Having the flu sucked. Having the flu while pregnant? Sucked even worse. Having the flu while pregnant and taking care of a rambunctious toddler? Elizabeth pretty much wanted to curl up and die at the moment.

"Mommy?"

"I'm right here, Cam," she whispered from underneath the pile of blankets on the couch.

She thought that if she at least laid out here while he was watching Finding Nemo, then he might be more content. She'd put out some snacks for him, had a sippy cup of juice, some quiet toys he could play with if the movie lost interest for him and some coloring books and brand new crayons as a back-up. But all he wanted to do was sit practically on top of her, cuddled up to her and have her read him stories. Her throat was on fire, her chest hurt from coughing so hard and quite honestly the last thing she wanted was to have a very wiggly child squirm all over her.

Yet, she sat up, making room for Cameron on the couch and reached for her water to try to soothe her throat. Cam wrinkled up his nose at her throat lozenges, so she hoped that he'd at least picked a short book this time that she could finish quickly and then take a cough drop. Despite feeling awful, her heart warmed when Cameron climbed up beside her, cuddled into the cocoon of her arms, and presented his choice of story. Elizabeth closed her eyes, her head falling back against the pillow. It was, of course, one of the longest books he owned. One he knew practically by heart and would know if she skipped pages or tried to abridge the story.

"Sweetie," she began, wondering if she'd be able to reason with a three year old. "Maybe we could save this book for another time."

Cameron was prevented from answering by a knock on the door and Elizabeth didn't know whether to be grateful for the reprieve or not. It could be friend or foe on the other side of the door, and she didn't have the energy to fight today. However, friends were few, and were either out of town - Emily - or at work - Kelly and Epiphany.

"Let Mommy up," she nudged Cameron aside, and slowly stood, her muscles protesting. Shuffling to the door, she looked through the peephole and let her forehead lean against the door when she saw Jason on the other side.

"Hey," she said after she unlocked the door and opened it. Jason stood on her front step, his jacket on to guard against the spring chill. "I didn't expect to see you."

"Epiphany stopped me as I was leaving the hospital and told me you'd called in sick," he explained. "She said you hadn't been in all week. How come you didn't call me?"

She turned and headed back for the couch, leaving it to him to close the door. Once she was back under her blankets, she sniffled and wiped her raw nose with a Puffs. "I'm fine."

He sat down on the end of the couch and raised a dubious brow at her. "No, you're not, Elizabeth."

"It's just the flu," she shook her head. "The baby's fine. I talked with Kelly and she told me to come in if my fever gets too high or if I can't keep any liquids down. But I can, and my fever hasn't spiked, so I just have to ride it out."

Jason closed his eyes and she was glad that she could reassure him about the baby. She figured that's why he'd stopped by; to make sure the baby was okay. It was why he'd helped her find this house to rent after the truth finally came out about the baby and Lucky got upset and her grandmother showed her disappointment daily. She just wanted a place where she could raise her children on her own, like she'd said she would from the beginning.

"Elizabeth," he sighed heavily. "I didn't ask about the baby; I asked about you."

"It's just the flu," she shook her head. "There's no need to worry."

All the talking had irritated her throat and she coughed, the sound ripping out like a ragged bark and she quickly reached for her water glass. If she took a drink, she could often stop the cough from progressing to something much worse. She ended up draining her glass, but finally the cough eased and she sank back against the pillows, her chest tight and sore, and took a deep breath. Jason took the glass from her limp hand and set it on the end table. Then taking advantage of his close proximity, he brushed his hand over her forehead, moving her unwashed and sweat-soaked hair out of the way.

"You're burning up, Elizabeth," he said, concern clear in his voice. "Have you taken anything?"

"Some Tylenol," she nodded.

"How long ago?" he asked.

"A couple of hours," she told him. "I can't take anything yet."

"Is there anything you can take?" he pressed.

"There are a few things," she said, "but most things...I don't want to take a chance of them going to the baby. Kelly told me some things to take, and I have been. It's just one of the things about being pregnant."

His hand brushed over her head again, a soothing, comforting gesture, and his eyes were soft as he looked down at her. "I just hate that you're so uncomfortable. It seems there should be something that would help you."

"I just need some sleep," she tried to assure him. She felt miserable, but she didn't want him to think she was complaining. "As soon as I get Cameron down I'll sleep as well."

Coming over, almost as if called by hearing his name, Cameron stood by the couch, watching Jason. Then her son looked at her and held out the book still clutched in his hands. "Read, Mommy?"

"Wouldn't you rather watch Nemo?" she asked. She knew she sure would.

He stubbornly shook his head. "Read."

"Hey, Cameron," Jason said. "What book do you have?"

Cameron proudly showed his treasure and Jason smiled. "Mommy read."

"What if I read it to you?" Jason asked, taking off his jacket before settling back on the couch. "You can sit with your mom and I'll read to the both of you."

"Mommy read to me and the baby," Cam announced and Jason looked over at Elizabeth, his gaze drifting from her to where he figured her stomach was hidden under all the blankets.

"Does she?" he smiled. "Your mom's a good mommy, isn't she?"

Cameron immediately agreed. Jason nodded as well and leaned towards her son. "But Mommy's not feeling good, is she?"

Cameron shook his head. Jason looked over at her, his mouth frowning slightly. "No, she's not. That's why I'm going to help you take care of her, okay? So how about, just this once, if I read you the story so that your mom can rest her throat and not cough so much?"

He considered it a moment and then crept closer to Jason. "Will you do the voices? Mommy does the voices."

"I don't know if I can do them as good as your mom can," Jason said. "But I'll try and you can help me."

Her little boy climbed up, nestling onto Jason's lap and presented his book. The sight made her tired, hormonal heart ache and tears prick her eyes. This was her dream, the thing she'd wanted most, and still did, but knew she'd never had. It was why she'd turned down Jason's second proposal when he found out he was the father of their baby. She knew he wanted to be a father, and that he'd be a good one. He would be involved as much as she let him, he'd take care of her because she was the mother of his child, and he already showed so much love towards Cameron. Yet she knew it was because he was an honorable man that he was doing all this. He wasn't in love with her, and because she was in love with him she'd turned him down. She refused to be a burden or an obligation to him, even more than his honor demanded he provide for their child.

Lucky and the rest of the Spencers had turned their backs on her when the truth finally came out, but Sam had clung all the harder to Jason. Already hurt that she would never be able to carry a baby to term, she had vowed to stand beside him while he fulfilled his parental obligations to Elizabeth's baby. And she and Carly reminded her of that every chance they got. Elizabeth may be having his baby, but Jason loved and wanted to be with Sam. She knew that, had known that from the beginning and Jason had only confirmed it in the elevator. He was happy with Sam, and Elizabeth would not let him throw his happiness away just because he felt they should get married to provide a home for their child. They could provide just fine, even if they weren't together.

But it was moments like this, when he seemed to be concerned about her apart from the baby that tugged at her heart and tore at her resolve. They were a family for just a little while inside these walls, and as Jason opened Horton Hatches The Egg and began to read about lazy Mayzie and stalwart Horton, her eyes drifted shut, indulging in the dream of the moment.

The next time her eyes opened, soft lights were on the living room and the house was quiet. She squinted at the VCR clock and was surprised at how late it was. She pushed back the blankets and stood, needing to make a stop in the bathroom before she went in search of Cameron. As she was shuffling back into the room, she was startled to see Jason walk in carrying a tray which he set down on the coffee table.

"How are you?" he asked as she sat back down, pulling just one of the blankets over her legs.

"Foggy," she murmured, pushing her hair back. "Where's Cameron?"

"He's in bed," Jason said. "I made him macaroni and cheese from the blue box, cut up an apple for him and let him have a brownie because he asked for seconds on the macaroni. I hope that's okay."

She could only nod. His tentative smile brightened as he continued. "Then I gave him a bath, put on his yellow pajamas because the blue ones had oatmeal on them, and read him Cat In The Hat. I just checked on him and he was already asleep."

"Thank you," she said, her voice rough and she winced.

He reached over to the tray and picked up a glass, handing it to her. The juice was cool and felt so good, and she didn't even mind when he handed her some Tylenol.

"I made you some soup," he gestured to the bowl. "I figured the broth would be good for you. I remember you telling me that Cameron's favorite was chicken noodle and I offered to make that for him tonight, but he said to give it to you instead."

Her smile was lopsided and watery at the thought of her little boy giving up his favorite for her. "That was nice of him. It was also nice of you to stay so long to help out. You didn't have to, though. I'm sure you need to be going. I'll just eat the soup and head off to bed, so you don't have to stay."

"I don't need to go," he shook his head.

"Thank you for helping out with Cam," she said again, filling the empty air between bites of soup under Jason's watchful gaze.

"You're welcome," he told her. "I was glad to help out."

"I'm sure that now that I got some rest, and hopefully after a good night's rest tonight, I'll be doing much better. The baby and I will be just fine," she assured him.

Jason turned slightly on the couch to face her, his arm resting behind her. "Do you think I'm here just because of the baby?"

She looked at him, lingering over the spoonful of soup in her mouth and when she remained silent he sighed and rubbed his hand over the bridge of his nose. "Elizabeth, I'm here because you're sick and I want to help you. It's not just because of our baby."

"Jason," she shook her head. "You don't have to say that. I know that you care about both of us, especially after finding out Sam can't have children. I understand that you just want to make sure that we've got whatever we need."

"I do," he agreed, not knowing how that made her heart hurt. It was also why she would never tell him. "But, Elizabeth, this isn't just because of the baby. I'm here because of you."

Jason Morgan was never really a man who believed in karma or the fairness of life. He was a mobster, he stole, he broke the law and he killed people. Karma, justice and fairness didn't really enter his vocabulary and he didn't worry about them. But tonight as he sat in Elizabeth's house and took care of her and Cameron while she battled the flu, Jason found himself doing a mental curse against the world and just how unfair it really was.

He was going to be a father. He had created a child, a new life, a person he would forever be connected to and he was miserable. Not about the child, but about the circumstances.

He would never consider his night with Elizabeth a mistake. Even if she hadn't ended up pregnant with his child, he never would have spoken regretfully about their night together. He had been lost and floundering, needing someone to ground him and help him forget his pain for a little while, and just like the time she found him in the snow she had shown up that night. She had saved him once again.

Somewhere in their discussion, as they compared hurts and heartaches, he found himself forgetting about Sam. It wasn't the liquor that made him forget, it was the woman who had been his friends for years. The exact whys and hows were lost and fuzzy, all he remembered was the all-encompassing need that possessed him. Not a destructive need, he wasn't just looking for cheap sex that he could find anywhere, he needed to feel connected to someone. He needed Elizabeth.

Some point that night, his heart began to heal. And somewhere in that night, he once again began the process of loving Elizabeth. But circumstances once again were keeping them apart.

Disgusted and self-loathing at her actions, Sam had come to his penthouse the next morning and told him what he already knew. She had slept with Ric. When he told her that he already knew, she raged at herself and him and was determined to leave town. If Jason hadn't known what he did, he would have let her go. For a woman who claimed to want a family and roots, she had quickly destroyed her mother and sisters' lives all in an effort to get revenge on him. He knew that's why she'd slept with the other man. Just like Carly had all those years ago, she looked for - and found - the one action that would inflict the most damage on him for not conforming to her wishes and doing what she wanted.

So he told her that her mother was sick with cancer and hoped that she'd be the bigger person and stay. He knew that her confession was nothing more than a ploy to earn his sympathy by portraying Ric in a bad light, but Jason knew what he'd seen. Sam had been a willing participant that night and somehow he didn't think that the night had only been Ric's idea. She was trying to play him, and he wouldn't let her. But he did think she deserved to know the truth.

Sometimes he wondered if he'd made the right choice; if Alexis and her girls wouldn't have been better off dealing with this illness on their own. Sam claimed to want to be there for her mother, but she used every excuse she could to see Jason. Especially when they found out Elizabeth was pregnant and she asked what Jason had already been pondering, could he be the father of his friend's baby? That was when Sam suddenly needed him all the time, needed someone to talk to because she felt so guilty and couldn't look her mother in the eye and felt bad for causing Ric to leave and taking him out of Molly and Kristina's life.

He knew it was a ploy, and he let himself be played. Because Jason was carrying his own guilt about that night. He had broken up with Sam in an effort to keep her safe; so that she would never been shot and attacked again merely because of him. His actions had led to Sam feeling angry and desperate and that was what caused her to lash out and sleep with her mother's husband.

So when her leaning on him turned to talk of them getting back together and seeing if they could make it work, he'd given in. Not because he wanted Sam back, but because he felt he owed her. If only he hadn't broken up with her the way he had, none of this would have happened.

Yet, in all his musings and telling himself it was the right thing to do, Jason wasn't happy. Elizabeth was ending her marriage to Lucky, not letting herself be guilted into staying with a drug addict who endangered her and her children's lives. She chose herself for once and was determined to break free of a man who had slept with a barely legal teenager, all in exchange for drugs. While Jason let himself be tied once again to a woman who had conned and manipulated her way into his life.

After Elizabeth revealed the truth about the baby's paternity in the elevator, Jason had felt a piece of him come alive. The baby that he had secretly wanted to be his and tried to hide his disappointed over the thought that it wasn't, was his. He was going to be a father. He was going to have a child born in a few months and he was happy about it. He was more than happy. Except at the fact that Elizabeth wouldn't marry him. He'd told her twice he would marry her and each time she turned him down. She was determined to raise this baby on her own, though she promised she would never keep him from their child.

It seemed, though, that she was determined to keep him away from her. Did she not think about their night together, the night they'd conceived this child, when they had truly connected? Was she really that afraid of his life that she wouldn't be around him? She had accepted the guards easily he insisted she have once the truth came out, and hadn't argued when he helped her find a house that was secure. While he paid for the rent, she insisted on taking care of all the utilities and other essentials. She was still the same Elizabeth who told him to keep his money whenever he tried to help out.

Her actions were confusing and sometimes he gave up trying to figure out why she did things. Today when he'd read Cameron his story, fed him dinner and got him ready for bed, Jason had been relaxed and comfortable. He felt more comfortable in Elizabeth's home than he did his own penthouse, and he knew it was because of the company. He wanted to be with Elizabeth, her son and their child. But it apparently wasn't what she wanted, and so he stayed in a situation that was making him unhappy because he felt guilty for wanting this and staying here in Elizabeth's house even after she was asleep because he didn't want to go home.

He knew things were coming to a head with his girlfriend, and he knew that it was going to be a bad situation all around. They didn't sleep in the same room anymore, despite her obviously wanting to. He often left before she was up, and came home late when he hoped she'd be asleep. He thought about Elizabeth and went out of his way to drive by her house, wondering how she and Cameron were. If the baby was kicking that night and keeping Elizabeth up, or if she was able to get some rest so she wouldn't be tired and exhausted the next day at work.

If he ended things with Sam, he knew she would blame Elizabeth. She would accuse him of wanting Elizabeth, which would be true, but more than that she would accuse Elizabeth of deliberately sabotaging his relationship with Sam. And that wouldn't be true. Despite what Sam and Carly claimed, Elizabeth had actively encouraged Jason to try to work things out with the other brunette. She wouldn't take his money, and she didn't stop working, and she wasn't making any demands on him. He knew Carly and Sam didn't like Elizabeth because she was having his baby, but he knew that if he broke up with Sam that hatred would only become worse.

He wanted to protect Elizabeth from that. He'd gone to her last doctor's appointment with her and listened to the baby's heartbeat for the first time, but also heard Dr. Lee admonish Elizabeth that her blood pressure was getting too high. If it remained high by her next appointment, Dr. Lee said that she'd have to put her on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. Elizabeth had not been happy at the prospect of not working, because it meant she wouldn't be able to pay for things. Jason had wisely stayed quiet then, but knew that he would speak up if her appointment next week revealed that her condition hadn't improved.

Working a full shift, sometimes a double, and then taking care of Cameron when she got home, while also dealing with the town's attacks on her was no doubt contributing to her elevated blood pressure. She was tired and stressed, and Carly and Sam were attacking her every time they saw her, and it wasn't good for her. While the guards were there to keep her safe, Elizabeth had also requested they not step in just because someone might say something unpleasant to her. She would deal with people on her own, because she was the one who had created this mess by lying about the paternity.

He tried to tell her she didn't need to take everything on herself, but it was almost like she was trying to punish herself in some form of penance. He didn't like it, he didn't agree with it, and he wasn't going to let endanger herself or the baby over it. He knew he had to be careful, though, how he worded things with her. Tonight he had finally realized that she thought his concern about her was solely because of the child she was carrying. She had seemed shocked, almost disbelieving, that he would want to be there because he cared about her and had done what she did best by fleeing to the safety of her bedroom shortly after she finished her dinner.

Just as Jason was making the decision that he was going to stay here tonight on the couch so that he could be on hand in case Cameron woke up, his cell phone rang and shattered the silence of the peaceful house. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, sighing when he saw Sam's name come up on the display. He was tempted to press ignore, but he knew that he couldn't continue to be a coward when he came to Sam.

"Yeah," he said after pressing talk.

"Jason?" she said in that breathy way she had when she was about to ply him with tears. "Where are you?"

"I'm taking care of some things," he told her. She knew better than to ask questions, but she'd been doing it more and more lately. As long as he said he was dealing with business and not off with Elizabeth, then she would be content.

"I called Sonny and he didn't know where you were," she persisted. "You left early this morning and you claimed you were busy for lunch, and now you didn't even come home for dinner. What's going on?"

"I told you," he said, a hint of irritation coming into his voice. "I'm taking care of some things."

There was a pause and then she asked, "You're with Elizabeth, aren't you?"

"You shouldn't wait up for me," he told her. "I'm not sure when I'll be back. It...it might not be 'til morning."

"You're over at that tramp's house, aren't you?" Sam angrily accused, all traces of previous tears gone. "You're leaving me for her, aren't you? All because she tried to trap you by getting pregnant and I can't have kids. Do you remember why I can't, Jason? Your enemy shot me; I took a bullet for you. And this is how you treat me?"

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Sam."

"I love you, Jason," she continued. "I never stopped loving you or thinking about you and this is how you treat me? Dump me for Elizabeth Webber of all people just 'cause she got knocked up with your bastard?"

"Were you thinking of me when you were with Ric?" Jason asked. "Were you loving me then?"

He knew it was cheap and low and the genuine gasp in her voice indicated she never expected him to say such a thing. He'd always stayed quiet about the depth of his hurt and anger regarding her sleeping with Ric. But tonight he just couldn't sit quietly and let her attack the mother of his child and not speak up in refutation of her claims of love.

"I'll be home tomorrow," he told her, not leaving any room for misinterpretation about the situation. "And you and I need to have a talk."

Then he closed his phone, but not before turning it off. If Sonny couldn't deal with a situation on his own, then it was about time he got used to it. How dare his boss tell Sam he didn't know where Jason was? Sonny wasn't his keeper any more than Carly was, and Jason knew that if anything was going to be resolved so Elizabeth was less uncomfortable, he was going to have to deal with his so-called well-meaning friends. She was already standing her ground with those around her; it was time Jason did the same.

Two hours after Jason left her house, there was a knock on Elizabeth's door. Since Jason had given the guards strict orders that Carly and Sam were not allowed to even get near the house, she didn't think it was one of them. Of course, their knocking would probably be more demanding and insistent and there would be shouting accompanying it, so Elizabeth was fairly certain it was safe to open the door. Beyond the reassurance she had that the guards wouldn't let so much as the mailman or meter reader knock on her door without a thorough frisking.

She didn't know that she wanted to deal with whoever was on the other side, though. When she woke up this morning and found Jason still in her house, she'd gone through a variety of emotions. She was feeling slightly better due to that natural morning upswing that comes after a good night's sleep. The real test to see if she was recuperating would be how she felt in the afternoon. While she'd been secretly thrilled that he'd stayed to make sure she was alright, she was also uneasy because of it.

Last night was the first time that she'd been unable to perpetuate the belief system she'd spun for herself that Jason's only interest in her was because she was pregnant with his child. Part of it had been genuine belief, and part of it had been the best coping mechanism she could come up with. She wanted to be with Jason and by the time she'd told him the truth about her baby's paternity in the Metro Court elevator, she'd already decided that the lie had gone on long enough. She'd planned to find Jason the moment she got out of the situation and tell him. She'd kept her promise.

She'd also kept her promise to herself that she wasn't going to expect anything from him. He had forgiven Sam and taken her back and because Elizabeth loved him and just wanted him to be happy, she would not do anything to destroy his life. His life was with Sam; she would not interfere or demand anything from him. Which was why she'd turned down his marriage proposal in the elevator. He wasn't asking her to marry him because he loved her and couldn't imagine not having her in his life; he was asking because he thought it was what he should be because of the baby. She wouldn't be another man's obligation, and she wouldn't destroy Jason's happiness.

But last night, when he came to her house and fixed her son dinner, bathed him and put him to bed and seemed genuinely concerned about her, and not just because she was pregnant, it had shaken her carefully constructed views. He wasn't supposed to be this caring and worried, he wasn't supposed to be this much like her friend, and he definitely wasn't supposed to be like the man he was that August night when they'd finally connected and then created a child together. How was she going to survive seeing him like that while knowing that he was living with Sam, loved her and was trying to have a child with her?

That was why she was resolved to keep her distance from him. Except that didn't work when he showed up, stayed and then took care of her. After fixing breakfast for the three of them, making sure to fix one of Cameron's favorites, and then ensuring that Elizabeth had enough juice, snacks and medicine, he told her that he needed to step out for a little while. He needed to talk to Sam and take care of a few things.

While Cameron had run off to grab some toys from his room, he asked her to do him a favor and stay in the house. Ask the guards to get anything if she ran out of something. He didn't want her to go out for the next couple of hours because he was going to be talking to Sam. He'd realized a few things the night before and knew that the current situation wasn't working any longer and he had to put an end to things with Sam. Elizabeth had stared wide-eyed at him in disbelief and hadn't known what to say or if she even should attempt to. Really, what does one say when their child's father indicates he'd planning to break up with his girlfriend?

She had a thousand and one questions, but didn't utter a single one. Was this because of her? Was this because he no longer loved Sam? Or was he going to once again try to convince her to marry him for the sake of their child?

Perhaps the best way to deal with the situation was not to over think it. If Jason was really going to break up with Sam, then that was his business. She hadn't asked him to do it, despite what Carly and Sam would no doubt say, and she wasn't going to ask him why he'd undertaken the event. She would let Jason be involved in their child's life, but maintain personal boundaries. Except that those boundaries were feeling shaky because he was apparently breaking up with Sam.

The person on the other side of the door knocked once again and Elizabeth decided that she probably better deal with this. Although if this was Sonny come to talk to her once again - which in reality was a warning that she needed to not disrupt Jason's life - she was going to feign nausea and tell him to go.

Looking through the peep hole just to give herself a few seconds to prepare, she was confused to see Alexis on the other side. She hadn't rid herself of a frown as she opened the door and asked the lawyer, "Alexis? What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Elizabeth," the other woman sighed uneasily. "I was hoping I could speak with you. If this is a good time?"

"I suppose," she agreed hesitantly. "Cameron's playing in his room so we have a few minutes."

The women sat down on the couch and Elizabeth moved the blanket and the box of tissues out of the way. Thankfully she'd just thrown away the spent ones so there wasn't that to contend with.

"How are you feeling?" Alexis asked sympathetically.

"Sick," Elizabeth answered truthfully. "How are you?"

"Doing alright," the cancer patient sighed. "Some days are better than others. And sometimes I just have to find the humor in the situation or I'm going to cry. The other day Kristina was running and playing and she came to give me a hug as I was lying on the couch and her gum fell out of her mouth and onto the scarf wrapped around my head. And as I was trying to get the gum off and then gave up and threw it away and crying because it was one of my favorite scarves, I had to tell myself that at least it hadn't fallen in my hair or on my wig because that would have been even worse."

The corners of Elizabeth's lips lifted slightly, but the amusement of the story was lost due to the fact that she couldn't understand why the other woman had shown up at her house. Apparently her look wasn't lost on Alexis whose own smile faded and she sat up a little straighter.

"No doubt you're wondering why I'm here."

Elizabeth nodded, "Yes."

"I'm here because I wanted to talk to you about Sam," Alexis began.

"What about her?" she asked guardedly.

"I wanted to talk to you about your child and Sam."

Instinctively Elizabeth crossed her arms over her stomach, cupping her hands protectively against the taut skin. "Look, Alexis, I'm not sure this is such a good idea. I understand that Sam is your daughter, but if you've come here to plead her case or defend her then I think you just need to leave. I didn't set out to make things difficult for her and Jason and I understand that the two of them are together."

Although for how much longer was debatable. Of course, that was if Jason followed through on his resolve to end things with Sam. Elizabeth had kept her end of the agreement when they left the elevator. She told Lucky the truth about the baby, and then had been blindsided by the fact that Jason hadn't told Sam. Of course, the other woman had found out; Lucky hadn't been very quiet in his anger and disappointment, and for a brief moment Elizabeth almost got the impression that Jason was upset that Sam had found out the truth. He hadn't said anything because Sam told him she had found out from Dr. Lee she couldn't have children. While Elizabeth sympathized as a woman with Sam, she didn't see how it was her fault that the truth had come out when it was something both she and Jason had agreed to and he'd chickened out on divulging.

"I have never told Jason that he has to end things with her, and I've never demanded anything of him. But he is this child's father and he wants to be involved, so I'm sorry if Sam has a problem with that, but I don't see why you're here," Elizabeth concluded.

"That's not why I'm here," Alexis shook her head. "I came here to apologize to you."

"Apologize to me?" she questioned. "For what?"

"Because I set all of this in motion. I invited Sam to live with us and I did believe that it was safer for her. But I knew she wasn't happy. And I didn't tell anyone about my cancer, I just pushed them away. My husband and my children were confused and if I had just told everyone the truth then maybe this all wouldn't have happened."

Elizabeth sighed and said gently, but firmly, "Alexis, you didn't make Sam and Ric sleep together. That was their choice. Just like it was Lucky's choice to sleep with Maxie and do drugs. And just like it was my choice to sleep with Jason. I didn't show up at his house that night looking to sleep with him, no matter what anyone wants to say. But I was still married, and I knew Jason was upset and still in love with Sam. We all made decisions and choices and nobody is responsible for anybody else choosing to act a certain way."

"But I didn't make it easy for them."

"Maybe not," she conceded. "But the choice was still theirs. Just like it was Ric's choice to sleep with Faith Roscoe when he was married to me. I didn't force him to do that."

She rubbed her temples and sighed, "There were a lot of poor choices made by everyone, and the only thing we can do now is deal with them. I'm just sorry that people, especially children, got hurt. But you are not responsible for what happened, no more than I am responsible for Lucky going back on drugs after he found out the truth."

Her lips twisted to the side. "I feel bad for what's happened to him and sometimes I think that maybe I should have just continued to lie so that he stayed clean. But I've realized that I'm not responsible for what anyone else does; despite how hard that is to accept. Lies always come out. You would have thought I learned that lesson given what happened with Cameron and Zander. But I didn't want to disrupt Jason's life, and I didn't want to hurt Lucky, and I...it all spiraled out of control."

She looked towards the hall to make sure that Cameron wasn't coming out of his room. "Lucky didn't get clean for Cameron, even though he claimed to love my son like his own. It was only when he thought that I was pregnant with his child that he did anything. And then everyone told me that I had to stay with him to keep him sober even though he'd endangered me and my children. I probably would have, too."

"Why didn't you?" Alexis asked. She curious, not judging and that was the only reason Elizabeth didn't throw her out of the house.

"Because I finally realized that I can't save everyone, and I had to protect those who needed my protection more."

"Your children."

She nodded. "That's right. Cameron is a child; Lucky is an adult. He's responsible for his own choices, but Cameron was my responsibility. And this baby is. And it wasn't safe or right for me to risk them."

"So what are you going to do?" the older woman asked.

"What I said I would do when I first found out I was pregnant. I lost sight of that in my guilt, but I'm back on track. I'm going to raise my children and take care of them and that's what I'm going to focus on."

"What about Jason?"

"He wants to be involved in this child's life, and I'll let him. And he keeps trying to pay for everything, but I do have a job and can do things. I'm not making any demands on him. What he offers our child is only what he wants to give."

"And what if that's Sam as well?"

Fear licked down Elizabeth's spine until she forced it away. "Jason would never take this child away from me. We've already agreed that the baby would live with me, but that Jason can see it as often as he wants."

"What if he wants to have the baby come stay with him for a day or two?"

"I guess it all depends on how old the baby is, and I'm sure that I'll miss him like crazy. But I know that Jason is a good father, and he already loves this baby."

Whether Sam was in the child's life or not was an issue they'd have to address. But maybe that wouldn't be an issue if Jason actually went and did what he said he was going to.

The first thing Jason noticed when he stepped into the penthouse was the mess. Sam had apparently decided to go on a rampage last night after he spoke with her and the entire downstairs was trashed. Furniture destroyed, pictures broken, glasses smashed; it looked like a bomb had gone off, but he knew it was only Sam.

He hadn't wanted to come here this morning, but after a long and nearly sleepless night, he knew he had to. He couldn't continue on like this, it wasn't fair to anyone. And he wasn't going to break up with Sam over the phone. He'd once walked away from her when she was lying in a hospital bed; he wasn't going to leave her a message on her voicemail. He hadn't done much in this whole situation that he was particularly proud of, but he knew it was time to step up to the plate and be honest.

He was no longer in love with Sam and he didn't want to continue to try to put their life back together. While he might care about her in a human decency sort of way, he was no longer going to be tied to something that his heart wasn't in. He just wanted to get this over with, but he knew it wasn't going to be quick or easy. Nothing with Sam ever was.

Taking off his jacket, he laid it across the desk and looked down at the wood and metal structure. She had picked the locks on the drawers and hadn't even tried to be subtle about it. He was especially glad that he'd taken to not doing work at home and not keeping anything of a sensitive nature here. It hadn't entirely been a conscious choice based on the thought that he didn't trust her, but now he was glad that he'd done so.

"Sam," he called out, knowing she was still here. He had checked in with the guards; she hadn't left. "Sam."

Crossing his arms over his chest as he surveyed the room, he shook his head in sad resignation. He was just going to have to have a crew come in and remove everything. Strip it down to the bare floors and start over. Walls needed to be patched and repainted, floors refinished, new furniture would have to be bought and while he hated the thought of shopping for everything there was a part of him that was pleased by the opportunity. Everything he had never liked and wanted in his house would be gone. He could set it up the way he wanted it once more.

Of course, there would be a few changes. He was going to create a nursery for the baby, and a room for Cameron to play in and nap in. His master bedroom would be redone, and he might even do up a room for Elizabeth. While he wanted her and the children to share this place with him, he knew that he had a long way to go until she would ever consider it and feel comfortable with her decision. But he wanted to show her that he was sincere in his desire to be a part of their child, and her, life. That meant showing that Cameron was just as welcome as the baby she was carrying.

"Sam," he called out again, a little more impatience in his voice. He wasn't going to go search for her; he was tired of playing games. No doubt she was sitting upstairs in the baby's nursery, waiting to turn on the tears and try to guilt him, but he wasn't going to put up with it.

"I know you're here. I want to talk to you."

He heard a door close upstairs and footsteps shuffle across the carpeted hallway. A few seconds later she appeared on the midway landing and looked down at him disdainfully. "Since when do you summon people with a bellow?"

"Since I walked in and saw this," he said with a sweeping gesture to the room. Then he motioned down at his desk, "And this."

She looked away and wrapped her arms around her middle. In a few seconds he expected the tears to well up in her eyes. Maybe she pinched herself to spur them on.

"Disappointed not to find anything valuable?" he asked with a lift of his brow, turning to sit against the edge of the desk.

"Screw you," she shot at him. "Or did you give Elizabeth that pleasure?"

"That's enough," he told her, his voice hardening. She was still on the landing, and it didn't bother him to talk to her across the distance. He was more concerned about actually looking her in the eye when he spoke. Just so there could be no misunderstanding about what was happening.

"No, Jason," she shook her head angrily, "It's not nearly enough. Do you know how it feels to know you're off with Elizabeth and your baby when I lost the ability to ever have a family because of you? How is that fair?"

"I'm sorry you were hurt, Sam," he told her, because he really was. He had been devastated when she'd been shot in his arms and he'd wondered if she would live or die. "But life isn't fair and you of all people know that. You simply have to keep moving."

"Like you?" she asked with an arch of her brow. "Moving forward to Elizabeth? I mean, we both know why you're here, right? You're dumping me for perfect Elizabeth who's knocked up with your baby and who won the lottery. You'll move her in here, turn the room we were going to use as a nursery into a place for her and I'm just out of luck. Too bad for me, but I don't have a functioning uterus so I'm not worth anything anymore."

"That's not the way it happened, Sam," he shook his head. "I can't get past the fact that you slept with Ric."

She gasped and reeled back, her hand rising to rest on her throat. "You...you said we could get past that."

"I tried," he told her. "But even before I found out Elizabeth's baby was mine, I...I couldn't forget. Because despite what you say, Ric didn't take advantage of you."

"You're calling me a liar?"

"I'm saying that you were hurt, you were angry, and I understand that you were. But you also knew the one thing you could do that would hurt me deep was to sleep with one of my biggest enemies. It's not just that he was your stepfather and you destroyed your mother and your sisters' lives, you slept with Ric because you knew it would hurt me and you wanted me to pay. I can't forgive that, and I can't just get past it."

"You haven't even tried," she scoffed at him.

"I was willing to try to have a baby with you," he shot back at her.

"But you're really glad I couldn't get pregnant," Sam huffed at him. "Aren't you?"

He licked his lips and was brutally honest. "A part of me...yes. We weren't ready for a baby, there was too much we needed to work through, but I let my own guilt of sleeping with Elizabeth make me do something I didn't really want to do."

"So are you saying you feel guilty for sleeping with Elizabeth?" she questioned.

"I felt guilty for hurting you," he clarified. "I...I didn't regret what happened that night, and I still don't. It...it's not just because of the baby."

She was silent and her face contorted a moment before a sniffle floated down the stairs. "You're in love with her, aren't you?"

He sighed and looked towards the couch.

"Answer me," she shouted at him. "I deserve to know. I deserve to know the truth about why you're throwing me away...again. It's not the danger, and it's not just because I disgust you because I slept with Ric...you're in love with Elizabeth."

"It's really none of your business," he tried to deflect. He wasn't going to have the first time he actually said the words out loud be to Sam. He had to much respect for Elizabeth, and still too much regret over the pain he'd caused Sam to actually do that.

"Not my business?" she asked incredulously. "I think I deserve to know that my boyfriend, the man I love, is in love with someone else."

"You really don't," he shook his head. "Because Elizabeth and the baby aren't the only reason we're breaking up."

"But they're a part of it," she insisted. Her anger rising as she stalked down the stairs. "You're breaking up with me because of Elizabeth and your bastard."

He swallowed, "Leave my child out of this," he warned low. "You can be mad at me, but don't you attack my child or its mother."

"Oh, right; precious, Saint Elizabeth," Sam sneered. "Can do no wrong and all the guys in town trip all over their feet to help her. You're just a fool. She'll take your money and then she'll take your child and then where will you be?"

Jason let out a breath and looked down. He didn't want to fight with her; he didn't want to be cruel because he knew that this situation was hurting her. But he wasn't going to stand around and let her attack Elizabeth and the baby when they were innocent in all this.

"Do you know why Elizabeth didn't tell me about the baby?" he asked.

"Because she realized that she couldn't handle your life and that you didn't want her," Sam said triumphantly.

"She wanted me to be happy and she thought that you made me happy," Jason told her. "She didn't want the baby come between the two of us working things out. I...I told her that I would marry her when I realized she was pregnant and that it could be mine."

The woman before him reeled back and this time genuine tears filled her eyes. "You...you what? Before you even knew?"

"And then when she told me in the elevator that it was mine, I asked her to marry me again," he continued. "And she said no. Because she knew I was asking out of obligation and she wouldn't do that to either of us."

"How...how could you do that, Jason?"

"She's having my child," he told her.

"And you're in love with her," she shook her head in disgust. "She probably turned you down just to make you chase after her all the more."

"No," Jason shook his head. "Elizabeth doesn't do things like that. That..."

He licked his lips and then continued on with the truth, "That's what you did, Sam. When you took off when you were pregnant with Sonny's baby, you wanted him to chase after you and choose you over Carly. When I said I'd help out, you quickly transferred your affections to me because one rich man was just as good as another. Right?"

"No," Sam denied. "No, that's not what happened at all. I was scared, Jason. I was terrified, and when you promised you'd help me, I thought maybe I could actually do this. And then...then I wanted to be a mother."

"Just like you wanted to be rich, right?" he pressed.

"What...what are you talking about?" Her tone was supposed to be confused, but it was tinged with desperate fear.

"I...I got a file delivered to me," he said with a sigh. "I don't know who sent it, and I...I dismissed it at first because I didn't believe it. I told myself that I knew you and that someone was just trying to mess with my head by lying to me."

"What did it say?" she asked, shifting slightly on her feet.

"It was a file about someone named Angela Monroe." As soon as he said the name, recognition and fear bloomed across Sam's face, despite her attempts to conceal and control it. "It...it had your picture and it had a wedding license and then a death certificate of Bill Monroe. The note said you married Bill under a false name and were in the process of trying to empty his bank accounts when he found out and tried to stop you. You killed him and then took off with the money. Like you...like you've done before."

"It...it wasn't like that," Sam shook her head. "He...he was attacking me and it...it was self-defense."

It might have been, Jason didn't know, and he frankly didn't care. Especially since she'd just admitted that she was Angela Monroe and she had stolen his money.

"But you were posing as Angela when you married him," he clarified. "And it...it wasn't the first time you ran this scam."

Defiance glittered in her eyes. "They had plenty of money to spare. I...I stole the money to take care of Danny."

"You stole the money because you're a thief," he snapped at her. "You came into town trying to steal some stupid cards because you wanted to get rich. Then you tried to play Jax and then you went after Sonny and then you moved on to me."

He gestured down towards the drawers of his desk, "Is that what you were looking for? A little spending money before you took off? Figured you'd clean me out, or find business documents and take them to the highest bidder? It's always been about the money with you, hasn't it?"

"You don't know what it's like being poor," she yelled at him. "To have a brother you have to take care of. So what if I took some money from some men who had plenty to spare."

"They didn't have plenty to spare," he shook his head. "Not when you stole everything. And that, Sam, is why I'm ending things with you. I don't know you. You aren't who I thought you were, and you've proved that you're not above doing the worst in an attempt to get back and hurt someone. But I'm telling you now, Elizabeth is not the reason we broke up, so don't go attacking her and blaming her on this. You set this whole thing in motion the night you slept with Ric. I tried, but I can't forget that, and I can't forgive that, and I can't live with someone who lied to me about who she was."

With a sigh, he said, "I knew about your past, and I didn't judge you that you a con artist, or that you'd pulled scams. But this is more than that, and I can't trust you to be around me. I don't trust you not to lash out the next time you get upset. And I can't stay in a relationship where I can't trust the other person."

"So that's it," she huffed. "You can't trust me, but you also can't be honest with me. Tell me the truth; you're dumping me for Elizabeth."

"You need to get your things, Sam, and you need to leave."

Despite the fact that Jason had left her house yesterday and said he was ending things with Sam, Elizabeth told herself to prepare for the opposite. He'd once before told her he was going to tell Sam something, and then he didn't. He'd fallen for his girlfriend's tears and devastation and chickened out in the end and couldn't break her heart further. That had come at her hands, via Lucky, because she had kept her word and told Lucky the truth about the baby.

Of course, Lucky hadn't believed her when she'd told him and he demanded a paternity test. Said that since he hadn't participated in one, despite her and Kelly telling him that if Jason hadn't matched it would have left him by default, that he wasn't going to believe the results. Kelly had been hesitant to perform the test, given the fact that Elizabeth had just gone through a harrowing hostage crises complete with pre-term cramping, but Lucky demanded to know the truth. Wanted to know if the child was his or not and refused to wait until the baby was born and the test could be performed with less risk. He wasn't going to continue to get invested in another child that wasn't his.

With such words to confirm her suspicions that despite what he'd claimed, Lucky had never really considered Cameron his child, Elizabeth had agreed to have the test done once more. If this would get Lucky off her back and out of her life and leave her with one less person to cause her aggravation and stress, then she would agree. Kelly performed an amnio, Lucky and Jason both provided samples for comparison, and then they waited for the confirmation once more of the truth Elizabeth had always suspected since she discovered she was pregnant.

The child was Jason's and Lucky dove into a bottle of pills. It was only when he'd been found face down in a pile of his own vomit in a back alley that the Spencer family finally decided to be firm with him and insisted he go into rehab. Before then, Elizabeth had been forced to contend with Luke and Lulu telling her that even if the baby was Jason's that she and Lucky could still raise the child together. She didn't have to take away all his hope. What neither of them would understand until finally Nikolas forced them to, was that she wasn't the one taking away his hope. He was the one who called her a whore and said now she'd have two bastard children, and yelled at her for having the audacity to lie to him despite the fact that it was his lies and infidelity that had contributed to the whole situation.

Elizabeth wasn't exactly sure how Nikolas had accomplished it, but he got through to his sister and stepfather and told them to leave her alone. After that, the Spencer family acted like she didn't exist. Elizabeth relished in the silent treatment. It was better than being yelled at and belittled and having snide, demeaning and cutting comments made to her on a regular basis. They left those tasks to Carly and Sam.

If Jason heard them saying anything, he would put a stop to it. But more often than not he wasn't around for their attacks, because they timed them well, and she wasn't about to go running to him to tell him what was going on. She stayed quiet, did her job and avoided going out in public as much as she could. If she saw Sam or Carly, she often left, and the only time she'd speak up is when they started saying things in front of Cameron that he would then repeat and question. Otherwise, she just accepted it was a part of her life she was going to have to get used to.

Just like she was certain somehow, Jason would come back and with a hang dog expression tell her that he had talked to Sam and they were working things out again. Which was why she hadn't been surprised when he never returned yesterday. It was also why she didn't call him about the fact that she was going into the hospital for a check-up. It wasn't her regularly scheduled appointment that he'd made certain to keep track of, the only reason she was going in today was because Kelly had called her at home this morning and despite Elizabeth telling her friend and doctor that she was feeling better, the obstetrician insisted Elizabeth come in and get checked out.

So Elizabeth called the babysitter to watch Cameron, and had the guard take her to the hospital. While she was feeling better, she certainly wasn't 100% and she still tired easily. She was grateful she didn't have to drive, or try to keep Cameron in line while Kelly did her examination.

Stepping out onto the tenth floor with Enzo right behind her, Elizabeth smiled when she saw Epiphany hard at work at the hub. As Elizabeth approached the desk, the older woman looked up.

"Now I know you're not planning to come back to work today," she said, an ill-concealed smile tugging at her lips. "You do look better, but there's no way I'm letting you near my patients."

"No," Elizabeth answered with a shake of her head and a smile of her own. "Dr. Lee wanted me to come in. Frankly, I think she just wants someone to talk to and knows I'll be a captive audience."

"You listen to her," Epiphany chided mildly, "and take it easy. I know you think you gotta be Super Mom, but it ain't wrong to let someone else take care of you. That is, if you have someone else around."

With a huff and a rolling of her eyes she assured the older woman, "Jason came over and helped out after you told him I was sick. It wasn't necessary, though. Cameron and I were doing just fine."

"Uh-huh," her boss nodded and braced her arms on the counter. "That boy is responsible for your condition, the least he can do is help out so you don't run yourself ragged."

Elizabeth shook her head, "Jason isn't responsible for anything."

With an arch of her brow, the other woman asked, "Did you conceive this child immaculately?"

When Elizabeth blushed furiously and looked away, Epiphany continued, "Mmm-hmm, that's what I thought. Considering your child contains half of his genetic material, then he is responsible, and that's why I told him you were out sick. What I want to know is why you didn't call him?"

"Because I was fine," she insisted. "It's the flu. People get sick all the time. Pregnant women get sick all the time. It's nothing unique to me, and it was nothing I needed to worry Jason with. The baby was fine and if that had changed, then I would have said something. But I was the only one affected."

Epiphany paused for a moment, scrutinizing Elizabeth under a slow and searching gaze. "Are you punishing him for something? Or are you punishing yourself?"

"I'm not punishing anybody," Elizabeth denied. "There just wasn't any reason to call Jason because there was nothing he could do, and there wasn't any reason for him to worry. The baby was fine. The baby is fine, and that's what he cares about."

Even as she said those words to Epiphany, she cringed inside at the lie. Jason had been pretty insistent that he wasn't concerned about her health just because of the baby. That he was worried about her, his friend, and he came over to help out because she needed her rest. His concern was not limited to their child.

It was just better to cling to this belief. Because it kept things so much easier. If she acted like she knew and accepted the truth of the situation, then less people would be inclined to ask her questions she really didn't want to deal with. Like, was she in love with Jason and did she wish the situation was different? If she pretended like she was fine with everything, then maybe people would stop bothering her about it. And maybe she would be able to convince herself she was alright with the way things were.

"There wasn't any reason to call Jason," she repeated, hoping that Epiphany would understand and stop insisting.

"Well, you can go back and see Dr. Lee," the older woman stated. "And find out for sure that you and that baby are really okay. And then...I would suggest you call your baby's father and just...let him know so he doesn't worry."

She stayed quiet, rather than continue to fight what she knew would be a losing battle with Epiphany and turned to head to Kelly's office. Instead, she came face to face with a furious looking Carly.

"What's going on?" the blonde demanded.

"Nothing," Elizabeth replied, attempting to step around the road block.

Carly countered the move, though, not letting her get away. "No, I want to know. You were talking about Jason and as his best friend I have a right to know what's going on so I can make sure he doesn't fall for your plotting. I know the only reason you got pregnant was to trap him."

"I don't have to explain anything to you, Carly," Elizabeth shook her head. "Nothing about my pregnancy is your business."

"That's Jason's child."

"And if there's something that Jason needs to know, then I'll tell him."

"Why isn't he here with you?" the other woman tried a new tact. "He told you he wants to be involved and I know he's gone to your appointments. Why isn't he here?"

"This isn't a regularly scheduled appointment," Elizabeth sighed out. She knew that if she just explained the situation to Carly then she could leave; however much it rubbed her raw to give any information to the blonde.

"I'm getting over the flu and Dr. Lee called me this morning and said she'd had a patient cancel so she wants me to come in. It's nothing; just Kelly not listening to me when I told her I was feeling better."

"You have to take care of yourself," Carly ordered. "You can't jeopardize Jason's baby."

"I'm not going to jeopardize any baby," Elizabeth shot back, her temper beginning to rise. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go to my appointment."

She was about to step away when Carly went in for the parting shot. "Don't think about calling Jason after this. If you're fine and healthy, then you don't need to call him and cry on his shoulder about how you're sick and how you need him to help you out."

Turning to glare at the nurse, she continued, "Despite what this woman says, you don't need to bother Jason with every little problem of your life."

"Mrs. Jacks," Epiphany clipped out in her best scolding tone, "do you have business on this floor? An appointment you need to go to? A patient you intend to visit?"

"No," Carly shook her head.

"Then I suggest you remove yourself from the premises and remember that this is a hospital and stop harassing the staff and the patients," the older woman lectured. "And remember that you are not one of the parents of Elizabeth's baby and stop telling her what to do. If she wants to call her baby's father, then that is her right. Now get off my floor before I turn you upside down and mop the floor with you."

Elizabeth bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing at her boss and friend's defense of her and handling of Carly. The blonde huffed in her most affronted manner, but stalked away and jabbed the button for the elevator. Once she disappeared behind the sliding doors, Elizabeth let out the laugh she'd been suppressing and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"Thanks, Epiphany. I try not to argue with her because I know she's Jason's friend, but sometimes I just want to scream."

Epiphany regarded her for a moment, and then said, "Let's get you to Dr. Lee."

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion, "What?"

"You look a little pale," the nurse said, slipping immediately into professional mode and taking Elizabeth by the arm and escorting her down the hall.

"That's just because I'm getting over being sick," Elizabeth insisted. "I haven't ventured outside in nearly a week. Of course I'm a little pale."

Epiphany glanced over at her and said, "It's more than that."

And that's all she said until she escorted Elizabeth into Dr. Lee's office and informed the doctor of all that had transpired. Kelly clucked her tongue and chided Elizabeth about needing to avoid stress. She would have replied, but somehow she doubted her protests of she had tried to avoid Carly but the blonde wouldn't cooperate would have been heard. The initial blood pressure reading was high, but Elizabeth had expected that. She could still feel her heart pumping faster from the encounter.

Fifteen minutes later, after Elizabeth had given a urine sample, been weighed and measured, Kelly once more took a blood pressure reading. The doctor's frown didn't go away.

"This is still too high, Elizabeth," Kelly shook her head. A nurse entered and handed Kelly a sheet of paper which she took and read, the frown and the shake of her head increasing. "You're showing elevated levels of protein in your urine; higher than you've ever had. Combined with your high blood pressure..."

"It could be preeclampsia," Elizabeth finished for the doctor as worry wrapped around her spine.

Looking up at her with sympathy and concern, Kelly nodded. "It could be. I want to monitor you, run a few tests...definitely do an ultrasound. I'm going to admit you, Elizabeth. At least for a couple of days."

She found herself nodding numbly while Kelly lifted the phone and called out to the front desk. A few minutes later Epiphany herself was in the doctor's office to oversee Elizabeth's admission to the prenatal ward.

"I need to call Grams," Elizabeth told her friend. "I...I left Cameron with a sitter."

"Okay," the older nurse nodded, her voice now calming and soothing. "As soon as we get you settled in."

Then she looked pointedly at Elizabeth and said, "And I would suggest you call Jason. Because if you don't, Elizabeth, then I will."

Worry was not an emotion Jason dealt with in regards to himself. He did his job, he knew the risks, he knew the escape routes, and what precautions to take. He worried for those around him, and he did his best to minimize their dangers, but he'd never quite had worry slam into him like this. Not even when Sam had been shot in his arms.

When he received Elizabeth's hesitant phone call, telling him that she'd gone in for a doctor's appointment and now Dr. Lee was admitting her to the hospital he had felt his heart stutter. It was made even worse by Elizabeth obvious reluctance to talk to him. She said that it was nothing to worry about, that she was sure Kelly was overreacting, and there wasn't any reason for him to stop whatever it was he was doing and rush to the hospital.

Jason had been upset at first, wondering if she didn't even want him there, until he realized how things must have appeared to her. He left yesterday to break up with Sam, and he'd never returned. He'd once claimed that he was going to tell Sam the truth about Elizabeth and his child, and he hadn't. No doubt Elizabeth believed that he would see Sam and end up staying with her. And given that he didn't return back to her house, or even call her, and it was no wonder why she hadn't called him this morning when she went in for an appointment. It appeared he was still making mistakes around Elizabeth and never doing the right thing.

He hadn't returned to Elizabeth's because by the time Sam packed up her belongings and got into yet another fight with him he had been drained. Then he went to Sonny's house to settle a few things with his boss. His personal life was none of Sonny's concern, and he was not going to stay with Sam just because things were tense and unsettled between him, Alexis and Ric. He had cleaned up mess after mess of Sonny's, and it was time he focused on his own life and his own family. Telling Sam that he wasn't out on a job and no doubt inferring that Jason had been with Elizabeth had crossed the line.

Sonny had given him grief over the whole situation, but in the end Jason felt that he might have gotten through to the older man. Elizabeth and their child were important to Jason. Just as Sonny's children were important to him, Jason's was important to him. And Jason needed to make that clear by being there for them. Elizabeth was sick, and if Jason could help out, then he would do that. If Sonny didn't like it, if it interfered with his wishes, then Sonny needed to get over himself. The older man had been surprised, but promised to try harder to respect that Jason's life had changed and he had new priorities now. Whether it lasted remained to be seen, but Jason felt better by finally setting some boundaries and parameters in his life.

Instead of going for a ride, though, to clear his head after the two volatile encounters, he should have called Elizabeth. He should have realized that she would wonder and doubt and he hadn't been fair to her. For so long he'd left her with the burden of people talking about her, of judging her, of talking behind her back, despite the fact that he was equally responsible for the creation of their child. She was branded and labeled while nobody dared speak against him.

He would do better from now on. Without his guilt tying him to Sam and feeling like he couldn't spend time with Elizabeth and their child, he was going to prove to her that she was important. Not just because she was pregnant, but because she was his friend and he cared about her. The night that they had spent together meant so much to him, even before he learned she was pregnant and the child could have been his. Maybe that was why his heart had never truly been in reconciliation with Sam.

When he stepped off the elevator and turned for the room number Elizabeth had given him, he was startled and a bit annoyed when Epiphany called out to him. He wanted to see Elizabeth, not get sidetracked by someone else.

With a sigh and a roll of his shoulders, he approached the nurses' station. "I already know Elizabeth is here. She called me and gave me her room number."

"Yes, I know," she nodded in her no nonsense way. "I was there when she made the call because I told her you needed to know. That is your child she is carrying and you need to step up and help out."

A memory of the night he brought Elizabeth in to be checked out after Lucky fired at them on the docks came back to him. She had told him the same thing then, most likely because she knew he could be a father to Elizabeth's child and she was encouraging him to be responsible. He hadn't fully understood at the moment, but it had come to him later. And he knew she was telling him now that he needed to do better.

"I am helping," he told her. "I'm doing all that Elizabeth will let me. She doesn't want my money, though, so there's not much I can give her."

The older woman shook her head with a roll of her eyes. "There is more to life than just money, Mr. Morgan. If Elizabeth won't accept your financial help, she still needs your emotional help. And you can start by reining in your so-called friend Mrs. Jacks."

A pit opened in his stomach and he dreaded as he asked, "What happened?"

"What always happens whenever Mrs. Jacks just happens upon Elizabeth in her place of employment. She got in her face again and told her all sorts of things. Like how you only want this child and Elizabeth doesn't matter to you. How Elizabeth obviously got pregnant to trap you. How you don't love her, you love Sam, Elizabeth is just a burden and an obligation and an inconvenience to you. Today she got on Elizabeth's case for not telling you about an appointment Dr. Lee made for her this morning. Mrs. Jacks claimed you have rights and as your best friend she was going to make sure they were protected."

"This isn't the first time Carly's been here?" Jason asked.

"What do you think?" the nurse asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know you've encountered her here a few times laying into Elizabeth. But somehow I highly doubt you know about all the other times Carly has just happened to show up on the same floor Elizabeth is working, during her shift and then proceeded to berate my nurse for something that is none of Mrs. Jacks' business."

"Why didn't Elizabeth tell me any of this?" he wondered.

"Probably for the same reason she never told you about the many times your girlfriend showed up and did the same thing. She believes you only care about the child she's carrying, and she knows that getting pregnant wasn't something either of you planned. Since she refuses to mess up your life anymore than she thinks she already has, she doesn't tell you about the two women in your life who are making hers miserable." Epiphany leaned forward and sternly said, "I don't like miserable nurses, Mr. Morgan. They make for miserable patients. So maybe it's a good thing that Elizabeth will now be put on bed rest for more than likely the remainder of her pregnancy. She needs less stress in her life and if not being at work keeps those two out-of-control shrieking shrews from harassing her, then I will just have to put up with one less nurse."

Jason nodded, "I understand."

"I hope you also understand," she said pointedly, "that you have done a piss poor job of taking care of Elizabeth since you found out that child is yours. I'm not talking about her house, or her bills, I'm talking about making sure that the people around her aren't causing her undo stress and grief which isn't healthy to her or the child."

"I know," he said, rubbing his hand over his face. "I'll do better."

"I certainly hope so," she said smartly. "'Cause I will not hesitate to call security to keep people away from her. A fact I made clear to Mrs. Jacks earlier today. She had no business on this floor and I didn't need her causing stress for my patient. I thought Elizabeth was going to pass out after Carly got through with her. As it was, her blood pressure was through the roof."

"I understand," he pushed back. "I'm going to go see Elizabeth now."

"Good," Epiphany nodded. "Just make sure you don't let her push you away and say everything is alright. She needs to stop thinking of everyone else and what they want and what makes them happy and start focusing on herself. You need to help her with that."

Leaving the nurses' desk, Jason turned for the hallway and looked for Elizabeth's room. He wasn't surprised that Elizabeth hadn't told him Sam and Carly were continuing to harass her, and as much as he wanted to be upset with her for not telling him about it, he also couldn't blame her. Elizabeth had never been one to tell tales on people. She tried to deal with things on her own, even when she was over her head in situations. She also did not try to interfere with his relationships. While Jason knew Carly and Elizabeth would never been friends and Sam was incredibly jealous of Elizabeth, he had never dealt with the situation proactively. If he saw them yelling at her or saying anything, he stepped in. But he should have known that just because he didn't see it didn't mean it wasn't still happening. He should have been checking on Elizabeth more, or asking Epiphany or Emily to keep him informed about anything happening at the hospital. Both women would have helped out.

He approached Elizabeth's room and slowed slightly. He wasn't sure what to say to her when he arrived. Ever since learning the truth about his child in the Metro Court elevator, he felt so unsure and uncertain around her. He never seemed to say or do the right thing, he felt like he should be giving her more, and yet there was a wall between them. Some of it was no doubt due to Sam, but there also seemed to be something more. Elizabeth was pulling back from him, and he couldn't figure out why.

Slowly, Jason pushed open the door and stepped inside Elizabeth's room. Her eyes were closed and he thought for a moment she was asleep, but then she turned her head slightly and looked at the door and whoever her visitor was. When she recognized him, she looked surprised and guarded.

"Hey," he said softly, coming towards her bed.

"Hi," she replied. Shifting so she could sit up better, she took the opportunity to look away from him as she said, "I told you didn't need to rush here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else, Elizabeth," he answered as he sat down. "You were admitted to the hospital. Of course I would be here."

"The baby and I are fine."

"Obviously you aren't," he stated, his voice firm enough to make her look up at him. "Epiphany said your blood pressure was way up. I know it's been higher than Dr. Lee wants, and she was talking about bed rest."

"It wasn't just my blood pressure," she admitted. "I had protein in my urine, which combined with high blood pressure could be an indicator of preeclampsia."

He tried to think about the different medical conditions he'd picked up during Carly's pregnancy and during Sam's and couldn't recall the term. He had wanted to read up to know what to expect with Elizabeth's, but he knew it would have set Sam off, so he hadn't. "What does that mean?" he finally asked.

She did her best to explain the situation in words he could understand, but all he heard was that it could become a very complicated situation. The preeclampsia could turn into eclampsia would could cause convulsions in her. She needed to be monitored, her blood pressure checked, her protein levels and they were giving her magnesium sulfate to keep her from having seizures while they gave her steroid injections to help the baby's lungs mature. The only cure, such as it was, was to rid the body of the placenta since that seemed to be the source of the problems.

That meant they wanted to deliver the baby early. Since Elizabeth wasn't to 37 weeks yet, it would be a pre-term delivery and even with the steroid injections to help the lungs, the staff was concerned. The baby would stay in the hospital, along with Elizabeth.

Worry licked Jason's spine.

This wasn't like when Carly went into premature labor, or when Sam had suffered complications even before she collapsed while arguing with Alexis. While Jason had cared for both women, had even loved them in some regards and cared about their child, he was finding that things were different this time. This was his child, and this was Elizabeth. A woman who had been a constant in his life in some form for nearly seven years. He had a long, rich, complicated history with her, and now they were going to have a child. Much sooner than should be happening.

Jason could see the fear in Elizabeth's eyes even though she tried to be stalwart and mask it from him. She was always hiding a piece of herself lately. Shutting down, shutting him out, closing off. It bothered him, and he knew that the reasons for her action would have to be addressed later, but not today. Today he needed to be there for her. He needed to be the person she could turn to, the person she could lean on, the person who gave her strength because she was tapped out from trying to give everything to everyone else.

He reached out and took her hand in his, gently holding it, cradling it, cherishing it. Elizabeth was strong, she was stronger than many people - including himself - gave her credit for. But today and in the next several days, he needed to be her strength. Tenderly he held her hand between his two larger ones and pressed a kiss to her fingertips, careful not to disturb the monitor.

He looked up at her, moisture collecting in his eyes to match hers, and vowed, "I'm here, Elizabeth, and together we will get through this. No matter what happens to you, or our baby, I will be here for both of you."

He leaned forward slightly, just so that she understood and said, "I'm not leaving your side for anyone or anything."

She was about to become a mother again, and the fact absolutely terrified her. Because the baby was too early. While not dangerously early where Kelly and the pediatrician feared for the baby's survival, Elizabeth also knew that her child would have to stay in the hospital for a time while the doctors monitored it and make sure it was alright. Because the safest and best place for her child wasn't anymore. Her body no longer could nurture her baby, providing all the nutrients and environment to grow that it needed.

Dr. Lee had done all she could to give Elizabeth's baby extra days in the womb, but she had declared that it was time for this child to be born. For Elizabeth's sake. Her blood pressure was still up, her protein levels weren't going down and the swelling was getting worse. The best thing for mother and baby was to end the pregnancy and deliver.

"I'm going to be in the delivery room with you."

Elizabeth looked up with slightly moist eyes and said, "Thank you, Epiphany. I'm glad you'll be there. I have no doubt you'll help keep me calm."

"Oh, I think there will be someone else performing that duty," the older woman said pointedly with a look at the door Jason had slipped out moments earlier to allow Epiphany to examine Elizabeth. "Despite what you may have said, he isn't here just for the baby. He is doing his best to reassure you and keep you calm because he knows that's what you need."

She looked down feeling slightly guilty. Despite what she had said to Epiphany, Elizabeth did know that Jason wasn't here just for the baby. There were hours as he sat beside her bed where he didn't mention the baby at all. He talked about her and their friendship and things he knew would interest her. He also did all he could to ease her mind regarding Cameron.

While her grandmother was doing all she could to help out to watch Elizabeth's little boy, Jason was doing his part as well. He brought Cameron to the hospital when her gram wouldn't because he understood she needed to see her son. She needed to talk to him, to let him see her and reassure him that mommy was alright. That his little brother or sister might be coming a little earlier than they'd thought, but the doctors and nurses were doing everything they could to make sure both she and the baby would be alright. Halfway through the visit her grandmother showed up and admitted that perhaps she'd been wrong. Cameron was certainly better behaved, and happier, than he'd been with her because he had now seen his mother.

Jason was also making sure her son and grandmother were safe. While Gram didn't like it, she wasn't fighting Elizabeth on the guards' presence at the moment. Elizabeth had pointedly told the older woman that just because Cameron wasn't Jason's son didn't matter to him and wouldn't matter to anyone else. He was her son and she was having Jason Morgan's child and it was naïve and foolish to act like somebody wouldn't come after him as a way to go after Jason. While she prayed that it would never happen to either of her children, she wasn't going to neglect their safety just because her grandmother disapproved. The damage was done and nobody could ignore the fact that Elizabeth's life was forever intertwined with Jason's now. They were a part of his life, it was best to deal with it instead of trying to wish it away or pretend it wasn't what it was.

She had also learned during their time together, that Jason had broken up with Sam. He had realized he wasn't being fair to anyone, and most of all, he wasn't being true to himself. He wasn't in love with Sam anymore. He couldn't get past what she'd done by sleeping with Ric because of the intent behind it. She'd wanted to hurt him, she'd succeeded, and then she tried to play him and manipulate him afterwards. While there would always be a part of him that cared about Sam and would regret the pain his life had brought her, he refused to be guilted into staying with her just because of it.

Besides, he'd admitted to Elizabeth, he wasn't going to deny his relationship with her. They were friends, they'd always been more than friends, and now they were having a baby together. He would never regret their relationship, and he wasn't going to be bullied into ignoring her and his child just to make someone else happy. It wouldn't make him happy, and he wanted this child.

There was a part of her that had held her breath and gotten ridiculously happy during that admission. The part of her that was in love with Jason wondered if that meant he could some day come to love her and not have it just be because of their child. Could they make a relationship together and not regret it, or resent the other person thinking of all they'd given up? Frankly, though, it was too overwhelming to contemplate for long and Elizabeth knew that she couldn't pin all her hopes and dreams on the wish that Jason might love her one day. She needed to be firmly grounded in the reality of the situation.

While it did speak volumes to her that he had followed through this time and broke up with Sam and then sent the woman away when she showed up at the hospital ready to attack Elizabeth, and that he'd also spoken to Sonny and said that for right now he was focusing on his family and the other man needed to rely on other people for business, Elizabeth still didn't completely trust it all. Because as much as it pained her to admit, Jason had a habit of speaking a good game but not always following through with it. He'd promised to tell Sam, and then hadn't. He promised Elizabeth he'd try, and then hadn't. He told her he would come back, and hadn't. As much as she wanted to believe in Jason this time, prudence told her to be cautious and brace herself for disappointment. That was why she refused to allow herself to rely on Jason too heavily.

She would take what he was offering for now, and then she would just deal with the future as it came. For the time being, she simply couldn't allow her heart to run away from her mind. Reality, and the Corinthos family, would intrude and it was safest to keep that in mind. The problem with trying to be safe was not deliberately hurting Jason in the process, because she knew she was hurting him and confusing him with her attitude and behavior towards him. She shut down on him, pulled back and he would frown and awkwardly try to reach out, but she wouldn't explain to him why she was acting like she was.

"Well," Epiphany said, pulling Elizabeth from her thoughts. "We'll be moving you up to the O.R. soon and then Dr. Lee will come in and see you."

"Thank you, Epiphany," she said with a weak smile.

"I'll tell Jason he can come back in," the older nurse said and gave a pat to Elizabeth's arm.

Her friend and colleague turned for the door, starting to open it, but then she paused when both women heard raised voices from outside. Elizabeth closed her eyes as she recognized Carly's voice.

"You need to go, Carly," Jason said, patience fleeing from his voice.

"No," she denied. "I won't. Look, I know that you think that you have to be all noble and I understand that you want to be with your child, Jason, you're a wonderful father. But this is all wrong. I cannot believe that you broke up with Sam and that you've been having around the hospital."

"Elizabeth was admitted; she's having a C-section today. Where else would I be, Carly?" he demanded.

"Anywhere but here," the other woman huffed. "You just don't see what she's doing. Elizabeth Webber is a pathetic, little girl who was and will always be a nothing. First she was a so-called artist and a second-rate waitress and then she became a nurse. She's only after you for your money, that's why she got knocked up that night. She knew that if she could have your baby she'd be set for life and wouldn't have to work again."

"So you think that Elizabeth got pregnant on purpose to trap me?" Jason asked.

"Of course she did," Carly exclaimed. "I'm sure she told you she was on the pill when she really wasn't."

"We used Enduros that night," Jason stated, his voice low and tight. "There was no plot, she didn't try to trick me...so shut up."

"But why did she come to your house that night?" the blonde pressed. "She came to seduce you."

"Elizabeth came because she needed a friend. She'd just found her husband cheating on her again and she ended up at my door because she needed a friend. It's better than driving her car into a lake and then hiding out and ignoring her children all in an attempt to punish her husband."

Elizabeth's eyes opened wide and she shot a look over at Epiphany. The other nurse probably didn't understand what Jason was talking about, but Elizabeth remembered. Back when Carly was thought to be dead when her car went into the lake, Elizabeth had been staying at Bobbie's brownstone and she remembered helping with Michael sometimes while all the adults were upset and trying to figure out what had happened. It appeared that Carly had known they were looking for her all the while, but she'd stayed hidden. Nice.

"Jason," Carly gasped.

"And Elizabeth didn't set out to seduce me. She just talked to me. She let me tell her about Sam and she told me about Lucky and she was going to leave," he continued. "She was going to leave and I didn't let her, because I didn't want her to go. It wasn't about using her to forget Sam...I wasn't thinking about anything else."

That little admission had Epiphany looking over at Elizabeth. When the older woman arched her brow, Elizabeth blushed furiously and looked down. She hadn't been thinking of Lucky during her time with Jason and she hadn't felt like he was thinking of Sam, but she couldn't deny how good it felt to have him actually admit it. Especially to Carly.

"I thought Elizabeth wanted to be with Lucky, and then I thought the baby was his and not mine. I should have asked her instead of just listening to you when you rushed over to gleefully tell me that the baby wasn't mine. I got back together with Sam because what else did I have? Besides, you and Sonny were pressuring me and Elizabeth was encouraging me to be with her because she just wanted me to be happy. That's why she didn't tell me about the baby. Everyone, including me, was telling her it was better if I wasn't the father...but it wasn't true. I wanted that baby to be mine."

Elizabeth swallowed roughly at the admission Jason made. She'd thought he hadn't wanted a child, at least with her. And so it had broken her heart, but she'd tried to give him what she thought he wanted. She should have just told the truth back in October. So much hurt could have been avoided.

"I know you want a child, Jason," Carly told him softly. "You were such a wonderful father to Michael. But why Elizabeth Webber?"

"We didn't plan this," he said. "But I'll never regret that Elizabeth will be the mother of my child. I couldn't think of anyone better to love my child. She's wonderful with Cameron and I know she'll be the same with our child."

"Fine," she stated, sounding hurt as she spoke. "Fine. You refuse to listen to anything I have to say and you seem determined to have your baby with Elizabeth Webber...so fine. I'm just going to go."

Epiphany looked at Elizabeth and though the older nurse never spoke, the soon-to-be mother understood everything she said. This wasn't just about the baby, and Elizabeth needed to stop acting like it was. And maybe...just maybe it was time to be a little more honest with Jason and stop holding back on him.

Epiphany pulled the door open, causing Jason to turn looking somewhat surprised. Focusing instead on being professional instead of lingering on the impact of what had just happened, she said, "I'm going to update Elizabeth's chart in the computer and then we're going to take her up to the O.R. Did you want to come into the delivery room or watch from the observation post?"

"The..." he licked his lips and swallowed. "The delivery room. As long as that's still alight with Elizabeth."

He looked past Epiphany and the nurse turned to question her. Elizabeth swallowed and gave a slight nod. "Yeah, that-that's alright with me. I...I'd like it if you were there."

It seemed that everyone at the hospital knew and liked Elizabeth. They didn't seem to like him, though. The orderlies that took her to the O.R. smiled at her, but seemed to scowl at him as he walked beside her bed. Epiphany was the only one halfway nice to him as she showed him where to wash up and laid out paper scrubs for him to put on over his clothes. When he stepped into the operating room, the doctors and nurses looked up at him as if he were an intruder. And in their little world he was. They knew what he did for a living, and they knew that he'd gotten their colleague pregnant, and they knew that up until a few days ago he was living with another woman.

It seemed like everyone was judging him. And maybe they were. Maybe they weren't. But he didn't like the feeling. It wasn't people looking down at him because of the things he allegedly did in addition to his coffee business. It was because of the things he had done to Elizabeth. He'd gotten her pregnant, and no doubt in their mind he'd also left her to fend for herself. They didn't know that he'd asked her to marry him twice and that she'd said no. That he'd offered to help out by paying for things so that she wouldn't need to work but could take care of herself and her son, and she'd turned him down. They didn't know that he also knew the hospital gossip had pegged Elizabeth as everything from a home wrecker to a woman who should be pitied because her baby's father didn't want her.

None of the assessments were true, but Jason also knew he couldn't tell them that. Because it was none of their business. His relationship with Elizabeth was only their business and she knew that he'd offered to marry her, and only she knew why she'd turned him down twice. Even Jason didn't understand it. At first.

As he spent time with her, and sat by her beside in the hospital, sometimes watching over her at night while she slept, he'd done a lot of thinking. A part of his conversation with Carly kept coming back to him. He'd told Elizabeth it was for the best that Lucky was the father and never gave her the chance to speak. And she had always told him she wanted him to be happy. Happy. She believed that Sam made him happy. Was that why she'd said no?

Even before she'd taken a paternity test, back when it was only a possibility that he could be the father of her child, he'd told her he would marry her. And she'd asked what that meant. Would they be roommates? As time past and he thought about that conversation, he filled in the questions that had been in her eyes but she'd never given voice to. Would they merely be together for the baby? Would he still see Sam? Would they be lovers? Would they remain friends? What did he want from the marriage?

He'd never answered any of those questions, and it was only recently that he'd begun to think about what the answers to them actually were. He wouldn't have continued to see Sam; he wouldn't have shamed or dishonored Elizabeth that way. As for the rest, he would have done whatever Elizabeth wanted. But he now realized that he could have quite easily shared a room, and a bed, with her. He would have been her husband in all ways. He would have loved her; he would have worshipped her body just as he had the night they created their child. They wouldn't have just been mere roommates. They would have been a family. Him, her, Cameron and the new baby. And he could have been very happy with that arrangement.

But he'd never told her that. Just like he'd never told her any of that when they'd been trapped together in the MetroCourt elevator. She'd stunned him with the news that he was the father of her child, and she'd only told him that because she feared they were going to die. He'd watched her have cramps and contractions and all the while James Craig taunted her. She could have lost their child, for it surely wouldn't have survived without medical attention, and she had been petrified. Not only of dying, but of leaving Cameron with no one to watch over him. So many self-recriminations and doubts had filled her, and he had done his best to reassure her on them as well as keep a calm assurance that they'd be rescued.

But he hadn't quelled her biggest fear when he asked her to marry him again. In fact, he'd realized he never actually asked. And then he told her that he wouldn't give up Sam. That wasn't how he meant to answer the question. He hadn't meant to make it sound like giving up Sam would make him unhappy, but that's how she'd interpreted it. And she had then shook her head and said no. Telling him instead to live his life with the woman he loved. She wasn't expecting anything of him.

Then he'd let her down by not telling Sam that Elizabeth was pregnant with his child. He'd let his guilt over her not being able to have children make him mute, and he'd hurt both women by his inaction. Sam had been blindsided when Lucky began his tirade against Jason and Elizabeth, and Elizabeth had looked at him with such betrayal before she shut it away and told his girlfriend that this changed nothing. Jason was still with Sam, Elizabeth intended to raise her children as a single mother, and she wasn't going to steal Jason away like everyone was accusing her of trying to do. And that was when Elizabeth began pulling away from him even more.

Over the following weeks as he found a house, and assigned guards to watch over Elizabeth and Cameron and her life was completely tossed into the blender, she began to retreat. She only talked to him about the baby. She told him when the doctor's appointments were, and that he was welcome to come, but she didn't smile at him anymore. She didn't linger to talk to him anymore. She was always busy, always working, always tending Cameron. Even when Dr. Lee told Elizabeth that her blood pressure was getting high, she still wouldn't open up to him. If Epiphany hadn't told Jason that Elizabeth was home with the flu, he never would have known.

That night had changed everything for him. As he sat there quietly reading to Cameron, tucking the little boy into bed and making sure that Elizabeth was comfortable he had such a sense of longing flow into him. He didn't want to go back to his apartment and Sam and deal with their strained and contentious relationship. He wanted to stay in Elizabeth's home. He felt such peace there, such love, such simplicity and ease of life and he realized that's why it would never work with Sam. He didn't feel that way with her, and he didn't want to feel that way with her. He wanted those quiet, peaceful moments to be with Elizabeth.

They had them in fleeting moments in the hospital. Times when she didn't always talk about the baby or Cameron, and times when she seemed to smile and open her heart to him just a bit. But she was always cautious, always guarded, and he'd realized one night that it was because she didn't trust him. Not with her heart. And Jason also realized that more than anything, he wanted her to trust him with it. Because he was in love with Elizabeth. Not because she was having his child, but because she was Elizabeth. She was one of his oldest friends, she had always found him and helped him and allowed him to be himself without expecting anything of him or demanding that he change. And now she was having his child and he would love her forever because of that, but he also loved her separately from their child.

He knew, though, that he was going to have to show her how he felt, long before he could ever tell her. He was going to have to prove to her that the changes he'd implemented in his life, breaking up with Sam, turning Carly away and telling Sonny there were new boundaries and priorities in his life, were going to last. That he wasn't going to abandon Elizabeth and her children and make Sonny and his family the priority. He was going to have to prove to her that his presence in the hospital and then at her house wasn't just for their child, but because he wanted to be with Elizabeth as well.

He knew it wouldn't be easy to do. She wouldn't believe him right away, and Sonny and Carly would probably interfere whether intentional or not, but Jason wasn't going to let himself be sidetracked. He had a plan, and he knew what he needed to do to bring it about. Because the next time he asked Elizabeth to marry him, she would know without a doubt that it was because he loved her, and that he wanted her in his life along with their children, and there wouldn't be any reason for her to say no. Unless she didn't love him. He wasn't going to focus on that, though, he was going to do everything in his power to leave her in no doubt of what he was feeling.

He would begin that plan today, and as Jason sat down in the chair by Elizabeth's shoulder, he turned his attention solely on her. She had been given an epidural, a screen had been erected for Dr. Lee to perform the C-section behind and Jason was told he could watch if he wanted to, but he shook his head. He picked up Elizabeth's hand, brushed a few strands of hair stuck to her forehead away, and looked only at her.

When Dr. Lee said they were beginning and Elizabeth tensed up, Jason began to talk. He talked about something he knew would distract her, and he didn't care that the others in the operating room could hear him. For him, there were only two people that mattered. He told Elizabeth that one day, when their child was older, he wanted to take her and the children to Italy. They would go when she was ready, and when their child was big enough, and if they had to work around Cameron's school schedule, then they would do that, but he was going to take his family to Italy. Reading about history was one thing, but he wanted their children to have the opportunity to see history. She stared at him and he didn't know if he truly believed her or not, but it didn't keep him from describing the places that he wanted to show them.

In no time at all, it seemed, a small cry echoed through the surgical room and Jason looked up in surprise. Then he looked over at Elizabeth and used his thumb to wipe away the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes.

"Congratulations," Epiphany beamed at them bringing a wrapped bundle to their view. "You have a girl."

"A girl," Elizabeth breathed out.

"She's small," the older nurse cautioned, "and we need to get her to the NICU team, but say hello to your daughter."

"Oh," Elizabeth smiled tearfully reaching out one hand to brush against the tiny baby. "She's beautiful. Isn't she, Jason?"

She was small, she was wrinkly, and her face was scrunched up, but she was the second most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her mother was the first.

"She is," he said thickly. "You're her mother; of course she's beautiful."

"I need to get her to the team," Epiphany told them and then walked over to the waiting doctors and nurses who were there to take care of their daughter.

"A little girl," he said, looking down at Elizabeth and then kissing her forehead without over thinking the action. "We have a daughter."

"Are you upset?" she asked.

"No," Jason shook his head. "All I wanted was for you and our child to be healthy, and hopefully now you will be."

"Go be with her," Elizabeth urged him.

"I...I," he didn't want to leave her.

"Please, Jason," she asked him. "Kelly and the nurses will take care of me here, but our...our daughter needs one of her parents with her. Go...watch over her."

He would never be able to deny a request from her, especially since he knew she was worried about their child and couldn't look over the little baby herself. With a lingering kiss on her cheek he nodded, "Alright. I'll go with her and I'll tell you what the doctors say."

"Thank you, Jason," she said with a smile, even as tears kissed her cheeks. "Thank you for being here with us."

"I told you," he answered. "There isn't any other place that I would be than with my family."

Her daughter was so small. As Elizabeth sat day after day in the NICU, watching over her little girl, she couldn't help the niggling feeling that this was all her fault. That her baby was somehow paying the price for her sins.

As a nurse, she knew that her feelings of guilt were natural. They were common to mothers of preemies and preterm babies, because they felt let down by their bodies. It didn't stop her from having such thoughts, though. It didn't stop her from wondering if she was being punished for all her horrible mistakes.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder and she knew without looking that it was Jason. He often stood vigil with her at their daughter's incubator, or sometimes stayed by himself while insisting that she go home to rest. Or to take time with Cameron so her little boy didn't feel abandoned and scared. He had truly been amazing through this whole thing and despite previously telling herself that she shouldn't rely on Jason because who knew when Sonny would pull him away, she had turned to him and held on with both hands.

Sonny hadn't pulled Jason away. The older man had come by the hospital every day, not merely to speak briefly to Jason, but to check on Hailey. He also checked on Elizabeth, brought meals for her and would sit with her in the parents' lounge and encourage her to eat. He didn't cajole her or berate her, and when she didn't speak to him for a week straight and merely pushed her food around, he took it with amazing grace. He didn't give up, however, and kept coming back day after day.

It was apparently time for lunch. She gauged it based on Jason's arrival and the fact that he gently steered her towards the door while promising he would sit with their daughter. She just needed to have a moment to herself, he insisted, and eat something. She gave in simply because it was easier, not because her body signaled she was hungry. He turned her over to the care of his friend who escorted her down the hallway to the room where he had set up lunch. As he did every day.

"Why do you come?" she asked, pushing away the pasta primavera that was growing cold after she'd only eaten a third of it. This had been bothering her for weeks, and today she finally decided to ask. "I mean...I understand why you come to talk to Jason...but why do you insist on sitting with me and feeding me? We're not friends, Sonny."

"We once were," he corrected. "And we still are...even though it's been strained. You are the mother of my best friend's child, and you are important to him, and you need someone who will look out for you while you're busy running around trying to look out for everyone else."

She would have laughed had her c-section incision still not been sore. They weren't friends. At one time? Yes. But they weren't anymore. And she said so with her look.

"Look," the older man said, "I screwed up. Alright? I screwed up. I stuck my nose in where it didn't belong because I was only thinking about myself. I was only thinking about how Jason being involved with you and being the father of your child would screw up my life. I wanted him with Sam because if he was with her then I had a better connection to Kristina and Alexis. After her anger about Ric and her cancer treatments, I needed a connection to my daughter. While Alexis didn't like Sam and Jason together, she wouldn't completely shut her daughter out of her life. And then when Alexis went into the hospital and Ric took over at D.A., then I wanted Sam and Jason to stay together because I had something I could hold over his head. I had the fact that he'd slept with his stepdaughter to hold over him and taunt him with."

He sighed and rested his elbows on the table, rubbing a hand across his mouth. "I'm not proud of what I did. I put my needs above others, and told myself that it was for the best of everyone. Jason was happy with Sam, and you were happy with Lucky and…and none of that was true. Your husband cheated on you, lied to you, got addicted to pills and I know he didn't treat you the best. I watched…I watched my mother go through something similar to that and I'm ashamed that I wanted you to stay in that situation simply because it suited my purposes."

Elizabeth looked down and swallowed the tears threatening to rise.

"I knew that if Jason was the father of your child that everything would change," Sonny continued on softly. "I knew that he would want to be a part of his child's life, and that meant he would be a part of your life. And I knew that Sam wouldn't stay in the picture long after that. Jason was having a hard time getting past what she did with Ric, and your guys' night together had reawakened feelings in Jason that I could see but I don't think he did yet."

She looked up curiously at the man across from her and he shrugged, almost offhandedly. "Jason proposed to you, even before the paternity test. Back when nobody knew if this baby was Lucky's or his. I wondered, and I asked him, if he would have done the same for any other woman, or if he'd done it because it was you. He didn't answer me then, but I could see the answer to the question. The two of you have always had a connection, and sometimes it's bothered me because I felt you were jerking him around and he was too distracted."

Before she could interject and defend herself, Sonny held up his hands. "I'm not trying to upset you, or hurt you...I'm trying to be honest here. But I also realized that even though I told you it was for the best that Jason wasn't the father of your child...it truly wasn't. It left you open and vulnerable to a man who didn't appreciate you or treat you right, and that made Jason distracted. Because he could see how unhappy you were and how you were struggling and he felt that he shouldn't watch you or have men checking on you but he couldn't stop himself. He wanted to make you happy; he wanted to take care of you, even when he believed the baby wasn't his. But he felt he had to hide it, and his mind wasn't always focused on where I wanted it, but it was where he wanted it."

With another shrug, he said, "If I'd kept quiet and hadn't made you feel pressured, perhaps you would have told him the truth. And then he would have known and could have done what he'd wanted to do from the beginning, which was take care of you. I'm trying to do my best to make up for that."

"So this is all just easing your guilt?" she asked with an arch of her brow.

"Not entirely. You do need to eat, and hospital food isn't anything that should be inflicted on healthy people, let alone recovering ones. You need iron and vitamins and things that will help you keep your strength up. I cook when I feel there isn't anything else I can do," he said with a self-deprecating smile. "So cooking for you and Cameron gives me something to do, since Jason eats when I put something in front of him but he doesn't full appreciate the effort."

"I wanted to thank you for taking food to my gram and Cameron. Gram's freezer is stocked and so is mine. I don't have to worry about fixing anything, not that Jason would let me anyways."

"Of course he wouldn't," Sonny shook his head. "You're recovering from major surgery and trying to comfort your son when you're home and then spending most of your day here at the hospital looking over your daughter."

"So did you hire the maid, or did Jason?" she asked. "Jason won't say."

"It was your grandmother," he answered. "She knew you wouldn't want her doing it."

"No," she shook her head. "Not with her hip acting up."

The older man nodded, "And she didn't want you to think you needed to do the laundry or tidy up, so she hired a service. Mostly, I think, to prevent Jason from doing it."

"Everyone's taking care of everything," Elizabeth sighed. "I feel like I'm not doing anything."

"You're recovering from surgery," Sonny pointed out. "And you're worried about your daughter, and trying to give Cameron enough attention. That's pretty much a full-time occupation right now, and we're just trying to make it easier on you."

"I feel like I should be doing more," she admitted softly. "Or that it should be me who's affected instead of Hailey. It's not fair that she's suffering for the things I did wrong. She shouldn't be paying for my failures."

The man across from her studied her for a long, searching minute and finally Elizabeth looked away. Unable to bear his scrutiny.

"You think that Hailey's being punished for something you did?" he asked softly.

She closed her eyes, burying her face in her hands while resting her arms on the table. "I know it's not true. I know that God or the Universe isn't punishing my child for anything. Sometimes these things just happen during pregnancy. Medically I know all that."

"But you're not a nurse taking care of a child," Sonny said in understanding. "You're a mother who's watching her baby."

"A baby my body failed," she said. "I carried Cameron and never had any problems. In fact, my blood pressure was better when I was pregnant than any time else. I felt good while I was pregnant, despite everything going on with Zander and Ric. How could I go from that to this?"

"I don't have any answers for you, Elizabeth," he said regretfully. "I wish that I did. I wish that I did. I do know, that none of this was your fault. I know that you're scared and that you're worried, but your daughter is doing really well, all things considered. Her lungs were fairly well developed; she didn't have to go on a breathing tube. They're keeping her here mostly until she gains some more weight and can keep her body temperature up."

Her head knew that. Knew that Hailey had actually been classified as preterm and not premature, and had been spared many health problems she could have had. They were blessed. But it still didn't stop the guilt she carried. The fears she had that something could develop. The worries that plagued her in the middle of the night when she paced her room instead of sleeping because she knew that her daughter was in the hospital instead of in the nursery at Elizabeth's house.

She closed her eyes, willing the tears she felt coming to stay away. She needed to be strong for her daughter, to listen to what the doctors were saying and explain it to Jason in terms he could understand. She needed to hug Cameron and make sure her little boy knew how much she loved him even though Mommy was very worried about his little sister. She couldn't go falling apart now.

"Elizabeth," Sonny said softly, and she heard his chair push back. She wanted to tell him to stay away, that she didn't need his comfort, but her throat was closed and she could hardly see through the tears in her eyes.

But he didn't touch her, instead he left the room. She was confused for a moment until she felt strong arms wrap around her, drawing her to him. She didn't know why Jason was there; he never interrupted her lunches with Sonny. But she was glad he had today. She was glad he was there.

He guided her from her chair to a couch in the corner, and sat beside her. Mindful of her incision, he held her close and whispered to her. "This isn't your fault, Elizabeth. None of this is your fault. You didn't fail Hailey and you didn't fail me. You can't be responsible for everything, Elizabeth."

"I have to be," she hiccupped into his neck. "I have to take care of my children."

"Let me help you," he pleaded in response. "I'm here, Elizabeth. I'm here to help you however you need it. You just have to ask; you just have to let me in. Please, Elizabeth," he fairly begged her. "Let me in."

Jason had been living with the feeling that the other shoe was going to drop for days. After Elizabeth finally broke down and grieved, clinging to him as she voiced her fears and her frustrations, Jason had felt like he was walking on eggshells. He was just waiting for the time when she suddenly decided that her moment in the family waiting room was really a moment of weakness that needed to be ignored and hidden away and to do so meant that she would have to avoid him. It didn't happen, though.

She finally seemed to accept his presence by her side as they sat by Hailey and watched over their little girl. When the NICU team announced that they wanted to do a procedure called kangarooing, she explained the concept to him, and then let him stay when he insisted that she should be the first to hold their daughter that way. She asked for his assistance, instead of wanting to rely on a nurse and he helped get her a pillow to hold over her C-section incision and then provided her a blanket to give her some semblance of modesty while she unbuttoned her shirt and prepared to hold Hailey against the skin of her chest.

She didn't flinch away from his gaze as he looked at their little girl, snuggled against Elizabeth, a blanket covering both of them to keep the preterm baby warm. When he instinctively reached out to touch Hailey and rest his hand against her, she didn't look at him like he was intruding on her moment. And when he insisted on taking Elizabeth home so she could get some rest, she didn't protest. He fixed dinner for her and Cameron and then was surprised, and touched, when she invited him to stay with them. They both listened to Cameron talk about his day, and when the little boy wanted to climb up in his mother's lap, Jason helped the toddler and explained that he needed to be careful because his mother was still sore.

She let him help Cameron get dressed into his pajamas and brush his teeth and after Elizabeth read the little boy a story about Charlie and his friends, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and let Jason take him down the hall. It was only when Audrey arrived and sounded concerned about why Elizabeth had asked her to come later, that Jason realized that she had planned the evening by arranging the older woman's delay. And he told himself he should just enjoy the moment because there were no guarantees that it would happen again. But it had. They had repeated the same routine for nearly a week.

Audrey drove Elizabeth and Cameron to the hospital after spending the night at the house in case they woke up and needed something, and then Jason would arrive after spending the morning going over a quick briefing with the guards at the warehouse. They would sit together for a little while, Elizabeth filling him in on Hailey's night, and then he would spend some time with his daughter while Sonny and Elizabeth ate lunch together. They spent the afternoon with their daughter, picked Cameron from daycare in the evening and went home and ate together with Audrey showing up after Cameron was in bed. It was domestic and after a couple of days, Elizabeth began talking to him about more than just their daughter.

Even if they never talked about anything deeper, he was so grateful that she was talking to him. That she didn't seem to be keeping him at arm's length any more. That she actually smiled on occasion and it wasn't forced or brittle. He began to realize that he was the nervous one, and he was unsure, and he tried not to be. Elizabeth seemed to be reaching out to him, even if it was only for temporary support, and he was the one who seemed to distrust the situation.

Maybe because he wanted more. He wanted this pattern to repeat all the time. Not just when Hailey was in the hospital. He wanted to tell Elizabeth that he cared about her, and not just because she'd given birth to his child. But he was afraid to because every time he'd tried to talk before the C-section, she had shut down, changed the subject, and made it very clear that she didn't want to talk about them. So he was hesitant to do so now, because her focus was on Hailey and he didn't want to seem like he was taking advantage of her heightened emotions and manipulate the situation to his advantage.

As he rounded the corner to go to the NICU unit, he realized that today would not be the idyllic little moment he had been living recently and wanted to experience always. Today would turn into a nightmare. Today, the other shoe had dropped. In the form of Carly and Sam standing outside the NICU unit arguing.

A nurse was trying to get the two women to move, but both were determined to ignore her and Jason rushed forward, his anger bubbling up that they would be so selfish and unfeeling towards the parents and small children inside. Grabbing their arms, he dragged them away and released them none-too-gently and then glared.

"What is wrong with you?!" he hissed out in pure disgust while planting his hands on his hips. "This is a hospital, there are sick children in that room and the two of you are yelling like you're on the docks."

Carly had the grace to appear chagrinned, even if it was totally false. "I'm sorry, Jason. I...I came here to see you and I saw her lurking around outside and I told her to leave."

"Oh, get over yourself," Sam sneered. "You were hanging around like a dog in heat when I showed up. Looking all upset because Jason wasn't already here."

"Enough," he snapped, and both women closed their mouths. "I don't care who was here first or why you guys came, but you both need to leave. Now. Whatever is going on, I don't want any part of it. I'm here to see my daughter and I don't have time for this."

"Of course you don't have time for anything. Have to go sit by precious Elizabeth's side," Carly rolled her eyes. "I haven't seen you for weeks and neither have the boys. I've left messages for you and you haven't returned them. So I came here hoping I could see you."

"For what?" he ground out.

"You can't sit in a hospital all day, Jason," she said, softening her voice. "You have to take care of yourself. The boys and I wanted to invite you to come over for dinner. They miss their uncle and they want to hear about their cousin."

He knew it was a ploy, he knew it, and he felt himself softening towards it for just a moment, until he saw the vicious little smirk form in the corner of her mouth. And then he closed his feelings down and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Carly. I'm sorry I haven't called, but I've been focused on Hailey."

"You can't be here all the time," she argued.

"I'm not," he told her. "But Elizabeth is still recovering from her c-section and I help her and Cameron out in the evening. We...we have dinner together and I help put him to bed and I...I'm not going to leave them right now."

"So you're choosing Elizabeth over your family?" the blonde asked in hurt.

"Elizabeth, our daughter, and her son," Jason answered, "they're...they're also my family now. And they're important to me. I'm not going to leave Elizabeth alone and go have dinner with you just because you're having a fit and refuse to acknowledge that I have a child now."

"I...I know you have a child, Jason," she said softly.

"Then act like it," he told her. Turning to Sam he demanded, "Why are you here?"

"I...I wanted to see you," his ex-girlfriend answered. "I...I heard that the baby was born. That you...you had a daughter."

Tears rolled down her face, "That should be my daughter, Jason. Mine."

Closing his eyes on a sigh he said, "Sam."

"And you gave it to Elizabeth," the brunette spit out the word. "How could you do that to me? How...after all our plans to raise our daughter...after trying to be a family with Hope...how could you have a family with Elizabeth?"

"I didn't decide to give one to her and not to you," he shook his head. "Things happened."

"I know," she said bitterly. "Like you not fighting for Hope. You didn't want her, did you? You were just humoring me. Pitying me after our daughter died."

"That was Sonny's child," Carly interjected, not able to stop herself, or just deliberately trying to inflame the situation.

"Stop it," he snapped at her. "There's no reason for you to be here anymore. I'm not having dinner with you and the boys tonight, so you can go."

Looking at Sam he sighed, "Sam, I understand you're hurt-"

"Oh, I'm not just hurt," she shook her head. "I'm mad. How could you do this to me? You were supposed to love me. You were supposed to have a family with me! But the minute Elizabeth waltzed back into your life, you threw me away. Is that why you really broke up with me after Manny shot me? It wasn't about the danger; it was the perfect excuse to have your precious Elizabeth back."

"That's not what happened, and you know it," he said, leaning towards her. "I'm not going to have this fight with you, Sam. What's done is done and it's over. I told you that I couldn't get past you sleeping with Ric, and maybe I don't even want to try. You lash out and you think you can manipulate people into giving you what you want. You tried with Sonny...you did it with me and I'm tired of it."

With a swallow he continued, "We're over, Sam. So you need to stop this. Don't come to the hospital again. My daughter is in there and she and her mother don't need you, or anyone else," he looked over at Carly, "standing outside her room fighting and carrying on."

"That should be my daughter," Sam said once again. "I wanted that child. We could still be a family. All you have to do is get rid of Elizabeth."

Jason narrowed his eyes and the vein in his neck throbbed as he tried to control his temper, "Listen to me, Sam. It's over. Elizabeth is Hailey's mother and will always be Hailey's mother. I'm not going to take her daughter away from her and give her to you. The only person who will be my daughter's mother will be Elizabeth."

Sam looked up at him with wounded eyes and then he saw something flick, change inside them a moment before she said, "Things can change all the time, Jason."

His hand whipped out so fast it made Carly gasp and he snagged his ex-girlfriend's arm. "Don't even think of threatening Elizabeth, or trying something, Sam. Just because we shared a past doesn't mean I'll let you get away with anything. If I have to have men watching you and treating you like any other enemy...then that's what I'll do."

He pushed her away and said, "Now get out of here. Don't come back here again. There's no reason for you to be outside the NICU. The guards will stop you. Stay away from my family...all of them."

As she left, slinking away while wiping her tears, Carly shifted on her feet. "You know she's not going to give up. You might have just made things worse."

"Yeah," he rolled his neck and then turned to face her. "She's like you that way. Neither of you know when to give up or back off and give someone space or even listen to them. I told you to go, Carly. I'm not going to turn my back on my family just because you're feeling threatened and jealous."

Jason regarded her for a moment and then said, "If I have to order the guards to keep you away as well...then I will. Elizabeth doesn't need you coming around and causing problems."

"Always protecting her," his friend said in irritation. "What about the fact that she lied to you, Jason, and was going to keep your child from you?"

"Nothing that you haven't done," he reminded her. "Plus, it's between me and Elizabeth. You have no part in my relationship with her, Carly. Our daughter is in the hospital, Elizabeth is recovering from the delivery and being hospitalized and I don't want you coming after her and attacking her thinking you're defending me. You want to be my friend, then actually listen to me for once in your life. Stay away from Elizabeth and her children. Stay away from my family. Because I won't let anyone go after them, and if that means I have to order the guards to keep you away like I've done with the Quartermaine's...then I'll do it."

He made sure she was looking at him and asked, "Do we understand each other?"

Carly huffed and rolled her eyes, then looked beyond his shoulder. "Yeah...we understand each other. And I'm sure she just loves it. Because you've fallen right into her trap and she's got you isolated and turning your back on everyone who ever mattered to you all because she's a selfish little twit who doesn't want you to have anyone else in your life."

He looked at her in confusion for a moment and then turned to look over his shoulder. Elizabeth was standing just outside the NICU door, looking at him with trepidation and uncertainty. Jason looked at Carly and shot her a look, then walked away without a word. He neared Elizabeth and looked at her with a bit of uncertainty himself.

"Is...is everything alright?"

"Should I be asking that?" she wondered. "I could hear the raised voices and I...I was just checking that everything was okay. I...I don't want to cause-"

"Everything's fine," he assured her. "Nothing you did, or that you need to worry about causing. I took care of it, and I'll take care of anything else that comes up because I will protect you and Hailey and Cameron from anything that I possibly can."

She regarded him for a moment and then slowly nodded. "Alright."

"Good," he said in relief. She wasn't fighting him and he could sense the trust in her look. "Let's go see our daughter."

Elizabeth stood in the living room and sighed as she looked around. Some days she felt like she was just drifting through life and it wasn't always clear how she got from one place to the next. Sometimes as she was putting on her pajamas, she wondered where the time had gone since she'd taken them off.

Jason stepped into the room, and paused and looked up at her in slight confusion. "Is everything alright?"

She evaded the question for a moment by asking one of her own, "Did Cameron give you any trouble?"

He shook his head and took a hesitant step towards her, "He was fine. I think he's just unsettled."

"I'm sure I didn't help that tonight," she sighed, her head dropping in self-flagellation. "I just...I tried to pay attention to what he was saying and look at his picture frame he made in daycare and I just..."

Letting out a shuddery breath she continued, "My mind is still back at the hospital. It always is, but most of the time I can focus my concentration on Cameron and give him the attention he deserves and I just... I felt bad that I couldn't do that tonight. I'm glad you were here to help with him."

Looking up, she gave him a slight smile, "Thank you, Jason. I can't even begin to tell you how great it's been to have you around the hospital and then here in the evenings. It means so much to me that you're...that you don't treat Cameron any differently...even though I know you wouldn't do that. But to watch you with my son and to see him laugh and to smile and..."

Elizabeth trailed off, her words becoming lost in the tears that rose up and the emotion that choked her throat. Jason crossed the room in quick strides and took her into his arms. She hesitated only a moment before leaning against him and giving into the feelings that were overwhelming her tonight. His hand rubbed over her back in broad, comforting strokes and she rested her head against his chest, lifting her arms to wrap around his waist.

"Come on," Jason said softly, his breath stirring her hair. "Let's go sit down. You were in trying to clean up the kitchen, weren't you? Instead of putting your feet up and resting."

"I-" she began.

"You're recovering from major surgery, Elizabeth," he interrupted. "And instead of being in a bed with your feet up and letting others take care of you like you should be doing, you've been spending every day in the hospital worrying over our daughter. Then you come home and you try to play with your son so he doesn't feel neglected, and you don't nap during the day when it's obvious that you're tired."

As they sat down, his hand at her elbow to assist her as her incision was still healing and twinged sometimes if she moved the wrong way, he settled in beside her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I know you say you're alright, but sometimes you need to focus on yourself, Elizabeth. It's not wrong to take some time to take care of you, or to let someone help you."

"I think I've let people help me." There was only a hint of exasperation in her voice. She knew he wasn't chastising her, but it still rubbed her the wrong way.

"I know. But you're still trying to do it all," he said softly. "Cameron knows you love him. He knows that. Not because you tell him, but because you show him. Even tonight, when you were exhausted and thinking about what the doctors said about Hailey and struggling to concentrate on what he was saying, you had your arm around him. You smiled at him in such a way that he knew it was all for him."

He drew her against him, helping her shift so that her back was leaning against him so her incision wasn't pinched. His hand drifted over her arm softly and he said, "As I was tucking him into bed he said that I should tuck you into bed and read you a story, too."

Elizabeth was glad she was facing away from Jason as her face flamed in a blush.

"He said it wasn't fair that your mother wasn't here to take care of you like you take care of him because everyone needs a mommy like you." Her eyes closed against the tears. Her little boy had no idea of the distance between her and her mother. "Cameron said Gram is nice, but she's not the same. So I should help you out since I'm Hailey's father. Daddies should help mommies"

Lifting her hand to wipe at her tears, Elizabeth let out a shaky breath. The overwhelming turmoil inside her increased at Jason's words. He was trying to let her know that Cameron wasn't feeling neglected. Everyone needed a mommy like her; maybe she was doing something right. But she also heard the confusion and sadness in those words. Daddies should help mommies. Lucky was the only father that Cameron had ever known, and when her ex-husband found out that Hailey wasn't his child, he dropped out of all their lives. While Elizabeth understood, and at times was glad he wasn't around pressuring her, Cameron didn't understand why his daddy was suddenly gone.

It made her all the more glad that Jason was here, and that he was doing things to include Cameron. Her son needed a male presence in his life, and despite Jason's job, Elizabeth knew that who Jason was as a person was exactly the type of guidance that Cameron needed. The patience, the understanding, the willingness to help, not being judgmental or belittling...she truly hoped that Cameron could learn from his sister's father what it meant to be a man and a friend.

"Elizabeth?" Jason asked softly as she continued to wipe the never-ending stream of tears.

She sat up, needing to face him and he waited patiently as she turned on the couch. Reaching out, she took Jason's hand in hers and rubbed her fingertips over the back of his tanned and work-worn flesh. Looking up at Jason, she licked her lips, "Thank you."

He tilted his head slightly to the side, "For what?"

"For doing all you have with Cameron," she said. "He's...he's a little boy who has lost the only father he's ever known because I trusted the wrong person and thought that Lucky was more than he was despite the fact that I should have known better. I just wanted to believe that he'd changed from the man who slept with my sister and tried to control my friendship with you. I thought that being a cop, stepping out from Luke's shadow...it meant he was finding his way. Instead, I discovered that he really hasn't changed at all."

Bringing one hand up to wipe her eyes, she shook her head, "If he really loved Cameron, he would have gone to rehab for him. Not pinning all his hopes on what he thought was his biological child. It wasn't fair to the baby and it wasn't fair to Cameron and I kept making excuses for Lucky, and now my son is paying the price for it. He doesn't understand why Lucky's gone, and...and the other day he asked me if I thought Hailey would mind sharing her daddy with him."

She twisted her lips to the side, trying to stem the tears, "He...he likes you, Jason and I..."

"I like him, too," he said softly. "He's a wonderful little boy, Elizabeth. I know you worry, but I don't. I look at Cameron, and I see all that you've taught him, all that you've done for him, and that's how I know that you will be a wonderful mother with Hailey. It's...it's part of the reason why I felt disappointed when I thought she wasn't mine. Despite everyone in my life telling me how good Sam was for me, and her wanting to be a mother and you telling me to find my happiness... I really wanted your baby to be mine."

Elizabeth closed her eyes, feeling guilt wash over her. She had robbed Jason of so many moments all because she was scared and she was selfish. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he told her, shifting closer and lifting her face so she would look at him. "Don't be. I know that I didn't help things. I could have asked you if the baby was mine instead of believing Carly and then saying it was for the best that I wasn't the father. I was acting like I didn't want our child; I can understand why you'd hesitate to say something."

"But I should have told you the truth. I should have. Instead of worrying about Lucky and thinking I could save him with my baby, or being afraid of telling you the truth and having you stay with Sam and only thinking of me as an obligation...I should have told you the truth. I just...I wasn't brave enough."

"You are brave," Jason shook his head. "But even the bravest people get scared, and you were facing some very tough and very frightening prospects. But it doesn't do us any good to keep focusing on what we think we should have done. You told me the truth and we're moving together to take care of our family. And I...I consider Cameron a part of that, too. He...he's your son and he's Hailey's brother and I...I love him, Elizabeth. I want to help you with him as much as I want to help you with Hailey, even if you think I'm not responsible for him and I don't have to."

She knew that Jason wouldn't say something like that just because he thought he should, or because he was trying to use her son in some way to gain her trust. Jason was honest in how he dealt with people, especially children, and he wouldn't include Cameron in things, talk to her son and treat him like he was important unless he meant it. If he said he loved Cameron then Jason meant it, and it made Elizabeth love her daughter's father all the more. Even if he had no idea and didn't feel the same way.

It was just in moments like this, when they talked - as adults, as parents, as a man and a woman - that she felt there could be something more. She remembered the man who was there for her when she needed him most. She remembered the night they had conceived their child and how tender yet fierce, how passionate, how caring he was and she believed his words to Carly when he said he wasn't thinking of Sam. There was only the two of them together. Had...had he pulled back because she said it could be their only night together? Had he wanted more?

In this moment, as he sat facing her, trying to assure her and support her, convince her of his love for her children, that she felt there was something more to his words. That there was love there for her as well, and not just because she was his friend or she'd given birth to his child. She was afraid of being hurt and so she tried not to hope too much and read too much into the situation, but she also didn't want to close herself off if it was a very real possibility.

Maybe she just needed to keep doing what she was; not worry so much about every word, every moment, every touch and overanalyzing what it meant. Maybe it wasn't wrong to trust her feelings, as long as she didn't lose her head and her reason completely. Maybe she needed to have a little trust along with her hope. Jason said that he would be there for her and the children, even when Hailey came home from the hospital. Maybe she needed to trust in his word.

The doctors said that if their daughter continued to improve as she had, then Jason and Elizabeth could take her home at the end of the week. She knew that how he acted when it actually happened would prove if he was really committed to her family. But Elizabeth felt that he truly was, and he would show it. She prayed her faith wasn't misplaced, because she didn't know if she could stand the disappointment once again.

His daughter was still so tiny. It was made even more apparent by the fact that she was no longer in an incubator, and then a warming bed, but was now in her own, standard size crib. In her home, in her room. Laying there, swaddled up in a soft lavender receiving blanket, one hand free in case she wanted to suck on her fingers, she looked positively dwarfed by her new bed. But it was a truly beautiful sight to see. Because it meant that Hailey was doing better.

He heard the whisper of feet on the thick carpet and looked over his shoulder to see Elizabeth standing in the doorway. His heart swelled in his chest, full of so much emotion in that moment. His daughter was healthy, her older brother was worn out and asleep down the hall and the woman who had made this whole, encompassing moment possible was standing next to him looking down at the beautiful miracle they had created together. If he hadn't already known that he was in love with Elizabeth Webber, this would have been the moment to make him realize.

Gently, he put his arm around her, lightly resting it at her side. Her incision from the C-section was healing and every day he saw her getting stronger. But today had been a long and emotional day and she had been more active. He'd seen her try to hide a wince when they sat down for dinner and that was why he suggested to Cameron that they all sit on the couch while Elizabeth read them a story instead of her trying to go into his room. She needed to rest and take it easy.

Like him, though, she didn't want to leave Hailey's room. Jason found himself nearly overwhelmed by the daunting thought that they'd not have any nurses or monitors watching over their daughter. He was certain that neither of them would sleep very much tonight, coming in to constantly check on her and insure she was fine.

"She looks so tiny," Elizabeth said softly, her awe - and a touch of fear - clear in her voice.

"I know," he replied. "I've been watching her and just..."

"I know," she nodded. There wasn't any need for words; they both understood how it felt to see their child at home.

When Elizabeth sighed and leaned against him, Jason straightened and tightened his hold on her just a little. "Come on," he said, "let's go sit down. You need to rest."

She made sure that the base of the monitor was on and then left the room. One of the receivers was in her bedroom; the other was in the living room. They would both hear Hailey if she woke.

Once out into the main room, Jason insisted Elizabeth sit down and then went into the kitchen to get them something to drink. He was feeling nervous and restless and needed something to do as much as he wanted to help Elizabeth. Once he came back with a warm mug of milk with a touch of vanilla in it, a drink she had taken to recently because she wanted something warm but not with as much caffeine as hot chocolate, he sat beside her on the couch and turned slightly to look at her.

"Thank you," she said on a tired release of air after taking a drink. "I'm so exhausted, but my mind is still so active right now."

He nodded in agreement and understanding.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Elizabeth continued. "It's just...I could honestly sit in there just watching her and making sure she's breathing. After all the weeks in the hospital, the tests, the tubes, the doctors..."

Tears filled her eyes as she trailed off. Jason slid closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I know. I...I actually remember feeling the same way when I brought Michael home. Sometimes I think that's why I got up with him in the middle of the night and read to him. Everyone told me that I needed to put him back to sleep, that he needed to get used to sleeping at night and not getting up to play, even if it was just looking out the window at the harbor. But I...I wanted to hold him and I wanted to assure him that I was there, and I think I wanted to assure myself that he was alright."

"Exactly," she agreed. "I remember sometimes sitting up with Cameron, just holding him because I needed to. I needed to hold my little boy in my arms, and just..."

"Have that connection with him," he supplied and she nodded. "I want to just watch Hailey, too. I know that she needs a routine..."

"But she's so little," Elizabeth smiled, voicing the words in his mind. "It's so good to have you here, Jason. You understand exactly how I feel. Gram is great, but even when I had Cameron and she told me to trust my instincts, sometimes I felt like she was looking at me like I shouldn't do things and I felt like I should do it her way because she was a nurse and she was a grandmother. Eventually I did it the way I wanted to, but it's nice not to have someone there thinking I'm crazy for wanting to just stand at her bedside even when I should be sleeping."

He brought his hand up and brushed it over her hair softly, "You're not crazy. You're a mom and you're right; you should trust your instincts. Cameron's a great boy and you've taught him well-"

She snorted lightly, "Hopefully Hailey will be easier to potty train than Cameron was. I thought he'd still be in diapers when he went to Kindergarten and there were days I thought I'd rather deal with that than go through another round of fights and everything else."

Jason smiled at her reassuringly, knowing that this was fear and stress and the tumult of the day talking. This was also Elizabeth and she babbled and he enjoyed sitting beside her, just listening.

She took another sip of her drink and he felt her body sag, relax and melt into his slightly. A sigh, this time one of tiredness and relaxation slipped out. "Are you sure you don't have anything to do for the next couple of days?"

His eyes closed briefly and then he nodded. "I arranged things with Sonny. It was actually him who said that he had no intention of calling me unless the warehouse was on fire and falling down around his ears."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he felt her stiffen beside him and he cursed silently. It was a poor choice of words, bringing back memories of the time when the warehouse had been on fire and falling down around them. He remembered pulling Sonny out of the smoke and the ash and looking up to see Carly embracing her husband. Then he looked over and as he fell to his knees in exhaustion and the need to expel the smoke from his lungs, he saw Elizabeth standing there. The look on her face was one of fear, of barely constrained desperation and then something so beautiful, so overwhelming when she met his gaze. He tried to get to her, she took half a step, and then Lucky arrived and the whole moment changed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, turning his lips towards her hair. "I'm sorry."

"It's alight," she shook her head just a fraction. She wasn't very convincing, but he didn't press her too hard. "I just...I was remembering..."

"Me, too," he confessed.

"I was so scared," she told him. "The hoses and the smoke, the flames and the fire trucks, the roof going down and the fire chief pulling everyone back. They didn't think anyone would survive and I couldn't help remembering the garage when we thought Lucky died and I didn't want to lose another person and I kept willing you to come out. I needed you to make it out alive. And then you were there and I wanted...and then-"

"It's alright," Jason told her softly, cutting off further explanation. They didn't need to talk about Lucky. Not now. Not in this moment.

"I was so thankful you were alive." Sitting up slightly to look at him, Elizabeth's eyes were wide and full of deep emotion. "I needed you to be safe then, and you were. And I...I need you to be safe now."

"I will do everything I can to be safe," he promised her. While there were no guarantees in this business, he'd learned that long ago, he wouldn't take unnecessary risks. And if he could work it out that he didn't handle every assignment, that would go a long way to keeping him safe as well. It was something that he'd discussed with Sonny and he believed the older man might have actually understood and agreed with.

"I will try my best to make sure Hailey doesn't grow up without a father." He watched as Elizabeth's eyes dimmed and she pulled away from him emotionally, even though she didn't physically. He'd just hurt her. It gave him the courage to make his next confession. "It's not just for Hailey. I have a lot to live for, a lot of reasons to stay safe. I intend to be there for our daughter, but I also intend to be there for you. And for Cameron. We're...we're a family now, Elizabeth. The three of you...the three of you mean everything to me. The next time I think about recklessly chasing someone down out of the belief that I need to keep Sonny's family safe, I'm also going to think about my family and what would happen to them if I got hurt."

Jason watched as her eyes filled with tears and he heard her soft breath catch in her throat. Licking his lips and looking down briefly, he then raised his eyes and tried to pour every ounce of emotion and honesty he could into them as he then said, "I love our daughter, Elizabeth. And I love you for giving her to me; for giving me a family. But...but you didn't just give me our daughter. I love Cameron just as much as I love Hailey; because he's her sister, and because he's your son. He's a part of you and I got the chance to know him, to see a part of you that lives on, even before our daughter was born. And I love him because he's a special little boy, and because he's yours. Because...because I love you. I should have told you that long ago."

Tears crested Elizabeth's eyes and rapidly streamed down her cheeks. She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth and twice tried to speak but was unable to. Finally she managed to swallow raggedly and say, "Jason."

There was such a swirl of meaning in that word, he heard her disbelief, her overwhelmed feelings, her hope, her trepidation, but he also heard more. Pulling her close, he rested his chin on top of her head as she hugged him close. His t-shirt grew damp in spots, but he didn't care. He had told her the truth. He wasn't holding back this time, waiting to see if he could discern her feelings first before saying something. He wasn't going to make her guess, or leave her in confused limbo. This time, he needed her to know just what he felt. The rest could be worked out later.

"Oh, Jason," she said tenderly, but also hesitantly. "I love you, too."

She took a deep breath and he knew she was about to say more, but he shook his head and cut her off. "No. Nothing more needs to be said. Everything else can wait, everything else can be figured out later. Right now, in this moment..."

He trailed off, hoping she would once again be able to understand what he couldn't quite put into words. Elizabeth proved that she still understood him and she nodded against his shoulder. He closed his eyes and breathed out a relieved sigh.

He wasn't naïve enough to think that just because they'd admitted they loved each other that everything would automatically be easy or fixed. But right now, they had crossed a major hurdle and there wasn't any reason to sprint to the finish line. He wasn't going to anywhere, and the rest they could deal with later. Tonight would exist on its own.

All good things must come to an end. The blissful days of Hailey, Cameron, Elizabeth and Jason, at home in her house couldn't last forever. Soon, despite Sonny's best efforts to let his friend have time with his family, Jason had to go back to more day to day operations aspects of the business. It was inevitable.

So Jason was no longer at her house nearly day and night. He stopped by whenever he could, and so far no more than twenty-four hours had passed in between times he saw her and the children, but his constant presence had ceased. Despite Elizabeth telling herself that it would happen and trying to prepare for it, it still hurt. However, it didn't hurt as much as it could have.

She could see how much Jason hated to leave. She could see his regret when his phone would ring or he'd have to leave for a meeting. But in between those moments, he was amazing. When he arrived, he would make sure to hug Cameron and pick up the little boy who had taken to running towards him at full speed in order to greet him. He'd listen to the little boy ramble on about his day and his toys and the latest movie he watched, and then after answering Jason's questions, the two males would go greet Hailey. Cameron would excitedly tell Jason about Hailey's day and by the time father picked up daughter, the little boy wasn't upset at the attention being diverted away from him.

He'd run off to resume playing, and then Jason would sit with Elizabeth and hear even more about his daughter. How she'd slept, how many outfits she'd already gone through that day, whether the little grimaces on her face were still just gas or perhaps getting closer to actual smiles. He'd relish in the ability to once again hold his daughter, breathe in her soft powder scent and he willingly pitched in and helped out with changing diapers or feeding bottles or even tossing a load of laundry into the washer all to help Elizabeth out and give her a few moments to herself.

Eventually, though, he'd relinquish hold of his daughter, putting her down to sleep, or just putting her in her in seat and then he'd talk to Elizabeth. They talked about how she was feeling - better every day, the incision hardly hurt anymore - and he'd encourage her to keep the maid her grandmother had paid for because even though she was doing better, she was now dealing with two children and she didn't have to exert herself too hard just because she felt she should. When she'd bring up the subject of returning to work, he would suggest she start back part time. He respected that she enjoyed working as a nurse and wanting to help others out, but he'd also point out that she didn't actually need to work. She may not want to take his money, but he was not going to neglect his duties as a father and he had plenty of money to take care of them, their children and their children's grandchildren, so gradually easing back into work at the hospital was alright, and if she insisted on working, that was the route he would prefer she take.

She still felt awkward taking his money, and had told him so, but she no longer actively fought against it. Because he would refer to Hailey and Cameron as their children. He didn't distinguish between the two based on biology, and he certainly didn't act any differently in his affections towards them. It was something that she could see Cameron sensed, even if he didn't fully understand it or couldn't put it into words. Her little boy felt comfortable around Jason, he didn't feel neglected or jealous of the attention given to Hailey, because he got attention of his own.

Seeing Jason in such moments as a father and being so genuinely open and giving with his affections made Elizabeth love him all the more. And it was becoming easier for her to accept her feelings for him, and even begin to show them, because he had told her that he loved her. While he didn't say those words every day, he had said them beyond the night they brought Hailey home from the hospital. And he showed her the truth and sincerity of the words every day in small and sometimes big ways. Helping pick up toys or cleaning the dishes or the clothes, without saying anything or her asking, showed that he was committed to being there for them beyond just providing financially. He didn't leave everything for her as Lucky had, and he could sense on the days when she was exhausted because Hailey had experienced a rough night or hadn't slept well during her nap, and he'd tell her to get some sleep while he sat up with the kids for a while. She felt like he truly saw her, and didn't think less of her for not being SuperMom.

If only other people were as easy to deal with as Jason was. Her grandmother was still disapproving of her relationship with Jason and the involvement she was letting him have in her life and the children's. When she stopped by and Jason was there, she was distinctly uncomfortable to realize that Jason was the one who got up to switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer, and that it wasn't just Hailey's clothes that he helped with, or that he would get up and take care of changing his daughter's diaper. The older woman's unease would affect the whole house and they never truly breathed easy until she left.

Gram's visits always seemed to affect Jason and Elizabeth and it would take them a while to get back to their ease and comfort, even if it was only an hour or two. The older woman's disapproval would bring back Elizabeth's doubts and fears, wondering if they would truly make it towards a future together, or if they would only ever be co-parents despite their declarations of love.

While Jason had been the first one to actually voice his feelings, he hadn't said anything about the future. They still took things day to day. Maybe it was because he didn't want to rush anything, or because he was as nervous as she was, but it would cause Elizabeth to remember all the other times they hadn't talked about things. And she would remember how they would end up apart and take months or years to overcome the hurdles and walls they'd erected between them. She didn't want that to happen, but she also didn't want to feel like she was pressuring Jason to offer more than he already had.

Maybe this was something she could talk to Emily about. Jason's sister was the only one of the people she was close to who did not seem to disapprove of the fact that Hailey was a Morgan instead of a Spencer. She had been shocked at the truth at first, and had come to Elizabeth in the hospital to ask if she was sure of the truth and asked what this meant for Lucky, but Jason had quickly shooed her out of the room, and also had a talk with her. The next time Emily spoke to Elizabeth her friend apologized for not thinking of her and how she was doing. She said that Lucky wasn't blameless in this situation and she understood why Elizabeth had lied at first; everyone had interfered where they shouldn't have and had pressured Elizabeth, making it seem like she was the one responsible for Lucky instead of making him take responsibility for himself.

After that, she became a big supporter of Jason and Elizabeth. Even when it was clear that her obvious pleasure over an impending niece or nephew and her support of Elizabeth to make her own choices upset Nikolas. She even spent a couple of days at Elizabeth's place helping her get moved in and didn't move back to Wyndamere until Nikolas agreed that their opinions should be kept to themselves and it was not Elizabeth's place to fix Lucky when she had tried and he wasn't willing to change. It was still a bumpy relationship with the Cassadine prince, but the new mother believed that perhaps he was beginning to accept that this was Elizabeth's life and she was not going to be pressured into doing what others wanted her to do. He was the only one connected to the Spencers who had brought her a gift for Hailey or even asked how they were doing after the little girl's preterm birth. Not that Elizabeth particularly cared that the rest of the Spencers had ignored her; she was happy for the peace.

When Jason had broken up with Sam, Emily had seemed pleased. She didn't start trying to match make Hailey's parents together, but she was glad her brother had gotten rid of the manipulating and clinging woman. But there were just enough comments, questions and looks that led Elizabeth to believe that her friend wouldn't be upset if her brother and her friend got together. So maybe while Cam played on the swings and Hailey napped, the two women could talk about all that had developed between Jason and Elizabeth, and she could finally give voice to her jumbled thoughts and gain a little perspective.

They were just rounding the corner in the park, nearing the swing sets where Emily was waiting when the guards immediately tensed and Marco surprised her by grabbing Cameron and positioning himself in front of the stroller. He handed her son to her, and Elizabeth was so surprised by the turn of events that she didn't notice, at first, that the other two guards had stopped as well and had pulled their guns out of the holsters concealed under their suits.

But when she did notice what was going on, Elizabeth's eyes widened and traveled over the area. And saw the two men with guns facing them.

"Don't do anything stupid and no harm has to come to Jason Morgan's kid," the taller one said.

"Perhaps you shouldn't do anything stupid," Enzo stated. "Three to two. Get out of here right now and there won't need to be any gunshots."

"We've got a message for Morgan, and we figured she was the best one to deliver it," the second man said, gesturing towards Elizabeth with his gun. She was kneeling down by the stroller, holding onto Cameron and sheltering his head against her chest.

"Mr. Morgan doesn't listen to anyone who threatens his family," Enzo growled. "So do yourselves a favor and leave now. Because if any harm comes to any one of them, you'll be begging us to kill you before he gets the chance to."

The men paused for a moment and then slowly began to back up. Their guns remained drawn, and so did the guards'. It wasn't until they were around the corner that Elizabeth released the breath she'd been holding.

"Marco, get them to the truck and get them to Jason's," Enzo commanded. "Now!"

Then he and Paul took off. Elizabeth knew they were going to track the men down. She stood on slightly shaky legs and looked at the guard who had lowered his weapon, but hadn't returned it to his holster.

"Let's go, Miss Webber," he insisted. He bent down and picked up Cameron and then Elizabeth practically had to jog to keep up with the pair as they made their way out of the park. The only blessing about the whole incident was that Hailey remained asleep.

Once they were buckled in the back, Marco threw the car into gear and pulled out onto the road. He pulled out his cell phone and made a call. If Jason wasn't already at Harborview, he would no doubt be arriving shortly after they did.

Marco had driven quickly, but never to the point that Elizabeth was scared, and in no time they were pulling into the underground garage of the building Sonny and Jason owned. Jason must have been at home because he was waiting by the elevator when the guard pulled into a secured spot and turned off the engine. The door opened, surprising Elizabeth who hadn't seen Jason move from his spot and he looked in desperately at all of them, seeking to reassure himself that they were fine. Elizabeth unbuckled her seatbelt and then Jason was there, pulling her out and into his arms. His hand brushed over her hair and his lips whispered over her cheek and temple as he crushed her into his embrace. She was scared by what happened and startled by his intense reaction and clung to him just as wildly as he did to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, still not releasing her. "Are you okay?"

She was prevented from replying by Marco clearing his throat awkwardly and interrupting to relay the information, "Excuse me, Mr. Morgan. Enzo just called; he said they have the men."

Criminals were sometimes the dumbest people in the world. Jason knew, considering what he did for a living, that the thought was ironic. But he had encountered some incredibly stupid people in his life. From men who thought they could take on him and Sonny and actually get away with it, to petty thieves who left a trail of neon lights for the police to follow and thereby arrest them. The men who went after his family in the park were among some of the dumbest.

Jason's men had easily been able to track them down. The gunmen hadn't made it difficult. There had been no false plates, no switching of vehicles and they drove, not out of town, but right back home. Where they'd sat down, had a beer and a chuckle and then looked up in stark surprise and terror when Jason kicked open their door with his gun drawn on them.

After that, the men folded easily. They stammered and gave up the person who had hired them to scare Elizabeth and the children within seconds of Jason questioning them. And that's when the hitman saw red.

His first instinct was to go straight to the person and confront her. To threaten her with her life if she ever went after his family again, and he was fully prepared to follow through with that threat. But he proved that he was above making rash, emotional decisions, and so instead of heading for a confrontation, he went to Sonny who was once again acting as his friend to ask for some advice. Together, the men devised a plan which was put into affect with great speed and alacrity.

Elizabeth called the police and filed a report. She explained what happened, how the men had confronted her and the children in the park as they were heading off to meet Emily. How Jason's men that were with her managed to keep them safe and then went after the men while others brought her back to Harborview instead of leaving her in the open. The detectives who questioned her were torn between a mixture of concern for her and the children, and animosity towards her situation because of their loyalty to their former detective and partner Lucky Spencer. In the end, Diane's veiled threats that they had better treat this case as any other crime involving children had forced them to put their disdain towards Jason aside.

Conveniently, the guards called while the police were present and said that they'd found the men from the park. Of course the police had become upset over that; until Diane pointed out that they were just concerned citizens who had followed the perpetrators of a crime. The fact that they were trained security men and carried registered and licensed weapons did not matter at all in this case since they had not acted on their information. So far as the cops knew. They had called their boss, and their boss gave the address to the PCPD.

The two men were arrested, Jason and Elizabeth went down to the station so she could identify them in a line-up, and when the police sat down to interrogate the men they were given the name of their employer. Not a rival mobster of Jason's as the cops were expecting, and no doubt hoping for, but someone they all knew well. Samantha McCall; daughter of D.A. Alexis Davis, stepdaughter (and former lover) of Interim D.A. Ric Lansing, and former clerk of the PCPD. Diane had a field day with the embarrassment of the moment, and earned every bit of the pricey retainer she was paid by her immediate motions and blusterings in the middle of the police station.

When Ric was not inclined to believe the signed confessions of the two gunmen, claiming that Jason must have gotten to them first and forced them to implicate Sam instead of one of his enemies, Diane announced to every cop, clerk, and criminal within listening range that perhaps the Interim D.A. did not want to charge his lover with a crime against his ex-wife. Mayor Floyd happened to walk into the station with Alexis at that moment, and Diane went off on him for keeping Ric in the position even though Alexis was healthy and recovered. She accused the mayor and the city of sexism and harassment and defrauding the voters who had elected Alexis, and not Ric, to the position. When the mayor caved and wanted to reinstate Alexis to handle the case, Diane stated that a mother prosecuting, or not prosecuting, her child was perhaps even worse than a lenient charge being brought against her in exchange for sexual favors.

Special D.A. Scott Baldwin, a man Jason could not stand, was brought in to handle the case. He gleefully took it, with the full intention of somehow trying to twist it around on Sonny and Jason because of Sam's former involvement with the two men. But Diane was too good and she blocked every extravagant and extraneous motion and procedure he tried, and forced the man to focus solely on Sam and her criminal actions. And they all came to light, including the information about Angela Monroe and the other aliases she'd used to con men out of their money.

As much as Jason felt a twinge of guilt for putting his ex-fiancée through such a spectacle, he did not back down. Sam had made her choices, beginning with the scams she ran all the way through sleeping with Ric and then hiring someone to come after his child in the park simply because she was upset. He did not feel loyalty towards her after that. Her past relationships with him and Sonny were not going to save her. She had endangered his family. At minimum she wanted to scare Elizabeth away; at worst she wanted someone to fire a shot and someone to get hurt. If it happened to be his child, then it would have been acceptable because it was not Sam's daughter and therefore she no longer cared.

That was why despite the high priced attorney Alexis had hired to defend her daughter, Sam was going to be convicted. Jason was not going to let anyone get away with threatening his family. No matter who they were. And that was also why Jason was here, after hours, at the Pentonville Prison where Sam was being held without bond while awaiting her trial. She had been combative during the trial and had attempted to escape once already, the judge had ordered her removed from the PCPD lockup and held in a more secure facility. Some of the guards at the prison were on Sonny's payroll and tonight Jason could slip in to see Sam, the lone occupant on this particular wing of the cell block, and nobody would ever find out.

She was lounging on her cot when he approached her. A single, stark light bulb was on overhead and she had her arm flung over her face to block out the light. When he stopped outside her cell, she lifted her arm slightly to peek at what she no doubt believed was the guard.

"Ja-Jason?" she slowly sat up, leaning back on her hands to stare at him. "Why are you here?"

"To discuss a few things."

She pushed herself off her cot and strode towards the bars with fury. "What? To explain to me how you and Sonny could turn on me? To explain to me that none of the things we shared matter any more? Not when you have your precious Elizabeth and your baby?"

"You went after my child," he growled at her. "You hired men to confront my family in the park with loaded weapons where anything could have happened. The men you hired, they said you told them you didn't care what happened as long as Elizabeth and I got the message. They said you first approached them to kidnap Hailey, and that if the first incident in the park wouldn't work, you were keeping that option open."

He leaned close to the bars, his eyes narrowing lethally. "Nothing in the past will ever make up for that."

"It wasn't like that, Jason," she tried to plead with him. "I wasn't thinking right. I was hurt and I was angry and I was in a bad place. I didn't want anything to happen to your daughter."

"As long as Elizabeth and I stayed away from each other, right?" When she swallowed and looked down he knew he had part of her motive. She would do anything to keep him separated from Elizabeth, including threatening her children and making it seem like it was one of Jason's enemies. "Well, you'll be unhappy to learn that your plan didn't work. I spend more time than ever with my family, and Elizabeth and her children are spending more time at my penthouse. It didn't work, Sam."

"It may not have worked now," she said scornfully at him. "But eventually she'll run from you. She always runs from you. That's what Carly told me. Elizabeth thinks she can handle your life, but sooner or later the reality becomes too much for her and she runs. You think it's great that she's letting you spend all this time with your daughter? Well, enjoy it while it lasts, Jason. Because Elizabeth will always run, and then you'll be left alone."

She paused and then tilted her head to the side and said, "And if you thought this plan was bad, then you have no idea what's coming next."

When the guard opened the door to admit Emily, Elizabeth stiffened when she realized her friend wasn't alone. Nikolas had come along today. Holding Hailey close to her, Elizabeth eyed the couple, torn between delight to see her friend, and apprehension over Lucky's brother's presence.

"Aun' Emily!" Cameron cried out, breaking the uneasy tension settling over the room.

"Cam," she responded, bending down to accept the little boy's hug. "How are you?"

"Good," he replied, dipping his head shyly. "You wanna see my new train? Mommy got it for me after I saw the doctor."

Emily stood, holding Cameron on her hip and said, "I would love to see your new train. Let's go do that while Nikolas talks to your mommy."

Elizabeth shot her friend a look, pleading for her to stay and also angry over the ambush and desertion, but Emily pretended not to see it. Instead she smiled at her nephew and carried upstairs and out of sight. Elizabeth shifted, bouncing Hailey slightly as she swayed side to side and licked her lips while looking at the man she'd met as a teenager.

"I-I wasn't expecting to see you here today."

"I can understand that," Nikolas acknowledged with a nod. He gestured towards the couch and asked, "Would you prefer to sit down?"

"Hailey likes movement," she shook her head, continuing to sway.

The man across from her nodded and then remained on his feet as well. Always polite. He sighed and said, "I know that things between us are somewhat strained, and that's my fault, Liz. I knew that Lucky was cheating on you and I knew that he was doing drugs, and I knew that you were planning on leaving him. I understood all that, even when I felt bad for my brother that he wouldn't be around his child very much."

Nikolas paused and rubbed his hand over his jaw. "Then the truth came out about Hailey. Lucky wasn't the father; Jason Morgan was. I know...I know that Luke and Bobbie and Lulu haven't made things easy on you."

She shrugged her eyebrows and then looked away.

"Alright," he conceded, "they seemed to go out of their way to make things difficult on you. They told you that you needed to be with Lucky, that you needed to save him and I...I remained silent. I may not have told you that you owed Lucky like Luke and Lulu did, but I didn't speak up and try to defend you."

"Lulu's your sister," Elizabeth said softly as she shook her head. "And Lucky's your brother. I understood."

"Just because they're my family doesn't mean they were right. Lucky hurt you, and the rest of the Spencers weren't much better. It wasn't your responsibility to fix Lucky, it was just easy for Luke to say that because he's always been a terrible father and has always abandoned his children. Lulu's young, and she doesn't understand everything despite thinking she does, and she had no right to say the things to you that she did. And I could have stepped up and said something, and I apologize for not doing so."

"It's alright, Nikolas," she told him. "It's not your responsibility to keep the Spencer family in line when they act like..."

"Overgrown adolescents?" he said with a slight smile.

"Something like that."

"I also haven't made things easy on Emily, even though it wasn't intentional," he continued with a sad shake of his head. "She was surprised at the truth, just like everyone else. But she was very excited that her brother was going to be a father, and she adores her niece and I...I've unintentionally made her feel like she couldn't talk about Hailey so that she didn't upset me."

When Elizabeth was about to speak, Nikolas held up his hand to stop her, "She and I have worked that out. That's why I came today. I...I was hoping that I could - even though it's a little late - maybe get the chance to know my friend's daughter? To meet my fiancée's niece. Lucky isn't our only connection and I'm sorry if I made you feel like it was, or that I would choose family over friendship."

"I don't think we have to choose sides," Elizabeth suggested. "But you're right, our friendship isn't just about Lucky."

"No," he agreed. "But I'm sorry for losing track of that."

He rubbed his palms together and then said uneasily, "I'm also sorry about Sam. I know I'm not responsible for her, but she is my cousin and I'm sorry for what she did in the park. I can't believe that she hired someone to go after children with guns. I thought about Emily being in that park and how she could have been hurt if she'd already joined you, and I just...I can't condone anyone acting like that."

"I know, Nikolas," she assured him. "You aren't responsible for Sam's actions, any more than Alexis is. I appreciate you coming here, and I also appreciate you not trying to protect her."

"No," he shook his head. "She...it's hard on my aunt, but I think the best thing for everyone is for Sam to go to prison and be gone for a little while."

Elizabeth hoped she was gone forever, but didn't say that to her friend. Regardless of Nikolas not agreeing with or covering up her actions, Sam was still his cousin.

"So would you like to meet Hailey?" she asked, blatantly attempting to change the subject.

He smiled and nodded his head, "I would be honored to meet your daughter."

Walking over to him, she handed Hailey to her friend, and then finally felt relaxed enough to sit on the couch. Once Nikolas had a grasp on her little girl, he sat down as well, bringing Hailey up to rest against his shoulder. He rubbed his hand over her back and truly did look happy to hold the little girl. After a few minutes, he readjusted Hailey and smiled as he looked at her.

"She's a beautiful baby, Liz," he complimented. "She has some of your features, but I think her eyes are lighter like Jason's."

"I think so as well," she agreed, smiling with maternal pride at her little girl who was continuing to grow and thrive.

"I, uh..." Nikolas licked his lips and let out a sigh. "I was hoping that Jason might be here because I...I wanted to speak with him. I-I've found something out about Sam...and I think he needs to know about it."

"Are you seriously asking me this?"

Jason stood in Carly's living room, hands tucked into his pockets as she paced in front of him. Looking over at Jax who stood quietly on the other side of the room near the fireplace, she looked back at him and said, "Jason, how could you even think that I would help Sam? I can't stand Sam."

"But you can't stand Elizabeth more," he stated plainly. "You've always hated her since the winter she helped me get better and you'd slept with Sonny. She wouldn't let you intimidate her and you could sense even then, maybe even before I did, just how much I cared for her. You were threatened, and you've always felt threatened by her, and now she gave birth to my child. You encouraged me to stay with Sam, to not break up with her just because she slept with Ric. You hate Ric, Carly, and yet you just expected me to forgive Sam because you knew the alternative was being with Elizabeth. Isn't that why you just assumed she was having Lucky's baby because she was still at the hospital?"

"Why else would she have been there?" the blonde questioned.

"Because she's not you," Jason said on a low growl. "She doesn't view her children as a way to get money out of people. She doesn't quit her job just because she's pregnant and want to sit around all day eating ice cream, and she doesn't go from rich husband to rich husband expecting them to support her, and she doesn't beg her friends to buy them fur coats just because she didn't grow up with money and wants to act like she's more than she is."

Carly stepped back, blinking rapidly as his anger-fueled barbs hit home. "Jason."

"Isn't that why you came running to happily tell me that Elizabeth wasn't pregnant with my child?" he continued. "Unlike you, Elizabeth is responsible. She knew that there were patients depending on her, and she did her job. Besides, why would she say anything to anybody before she'd had a chance to speak to me?"

"Because I'm your friend and I deserved to know," she insisted tearfully.

"Just like you deserved to take potshots at her?" he asked. "Attack her after the truth came out, come to her work and insult her, tell her that she was nothing to me but an incubator for my baby and that I didn't want anything to do with her? Is that the reason why you harassed her the day she went into the hospital with high blood pressure and put my baby at risk? Isn't that why you came to the hospital and tried to get me to leave my family so I could come and sit around with yours? Because you're my friend and that excuses everything?"

He angrily whipped his hand out of his pocket and sliced it through the air, "Well it doesn't. You are so jealous of Elizabeth that you can't see straight. What did you tell me when the truth came out, Carly?"

He saw her anxiously look over at Jax and tried to cut him off, "Jason. I was upset that she'd lied to you."

"You said that we should have had a child," he hissed at her. "That Elizabeth's baby should be yours."

"We were raising Michael together," she desperately tried to salvage the situation. "If Robin hadn't blown his life apart by telling A.J. the truth, we could have gotten married; we could have had other children. That's the way it should have been."

Jason shook his head at her and then said, "That's why I asked if you had anything to do with Sam and the men she hired to come after Elizabeth in the park. I know how your mind works, Carly. You would think that you were somehow helping me. That you'd scare Elizabeth off since you think that she's wrong for me or that she can't handle my life and then you'd come help me get custody of my daughter and then you'd come over to help me raise her and you'd get live the fantasy of us having a child together."

"You don't pretend, Jason," Carly shook her head. "And you don't make things up. So this wild theory must be Elizabeth's creation. She wants to poison you against me. She wants to force you to get me out of your life, by any means necessary, so that she's isolated you. Because she knows that one day you'll realize that whatever feelings you think you have for her were just because of the baby and she'll lose you. She wants to make sure she's the most important person in your life by being the only person in your life and she thinks she can do that by making you turn against me with these ridiculous thoughts that I would help Sam threaten your child."

"Elizabeth doesn't know what Sam told me," Jason informed her. "I just told her that Sam mentioned something that I needed to look into. She doesn't know that Sam told me things that the two of you talked about, things about Elizabeth. So I'm going to ask you one more time, Carly...did you work with Sam to come up with a way to scare Elizabeth out of my life?"

"No," she insisted plaintively, her hands reaching towards him but he stepped back. "I wouldn't do something like that to you, Jason. I wouldn't put your child at risk like that."

"Maybe you didn't know that the kids would be in the park," he said. "Maybe you thought that the gunmen would just go after Elizabeth."

"I wasn't working with Sam," Carly said, her voice rising in pitch. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Because I know how you think, Carly. I've seen your great plans before and I've seen, and experienced, the damage caused by them because you don't think things through and you don't look beyond the results you want. I remember you pulling a gun on Tony Jones in court and getting sent to a mental facility, I remember being arrested for kidnapping the child you begged me to claim, I remember you trying to get Sonny to make a deal with the Feds so why wouldn't you think that you could scare Elizabeth out of my life and not think that the men might come after her when she had Cameron and Hailey with her?"

"But I didn't do it," the blonde shook her head. "I didn't. I don't know why you keep thinking that I did."

"Because I know how you hate Elizabeth and how you have badmouthed her and insulted her and fought with me every time I've asked you to stop," he pointed out. "You wanted me to leave her and Hailey in the hospital and come have dinner with you and the boys because you said they missed me."

"They did, and you needed to take care of yourself. You couldn't spend all your time in the hospital."

"Then how come you never thought to invite Elizabeth?" he asked her quietly. "She's Hailey's mother, and she was spending even more time at the hospital. If you were so genuinely concerned about me, then you would have thought beyond your own selfish desires for once in your life and you would have thought about the mother of my child. But you didn't, and you never will, and that's why I won't just believe you no matter how many times you claim you're my friend and you only want the best for me."

Carly was about to respond, to try to plead her case more, but he silenced her as his phone began to ring. Pulling it from his pocket he said that it was his penthouse line and knew that Elizabeth was there waiting for Emily to visit. He turned away from Carly and flipped open his phone, "Hello?"

"Jason," Elizabeth said slightly uneasily. "I...listen I hate to bother you, but Nikolas came with Emily today."

"Did he bother you?" he immediately asked, tensing at the thought of Cassadine going over there to attack her on behalf of the Spencer family.

"No," she assured him. "He...he actually said he wanted to talk to you. He said it was about Sam."

Jason swallowed, surprised by the message Elizabeth passed along, and then nodded into the phone. "Is he still there?"

When she said that he was, Jason turned for Carly's front door and said, "Alright. I'll be right there. Tell him not to leave."

He was sitting in the dark when the door opened and the room's occupant returned, dropping his belongings in a sloppy homecoming ritual. Jason waited until the other man was reaching for the light switch and then turned on the lamp beside him. Lucky Spencer spun around, his hand reaching for where his service revolver would have been if the man was still a police officer. Instead, he ended up staring down the barrel of Jason's gun.

"Welcome home, Lucky," he said quietly. "You and I need to have a talk."

"You're breaking and entering, Morgan," the other man said defiantly. "Who do you think the PCPD will believe, you or me, when I call them?"

"You won't call," Jason shook his head. "Because the phone lines are down and your cell phone service has been disabled."

"What do you want?"

Jason stood slowly, keeping the gun trained on Elizabeth's ex-husband and said, "You and I need to talk about Sam, and how you were planning to help her."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the younger man shook his head, but a tremor of fear had entered his voice.

"I'm talking about you going to visit Sam at prison," he stated. "Your brother was very helpful when he told me about the aliases you and Luke use. You visited Sam several times. You called her, before and after she sent those men after Elizabeth and the children in the park. And once I knew what to look for, I found out you've been shopping around, looking for certain skills."

Lucky looked like he was going to deny it for a moment, then he shut his mouth and just glared at Jason. The enforcer took a step forward, never lowering his weapon.

"You and Sam wanted someone to take another go at the kids; you also said you didn't particularly care if the baby was hurt or taken." His jaw clenched so hard his head hurt. They were once again going after his family, and especially his daughter and Jason wanted to snap the other man's neck with his bare hands.

"So what was the plan?" he asked. "Our daughter goes missing or gets killed, Elizabeth leaves me, I wind up alone and you step in to help Elizabeth get over her loss? Or was it all about payback with you like it was for Sam?"

"Hailey should be mine," Lucky growled out. "That should be my daughter. We were going to name her for my mother. But you had to steal Elizabeth from me."

"I didn't steal her," Jason said dismissively. "You cheated on her, you were doing drugs and you're too much of a little boy to take responsibility for your own actions. You publicly accused Elizabeth, at her work, of having an affair with a colleague, while you were the one cheating on her."

"She can never keep her legs closed," Lucky spat and Jason wondered if his rehab had taken this time or if the man was once again back on drugs. Or if he was that hateful towards Elizabeth whenever she didn't do what he wanted.

"And you can never keep it in your pants," he countered. "At least we didn't sleep together in your bed. But that's not really the point, Lucky. The fact is, you were working with Sam, to hurt Elizabeth by hurting her children. You were going after my children. And that's something you don't walk away from."

"What are you going to do to me, Morgan?" the other man taunted. "Kill me? The cops will come after you and I may not be on the force, but I'm still one of them. You're a killer; everyone knows that. They'll lock you up and then what happens to Elizabeth? I'm not the only one Sam's working with."

"I know," Jason admitted. Based on the information Nikolas had given him about Sam and Lucky, Jason and his men had done digging. And uncovered a lot of evidence. This was only his first stop tonight. "But you were the most dangerous, because you're the stupidest. You think Elizabeth is something you own and any time she stands up for herself, or doesn't go along with you, you lash out and you hurt her. I'm going to break your hold on her."

"If you kill me, she'll hate you," Lucky insisted.

"I'm not going to kill you," he shook his head. "Your mother is crazy and locked up in a mental hospital. You have her blood running through your veins. I think it's time you visited her. I'm sure you'll enjoy your time together, as you're in rooms next to each other."

"What?" Lucky asked in confusion, moments before Jason placed the gun against his head.

With his free hand, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the syringe. The medicine would mimic the catatonic state that Laura Spencer was in, inability to speak, inability to move or sometimes even blink, but Lucky Spencer's brain would still be functioning. He would be able to hear everything around, feel everything done to him, but he wouldn't be able to speak. The doctors and nurses Jason was bribing at the hospital Nikolas would ensure Lucky was committed to would keep him in his drugged state until Jason told them otherwise. And Lucky would be out of their lives.

Jason's second stop of the night didn't last very long. Ric Lansing may have been Sonny's brother, but after Jason told the other man what the lawyer had been up to, he finally withdrew his protection. The younger man suspected it was all part of Sonny's efforts to make up for all the hurt he'd done earlier, and also because he had finally seen his brother would never change or rehabilitate himself. And given the fact that he was trying to hurt Elizabeth had probably gone a long way to fueling Sonny's anger. It seemed he'd finally remembered and seen all the hurt that Ric did to women, from Carly and Courtney to Elizabeth and now children. Sonny was disgusted, and Jason was grateful this hadn't turned into a battle.

Killing him with carbon monoxide to make his death look like an accident had felt a little unsatisfactory, but Jason understood the greater purpose. While he would have loved to have beaten Ric to death for all the devastation and destruction the other man had wreaked on the people in his life, he knew it was more important that there not be anything that could link the lawyer's death to him. He needed to be there for his family, and Elizabeth did not need to see him on trial for the murder of her ex-husband.

A little booze poured down the other man's throat, a little fast metabolizing, untraceable drug ensured that Lansing would never wake up. The alcohol would also give a plausible reason why he'd been heavily asleep and hadn't roused or head the weak CO alarm or respond to neighbors knocking on his door when their alarms detected a problem in the building. Ric Lansing would be discovered dead, and unable to cause any more pain to anyone.

Jason's last stop of the night was the one he was looking forward to least. It was not going to be pleasant for anyone, but he wanted to get it over and get home to Elizabeth and the children. Perhaps he should be more concerned about his desire to hold his daughter and the woman and little boy that he loved when he had blood on his hands fresh from a killing, but he reasoned he was doing this for them. He was doing all of this to make sure the three people most important to him were safe.

"Jason," Jax said in partial surprise, partial annoyance in response to the knocking on the door. It was late, the family could have been asleep, but Jason didn't see any reason to put this off until morning.

"I need to speak to Carly," he said without preamble and waited just long enough for the other man to step out of the way before pushing into the room.

"Jason?" the woman in question asked as she came down the stairs, tying the sash on her robe. "What are you doing here?"

"I know that you weren't working with Sam to hire the men who came after Elizabeth and the children in the park," he told her.

"I told you that," she said in pointed vindication. "I wouldn't do that to your daughter."

"No, you wouldn't want her kidnapped or possibly hurt," he agreed with a short bob of his head. "At least not physically. But you still don't care about her emotionally."

Carly furrowed her brows at him. He'd gone from agreeing to accusing and she was no doubt ready to start denying and defending herself. To stop her before she could start, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper he'd taken from the one file he'd taken from Ric's apartment.

"You don't want my daughter hurt, you just want her mother out of her life," he said in a low, tight voice. "Sam called you from prison; I saw it on the prison logs."

"I didn't go to visit her," Carly insisted emphatically.

"I know," he agreed. "But you did meet with Ric when he came over shortly afterwards."

She swallowed and he could read her guilt plain on her face.

"He taped you, Carly, and you probably didn't even know. And he transcribed all your conversations. See, you may not have helped Sam hire the men in the park, but you did help her. Every time you opened your mouth to badmouth Elizabeth, you helped Sam. You would say things, reveal just enough, or give Sam just enough hope to think that without Elizabeth around, I might get back together with her. You could have been thinking I'd get together with you, I don't know. But what I do know, is you agreed to help Ric in his case against Elizabeth."

"No, I didn't," she lied badly.

"You once told Elizabeth that you would make sure that I got to raise my daughter. That you knew enough about Elizabeth to ensure that she would be declared unfit to raise a child. If Cameron was lucky, he might go to Audrey Hardy, and if he wasn't he'd end up in foster care, but you would make sure that I raised Hailey."

With a flick of his wrist, he rustled the paper in his hand. "And so when Ric showed up, acting with Sam to get Elizabeth declared unfit and thereby casting doubt on her testimony that would convict Sam, you agreed to help him."

"It was for your own good, Jason," she insisted to him, her eyes filling with tears. "And Hailey's. You don't need Elizabeth in your life. You're a wonderful father and you would take care of your little girl and love her and raise her and she would never think she was lacking anything."

"Especially with Aunt Carly there to provide the necessary female influence, right?" he sneered at her. "What about her mother? What about the love and bond and relationship with her mother that she would need to be a vibrant, happy child?"

"She would have you," Carly insisted.

"And you, right?" He shook his head in disgust. "We're done, Carly. You won't testify against Elizabeth, and I'll let you stay with your children. But we're done. Don't call me, don't come by, and don't ever get anywhere near Elizabeth or my children again. I'll see the boys at Sonny's house and I'll do things with them there, but I won't ever come here again."

"You can't mean that, Jason," she said desperately, grabbing for his arm. "You can't mean that. I was just trying to help you."

"I want nothing more to do with you," he told her lethally. "So stay away from me."

Then he walked out the door, leaving Jax to clean up Carly's mess this time, and went home to his family.

Elizabeth looked around the penthouse and twisted her fingers together nervously. It was merely a place, filled with rooms; it shouldn't be causing her to feel like she was about to have a panic attack. She just had to focus. On the positive in life instead of the negative; if she did that, she could get through this.

"I can do this," she whispered to herself in the empty room. "I can do this."

"Elizabeth?"

She spun around, feeling embarrassed and guilty and stared at Jason as he came out of the kitchen holding a bottle of beer. "Jason!"

Her voice was unnaturally high and if he hadn't already been suspicious or concerned, that would have tipped him off that something was the matter. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered, striving to keep her voice even and almost succeeding.

He set his beer down on the desk and came towards her, concern creasing his forehead. "No, you're not," he countered as he reached for her hands. "You're shaking. What's going on?"

"It's-it's nothing," she shook her head.

"It's not nothing if you're shaking like this," he refuted. "What's wrong?"

"I..." She sighed and looked away. "I'm trying to conquer the penthouse."

There was silence and then Jason asked, "What?"

Looking at him from the corner of her eye she said, "I'm trying to conquer my feelings about the penthouse. I figure I just need to confront them and tell myself they're baseless and move on."

He brought her over to the couch and she didn't resist as he urged her to sit. "Okay...I'm obviously missing something here. So start at the beginning."

"I've been thinking," she began, not able to look at him. Instead, she focused on their hands. "You said that things were better now. That you took care of the people Sam was working with that were trying to hurt me and Hailey."

"Yeah," he answered slowly.

"And so...and so the reason why we were staying twenty-four/seven at the penthouse doesn't exist anymore, right?" She chanced a glance up at him. "We could move back to our house if we wanted."

She saw him shutting down and he answered, "If that's what you want."

"The problem is," she began. "I don't know what I want."

The confusion was back and he tilted his head in question. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I love you, Jason. I have for a very long time; I knew I loved you even before I knew Hailey was actually yours. But I didn't want to tell you that because I thought you loved Sam. I knew you loved her. You got back together with her after she slept with Ric and you were trying to make it work, you were trying to have a baby with her. When you asked me to marry you, it wasn't about love or any of the feelings I had for you...it was for convenience, it was for the baby and it would have been a wonderful fantasy to marry you and pretend that you loved me. But I knew it wouldn't be true. That's why I said no. I couldn't...I couldn't do that to myself or our child to accept something so profound as marriage."

"I understand," he said softly. "I didn't make very good offers."

"They were wonderful offers and I knew you would treat me with respect, and that you would love our baby and that you would love Cameron and not treat him differently," she shook her head at him. "It's just...I wanted you to ask me to marry you because you loved me, because you couldn't imagine living your life without me and I knew that wasn't why you were asking. And I just...I couldn't quite bring myself to compromise my wants, or ask you to give up what you really wanted all because you thought you should do something honorable."

When he went to speak, she held up her hand to ask him to stay silent. "And then to find out that it wasn't all about Hailey, that you actually had feelings for me...I can't tell you how my heart was touched by that. And so...I love being here with you, because I love you. And I love watching you with my children. You don't differentiate between them. You make Cameron feel like he's wanted, that he's special and he doesn't feel like you put up with him just because you have to. He is so excited when you come home. He'll do something during the day and then he'll say, 'I can't wait to tell Jason.'"

Her eyes filled with tears and she dashed the ones that escaped away with her fingertips. "I...to see my son genuinely loved...Jason, I can't even describe what that does to me."

"He told me he loves me," Jason admitted. "He said he's glad Hailey's a baby right now and she shares me because she doesn't understand. I told him that even when she's older, he'll still have me."

"Oh, Jason," she said, her voice watery at the further proof of how good Jason was with her son and strengthening her love for him. "And Hailey...you are such an amazing father. I already had Cameron and I know things, but I still learn how to be a better parent by watching you. And I think...how can I take that away from you by leaving?"

Elizabeth's throat burned and she looked down, regretful for what she was going to say next. "But there are times, Jason...when I hate the penthouse."

"What?"

"It's not the bulletproof glass or the guards or the security system, because I have those at the house. Sometimes the bad memories overwhelm me here. I look around and I see some stupid mistakes on my part, walking out on you instead of letting you explain after Sonny's fake death, lying to you instead of telling you the truth about Hailey, walking out of here and going back to Lucky after we spent an amazing night together that created our child. And there's pain from you as well, telling me to leave when I came to tell you Emily had made it through the night and..."

She shook her head, trying to not get dragged down by the negative. "I tell myself that it's just a place, that it doesn't matter that you lived here with other people, or the things we said to each other. What matters is us being together, watching the children grow and be happy and sometimes...sometimes I think I almost have it. And then sometimes I want to run and never see this place again because I don't want all the past anymore."

Unable to sit, she got up and paced away from Jason, not looking at him. "I know you want to be with Hailey, that you want to be there for all the little things and not just for a couple of hours a day or on weekends. And I want you have that Jason, I do. I know how much it means to you because I can see it. And the children...Cameron and Hailey are thriving here. They've adjusted so well, especially Cameron who's bounced around so much. He..."

She trailed off, a flash of something coming to her. Jason got up off the couch and came towards her. "Elizabeth?"

"When I had my accident New Year's Eve and you found me..." Looking over at the couch she leaned against the pool table. "When I was unconscious I had these dreams, I guess you could call them. When I thought of being with Lucky, he was still on drugs and openly flaunting his relationship with Maxie in my face and leaving me with the care of Cameron and the baby and he didn't care, he said I'd take him back because I always did. My subconscious was telling me what I'd face if I kept living the lie. With you...we were sitting on the couch and you were reading Cameron a story and I was as big as a whale still pregnant, but you..."

She blushed and looked away from Jason's gaze. They hadn't slept together since Hailey was born, despite the kisses, despite saying they loved one another. It's not that she didn't think he wanted to, it's just that timing or the mood wasn't right and so she often fell asleep in his arms, but there was nothing more. How could she tell him that they were married and he picked her up in his arms and took her upstairs where he tucked her into bed?

"Elizabeth?" he asked, curiosity lacing his voice.

"You still thought I was beautiful and you were loving," she said in a rush and hoped he would let the subject drop. "My subconscious wanted a life with you and these past few weeks...they've been like that dream. You read to Cameron and help tuck him into bed. You take Hailey when I'm at my wits' end trying to get her to sleep."

She took a deep breath and then finally let herself be completely honest. "I don't want to leave you."

"Then don't," he said, stepping in front of her and taking her hand. "Don't leave me, because I don't want you to. I want you and our children to be here, to feed and put to bed and talk to you and love you...Elizabeth, I love you. I love you so much."

"I know," she whispered.

"So don't leave me," he repeated. "Let's leave this place."

"Jason," she protested, even though her heart was telling her to accept it. "I couldn't ask you to leave the penthouse. I know that logistically, this is the best place. The house you found me isn't really big enough for all of us."

"You didn't ask me," he countered. "I can see how much this affects you. You would stay here if I asked you, but I'd always worry now if you were hiding it from me if you were unhappy. We can find a different place. It's not like this is the only place the guards can secure. Sonny has a house."

"Sonny has a mausoleum," she wrinkled her nose. "We don't need a place like that."

"Then we find a place that right's for us," Jason insisted. "A place with room for Cameron to run around in, and space where he can escape when he gets older and he doesn't want his baby sister constantly at his side. A place for the pool table and your art. Somewhere we can secure but where the kids don't feel like they're trapped all the time."

He took her hands in his, twining their fingers together and brushing his thumbs across her skin. Slowly, his hands traveled up her arms, a gentle friction following in their wake. They rested lightly on her shoulders for a moment, before sliding under her hair as he drew her closer to let his lips lightly caress hers. Then his hands cupped her jaw, his thumbs once more gliding over her skin in a gentle rhythm.

"A place where our family can grow," he said, his voice dropping to a husky note. "If we decide we want more children. Children that would join our daughter, and our son."

Her stomach clenched at the unexpected words.

"I want to marry you, Elizabeth," he told her. "Because I love you, and I want you with me every day for the rest of my life. Because I want the world to know that this isn't just about our daughter, that I love you. I want to give Cameron my name, to let him know that he's not just sharing me, that I'm his father, too. I want that life with you, Elizabeth, and I want you to have the house that you want. A house where our family will be happy and loved."

He looked at her, the truth and love shining from his eyes overwhelming her. "Will you?" he asked. "Will you marry me?"

Her heart was caught in her throat and tears flowed from her eyes and she could only manage to nod until she could finally free her voice to answer, "Yes."

Love was an electric fence.

Emily laughed at Elizabeth when she said that, but the mother of two had been quite serious. Because the electric fence, set inside the property line of the house she and Jason picked out, so that trees could be cleared on either side of it and cameras set up to keep anyone from approaching the house, couldn't actually be seen from the house. Cameron and Hailey had a big back yard with plenty of grass to run and play and grow in. There were trees where squirrels played, birds nested and rabbits hopped. There was even a tree that Cameron had decided was perfect for a fort; he and Jason were already going over plans of how to make it. The fence guarded and protected them all, but it didn't overpower the property like Sonny's giant wall fence surrounding his home.

The house was open and spacious, even if it was guarded better than Fort Knox. Nothing had been spared, nothing had been left undone. There were multiple exits from the house, guards constantly on the premises even though they were completely unobtrusive, and surveillance equipment that covered all aspects of the property. Elizabeth felt safe here, and she knew that Jason felt the same way.

But the house also felt like a home. The walls were bright, cheery colors. Cameron's bedroom was painted and decorated how the little boy wanted it, and Hailey was in danger of being spoiled rotten given the amount of baby paraphernalia that now occupied her room. Toys sat in baskets in every room, even Jason's study where he conducted business. Cameron was told that when the door was closed, he needed to stay out, but when Jason was in there working on the ledgers for the warehouse or approving a shipping plan, he left the door open and always made time for their son if he wandered in looking for his Daddy Jason.

There was no longer a pool table in the dining room, and there was a part of Elizabeth that missed it. But in its place was a table where they sat down and ate dinner together as a family whenever Jason was home. He often tried to be there for dinner and bedtime, so the table was being put to good use. Jason's pool table was located in the game room, where board games lined the shelves on the wall and Lego tables ensured that the children could enjoy their time there as well. Elizabeth had an art studio in a corner of the house where two walls full of windows gave her plenty of natural light. She had already started on a portrait of Jason and the children to give him as a present.

"Hey," a soft voice broke through her thoughts. "Are you ready?"

Elizabeth turned to look at Emily and nodded while blinking valiantly to keep from crying. "More than ready."

"You look beautiful, Elizabeth," her friend said as she stepped forward to adjust the flowers woven into Elizabeth's hair that had been pulled loosely back. "You have everything, right? Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?"

"Right down to the penny in my shoe," Elizabeth laughed. "Gram loaned me her earrings, Monica gave me a necklace that used to be Lila's and said she wanted me to keep it, the dress is new and we'll not mention the blue you gave me since Cameron is over there playing in the corner."

"Then you're set," her maid of honor declared. "Let's go get you married to my brother."

Jason had told Elizabeth that if she wanted a wedding at a church, then that's what they would have. He should have known she would reject the suggestion. When they picked out their house, she had fallen in love with the backyard immediately. At first, all Jason saw was the nightmare of the woods and how best to ensure that nobody approached the house. When he told her that he wanted to put up an electric fence inside the perimeter of the property and clear trees on either side of it, she merely kissed him on the cheek and told him that if that's what they needed to make things safe, then he could do what he needed to. As long as it didn't spoil the beauty of the backyard.

He thought she meant for the children to play in. He should have realized she had something else in mind. Once the house was paid for and signed and he began working on security plans with the guards, she began working on wedding plans with his sister. She wanted to be married in their backyard. He didn't particularly care where they were married, but he could sense this was important to her. So he signed the checks and made sure there was plenty of security, and let her plan the moment that their family would finally come together.

It wasn't gaudy or over-the-top. It was simple in its elegance and beauty. She even told him that he didn't have to wear a tie if he didn't want to. He put one on for her.

As he stood near the priest, waiting for Elizabeth to emerge from the house, Jason looked at the small group of family and friends and didn't feel like he wanted to crawl out of his skin. There might be less people here than he felt Elizabeth deserved, but he knew that in the end, she was happy with those who were here. But only he was aware of what had happened to some of those who weren't in attendance, and who would never bother his family again.

Sam had been attacked inside the prison and was barely clinging to life in the prison infirmary. It was going to be a shame when she slipped away, just like it was a shame when she'd been shanked. Jason had only been able to stand and gape at Sonny as the older man calmly related all that he had ordered. While she had had at one time been pregnant with Sonny's child, the mobster had said that nothing protected her from the retaliation she deserved for what she had tried to do to Elizabeth and their children. She would never again bother the Morgan family.

Because Jax was still married to Carly, he had forcibly committed her due to her erratic and out of control behavior. She had been certain that Jason would come to his senses and forgive her. The day she read the engagement announcement in the Herald she had flown into a fit of rage that had scared Michael and Morgan. After discussing it with Sonny, the Australian businessman had decided it was for the best if Carly was treated for exhaustion at an exclusive clinic in the Alps. The boys were now living with Sonny while their mother got better.

Jason wasn't always sure how he felt about what had happened to the two women who had once played very important roles in his life, but as the music changed and the guests stood, he let all those thoughts drift away. He had other things to focus on. Like his family walking down the aisle towards him.

Elizabeth had felt it was very important that not only were she and Jason married, but that the entire family came together. That was why Cameron, in a tuxedo he was already threatening to grow out of due to a recent growth spurt even though he'd only been measured for it a couple of weeks ago, was the person escorting Elizabeth down the silk covered ground. He was holding her hand, looking wide-eyed at all the people under the white awning, and at times she was leading him, but they arrived in front of Jason side by side.

Hailey was both their flower girl and Elizabeth's bouquet. In lieu of a traditional arrangement, Elizabeth had opted for flowers woven into her hair, and carried Hailey clad in a pale yellow dress with brightly colored flowers embroidered directly onto the cloth. Their little girl had grown so big it was sometimes hard to remember the days when she'd lain in an isolette in the NICU department. She smiled brightly at the audience, her blue eyes that mirrored his grandmother's staring in rapt attention at her parents.

Cameron stood in front of Jason and Elizabeth held Hailey as the priest began the ceremony. It was only when it came time to exchange the rings did Aunt Emily step forward to hold her niece and draw Cameron to her side. Sonny fulfilled his duties as best man by handing the rings to the priest to be blessed before Jason finally slipped it onto Elizabeth's finger. When she put the metal band around his own, he swallowed roughly as a feeling of completeness settled over him.

He had searched for this, and at times he thought he didn't deserve it. But Elizabeth and their children were now his life. They were a family, and they were finally home.

The End