What Love Can't Forget
By Tracy
What Love Can’t Forget
I am writing this story as if Sonny and Brenda rode off into the sunset after
a beautiful wedding (that Lois and Robin both attended because I never really
brought their idiotic explanations - well Robin's was okay but she would have
been there for her two best friends, no matter what, and well lets face it
Lois's reason really just sucked - especially considering she showed up two
days later!) Anyway S&B took off TOGETHER (the way it was meant to be) never
planning to return to Port Charles ever again. But you know the old saying -
Never say never!
Chapter One
Sardinia, Italy September 1998 (1 year later)
Sonny - "Honey you are doing great, hang in there, it will be over soon."
Brenda - "Sonny, Sonny" sounding weak and panicked "Something isn't right, I'm
scared and so tired." He bends down and kisses her.
S - "It's all right Baby, I'm not going anywhere I swear."
Doctor - "Okay Mrs. Carruthers you need to concentrate and push - NOW" Brenda
screams in pain as she tries to push as hard as she can.
Nurse - "the baby isn't crowning is it?" she asks the Dr. quietly.
Doctor - "No it isn't. We are going to have to do an emergency c-section, she
is far to small and weak to handle much more. Please remove Mr. Carruthers
from the room." He states as he prepares a syringe.
S - "No I am not leaving my wife."
Doctor - "Call security and have this man removed from this room." He asks the
nurse and then looks up from Brenda to Sonny "Mr. Carruthers, do you want your
wife to live?" Sonny nods while still concentrating on Brenda who is becoming
weaker by the minute "then please leave now."
B - "Sonny go, I'll be fine so will our baby. I promise. Now go," she kisses
his hand and whispers "I love you baby."
S - "I will always love you" he replies as he kisses her forehead but she has
already passed out and does not hear his final promise.
He leaves the room and is greeted by two security guards who escort him next
door to the waiting room. An hour has passed and Sonny has nearly worn a rut
into the old tile floor when he gets an odd and foreboding feeling in his gut
"Brenda!" he whispers and begins to walk out of the room towards the place
where he last saw her but he guards restrain him. Sonny looks beyond them at
the double doors of the ER and the hair on the back of his neck crawls as he
hears a scream "SONNY!" mingled with a muffled wail. The scream abruptly
stops but continues to echo down the corridor as Sonny pushes his way through
the guards toward the woman he loves. They try to hold him back but he
escapes them only to run smack into the doctor who is wearing blood stained
scrubs. Sonny looks up at him and asks "Brenda?"
Doctor - "I am sorry Mr. Corinthos." He says in a quiet sympathetic voice.
Sonny - "NO - NO!" he cries, not paying attention to a what the doctor is
saying as he shoves the doctor out of the way only to see his wife, pale as
death, lying on a gurney with a sheet over her small body. His heart
shatters, the feeling in his gut intensifying and he knows that it is not
danger he is feeling but a broken heart, and that it is a feeling he will have
to live with the rest of his life. He touches her rings to his lips and then
removes her wedding band and slips it onto his pinkie next to his own before
drawing his wife's limp body up into his arms and weeping silent tears of
grief for the love that he has unjustly lost.
Two continents away a man hangs up the telephone and turns to the old man who
is lying in his bed staring out the window.
Man1 - "It is done."
Man2 - "Good, without his precious wife the man is nothing, he is just a
street punk and his time will come."
Man1 - "Very well Sir, anything else?"
Man2 - "No with her dead, he will destroy himself."
Chapter Two
Port Charles, New York (January over 5 years later)
Life in Port Charles may have changed a great deal but the town has remained
the same, from the docks, to Kelly's, to the PC Hotel. It is still a small
New York town with too much going on in it. Let's see what has happened to
the movers and shakers of the town; well there are the Quartermaine’s who have
all remained the same, constantly fighting, making up and loving each other
through it all. Edward is still driving everyone insane, Lila still the
peacemaker, and Alan and Monica still turbulently married. AJ and Carly have
been married for 4 years now and have a 6 year old son named Zak. Tony and
Bobbie are dating again (but have decided to take it slow and not try marriage
just yet) after discovering that Carly was Bobbie’s "long lost daughter", Tony
held a grudge, Bobbie didn't. Luke and Laura remain a cornerstone of Port
Charles society after finally running Count Vlad and his Barbie (Bat and Kat)
out of town. A year ago it was revealed that Nik was Luke’s son, a situation
to which both are still adjusting to. Lizzie helped Nik through the rough
times and they continue to have a love/hate relationship with constant
fighting, bickering, and making up. Lizzie models full time at Jax Cosmetics
and both Nik and Em are also involved in several of the campaigns. Lucky and
Emily (who developed into a very beautiful young woman) are engaged and to be
married this summer. Nik and Lucky are developing a real relationship with
the help of the two stubborn women in their lives. Jax left town after S&B
were married - oh who cares! Mac and Felicia finally stopped fighting long
enough to get married after Frisco died (for real this time) and have been
married for three years and are also expecting a son in March. Mike made an
honest woman out of Mary and married her nearly three after Sonny and Brenda
left. Karen and Joe have been happily married for over four years and Jagger
recently returned to town to replace a corrupt Taggart as a detective in the
PCPD.
Well enough about the little people lets get on to the interesting ones...Lois
and Ned are not together (for now) but they do have a 4 1/2 year old son
together (not to mention Brooke who is almost eight). After learning about
the death of their best friend the two comforted each other and produced a
beautiful dark haired boy who they named Brendan. Ned and Lois never
divorced, they just choose to live apart from one another, Lois remains in
Bensenhurst but makes frequent visits to Port Charles to visit Sonny and let
Ned see his children. Ned and Sonny are not the best of friends and probably
never will be (no matter how much I wish) but they tolerate each other for
Lois’s sake, Bren’s memory, and because Sonny is the godfather to his
children. As for Jase and Robin, Jason continued to run the mob during
Sonny's four year absence and when Sonny returned to Port Chuck two years ago,
after regaining territory that was lost in the transition, the two became
equal partners with each of them spending a year in Puerto Rica learning about
some of the new territory. Robin has never returned to Port Charles since
last seeing Jason on the bridge, if you wish to see her then you go to her as
Felicia, Mac, and Sonny have done on several occasions. She is now finishing
up her internship (she went to the same super soap school that Karen attended)
in Cambridge, England, and will be home shortly. As for Sonny he returned to
Port Charles four years to the day that he and Bren were married and three
years after Bren's death, no one knows for sure what happened to him in those
three years but he definitely returned to PC without part of his soul. He has
become a very cool business man that many called emotionless and few called
heartless. Upon returning he went directly to Jason and the two instantly
renewed their friendship, only it was a little different now, Sonny was no
longer a teacher or father, he and Jason were equals and are were both
fiercely protective of each other and the people that they love. They run the
business with a tight rein and are very discreet in there both their personal
and business dealings, both are known as extremely fair, private, powerful and
well respected men.
And now we continue …..
Sonny is pacing back and forth across the penthouse floor absently glancing a
his bare ring finger. He had worn those rings for six years, until yesterday,
and now he felt utterly naked without them. His cut and bruised hand reached
for the chain that hung around his neck assuring himself they were still there
and safe. That is where they would stay, around his neck, next to his heart,
he never wanted blood to touch their rings again. Jason watched Sonny from
his relaxed position on the sofa, knowing that he was thinking of Brenda, he
sat quietly waiting to listen to what Sonny needed to say, his presence
reassuring his best friend even as agitated as he was.
Sonny - "I need to know as soon as they get here." he commanded
Jason - "They aren't scheduled to be here until tomorrow, you pacing isn't
going to get them here quicker. Everything is covered Sonny."
Sonny - "I know, I know. Are we sure they are reliable?"
J - "I got the name of the company from Jake, he was working for them when he
saved your butt in San Juan."
S - "Okay, but I still want to meet with them as soon as possible."
J - "Sonny, I will check them out first and then bring them in for a meeting.
The way you are acting you’re liable to scare them off."
S - "If they scare that easily then they shouldn't be in this line of work."
J - "Relax man, why don't you have one of the twins drive you home?"
S - "Na, I will just stay in town tonight."
J - "No, you should be with Roni, she is probably wondering where you are
anyway, plus we need to take some extra men out there."
S - "I need to call her and see how she is doing. How many men are there
now?"
J - "Five, but you should be there too. Go home to her Sonny."
S - "Damn it your right, I will take off. I am going to work at home tomorrow
until I hear from you, but I want a call as soon as they show up."
J - "I will, I promise."
Chapter Three
Airplane, one hour outside of Houston International Airport. A man and woman
are lounging in first class talking softly.
Woman - "We should land in about an hour." she says to her companion in a low
and lightly accented voice.
Man - "I’m going to sleep until then, we still have one more flight until we
reach New York." the woman nods her head and looks out the window "Hey, are
you okay?" he asks his voice concerned.
Woman - "Just tired, we only had one day off and now we are going all the way
from Lima to New York. This isn't normal Gage, we normally have at least a
week off between jobs, and now we are flying to NY on two hours notice, why
NY? We never do jobs in the states, so why us?"
Gage - "Hey I know as much as you do. Derek said he needed us on this
yesterday."
Woman - "I know but I don't have to like it, it just feels weird."
Gage - "What do you mean weird, you now I don't like that Gabi. I hate it
when you do that, because your always right."
Woman - "Relax and quit calling me that despicable name, that assignment is
over."
Gage - "I like it, Gage and Gabi, Jack and Jill, kinda goes you know?" she
gives him a look that definitely says she doesn’t "Besides I kinda like it
even if it doesn't fit your personality at all. Hey, why can't all women be
like you?" she just glares at him. "well...I am going to take a page from your
book and shut up."
Women - "Good idea, go to sleep." she mutters before turning and looking out
the window unable to sleep even when she was as tired as her partner.
An hour later the plane bumps down onto the runway and Gage comes fully awake.
G - "So sweetheart are you ready to get to work?" he asked as he watches her
reach into her battered backpack for a baseball cap to put over her sun-
streaked hair. She continues to ignore him and prepares to deplane.
W - "I need to change before our next flight."
G - "So who are you going to be this time? Will I recognize you?"
W - "Don't worry I'll find you." she answers before walking past him and off
the plane. Her companion sits in his seat shaking his head for a moment
before quickly grabbing his bag and following her but by the time he reaches
customs she has disappeared into the crowd.
G - "Damn" he mumbles and continues to search over the heads of the swarm of
people still trying to spot her "Damn it Brie, where the hell are you?"
Chapter Four
An hour and a half later Gage is still wondering where she is, he glances for
the millionth time at his watch and looks around the terminal again hoping to
spot her. No luck, he thinks getting more and more frustrated.
G - "Damn!" he mutters as he slouches down in his chair still looking around
the waiting area. He sits up a little straighter when he spots a redhead
sitting two rows away from him, he looks casually about once more before
walking in her direction. Just as he approaches she stands and walks toward
the bar. Gage stops and watches her enter the small bar, "What the hell." he
thinks "Brie isn't here and I still have a half hour to kill." Then he follows
the leggy redhead into the bar.
She is nowhere to be found when he arrives inside so he takes a seat and
orders a beer. He is still wondering where the redhead disappeared to when
someone comes up behind him and whispers "GOTCHA!" in a deep southern drawl.
It’s the redhead, she removes her dark glasses and winks at him with one clear
green eye.
Brie - "I told you I would find you, you didn't have to follow me." she says
in her normal voice.
Gage - "Damn it Brie, you never cease to amaze me" looking her up and down.
"Who is this one, I've never seen her before."
B - "That's because it's my new creation, you like." she asks as she spins
around with her arms out "or need I ask?"
G - "Wow, in that outfit you don't even need a weapon." he says eyeing her
extremely short and snug dress "I just don't get it. How do you do everything
in an hour and a half?"
B - "Easy - practice!"
G - "Hair, eyes, and outfit." He shakes his head, "By the way are you sure
those are your legs?"
B - "Very funny. It’s really very easy actual, it is all an illusion -
contacts, hair rinse, clothes, and attitude. Draws the attention away from
the things you recognize and focuses it somewhere else."
G - he nods, still looking her up and down "Nice, but quite a change from that
mousy Peruvian Schoolteacher I was working with last week. Looking like that
no one would ever imagine that you had just brought down one of the most
dangerous guerrilla’s in Peruvian history."
B - "Well I definitely didn't do that single handed, I remember another
"gorilla" helping me!"
G - "Hey I was into the black market, not a guerrilla." she just smiles "oh I
get it, very cute." she laughs at him and her eyes change and suddenly all
pain and sadness disappears from them and he sees the woman she could be or
the woman she was before...before what he did not know, he just knew that
something had happened to her, something that destroyed her life and made her
into a this quiet woman, haunted by her past and running to nothing and from
everything. "Brie, don’t you ever get tired, tired of the disguises, the
travel, running?" he asks her quietly.
B - very seriously "This is who I am Gage, this is what I have become. I
can’t afford to be tired or I, no WE, could die."
G - "Don’t you ever want to be just be yourself."
B - "She doesn’t exist anymore, the person I was died a long time ago." She
states before walking away.
G - he watches her board the plane and thinks to himself "You only think she
did, one day you will realize that and I hope I am around to see the woman you
could be. The real you." then follows her onto the plane.
Chapter Five
8:00 a.m. Next Day. Gage and Brie walk into an office building in midtown
Manhattan and take the elevator to the 13th floor.
Secretary - "Gage, it is so good to see you again, where is Brie?"
Brie - "Right here sugar." She answers in the thick southern drawl.
Secretary - "Brie? Oh my, you did it again. It is wonderful to see you my
dear." And gives her a motherly hug.
Brie - "Good to see you too Tara." She says uncomfortably returning the
squeeze before pulling away.
Secretary - "Honey, how do you do it? How in the world do you manage that
southern accent and not have it completely clash with your native French?"
Brie - "Practice, lots and lots of practice."
Secretary - Shakes her head "You two sure keep us on our toes around here. Go
on in he’s waiting for you." She motions toward a set of wooden doors down the
hall.
Gage - "Thanks Tara, see ya latter." He calls out as he follows Brie through
the doors and into a large office.
Derek - "Gage" he rises from his chair and holds out his hand to exchange hand
shakes "Brie is that you? You are amazing my dear but I am afraid it is
completely unnecessary."
B - "Sir?"
D - "I mean no disguises this job, so drop the southern drawl and the
contacts."
B - "But .."
D - "No buts, this is a different type of assignment. You are going to be
doing protection in a small town, low key Brie. That," he gestures at her "is
not low key."
G - "Baby-sitting!!!! You called us in to baby-sit, sir" he adds as an
afterthought.
D - "Gage, Brie, sit." They both drop into chairs that are lined up in front
of his large desk. "This is very important and it is for a friend of a
friend. Remember Jake McCann?"
G - "Yeah, Jake, I haven’t seen him in a while. How is he doing?" he replies
as Brie nods her head.
D - "Actually he’s retired. He has recently married and is living in Upstate
New York, but you will see him shortly." He hands both Brie and Gage a thick
file that Brie immediately begins thumbing through. "This job will actually
be for his new boss."
B - having remained silent until this point Brie speaks up "Sir can you please
tell me what our assignment is, this is a bunch of background information on
New York crime families."
D - "I was getting to that. Now Jake met this fellow in San Juan last year.
Someone was trying to have a little bit of fun at his expense and Jake took a
bullet for him, then he was taken it by the organization. Now this guy has
returned to his business interests in New York and he needs some extra help.
Jake is in charge of his entire security force but his wife is pregnant and
from what I understand she is not having a very easy time of it so he needs
some additional help, so he called in a marker. His boss wants the best and
is willing to pay for it, so he is getting it. You two start today."
G - "Well doesn’t sound too bad, at least we will be in the city, I haven’t
spent time in New York in years and Brie you’ve never been here right?" she
slowly nods her head but continues to look at Derek.
B - "Wait a minute, you said Jake lived outside of the city."
D - "Very good Brie, he does. So, no Gage you aren’t going to get to spend
any time in the city. You are expected in Port Charles at 3:00.
B - looks up from her folder with wide eyes "Port Charles?"
Chapter Six
Derek looks back at Brie and answers her question.
D - "Yes, Port Charles. You ever heard of it?" she doesn’t answer so he
proceeds with his explanation. "It is a small town about two hours from here.
You two go read the rest of the briefing I have provided you and be back by
10:30."
G - "Yes sir." He and Brie exit the room and walk towards the conference room
across the hall. "Baby-sitting" he mutters "in a small town, why does that
feel like a demotion to me. Hey Brie are you listening to me?"
B - distracted by her own thoughts "Huh, what did you say?"
G - "I said are you as thrilled about this assignment as I am?"
B - "Gage, let it go okay." She replies before taking a seat at the conference
room table where she spreads out the contents of the file and began to read.
An hour later the two are still reading through all the material when there is
a knock on the door and Derek enters.
D - "Any questions?"
G - "Just one, who are we baby…protecting. None of these guys live in this
Port Charles place."
D - hands them each another file "Michael Corinthos Jr., better known as Sonny
Corinthos and his partner."
Chapter Seven
B - "Partner?"
D - "Yes, Jason Morgan. All the information is in the file and I hope now you
understand why you will be going in as yourselves not as an alias. Corinthos
and Morgan are very through and careful so I am almost certain they will check
on you and I don’t want anything to spook him. Review the file and be back in
my office in half an hour." He then leaves closing the door quietly behind
him. Gage notices Brie looking off into space.
G - "Hey Brie, you still with me." he asks waving his hand in front of her
eyes.
B - startled out of her daze "Yes" she answers quietly and slowly opens the
file she held tightly in her hand. Gage watches her with a puzzled look on
his face for a few moments before shrugging off her odd behavior and beginning
to read for himself.
Chapter Eight
35 Minutes later the two walk back into Derek’s office.
D - "Sit down," they do "any questions?"
B - "No sir."
G - "No, not really."
D - "Good. Brie give me a run down on Port Charles."
B - looks directly at him and begins to answer "Small town USA, residence of
Michael Corinthos and Jason Morgan, partners for the last two years in running
various ports from Port Charles, or PC as it is called by it’s residents, to
San Juan, Puerto Rico."
D - "Sketchy, but enough to start with." he turns to Gage. "Okay, Gage tell me
about Mr. Corinthos."
G - "Small time mobster who ran a strip club up until about 10 years ago when
he began to gain power in the Frank Smith organization, it is rumored that he
broke Smith out of jail and then plotted to kill him while visiting Puerto
Rico with his girlfriend. Upon Smith’s death he made a move and obtained more
power until he literally married the mob, by wedding" he glances down at his
folder "his first wife Lily Rivera, daughter of Puerto Rican boss Hernando
Rivera. Wife #1 died in a mob related hit and a year later Corinthos married
his long time girlfriend, contestant #2, a well know model for some perfume
company, quite a looker by her picture. Immediately after the wedding the two
disappeared, four years later Corinthos reappears on the scene, sans wife, and
joins forces with pal Morgan and they begin the regain territory lost in the
*transition*. No clue what happened to the model, probably taken out like the
first wife. Anyway, he and Morgan took back territory including Puerto Rico
and some new stuff along the way. He is also an active shareholder in ELQ,
and an on-again-off-again partner in a small record label, and a Blue’s club."
D - "Pretty good for only a half hour of prep time. Brie why don’t you tell
us about Morgan?"
B - "AKA Jason Quartermaine, a connection he isn’t very fond off. Favorite
grandson of PC most wealthiest family until he was in a major car accident
caused by his brother who was driving drunk. He suffered brain damage and
woke up a "different person". He began working for Corinthos almost eight
years ago and worked his way rapidly up the chain. Very smart, quiet, cool,
calculating, extremely loyal and ruthless. No romantic history to speak off
with the exception of a woman that left him over six years ago. He and
Corinthos share a penthouse in PC and he claims no one as his family with the
exception of Corinthos."
D - "Good enough, but both of you need to go over everything again before you
reach PC. Brie it seems you and Morgan would get along, I recommend you stick
with him and Gage with Corinthos. Now about the other information, that is
just strictly for informational purposes, no one has made a move but there
have been a few threats so you never know. They have both taken a firm anti-
drug stance and some people don’t appreciate it, so watch your backs and keep
in touch." He reaches into his drawer and removes a letter which he hands to
Gage. "Now here is your letter of introduction, be there at 3:00, the address
is on the outside."
B - "Sir, I have a question." He nods "How long are we going to be in the
states?"
D - "Well Brie probably about three or four months, just until Morgan and
Corinthos get all the kinks out of their new acquisitions. You are going to
be expected to train and manage his new people as well as protect both of
them. You two are the best ones for the job since you never work stateside so
you aren’t likely to run into any past jobs and you two will blend right into
PC society."
G - "Yeah boss, Brie is really going to have trouble *blending* in that
outfit."
D - smiles "Now you know Brianna better than that. Brie loose the contacts
and the tighter than sin dress. By the way, where is your weapon?"
B - "Don’t worry about it sir, you know I never leave home without it. It’s
around here somewhere." She answers before striding out the door.
G - "Wow, she is amazing isn’t she." He says before doing the same.
D - "That she is son, truly amazing, but watch out I have a feeling that
something is about to change." He says to the two retreating figures before
sitting down and resuming his work.
Chapter Nine
12:30 - Parking lot of the hotel
G - "Brie why are we leaving so early, we have a half hour to spare."
B - "We need to hit the train station first."
G - "Okay, but why New York and not PC?"
B - "All they have is a bus station and an airport, besides we have more
options here."
G - "Your right, where are the bags?"
B - "Behind your seat. One for me and one for you. Cash, cards, clothes, and
ID’s."
G - "Sometimes you are so paranoid."
B - "Well you have to admit I know what I am talking about, it worked in Cuba
didn’t it? You would be in jail if not for "my paranoia"."
G - "Yeah, thank goodness, between that and your language talents we got outta
that one in one piece. Where did you learn that trick?"
B - "Around." She answered is silent for the rest of the trip.
2:50 Outskirts of PC
G - "Well we made it." He says as they approach an old crooked sign announcing
"Welcome to Port Charles, New York"
B - "Yep."
G - "Do you know where you are going?"
B - "Yes."
G - "How?"
B - "Maps."
G - "Feeling talkative are we? Where is it, I want to look at it?"
B - "There isn’t one."
G - warningly "Brie…."
B - "I pulled it up on the Net."
G - "Oh - You did all that and got ready in time?"
B - "Yep. You pack too much, take a tip from me, one bag, then buy whatever
you need, that way you can make a quick exit when you have to. Anyway I
packed before going to the meeting this morning, then I brought this outfit in
the hotel boutique."
G - "Speaking of that, you didn’t listen very well did you?"
B - "Yes I listen fine, I just compromised."
G - "Yeah, whatever." he replies doubtfully.
B - "I did, I toned down the hair, notice Auburn," she pulls out a strand of
her hair for his inspection "and lost the dress" she gestures to her smart
pant suit "I also lost the southern accent, thank god it was beginning to get
on my nerves."
G - "Yeah, BUT you kept the eyes, and honey if that is a business suit then I
am the Pope. The only way a man is going to concentrate on business with you
it that *suit* is if he’s blind."
B - "Well then you had better hope that they are because that is why we are
here - business." She says firmly. "Besides I can’t help it that I have this
body, so back off. As for the eyes they went better with the hair."
G - "Okay, okay, I give up." He conceded as they pulled up in front of a
building labeled "Luke’s" "Hey this is Corinthos club, what are we doing
here?"
B - "I am well aware of where we are, this is the address on the envelope,
see." She shows it to him.
G - he looks down at the envelope she is holding "All right lets go." She nods
before turning off the car and stepping out into the nearly empty parking lot
then takes a deep breath and follows him to the entrance of the club.
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