Title:War and Peace
Author: mute90

Peace was subjective. Jason learned this.
To the Quartermaines, peace was every member of their dysfunctional family falling in line (or something resembling a line because they’d probably start fighting each other for first place). To the cops, peace was no criminals on the street (which Jason thought was stupid because there were always criminals on the street but he long ago learned that cops were stupid, too). To Robin, peace was sweet kisses and hands without blood (sometimes he hated her for not being there and other times he hated himself for wanting her to just live with it.) Mike…peace for Mike probably meant enough money in his bank account to keep his debts paid and avoid physical beatings (which meant he never was, and probably never would be, at peace).
Peace for Sonny…for Luke…for Joseph…probably for Harry Silver, too (even if he did hate comparing himself to that traitor)…peace for Jason…for them, peace wasn’t really peace it all…
Peace was starting up a car and living to see the next second. Peace was the feel of cold metal in the small of your back. Peace was bulletproof windows and guards at the door. Most of all, peace was fighting or waiting for a fight every second of every day, guarding what you have, protecting what you love, and always being willing to do what needs to be done…
Peace was war.
--------------

{Jason hands didn’t shake. They couldn’t. He had to have perfect aim. He had to hit his target because Sonny was in there and Sonny was counting on him…}
“Are you sure?” Jason had asked.
Sonny stared at him and, for a second, Jason was sure he’d take it back. He’d say that Jason wasn’t good enough yet and Jason would listen to him because this was Sonny. Sonny spoke; “I’m sure.”
Jason nodded, slowly, “I won’t let you down.”
Sonny swallowed. “I know.”
Sonny felt guilty. Jason knew he did. He could see it in his eyes the first time he watched Jason pull the trigger. He didn’t stop him, though. Jason was grateful. He liked this. In the hospital, all you had was the feel of the sheets, the smell of the medicine, and thinking you’re ten types of useless because they say you’re damaged and you can’t even stand up and prove them wrong. Jason liked the feel of metal. He liked the smell of gunpowder. He liked being good at something, something that gave him a measure of control.
{So, Jason did what he was good at and he looked through the scope….}
Robin saw the blood on his hands. It was an accident. She knew he’d hide out at the boxcar and she went to find him. Help him or stop him; Jason didn’t know which. She got there at a bad time.
She saw him washing it off and froze. “Jason…”
He looked up at her.
“Jason, what did you do?”
He didn’t like to think about the argument after. He didn’t like to think about the crying and when she turned her back and left; first the boxcar, then Port Charles. “I did what I had to do,” he had said but she shook her head.
“You’re doing what you want to do, Jason.”
“What’s the difference?” When she didn’t seem to understand, he continued. “If what I want to do means there are other things that I have to do, then what’s the difference?”
Her voice got higher. “What’s the difference? This isn’t like homework. It’s not something that you can just do because you have to do it. These are people and they’re paying for what you want! Don’t you see this is wrong?”
Jason hated that word; wrong. It went beside the word ‘right’. Jason hated that word too because, as far as he could tell, nobody knew what it meant. He asked about wrong and right and they didn’t tell him the meaning. They told him what they thought was wrong and what they thought was right. “I don’t understand,” he said.
{He could see their shadows moving across the room. It was Sonny’s job to get him into position…}
“People are hypocrites,” Luke told him once. “In my oh-so-humble opinion, the Quartermaines? They’re always wrong.”
Mike laughed from beside him. “And in Luke Spencer’s oh-so-humble opinion, he’s always right.”
“Like I said, people are hypocrites.” He talked around the cigar in his mouth. “I’m ‘people’, ain’t I?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a hypocrite?” Jason asked.
“There’s nothing wrong with being whatever the hell it is you want to be,” Luke corrected. “Live it, love it, don’t freaking whine about it.”
Mike said “Out of the mouth of the great philosopher.”
“Amen.”
Jason laughed.
{He moved in front of the window, right into the target…}
“I can make a choice,” Jason said once.
“I can say this is what I want.”
“This is the life I want to have.”
“This is right.”
{Jason pulled the trigger.}

---------------
When people thought about war, they thought about dying honorably and ‘oh, those poor people’. Luke knew better.
There was no honor in dying. In fact, you pretty much looked like sh*t when you died. There was blood, guts, and your head in one place with your left eye in another. The only people Luke felt sorry for were the women and kids stuck in the middle. Stray bullets were hell on the life expectancy. The ones who went to war – Luke didn’t feel sorry for them. They knew what they were getting into and if they didn’t…they were idiots and Luke didn’t pity idiots.
War wasn’t about dying (who the hell wanted to die?). It wasn’t about all those poor people (poor people better move their *sses before somebody blows it off). War was harsh, cold, ‘ain’t-over-until-your dead’…
No honor. No pity.
No mercy.
That was war.
-------------

{Luke looked around the hallway. Silver’s men blocked the doors to the main room, where Sonny was. Sonny’s men blocked the exits, where life was…}
“You hit him hard. You knock them down. When they’re down, you plant a kick right in the -.”
“What is he telling you?” Sonny interrupted.
Luke looked at Sonny and then back at Jason. “You get the point.” He got up and moved over to the table, picking up his gun. “I’m just teaching him some Spencer survival skills, my friend. That’s going on your tab.”
“With all your other useful advice?” Sonny mocked.
“Do you know your boy doesn’t know how to shoot?” Luke asked, casually.
Sonny’s eyes burned a hole in his back. “No, Luke, I didn’t know.”
Luke turned to him and shrugged. “I just thought you should.”
Jason was looking from Luke to Sonny. Sonny was looking directly at Luke. Luke was watching both, Sonny directly and Jason out of the corner of his eye. This was war and Jason was a part of it, now matter how much Sonny tried to keep the kid’s head down.
“What are you doing, Luke?” Sonny asked him later.
“I like him,” said Luke.
“So do I.”
“Then, keep him alive.” Luke ignored Sonny’s flinch. He needed to hear it. Jason wasn’t Lily; he couldn’t stay on the outside. Jason wasn’t Robin; he wouldn’t run away. Jason wasn’t even Stone; he wanted them dead.
{Luke waited for the sign and following ruckus. It was coming up fast…}
“You sure about this?”
“You think he can’t do it?”
Luke snorted. “It’s scary how good that kid is. You know I hate it when you try and avoid my questions.”
“You know I don’t care.”
Luke fell in step beside Sonny. “You wanted him to lay low before. I had to talk you into teaching him how to shoot. Now, you want him to do this job. It’s like zero to hundred in a few seconds.”
“I’m keeping him alive.”
“You’re giving him a reputation.”
“That’s what I said.”
{One hand on his gun, one hand on his cigar; he was already playing eeny, meeny, miny, moe in his head…}
“This is it, my friend.”
Sonny looked out of the window and up at the building. “It ends, one way or another.”
Luke stared at him. “You ever hear of positive reinforcement?”
“What’s that?” Jason asked from across the seat.
“No idea. Laura says it.”
They exited the car, one by one and then split. Jason disappeared into a side alley. Sonny was hidden in a group of bodyguards and Luke followed a few feet behind, lighting up another cigar.
Catch a tiger. Let it go. Eenie…
Sonny was speaking to Roscoe, pleasantly exchanging threats.
{Meenie…}
Jason was somewhere close by, lining up his shot.
{Minie…}
Luke was right outside the door waiting for…
BANG!
{Mo…}
Luke lifted his gun and shot.

---------
Peace was the calm before the storm; the eerie silence before the explosion. Sonny learned that the hard way.
Peace lasted for a second before reality took you under (Lily Rivera; beloved wife). Peace was that feeling where you knew everything was going to be okay (After all they had gone through, they were finally home, and for the first time at peace.). You knew you had a future; a wife, a kid (She was pregnant). You knew that this was it. This was you finally hitting the jackpot (she turned around and smiled and, in that second, you figured out that you really did love her). Peace was the numb feeling before pain ripped through your heart and you couldn’t even breathe (NO!).
Before the BOOM.
Before the heat.
Before those people pulled you back from the edge when you just wanted to burn with her.
Peace was the second before peace died.
----------

{Sonny looked down at the body of Harry Silver…}
“Senor Rivera is dead.”
“He went on a business meeting yesterday morning. We found him yesterday night.”
{Sonny took another sip of his drink as gunfire rang from outside the room…}
“Harry’s decided I’m his enemy.”
“Why?”
“He loved Lily like a daughter. He was loyal to her.”
“Why isn’t he loyal to you?”
“Maybe – maybe I don’t deserve his loyalty.”
“Yes, you do.”
“He was a friend of hers.”
“He’s a traitor.”
“Did Luke tell you that?”
“He didn’t have to. Harry’s a traitor. He betrayed you. It’s simple.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Not to me.”
{Sonny put his glass down and moved to the window…}
“So, what do you want to do, Jason? You want to go find him and blow his head off. Do you think that’s going to fix anything? Do you really think it’s going to make anything better?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes, I forget how young you are.”
“Sometimes, I forget how old you are.”
{Sonny moved over to the window and looked out…}
“You don’t even know how to shoot.”
“Teach me.”
{He could see Jason’s form disappearing…}
“…only if you want to kill…”
“…aim...”
“…shoot…”