh, no. No way. I�m not going over there to talk to Sonny. I am so not in the mood to get into it with Carly right now." Brenda got up and headed for the kitchen. The light flicked on in the kitchen two seconds before she got there. "No. You�re not bullying me into this." She went to the cabinet, grabbed a glass and filled it with water. She gulped down most of it, then set it down in the sink and started back out the door. Suddenly she heard a cabinet slam. Turning back around she discovered that Courtney�s apparition had disappeared, but now several cabinets were wide open. The one closest to her slammed shut. "Stop it! You�re gonna wake Jason up!" She whispered harshly. The second one closed with just as much force. "Look, Blondie . . ."
"Are you going to go see Sonny?"
Brenda gritted her teeth. "You are so freakin� pushy. Did Jason know that?" She turned on her heel and headed for the front door.