Chapter 25

Ellen, Matt and MJ filed into the room and formed what became a semi-circle around Ally, Jack and Judge Pearson, while the Collins clan stayed a few feet away next to Mrs. Pearson.

"Will you be joining the proceedings?" Judge Pearson asked the newly arrived group.

"No!" Matt hotly answered. "There aren’t going to be any proceedings."

Jack made an attempt to explain things. "Dr. Harmon, I know that this…"

Matt abruptly cut him off. "You, shut up!" he demanded before turning his gaze to Ally. "Allison, you are not marrying this boy, not today or ever! You understand me?!"

"What I understand is somebody doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut," Ally said in Kelsey’s direction.

Kelsey opened her mouth to respond, but no words were forthcoming.

"Believe it or not, Daddy, I am glad you and Mom are here, and you too, MJ," she said to her brother. "But your being here doesn’t change the fact that I am still marrying Jack today."

"Allison, sweetheart," Ellen said, stepping between the impending newlyweds and taking her daughter’s hand, "you can’t be serious. You can’t get married, for so many reasons."

"Mom, there are no reasons why I can’t get married."

"There are a million reasons why you can’t get married!" Matt thundered before he began to rail them off. "You’re only 18 years old. You’ve known this kid a month. He only has a summer job. You don’t work. Where are you gonna live? I could go on and on, but I won’t. The most important and as for as I’m concerned the only reason this marriage won’t happen is because I said so. I won’t let it happen."

"Daddy, there’s nothing you can do to stop it."

"We’ll see about that," he said with total confidence.

Jack made another attempt to explain things. "Dr. Harmon, I imagine…"

Matt held his forefinger, quaking from his anger, at the young man to silence him. "I don’t want to hear a word from you, Ramsey!" he warned. "I am talking to my daughter. I’ll deal with you later!"

Jack was going to say something more but MJ’s hand on his shoulder was a silent plea for him to hold his piece. It was clear that whatever progress Jack made with Matt had been eradicated over the past few hours and it wouldn’t be wise to incite the angry man any further.

"There’s no need to shout, Daddy," Ally pointed out.

"Yes, there is!" Matt boomed. "Clearly, my daughter has lost her mind."

"I take it these are Allison’s parents," Essie whispered to Kevin and Lucy.

"Yes," Lucy nodded.

"Are you Jack’s uncle, Chris?"

Kevin frowned. "Heaven forbid. No, ma’am, I am not Chris Ramsey."

Looking across the room at the group of people who were feeling emotions that ranged from shock to barely controlled rage, "I think we should leave them alone to talk," Essie suggested. "It appears they have some things to work out. I have lemonade in the kitchen, why don’t we go in there."

"I think that’s a good idea," Kevin said, as he, Lucy, and Kelsey followed Mrs. Pearson to the kitchen.

"Come along, Jimmy," Essie said extending her hand to her husband. "The Harmons should talk with Allison and Jack alone."

"Okay," Jim said, taking her hand. "When you need me, just holler."

"Trust me, we won’t need you. In fact, we’ll all be leaving very shortly," Matt told him.

"Thank you, Judge Pearson, we’ll do that," Ally remarked, giving no credence to her father’s words.

Placing her hand on her friend’s forearm as she came upon her, "Ally, I’m sorry, I didn’t…" Kelsey began.

Ally shook her head, interrupting the young woman’s words. "We’ll discuss this later, Kel." At this particular moment, she didn’t know what else to say.

Kelsey hung her head sadly and followed the others into the kitchen.

"You know, you shouldn’t be so hard on her," Matt said to Ally, once the others had departed. "She did the right thing, which is a lot more than I can say for you right now."

"What does that mean?!" Ally shot back.

"This!" Matt said, his arm making a sweeping motion of the room. "How could you do this?"

"Because I wanted my wedding day to be a happy day, that’s how. Silly is the bride who would want such a thing," she scornfully remarked.

"Look, you two, don’t start," Ellen said, ending the barbs before they really got out of hand. "Allison, let’s go home and discuss this rationally."

"Mom, there’s nothing to discuss. What part of that don’t you and Daddy get?"

"The part that makes sense, Ally," Ellen answered as she tried desperately to grasp what it was her daughter was thinking. "How could you even consider getting married without telling us or without us being with you? Not to mention the fact that you are just too young."

"That’s a good question!" Matt snarled. "What has this boy done to you?! Are you pregnant? Is that why you’re in such a rush to get married?"

"Dr. Harmon, look…" Jack said, clearly not thinking of his own well being as he eased toward Matt in an attempt to defend his beloved.

Matt shot him a look that would shatter the Hope Diamond. "I…am…talking…to…my…daughter!" he stated flatly, punctuating every word. "When I’m ready for you, you’ll know it!"

"Jack, man, don’t push this," MJ advised, as he once again grabbed him by the shoulder. He had never seen his father so agitated; he was positively apoplectic.

"See," Ally said to Jack. "This is why I was adamant about not telling them. Even when I wanted to, this is why I didn’t." She turned to Matt. "Jack wanted to do the noble thing and ask you for my hand. I thought that was a bad idea, and you’ve proven me right. And just so you’ll know, Daddy, I am not pregnant. I’m marrying Jack because I love him. I am totally and completely in love with him and I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with him. That’s why I’m marrying him. That’s the only reason."

"Okay, that’s why you’re marrying him, why is he marrying you?"

Jack sighed loudly. "Dr. Harmon, why do you find it so hard to believe that I could love Allison? I’ve done everything I could to show you how sincere my feelings are for her, and how honorable my intentions are, but you refuse to see it. Why?"

"Because I know who your uncle is," Matt answered. "Because you’ve known her for a month, and because word around the hospital is you were planning to break up with her today. Those things tell me all I need to know."

"Well, obviously, not enough. I love Allison, I do. I don’t know when, if ever, I’ll be able to convince you of that, but I know she knows and that, to me, is the single most important thing."

Extracting himself from MJ’s protective clutch, Jack stepped closer to his betrothed and her father. He was determined to speak his mind, regardless of what Matt’s reaction would be. "Dr. Harmon, I can’t help who my uncle is any more than you can help who your father is. Yes, I’ve only known Allison a month, but in that time, I’ve learned all I need to know." He gave Ally a bright smile as he wrapped his arm lovingly around her waist. "She is my world and I want to spend my life with her. As for the hospital gossip," Jack sighed, "that would be Uncle Chris’ doing. When I told him my relationship with Allison was about to change in a big way, he convinced himself that it meant I was breaking up with her. I told him this morning that this change was happening today and he put one and one together and came up with two…the two of us going our separate ways. In this case, the one and one would make one. One happily married couple, Allison and me."

Ellen began to clap. "Boy, that was a great speech." Her condescension was clearly unmasked.

"Mom?" Ally remarked in surprise.

"Don’t ‘Mom’ me. Allison, how did you expect me to react to this?"

"Not like him," she answered, motioning to Matt.

In anticipation of the stinging retort he would offer, Ellen covered Matt’s mouth with her hand. "You’ve had your chance, now it’s my turn," she said to her husband before removing her hand and focusing her attention on her daughter and Jack.

"From the beginning I have supported this relationship, have I not?" Ellen said.

Ally nodded. "Yes, ma’am, you have, and it has meant the world to me, to both of us. Which is why I don’t understand your reaction."

"The beginning of this relationship started a month ago. You two are so young. That combined with the immeasurable happiness you feel in experiencing first love is interfering with your ability to think clearly. How else could you possibly think I’d be happy about this? Marriage is a lifetime commitment. It’s not something you rush into. Where are you going to live?" she wondered. "How are you going to support yourselves? What about school? Have you two thought about any of this?"

"We’ve thought about all of it, Mrs. Harmon, and we have all those bases covered, " Jack answered. "Ally and I are still going to school in the fall; our getting married won’t change that. Look, we aren’t deluding ourselves, we don’t doubt that things will be a little tough for us in the beginning, but we’re also sure of what we want, and that’s to be together."

"You can still be together, nobody’s disputing that."

"Huh," Ally grunted as she gave her father a pointed look.

"Well, nobody was," Ellen corrected. "You two don’t have to get married. Matt has made tremendous strides with accepting your relationship with Jack. More time will make it just that much better...for all concerned."

"But we don’t need more time, Mom."

"You’re going to get more, anyway!" Matt erupted, when he couldn’t remain quiet for a moment longer. "Trying to be reasonable isn’t working, Ellen, forceful seems to be the only thing that gets their attention.

You’re not getting married! I forbid it. That’s final! Let’s go, Allison."

"Forbid?" Ally linked her arm around Jack’s. "You’re welcome to leave, but when I leave, I’m doing so with my husband. I don’t want you to go, but if you can’t support and accept my decision, I don’t want you to stay, either."

"I don’t think you mean that," MJ said to his sister, breaking the silence he had maintained throughout the exchange. "You don’t want them to leave."

"You’re right, I don’t, but I also don’t want this day to be ruined."

"How great do you think this day will be if your parents aren’t here to share it with you? And how will either of you two be able to live with yourselves if you didn’t stay?" he remarked to his parents. "I’ve listened quietly to all sides of this argument and now I’m going to add my two cents."

Shaking his head, MJ emitted a little chuckle. "You are full of surprises, kid, you know that?" he said to Ally. "You were trying to tell me about your plans this morning, but I wouldn’t let you do it. What is sticking with me most right now is your unwavering conviction in this decision you had reached; your mind couldn’t be changed. After discovering your plans, I thought for sure the compelling argument Mom and Dad gave would sway you, but it didn’t. Your mind is definitely made up and I for one will support your decision."

Matt and Ellen were totally aghast.

Ally’s face brightened. "Thank you, MJ."

He held up his finger. "Don’t get me wrong, I think Mom and Dad are right."

Ally scoffed.

"See?" Matt gloated.

"But," MJ continued, "as you said, this is your decision. If this is what you want, and you’re sure and happy, I’ll be sure and happy for you. All the best, sis." He gave Ally a hug and Jack a handshake before turning to his parents. "It’s clear you’re not happy about this, but think about how unhappy you’ll be if you miss out on your only daughter’s wedding."

A few moments passed before Matt responded. "You’re really going to go through with this?" he asked his daughter, once again. "This is your final decision?"

"I am and it is," she answered, locking the fingers of her left hand with those of Jack’s right.

"You should wait. I think you two are making a huge mistake," Ellen impressed upon the enamored young couple.

"You’ve made that clear, Mom, both you and Daddy, but if it is a mistake, it’s ours to make," Ally explained to her parents. "I may be only eighteen, but I am an adult. As much as I would like your blessing, what I don’t need is your permission. I love Jack and I’m going to marry him. I’m sorry this upsets you and I’m not doing it to hurt you or Daddy, but I’m also not changing my mind."

"Neither of us are," Jack asserted.

Tightening the grasp she had on Jack’s hand. "I guess this means you two are leaving?" Ally remarked in a somber tone.

Ellen released a deep breath. "No," she answered with a shake of her head. "I had hoped this day would be happening a few years down the road, under more ideal circumstances, but I’m not going to leave. I can’t miss watching my baby girl get married." She took Matt’s hand in hers. "Neither of us can. Isn’t that right?"

Never answering, Matt gave Ellen’s hand a little squeeze before retreating to the other side of the room.

Ellen excused herself and joined him.

"I can’t pretend to support this, Ellen," he explained, as she pulled up a nearby ottoman and took a seat across from him. "This is wrong. No matter how much in love they are or how happy and sure they might be about this, they have no business getting married. None!"

"We’re in agreement, but they’re not changing their minds, Matt. I can’t not be here for her and I know you can’t either. Turning away from her because she’s doing something we don’t like is not an option." Ellen took his hand in hers and pressed it to her lips. "We both hate this, but if she’s going to go through with it, we’ve got to try to find a way to deal with it. This is a time she’s gonna need us more than ever, whether she knows it now or not."

"Why is she doing this?" he groaned.

"She’s in love," Ellen mocked as she and Matt glanced at the young pair. "The sun is shining bright, the birds are singing, and everything is right in the world."

"They are living in Delusion Land."

"Yes, and when reality hits them in the face, we’re going to need to be there. Maybe they’ll be able to ride out the storm, but it will be a bumpy ride, that’s for sure."

"I’m gonna have to sit back and watch my eighteen-year-old daughter marry a nineteen-year-old Ramsey?"

"No, you don’t have to, but I really need for you to be here and so does our daughter. So, yeah, I’m asking you to sit back and watch our daughter marry a Ramsey. Think you can do it?"

"No, I don’t think I can," he honestly answered.

Motioning toward Matt and Ellen, "What do you think is going on over there?" Ally asked MJ.

"Well, I suspect Mom is trying to convince Dad to stay," he answered.

"She’s good, but do you think she can do that? She’s not exactly jumping for joy, herself."

"Either way, we’re all about to find out," Jack said as Matt and Ellen rejoined them.

Ally held her breath as she waited to hear what her parents would say.

"We’re not ecstatic about this, which is no surprise, but we’re going to stay," Matt shared with them. "This is your decision and as much as we may disagree with it, and we do, we’ll try to live with it. We love you, Allison, and we just want the best for you."

Ally released the breath she had been holding. "I love you, too, and what’s best for me right now is that you and Mom be happy for me, as happy as I am right now. Jack and I are going to be fine, Daddy, I know it. Since you’re feeling charitable and you’re staying, think you can give me away?" she asked.

"Give you away? Feels more to me like young Jack is taking you away, with your blessing." Shaking his head, "I’m sorry," he apologized, after seeing the disgusted look on Ally’s face, "that slipped. Sure, I can give you away, that’s my duty as father of the bride, right?" Matt pasted on a smile even as his insides were churning.

"Yeah, it is. Thank you, Daddy, " she said, leaning forward and giving him a hug before she turned and embraced her mother. "I can’t tell you how much this means to me."

"Yes, thank you both," Jack added. "This means a great deal to Allison and to me, too. I know you two think we’re both being foolish and our getting married is a huge mistake, but we’re going to prove you wrong."

Matt simply glared at Jack as Ellen replied. "Nothing would make us happier. We want you both to be happy, but we also want you to understand what you’re getting yourselves into."

"We do," Jack stated firmly. "As I said before, Ally and I know it will be a little tough, but we’ll be together and that’s going to make everything okay."

These kids are crazy, Matt and Ellen thought as they exchanged glances.

"Is everything okay out here?" Kevin asked, as the lowered voices prompted him and the others to come out of the kitchen.

"Everything is fine. There’s about to be a wedding ceremony," Ally gleefully shared.

A smile brightened Kelsey's face. "Do you need a maid of honor?" she asked Ally as the two friends shared a hug.

"You feel like being best man?" Jack asked MJ.

"Why not, I’m already that anyway, might as well put the title to use," he grinned in all his glory as he shook Jack’s hand. "Welcome to the family, man."

Kevin and Lucy went over to Matt and Ellen. "What..." they mumbled in confusion.

The Harmons shook their heads and shrugged. "Don't ask." They had done all the persuading they could and there was nothing more to be said.

Fifteen minutes later with their apprehension expressed, but clearly unheeded, Matt and Ellen watched as their daughter became wed to Jack Ramsey, Jr.

"What the hell were you thinking, Corinthos?!" Sal growled angrily from behind his huge mahogany desk.

"Don’t you worry about that. I know what I’m doing," Sonny explained, as he paced the plush wine-colored carpeting of Sal’s office floor.

"You have no idea what you’re doing. I got you released from prison--"

"Yes, and I only had to give up 80% of my territory for the pleasure!" Sonny brusquely injected.

"That’s beside the point!" Sal railed. "You were to leave town, not the carcasses of dead swine at the door of the people who put you away. Do you think they don’t know you did that?"

"Of course they know. As I expected them to. I’m dealing with this."

"No, you are not!" Sal exclaimed. "What you are doing is ruining my plans, and I won’t have it."

"What I’m doing doesn’t have a damn thing to do with your plans. I don’t know a thing about your plans, and I don’t want to. You control most of my territory as well as that of Sorel and Moreno, but you don’t control me. You had better keep that in mind."

"You don’t want to cross me, Corinthos."

"You don’t want to cross me!" Sonny shouted back. "Don’t you ever summon for me again, old man, you got that?!"

"Freedom has gone to your head, Sonny Boy," Sal smirked, clearly entertained by Sonny’s sense of importance. "You are a small fish in a puddle, and your unfortunate incarceration has done nothing for your mental stability. The power you think you wield is limited to a few faithful peons. Some not as faithful as even you believe. I suggest you forget this retribution you have planned for the Scorpios and join your footman Morgan, Moreno and Sorel on that cozy little island hideaway. It will be in your best interest."

"Is that some sort of threat, Mancusi?"

Sal chuckled humorlessly. "Come now, Sonny. Do I make threats? You run along now," he said, shooing him away as if he were some persistent fly before fingering the business card MJ left with him. "I have more pressing matters to take care of."

Riding back to Port Charles in his limousine, Sonny pondered his meeting with Sal. Twenty-five years ago, no one could get away with talking to him the way Sal just did, but Sonny wasn’t the man he was twenty-five years ago. Years confined in a cell smaller than the closets in his penthouse had destroyed him. Jason adjusted easily to prison life, and managed to accumulate a great deal of power behind the barred walls. Sonny wasn’t so lucky. Inmates feared and regarded him, but confinement ravished him. Six months into his life stint, he suffered a breakdown. Jason’s pull kept it from being leaked, both inside and out, and intense sessions with the prison psychiatrist aided Sonny in reaching a better place, but he was never the same.

Sal’s not so veiled threat went into one ear and out the other for Sonny. The last twenty-four years of his life was spent locked away, and nothing mattered to him except making the people responsible for the hell he went through pay. That vow sustained him all these years, and now that he was free, he was determined to bring it to fruition. He had already laid the groundwork, now all he had to do was wait for the bait to be swallowed.

"Really?" Mac remarked. "I imagine so. Yeah, it’s no problem. I’ll talk to you later. Bye. Hmm," he mumbled, sitting back on the couch after the call ended.

"That was Kevin?" Dara asked as she joined him on the couch.

"Yeah, it appears Allison Harmon and young Mr. Ramsey got married."

"Did they?"

"Uh-huh."

"Matt and Ellen must be…not very happy."

"At the very least," Mac said, wrapping his arms around Dara and bringing her close. "This has been quite a day, all the way around."

"Yes, it has," she sighed as she nestled her head into his chest. "Have you and Jen talked again?"

He placed a kiss atop her head. "Not since she left earlier. She’s still steamed about desk duty but after what happened, I’m more certain than ever it’s for the best."

"Mac, about what happened today..."

"I’m dealing with it, Dara," he said, stroking her back.

"That’s what worries me."

"Sweetheart…" Mac grumbled.

Shifting her position, she turned to look him in the eye. "Mac, I know you and I know what you feel you have to do, but this will be playing right into Sonny’s hands. You’re right, he did this. Leaving three dead pigs at our door, how obvious is that?"

"Extremely obvious; an obvious threat to you, Jenny and me. He brought this to our house, Dara. I can’t let that go."

"Mac, this feels like a trap to me. Sonny gets released from prison one day, and the next day we find slaughtered pigs at our door. Yes, he did that and he knows you will go after him because of it. That’s what he wants. Don’t give him the satisfaction," she urged him.

He placed a tender kiss on her lips. "I’m way ahead of you," he said. "Trust me, Sonny won’t be getting any satisfaction from what I have planned for him."