If all of the strength and all of the courage
come and lift me from this place
I know I can love you much better than this:
Full of grace, full of grace. ~Sarah McLaughlin

"Mommy, are we poor?"

Elizabeth felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment as her little boy's question rang through the store in an uncharacteristically loud voice. She looked down, feeling everyone's eyes on her and then crouched down in front of her son and hoped that she could answer her question without invoking the other shoppers' pity or scorn.

"No, Cameron," she said, brushing her hand over her son's curls. "We're not poor."

"But Michael was telling me at school that we're poor, 'cause the only reason I get to go to his school is because you teach there. We wouldn't be able to 'ford it otherwise."

She let out a measured breath and said, "Well, some of that is true. We wouldn't be able to afford the tuition for a private school, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we're poor. We just don't have as much money as Michael's parents do. We have a car, we have an apartment, and we have water, electricity and heat. We also have food to eat, clothes to wear and you have toys to play with. There are people who have a lot less than we do. So, no, we're not poor."

"Then how come I can't get a new scooter like Michael has, or a game system? He told me his uncle is going to get him the newest one for Christmas," her son continued.

It was true that while they weren't poor, they didn't have a lot of money, and Elizabeth wasn't able to buy her son the designer school uniforms like some children had, and she couldn't get him the latest toys whenever he wanted them. It was one of the reasons that she almost hadn't wanted to have Cameron go to the private school where she'd gotten a job; because she knew that the disparity of her single income and the other students' parents' money would be apparent. And she knew that there were plenty of children out there like Michael who were unkind and insensitive and loved to make other people feel inferior based on material wealth.

It broke her heart as a mother to realize that it had finally penetrated Cameron's happy world. They took their lunch to school most days in order to save money. Her son felt awkward pulling his lunch out of his navy blue insulated lunchbox while nearly everyone else around him bought at the catered cafeteria. Elizabeth had bought food on sale, and even skipped her lunch a couple of times simply to be able to save money to finally get Cameron the scooter he'd been asking for. Would her son be able to appreciate that he had his long-desired toy, or would he only be able to focus on the fact that a new game system wasn't sitting under the tree as well? She truly hoped it was the former.

"Come on," she encouraged him with a bright smile. "Let's finish our shopping and then we can stop in the park to get a hot chocolate on the way home."

"Why are we buying someone else a present when we can't afford any?" he asked.

"Because we can afford presents," she told him. "There may not be many, but there will be presents under our tree this year, Cameron, and we're buying a present for someone who doesn't have money to buy even one. This might be the only present this little boy gets this year and we're buying him a present because I want you to think about that. There are children who have a lot less than you do, there are children who ask Santa to bring them oatmeal because their family doesn't have enough food to eat. Can you imagine how happy this little boy will be to open this toy Christmas morning?"

She sent up a silent prayer of gratitude when it seemed like her son finally understood the message she was trying to teach him. He looked at the toys on the shelf in front of him with renewed interest. No longer jealousy that someone else was getting a toy he wasn't going to get, but with a determination to find the very best toy he possibly could for the unknown boy. Finally, with purchase in hand, they straightened and walked to the register to pay for the gift before walking back to the Marines in their dress blue uniforms and giving them the present.

As she passed, she saw Cameron look over and narrow his eyes at Michael who stood beside a tall man in a leather jacket and openly laughed at her son. Elizabeth sent her student an exasperated look, but tugged on Cameron's hand to encourage him to leave the store without creating a scene. If Michael wanted to flaunt his wealth, she wasn't going to engage in a fight with him or the adults around him. Not today.

Jason looked down at Michael and raised his hand to put on his shoulder, glaring down at him as he said, "Don't laugh. It's not polite."

"Come on, Uncle Jason," the little redhead said, "If it wasn't for Miss Webber teaching there, Cameron would never be at my school. Mom even said so. They're too poor to be going there."

Feeling embarrassed and ashamed for his nephew and his friend, Jason reached down and took the toy from Michael's hand before setting it back on the shelf. Then he put his hand back on the boy's shoulder and led him out of the toy store. He couldn't in good conscience buy his nephew a toy. Not today; and maybe that game system he hadn't realized he'd promised Michael wouldn't be showing up under the tree either.

"Uncle Jason," Michael protested angrily. "What are you doing? You said you were going to buy me a present."

"Not today, Michael," he said as he opened the back door for the boy to climb into the SUV. "We're going home."

When they pulled into Sonny's driveway, he was relieved that for once in her life, Carly was on time to pick the boys up from their father's. It must mean she and Jax had plans for the evening and they wanted to spend a few moments with them before sending them upstairs with Mercedes. Michael was still sullen and grumbling under his breath when Jason opened the door and ushered him into the house. Three adults looked up when he slammed open the door to the interior room and then stalked over to the couch and flopped himself down on it. Jason could only sigh and wearily rub his hand over his face as they all turned to look at him in question.

"Michael?" Carly asked hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

"Uncle Jason wouldn't buy me the game at the mall like he promised. He took it out of my hand and made me leave the store," the boy huffed while shooting angry daggers at the traitorous adult.

"Well," she said slowly, turning to look searchingly at Jason. "Then I'm sure he had a good reason. Didn't he?"

"I did," Jason replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "While were at the store, we saw someone from his school there. One of his teachers and her son. The little boy asked his mother if they were poor because Michael has been telling him that he is and that he wouldn't be at Michael's school if his mom wasn't a teacher. He says you told him that, Carly."

She swallowed and darted her eyes away while Sonny sat up straighter in his chair and Jax sighed and put a hand up to his forehead.

"Michael's been telling his classmates that I'm going to buy him the latest game system for Christmas, and that Cameron's mother is too poor to buy him one. They were in the toy store buying a present for Toys for Tots and when they walked out, Michael laughed at his classmate."

"He's not my classmate," the boy declared. "He's the school's charity case. They only let him come 'cause Miz Webber's the teacher. He wears uniforms from Wal-Mart and brings his lunch from home most days. He shouldn't be there."

He looked at his mother and said, "That's what you told me, Mom, after you met her at parent-teacher conferences. You said they should only hire teachers who could actually afford to send their children to the school and stop taking up space with charity cases just to entice single mothers to fill a vacant staff position."

"Let me guess," Jax said, "she's the teacher you swore had it out for Michael because she gave him a C and expected him to do his work instead of bumping his grade up because all of the money we donate to the school."

"Michael only missed a few homework assignments," his wife tried to backtrack. "That was no reason to give him a C. That'll mess up his GPA."

"And that's why you wouldn't buy him the game?" Sonny asked Jason.

When he nodded, the older man ran his hand over his mouth. "I agree. I don't think Michael deserves a new game. In fact, I don't think he deserves a new game system for Christmas."

"Dad!" Michael protested.

Carly was right behind him with a shriek of, "Sonny!"

"No," he shook his head. "Clearly, Michael thinks that material wealth and possessions are more important than doing his homework or even being kind to other people. So I don't think that Michael should have any video games or game systems, or his Nintendo and he should have his computer taken out his room so that we can make sure that he only uses it to do his homework. No cell phone; no texting his friends."

"You can't be serious," Carly said.

"I am," he relied to her. "That's what will be happening when he's at my house. He's not better than anyone else just because we have money and he certainly should not be going around telling other kids they're poor and making them feel bad because they don't have certain things. Apparently we've all spoiled Michael too much."

When Carly opened her mouth to continue, Sonny cut her off by saying, "Michael, please go up to your room. Your mother and I need to discuss this and I want you to take Max and begin packing up your computer upstairs. We'll move it down here."

Once he was gone, Carly turned her angry eyes on her ex-husband. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to prevent my son from growing up to be like the Quartermaines," Sonny stated. "We've let him get away with too much and he thinks he can because he's a Corinthos. Apparently you've let him think that means he's better than anyone else, much like the Quartermaines think they're better. You didn't want him to grow up like that, so why are you raising him that way?"

"That's not what I'm doing," she insisted. When Jax made a noise behind her, she whirled on him to demand, "Is that what you think?"

"He didn't do his homework, Carly," the Australian said. "The teacher wasn't punishing him; she was holding him to the same standard as all the other students. He wasn't meeting them. Why should he be rewarded for that?"

"It-it wasn't that," she tried to say. "I saw her talking to him. Telling him that he couldn't pay someone else to do his homework and I...I didn't want to believe that Michael would be cheating. I was certain she was wrong."

Sonny sighed and said, "I know you want to defend him because he's your son, but we have to be honest about his behavior. This isn't just boys being boys; he's being deliberately mean to someone whose circumstances aren't what ours are now, but more like what we both experienced growing up. Do you really want our son to act like that?"

"No," she shook her head. Turning to look at Jason she said, "You were right to not buy him the toy. Maybe we've indulged him too much and bought him things simply to avoid spending more time with him."

Leveling a finger at him she ordered, "Do not buy him that game system. If he wants it, then maybe he should earn it and see just how much it really costs."

Jason didn't say anything, just raised his eyebrows as he nodded his head. Only Carly could go between such extremes as she just had, but he was glad they no longer had to fight her on this. Michael wasn't a bad kid, but the adults around him had been too indulgent of his behavior. After a few more discussions between the parents, Carly and Jax collected the boys and left, Michael still grumbling but Carly absolutely determined to not back down.

Jason walked over to the couch and sat down, then looked up to find Sonny watching him. "Thank you, Jason."

"It's alright," he shook his head. "I didn't want to be angry; it's just I watched this mother who honestly probably doesn't have much, explain to her child that they weren't poor because they had a car, they had a place to live and food to eat. She wouldn't let her son feel bad and to see Michael laughing at this boy who was buying a gift for someone else when he probably really wanted it..."

"Yeah," his friend sighed. "Taught a lesson by a child. It's kinda humbling, isn't it?"

Then he smiled and said, "You're thinking of going back to the mall, aren't you?"

When Jason looked away Sonny stood and said, "I think I'll go with you. I'm sure the Marines could always use some more things, and I think there's a little boy who would probably really enjoy to open his door Christmas morning and find a game system with his name on it. Since I know you and you've already probably decided to get him one, I'll make sure he has plenty of games to go with it."

If Elizabeth Webber had sat down to plan out her life, she wouldn't have purposefully set out to become a single mother. It wasn't that she believed in sex only in marriage, but she did believe that the act should mean something. Yes, it was pleasurable and yes, it could definitely be fun, but for her to be intimate with someone meant that she had to have a deeper level of commitment to them. She thought she had that with Cameron's father, but she realized in the end that she'd been deluding herself.

Zander Smith had been as fake as his name. The side he showed her was all just a calculated act. She had been wary of him at first; the sudden interest he'd taken in her when he came to town had startled her. Elizabeth wasn't the Webber sister people immediately noticed. She was the one that guys talked to in the hopes of seeing her sister more. She was the one that guys hung out because they needed a source of information about Sarah. She was the one they asked out on pity dates and then suggested they double with her sister and then spent the evening ignoring Elizabeth and paying total attention to Sarah.

So for Zander to come to town and talk to her, Elizabeth automatically suspected he was merely using her as a means to get to her sister. She was cordial to him, coolly polite, but she always tried to end the conversations as quickly as possible. He wondered why, kept pestering her with questions and even when she bluntly told him that she wasn't going to plead his case to her sister and she wasn't interested in being the object of his temporary affections until Sarah became available, he continued to persist in his pursuit of her. He told her he wasn't interested in Sarah, he didn't care about the perfectly polished, hair never out of place, and perfectly bland and boring Sarah Webber. He liked Elizabeth.

He sensed a camaraderie with her. She didn't like following the rules and being good and predictable. She liked to have fun. She liked leather mini-skirts over silk dresses, she knew how to hotwire a car, but she could also go to a museum opening and fit in with the crowd because she was smart and articulate and knew when to be reserved and when to let loose. He liked that about her. That was how he felt.

Even though Elizabeth was flattered by the attention - after all, who wouldn't be considering the number of times she was ignored for Sarah? - she was still cautious. She'd had too many men pretend they were interested in her but dumped her the moment Sarah was no longer attached to her boyfriend of the week. She'd had guys feign interest in her simply because Sarah or Steven asked them to as a favor. She was tired of being the charity case in the family and she was tired of being used and then dropped. She had no desire to open herself up to that kind of pain again with Zander.

Cameron's eventual father didn't let up, though. He didn't go away. He continued to talk to her, he continued to do all he could to show her that he was sincere and honest and wanted to date Elizabeth. He ignored other girls, hung out with Elizabeth even when she flat out ignored him, attended all her art showings during her college career and was there for her graduation - with Honors - when her family forgot to show up. He took her out to dinner, let her vent about her family, and then encouraged her to spread her wings and take a job doing what she wanted. It was the first time she began to think that maybe, just maybe, he really was on her side.

So when she decided to leave town, finding a teaching position as far away from her family as she could and still be in the same state she got her teaching certificate from, she hadn't minded at all when Zander showed up a couple of months later saying he'd applied for a job in her new town so he could be closer to her. He'd missed her and things just hadn't been the same without her around. She'd welcomed the familiar face, letting herself laugh a little freer at his jokes and the next time he asked her out on a date she said yes. From there it was a quick procession to believing she was falling in love with him, feeling like they were connected and working towards a common future together and eventually sleeping with him.

It was only after she found out she was pregnant that she discovered the true side of Zander Smith. Or Alexander Lewis. He'd been after the trust fund half the town's residents thought she had. He'd believed she was an easier mark than her sister. He believed that she'd be easier to convince to marry him, although he'd purposefully poked holes in the condoms just to ensure they were connected by a child, and that she wouldn't insist on a pre-nuptial agreement to protect her assets. They'd get married, he'd stick it out a couple of years, have a child, or maybe two, together, and then find some reason to divorce her. And walk away with half her money.

It was only when he discovered that she didn't have a trust fund, that she wouldn't inherit any money from her parents until they died and even then it would depend on whether her parents were in a good mood when they made their final will, that he showed his true colors. He wasn't going stick around with her for years hoping he'd get something when her parents died. He didn't like her that much. He took off and when Elizabeth tried to inform him about their child's birth, she discovered that the forwarding address he'd given her had been a lie like everything else.

It could have been so easy to break down at that point, but she refused to. Her parents offered to help her, but she knew it would come with a price of constantly hearing how disappointed they were in her choices and how she really should have known better. She'd have to be around Sarah and Steven and see how the perfect children had never fallen or screwed up. In so far as their parents knew.

So Elizabeth told her parents that she would make her own way. She'd support her child and they'd do just fine. She moved out of state, got certified to teach, found an employer who would help offset the costs her getting her masters, and she taught art lessons down at the community center for a few extra dollars while Cameron got to participate for free in the sports programs. She saved whenever she could, did her best to love Cameron and make sure he had everything he needed, and did her best to raise him to be a happy, but responsible, child.

She never heard from Cameron's father, she rarely heard from her family, and she was fine with that. She lived in a small duplex so that Cameron had a little back yard where he could run around in. They could stow his toys back there and not have to drag them up and down numerous flights of stairs whenever he wanted to ride his bike. With her masters degree and the ability to teach art, in addition to social studies, Elizabeth was a bankable commodity. She knew she'd never be rich with brand new cars every couple of years or a summer house or jetting off to foreign countries like her parents had raised her with, but she didn't care about the material things of life.

All she'd ever wanted from her parents was their love. She wanted them to spend time with her and listen to her. She wanted them to accept that she liked art more than medicine and she didn't think she was wasting herself or ruining her life by becoming a teacher. She was able to spend time with Cameron, have dinner with him nearly every night, see him in the morning and make sure he got his homework done. She put his Band-Aids on instead of a maid, and they may not eat filet mignon every night, but they never went to bed hungry.

Accepting the job at Hillcrest Academy had brought in a little extra income that allowed them to move out of their two bedroom apartment six floors up and into the duplex. In the spring, Cameron would really enjoy the backyard when it had actual grass. He'd already been thrilled to be able to build a snowman and not have to leave it behind and discover it had been knocked down the next time he came to the park. And maybe if Elizabeth was lucky, she'd work out a deal with the local art gallery and have some of her paintings put on display there. If she sold one, maybe she'd be able to augment Cameron's school supplies, or maybe she'd get really lucky and have enough money to buy him the game system that he'd finally come to resigned acceptance he wasn't going to get for Christmas.

The week after seeing Michael Corinthos at the toy store, the little boy had been particularly nasty to Cameron. He'd been difficult in class and he'd been one mark away from being sent to the principal's office. As it was, Elizabeth had to send home a discipline form with him one day that had to be signed by him and his parents, because he simply would not listen in her class. The next day, after placing the crumpled and smudged form on her desk at the end of class, he'd gone out to the playground and proceeded to taunt Cameron and call him a baby because the younger boy still believed in Santa Clause.

Cameron had been crushed and humiliated to be called a baby by kids several grades above him, and Elizabeth had done her best to console and comfort him that night. She explained the tradition and spirit of Santa Clause and told him that even though he now knew it was her that bought his gifts from Santa didn't mean that the presents would stop. She still planned to surprise him and she let him know that it was okay to follow traditions even if he now knew the truth. It had also taken every ounce of her professionalism not to retaliate against Michael and punish him simply because he'd hurt her son. She'd corrected his behavior, but tried not to become hyper-critical of him. It was only when he openly disrespected her in class - thereby breaking the Academy's Code of Conduct - that she sent him to the principal and then explained to the boy's father what had taken place.

Mr. Corinthos was a charming man, despite the rumors of his profession, and Elizabeth later looked back with embarrassment on the fact that she'd told the divorced father everything regarding her history with Michael. He confessed that he knew his son had taunted hers and he and his ex-wife had talked with the boy regarding his behavior. He was not happy that it hadn't curbed his arrogance and mean-spiritedness.

So as Elizabeth sat on her couch and stared at the brand-new gaming system that had been delivered To: Cameron; From: Santa on her front step this morning, she had a strong suspicion who exactly Santa was. She had mentioned the game system to Mr. Corinthos, and now here it sat in her living room with a very excited Cameron dancing around exclaiming his joy over the amazing delivery. Even though there was a part of her that just cringed over accepting the present, she knew she couldn't take it away from Cameron. He would be crushed, and she just couldn't do that to her son. He was ecstatic about his scooter and was torn between getting dressed to rush outside and play on it, or staying inside and waiting for Elizabeth to figure out how to hook the game system up to the TV so he could try out the plethora of games that had accompanied the obscenely expensive system.

She wasn't sure what to say to Cameron about this. She certainly couldn't criticize the Good Samaritan who had bequeathed her boy with the toy. But she wanted him to know that these things didn't always happen. That wishing for something didn't always make it come true and there wouldn't always be generous people who made anonymous gift donations of this nature. But she knew that she would find a way, just as she always did and Cameron would do his best to understand, just like he always did.

What she wasn't sure was how to react around Mr. Corinthos the next time she saw him. She didn't think he was trying to bribe her into giving his son better grades. He had been genuinely disappointed in Michael's behavior and told her that he supported her holding his son to the same standards as every other student. Who their parents were did not make one child better, or less accountable, than another. Was it simply just one rich coffee importer buying her son a cherished toy as a way of apology for all the hurt his son had inflicted? Or was there something more? She'd heard the rumors around town of the women that came in and out of Sonny Corinthos' life. He was not married, she was single; was he gifting her son with an expensive present in the hopes of impressing her?

She didn't know what to think, and she didn't know what to say to the man. She didn't want to offend him or anger him, but she didn't want to date him. She also didn't want him to make a habit of buying things for Cameron simply because he had the money. As her heartstrings tugged at the sight of her little boy's amazing Christmas morning, she realized there was one thing the faculty handbook of Hillcrest Academy hadn't covered: How to deal with unexpected gifts from powerful and influential mobsters.

Elizabeth had hoped that with two weeks off from school and whatever trips Michael Corinthos, III might have taken and the presents he would inevitably receive might have tempered the child. She learned just how foolish her thoughts, her hopes had been, on the first day of school. She did not have the boy in her class until after lunch, and when he came in, he was sullen and bordering on outright rude. He did not take out his book like instructed, he sat at his desk and stared blankly past her, and then he turned and began talking to his classmate behind him. Elizabeth used all her training and professionalism she could muster and was firm in her statements to him, but did not resort to pettiness with the youngster.

He kept ignoring her, disregarding the classroom rules and her warnings and then turned and looked directly at her while stating, "I don't have to listen to nobody losers like you."

The class gasped, some students cheered on their classmate and Elizabeth burned with indignation as she walked to her desk and picked up the phone to call the front office. She explained that she needed the principal and vice-principal to deal with a classroom incident and then stood at the front of the room with her arms folded over her chest and waited for the cavalry to arrive. The two administrators arrived quickly and she told the vice-principal he would need to watch her class, she, the principal and Mr. Corinthos needed to talk.

The school staff knew of the increasing disrespect and behavior problems Elizabeth had been encountering with the Corinthos child before the winter break and the two individuals merely nodded their heads and the principal told Michael to collect his books and follow him and Ms. Webber to the office. Once there, the boy was instructed to sit in a chair while Elizabeth explained what happened in class. Because she had never had such a problem before and only Mrs. Corinthos had ever complained against her, she felt that the principal believed her statements and supported her on the matter.

He told her to go back to her classroom and he would speak to Michael and call the child's parents down to the school. She would most likely be called back in at that time.

Confident that the administrators were now handling the situation, she returned to her class and continued on with the day's instructions as if no disruption had taken place. She did her best to put the incident at the back of her mind and maintain order over her students. Things would get worked out; she was confident of Mr. Corinthos' support based on the conversations she'd had with him before the two week break.

However, she'd only been in her classroom for fifteen minutes before the vice-principal returned and said she needed to go to the office. Confused, because there was no way Michael's parents could have arrived at the school that quickly, she was even further shaken when Mr. Shields followed her into the hallway and told her that she needed to go to nurse's office. There had been incident with Michael at P.E. and she needed to be with her son.

It took all her self-control not to run through the corridors and by the time she arrived at the school nurse's office, her heart was in her throat with all sorts of horrible scenarios her mind had come up with. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of her little boy with a split lip, a black eye already forming and blood from his nose still staining his face and his shirt. Her hand gripped the doorframe and tears filled her eyes as continued to assess him and catalog the damages. The torn shirt, the bruises on his legs, the way he held his side...

"What happened?" she whispered.

"He got into a fight with several boys during gym class," the older woman stated. Then she turned back to tending to Cameron and shook her head, "More accurately, several boys beat him up."

"I didn't do anything, Mom," he stated insistently, almost frantically, his eyes wide. "I didn't fight them; I didn't start anything with them."

"Shhh," she soothed him, sitting beside him and taking his hand. "Let Mrs. Crowder take care of you."

"Ms. Webber?"

She looked up to find the principal standing in the doorway, looking at her with a forbidding eye. "Could I talk to you?"

"I'll be right back, Cam," she said softly and gently pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Then she stood and followed Dr. Larson into the hall. "What happened to him?"

"Elizabeth, did Cameron receive a game system for Christmas?" the older man asked, not answering her question.

She frowned slightly, and then said, "Yes."

"Was it from you?"

"No," she shook her head. "Christmas morning just after Cameron and I got up and went out to open presents, someone rang the doorbell. When I opened the door, there was a package sitting on the front step. I stepped outside, but I didn't see anyone; no cars, no delivery trucks, nobody walking away. I looked for a tag and it said 'To: Cameron; From: Santa'. I had no idea who had sent it or what it was so I opened it and discovered it was the new game system every kid has been talking about."

"And you decided to keep it?" the man questioned.

"I had no idea who sent it, how would I return it?" she pressed back. "By then Cameron was so excited that I didn't know how to say no to him. What should I have done, Dr. Larson? Why are you so interested in this game system?"

"When I spoke with Michael Corinthos after you left, he told me that he heard your son talking during lunch time about the game system he'd received. Michael said that he knew who had sent your son the gift," the principal continued on. "He claims that his father gave it to your son."

"I don't know," she stated truthfully. "I'll admit I wondered, because it had come up during my conversations with Mr. Corinthos. I was explaining to him some of the tension and problems I'd been having with Michael and that Cameron had been having as well. But I...I certainly never asked him to buy it. I wouldn't do that. I...I hope you believe..."

The older man sighed and then nodded, "I do, Elizabeth. I don't believe you'd ask someone to buy your son a gaming system. But that's what Michael claims happened and he...he said he was going to teach your son a lesson. Let Cameron know that he couldn't steal from his father like he was stealing from the school."

Elizabeth pressed her lips firmly together in anger, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't have to say anything; she knew it was abundantly clear from her body language that she was upset. Dr. Larson sighed and looked at her regretfully.

"Forgetting, for the moment that I am a teacher here," she began, her voice tightly controlled to not devolve into the fury she felt. "What exactly is going to happen to the students who beat my child?"

"We will be discussing that," he told her. "I'm going to place a call to their parents and have them come down."

"I want my son checked out by a doctor," she stated.

The principal's eyes widened, but then he said, "Alright. I've instructed Judy to call the police since it's school procedure whenever something turns physical."

She nodded in acknowledgement of the statement. It was school procedure and she was glad she didn't have to be the one to remind the principal of it. Her son had been taunted by children in school, but her ire was up now that he'd been beaten. She had no doubt that if one of her son's attackers was hurt, his parents would demand the cops were called. Especially if Cameron was the accused. Michael Corinthos was several years older than Michael; the boys he hung out with were than Michael who was bigger than Cameron. It wasn't that she particularly wanted the boys charged, but wanted them, and their parents, to learn that beating up someone had consequences beyond getting suspended from school for a few days.

"Dr. Larson?"

The two adults looked over to see the school secretary standing a respectable, almost nervous, distance away from them. Once she saw that she had their attention she said, "Mr. Corinthos is here."

"Shall we go talk to him?" the principal asked.

"I'll be there in a moment. I want to go check on Cameron." she told him.

Stepping back into the nurse's office, Elizabeth did her best to calm the fury still inside her. It wasn't hard to do. All she had to do was look at her bruised child sitting on a table, wincing as the nurse cleaned his cuts. His brown eyes were large and filled with tears and Elizabeth blinked rapidly to keep her own tears at bay. She crossed the room and sat down beside her son, grateful that the nurse stepped back to let her have a moment. Cameron turned to him and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her blouse. She slowly rocked him back and forth while softly crooning to him as she used to do when he was a child and she soothed him after a bad dream.

A few minutes later he pushed at her and she let him go, even though her mother's instinct was to keep holding onto him. He had accepted temporary comfort from her, but it would be too babyish to let her hold him any longer. Gently she wiped at his tears and gave him the most encouraging smile that she could.

"Listen, Cam, Mrs. Crowder is going to finish cleaning you up, okay? I'm going to go talk with Dr. Larson."

He nodded, putting on a brave face and she stood and turned towards the nurse. Quietly she stated, "Judy's called the police, so if they come here..."

"I understand, Ms. Webber. I took some pictures of him before I started cleaning him up."

She nodded her thanks to the older woman and then straightened her shoulders to head the principal's office.

"Ms. Webber," the nurse called to her. "You...your blouse."

Elizabeth looked down and saw Cameron's blood standing out against her pale blue top. Normally she would have worried about it, but maybe these parents needed to see a reminder of what their children had done.

Walking down the hall, she sent up a silent plea for strength. Heaven knew she was going to need all the composure she could muster to deal with some of these children who would just be so certain that their little angel could never have done something like beat up another, smaller child. As she neared the administrator's office, she saw more children sitting on chairs near Michael. Judy ran a tight front office and children were not permitted to speak when they were waiting outside the principal's office; she was sternly glaring at all the children and had even just moved a child to another seat as Elizabeth neared the door. All of them looked at her smugly, defiantly and one even snickered as she passed. She ignored them all and knocked on the glass, inset panel before opening the door to Dr. Larson's office.

She realized that in the time she was with Cameron, Michael's mother and step-father had arrived as well and they all turned towards the door when it opened. The two men stood as soon as they saw her and their action brought the principal to his feet as well. Mr. Corinthos looked furious, Mr. Jacks' face was set in a firm line; only Mrs. Corinthos-Jacks didn't seem that bothered by what her son had done. Until she seemed to notice the blood on Elizabeth's blouse, and then she couldn't seem to stop staring at it.

"Ms. Webber," Dr. Larson said, gesturing to a seat on his side of the desk. "Please, sit down."

Once she did, the men sat and Sonny Corinthos cleared his throat, "Ms. Webber, I want to apologize to you. Dr. Larson has explained to us what happened, both in your class and with your son. Such behavior is not acceptable, and Michael knows that."

"Thank you, Mr. Corinthos," she inclined her head awkwardly. "I know from our conversations that you were aware of what was going on and working with Michael to improve his behavior."

"And I suppose you're saying I wasn't," Mrs. Corinthos-Jacks sniped.

"Nobody is saying that, Mrs. Jacks," the principal stated.

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared in turn at her husband and her ex-husband, "It sure feels that way."

"Dr. Larson," Michael's father ignored his ex-wife's outburst. "What will happen to Michael and his classmates?"

"The case will be taken before our disciplinary board," the older man explained school procedure. "The very least they're looking at is suspension, or they could possibly be expelled from The Academy."

"Expelled?" Michael's mother demanded. "Isn't that a little harsh?"

"Mrs. Jacks," Dr. Larson stated, his voice losing its patient tone. "Your son has long flaunted his disregard for the rules and his belief that they don't apply to him. He orchestrated the attack of a younger child. The police have been called in accordance with our school policy. A doctor's examination will take place. We do not know the full extent of Cameron Webber's injuries. Are you saying that your son should suffer no consequences for his actions?"

She sat back in her chair, a little less defiant, a little less challenging. "That wasn't...that wasn't what I meant."

"Frankly, Mrs. Jacks, I'm not entirely sure I care what you meant. Your son has one of our larger disciplinary files and not just in regards to Ms. Webber. I'm not sure your son is the right...fit for our school any longer. If I may be so bold, I would recommend the possibility of looking into military academies before your son's behavior progresses any further."

Elizabeth looked down at her hands folded in her lap and did her best to conceal her astonishment. It appeared that the administration was going to finally put their foot down with Michael Corinthos, III.

Jason knew when he stepped into Sonny's house that this was not going to be a good meeting. He'd received calls from both Carly and Sonny asking him to meet them at Sonny's house, and he'd headed over there unsure of what he'd hear. He'd been with Sonny when Michael's school called, and he'd sighed with regret that the youth had once again gotten into trouble at school and once again Sonny had to go down there to talk to Michael's teacher. He'd hoped that their conversation with Michael before Christmas would have made the young man think about his actions, but it hadn't turned out that way.

When he entered the foyer of the house, Max greeted him in a subdued and quiet manner. The house was silent and the guard was decidedly uneasy when he told Jason that everyone was waiting in the living room. The door was shut and when he opened it, he discovered Sonny and Jax standing on opposite sides of the room looking quite grim. Carly was sitting on the couch, her hand against her forehead and Michael was sitting in the overstuffed chair, his arms crossed over his chest, a sullen, angry expression etched onto his face.

The young boy didn't look up when he stepped into the room, but the three adults turned to look at him. He glanced around the room and asked, "What's going on?"

"We were called down to Michael's school today," Sonny began. "He was once again defiant and disrespectful towards his teacher, Miss Webber. However, when we arrived, we discovered that the situation was way beyond that. Michael had several of his friends sneak out of class, hide in the hall between the locker room and the gym and beat up a boy several years younger than him."

Jason swung his shocked gaze to look at Michael, who stared forward resolutely and refused to look at anybody.

"Want to guess who he ordered be beat up?"

A stone settled into Jason's stomach. "The Webber boy?"

"Yes," Jax stated, a bite to his words. "Seems Michael didn't like the fact that the little boy got a game system that he didn't get for Christmas and so he had his goons beat up the competition."

There was no mistaking the references in the Australian's words. Sonny turned away and Carly sighed and looked at her husband, "This is not the time, Jax."

"On the contrary," he stated. "I think it's the perfect time. Look, I understand that Michael is your son, Sonny, and I'm merely his stepfather. And this isn't about our rivalry. I want you to take a good, long look at your son who walks around acting like he's the king of the world, or at least the king of his school and he ordered his friends - much like you order Jason - to go beat up a boy several years younger than him simply because he perceived that child as a threat or someone less than him. Where exactly do you think he learned that kind of behavior?"

Instinctively, Jason clenched his hands into fists ready to fight back against the allegations, but then the truth of the situation penetrated. It was hard to dismiss the tycoon's words simply because he wanted to. The reality was that Michael was out of control and the incident before Christmas had finally brought that to the forefront.

"I'm not a perfect man, Jax," Sonny said, sounded tired and oddly beaten down. Not the normal in-control man from the business. "I've tried to tell myself that I was a good father; that I didn't let my business touch my children anymore than the fact that they had guards or sometimes had to go down to the island. I...I've realized today that wasn't true. I've always said that Michael would never go into my business, that I didn't want him to become like me. I wanted him to have options and to have a better life than me, and instead, he's twelve years old and he's become me. He bullies people around, labels them as friends and enemies and if he doesn't like someone, he orders people to beat them up."

Letting out a sigh, he shook his head, "If the school doesn't expel him, I'm still taking him out of there."

"Sonny!" Carly protested.

Rounding on her, he pointed at Michael and said, "Do you see what we're raising, Carly? Take a long, hard look at him and see what we're raising!"

She looked over at Michael who turned to look at her, his eyes hard and unapologetic. It was a look that chilled Jason, because the boy was just a child. He shouldn't be glaring at people that way. He shouldn't be having others beat up simply because he didn't like them. Carly sat back against the seat and looked away from her son.

"Your situation when you first had Michael really wasn't that different from Miss Webber's," Sonny said. "If you hadn't latched onto Jason and then if we hadn't fallen in love and gotten married, where would you be? A single mother, doing her best to provide for her child and raise him? Forget that A.J. is his father, if it had just been someone else you'd met, where would you have been?"

With a shake of his head, he said, "You look down on Cameron's teacher because she's a single mother who doesn't have as much money as you do. How did you get that money? You weren't born to it, you didn't earn it at a job, you lucked into it by connecting yourself to wealthy men. Do not sit there and act like you're so much better than Miss Webber and her child when, but for a few altered circumstances, you would be exactly in her place. Now think about what your son did to hers and see if you can't find a small amount of compassion for her."

She turned to look at Sonny and Jason could see tears shimmering in her eyes, "I do. I saw her son's blood on her shirt, I saw the fury in her eyes, I saw the hurt, and I saw the way she was holding herself together to try to be professional as we sat around talking about Michael and I... Michael's my son," she whispered, "how am I supposed to be okay with the fact that the police were called, that he could be expelled from school and he could be charged with assault for ordering his friends to beat up a little boy? How am I supposed to be okay with that, Sonny, and have compassion when I'm fighting for my son just as much as she's fighting for hers?"

"How can you be okay with your son getting away with a crime, Carly?" Jax asked softly. "Sonny and Jason routinely get away with crimes, and every single one of you has taken that as your right. Rules don't apply to you. Well, Michael doesn't think that rules apply to him. If Michael had been beaten up at school, Carly, what would you do?"

She looked over at her husband and he continued, "You'd be insisting that the cops were called and that Michael get checked out by a doctor. You'd want those children expelled and possibly charged. Carly, these were twelve and thirteen year olds who beat up a nine-year-old child. That little boy is Morgan's age. Nothing excuses that."

"Did you tell your friends to beat up Cameron Webber?" Jason asked Michael, wanting to hear the truth of the matter from the youth.

"He had it coming," Michael said defiantly, lifting his chin up. "He doesn't belong at my school, and Dad shouldn't have bought him a game system."

"I didn't buy him a game system," Sonny stated and Michael looked over at him.

"You're lying. How else would he get it?" the boy demanded.

"I could have given it to him," Jax stated. "A young boy like that, buying a gift for someone else when he has less than you do, I admired that spirit. But I didn't buy it for him."

Jason stepped forward, "I bought it for him. For the reasons Jax mentioned. I listened to you think that you deserved that game system simply because you wanted it. Cameron Webber has done nothing to deserve the way you treat him, and I thought that he would really appreciate the system."

"He shouldn't be at my school," Michael insisted angrily. "He doesn't belong."

"That's enough!" Sonny shouted, and Michael sat back in his chair. "I don't know when you turned into such a spoiled child, Michael, but you aren't better than anyone else. We've tried to tell you that."

"I know that you and Uncle Jason help out people, and so does Jax," the boy stated. "But you only do that so people can't say you're all bad. We know that you have power and you can do anything you want. If someone gets in your way, you send Uncle Jason to take care of them. Well, Cameron Webber is in my way. Everyone treats him special 'cause he's poor. He's poor because his mother got pregnant and his father took off. Now she's just a loser who can't afford to send her kid to the place where she works, but she took the job to get a free ride for him."

"Your sentiments Carly?" Jax asked, turning to look at his wife.

"I never told Michael he could disrespect her," she shook her head.

"You don't respect her," Sonny pointed out, "so why should he? We've all contributed to this. I thought I was keeping my business away from you and Morgan and I thought we were teaching you better than this. I realize we were only seeing what we wanted to see. You've turned into a bully, Michael, and I will not allow my child to act that way."

"But I was just doing what you do," he insisted. "I was dealing with people."

Jason swallowed and looked down, a sick feeling forming in his stomach. He was responsible for this; he had brought Michael and Carly into this lifestyle and it was because of him Michael was growing up this way. He thought he'd been doing the right thing back when Carly came to him and asked for his help. He knew the Quartermaines and how they would respond to find out Michael was A.J.'s son. They would take control of him; raise him up to the be way they wanted him and would try to push Carly out of his life claiming she was unfit to raise a Quartermaine. He'd thought he was doing what was best for Michael by keeping him with his mother, and it hadn't been easy, but he would have done his best to help Carly raise him. When she fell in love with Sonny and he was happy for them because he didn't love her the way she wanted him to and if Sonny could do that, then that was okay. They would be a family.

Now, though, he wondered whether it had really been for the best. Michael had turned into a bully. Thinking he was better than other people, like the Quartermaines did. He was spoiled and he was selfish, and it would be so easy to blame Carly and Sonny, except that Morgan didn't have disciplinary problems at school. He was in the same grade as Cameron Webber, and he didn't cause problems for the younger boy. Did he feel the same way Michael did and was just letting his big brother handle it, or was it only Michael who felt this way?

"You are not in the business," Sonny said in disgust, "and you never will be. You're growing up to be a punk, a street thug. You don't care about anyone else but yourself and we've allowed you to become that way. It's not too late to change you, although it might be painful. You are not going back to Hillcrest. I don't know if we'll send you off to military academy, but maybe you need something like that. Somewhere where nobody's impressed about who your parents are or how much money you have. You want to be a big man on campus, then you'll have to get out there and follow the rules and do what you're told to do. I will not allow my son to grow up this way."

"You can't make me go," Michael hissed. "You send me there and I'll just run away."

"Sonny," Carly pleaded with him. "You need to calm down. Maybe Hillcrest won't expel him and we can work something out for him to stay in town."

"Maybe what he needs is a private tutor so that he doesn't interact with other children until he can get focused again on what's most important," Jax offered.

"Jason?" Carly asked, turning to him. She no doubt expected him to back her up, to side with Michael and calm Sonny down. She always pulled out the 'you raised Michael' card at times like this and he wasn't going to allow her to pull him back in.

"No," he shook his head. "This is something you and Sonny and Jax need to work out."

"But, Jason," she pleaded with him. "I know that you love Michael, too. You're family."

"I'm his uncle," he shook his head. "Not his father. It's up to you guys to decide. I will just say this, Michael."

He waited until the young man grudgingly looked at him. Then he sighed and said softly, "I'm sorry that the choices I made have brought you to this. I thought I was doing the right thing for you and your mom and now I'm not so sure. I...I'm disappointed in you, but I'm also disappointed in myself. I never thought that you would become so mean and selfish that you would have a little boy beat up just to make yourself feel better, but I guess we haven't shown you a good example. I hope I never hear of you doing something like this again."

Then Jason walked out of the house and climbed on his bike. He felt weighted down and hoped that a ride along the cliffs would help him clear his head. He never had really focused on the consequences of his decisions and how they truly affected those around him. He'd been appalled at Michael's selfishness before Christmas and had been so impressed with his teacher and her little boy that he couldn't help himself in buying the game system Cameron Webber wanted but knew he wasn't going to get for Christmas. Never would he have guessed it would have led to Michael having the young boy beaten up. He had wanted to do something nice for the family who didn't have much but wasn't complaining, and now he'd brought so much trouble and hurt into their lives.

As he raced along the roads, pushing his bike to go ever faster, he wondered if he would ever do something that wouldn't turn out to be a mistake later on, or if he would ever be doomed to bring nothing but pain and misfortune into other people's lives.

Two weeks after the start of the spring semester found Elizabeth at a bar doing her best to just unwind from the new term and not get completely blitzed. If the last ten days of school were any indication, Elizabeth felt it was going to be a long time until summer vacation.

She wasn't entirely sure how she'd ended up at this little dive bar near the docks, but after dropping Cameron off at his friend's house for a sleepover, she hadn't wanted to go home to an empty house. Sure, she could have graded papers, but she needed some time to herself just as much as Cameron needed some normalcy of being around little boys, staying up too late, telling scary stories and eating way too much junk food. He needed to just unwind and forget the past weeks of school and have fun with his teammates. He'd been perfectly happy as he dashed into Jordan's house, the son of his soccer coach, and the boys raced off upstairs. She was the one who had nearly been in tears over leaving him, despite knowing that he would be perfectly safe and Jordan's parents knew what had happened at Cameron's school and would call her if they thought he was having any problems.

As she'd driven through this run down section of town, she'd saw the glowing neon of the bar and had stopped in on impulse for a drink. Nobody would know her here, it was still early enough that she shouldn't have any problems with patrons being too drunk, and she could just sit and relax for a moment before heading home to face reality. It had been a nice plan. Until he decided to plop down in the stool next to her as she sat at the bar.

Mr. Smooth sat way too close, tried way too hard and Elizabeth was just moments away from dumping her beer in the man's lap. It was obvious the man had money. Sure, his clothes may have been casual, but the two thousand dollar wrist watch gave him away. His shoes were also way too nice for someone who belonged in a place like this. She had no interest in being his little piece while he went slumming and so she kept her elbows up to keep him from leaning in too close, and she stared resolutely ahead while she finished her drink. She was not going to be run out of here by this idiot.

"You know," the man said, smiling in too much a leer and leaning in too close, "it just occurred to me that we haven't been introduced."

She shot him a look that indicated she was perfectly fine with that arrangement.

"You're Elizabeth Webber; my son's teacher."

Instantly she was on her guard. While she knew she hadn't met every parent of her students, sometimes only one parent had the time - or the inclination - to come to meetings, she had met most of them. After all, when they paid that much money to enroll their child, they were usually keen on finding out who exactly was teaching precious little Sue. She had never met this man before, and the fact that he knew her name and that she was a teacher put her on alert. There might be a reason why she'd never met the man. He might not have custody of his child and was not supposed to have custody of the child. As a staff member, she was aware of custodial arrangements and who was never supposed to be allowed to pick up the child from school.

She swiveled on her seat and arched her brow as she looked at the man imposing on her evening, "I've never met you before. So if I supposedly teach your child and you know my name, it's...odd that I've never met you before."

"A.J. Quartermaine," he said, holding out his hand as if he actually expected her to shake it. "My son is Michael. Michael Corinthos, the Third."

The last bit was said on such a disgusted sneer that Elizabeth felt a pang of protectiveness for the child who had become the bane of her existence. The child who was the reason her son had decided he no longer wanted the game system he'd gotten from Santa and had instead decided they should give it to a women and children's shelter.

Elizabeth merely looked at him and said, "I thought Sonny Corinthos was his father."

"Then you must be new to town, sweetheart," A.J. laughed. "You obviously don't know the gossip."

He placed his elbow on the bar and leaned towards her, "Allow me to enlighten you. Carly came to town the daughter of a trailer trash, single mother. She found out she'd been adopted and was looking to destroy her birth mother's life. She did it alright...by sleeping with her stepfather in her mother's bed. But she wasn't content with Dr. Jones, who was old enough to be her father, so she came down here," he said, sweeping his arms outward, "and met my baby brother. The Quartermaine Golden Boy turned mobster who was up for cheap sex from a cheap woman."

Elizabeth kept her face neutral, despite the fact that she was rather surprised by the revelations. Carly Corinthos-Jacks acted like she'd been born into privilege the way she looked down on everyone else. Interesting to find out that Elizabeth actually grew up with more money than Carly had.

"Then one night she came down here looking for my brother but found me instead. She was horny enough that any old guy would do and we went up to Jason's room. She got pregnant, didn't know who the father was, told me that I couldn't possibly be the father and even tried to convince me I'd fallen off the wagon so I'd leave and go to rehab and wouldn't mess up her perfectly good engagement to the good doctor who was going to be her meal ticket. But," he laughed, "I wouldn't give up. Tony found out Carly had been sleeping around, joined me in demanding a paternity test, but Carly outfoxed us both. She went to my brother and asked him to pretend to be Michael's father and just like that, Jason stole my child from me. Then Sonny stole Carly and Michael from Jason so the joke's on him."

By now, Elizabeth was convinced that while there might be some truth in A.J. Quartermaine's story, she was also getting a whopping dose of bitterness and spite. She took a sip of her beer and hoped that the man would finish his tale of woe soon so he would go away. If not, she was definitely getting out of here.

"Carly wanted me or my family to have nothing to do with my son, she and her two heroes have poisoned my child against me, and the man she wanted to play daddy to my son hung me up in a meat locker and threatened to leave me there unless I signed away my rights to Michael so Sonny could adopt him." He sighed and she was sure she was supposed to feel sorry for him. "I now have no legal rights to my only child and Sonny and Carly act like they're so morally superior to me and my family. They condescend to my grandmother by bringing Michael around once in a while and acting like they'll bring him more often, but it's just enough to keep Grandmother happy which keeps her on their side and she stops the rest of us from trying to overturn the adoption and bring Michael into the family where he belongs."

Elizabeth moved her arm back when A.J. looked like he was leaning forward to touch her. Instead, she ended up with his hand on her thigh and she brushed it off as he said, "And now you know the truth about Michael's parentage. Sonny and Carly act like they're so much better than everyone, and all they've done is teach Michael to be a bully. I know what he did to your son."

"That's enough," she said firmly, turning her back to him and exiting her bar stool away from him. Turning back around to look at him she said, "look, it's clear that you've got issues with Michael's parents, but I'm not going to be dragged into this. And I'm not really interested in discussing my son with you."

"I thought you would understand," he told her. "I thought you could help me."

"Help you with what?" she snapped as she fished her wallet out of her purse and took out some money to cover her drink.

"Why didn't you press charges against the boys who beat your son up?"

"I left it up to the D.A.," she stated with a shake of her head. "The boys were expelled from school along with Michael. I didn't want to seem petty and vindictive, so I left it up to the D.A. whether he would file charges or not."

The boys would have enough problems as it was because their expulsion and the reasons for it became part of their transcripts and permanent record that would be sent to any other school their parents attempted to enroll them at. The parents had been soundly chastised by the principal, the school disciplinary committee and the police. The boys had not been allowed to get away with their actions. Michael Corinthos had been taken out of school even before the disciplinary committee decided to expel him and Sonny Corinthos had told his child point blank in front of all his friends that his behavior was atrocious and until he learned to conduct himself better he wouldn't see any of his cronies ever again.

She knew for the sake of her teaching career and her life in Port Charles, that she needed to step back and let others handle the situation now. Dr. Larson was actually pushing for the children to be punished in some way. For them to go to juvenile court and get probation or community service if not actual lock-up time. With him acting as her and Cameron's advocate, although she hadn't asked it of him, she figured that she should just keep her head down and not look like she was out for blood. She accepted parents' and children's apologies, even if they weren't entirely sincere-sounding, but didn't give them absolution. So she was certainly not going to get dragged into some sick and twisted custody battle between two scion families.

"But if you pressed charges," the man persisted, "and said that it was because of the way that Sonny and Carly raised him, I'd have a better chance of getting my son back."

"And what about my son, Mr. Quartermaine?" she asked him. "Do you even care what happened to him? Or are we just convenient for your agenda? I am not going to get dragged into this. If you want to fight Sonny Corinthos and his ex-wife, then do it on your own. I have enough going on in my life; I do not need this."

She turned on her heel and headed out of the bar, pulling her jacket close to her as she walked through the parking lot towards her car. The sun had set and it was nearly dark and she just wanted away from here. Away from yet another reminder of all that her son had gone though. Away from yet another person out for what he wanted and Elizabeth and her child were just a means to an end. The door slammed behind her and she knew, knew without even turning around, that A.J. Quartermaine had followed her out of the bar.

"Hey, hey, wait," he called out to her.

She reached in her purse, searching for her keys.

A hand grabbed her elbow and she wrenched her arm away as the older man stepped in front of her.

"Hey, wait," he said, a smarmy smile showing in the dim light. Now he was going to be all contrition and sympathy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Of course I care about what happened to your son. That's why I want your help. If you help me get Michael away from the thugs raising him, then I can try to prevent something like this from ever happening again."

She leaned in close and said, "Mr. Quartermaine, I'm going to say this once, so listen closely. Go. Away. I am not going to help you, I don't want to help you, I am not going to get dragged into your life's drama. I'm a mother trying to raise her child and do my job. So leave me alone."

"If you think you'll have a job after all this," the man said, sounding very much like the blow-hard parents who had railed at her until the principal laid pictures of Cameron out on his desk and let them see the proof of what their children had done, "then clearly you don't know who you're up against."

Arching her brow, she asked, "Are you threatening me?"

"I'm giving you a friendly piece of advice," he corrected.

Elizabeth was about to tell him exactly where he could take his friendly piece of advice and shove it when a tall imposing figure approached them. His footsteps were heavy and his stride long as he walked purposefully towards them. Apparently in this day and age, there were still Good Samaritans who weren't going to stand back and let arguments take place in bar parking lots by pretending they didn't notice what was going on. Glancing over at the approaching man, Elizabeth's first thoughts were the man was really tall and would be a nice deterrent against the shorter man in front of her, and also that the man was certainly no hardship to look at.

She didn't get to dwell on those thoughts further because he stopped by them and turned towards the man and growled, "What are you doing, A.J.?"

"Ah," he smiled mockingly, "the Golden Boy and White Knight rushes in to rescue the damsel in distress. I wasn't doing anything, Jason, I was merely speaking to Michael's teacher."

The other man's head whipped around to look at her and then quickly cut back to A.J. The dark-haired man laughed, "I told Elizabeth our tangled little story; how you stole my son from me and then lost him to your precious boss. You know, she would probably like to talk to you considering you're part of the reason my son beat up hers. Gee, I wonder where he learned how to order people around to eliminate the competition? It must make you so proud that Michael ordered his little Jasons to go beat up a younger child."

Elizabeth swallowed and took a step back from both men. This was the man that Sonny Corinthos sent out to shoot people, to beat them up, to deal with a situation. His function was why Michael couldn't understand why he was being punished for doing something his father did. This was the man who handled Sonny Corinthos' dirty work and came home with blood on his hands. Elizabeth wondered how many people were like her son, someone who merely got in the way and ticked Sonny off, and yet this man - Jason Morgan - just went along and hurt them like the boys at school had followed Michael's orders.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, disgusted with both men and wondering just how much worse her night could get.

When Jason pulled into Jake's parking lot, all he was looking for was a cold drink before heading home. He knew he was avoiding things, specifically Carly's phone calls, but he just wanted a little peace and quiet. While Jake's might be noisy, nobody would bother him; he could sit at a table, have a beer and people would leave him alone.

However, as he started for the door, he saw his older brother in an intense conversation with a woman and sighed internally as he changed course. A.J. would never change. He and the Quatermaines would always assume they were in the right, that they could do whatever they wanted and as he neared, he realized he was correct when he heard the woman ask A.J. if he was threatening her. He'd never expected to run into Michael's former teacher in the parking lot.

When the older man had gleefully crowed about who he was talking to, Jason whipped his head around to look at her. He'd seen her and his son in the toy store before Christmas, but he hadn't really been focusing on the lady standing next to A.J. He'd been intent on getting his brother to leave since it was clear by the woman's posture and language that she'd had enough of the Quartermaine heir. He'd been surprised to see Elizabeth Webber there, and a knot began to form in his stomach as he heard the venom A.J. was spewing at him, but clearly intended for the single mother.

"That's enough, A.J.," he stated, his voice hard. "You don't need to drag someone else into your fight with Sonny and Carly."

"And why shouldn't I?" his older brother taunted. "She would be the perfect person to help me. You know what Michael did to her son; I'm sure you gave Michael pointers on what to do. You and Sonny and Carly act like I'm the devil himself; that Michael would have suffered irreparable harm having me as his father...well look what happened. Michael is turned out to be nothing but a bully. He ordered a beat down on a young child. Tell me something, Jason, how exactly has Michael benefited by being away from me?"

Jason closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't going to argue with A.J. Doing so would only make the older man rant and rave longer and Jason didn't want to get into a fight with him. Plus, there were times he was beginning to wonder if the rumblings and whispers he heard around town didn't have merit to them. Would Michael really have been worse off if he'd known A.J. as his father? Most of the time Jason was absolutely convinced that he'd done the right thing by helping Carly; the Quartermaines would have tried to shove her out of Michael's life, A.J. would have never stood up to the family if they'd tried to mold Michael into being exactly who they wanted the same way they'd tried with Jason, and Jason was protecting the little boy's childhood by allowing him to grow up without having spreadsheets and stock reports shoved in his face every day.

But then he'd try to take a step back and look at the situation and really assess whether he'd done the right thing. While he still firmly believed that a child needed to be with his mother, couldn't he have simply ensured that Carly wasn't shoved out of Michael's life? Would Michael have become the child he had if he'd grown up with contact with the Quartermaines instead of him and Sonny? While he knew that his family, and Jax as well, could be just as ruthless in their corporate takeovers as they accused him of being in regards to the mob, they didn't have the level of violence around their lives like Sonny and Jason did. While he still might have grown up selfish, even if Jax and the rest of the Quartermaines wanted to act like they were so superior to the mob, he wouldn't have grown up thinking it was okay to order a little child beaten up simply because he didn't like the younger kid getting a gift he hadn't.

Jason was not a person prone to regrets or to look back and think what-if. He didn't second-guess himself, he didn't wonder about the other choice, but it seemed like ever since he'd seen Michael's teacher and her son and had his eyes opened to the way Michael truly was behaving, he was having doubts. Had Michael really been served best by not having any contact with any of the Quartermaines? Could Lila, Monica and Emily have been able to temper the traits he might have picked up from Edward and A.J.? And would Carly have indulged her son as much and helped him develop such an entitlement attitude had Lila been there to help temper her?

He knew that such thoughts were useless. The past was done and they couldn't go back and change it. All they could do was move forward, try to correct their mistakes and fix the problems. But A.J. was itching for a fight, and Michael's former teacher truly was an innocent bystander in all this. She and her son were the victims in this scenario and she didn't need to get dragged into this any further by A.J. who was looking for just another way to strike out at Jason and Sonny.

"I'm not going to fight about this, A.J.," he shook his head. "Go home and leave Ms. Webber alone. She doesn't need anymore trouble."

"Then maybe you should take your own advice," the older man sneered at him, casting a look beyond Jason and smirking. "It seems like Elizabeth wants to get away from both of us."

Stepping closer to the teacher, A.J. leaned forward, "Just remember, Elizabeth, that he's the one who stole my son from me and brought him into a world where violence is the answer to everything. He shoots guns, he kills, and he beats people up just like your son was jumped. He's not the Golden Boy, he's a thug who thinks that if he talks about right and wrong and lines he won't cross that it somehow exonerates him from everything else. But he's the reason your son had a black eye and a bloody nose, he's the reason you worried your son had broken ribs, and he's the reason you're taking your little boy to a therapist because he's regressed to wetting the bed again."

"How exactly is that you know so much about my son's condition?" Elizabeth asked, her voice tight and hard. "His medical condition was not made public, nor was the police report. I don't care who you are, Mr. Quartermaine, or what's happened to you in the past, but nothing excuses the violation of my son's privacy that you've just shown me. If you think that I won't be reporting this to the police then you're wrong. You are no gentleman. You, quite frankly, are exactly like the thugs you claim to hate so much."

She wagged her finger at him and shook her head in disgust as she said, "As an educator, I've always wondered over the debate of nature versus nurture and while I'm not entirely certain of the lifestyle in which Michael's grown up, I've seen enough of his biological parents that I find myself wondering if he's simply a bad seed. Would any child rearing practices have affected him or would he have simply turned out to be a spoiled, bullying brat of a child because his parents are that way? You are no different than your son, you just think you are and that absolutely disgusts me. So get away from me, Mr. Quartermaine, and don't think that you can threaten my job or my child and get away with it. I will be reporting you to the police."

Elizabeth Webber stood with her arms crossed over her chest and glared at A.J. until the older man looked away. When he did, it was directly at Jason who leveled his steeliest glare on the man. With an indignant huff that was so reminiscent of Edward, the other man shook his head and turned away. Jason stood there, making sure that his brother actually left and wasn't going to come back and continue to harass Elizabeth.

Once A.J.'s Lexus pulled out of the parking lot, the teacher spun around and faced Jason, her eyes still hard and snapping with anger, "I suppose I should say thank you for stepping in and getting him to go, but quite frankly, Mr. Morgan, I'm not sure I count you as any better than him."

She sighed and her shoulders slumped as she said, "I...I'm sorry, I try to teach my son not to judge others but...but after everything that I have gone through with Michael and his mother and now...and now this..."

"It's alright," Jason told her softly, not offended by her, just saddened. Saddened for all that she and her son had gone through. "It's understandable that after what happened with your son and Michael that you...that you would feel this way."

"I don't know you," she said, "except for what I've heard about you recently and I just...with everything that Cameron has gone through and the way I feel right now, I think...I think that I should just leave before I say something intemperate."

He nodded his understanding, but found himself keeping her there by saying, "I'm sorry."

Peering at him she hooked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction A.J.'s car had gone, "For him? Or are you apologizing for Michael? Because...because honestly, no matter what happened in the twisted past that your brother told me about, Michael is still the person who made those decisions and ultimately he is responsible for them."

"But I...I'm the reason your son was beat up," Jason said. "The game system that Michael was upset about..."

He let out a heavy sigh and confessed, "I'm the one who gave it to your son."

The young teacher looked at him, her eyes widening slightly, and then narrowing in confusion, "Why? Why on earth would you give a game system to a little boy that you don't even know?"

"Because I saw you and your son in the toy store before Christmas when you were buying a present for Toys for Tots," he told her, tugging nervously on his ear. "I...I listened to your explanation to Cameron and what you were teaching him...that there are always others less fortunate and you...you were teaching him to think about others and to be generous and not to be materialistic and I just...I was very impressed with both you and your son."

Jason let out a breath and said, "Especially because I was ashamed of Michael and his attitude. He apparently was telling people I was going to get him some new game system and I had never said that, but he just decided that he wanted it, he'd tell me and I'd go out and buy it for him. He was...he was being cruel to your son...and probably others and treating them like they weren't as good as he was just because you didn't have as much money and I...I wanted to give your son the game system."

"To punish Michael?" she wondered.

"No," he shook his head. "I...I didn't think about the way Michael would react and I should have. I just...I just saw a little boy who would probably really enjoy the game system because while he wanted it, he wasn't expecting it or demanding it and I thought of how excited he would be Christmas morning to get it."

"Because I couldn't buy it myself?" Elizabeth asked, arching her brow in challenge as she crossed her arms and titled one hip to the side. "So you thought you'd...what?"

"I thought I'd give a little boy a surprise on Christmas," he answered, trying not to get frustrated because it truly wasn't the single mother's fault she was skeptical of his motives. She didn't know him; it was only natural she wondered why he'd done this. "That's all I was thinking of. A little boy who was more generous than my nephew who has grown up with more than your son has."

He quickly held up his hands when she sucked in a breath, "I'm not judging you. I'm not looking down on you, I'm just...I'm just stating that I know Michael has grown up with more money than Cameron has, and yet your son was more generous and thought of others more and I..."

Letting out a breath and softening her stance she said, "I think I understand what you're saying. I'm not entirely thrilled with the situation...but I...I think I understand what motivated you. And...and Cameron was thrilled when he opened that gift."

Her voice caught and in the dim parking lot lights he could see her eyes shimmer with moisture, "And for the rest of his Christmas break it was his most cherished possession and you...you did make my son very happy and I...I suppose for that I should thank you."

"I know he's not happy anymore over the game," Jason said. "I'm sorry if Michael ruined it for him."

"So am I," she answered. "But you should know that your generosity is still making other children happy; children who probably never would have had the opportunity to play on a brand new game system with so many games. Cam...Cam decided he didn't want the game system anymore and he donated it to a women's shelter for the children to play on."

"I...I'm sorry," he said again. "For any pain I caused him; I was only trying to make him happy. But...but it just proves that he's a generous boy to give the game system to someone else now that he no longer wanted it. He...he could have sold it or just thrown it away, but instead he just donated it. I think that you've done a really good job raising him and teaching him what's most important."

"Thank you," the single mother answered, "but flattering me is not going to absolve anyone in this whole situation. Thank you for your help tonight and...and for thinking of my son when you didn't even know him. Good-bye."

Then Elizabeth Webber walked to her car, without another word. Jason stood in the parking lot and watched as she drove away and let out a heavy sigh. It was clear that the teacher wanted nothing to do with him, and since Michael was no longer enrolled at Hillcrest, there was little chance of them having any further contact. He'd keep an eye on her just to make sure that A.J. didn't try to make trouble for her or use her in his push against Carly and Sonny, but Jason knew that this was the end of his involvement with Elizabeth Webber and her son. It was probably for the best considering all that had happened with the young boy.

Jason Morgan was everywhere.

After her encounter with the enforcer in the dive bar's parking lot, Elizabeth had gotten into her car confident in the belief that would be her only involvement with the man. After all, where would they meet? She was a teacher and single mother; he was a mob enforcer with no kids. Michael Corinthos no longer attended the school she taught at, any lingering repercussions of Michael's orchestrated attack on Cameron would be dealt with between her and his parents. That was as much involvement with the mob and the mobsters as she wanted.

Unfortunately fate was apparently in a tormenting mood because she kept crossing paths with Jason Morgan, and she didn't like it. She wanted to raise her son, do her job, and steer clear of all entanglements with the Quartermaine and Corinthos families. It just wasn't working out that way.

First was the police report she had to give in regards to A.J. Quartermaine's warnings and the chilling realization that he knew way more about her son than he should. She hadn't wanted to do it, but she listed Jason Morgan as a witness to his brother's comments, and to her immense surprise, the enforcer came down to the police station with his lawyer and actually gave a statement that corroborated hers. He repeated what he'd heard A.J. say in regards to Cameron's injuries and therapy visits, all of which matched up to she'd said.

The police had little choice but to investigate the situation and discovered an unscrupulous records clerk at General Hospital had divulged everything to the Chief of Staff's son about hers. That had led to nasty editorials in the newspaper not owned by the Quartermaine family about how the Quartermaines and the Corinthos families were just two sides of the same coin and it really wasn't surprising at all how Michael Corinthos, III had turned out. Nature and nurture were against him from the start. It was just a shame that an innocent child had to be beaten up by the thug in training's henchmen before this town woke up and realized that just because the two families donated millions of dollars to charities did not make them better than the little people.

When Edward Quartermaine, patriarch of the august family tracked her down at Kelly's where she'd stopped in to get dinner for her and Cameron before she picked him up from soccer practice, it had been Jason who stepped in and told his grandfather to stop blaming her for the family's troubles. She had gone through enough at their hands and it was not her fault she wasn't clamoring to help A.J. get Michael back, nor was it her fault that A.J. had broken the law and the hospital, and thus its board members - especially those who happened to be his family - were under investigation for ethics and HIPPA violations. The two men had gotten into a shouting match with each other, slinging insults and bandying about some woman Lila's name, and she quietly got her dinner and slipped out of the fray.

She'd been grateful for him stepping in, because she really had no interest in yet another round with the Quartermaine family and their attempts to make her see reason and help them, but that was as far as her feelings towards Jason Morgan went. While she was certainly not a fan of Carly Corinthos-Jacks and Sonny Corinthos and the way they'd raised their oldest son, she wasn't at all convinced that the Quartermaine family was any better. As far as she was concerned, they all were psychotic idiots who really didn't have any business being around any child and she didn't want them anywhere near her and Cameron.

Foolishly, Elizabeth had thought that once the investigation and charges against A.J. Quartermaine were complete and Michael Corinthos had been sentenced to community service for his roll in her child's injuries, that she could be done with the whole crazy clans, and by association Jason Morgan. She'd been so incredibly wrong.

Although Elizabeth was busy with her job at Hillcrest Academy, she had found a part time position at the local community center to help in the arts division. While she taught some art at the academy in addition to her Social Studies courses, she absolutely loved her time at the community center. Maybe it was because she identified more with the children who attended there as opposed to the families who sent their children to Hillcrest. These children wanted to learn art and enjoyed themselves, and she always left the center on Saturdays feeling rejuvenated and less stressed.

Unfortunately, like most centers that focused on providing affordable programs to all members of the community, it had facilities' maintenance issues that always worried the director. The roof was aging and needed to be replaced before it became a hazard to the building and the participants, so a fundraiser was being held. Elizabeth's class time projects became centered around that; making decorations for the event and hoping to get the children to feel that they were making a difference in their home away from home.

Local businesses were solicited for donations, and all contributors were thanked for their generosity. Some citizens stepped up and donated truly impressive sums, and some never replied to the letters sent out by the director. Elizabeth didn't quite know how to react to the list of generous donators and those who kept their wallets firmly closed. The Quartermaine family's business, ELQ, never replied to the center's request. Monica Quartermaine sent in a check and asked that it be added in memory of Lila Quartermaine, but it was a surprisingly small amount given the estimated personal wealth of the doctor.

Jasper Jacks and Sonny Corinthos seemed to be in a bidding war to be more generous than the other. They had sent in several checks, jockeying their totals ever higher, but there seemed to be a certain amount of detached crassness to the whole process. While the center would never turn down much needed money, Elizabeth wondered if these men truly had any idea what they were supporting, or if they merely thought it would be a good PR move for them to be seen as helping the community. Then she would chide herself for being too cynical and once again rushing to judgment about people she had met under unpleasant circumstances and truly didn't know.

The donation that surprised her the most, though, was the one made anonymously by Jason Morgan. She'd been using the computer in the back room to update her proposed classes for the next season when she heard the director speaking to someone and thanking them as they exited his office. As they passed by the room where she was working, the mobster looked into the open room, probably curious about the clicking of the keyboard and faltered for half a step as his gaze fell on hers. Then he continued on his way and Elizabeth was still staring blankly at the open doorway when the director returned down the hallway after seeing the man out the back door.

"Elizabeth?" he asked as he paused at the room's entrance. "Are you alright?"

"What?" she asked, giving her head a little shake. "Oh, yeah...I'm fine. Just..."

"I know," the man said, his head bobbing up and down. "It's always a bit disconcerting to see him here, but I've learned not to believe everything the paper says about him. Jason Morgan has always been our most generous contributor to the community center, but never wants his name linked to us."

Her head tilted to the side as she could only ask, "What?"

"He came because he heard about the fundraiser," the older man continued to explain. "Said he hadn't realized the roof was getting to be in bad shape or he would have made a donation before this. He's responsible for the new hardwood floor the sports' center had installed last year to replace the one that was beginning to buckle. Said he didn't want anyone to get hurt while playing in there. And last winter we were able to update our aquatics' center and even add some handicapped features no other public pool in the city has because of the donation he made.

"Sometimes I feel like half our budget comes from him," the director laughed with a shake of his head, "but he always insists on his contributions being anonymous. I truly believe he doesn't do it for the recognition...he just wants to help out. I guess he'd been out of town and so hadn't heard about the roof fundraiser until now. We've met our goal and then some, so we'll be able to update several of the classrooms in addition to getting the roof fixed."

Looking at her, he said, "So think about what things the art department could use...I'm going to ask everyone to submit a list and hopefully we'll be able to help out everyone by getting them some new things."

"Unbelievable," Elizabeth whispered to herself as the director walked away. She'd ended up saving her work and leaving the center early that day. She'd have to think about her new classes another day; her head was too full of Jason Morgan's dichotomies to do anything productive.

That, however, had not been the end of her encounters with the reputed mob enforcer.

Later in the spring she'd been contacted by some eccentric woman named Lucy Coe who said she'd gotten her name as someone who could help out with planning for the annual Nurses' Ball that raised money for AIDS funding. For a moment Elizabeth had actually believed the older woman when she said that the director of the community center had given her Elizabeth's name.

That was until Elizabeth did a Google search of the event to look for past themes and try to get a feel for what kind of event the ball was. Out of curiosity, she'd clicked on the event website's link for past contributors and saw that Jason Morgan was one of the top overall contributors. After doing a search on the man himself, she found that there were rumors of him supporting numerous causes and charities, the newspapers did accurately suspect him of supporting the community center despite his always anonymous donations, but the only two he ever donated to in his name were AIDS funding and breast cancer research.

Suddenly her innocent phone call with Ms. Coe didn't seem so innocent. Doing a little more digging, Elizabeth discovered that the event had never used anyone from the community center before, only this year. While it was possible that the director and Ms. Coe could have talked about the event, the two were on another board together, Elizabeth found the whole thing suspicious.

Jason Morgan knew she worked at the community center. He'd seen her there, not just on the day he'd made the donation to the director, and it could have been him who passed along her name to the Nurses' Ball Committee. After all, his sister Emily Quartermaine was on the committee as well. It just seemed too much of a coincidence that this year, the committee would reach out to the community center and pick her, of all people, to help work on one of the few events Jason Morgan publicly linked his name to.

She had the sinking feeling that Jason Morgan was keeping an eye on her life and stepping in to help her. The man was in the mob, he was connected and how hard would it be for someone like him to do a background check on someone like her? He probably knew everything about her life, and was still trying to make amends for what his nephew had done to her son. Or maybe he just thought she was a pathetic single mother who couldn't take care of her son on her own and thought he'd play beneficent benefactor or maybe some warped twisted version of her own Fairy Godfather and help her out. Whatever it was, whatever the reasons he was doing what he was doing, Elizabeth did not like it at all.

And as she walked out of Kelly's and down towards the docks, she was extremely grateful that it was Spring Break and Cameron was spending the day with his friends from soccer. Jason Morgan was heading across the docks towards the giant Corinthos-Morgan warehouse and she figured this was the perfect time to catch up to the man and have a few words with him.

Elizabeth Webber was a very attractive woman. It was an odd thought to cross through his mind as she stood in his office, after having doggedly followed him through the coffee warehouse insisting to speak to him, and chewed him out for supposed interference in her life, but there was simply no way to deny it. He tried to ignore the fact that it was spring and she was no longer hidden under layers of sweaters, by concentrating on keeping his gaze focused on her face. He wouldn't want to be accused of staring at the hint of cleavage in her v-necked blouse, although he found just the hint to be more enticing than women who thought being blatant and obvious in their manner of dressing was sexy. However, staring at her face wasn't any less enticing.

She had a gorgeous face. Her skin was flawless, it wasn't hidden under layers of make-up trying to play up her best features of make her look smoldering or sexy or whatever other nonsense magazines touted. She was classic and timeless and now that he wasn't seeing her under harsh fluorescent lighting in a store while she was obviously embarrassed by the conversation she was having with her son, or unable to make out her features in a dim parking lot, he was able to tell just how pretty she was. Her eyes were wide and deep blue and so expressive, even when they were shooting furious daggers in his direction. Her lips were soft and inviting, and the beauty mark he could make out under her pale lip gloss was intriguing and captivating.

He told himself that he shouldn't be checking her out like she was a woman he'd met at Jake's and was deciding whether she'd do for companionship that night. She was a single mother, a mother to a child who had been bullied by Michael, and therefore he shouldn't even consider whether she'd be interested in going for a ride with him on his motorcycle or shooting a game of pool with him. It was insanity to even allow such wild notions to enter his mind.

It was clear that Elizabeth Webber was wary of his lifestyle and didn't want contact with him. He couldn't blame her for that fact. His lifestyle was dangerous. There were people who would use anyone close to him or Sonny to send a message to the mobsters, despite the fact that women and children should be off limits. Then there was the simple fact that even though she hadn't lambasted him or Sonny for what happened to her son, there was an undercurrent of blame in her interaction with them. He'd felt it, Sonny had felt it, and they had deemed it understandable that she would hold them and their lifestyle accountable for the lessons Michael had learned and the way he'd terrorized Cameron.

How would she ever consider going out on a date with him given all that her son had gone through? And why did his mind continue to go back to the thought of taking her out on a date? Jason wasn't really a dating kind-of man. He didn't live like a monk, but his relationships usually consisted of pick-ups at Jake's, or the occasional encounter out of town. Any long-term relationship that he'd ever had since waking up from his coma had just fallen into his lap. He hadn't actively set out to pursue the woman. He didn't do flowers and candy, or dinners or movies. What would he be able to offer a woman like Elizabeth Webber except for continual reminders of what had happened to her son?

"Mr. Morgan."

He blinked when her voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked at her. She was clearly upset, and it was clear she was intending for him to say something. The problem was, he didn't have any idea of what he was supposed to say.

"What?" he questioned hoping to buy time.

The teacher huffed and rolled her eyes, "Unbelievable. You haven't heard a word I've said, have you? I suppose this is all some great big joke to you."

"No," he shook his head, "I'm not making fun of you. I just..."

"Weren't listening to me," she clarified testily. "Alright, then pay attention. I want to know where you get off thinking you can interfere in my life."

"In-Interfere?" he questioned. "I'm not...why would you think I was?"

"So I'm supposed to really believe it was all just coincidence, that Lucy Coe would pick this year of all years to contact the Community Center and for the first time ask for help with the annual Nurses' Ball? And I suppose it's just another coincidence that the director gave her my name instead of one of the other art teachers at the center? I'm supposed to really believe it was all just coincidence?"

"Why wouldn't you?" he asked.

"Because of you," she flung at him. "You know that I work at the Community Center because you've seen me there. Many times. The director himself said he's never seen you around the place as much as you've been lately. Sure, you may donate to the center anonymously, but you don't donate to AIDS research in secret. How in the world did your sister come to find out about me and recommend me to Lucy Coe unless you had a hand in it?"

She took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. Jason struggled valiantly to keep his eyes trained on her face and not look down.

"I want you to stop interfering in my life, Mr. Morgan," Elizabeth told him. "I don't know what's going on, but if you're feeling some weird desire to offer penance for what happened with Cameron, then I'm asking you to let it go. I may not have a whole lot of money, but I can provide for my son just fine. I don't need the local mob thinking they have to take care of me. Michael was punished, he's no longer at school, Cameron is working hard to put the incident behind him and I am doing my best to take care of him and help him cope. I may not be perfect, but I don't need you to step in and make up for my shortcomings."

Jason's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, no, I don't think..."

He paused and took a breath and then said, "I don't think you have shortcomings as a parent. No more than any other parent has shortcomings. And I don't think you're failing your son somehow just because you don't live in a big house. You've clearly done a lot to take care of your child and give him a very good life. But I didn't have anything to do with you being asked to help with the Nurses' Ball."

She looked at him skeptically and raised one perfectly arched brow in doubt. It was a very sexy move and he curled his fingers to press his nails into his palms.

"My sister Emily probably found out about you the way the rest of the Quartermaines did, through the newspaper account of what happened with Michael and Cameron. Then when A.J. got involved and my grandfather was bothering you and then the police report about the records' clerk, she probably learned some more."

It was just a guess, he and Emily didn't really talk much about Michael's case because despite Emily having supported him when she first thought he was Michael's father and even understanding why he had gone along with Carly's request, Emily was not Carly or Sonny's biggest fan and she didn't like that A.J. was completely shut out of his son's life. She viewed Carly in pretty much the same way as he viewed A.J. Emily saw, and tried to point out to him, the way Carly acted with Michael and using the little boy when he was little to get things she wanted. She tried to play the Quartermaines and Jason had wound up arrested and on trial due to her great plan that backfired, as they always did. So why, his sister wondered, couldn't Jason see that Carly was just as toxic for Michael as he seemed to think A.J. was? It was the one area they just couldn't find a compromise or common ground and so they didn't get into great discussions on the little boy and all that entailed, encompassed and surrounded his life.

"Emily doesn't always agree with the Quartermaines," Jason continued. "And she didn't agree with A.J. or our grandfather about what they were trying to do to you. She could have done her own looking into your situation and found out you worked at the Community Center and taught art there. She could have gone and seen your work at the big fundraiser, since it was advertised in the paper. If Lucy Coe says Emily recommended you, it wasn't because I asked my sister to do that.

"I'm not trying to take care of you to make up for what Michael did. I...I still feel bad about that," he said regretfully. "I made a lot of mistakes in Michael's life and this just proves it."

The single mother looked at him and then said, "Your...brother gave me an earful about Michael that night in Jake's and I thought that somewhere in there might be some bit of truth, but I also dismissed a lot of what he said as his biased view of the situation. He said you pretended you were Michael's father for a year."

"I...I did," he admitted.

Tilting her head to the side curiously she asked, "Why?"

"Carly asked me to. She was afraid A.J. would try to take Michael away from her if he turned out to the be the father and she...the man she was living with was threatening to take her child away if it was his. I felt that Carly should be with her son."

She nodded her head and said, "As a single mother, I'd fight tooth and nail if someone tried to take Cameron from me. But how does what happened with Michael now translate to being your fault?"

"Because I brought Michael into this life," he said. "I brought Michael into Sonny's world."

"You know," she said, almost with embarrassment, "your brother isn't the only person in town who's given me an earful about Michael Corinthos and his parents. There are some people who are downright nasty, and some who just can't seem to help themselves in having to tell every last piece of information about someone else. From what I understand, after the truth came out about Michael and your brother, Carly married him and they were raising Michael. I also heard..."

She coughed and looked away from him, "I also heard that Sonny and Carly hated each other and that supposedly they slept together, she got pregnant, he still hated her but refused to let A.J. Quartermaine near his child and somehow in the middle of all this seediness they fell in love. According to some people, you weren't even in town during that time, so how exactly is Sonny and Carly ending up together and Sonny adopting Michael your fault?"

He hooked his hand around the back of his neck and sighed. Carly and Sonny had slept together because Carly hated Sonny sending Jason off to handle business and then she'd seen him talking to someone in Kelly's one day and she'd gotten jealous. Sonny had taunted her, saying that anyone, even some new waitress in Kelly's would be better for Jason than Carly. He'd felt hurt and wounded at their actions, since both of them had tried to teach him a lesson.

"Carly and Michael would have never been around Sonny if it wasn't for me."

"Oh give me a break," she snapped at him, surprising him with her vehemence. "That's as bad as me taking the blame for what happened to Cameron because it me who took the job, it was me who was stupid enough to believe his father actually loved me but was instead was only trying to get a piece of my parents' money by tying him to me by knocking me up and that somehow sent me down this road. It's not my fault for choosing a job at a place where a child decided he didn't like my son and had people beat him up. How exactly are you to blame for choices other people - who are adults, mind you - did?"

"Carly is impulsive," he found himself defending.

"So she could have just as easily gone off and slept with someone else if it hadn't been Sonny. And if that man adopted Michael and Michael still went out and beat up Cameron or someone else would that have been your fault? Michael has a mother, a father and a stepfather, please tell me how you are to blame for something that happened years after you pretended to be his father." She was challenging him and it made him defensive simply because she was fighting back, but also because he didn't want to admit that she could be right. He always told Sonny and Carly that he wasn't Michael's parent whenever they tried to pull him into their family discussions and dramas; that they needed to make choices for the boy.

But there was one area where he was responsible for Michael, and that was his job. "I may not be Michael's father or stepfather," he conceded, "but he knows what I do for a living, and he knows what Sonny does and he knows what it entails. And he was acting like his father by sending some kids out to take care of his problem, just like I take care of things for Sonny."

"Yes," she agreed after a long moment. "I suppose in that regard, you do hold some responsibility. Michael saw violence as the way to handle someone he didn't like or someone he saw a threat to his toys, or maybe even his dad's attention. You're not just a coffee importer, despite this building we're standing in, and you're not just a noble philanthropist despite the unbelievable generosity I've been able to trace to you or suspect can be traced to you. I don't know if you donate simply to ease your guilty conscience, but I do wonder how you view your life now after watching children emulate you."

"I-"

She held up her hands to cut him off and shook her head, "I'm not asking you to justify yourself to me, Mr. Morgan. I'm not your shrink, I'm not your priest...however you can look yourself in the mirror and not be absolutely disgusted by the hypocrisy of your actions and then your reaction towards Michael's behavior is your business. If Michael hadn't ordered my son beaten up, and I'd just run into you at the Community Center, I might have formed a different opinion of you. I might have thought you were this misunderstood man who wasn't defined by his job. But I didn't see the generous side of you first, I didn't see the noble mobster, I saw my son with a bloody nose and a black eye and bruised ribs because some little punk decided you're his hero."

Elizabeth let out a breath and the disappointed look in her eye cut him in a way he hadn't felt since he first explained to Lila what he was going to be doing for Sonny Corinthos. "Your generosity can't hide the fact that it's blood money that's repairing the Community Center or supporting cancer research or AIDS funding. And honestly...honestly I find it all so incredibly sad. Because you could be so much more than this, and yet you're being lazy just like a street hood who knocks down a little old lady for her rent money all so he can go out and get high. Dress it up any way you want to, Mr. Morgan; tell yourself all kinds lies about how you don't let drugs into the city - something someone else mentioned about you - or how you protect the prostitutes...but you're being an absolutely lazy man who would rather go for cheap and easy than have to put some effort and work into your life and for that you do hold some responsibility for Michael's behavior. Because you're teaching him, and even children at the Community Center who know who you are and see you there and talk about you, that they shouldn't work hard and try to get ahead, they should just be thugs."

Then she walked out of his office and left him standing there completely stunned.

"Mom?"

Elizabeth lifted her head out of her hands, keeping her elbows braced on the kitchen table and looked over at Cameron who was regarding her with a worried, questioning look. "Yeah, Cam?"

"Are you okay?" her son asked, taking a small step towards her. "Are you sick?"

"No," she shook her head, eager to reassure him that she was alright. "I'm just tired...and I was thinking."

"'Bout what?" he asked, plopping down in the seat next to her. Apparently now that he no longer believed she was ill he was eager to talk.

She sighed as she looked at her son. Months after the attack at school, Cameron showed no outward signs of the incident, apart from a small, fading scar on his left cheek. A few stitches had closed the wound and now that it was fading due to time, the sun and medicine, he no longer stared at it after brushing his teeth, inspecting the damage inflicted on him. Yet Elizabeth wasn't sure she would ever forget the look of him in the nurse's office, or the black eye that had lingered afterwards. They still went to the therapist, a new one not at General Hospital, but the night terrors had faded, the bed-wetting had stopped and Cameron bounced around with his soccer buddies and enjoyed sleepovers at his friends' houses.

At school he was no longer terrified to go into the P.E. locker room, and he'd found a group of friends who maybe didn't invite him over to their homes to play after school, but at least he wasn't alone on the playground. Oddly enough, the person who had first said something to Cameron after he returned to school had been Morgan Corinthos. Elizabeth had taken some time off to keep Cameron home for a couple of days, and she'd watched over him like a hawk on that first day back. As they arrived at school and Cameron was vacillating between going with her to her classroom or heading to the playground where she knew the other teachers would keep a very close eye on him, Morgan Corinthos had approached her and her son.

He'd been slightly hesitant and Elizabeth had to restrain herself from snatching Cameron and sprinting away from Michael's brother. Instead, he stopped several feet away, tucked his hands awkwardly in his pockets and told Cameron it was nice to see him back. Then he gave a small smile and walked away. Elizabeth had stood there completely stunned and could only nod when her son said he wanted to go to the playground.

While Cameron and Morgan did not become best friends, the little boys did not have anything resembling the antagonistic attitude of Cameron and Michael. They were in the same grade and actually in the same English class and their teacher had all but sprinted into Elizabeth's classroom one day to tell her that the class had to form groups for a project and Morgan had invited Cam to join him and another boy. Mrs. Burkhart said she'd spent the entire class time watching only that group, tense and anxious, wondering if Morgan had some ulterior motive, but instead said that the little boy seemed genuine in the invitation. In fact, the group ended up with the highest grade in the class and each participant in the group had been given good citizenship points for their behavior.

Elizabeth was slowly coming to believe, with everything she saw, that Morgan Corinthos was nothing like his older brother. He didn't resent Cameron. He didn't swagger around the campus with a little group following after him, listening to his orders. He seemed kind-hearted and caring and sometimes Elizabeth found herself watching him, as he sat in her Social Studies class, and thinking about his obvious namesake: Jason Morgan.

It was thoughts of Jason Morgan that plagued her this afternoon.

Ever since the day she'd gotten in his face and chewed him out at his coffee warehouse, she would remember that moment and cringe. She had called him lazy, she had all but said he was a horrible person and he was to blame for teaching Michael to look down on her son. Yet, she knew that Jason didn't look down on her or Cameron. In fact, he'd been upset by what had happened to her son; it had been evident when he'd apologized to her that evening in the parking lot of Jake's. But her resentment and her anger and distrust of the way she'd been asked to help at the Nurses' Ball had bubbled up in her and she'd lashed out at him.

She tried to teach Cameron not to rush to judgment on people. She tried to teach him to look at all sides of a situation and not treat others differently and then she'd proved she was just as judgmental and prejudiced as others had been towards her. It bothered her when she thought about what she said, feeling that whatever moral ground she'd thought she'd had had deteriorated that day with her words.

"Mom?"

She smiled distractedly at Cameron as he pulled her from her thoughts. Reaching over, she brushed her hand through his hair, even though he pulled a face and tried to squirm away from her touch. All was well with her son; he didn't want Mom fussing over him.

"I'm alright, Cam," she reassured him. "I've just been thinking about things."

"'Bout what?"

"About the people I've met while working at the community center and working on the Nurses' Ball," she said. They had talked some about the game system he'd received, and she told him who had given it to him after she found out, and they talked about why Jason Morgan had given him the game system, but they didn't spend a lot of time talking about that time in their lives. He talked with a therapist, he talked somewhat to her, but she took her cues from him and when he was uncomfortable, she didn't press.

"You thinking about Miss Emily?" he wondered, a small grin teasing the corners of his lips. "I like her."

Her own mouth curved in a smile. She had been uncertain around the other woman at first, certain that despite what Jason had told her, Emily had asked for her help at the request of her brother. Then when she began to believe that maybe this had been entirely Emily's plan, she wondered if the intern only did it because she pitied her for what had happened to Cameron and then what A.J. had done. Deciding not to repeat her mistake of accusing first and asking questions later as she'd done with Jason, Elizabeth had asked the other woman why she'd asked for her help this year.

Emily admitted that Elizabeth had come to her attention because of what happened with Cameron, but that she wasn't doing this to make penance on behalf of her family. She'd seen Elizabeth's artwork and liked it. It wasn't the same old stuff that the community center did or anything like the art design for the Nurses' Ball. It was fresh and innovative and because Emily had grown up with a single mother until her mom died of breast cancer and the Quartermaine family adopted her, she understood about working to support oneself and she admired all that Elizabeth was doing for the community and her son. If she could help out someone who reminded her of her mother and get a fresh, new look for the ball, then she would jump at the chance.

Oddly enough, Elizabeth found herself believing the younger woman who was engaged to a real-life prince, and found herself talking to the person who was becoming a true friend. They discussed more than just the ball and the preparations for it, and while sometimes Elizabeth felt uncomfortable talking about Cameron, mostly in regards to his attack, she did open up about her family life and how she'd met Cameron's father. She didn't feel like Emily was judging her, or doing things only because she pitied her.

And there was nothing overt in the other woman's comments when she would bring up her brother Jason. Elizabeth didn't feel like it was a match-making ploy and she didn't feel like she was being chastised for any of her thoughts and feelings towards the mobster, but it didn't stop her from feeling bad and conflicted. Jason hadn't done anything to deserve her anger and tongue-lashing, aside from having a profession Elizabeth didn't approve of. But the biggest part of the single mother's confusion was the fact that she realized she found herself attracted to Jason Morgan in an odd sort of way. He was handsome, there was no denying that, and the things that Elizabeth had learned about his generosity and the simple way he lived his life appealed to her. Under any other circumstances, she'd probably be making a fool of herself trying to catch the man's eye.

Yet it was Cameron, her sweet little boy who was sitting beside rambling on about Emily and making it obvious - despite what he said - that the young boy had a bit of a crush on the older woman, that made Elizabeth squash any thoughts of Jason Morgan. Just because Jason didn't approve of what Michael had done, and his displeasure with his nephew had been genuine, it didn't change the fact that Jason Morgan was a mobster. He killed people, he beat them, he taught them lessons and Michael had grown up adoring him and emulating him and Cameron had been beat up. While Jason's motives were pure when he gave Cameron the game system, it had set everything in motion.

How would her son feel if she expressed an interest in the man? If she went out on a date with him? Would that make her a hypocrite if, after all her dealings with Sonny Corinthos and Carly Jacks and her thoughts regarding them, she expressed an interest in Jason Morgan? And who could she really talk to about this? Cameron had private therapy sessions, Elizabeth only attended family counseling with him. And what could the therapist say anyways? Yes, Miss Webber, I don't think Cameron would have any problems at all if you started dating the man Michael Corinthos beat your son up over.

Why couldn't she just meet a normal guy for once in her life? Why did she find herself attracted to the people who turned out bad for her in the end? What did that say about her? And if she acted on those feelings what would that say about her as a mother? Ever since Cameron had come into her life, she had done her best to provide a loving, stable home for him. She cared for him, she tried to make sure he was loved and felt safe; she couldn't put her wants above his needs.

Maybe what she needed to do was apologize to Jason Morgan for the way she'd acted and then she'd be able to stop thinking about him. She was only obsessing over this because she felt so embarrassed and chagrinned for her behavior. Once she apologized to him, told him that she had no right to judge him and she'd behaved poorly, she could let this go. Then she could stop lying awake in bed at night thinking about him. And if she was no longer thinking about him before she fell asleep, then maybe he would stop invading her dreams. Even as she declared it in her mind, she wondered if she had just found a new way to delude herself.

Knowing that she would just go crazy if she continued to sit here and think about Jason Morgan and how she was going to find a way to apologize to the man, she decided to get away from the house. Deciding that it wouldn't hurt if the hamburger sat in the refrigerator for another day and was used tomorrow, she told Cameron to go get his shoes on and go to the bathroom. They were going to go out.

"Really?" Cam asked, excited about the prospect of going out to eat. "Can we go to the carnival that's at the park? Jordan was talking about it and there are supposed to be some rides there."

"We'll see," she hedged. While she was willing to splurge on dinner out, she wasn't sure about the cost of games and rides and the inevitable bag of cotton candy her son would ask for.

But when Cameron threw his arms around her and hugged her while exclaiming in her ear, "You're the best, Mom," she knew they'd be walking through the park.

And she'd probably cave and give in and let him go on a couple of rides. She tried to keep them on a budget, but sometimes she knew that little splurges were needed. If it meant buying something cheaper from the menu so she didn't feel quite as guilty about spending a few extra dollars at the fair, then she would do it. Because seeing her son's smile, watching as he skipped off to his room made her realize that she would sacrifice anything to make him happy.

"Jase?"

He blinked and looked down at his sister as they walked along the sidewalk in the park. She had asked him to come because she wanted to talk to him, and even though a carnival in the park wasn't something he normally would have gone to, Emily had known he would do pretty much anything for her. But when her choice of conversation had turned to Elizabeth Webber and her son, Jason had found it hard to concentrate. His sister knew how he felt about set-ups, but he had the distinct feeling she was disregarding that. He needed to be delicate, but he also wanted to let her know that her attempts weren't going to bring results.

"Listen, Em," he began softly, gently taking her arm and leading them slightly off the path. "I'm not sure what you're doing, but if you're trying to fix me up with your friend..."

He shook his head and said, "It's probably better that you just stop."

She looked at him with wide, surprised eyes and asked, "Why?"

Letting out a heavy sigh he said, "You know what happened to Cameron. She...she talked to me one day and she said that I'm not responsible for Michael choosing to go after her son or bringing him into contact with Sonny's life, but I..."

He hooked a hand around the back of his neck, "I am responsible for the message he's learned that violence is the way to handle things. She...she said some things that have made me think."

"Like what?" his sister asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Emily was fiercely loyal and it seemed like she was ready to turn on the woman she had just been touting as a great person, simply because Elizabeth Webber may have said a few cross words to her big brother.

"Like the message that I'm teaching kids," he said simply. "Michael's watched Sonny and I and he knows what I do. I...I hurt people for a living. And everyone knows it. The...the kids down at the community center know it. She said they talk about me, they talk about my life and she said...she said I'm teaching them that it's okay to be lazy and not work for what you want, but to just take it instead. To resort to crime instead of work."

Her eyebrows went up and she asked, "She really said that?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded.

"Wow," his sister breathed out. "I...I don't know that I've heard of anybody, except maybe Taggart or Grandfather who's ever said that to you."

Tilting her head to the side she continued, "She's gotten you thinking?"

His shoulders lifted and then fell as he pulled in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. "Yeah. I...I began donating to the community center because I liked that there was a place for children to go that gave them things to do and helped keep them out of trouble. I know it's not going to fix every problem or help every kid, but if it...if it helped one kid stay out of trouble and not turn to a gang or theft...then that was a good thing. Right?"

Emily nodded gently and Jason continued. "I never really went there and I probably would have stayed away except that I saw her there and then I was finding excuses to go and...and the kids saw me. They know who I am, they know what I do. And the thought that these kids who I wanted to help to not become me are now looking up to me like Michael and talking about emulating me..."

He shook his head. "That's never what I wanted."

She softly touched his arm and said, "I know, Jason. But what...what are you thinking?"

"Sometimes...sometimes I look at what I do and I..." He trailed off and shook his head. Whether he couldn't find the words for it, or was just afraid to actually say it out loud and never be able to un-say it, he wasn't sure. It just felt that he uncertain and drifting and he was thinking and he just...he just wasn't sure of things like he used to be.

"Do you..." his sister began hesitantly, swallowing as she looked down. "Do you...regret going to work for Sonny?"

"I..." he paused and then admitted softly. "Sometimes. I...I don't like it when Monica or Alan says I didn't know what I was doing when I went to work for Sonny. It...it makes me feel like they think I was stupid then and I'm still stupid now and every time they say it I get defensive and I tell them I knew exactly what I was doing but I..."

"But you really didn't," she said gently. With a shake of her head she looked at him and said, "You didn't, Jason. He may have explained to you what you'd be doing and what would happen, but how could you really understand it all back then, Jason?"

Licking his lips and swallowing thickly he looked away.

"You understand things better now and...and if you knew now, not just because you've lived in the life, but simply because you've gotten more experience...if it was the you of today that Sonny made that offer to, would you take it?" Emily wondered.

He looked back at her and could only shrug his shoulders. That was as close as he could come to, right now, in admitting that he might have made a mistake back then. That maybe he hadn't known what he was getting into. Emily's brows furrowed and he found himself bracing for more piercing questions that would make him think, that would force to really confront issues that had been swirling around in him for weeks now.

"Oh, no," she said in pure anguish.

Instantly he was on alert and his body tensed, his eyes scanning the area. As he was turning around to see what his sister saw behind him, she grabbed his arm and began dragging him. "Come on, Jase, we gotta stop this."

"What?" he asked, his eyes still sweeping the carnival grounds trying to figure out what was going on.

"Michael just saw that Morgan's talking to Cameron Webber."

Jason felt his heart plummet and he quickly strode across the grass towards the group of boys, Emily scrambling to keep up at his side. He could see the sneer on Michael's face, he could see the way Cameron stepped back, his eyes going wide, but what surprised him was the way that Morgan stepped between the two boys and put his hands on his brother's chest and pushed.

"Stop it," Morgan firmly said. "Go away."

"No," Michael angrily said, still trying to advance forward. Morgan wouldn't let him, though, he pushed back just enough to keep his brother back. "What is he doing here?"

"He's at the carnival," the younger boy stated. "He was having fun."

"With you?" the red-head sneered. "Why? Why are you playing with him? You shouldn't be hanging around him."

"Why?" Morgan asked, unaware of the crowd that was gathering. Jason saw that Elizabeth was searching for her son and could tell the moment she saw where he was. Her hand flew to her throat and then she began heading towards them. Sonny came around the corner from the opposite direction, Carly and Jax beside him and they all paused when they realized what was happening. Sonny and Jax increased their pace to reach the boys.

"Why?" Michael repeated back almost as if he was stunned his little brother would question him. "Because he's trash. He's poor and he's not like us and you shouldn't be hanging around him."

"He's not trash," the younger brother shook his head adamantly. "He's nice and he's smart and I wanted him to be my friend but you were a jerk to him. You had to start picking on him and calling him names and being mean to him and you're...you're nothing but a bully."

"Morgan," Sonny called out. Not angrily, just enough to get the boys' attention. "Michael. What's going on?"

At the same time, Elizabeth reached the group and she immediately went to her son's side, stepping in front of him just a little.

"Morgan's hanging around with that loser," Michael said contemptuously.

Three adults immediately chastised, "Michael."

Carly wasn't one of the ones who spoke up, she merely looked at her husband, ex-husband and friend and then at Elizabeth Webber.

"I like Cameron," Morgan stated. "I liked him when I met him in English class and I wanted to play with him. I asked Mom if he could come over and it was when she made some comment about him just being the teacher's son that Michael started attacking him. I tried to stop him but Michael threatened to beat me up if I stood in his way."

By now Sonny had his hand on Michael's shoulder and Jason saw his friend's hand flex briefly and Michael try to shake off his father's touch. Emily had inched closer towards Elizabeth and Cameron and Jax stood on the other side of the group, opposite Jason, watching the proceedings.

"Did you threaten to beat your brother up?" the Australian asked.

"I told him that some people mattered, and some people didn't," Michael said as if that justified his actions. "He's too stupid to realize that he's protecting the wrong person."

"That's enough," Sonny said firmly. Looking around he asked, "What happened here?"

"Jason and I were walking through the park and we saw Michael approaching Cameron and Morgan," Emily explained, her voice even and calm. "So we came over."

"Morgan was telling Michael to leave and to stay away from Cameron," Jason added. "That's when the rest of you showed up."

"I just wanted to play with Cameron," Morgan stated. "And Michael spotted us and he came over and his hands were clenching into fists and he was looking right at Cameron and saying things about how he should leave and I told him to stop. I'm tired of him ruining everything for me. He's always ruining everything."

Jason blinked slightly at the absolute vehemence in the little boy's tone. Carly looked at the group that was gathering, watching the group and stepped forward. "Morgan," she said softly. "Honey, this isn't the time."

"It's never the time when it comes to Michael," he shot back at her, stepping away from her seeking hands. "You never punish him and you never really mean it when you tell him not to do something."

"That's not true," Sonny shook his head.

"You're punishing him now," the younger brother said, "but you've let him off plenty of times. He takes things, he breaks things, he lies, he runs away and you guys do nothing. But I get punished for what he does. I don't get to go places because Michael's gone and done something stupid and you have to increase the guards. Or he breaks something of mine and you think I did it because precious Michael can do no wrong. He plays you," he said, his voice starting to crack with emotion. "He tells his friends that you're stupid and you never punish him because he's your favorite and he can do whatever he wants to and he's right. If I did what he did, I would get in trouble, but he never does. He knew that I liked Cameron, but he was mean to him because of that. But if I don't leave his friends alone Mom tells me to be nice to my brother and not be a pest. Why did you guys even have me if all you ever wanted and cared about was Michael?"

"Okay, okay," Jax said softly, stepping up to Morgan and gently touching his shoulder. The little boy turned towards him, wrapping his arms around his stepfather and burying his face in the older man's shirt. When Carly touched his back, Morgan flinched and twisted away from her and the blonde stepped back looking absolutely horrified that her son didn't want anything to do with her.

"It's okay," Jax continued to soothe the younger boy. "Let's go, okay? Let's go home and we can continue to talk about this there."

Looking at the others, he gently steered Morgan away from the crowds, a guard discreetly following. Carly watched him go, her face twisted and broken. When she could no longer see him she turned to look at Michael and Jason saw that the older boy looked completely unrepentant over all that happened. He just shook his head, still trying to break out of Sonny's hold.

"He's such a baby," Michael said. "He doesn't understand how things work."

"No," his mother said, her voice tight with barely controlled fury, "You don't understand how things work, Michael. You will apologize right now to Cameron and his mother and you will mean it. I've made excuses for you for too long, but it ends now. You tell him you're sorry and then we're going home and we're going to talk about this."

When Michael remained sullenly silent Carly shook her head and turned towards the mother and son who were doing their best to remain unobtrusive. "I apologize to you both. I...I know that this doesn't even begin to cover what's happened, but I really am sorry."

Sonny didn't let go of Michael and he didn't step near the pair, but he added his own statement, "I'm sorry, as well. I apologize if Michael frightened you, Cameron. Miss Webber, I...I really do regret what's happened again. I guess we didn't make a difference like we thought."

Then he turned and forced Michael to leave with him. As Sonny and the other guards moved through the area, most of the crowd drifted away until it was just Jason, Emily and the Webbers.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, turning to Elizabeth and her son.

"Cam?" the single mother asked, finally stepping back from her protective guard of her child.

The little boy didn't say anything and Jason sighed, fearing that the little boy would suffer a setback.

"Cam?" she repeated, her voice slightly higher as she fought to keep control.

He nodded towards his mother and then stepped towards Emily, "Thank you, Miss Emily."

Then the boy looked at Jason and with deep brown eyes he said, "Thank you, Mr. Morgan. When...when Michael was coming I was...I was scared. But then I saw you and I...I knew you wouldn't let him hurt me."

Jason shook his head and said, "No. I wouldn't let him hurt you. I...I'm sorry if he scared you."

"I'm okay," Cameron stated, firming his shoulders. "I'm not scared."

Jason looked up and met Elizabeth's gaze. It was turbulent, confusion mixed with fear, and even something that looked like regret to Jason.

"Thank you. Both of you," she said while looking only at Jason. "I...I appreciate you looking out for Cameron. I...we should go."

"Bye, Cam," Emily said. "Bye, Elizabeth."

"Bye," the young boy waved at Emily and then looked at Jason and repeated, "Bye."

As mother and son walked away, Jason sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face. This whole incidence had only served to torment him further.

Sometimes Elizabeth wondered if she hadn't lost her mind. As she waited for Jason Morgan to show up, she began to have all sorts of second thoughts and doubts. Had she really done the right thing asking Emily for her brother's number. It had necessitated her admitting to the other woman that she'd said something she'd like to apologize for, but didn't want to try to hunt him down or hope that they'd run into each other. She'd rather not have an audience for her talk with the mobster. Then she wondered if, once she called Jason, if she shouldn't have been so insistent that they not meet any place she'd already encountered him. That ruled out the park, the coffee warehouse and Jake's. Which was why she was she was sitting at an overlook, gazing down at Port Charles and deciding that she had to have taken leave of her senses.

Her thoughts didn't change when she heard the rumble of a motorcycle cut through the quiet night air and she highly doubted it was some teenager coming up with his girlfriend to make out. In Elizabeth's experience, those things were usually planned out with a car. She clutched her fingers together nervously and wondered if she would seem too paranoid if she pulled out her cell phone and was poised to dial 911 if it turned out that the motorcycle rider wasn't Jason Morgan.

She didn't get a chance to truly contemplate that because she hear Jason Morgan's voice say, "Thank you, Milo, you can go."

Standing, she watched him come down the stairs from the parking lot and stop a few feet away from her. She heard receding footsteps and she tilted her head in question, "What was that?"

He tugged his ear nervously and said, "I didn't want you to be out here alone so I...I had one of my guards follow you from your house and keep an eye on you until I could show up."

Elizabeth merely stared at him and then could only shake her head and laugh lightly. "You...you are an enigma, you know that? I was sitting here wondering if I was a fool for coming out here and if I'd look like a scared idiot holding my cell phone with 911 punched in and my finger hovering over the send button and you...you sent a guard to watch me."

"Are...are you mad?" he questioned, no doubt puzzled by her laughter.

She sobered and shook her head, "No. I...it's actually very nice of you. Slightly weird to think I had a bodyguard watching me, but...but it actually doesn't surprise me at all that you did that. It...it's just another thing about you that confuses me because it touches me."

His eyes furrowed slightly and she took a deep breath and decided to get right to what she'd called him about. "Look," she said, wiping her palms against her denim capris. "I asked to meet you because I wanted to apologize to you."

Tucking her hair behind her ear she said, "I was very rude that day in the warehouse. I don't know you and why you do what you do and I...I said a lot of things that I had no business saying and that weren't nice. I have no right to judge you or call you lazy or say that the money you donate is blood money and imply you're doing it do ease your conscience. I was acting like I had the moral high ground in this whole incident; Cameron and I were right, everyone else was wrong and...and that attitude was wrong. Any moral high ground I thought I had went right out the window when I accused you and said those things to you and I just...I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't right, it wasn't nice and I...I really do apologize to you, Mr. Morgan. It's bothered me that I said those things and if I'm going to teach Cameron that he shouldn't say things to other people and should apologize to them, then how can I not apologize to you and admit that I was wrong?"

He looked at her, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly and said, "I...I accept your apology. But only because I don't want you to keep rambling until you pass out. It wasn't necessary, though."

Her brows furrowed slightly, wondering if he was teasing her, but she shook that off and focused on his last statement. "Yes, it was necessary. I don't know you and I jumped to a lot of rude and harsh judgments about you and then I just hurled them at you and that..."

She shook her head, "that wasn't right."

"It's okay," he said softly. "You've heard a lot of things about me and given what happened to your son, it's natural you'd react that way."

"But that's the thing," Elizabeth protested. "I only heard things about you. I was listening to gossip and I should know better. According to some of the gossip I've heard about me, I'm a worthless single mother who's looking to exploit this situation that happened with Cameron by getting hush money from Michael's parents so that I don't press charges against him. Or I'm sucking up to your sister in the hopes of turning my son's beating into an art career for me, because why else would I be helping out on the Nurses' Ball. I should know better than to listen to gossip. Because there may be the smallest nugget of truth in there sometimes, but it's often covered and twisted and distorted by lies and vicious desires to make people look bad and I attacked you with that and no matter what happened to Cameron...that wasn't right of me."

"Elizabeth," he said gently. "I accept your apology. I wasn't mad at what you said. I...it made me think."

"What?" she wondered and then she shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. It's not my business. Your profession and what you do...that isn't for me to judge."

"It affected your son," he told her. "I...I never thought of things like that when I went to work for Sonny."

Jason sighed and scratched at his temple with his thumb. "I'd...I had a car accident and I woke up and couldn't remember who I'd been. My family couldn't accept that and kept pushing me to be who I used to be, to remember them and love them and they wouldn't accept me for who I was and I moved out. I was living in an old boxcar in the woods and parking cars at a blues' club and I met Sonny. And he didn't look at me like I was stupid or that I couldn't do things. He believed in my abilities and he offered me a job."

Elizabeth stayed silent, just letting him speak. She wasn't going to rush to judgments about how he couldn't have known what he was doing if he'd just woken up from a coma; she had no idea of how much time had passed before he took the job. She told herself to just listen.

"My family gets mad at him and thinks he took advantage of me, that I didn't understand what I was doing," he continued, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "And it would make me angry and make me feel like they still thought I was damaged and couldn't make decisions but sometimes...lately...I wonder if they might have been right. I wasn't supposed to be alive. The accident should have killed me. The brain damage should have made me unable to function but here I am."

She nodded her head and said softly, "Here you are. Trust me; growing up as the daughter of doctors, I know that they don't know everything. And sometimes cases just defy everything medical wisdom says should happen. That sounds like your case."

He looked at her for a moment and then said, "Yeah. I was angry and I was learning things and I shouldn't have been alive and I was so when Sonny offered me a job, I didn't really care about the danger that he explained to me. I took the job. I didn't think about the years to come, I didn't even think about the weeks to come. I was just living day to day."

He paused and the silence stretched between them. He'd said so much that she wondered if that was it, or if there was more that he wanted to say but was holding back.

"And now?" she prompted gently. If he didn't want to speak, he'd let her know.

"And now," Jason shrugged. "I...I know that I don't want kids to grow up to be like me. I don't want those kids down at the community center to think they shouldn't study or work hard and do what I did. I don't want Michael or Morgan to follow me or Sonny and do what we do. I don't another child like Cameron to get hurt because someone thinks I'm someone they should emulate.

"But I can't change," he said with such a heavy air of despair and finality that she simply couldn't stay silent.

"That's not true," she shook her head. When he looked at her she said, "I'm not trying to say don't do your job, unless that's what you want to do. I don't know about your lifestyle and what really happens; I've just watched a few movies here and there. But I tell Cameron that there are very few things that are actually impossible. Sometimes it's not easy, and sometimes it takes a while, but a solution can found."

She let out a little chuckle and said, "Except for the toothpaste."

When he looked at her in question she felt herself blush as she explained, "It was a joke he read one time. A mother was telling her son that nothing was impossible, he just had to work harder and he could get it and finally the kid says he's tried and he's tried but he just can't get the toothpaste back in the toothpaste tube."

A whisper of a laugh joined hers and she felt a little bolstered. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do, Jason. I just...if you don't like who you've become or what's happening...see what you can do to change it. I don't accept fatalism. Not on the first go 'round. If I did...Cameron and I would not be living here today."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Knowing that he has shared his story with her, and knowing that she'd laid the groundwork for her own with her comment she said, "I think I might have said something about Cameron's father back at the warehouse. It probably didn't make a whole lot of sense and it definitely wasn't one of my finer moments."

Tucking her hair behind her ears she looked out over the city and said, "My parents are doctors and I grew up with a lot of stuff in my life. It was my parents' way of trying to make up for the fact that they missed a lot of events in their children's lives. We had a big house, we had a maid, we had fancy cars, and my parents bought my brother and sister every expensive thing they ever wanted."

She let out a breath and looked away. "I was the screw-up in the family. I was the rebel, and not just because I liked art instead of memorizing the muscle system and being able to name every bone in the body. I was always told I wasn't pretty as my sister or smart as my brother and my parents were well-established in their careers when I was born so I got...left behind a lot. They didn't have time to come to my recitals or my art shows and guys paid attention to me just to get closer to my sister or my brother asked his friends to take me out on a date so I wasn't sitting at home every night. I didn't have a lot of use for my family by the time I was a teenager or when I got into college. I'd learned by then that I wasn't worth anything because I wasn't going to be a doctor like everybody else and the only time guys noticed me was when it was pointed out that I was Sarah's sister.

"So when Cameron's father came along..." She turned away, flushing in the darkness. Pacing towards a bench she continued, "I thought he was like all the others; he wanted Sarah. Turns out he wanted me...but only because he thought I was the easier mark. He thought for sure I'd get a trust fund when I graduated from college or turned twenty-five or something like that and so he befriended me and he supported me and when I left home and got a teaching job in another city he showed up later and I believed he was really there for me. Turns out he just wanted to get me pregnant so that he'd have a permanent tie to me and the money he was sure I'd inherit any day. When he found out there was no trust fund and my parents were as likely to give their money away to some charity as they were to give it to their kids, especially me, he split and left me alone and pregnant."

"I'm sorry," Jason said softly and she spun around, startled at how close he was behind her. When she'd started her story, he was near the railing at the edge of the overlook. Now he was several feet away from her.

Shaking her head, she said, "I don't want your pity. I don't want anyone's pity or their help because they believe I can't do this on my own. When my parents found out I was pregnant and not married and the guy took off and I'd been used...well, let's just say they weren't the most sympathetic of people. They offered to help me and my bastard child with a lot of conditions, but I didn't want any of it. I didn't know how I was going to do it but I was determined that I was going to make it on my own. I would raise Cameron the best that I could."

"And you have," he told her. "He seems like he's a remarkable boy."

"Thank you," she said, lowering her head at his praise. "I wanted him to learn that money wasn't everything because it certainly didn't bring me any happiness when I was a child. My sister...she's very much like Michael. Judges people on what they wear or what car they drive and constantly makes digs on me about being a single mother and not married even though she's childless and on her fourth husband. When I thought you had gotten me the job on the Nurses' Ball...all my defenses went up and I let my stubborn pride get in the way of things. I want to make it on my own but I'm trying to remember that it doesn't mean I have to be an island and never accept any help. And in that pride...I said some things to you that I had no business saying and I really am sorry for that."

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly and he said, "It's okay. I'm not mad. And you don't have to keep apologizing for it."

"But I have a pretty sharp tongue," she said regretfully. "I know that and it...it sounds like I said some things that hurt you and I..."

She shook her head. "I'm trying to do better and not jump to so many conclusions."

Sitting down on the bench Elizabeth let out a sigh and said, "I...I really wish I'd met you under different circumstances."

Jason sat down as well and looked over at her, "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Maybe I wouldn't have been so judgmental if I wasn't coming from a place where I felt defensive because of my son. While I'm not terribly wild about your choice of profession, it's not for me to judge you and maybe if I'd met the kind man who donates to charities and supports the community center and wants kids to grow up to have good lives and gave my son - a child he'd never met before - a game system simply because you was impressed by him buying a toy for a child less fortunate than him...if I'd met you before all the stuff with Michael things might have been different."

Staring out over the twinkling city lights she wistfully admitted, "Sometimes I really wish things could have been different."

Morgan Corinthos was in her home. He was sitting on the floor in Cameron's room, his designer blue jeans a contrast to her son's jeans she bought on sale at Target, as they raced toy cars around on the floor. They had a whole town set up, apparently. Roads were laid out, books were used as buildings and while there were sometimes crashes - premeditated of course - that necessitated a car having to go to the shop, the majority of the time they just raced from one place to another. Things were delivered, imaginary people were taken from building to building and all the while they laughed and giggled while making appropriate engine noises and screeching tires.

It was a scene that could have played out with any one of Cameron's friends on any other day; it always just disconcerted her when it was Morgan.

After that day in the park, Cameron and Morgan became inseparable at school. From the moment they arrived in the morning until the moment Morgan's bodyguards took him home in the afternoon, the two little boys were joined at the hip. They ran all over the playground, they sat together at lunch swapping and sharing their food and the normally quiet, withdrawn boys had finally become like others in their age group and whispered so much in their one class together that the teacher had to separate them and give them a yellow light for talking too much during group time and not doing their work.

Morgan's friends were nothing like his older brother's. They didn't view Cameron as an interloper; they welcomed him into the fold. Quiet and introspective boys like Morgan, they didn't seem to care about social status or bloodlines, they simply wanted to have fun and play. And if Morgan declared that Cameron was fun, then that was good enough for them. Elizabeth's son had developed a wider range of playmates, some he would even call friends, that actually invited him along to do things. But there was no denying that his closest friend was Morgan.

It was Sonny Corinthos who called her one evening to work out a time for the boys to get together and play. It was all Morgan could talk about and the little boy wanted so desperately for his new friend to come over. But the mobster was sensitive enough to realize that Elizabeth may not feel comfortable with her son coming to his house. He wasn't trying to say that Cameron wasn't welcome, and he wasn't trying to invite his son over, but he understood that the single mother might feel more comfortable with having Morgan come to her house first. He also explained the guards would need to accompany the little boy, but that they would be unobtrusive. For the most part they had been; it had merely been surreal to have armed men standing outside her house.

But with time, she didn't think so much about the men outside, she merely focused on trying to contain the two tornadoes inside and keep them from destroying everything in sight. For two vastly different upbringings, Morgan and Cameron had none of the social awkwardness she seemed to feel. And when Morgan asked if Cameron could come to his house so that Cameron could see his room and his toys, Elizabeth had found herself agreeing. Especially when she learned it would be at his father's house and not his mother's. For some strange reason, the thought of Cameron going to Carly and Jasper Jacks' home bothered her more than the thought of her only child walking into the mini-fortress of the city's reining mobster.

Maybe it was because Sonny Corinthos seemed to understand her feelings and wasn't offended by them. Maybe it was because he had never looked down on her or her son like his ex-wife had. Maybe it was because he had explained to her that he would do everything he could to keep her son safe while the little boy was entrusted to his care. And maybe it was because she knew that Michael Corinthos would be nowhere near the house on the afternoons Cameron came over.

She didn't know what was happening with her former student because she felt it was none of her business. As long as Morgan's father assured her Michael would not be at his house on the days Cameron went to visit, she was content to let him and his ex-wife and her husband parent Michael. How they dealt with the almost-teenager was their business. She was focused on her son and making sure he was safe and doing well. He was happy playing with Morgan, but did admit to her that he never wanted to be around Michael again.

Morgan was so different from his older brother and Elizabeth found herself really coming to like the young boy. Just as she and her own sister were as different as night and day, so it was with the Corinthos boys. And just as she had struck out on her own, wanting to distinguish herself from the rest of the Webbers and be more than just Sarah's little sister, it appeared that Morgan was doing the same. He seemed determined to be the antithesis of Michael. If Michael got bad grades because he didn't study, then Morgan worked extra hard to not just make the honor roll, but get straight As. If Michael was constantly in trouble and disrespectful of authority, then Morgan was a model child. Sure he had normal exuberance and the occasional acting up, but he was nothing like his brother.

He was someone that Elizabeth was glad Cameron was friends with. They encouraged each other to get projects done early. They were polite when they were together. They listened when she told them they were getting a little too loud or rough-housing just a little too much and needed to calm down. There were times when Elizabeth honestly forgot that he was the brother of the boy who hated who son so much and that they had the same parents.

Sometimes Elizabeth wondered if Morgan was influenced less by his mother and father and more by the two other men in his life. When she listened to the boys talking, she noticed that Morgan talked more about his namesake and his stepfather than he did his mother and father. He talked about the things that Jax did with him or helped him out on, and he talked about his time with his uncle. As time passed, he began talking more about his father who seemed to be making a concerted effort to be more in the little boy's life, but Morgan said very little about his mother. He talked more about the nanny than he did Carly.

The educator felt bad for her student, but also admired his strength and determination. He was very well adjusted for all the upheaval that affected and impacted his life. He was also surprisingly frank and honest and on the night when he slept over and joined them for dinner, he told Cameron that her son was lucky because he got to eat dinner with his mom almost every night. Morgan was lucky if he got to eat dinner with his mom maybe once a week. She was always busy with her hotel, or going out to dinner with Jax, or running off doing something else. Their nanny fixed dinner and made sure they ate their vegetables and sometimes she was the one who tucked them into bed.

After his revelation regarding his feelings at the spring carnival, his mom was around more, but she was still focused on Michael. She was determined to fix her oldest son's behavior, but the preteen was stubbornly fighting her. Michael didn't see anything wrong in his actions and Carly was only concerned about him. Morgan still didn't seem to register with her.

When he complained to Elizabeth, she made sure simply that she listened to him and did not criticize his mother. She encouraged him to talk to his father, or his stepfather, or even his mother, but also let him know that she was willing to listen if he just wanted to talk. She didn't try to take over mothering him, and she was always aware that she was his teacher, and tried to walk a balance of being the kind mom of his friend and someone he could talk to with being his teacher.

She also made sure not to allow her personal feelings regarding his family to show when he talked about them. Especially when he talked about his Uncle Jason. It was clear that the little boy looked up to his uncle, but she also sensed that he was clearly aware of what Jason and Sonny did for a living. When he talked about them, he didn't talk about what they did for a living, or the coffee warehouse they ran, he only talked about the things he did with them.

At times it was hard to hear the praises of Jason Morgan and she wondered how exactly her son felt about all his friend said. She got her answer that day, and it made her once again wonder if she was being too judgmental. Her son didn't think about what Jason Morgan did for a living, or how he might have influenced Michael in some way and led to the older boy ordering the attack on Cameron. Instead, he focused on what Morgan had that he didn't.

"You're lucky you have an uncle like that," Cameron said as they continued to push their cars and motorcycles over the carpet streets. "I have an uncle, but he doesn't sound as cool as yours."

"What does he do?" the other boy wondered.

"He's a doctor," her son answered, sounding distinctly unimpressed. "My mom's whole family is doctors and I've only met them a couple of times. They don't like me 'cause my mom wasn't married to my dad when she had me."

Elizabeth leaned against the wall outside her son's bedroom, the laundry basket in her hands sagging in her loose grasp. Her son believed, sadly accurately, that her family didn't really like him too much because of the circumstances surrounding his birth. He understood better than she gave him credit for why she didn't visit her family and why he'd only met them a couple of times. It wasn't just because they lived so far away or because her parents spent the summers traveling around providing free medical services; it was because Elizabeth didn't want to subject the two of them to her family's pointed and thinly veiled comments and barbs.

"My mom's brother came to visit us once," Cam continued. "And he brought me a baseball."

"That's cool," Morgan said. "Did you play with him?"

"We did," her son answered. "But it wasn't the baseball that bothered me; I liked it and it's fun to play catch. It was that he hadn't listened to me. I told him about playing soccer and how I'd scored a goal in one of my games and the coach was teaching us some passing techniques and he brought the ball so that he could teach me the throwing techniques he'd learned. He hadn't listened to me. He heard sports, thought about what he'd played and just figured it was baseball. When Mom told him that I played soccer, he just shrugged."

"Uncle Jason's not like that," her son's friend said. Not maliciously, just matter-of-factly like all boys possessed at that age. "He knows that I like swimming and want to join the swim team. Mom and Dad keep thinking I should play soccer or baseball like Michael did when he was younger until he declared sports were dumb; they think we can have bonding moments as brothers. Jax tried to get Mom to sign me up for the swim team and so does Uncle Jason, although he knows that some parents might not be comfortable with me on the team. So he tries to take me swimming and teaches me strokes and techniques and then will time me to see if I'm improving. When Jax found out what he was doing, he tried to help as well since sometimes Uncle Jason's busy."

"Does...does he scare you?" Cameron wondered.

"Uncle Jason?" Morgan asked, and the sound of cars moving across the floor faded. Elizabeth found herself holding her breath.

"No," he continued. "He does his best to be safe and he's especially careful around me. I know that he does things that he shouldn't and that I shouldn't do...but I love him, just like I love my dad. Mom told me it's more important how I feel with them than what they do...and that's one time she was right. Though sometimes I wish they were different. I wish we didn't have the guards and the danger and have to stay home or not be able to go somewhere. But Uncle Jason doesn't scare me."

There was a long pause and then Morgan asked, "Does he scare you? 'Cause...'cause of Michael?"

"No," Cam immediately said and Elizabeth could picture her little boy wagging his head back and forth as his curls bounced. "When Michael was coming towards us at the park I was scared for a moment and then you stepped in front of me and then your uncle was there and I knew...I just knew he wouldn't let Michael hurt me."

Her son sighed as he then said, "I kinda wish I could spend some time with you and your uncle...but I don't think that Mom would let me."

When Morgan began hanging out with Cameron Webber, Sonny instituted a new rule for the business. Men were not to come to Sonny's house when Cameron was there. Business was not to be discussed at the house in the living room when any of Sonny's children were there. For too long, Michael had eavesdropped on their conversations and thought that how they conducted their lives was how he was supposed to conduct his.

It had been a harsh reality for the mafia don to realize his life had so negatively impacted his children's, but he'd gotten an earful of reality when he had accompanied Carly, Jax and their children to family counseling. Michael defiantly stated he'd listened to his father for years; he knew how to deal with people beneath him and whom he didn't like, and Morgan had stated that he loved his father, but he hated who he was. He hated the violence and the lies and the deception that Sonny practiced but then expected the boys to be completely honest in all things. At the tender age of nine, Morgan had labeled his father a hypocrite and Sonny learned that the little boy was ashamed of who his father and uncle were and that sometimes he felt conflicted for loving them as much as he did.

When the father had shared that with Jason, desperately needing someone to talk to about the churning feelings he had, he'd instead discovered that Jason had been fighting with his own feelings as well. Ever since Jason had gotten chewed out by Elizabeth Webber, he could no longer detach himself from his lifestyle. The younger man once believed he was different than Frank Smith and Joe Scully, from Anthony Moreno and Joseph Sorrel, but now he wasn't so sure. Just because he and Sonny didn't run drugs and protected the prostitutes, did that really make them better men? They were still criminals. They still broke the law. They still stole and killed and made widows and orphans. Michael was insistent that he didn't need to go to school, he certainly didn't need to go to college, because he fully intended to follow in his father's footsteps. Sonny was a high school dropout and he was the most powerful man in town. People feared him, people did what he wanted them to...Michael was determined to have the same kind of power.

It had horrified Sonny to hear his son's plans and Jason had been in full agreement. Neither of them wanted the boys to become like them. They didn't want them to be tied to a life like this forever. They wanted them to have choices and freedoms and numerous opportunities; those would all be lost if Michael got involved in the organization. It reminded Jason of the children at the community center that Elizabeth mentioned to him. Children who thought that they didn't have to work hard, that they didn't have to put forth effort in school or rise above their surroundings but could instead just become street punks and hope to become part of Sonny's crew.

It was sobering as well as disappointing to realize he had looked down on the Quartermaines and Jax for their ruthless business practices and callous disregard of people, when he really wasn't much different. Sure, Jason told himself that he didn't pretend he wasn't a criminal, but it was turning out to be hollow comfort. While he may not hide behind the pious and righteous façade of respectability that others did, was there really such a thing as a noble mobster? Just because he wasn't as bad as the Morenos, Ruizes and Zacharras of the world, did he really have a moral high ground? Or had it all been an illusion that he'd deluded himself into believing?

But despite Elizabeth Webber's refusal to accept fatalism and declare that things were impossible, it wasn't an easy thing to get out of the mob. Nor was it going to be an easy thing to avoid Sonny's wrath today. Despite his friend's rules, Jason pulled into the driveway of Greystone, knowing that Cameron Webber was having his very first sleepover at Sonny's house; a momentous thing that thrilled the boys but Jason was sure the mother had struggled with. He could only hope that the boys were asleep given the late hour.

However, when Jason knocked on the door and was let inside by Max, the guard's surprise at seeing him was also mixed with a decided uncomfortable look. Immediately Jason was alert and demanded, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing," the other man shook his head. "Nothing's wrong with the boss. It's the boys."

Glad that his worries over business and safety problems had been unfounded, Jason then wondered what had happened with the boys. "What do you mean?"

"They watched a movie that scared them," the guard said. "Sonny's trying to calm them down. Why are you here, Jason? The boss has said we're not supposed to bring business here."

"I know," he sighed heavily. "But this isn't something that can wait until Cameron goes home."

Max looked bothered by that fact, and Jason couldn't say that he blamed the other man. He was bothered by the news he was going to have to impart. But he didn't want to disrupt Sonny's interaction with the boys so he said, "I'll go wait in the office. Just let Sonny know that I'm here. And tell him I'm sorry that I showed up. I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't a true emergency."

"Okay," the taller man nodded. "I know you wouldn't. I'll try to get Mr. C. to see that."

"Thanks, Max," Jason patted the man on the shoulder, and then turned to head down the hallway to the office.

As he let himself into the room that reflected everything else in Sonny's house; opulent, dark, rich materials. Jason sighed wearily. He really wished he had someone else to talk to this about. Someone who wasn't going to be as closely invested and personally affected by this as Sonny. He wished for the straight talk and blunt wisdom of his lawyer, but knew that he couldn't speak to Diane until he first informed Sonny. There were protocols and rules to be followed, and just because the FBI didn't follow them, didn't mean Jason was going to disregard everything he'd been taught.

The heavy office door didn't slam closed when Sonny entered the room, but there was no mistaking the firm manner that slightly rattled the frame. Nor was there any way to deny the annoyance in the older man's voice when Sonny demanded, "What are you doing here? You know I've said that nobody is supposed to come by when Cameron Webber is here. Max said you said it was an emergency and that's the only reason I'm willing to meet with you."

"The FBI pulled me off the street this afternoon," Jason stated immediately. "We've got a problem."

That immediately got his friend's attention and the older man's demeanor changed. "The FBI? What happened?"

"The FBI has evidence on us," he said bluntly.

"Evidence?" Sonny hissed. "What kind of evidence?"

"They could put us away on RICO charges," he answered. He wasn't going to soften things for Sonny or try to hedge. "I don't know how they did it, I don't know if they got someone inside or turned someone, but they've got our books and they've got us."

The older man frowned and peered at Jason. "You sound awfully defeated. We can beat this."

Jason shook his head, "I saw the books. This agent...some guy named Raynor...he was smug and sure of himself and he wouldn't have shown me the evidence unless he had it backed up and was certain."

"So if they wanted to bring us down, if they pulled you off the street...then how come you're here?" Sonny asked. "How come they haven't stormed in here to arrest me?"

"Because they're willing to overlook the charges if we help them."

His friend's eyes widened and he said, "What? Help them?"

"They're willing to overlook the charges and leave us alone to run our business if we help them," Jason repeated. "Help them bring down other families."

"You mean turn?!" Sonny thundered. "They think we'll save our own skin by turning on others? Don't they know that if anyone found out they'd come after us and take us down?!"

"They want information on the Zacharras," he told his friend. "Supposedly there's also rumors that Jerry Jacks has gotten into trouble again and since we're connected to Jax through Carly they want us to help find out what Jerry's doing."

The older man leaned back against the desk and stared at Jason, "Are they serious? They want us to find information on these people and we're just supposed to believe that they won't turn on us?"

"I don't know," Jason could only admit with a shrug. "This...this is something we need to talk to Diane about. She needs to know. She's smart and we need her help on this. They...they say they're willing to leave us alone; they'll even step in with the PCPD if they have to. This Raynor guy said we were more helpful to them on the outside because if they took us down it would create a power vacuum in the city and somebody worse could step in. Somebody who will run drugs, get involved in human trafficking, that kinda thing. They're willing to let us stay free as long as we help take down the worse people."

"That goes against everything...everything," Sonny shook his head. "Rats are killed. We're supposed to trust the Feds to protect us?"

The younger man swallowed and then said, "We need to think about our families."

His friend peered at him suspiciously and then said, "What do you mean?"

"Raynor wasn't above playing dirty to get what he wants. He threatened the Quartermaines," he said. "Said he'd go after ELQ, the house, said he was certain he could find some charge to bring against Edward. Wondered how long my grandfather would survive in prison?"

"He threatened Edward?" Sonny breathed out. "I know you aren't close to him but..."

"It would be a blow to Monica and Emily," he admitted. "He also threatened Emily. Threatened to go after Nikolas and said he could probably tie my sister into anything they found on Cassadine."

Letting out a breath, he looked down and then back up at Sonny, regret clear on his face. "He also said he'd go after Carly."

"What do you mean?" the older man demanded angrily. "What could he go after Carly for?"

"She's still the technical owner of The Cellar," Jason stated. "We've been using the place. Raynor asked what would happen to Michael and Morgan if you and I went to jail and then their mother and stepfather went to jail as well. Jax pleaded no contest back when his father and brother got into trouble. His connection to Carly could violate his plea and he could be sent to jail. He said he'd capitalize on Michael's whole thing with Cameron and who knows what would happen to him then."

"He...he threatened my son?" Sonny hissed angrily, his hands balling into fists and his eyes narrowing into slits.

"That's why we need Diane," Jason told him. "I needed to tell you this first, but we've got to get Diane on this. I don't know if this agent's overstepping and she can get him on that, or what's going on. But, Sonny...this guy isn't like the PCPD. He wants certain things and he's willing to bend the rules just enough to get what he wants. He...he's dangerous and we can't underestimate him."

He could see the disbelief rolling through is friend's eyes. It was the same emotions he had been struggling with ever since Raynor had waved Jason out of his office. How could they overcome this? Could Diane get the Feds on corruption? Could they get the evidence suppressed? Even if they got rid of Raynor, would they ever fully get the FBI off their back after this? Jason didn't have any care for Jerry Jacks or the Zacharras, though it disgusted him that he was even considering cooperating and giving evidence on them. Snitches were scum in their world, and yet Jason and Sonny were being asked to turn. Jason had killed men for such behavior.

Yet, Jason had also begun to think about some things. He had been struggling with his thoughts and feelings towards this work and the way people perceived him. Especially the way children perceived him. It wasn't easy to get out...but there might be an opportunity here. An opportunity to make the change he was still scared to admit he wanted. He could do that, and if he worked it right, he could protect Sonny and their families. He just needed to voice it.

"Listen," he began, tentatively stepping into the unknown void. "There may be a way to do something, but we'll need Diane's help. I...I'll be the Feds' fall guy."

Sonny stared at Jason and asked, "What do you mean?"

"If it protects you and everyone else..." He swallowed and then said, "I'll go to prison. It'll mean I'm out, but I'm willing to do it."

He didn't know if she'd come. He knew it was an odd request of him to make, but he'd found himself making it all the same. He told himself he would understand if she didn't come, they had little contact and what time they'd spent together hadn't always been pleasant, but he really did hope she would come. She seemed like the polite sort, her unexpected apology to him had proved that, and he thought that if nothing else, the simple fact that he took the effort to call her and ask her to meet him would get her to come. He could only hope that he understood her enough to get that right.

His phone rang in his pocket and startled him, and he pulled it out, registering that it was Milo on the other end, but truly guessing as to what the guard would say. "Morgan."

"Miss Webber has just dropped Cameron off at his soccer coach's house. She's turned towards the cliffs. I think she's coming to meet you."

Jason let a breath flow past his lips as relief coursed through him. "Keep an eye on her, Milo, and if she does show up here, keep your distance in the parking lot. I don't want anyone to realize she's met with me."

With everything going on in his life at the moment and the way the FBI was breathing down everyone's throat, he didn't want her to get inadvertently pulled into this. She'd encountered enough because of his and Sonny's life, he didn't need her to get picked up and harassed by the FBI simply because she'd met with him. His men had been in place for hours, sweeping the area and making sure nobody was lurking around. Despite Diane raising holy hell with the FBI and going after Raynor every time the man got too overbearing, Jason wasn't going to take any chances with the single mother. That's why they were meeting at dusk. The glare of the setting sun would cause more problems for cameras, night vision were too easy to use and besides, everyone would expect a criminal to meet at night. Summer foliage, and Jason's well-chosen location, would obscure any potential pictures. He could only hope that his efforts were enough.

After many long minutes were Jason second-guessed all the decisions he'd made, he heard the sound of an engine and listened as tired crunched the gravel in the parking lot. It appeared that Elizabeth had agreed to meet him. He only hoped she didn't decide she regretted that decision after they talked. It seemed like forever, but he knew that was only because he was anxious, before he heard her footsteps approach the overlook, and then come down the stairs.

He stepped forward only slightly and called to her, "Elizabeth."

Turning, her face shown confusion as she spotted him, and then when he didn't move towards her. "Jason?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Can...can we talk over here?"

She frowned, but complied, "Alright. What's going on? When you called you sounded...I don't know...different. Is everything alright? And why...why are we practically sitting behind a bush."

"Because I don't want anyone to see you and know who you are," he stated honestly and wasn't hurt when she frowned and leaned away from him.

"What do you mean?"

"Listen," he said softly. "I...I know you're probably confused right now, but I just...can I ask that you let me try to explain? I'll answer any questions you have, if I can."

He could see she was wary, but finally she nodded and said, "Alright."

Running his hand over his thigh he breathed out, "Thank you. I...I don't want you to think that you're in danger. That isn't why we're sitting here. I don't want the FBI to see you meeting with me and have them bother you. You don't deserve that."

"I'm trying to remain calm," she told him. "But you're not making much sense and I'm not really liking all that you're saying, or not saying. So please just get on with it and let me figure out what's going on."

"I'm taking a deal with the FBI," Jason told her. "I'm going to prison."

She stared at him, her face pale and stammered out, "Wh-what?"

"I'm going to prison," he repeated. He knew he was being blunt, but he also figured it was for the best. It was best to be honest about all that was happening and why. "The FBI found some information."

"So...so this is what...RICO charges?" she asked, her head slowly shaking in confusion. "Or...or...or murder?"

"I'm being charged with RICO," he told her. "It was part of the deal. It's the way I can protect everyone."

"Protect?" she parroted. "Jason...I don't understand what you're saying, and I'm not even sure why you're telling me this."

"I'm telling you this because I want you to know, Elizabeth," he said softly. "Maybe it's selfish of me, but I-I want you to know. I want you to know the truth and not what you'll hear in the papers. I want you to know the truth so that you can explain to Cameron in case he has questions. It's going to hurt Morgan and I know that he and Cameron are friends and...and if they still spend time together then your son is going to have questions. I want you to know."

Elizabeth was quiet as she looked at him, clearly working through everything he'd just said. It was understandably a lot to understand and he gave her time to try to make sense of it in her own way. Finally, she let out a breath and her shoulders dropped some and she said, "Okay."

Nodding his head slightly, Jason began. He told her about the FBI picking him up, telling him the evidence they had on him and Sonny and what they offered. How they wanted Sonny and Jason to remain in power, but give them information on other organizations. He also told her how the FBI had threatened his family the Quartermaines, threatened Carly and Jax and even Michael because of his involvement in what happened to Cameron. Elizabeth was shocked, and then incensed on his behalf, that the FBI would do that. Jason wasn't and when he tried to explain it to her she sat back and shook her head.

"I know that you're not shocked the FBI would do this. I saw how the police treated you, I know how they treated me because of Michael and the Quartermaines. I know that there's corruption and bad cops and that, but I'd never really experienced that before," she said. "I just…it's so hard for me to accept that in the supposed greater good that the men and women who are sworn to uphold the law would bend it to their whims and pleasures and it's supposed to be okay just because of who you are. Just because you operate outside the law doesn't make their actions right in regards to you."

"I'm okay," he tried to assure her.

"Well, I'm not," Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't know how I'm going to explain that to Cameron. How do I tell my son that FBI did all this when he's grown up thinking they're the good guys like the cops? Now I understand why Morgan and Michael have this distrust of the cops. Nothing excuses the law from acting like criminals themselves."

Jason reached out and gently touched her arm, trying to calm her down. He knew that she was a person who believed in fairness and right and of course this would bother her. But he didn't want to get distracted by this. At his touch she quieted and looked down at her arm. His first impulse was to pull back, but he didn't. He left if there and for a moment, they sat in silence, both of their gazes focused on the same point.

"I'm taking the deal," he said, his voice soft as it broke the silence that surrounded them, "because this is my opportunity."

Her head lifted and her questioning gaze looked at him. "Your opportunity? For what?"

"To do something different," he answered truthfully. "I...ever since we talked that day in the warehouse, and then afterwards, I...I've been thinking about what I do. I've been thinking about how my life and my choices affect not just me but those around me. I know that Michael thinks it's okay to act the way he did because that's what he's seen me and Sonny do. And kids are smart. They understand when adults do things different from what they say. We've told him not to do the things we do, but how was he supposed to believe that we meant it when we were out there breaking the law?"

She nodded in understanding, or maybe she merely just shook her head for something to do and to get him to continue speaking when he trailed off.

"I've thought about the kids at the community center and I've thought about Michael and Morgan and your son and I...I didn't like the choices I'd made," he confessed. "I began to wonder if I would have chosen to work for Sonny if I knew all that would happen. Back then, I didn't think about family or children or having someone in my life. I've told myself that I won't get married or have a family and after watching what happened with Sonny and his boys I know that it's right. This life isn't for children. And I used to think that I was okay with the knowledge that I'd never have a normal life."

This time when he stopped talking, Elizabeth licked her lips and blinked almost nervously as she asked, "And...and now?"

"And now," he sighed, moving his hand and reminding them both that it still rested on her arm. "Now I'm not sure. I'm not a person who looks back or wonders what if because I never saw a point to it. But sometimes I..."

He trailed off and it was as close as he could come to admitting that he'd thought about him having a family. He knew he definitely couldn't admit that when he thought about having a family, he thought of her and her son.

"So you're going to prison because you think that you don't have anything to lose?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well, I don't have children," he admitted. "But that isn't why. I...I'd been talking with Sonny and both us were bothered by Michael and we saw how this affected Morgan and how he felt left behind and overlooked and Sonny was kinda feeling the same. Back when he got into this...he was single, he didn't have kids and this was a wake-up call to him. We just didn't know how to talk to each other or what we could even do."

He quirked his eyebrows and said, "In a way, this was the opportunity we needed."

"How?" she wondered. "If you're gone and the FBI wants Sonny to turn informant...isn't that going to be dangerous for him and his family?"

"Our lawyer is brilliant," he told her, a bit of a smile turning up the corners of his lips. "And she's worked out an amazing bargain. I don't understand all the details...I wonder if the FBI truly understands all the details. But this is our opportunity to change things. To...to become more legitimate."

"And so you have to go to prison for that?" Now she sounded concerned, even worried.

"It gets me out," Jason told her. "Part of my bargain is that I can never be prosecuted for anything in my past, and I don't plan to get involved in things again. With my conviction...people will understand if I don't go back. And...and if I don't come back to Port Charles when I get released..."

Her eyes widened and before she looked away and tried to mask it, he saw the hurt. "You...you're not going to come back?"

"It will help everyone know that I'm out and that Sonny's sincere in his changes."

"But...but won't you miss people?" she wondered. "I...I know your sister and your family are here. And...and Sonny and you are friends and...and Carly and her...her boys and..."

He slowly slid his hand down to cover hers and said, "And you and Cameron."

When she shook her head and tried to pull her hand back, he didn't let it go. "I will miss everyone," he said, looking directly at her. "But I know that I'll see people again. It'll just be a while, and it probably won't be very long. But...but those that matter to me..."

She didn't pretend not to understand his meaning, "But...but we hardly know each other."

"Maybe we haven't spent a lot of time together," he conceded, "or had any of it be conventional...but we know each other. I know the kind of person you are, Elizabeth. I see it in your actions and what you teach your son and how you are with Morgan and how he talks about you when he comes back from playing with Cameron. Your son is amazing, and that is because of you. I've thought about things that I probably never would have had I not met you and Cameron. And...and I know that I'm not the kind of man who would ever deserve you or you'd want to be around your son, but I'm doing this to be a better man."

She shook her head, her eyes sparkling with tears and she fiercely said, "Don't do this because you think you...you have to prove something to me. Don't do this for me. This...this has to be the right thing for you. This has to be your choice and yours alone...not influenced by anyone or anything else."

"It's the right thing," he told her assuredly, squeezing her hand. "I know why I'm doing this...and this is the right thing."

"I...don't know what to say," she said as tears spilled onto her cheeks. "What am I supposed to say to you? You're going to prison and I..."

"We say good-bye," he told her softly, reaching out to gently brush the tears off her cheek. Then he stood and slowly released her hand, telling himself he needed to step back, to not have contact with her. "We say good-bye."

Jason had been right. Cameron had a lot of questions when the news broke. Morgan didn't come over to visit and Cameron didn't see his friend for several weeks as the Corinthos family dealt with all the changes and turmoil in their lives. When the two friends finally did get together, Morgan had broken down into tears over what had happened to his uncle. Elizabeth hadn't wanted to intrude on the boys' time together, but when the little boy didn't stop crying, she went into Cameron's room and hugged Morgan to her because she was unable to hear his cries and not do something. Cameron was upset for his friend as well, and Elizabeth ended up sitting on the bed with her arms around both boys as they sniffled into her shirt.

Then, they shifted to the floor, drew their knees up in front of them, and Elizabeth began to talk about what happened with Jason. She didn't talk about all that the FBI did, but she talked about choices and consequences and accepting responsibility and how Jason had shown them a wonderful example. He could have left and tried to avoid everything, but he didn't. He faced up to what happened and no, things may never fully be the same, but it didn't mean that it was horrible.

It also didn't mean, she was certain to point out to the boys, that Jason was a bad man. He'd just made some bad choices and like with any time someone broke the rules, there were consequences and punishments. Jason was facing his. But that didn't mean that Morgan couldn't still love his uncle, or that they had to forget about the nice and generous things Jason had done.

That seemed to help the boys, and even though they were more subdued, she had noticed an improvement. Morgan didn't look as completely lost and broken as he had when he first arrived. When Sonny Corinthos came to personally pick up his son that afternoon, he noticed a change in his son as well. As the boys raced back to Cameron's room to make sure they'd picked up all the toys and Morgan had his belongings, Sonny turned to Elizabeth in question.

"Was he alright?"

"He was fine," she assured the worried father. "Morgan's always a polite boy whenever he comes over. He...he was a little upset over what happened with Jason and we talked about it."

"What...what did he say?" he asked. "We've...we've still been going to counseling, but Morgan doesn't like to talk there. He's still...he's still upset with Michael and thinks that this all about his brother and he's got a lot of anger still towards Michael and us and he absolutely refuses to talk to us or the counselor. We've tried to take him on his own, but he just doesn't want anything to do with Michael's doctor."

"Have you considered taking him to another doctor?" Elizabeth wondered softly. "I-I'm not trying to criticize, but if he's not comfortable with that doctor, maybe he'd talk to another one. He seemed to want to talk and I did my best to help him and Cameron."

The mafia don looked towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms and then back to her. Perhaps the boys were still cleaning up their toys, or perhaps they just thought they could squeeze a few more minutes of playing time together until Sonny called Morgan to go. Then he looked to the kitchen and Elizabeth nodded.

"Would you like a drink? Some coffee, or some lemonade? I mixed some up earlier with the boys. They squeezed the lemons."

"Sure," Sonny nodded and they walked to the kitchen off to the side of the room. Accepting a glass from Elizabeth, he waited for her to take a seat at the table before he sat down himself. "I don't want to put you on the spot, but it would help if I knew what Morgan said. I know he's bothered by Jason going to prison, but whenever I try to see if he wants to talk he clams up."

"He...Morgan is a very smart boy, Mr. Corinthos," she answered, just a hint of her teacher's persona coming out. "He knows what you and Mr. Morgan did for a living, and he knew that it was illegal. Unlike Michael, he didn't want to follow in your footsteps. Sometimes he felt...conflicted over what you did. How you were so kind with him, how you bought Cameron all those games, how you donate to so many charities, but your money comes from illegal activities."

"I know," the weary father sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. "He talked to me about it; Jason and I noticed it...I think that's part of what motivated Jason to do what he did. I just don't know what to say to Morgan right now."

"He knows that his uncle is in jail, and he knows, most of all, that his uncle is guilty of what he's in jail for. But he loves Jason very much and he wondered how he could love someone so much who he knew had done bad things," she explained gently. She didn't want Sonny to think that she was judging him or Jason. "I just told him that there was a lesson we could learn from Jason. That our choices have consequences, and that we have to take responsibility. Jason is taking responsibility instead of fleeing like he could have. I also told him that it wasn't wrong to still like Jason, or in Morgan's case love him. That it didn't make him wrong somehow."

"This has really shaken everybody," the mobster admitted. "Carly is devastated by it. She doesn't understand how close she came to being charged, but Jax understands. He also knows that Jason didn't want Jax to be in trouble. We haven't explained all of that to Morgan, but we've told Michael."

After a wry laugh, the older man said, "Believe it or not, this may be the one thing that is finally getting through to Michael. He's looked at what Jason and I have done as being okay because we never got caught. We always got off; either on a technicality or because the evidence was faulty."

Elizabeth wondered if it wasn't that the evidence was faulty, but that it disappeared or witnesses forgot what they saw. But she didn't say that. She was trying very hard not to judge the father of her son's friend just because he had a different set of beliefs than her, and she didn't want to upset the other man. It was clear he was struggling with his friend going to prison and the impact it was having on his sons. She knew that it also probably had an impact on him considering Jason's imprisonment meant Sonny didn't have to go to jail, and he didn't have to put his life at risk by trying to get the FBI information. She somehow suspected that Sonny was very much aware of all his friend had sacrificed.

"But now Michael's seen the reality," Sonny continued. "Jason's in prison. There's no escaping that knowledge. It's...it's subdued Michael in a way.

"Of course," he sighed heavily, "it's not complete. He's still...he's still causing problems and I'm wondering whether we're doing the right thing for him, but he's not fighting with Morgan anymore. It's Morgan who doesn't want anything to do with his brother and Carly's stopped trying to force the peace between them. She's realized that she's done a lot of damage to their relationship and to Michael with her behavior."

Elizabeth looked down at her fingers clasped together on the tabletop and didn't say anything. While she might have come to some sort-of...understanding in regards to Jason and Sonny, she wasn't sure that she'd ever fully forgive all that Carly had done. It had been her words about Elizabeth and Cameron that had made Michael think it was alright to look down on them. It had been her attitude that had given Michael his sense of entitlement. Perhaps she'd been so desperate to not have her children grow up as she had that she hadn't realized the lesson Elizabeth had learned as a child; money did not equal happiness. A person could not buy happiness or contentment, all it bought was stuff. And left uncontrolled and unchecked, the constant lavishing of gifts could create little monsters who thought they were entitled to anything just because they had money. Elizabeth's sister was that way; Michael was that way as well.

"But Michael seems to finally be realizing that I can't get Jason out of this one, that I'm not going to, and that our family has been impacted in other ways than merely Jason's incarceration," he said with a bit of shrug.

"Then maybe that's something good," she said, giving a slight shrug of her own.

Silence descended on them and then Elizabeth cleared her throat and tucked a strand of hair nervously behind her ear. "Have...have you heard from Jason?" she wondered. "Is-is he alright?"

Sonny nodded, but strangely she didn't feel any relief. "He's fine," he told her. "Jason's...Jason's tough and no, he's not in an easy place, but we've got connections and Jason's okay. Plus, the FBI doesn't want anything to happen to him because they still want him to change his mind and help them out. I guess they didn't read Diane's fine print."

Pulling her lip between her teeth she sighed and said, "I sometimes don't know what to think about all this."

"About Jason in jail?" the older man wondered. "Or you knowing him? Knowing me?"

"You're not a bad man, Sonny," she told him. "No, you're not a Boy Scout, but after the way you've treated me and my son, I couldn't call you a bad man. And I...I know that Jason's not either. Not in what really matters. He's not a serial killer like Bundy or BTK and he's not a terrorist like McVeigh or the groups in the Middle East. No, I never fully approved of his job choices, and I wondered if I wasn't being a hypocrite considering all that had happened to Cameron, but I saw the man he is."

She sighed and rested her elbows on the table, shoveling her fingers into her hair. "My family are doctors, and when they do their jobs, they are focused and dedicated and they will fight for people to get the medical care they need, not what some insurance company says they can afford. But their personal lives…their personal lives disgust me. I can't stand who they are.

"My sister is a snob and judges people on what they drive or wear or how much money they have," she shook her head. "She has always called me stupid or ugly or worthless and she constantly comments on Cameron's parentage, but yet she'll go and donate hours of her time to underprivileged children in impoverished countries. My brother is brilliant and dedicated, and it's only by hook and by crook that he hasn't been investigated for insider trading or Ponzi schemes. He thinks nothing of cheating someone outside the hospital. My parents were my model on what not to do raising kids. I was raised by the maids and the nanny and the only time they paid attention to me was to criticize me and belittle me or to trot me out for events. Yet they're revered because they're doctors and that's a socially acceptable job."

"My stepfather was a cop and beat my mother every night," he admitted to her. "The job doesn't make the person."

"I've realized that," she told him. "But some jobs are harder to get around than others."

He didn't take offense, he merely nodded his head.

"Cameron and Morgan talked about you and Jason a lot," Elizabeth said. "And Cameron once said he wished he could get to know Morgan's Uncle Jason, but didn't think I'd let him. And I...he was partially right. He's kind, he's patient, he's got so many good character traits, but he was also the person Michael looked up and part of the reason Cameron was beat up. I tried not to be petty, I tried not to be judgmental but it was hard to get past that."

Letting out a breath and shaking her head she spoke to the tabletop as she said, "I just want Cameron to be happy. To be safe and well-adjusted and I thought what kind of mother am I if I admit that I find the local hitman attractive? And I wondered if I wasn't making the same mistakes as my parents...chasing down this elusive dream. Deciding I knew what happiness was and trying to get it or arrange it or...whatever...and instead I was missing it. Was I cheating Cameron somehow?"

Sonny let out his own heavy sigh and said, "I don't know. Parenting is the toughest, biggest job around and it doesn't come with an instruction manual. There are theories and people who will claim they know what we should do...but ultimately we are responsible for our children and their lives. I've realized I made some huge mistakes with my children and it wasn't an easy thing to admit."

"Cameron's asked about Jason," she said softly. "Where he's at, what he's doing, would it be wrong if he wrote him a letter. He...he doesn't seem to be bothered by what's happened, by the fact that he's friends with the brother of the boy who ordered him to be beat up, or by what you and Jason do and I just...I don't know what to say or what to do. Do I let him get to know Jason?"

The mobster looked at her and lifted a brow, "Ultimately, that's going to be your decision, Elizabeth. You need to talk to Cameron and figure out what he feels and what you feel and what you can live with. I will never regret letting my children know Jason. In spite of everything that's happened and the troubles we've faced...I still feel like Jason was one of the best people they ever could have met. But I also never want them to see him in prison."

"Yeah," she sighed wearily. "I don't know, either. Sometimes I wish I could jump forward in time and see the results of the choices I'm wrestling with but that's just fiction and film. Unfortunately, I'm just going to have to slog through this and hope I make the right choices and don't hurt anyone too badly in the process."

Prison was not the scariest or the worst place Jason had ever been in, but it certainly was not pleasant. There were many people who were scared of him simply because of who he was, and there were also many people who looked at him and saw an opportunity to further their careers by taking the great mob enforcer down. The FBI, still operating under the belief that once exposed to the realities of prison Jason would cave and agree to work with them, had arranged for Jason to be placed in protective custody while in prison. He had a private cell, was not sent down to the mess hall with the rest of the prison population, and got private exercise time in a secluded yard. Jason didn't mind the arrangement at all.

He planned to do his time, keep his head down, his nose clean and not give the corrections officers or the FBI any reason to try to stick on extra time to his incarceration. He didn't want to have to defend himself against some young punk looking to move up the ranks in a prison gang, and end up with a murder charge brought up against him for merely deciding not to be killed. If he wasn't exposed to people, then he would have less chance for problems. It was rather strange that the FBI hadn't seen that they were playing right into his hands with their decision to protect him instead of throwing him into general population.

That didn't mean, however, that the prison officials or the corrections officers liked him. They found all sorts of excuses to search his cell several times a week. He had no desire to try to hide contraband; it was counterproductive to his intentions. He was sure he frustrated them with the letters he sent out; they were all perfectly bland and boring and even though he was sure they were scoured for hidden meanings, his few letters were straight-forward and innocuous. The only ones they couldn't search were the ones he wrote to Diane, and those weren't filled with secret messages to be passed along to Sonny; they merely contained instructions for the arrangements he wanted her to oversee so that all would be in place once he was released.

Jason didn't have visitors, because he had told Sonny that if his friend was going to take the opportunity to make changes of his own, it wouldn't help him to visit Jason. Of course, Sonny had protested that suggestion, stating that he was not going to turn his back on the younger man just because it might help him. Jason was his friend, and Jason was willingly sacrificing his freedom to protect Sonny's family, while also taking an opportunity the mob boss hadn't been able to give him. And true to his word, Sonny had traveled to the prison several times to see him, but Jason had refused his visits. It had been hard to do, but Jason firmly believed it was the right thing. Sonny was walking a very fine line of staying in the business and having the FBI watching his every move, while also making steps to legitimize things and assuring the various families that just because Jason went to jail didn't mean that he or Sonny were going to give evidence against the different organizations. Their mistrust of Sonny's assurances worked perfectly into Sonny's own plans because it distanced him from them which allowed the Cuban to make some changes in his own life.

So when the guard came to Jason's cell that Saturday morning and told him he had a visitor, Jason's first instinct was to tell the guard to turn Sonny away. Diane wasn't scheduled to visit for at least another week and she was the only person he allowed to see him inside these walls. His family except for Emily had condemned him, not knowing that he was protecting them as well with his prison term, and his sister had tearfully agreed to his request to not visit him. They wrote, but she accepted his plea that she never actually see him locked up like he was.

Before he could turn the visitor away, the guard continued on. "It's not your lawyer; she claims she's a teacher. Elizabeth Webber could sure teach me a thing or two, I'm sure."

This particular guard took great delight in being crude and disrespectful, especially when he talked about women. Maybe the officials were trying to get him to snap and write him up on an infraction, but Jason just kept his mouth shut and never rose to the bait. Instead, he would stare blankly ahead, his outward appearance not revealing the inner seething he felt at the words. So it was with great struggle he didn't rise to the taunt in regards to Elizabeth, even though his instincts wanted him to pummel the corrections officer for the disrespectful words and lecherous look on the man's face, all the while his brain reeled in shock at the knowledge that Elizabeth had come to the prison.

"So," the C.O. asked, "You gonna take the visit, or should we send her away? I'd almost think of asking her for her number, but if she's coming to see you, then clearly she's not someone I should waste my time with."

"Shut up," Jason said as he stood from the cot in his cell and extended his hands through the small opening so the cuffs could be put on. "And take me to my visitor."

He was sure that he'd get another inspection, or maybe even get shoved around a bit for his reply, and he wasn't entirely sure what made him agree to see Elizabeth, but once he'd made the statement, there was no way he was going to take it back. He'd simply have to go see her and impress upon her that she could never return here or he'd have to turn her away like he did with Sonny. And he knew it would crush both of them if he had to do that.

There was no denying that Elizabeth Webber was a beautiful woman. He had come to that sentiment during his time in Port Charles, as he got to know her in the aftermath of all that had happened with her son and Michael, and then as the little boy became friends with Morgan. He'd gone to the community center when he didn't need to just hoping for the chance to see her. And when he'd talked to her that day at Vista Point, knowing he would have to say good-bye to her, it had taken all his self-control not to try to kiss her.

He was leaving for prison, he would forever be a convicted felon; she may not want him in her life. He couldn't kiss her and then just walk away from her. He wasn't that strong of a man.

As he walked into the room filled with cubicles and Plexiglas, he still believed she was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever known. He could see her already sitting at her station, looking nervous, yet also full of steel and determination. She had a green top, whether it was to a dress or to jeans, he didn't know. She didn't show too much skin, but she wasn't excessively covered as if she didn't want anyone to look at her. Her hair fell around her face and down her back in soft waves and when she looked over and saw him, her face was filled with the most amazing look that reached in and stole Jason's breath.

The guard shoved him roughly down in the chair and pointed to the phone, which Elizabeth was already reaching for. He stretched his manacled hands towards the black plastic and lifted it, ready to chide her for coming, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Hi," she began nervously, and then softly cleared her throat. "It...it's really good to see you, Jason. I wasn't sure if you would accept my visit since Sonny said you've been turning him away."

He frowned at her slightly, realizing she'd talked with Sonny about him, but then decided that one of them would have to be strong and it apparently fell to him. "I shouldn't have accepted your visit; you shouldn't be here, Elizabeth."

"I wanted to see you," she told him. "I needed to see you."

His arguments faded and all he could manage to say was, "Why? Elizabeth...this is no place for you to be."

"And yet," she countered firmly, "this is where I choose to be."

"Why?" Jason could only repeat.

"Because I can't stop thinking about you, Jason," she replied. "I think about all the things that I've learned about you. Not the things I've heard from other people, but the things that I learned from you. I can't stop thinking about that man."

With a shake of her head, Elizabeth brushed her hair over her shoulder and leaned forward. "I watched the news, I read the papers, I listened to what people said as they talked about the fact that Jason Morgan went to jail. And a lot of people had so many things to say about whether you deserved it or not, and the kind of man you were, and all I could think about was they didn't know the man that I knew. And the more I thought about that, the more I began to miss you."

"I-I've missed you, too," he admitted softly. "But you still shouldn't be here. You're a mother-"

"Cameron talks about you," she cut him off. "He and Morgan are still friends and they talk about you being in jail. We've all talked about it together. I've talked about it with Sonny. Sonny's talked about it with the boys. They know you're in jail, they know that you were wrong and you had to be punished for what happened. But you know what? They know all that and they still like you. They don't always talk about you being in jail; they talk about things they like about you, things they remember, things they wish they could have done. And they talk about when you get out of prison. They talk about things they want to do with you and things they hope you can teach them. I know that they're children and they don't always understand what's going on around them, but Sonny said you once told him - back before he adopted Michael and had Morgan - that children understand more than we give them credit for. And you're right."

He blinked slowly, his throat seized with the emotions that warred inside him. He missed the people back in Port Charles and he never wanted them to think badly about him, but he knew that one day, the boys might grow up and no longer idolize him as they once had. It was something he was preparing himself for. To hear that they talked about him, that they talked about after he got out of prison...it touched a part of him he hadn't expected it to.

"Cameron and I have had many long talks about you and your job and why you went to jail and what it all means," she continued on. "And I've learned some lessons of my own from my son. He's taught me about forgiveness and not judging others and reminding me that everyone deserves a second chance. He knows that he shouldn't do what you did, but he also says that it's in the past. And it matters more who you are now and who you'll be in the future. And he's right."

Elizabeth was looking at him with such depth of emotion that Jason could hardly make sense of it all. Her words, combined with the expressions on her face, created such a jumble of thoughts and emotions in him that he couldn't quite believe she was saying what she really was.

"I never thought I'd meet someone like you, Jason," she told him. "After what happened with Cameron's father, I decided I wasn't going to put myself out there like that again. I wasn't going to trust someone and be vulnerable and be in a position where I could get hurt like that again. So I focused on Cameron and raising him the best that I could, and it was pretty easy to put off guys because I told them that I didn't have time to date because I was raising my son. But you...you changed all of that."

Her eyes were deep with burning emotion as she looked at him, "You are such a unique man, and I'm not talking about what you used to do. You're honest and forthright and you have such a generous heart. When you care about someone, you make them feel like they are the most important person on the planet; it is such a treasure to have your friendship and love. I was practically blind to that because I was too focused on the wrapping to see the gift."

Slowly, she lifted her hand and brought it rest on the partition between them and he shifted in his seat as best he could to still hold the phone but also bring his hand up opposite hers. A beautiful smile graced her face as she adjusted her hand to meet his gesture.

"That afternoon when you told me that you were going to prison, you told me that you didn't think you were the kind of man to deserve me or to be around my son, but you were trying to be a better man. I'm here to tell you, Jason," she insisted fervently into the phone, "that you are a good man and I'm lucky to have met you and know you and have you in my life. And I know that right now, things aren't going to be easy, but I'm not just walking away from you. I need you in my life. I can't just forget you or ignore you because I care too much about you."

She dipped down in her seat until she met his lowered, stunned gaze, and said, "I'm here, Jason, because I've fallen in love with you. I guess I just need to know what happens now."

Agent Raynor was nothing more than an overgrown bully. He hid behind his badge, thinking himself impervious to the laws he was supposed to uphold, and didn't even seem to care about the fact that in reality he was nothing more than a hypocrite. He was a criminal hiding behind legitimacy and thinking he could get away with it. People trembled before him and he thought it was his due.

Elizabeth would hate the man if she didn't have bigger things to worry about. He was just an inconvenience she had to deal with as she moved towards her ultimate goal.

"Miss Webber," he said as he walked back into the small room she was sitting in, acting like he was apologetic for leaving her alone in an interrogation room. No doubt he thought he was going to intimidate her by making her feel like a criminal.

She merely looked at him, but didn't speak. In fact, she hadn't said much of anything since she arrived at the federal building this morning. She'd been called and asked to come down, and the offer of a driver had been made for her convenience, but instead meant to further intimidate her. While Elizabeth was nervous on the inside, she'd been given enough pep talks and tips so that outwardly she was holding up rather well. And it was frustrating the oversized child across from her, which was a good thing. The more frustrated he got at his inability to break her, the more he'd slip up and tip his hand.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like anything to drink?" he asked, making sure his voice was kind while still managing to be condescending.

She shook her head, and lightly clasped her hands together on top of the table, picking a spot on the wall over Raynor's left shoulder to focus on. That seemed to irritate him the most; she wouldn't look at him while he was speaking.

"Miss Webber, we know that you have been visit Jason Morgan several times since he's been in prison," the man stated once again. "You signed the visitor logs; we've seen you on the surveillance footage. We want to know why you were there."

"I was visiting him," she replied.

"But why?!" the man demanded, slapping his folder down on top of the table. "We know what happened between your son and Michael Corinthos; why would you be around him?"

"I was visiting him," she merely repeated, flicking her eyes briefly towards the man. It was mostly a show, so that she could quickly look away almost as if she was dismissing him. But Elizabeth also wanted to gauge his current temperament. He was getting angry; very angry.

"Miss Webber," the older man leaned forward, probably trying to scare her, "Mr. Morgan is a criminal that the Federal Government has interest in. So anyone that visits him becomes of interest to us. We might feel the need to investigate your background, talk to your employer, your neighbors, your family...and we'd have to tell them why we were asking questions."

She leaned forward as well, crossing her arms on the tabletop and resting on her elbows. "Go ahead. And since you're now apparently going to threaten me, I want a lawyer. If you're going to treat me like a criminal, asking the same questions over and over and trying to pry into my personal life, then I want a lawyer or I won't say anything else. And if I'm not a criminal and I don't need a lawyer, then I guess I'm free to go. Because I'm tired of the round and round and I'd like to leave."

"I can hold you," Raynor threatened.

"On what grounds?" she asked, leaning back and looking up at him with raised brows. "You've got no legal right to hold me, just as you've got no real legal right to question me. I do have the right to privacy and you can't wave it away just because you want to. I've visited Jason Morgan in prison; I wasn't aware that was a crime or a reason for the FBI to bring me in for questioning."

"You know Jason Morgan," the man hissed. "You're impeding with a case."

"A case?" Elizabeth asked in surprise. "I thought he pleaded guilty and was sentenced. I wasn't aware there was anything more to his case."

A vein on the agent's forehead throbbed and she let out a sigh and pushed her chair back. "Yes, well, since you can't give me a clear answer and this is feeling like just an attempt by the federal government to threaten and intimidate me, I believe I'm going to go. And I believe I'll be calling a lawyer and talking to them about my experience today."

"Sit down, Miss Webber," Raynor snapped at her. "You're not going anywhere."

Elizabeth walked out of the federal building, doing her best to keep her steps even and measured. It was hard to do after everything she'd been through in the past several hours and everything she'd heard. The closer she got to the big, glass door with bright sunshine on the other side, the harder it was not to dash to the promise of freedom waiting for her. But she knew that she had to continue to appear unruffled and unfazed. If she showed any sign that she was bothered, she knew that the FBI would continue to hound her relentlessly and harass her even more. She had to make Agent Raynor believe that she truly didn't care that she'd spent a large portion of her day in a dark room with a cheap one-way mirror.

She couldn't stop the deep breath she took once she was finally outside, but she still kept her pace even and steady as she walked across the sidewalk and stopped as a Town Car eased to a halt in front of her. Opening up the back door, she slid inside and once the door was closed and nobody could see through the tinted windows, she leaned back against the leather seats and closed her eyes wearily.

"How did it go?" Diane asked beside her, letting several moments pass before breaking the silence of the car. "Are you alright? I knew I shouldn't have let you go in there alone."

Elizabeth opened her purse and rummaged around inside, still not opening her eyes. It wasn't until her fingers brushed over the object she wanted, that she looked at the lawyer. Handing over the recorder that looked like an iPod, she told Diane, "But then we wouldn't have gotten what we were after."

"You got it?" the other woman's eyes widened. "He really was stupid enough to say something incriminating?"

"He's arrogant and thinks that he can do whatever he wants because he has a badge," she said. "Of course he would say something. Because then it's just his word against some lowly, little citizen's and who are his superiors going to believe?"

"They'll believe the evidence," Jason's legal counsel crowed.

As Diane gleefully went on, talking about how they had the FBI now and this would work to their advantage, Elizabeth turned her head to look out the darkened window and let the words wash over her without really hearing them. While she was happy to help, and was glad that this would be beneficial to Diane - and thus Jason - she didn't want to listen to the endless legal talk. Her mind was more focused on Jason and thoughts of him.

She had stunned him, and herself, with her admission of love on her first visit to him. While she knew she cared for him, she hadn't known she was ready to call it love until the words came out of her mouth. Jason had shook his head, and tried to insist that he wasn't any good for her, but Elizabeth had stubbornly told him that she was learning that good and bad were relative and what she cared about more was her feelings for him and how she felt when she was around him. When he continued to say that it wasn't a good idea and that she couldn't really understand what she was saying, she'd gotten upset with him. She pinned him with a steely look and told him that if he didn't care for her and didn't think he could ever love her then he just needed to man up and say it instead of acting self-deprecating and being a martyr. She was looking for honesty and devotion and if she was just wasting her time thinking she could have that with him then she needed to know now before her heart was further lost to him.

He'd sat back in his chair stunned, and she'd seen a battle raging behind his eyes before he finally shut them and let out a sigh. Half-believing that he'd tell her thanks but no thanks, she'd trembled with surprise and elation as he opened up his eyes and then whispered in a gravelly voice that he loved her, too. That he cared about her so much that he just wanted to protect her, but he wasn't going to insult her by ignoring the beautiful gift she was offering. He just wanted her to be sure she knew what she was getting into. She had a child and he would completely understand if she thought his past life wasn't right to be around her son.

Instead, she'd reached into her purse and pulled out a letter Cameron had written Jason. She unfolded it and held it up to the glass for him to read and then promised him that she would mail him the original with her first letter to him. Both went in the mail box the moment she left the prison; she knew it would be impossible for her to ask the guards to give them to him. He'd closed his eyes in tenderness and then vowed that he would write them back. There had been no turning back after that.

Maybe some might think it too soon to declare feelings, especially when they'd spent so little time together. Maybe she was more in love with the man she thought he was, but she wasn't willing to dismiss the feelings she had. She wasn't going to say it was too soon, or she was wrong; what she wanted most was the opportunity to get to know him, to see if what she felt was truly real. And while they couldn't spend time together where it was just them, they could start the process of becoming better acquainted beyond Cameron's interaction and acquaintance with his nephews.

Letters had been exchanged frequently, she visited him as often as she could, and while they couldn't talk about some things, they still found plenty to discuss. Cameron enjoyed telling Jason about his week, about heading back to school and having more classes with Morgan, about soccer season getting ready to start again and how he was looking forward to being on the same team, and even about how he hated having to do his chores but he did them because Elizabeth made him. It seemed that there wasn't anything too inconsequential or minute for him to discuss, or for Jason to comment on.

During the first visit, Jason had warned her that the FBI might notice her name on the visitor's log and it might put her in their sights. He then told her that he'd tell his lawyer about it on her next visit and so when Diane Miller arrived at Elizabeth's house, the single mother wasn't completely taken aback. What did take her aback was the detail that Jason had already put into place for when he was released from prison or the fact that he wasn't going to be in jail for nearly as long as the FBI had hoped.

Of course, the feds still wanted Jason to cooperate with them, so they had pushed for a short prison stay as well. Just enough to make the whole thing look legitimate, but not too long so that he couldn't contact anyone at all. After meeting Agent Raynor today, Elizabeth now understood how the man hadn't looked over the details of the plea bargain Diane had worked on. He must have bullied the U.S. Attorney to overlook the fine print, simply on his word alone that he could get Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos to work with him.

What the FBI agent didn't know, was that after his outburst with Elizabeth today, Jason's prison term was about to get a whole lot shorter. Because he'd just laid out the fact that he had helped beef up a little bit of evidence, and also detailed the fact that he had tried to blackmail, and then coerce, and finally flat-out threaten Jason and Sonny and members of their family. He'd been determined to get what he wanted, and just because he hadn't gotten it before Jason went to prison didn't mean that he was giving up. Which was why he'd tried to intimidate Elizabeth.

She, no doubt, was supposed to work her wiles on Jason and convince him to cooperate with the feds. Or maybe Jason was supposed to be so outraged, or scared, about her questioning that he'd agreed to Raynor's demands simply to spare Elizabeth. Whatever the agent had intended, it had all gone up in smoke when he'd lost his cool and supposedly unflappable demeanor and raged at her while she was in the confines of an interrogation room without legal counsel present. His threats against her were all captured on tape - Elizabeth could hear them playing back at the moment - and Diane was about to ruin the man.

Despite the previous notions she'd held in regards to cops and the FBI, she no longer viewed them as the vaunted saints protecting the little guy. No, she didn't want Jason to go back to his previous lifestyle, but when it came down to a choice between the two men, Jason definitely won as the better man. And that was as much as Elizabeth cared to think about the agent anymore. Sure, she'd have to give a deposition, and maybe testify against him if Raynor was stupid enough not to fall on his sword and quit for the good of the Bureau, but her mind was simply too full to consider the aging man any further.

She was thinking about where Jason had planned to move to, the business he was thinking of opening, and the house his holding company was having built. She was thinking about her students and her fellow-faculty at the Academy. She was thinking about Cameron and the changes he suspected might be happening, but she hadn't told him yet because she didn't want to ask him to keep such a big secret. She was thinking about whether she should tender her resignation at the end of the first term, or wait until the entire school year was completed. There were benefits to both; she just had to weigh them out.

Mostly, she wondered how soon it would be until Diane came to her with Jason's release date from prison.

For the first time, Jason hated being in prison. No, he hadn't liked it before, but it wasn't the worst thing he'd ever encountered and he knew that his being there was all part of a greater plan that he had for himself. But now...now he hated being in prison. He hated being locked up, hated not being out there able to do things himself and having to sit back and rely on others to tell him what was going on. It was something he'd never been able to do well before hand; it seemed so much worse now that it was happening and he was quite literally trapped.

He'd been stunned when Elizabeth had come to visit him at the prison and he'd allowed himself a moment of weakness, fully intending to tell her to not come back and that he'd refuse her visits like he did with Sonny. But that hadn't happened. She'd told him she was in love with him and he'd sat there completely stunned at her words. She couldn't be in love with him. She didn't know him, didn't know the man he truly was, they hadn't spent any real time together and this was merely the infatuation of the moment and circumstance talking. She was wrong.

But even as the arguments had clashed in his head, he knew he was doing her a disservice. He was dismissing her declaration in scared arrogance. How did he know what was truly going on in her mind and how could he say that she hadn't thought about this in all the time he'd been in prison and hadn't thought long and hard about what she was saying? He also knew he was scared because there was a fear of tainting her and spoiling her goodness with his life. What if he took a chance and believed all that she was saying and then she discovered that she'd been wrong, that she didn't care for him anymore? Wasn't it better to guard against the hurt?

Yet, as he'd sat there, looking at her own scared and uncertain face, and watched as she struggled with trying to show confidence in the face of her fears, he knew that he couldn't close himself off. He couldn't hide away and turn his back on this chance. He'd accepted his prison term for a chance like this. No, he'd never thought he'd have Elizabeth in his life after he was out of prison, but he'd wanted to believe in the possibility of having a life some day that didn't hinge on violence and murder. A life that she'd made him realize he wanted.

He wanted to face a life with her, by her side doing everything he could to prove to her and her son that he was worthy of them. He did not want to sit inside a prison knowing she was out there facing things on his behalf and he could do nothing to help her. He didn't like finding out after the fact that Agent Raynor had threatened her and tried to intimidate her. He didn't like finding out once it was already complete that she'd given a deposition against the FBI agent and the Bureau and was one of the key witnesses in Diane's case she was making to claim he was falsely imprisoned. He didn't like finding out after Sonny had already taken care of it that Elizabeth's job had been threatened and that some parents were crying for her resignation because she'd dared to stand up to the FBI on Jason's behalf. It was only when Jax and Sonny had threatened to pull Morgan, their funding and support from the school and take their accusations very public, that the school stood up for Elizabeth. He also didn't like finding out once it was fait accompli that Elizabeth had tendered her resignation to the school and would be done at Christmas Break.

He had not felt this helpless and powerless to do anything since the time he'd woken up from his coma and he didn't like it. It was taking every ounce of his control to not lash out and strike back against his lawyer and the woman who had come to mean everything to him. He'd listened to Elizabeth's explanations and her arguments for why she'd done what she had and he knew that rationally he couldn't have done anything to stop her. On a deeper, emotional level, he was moved beyond words for all that she'd done on his behalf. It just still didn't mean that he liked it.

She'd laughed and had told him in a light, teasing voice that indicated she truly had no malice towards him that Jason was positively primeval sometimes. It was very chivalrous of him, very much an expression of his honor and the code he tried to live his life by that he would want to protect her because she was a woman. Not because he believed she was weak or incapable, but because every fiber in his being simply screamed at him that the way to honor her was to not expose her to danger or leave her vulnerable on his behalf.

Elizabeth told him she was touched that he would feel that way and understood, but that he needed to understand that a woman will also do everything she has to protect the ones she loves. Just as she would take on and fight anyone and anything that threatened Cameron, she would also do everything in her power to help Jason. And right now...she was in a position to help Jason. The FBI had underestimated her when they thought they could intimidate her or use her to somehow manipulate Jason. And now they were going to pay the price and Jason was going to earn his freedom.

It humbled Jason to see her fierce determination on his behalf. He'd known, after the attack on Cameron, that Elizabeth would do anything to protect her son. She wasn't mean or vicious, but she was not going to allow anyone - no matter whose son they were - to get away with harming her child. Her words against his profession and the example he was setting for other children, even if she apologized for them later, had been evidence of that. She would fight for any cause she deemed important enough; it simply astounded him that she considered Jason of equal worth.

And it was because of her, that Jason was getting out of prison much sooner than he ever thought he would be. And if Diane swung it right, his record could end up being expunged, his conviction fully overturned, and he wouldn't have to go through life with the moniker of ex-felon weighing him, or Elizabeth and Cameron, down. He would really like to be able to offer them that, since there was so much else they would have to deal with.

Diane Miller was worth every dollar they paid her. He didn't care about the ridiculously overpriced shoes she always talked about earning every time she handled something for them; she'd definitely earned her fee this time. Because Jason Morgan was no longer Prisoner 200331. He no longer had the pall of his plea bargain hanging over his head. He was going to walk out of prison today a free man, of more than just the crimes he had actually been guilty of.

Diane had become an international figure in her defense of Jason and her crusade against the FBI. She was relentless in her castigation of the Bureau and the federal government who stood by and let Agent Raynor railroad Jason simply because they wanted a conviction that made them look good. Elizabeth's recording of the agent had been played endlessly, especially the parts where he threatened her and her child, threatening to find something to send her to jail if he had to just as he'd threatened the rest of Jason's friends and family.

Raynor's files had been seized and analyzed by his colleagues and they could no longer deny and hide the truth Diane had laid out there. The agent had threatened everyone from Carly and Emily to Edward Quartermaine whom everyone knew had a heart condition and would never survive prison. Diane claimed that she had not known the full scope of the FBI's threats at the time, only knew that her client insisted upon pleading guilty. For his own reasons. Once the facts were laid out there, everyone believed they knew what those reasons were.

Edward went from gloating over Jason finally getting caught in his illegal activities and getting what he deserved for following a reprobate like Sonny Corinthos, to being one of Jason's fiercest fighters. The old man took it as proof of Jason's love for the family he'd previously turned his back on that he was willing to go to prison to protect them and never speak a word about it. Edward called in markers and favors from a variety of politicians he'd helped get elected and governors, ex-governors, senators, congressmen, assemblymen and even a federal judge were all badgered and hounded until they relented and agreed to support Jason over the FBI. With key ranking members in Senate Oversight Committees railing daily against the atrocities and illegal actions undertaken by the FBI and a few of them even saying it was time for the Director himself to resign, Raynor had been thrown under the bus and left to fend for himself. The last Jason heard, the agent was facing charges himself.

A cry went up that while Jason might be guilty of the accusations against him, there was still a value of law and order that needed to be respected or else those entrusted with protecting and defending the laws that supported the Constitution were no better than criminals themselves. Becoming dirty and threatening innocent people, blackmailing and extorting and even possibly fabricating evidence were simply actions that could not be tolerated. If Jason Morgan was ever convicted, then it must be on evidence that was unquestionably correct and could never be challenged.

What the general public did not know was that part of Diane's deal brokered with the FBI in exchange for Jason to not sue them - something that he'd never contemplated but not something that would ever be revealed the Bureau - was that he received blanket immunity for anything that he might have done in the past. Since Jason had no plans to go back into the business and commit further crimes that the FBI would try to get him on, the chances of him actually being convicted of anything were marginal.

While Diane was vocally going after the FBI and making all the details known of their attempted sting operation, Sonny was doing his part to ensure Jason was able to survive once he was free. Going to the heads of various families, he presented the evidence of Elizabeth's recording and the fact that Jason had not agreed to Raynor's request as proof that he was not going to turn on anyone and betray the organizations. The unequivocal facts revealed that Jason had sacrificed himself, instead of offering up information on rival factions. When Sonny casually posited if any of them would have displayed the same loyalty as Jason had, several of the men had shifted uncomfortably.

Sonny did his best to assure the families that Jason would not cooperate with any law enforcement agencies, and therefore they had nothing to fear from his ex-enforcer. In exchange for Jason's show of good faith, they wanted a little of the same from the others. Nobody would send anyone after Jason in retribution for anything that had happened in the past, and they would agree to step in and protect Jason, and anyone associated with him, should anyone else try to make a move on Sonny's friend. Jason understood that he would be suspect, even if he hadn't cooperated, and he was looking to move on in his life.

Several families had claimed they wouldn't retaliate against Jason, but had stopped short of promising him protection from anyone else. It was only when Sal Basso, one of the older heads and probably Sonny's most contentious rival swore his protection for Morgan and anyone associated with him - including Sonny - that others finally put their enmity aside and pledged to do the same. Jason, and Elizabeth and her son, would be watched over once he was free. And if anyone thought they could come after Jason to eliminate him and make a name for themselves, they would find that he was still well-connected, even if he was no longer active in the business.

When Jason had asked his friend just what concessions he'd had to make in exchange for Basso to promise protection to Jason, the older man had only shook his head and refused to speak. He told Jason that the younger man had made concessions and deals time and again for him; it was time for Sonny to step up and return the favor and be a friend. If it meant that things changed in regards to his business, then it was simply what had to be done. And since Jason was no longer involved in the organization, it wasn't something Sonny could discuss with the younger man, regardless of their friendship. Jason was touched by Sonny's gesture, and could only hope that whatever he'd agreed to was truly something the mob boss could live with. Because Jason could not come back and stand beside Sonny again in a mob fight.

Now, all that remained was for Jason to be processed out, receive his personal effects, and take the long walk into the bright sunlight of freedom. He was anxiously looking forward to it, and wondered who would be there when he was finally free.

When Cameron's father abandoned Elizabeth after discovering she didn't have a trust fund, it had hurt. Her pride was bruised, she worried for her unborn child and how she was going to provide for the life she was now responsible for, but it hadn't debilitated her. Her parents' neglect and cruel words had hardened a part of her heart, but she'd learned to move on even knowing they didn't love her. She had discovered the love she'd craved in her life but had always been missing the moment she held her infant son in her arms. When he looked up at her, even if he had no idea what he was looking at being only moments old, she had been filled with an indescribable force she knew was love. She loved her son with all that she had, and as he grew and they experienced life together, the sweetest moments she'd ever experienced were when he came to her and threw his little arms around her and proclaimed, "I love you, Mommy."

Having given up on love and relationships, she had contented herself with the knowledge that her son loved her. She hoped to be prepared for when the teenage years hit and he didn't think it was cool to hang out with her or tell her loved her, knowing it would just be a phase in their lives they would pass through and once he was older he would feel comfortable expressing his feelings for her again. She prayed that one day he would find what she hadn't, someone he loved and who loved him in return and that they would want to spend the rest of their lives building a family and a future together. She hoped that her future daughter-in-law would care for her and not resent her presence, and she looked forward to the time when she had grandchildren she could love and spoil and who would hopefully one day come running up to her, throw their little arms around her and tell her 'I love you, Grandma'.

The single mother never thought she'd find someone in her life who would stir her heartstrings again, who would breach her defenses and make her want to take a chance. And when she'd met that man and found that she couldn't stop thinking of him, the last thing she had expected was for him to be the enforcer for the town's mobster. She certainly hadn't envisioned she would have feelings for the man who had been the role model for the child who had tormented Cameron and ordered her son to be beaten up. She'd thought life had a really sick sense of humor and was just further torturing her.

However, Elizabeth stopped her hasty judgments and did her best to get to know the man, instead of the image. She listened and gave him the chance to speak, and struggled with reconciling all that she admired with all that she had been taught she should despise. When Jason went to prison, telling her he desired to be a better man and someone she and her son could be proud of, she hadn't been able to find the words that had been hiding in her heart, growing and looking for the chance to bloom. Eventually, though, she found them and shared them with Jason, telling him of her love and her belief in him, who he was and not what he did. She visited him, exchanged letters with him, and came to know him better and have a deeper understanding of him.

The longer he was incarcerated, even as she knew his lawyer was fighting against the corrupt FBI agent who bullied him into jail and working to secure his release, the more she yearned for him. It wasn't just a physical ache, it was the feeling that something vital and essential was missing from her life. She wanted him beside her every day, not just in letters or across a Plexiglas divide. She wanted him there for the little moments of talking over dinner, to the big moments of cheering Cameron on as his soccer team moved up the ranks and edged ever closer to championship series. She wanted to see him when he was stumbling out of bed in the morning in search of coffee, and she wanted to revel in the ability to go to a quiet dinner with him after dropping Cameron at his friend's house.

Right now, though, she just wanted to see him walk out of prison.

It had been suggested to her that she not be waiting there when Jason was released, and she told each and every person to shove it. Not that she discounted other people caring about Jason and wanting to see him, but she was not going to sit around in her house waiting for news. She was not going to be relegated to later; she was going to see him now. Perhaps it was a bit selfish of her, but she had invested a lot in getting him released, and she was invested in making a relationship with Jason. She was not going to start out on the sidelines.

Standing next to Sonny, she couldn't help the nervous energy that consumed her. Her feet tapped restlessly, she fidgeted with the strap of her purse, and she was glad she hadn't bothered doing much with her hair today because any hairstyle she'd attempted would have long ago been wrecked by the myriad of times she'd tucked her hair behind her ear, pulled it out and tucked it again. If Sonny noticed her actions, or was bothered by them, he didn't say anything.

Finally, a door clanged somewhere in the background and both of them looked up. They searched for a glimpse of him as he made his way from the prison, down the fenced in walkway, until he reached the parking lot. Diane had been as close as she was legally allowed to be as he was released; she was prepared for any desperate attempts the FBI might make, or any unscrupulous acts by the prison guards who were not happy to have Jason released and exonerated on the charges because of misconduct by the FBI and U.S. Attorney. When Elizabeth spotted the lawyer's perfectly polished red hair weaving towards them, her eyes strained for the first sign of Jason.

Once she saw him, she didn't register anything else. He looked slightly tired and strained, but generally no different than when he went into prison. Except maybe slightly paler. He was looking ahead, focused on some unknown spot and not bothering to give any glances that showed he was aware - or bothered - by his surroundings. But then he saw his welcoming committee and a grin broke its way through his stony visage and turned up the corners of his lips. After stepping through the gates and listening to Diane congratulate him on officially being a free man, Jason clasped his best friend's proffered hand and patted him on the shoulder, gratitude in his eyes.

Then he turned to face Elizabeth and she felt her breath catch in her throat. He stared at her until one of them finally moved. She didn't know who exactly broke their frozen tableau, but she was moving towards him as his arms came up and then she was in them. Surrounded by a strength and a warmth that she had craved and longed for. He lowered his head, his face pressed into her hair at the crook of her neck and she simply closed her eyes, feeling all that he wanted to tell her even though he never spoke a word.

"I know I said I didn't want you to miss work to come up here," he said, his voice low. "But I'm glad you didn't listen to me. Just like when you visited me in prison, you knew what I needed. I needed to see you."

"I knew," she replied, "because I needed to see you."

Pulling back slightly, he stared down at her, his eyes turbulent and slightly moist. Then he stepped back, letting his hands slide down her arms until they came to her hands. He cradled them, holding them tenderly, looking down at them, until he let go of one hand and twined the fingers of their joined hands together. "I can't tell you how much I've simply just wanted to hold your hand."

Sonny coughed slightly, breaking the moment and said, "I've got a car waiting for us."

Jason nodded, and without letting go of his hold on Elizabeth, began following his friend through the parking lot. Diane fell into step behind them and once they reached the waiting SUV, she clambered up into the front seat. Jason held open the door for Elizabeth and she slid in the back, coming to rest in the middle. He followed in behind her, and immediately picked her hand back up as they waited for Sonny to go around the car and climb in as well. Once they were inside and on their way out of the parking lot, Jason tugged on Elizabeth, pulling her closer to him.

"I've asked Mercedes to get Morgan and Cameron from school," Sonny said, looking briefly at Jason, but mostly speaking while looking straight ahead. Whether he was uncomfortable with the display, or merely giving Jason what privacy he could, Elizabeth was grateful for not feeling like she was under scrutiny.

"I signed a note so that Cameron could go with her," she told him.

"Morgan really wants to see you and..."

"I'm glad," Jason told his friend. "I wanted to see him and Cameron as well. And Michael."

"Michael is at Carly and Jax's," the older man answered. "Carly wasn't happy being relegated to second or third, but she respects - or at least accepts - that Elizabeth doesn't want Michael and Cameron alone without her there."

Sonny let out a sigh and then said, "She's not going to be happy when you tell her you're leaving town. I'm not happy," he admitted, "even though I understand why. I'll try and help her understand, or maybe I'll just leave it to Jax since she constantly tells me that he's her husband and I need to butt out of her life."

Elizabeth looked down in order to remain silent and stay out of the conversation. When she spoke with Carly regarding Morgan visiting Cameron, the two women were polite, yet definitely strained. She felt it best that she just keep any comments she had regarding the blonde to herself since nothing would be served by saying them.

"Carly will just have to learn to accept it," Jason said, a note of weariness entering his voice. "I need to do what is right for me."

"I know," Sonny nodded. "So when are you going to go?"

He sighed and said, "I want to talk to the Quartermaines, and I know I need to speak to Basso."

Then he looked at her and said, "And then I need to talk to Elizabeth and work out a few things with her. But I'll probably go in a couple of days. A week at the most."

She squeezed his hand and saw the regret in his eyes. She understood why it was best that he say his goodbyes and go, but it was going to be hard to know that he was out of prison but still not with her. The other organizations would get nervous if he stuck around, and the FBI would think that they could somehow work on him to get him on their side. If he left, and started building his life in a new place, it would be better for him and for everyone.

It was merely that it was going to be hard waiting until the end of term to join him. While they could talk on the phone and they could continue to write to each other, it wasn't what she most hoped for. However, she had been patient this long; she would just have to be patient a bit longer. She could survive these next weeks. She was good at survival. And knowing that in the end, she could be in the same town with Jason, that they could continue to get to know each other, to see if this was truly real and not just fantasy, it would help sustain her.

Jason cleared his throat softly and said, "I...I was hoping I could come over and talk to you and Cameron later tonight. After I meet with Carly and Michael."

Immediately she nodded, "Of course."

"When we get to Sonny's, Morgan's going to be excited and I want to talk to him. It's going to be hard to talk about our plans when he's there," he tried to explain.

"I know," she said in agreement. "I was going to let Cameron have a little bit of time with you, but then I was planning on leaving. Let you have some time alone with Sonny and Morgan. He's a wonderful boy and he and Cam have become best friends, but I know it's going to be hard on him when he hears that you're leaving town. And when he discovers that Cam and I are leaving and that we'll be living near you...he may get upset with that. It's best that you and Sonny talk to him without us there."

"Thank you," he whispered, letting go of her hand to bring his arm up around her shoulder. "I'm going to miss him...miss everyone. I just hope I can help him understand why I'm doing this."

"He's a smart boy," Elizabeth answered, speaking loud enough for Sonny's benefit as well. "And I think that once he gets over his initial reaction and shock, he'll come to understand. I'll leave it up to you guys to decide whether it would be alright for him to visit, but he will always be welcome with Cam and me. He's Cameron's friend, and he's a part of you. There has to be a way to make sure he's not cut out of our lives forever."

"I cannot believe you're actually doing this!" Jason pinched the bridge of his nose as Carly angrily railed at him. "After all that we've done for you...you do this to us."

He knew she was upset and lashing out, but sometimes it was hard to stay calm in the face of Carly's tirades. Sometimes her belief that she was somehow entitled to all aspects of his life really chafed him and made it hard for him to just excuse that it was merely Carly. Sometimes he wondered if the woman he'd met more than ten years ago had ever changed and matured. People were supposed to grow and mature but he was sometimes left with doubts that Carly had.

Raising his head and looking at her, unwilling to just let her continue he asked, "What do you mean what you've done for me?"

That made her pause, or maybe it was just the low growl of his voice and she leaned back slightly. "Jason...maybe that was...you're my best friend, Jason. I can't bear the thought of you leaving and you know I'll say anything to get you to stay."

"By making it seem like I owe you?" he wondered.

She shook her head. "No. No...you...you don't owe us."

"No," he agreed. "I don't. I've done so much for you, Carly, and I...I don't regret it. I sometimes regret that I just seemed to make the situation worse, but I do consider you and Sonny my friends and I don't regret trying to help you and your family. But I can't keep doing it. I can't keep being involved in every little thing, I can't keep running around putting out fires and taking care of messes and mediating fights between the two of you. It...it's not fair to me and it isn't helping the two of you anymore."

"We aren't children," she refuted. "We just sometimes are too rash and don't think things through and we need your calming influence."

"You'll have to learn," he simply told her. "Just like you tell Michael and Morgan to think things through before acting or to deal with the consequences; you'll have to learn. I can't stay."

He looked at her intently and said, "It's not because of you and Sonny...it's because I'm out, Carly. I'm out of the business and I'm not getting involved again. If I stay, people aren't going to believe that and sooner or later someone's going to cause trouble. I'm not doing it anymore."

Her face softened slightly and she looked over at Jax, then back to him. "Did you really go to prison to protect us?"

"I went to prison to protect everyone," he told her. "And because I knew that with the deal Diane made, it would be my chance to get out of the business. But you were being threatened and so was Jax. So were the Quartermaines. I let Raynor think he was getting what he wanted, but I also wasn't going to let him go after you guys."

"Thank you," Jax spoke up from beside his wife. "I know I wasn't the only reason, but I really am grateful, Jason. I've given you and Sonny a lot of grief and I know I haven't hidden that I hate how much you're involved in my marriage sometimes because Carly keeps dragging you in."

She shot him a nasty look but the Australian kept going. "But I really do appreciate your willingness to sacrifice things for the rest of us. It was a big eye opener for Michael. Isn't that right?"

He called the last bit towards the stairs and there was a pause, and then the young man came down them, a mixture of defiance and chagrin crossing his face at being caught. Ignoring everyone as he looked down at his feet, he sat down in the chair across the coffee table from Jason and slumped down in his seat.

"We've talked about this, Michael," Carly chastised him, her voice firm. "You were told to go to your room and we'd call you down in a moment. You tell us that you've changed, but this proves to me that you haven't at all."

"I wanted to know what Jason was going to say," he said in defense. "I didn't want to hear some watered down version. I'm not a baby like Morgan."

"No," she agreed. "But you still have to obey the rules of this house and you didn't. So we'll deal with this infraction, but we'll figure out your punishment later. Jason doesn't need to have to deal with this."

"Why are you quitting?" Michael demanded of Jason. "Dad needs you. You can't turn your back on him."

"Michael," Carly scolded him.

"I'm not turning my back on your dad," Jason told him.

"You won't be around," Michael insisted. "It's your job to take care of him and do what he needs you to do. Not run off and hide because you're scared of the cops."

"Do you know what the FBI did?" he asked the boy he'd once helped raise. "They threatened you, Michael. They threatened to put your mom into jail, along with Jax. They threatened to put your father into jail as well along with me. Then you and Morgan would have had nobody to look out for you. Sure, your grandmother would have stepped in and taken you, but the FBI knew that you'd gotten kicked out of school, they knew that you had Cameron Webber beat up, they threatened to go after you and claim you were working with your father and that you needed to go to juvi based on your obviously violent background."

The young man's eyes widened and he leaned back slightly in his chair. "This isn't a game, Michael," Jason continued on. "Your dad nearly went to jail, your mother could have gone to jail and I did go to jail so nobody could come after you. So that you could stay with your mom and Jax. What your dad and I did...it's not right. We're not someone to look up to and want to be. We're criminals and people don't respect us because we're good, they're afraid of us because we hurt people."

"Jason," Jax tried to intervene.

"No," he shook his head, looking straight at Michael. "Michael needs to understand this. I was wrong to get involved in this life. I didn't know what I was getting into and your father didn't have any idea of what this all meant when he got started. If he'd known that one day his son would have a young boy beaten up because he was nothing more than a thug in training who thought he deserved stuff just because of his last name, he would have never done this. He's not happy you did this Michael, he's ashamed of you, but more than that...he's ashamed of himself. And so am I. I'm not someone you should follow. I'm not someone you should aspire to be. I went to prison where I had a tiny room to live in. I didn't get a computer or games or any of the stuff you get to play with. Guards watched me all the time. Men wanted to kill me just because of my reputation. You think that's something grand that you should aspire to?"

Shaking his head in disgust he said, "It's not. You have the chance to go to college and be anybody you want to be and you want to throw your life away by becoming a criminal? If I'd known what you would become, I never would have agreed to help your mother but instead I would have let you be raised by the Quartermaines. You need to wake up and realize that I got lucky; I could have been in prison for years. You mess up once more and you could end up in juvi where someone could decide to do to you what you did to Cameron. This isn't a game, Michael."

"I...I know," he responded...looking slightly shaken because Jason had never talked to him this way. The older man was sorry for upsetting everyone, but he really wanted Michael to understand.

"And that's why I'm going to leave," he said. "Because I have the chance now to stop what I was doing and change. And so do you, Michael. Listen to your parents and Jax, stop fighting them and everyone else. Get your education and do something worthwhile. Being a criminal is not worthwhile. When you were a baby, all I wanted was the best for you. I didn't understand so much back then, but I never wanted you to become like me."

He rubbed his hands over his jeans and then stood, looking at Carly and hoping she would understand why he'd said all he had. "I'm not sure when I'm going to leave, but I'll say goodbye before I do."

She hugged him, clinging to him and whispered, "Thank you. Maybe he'll listen this time."

"Jason," Jax said, holding out his hand. He shook it briefly and then turned to Michael.

"Think about what we're trying to tell you, Michael. I won't be around and I can't help protect you guys anymore. You have to decide what you're going to do," he encouraged the younger man. "Because just as I didn't want you and your brother to see me behind bars, I don't want to one day go to visit you and know that you're locked up."

Unfortunately, it was late when he finally arrived at Elizabeth's house. After the visits with Morgan and Michael, Jason still had to make his way to visit Sal Basso. It would be a sign of disrespect if Jason didn't speak to the man and thank him for his offer of protection. The older man had been placid, while the man's second had been openly disdainful and distrustful. Neither man would tell him what Sonny had agreed to in order for Jason, and therefore Elizabeth and Cameron, to have a measure of protection, and he'd left the meeting feeling tense and edgy.

Elizabeth immediately opened the door to her small apartment home and ushered him in, concern and caring clearly on her face. "Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he nodded, his shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry I'm so late."

"It's okay," she shook her head, moving towards him and then stopping before him. She looked hesitant, but then lifted her arms to wrap around him.

The moment she touched him, he engulfed her in his arms, clinging tight to her and the comfort she was offering. He lowered his head, once again pressing his face into her hair and neck and tried to make out the smell of her shampoo as he had that morning when he'd been released. They didn't speak, just stood there, Elizabeth's fingers lightly brushing over his shirt as the tension slowly ebbed from him. As he relaxed, he became more aware of the feel of her in his arms, how petite she was, how his arm could wrap so far around her waist his fingers brushed her stomach and how he felt like a giant compared to her. Yet, he knew she was strong; her size didn't preclude that.

Pulling back slightly, he looked down at her and smiled, "Thank you."

"You just looked like you needed a hug," she shrugged off-handedly, almost a little embarrassed.

"I did," he admitted. "What I needed was to see you. It's...it's been a long day."

"I'm sorry," she said, taking his hand and moving to sit down on her couch. "If you were tired you didn't have to come here tonight. Tomorrow is a holiday from school, you could have come then."

"No," Jason shook his head. "I told you I would be here to see you and Cam and I meant it. I'm just..."

"It was tough, wasn't it?" she asked. "Morgan and Michael and Carly? Morgan was so happy to see you, but...but I think he sensed something would be different."

"He did," he admitted. "He wasn't happy to hear I was going to move and he...he knew that you and Cam were going to leave, too. When you gave your notice to the school...he knew. He...I think he's a bit jealous of you guys, and he asked if this meant he would never see me again...but I think...I hope he understands. I...I left when he surprised Sonny by asking if he could come live with his dad because he wants away from Michael. That's something they'll have to work out themselves."

She nodded her agreement and then asked, "And Michael and Carly?"

"Both of them were upset and Michael said I was abandoning his dad and wasn't doing my job," he sighed heavily. "I...I was blunt with him and told him how the FBI wanted to put his parents and Jax in jail and threatened him. I told him I was wrong...that the things I did were wrong and if I'd known that he would turn out like this, I wouldn't have agreed to help Carly. He has a chance to learn from our mistakes and I really hope he takes it."

"I hope he does, too," Elizabeth said softly. "He's smart and he has potential, he just needs to use it. It was so frustrating to watch him in class and know that he wasn't putting in effort or working on assignments because he thought he didn't need to, because he could get by like Sonny did. I hope he takes this opportunity."

"Jax and Carly seem committed to getting him straightened out; I just hope it works." Then with a shake of his head he said, "I suppose that Cameron's probably already asleep."

"Probably not," she refuted with a slight smile. "Like I said, there's no school tomorrow and he's been waiting for you to get here. I sent him into his room to read, but if I know my son, he's probably sitting up in bed about ready to bolt down the hallway if we don't go back there soon and get him."

"You sure you don't mind him staying up late?" he asked carefully, even though he hoped he'd be able to spend time with the little boy.

"I don't think it will really be that late," she laughed slightly. "He's so wound up and excited, but after talking to you for a little while, the excitement will wear off and he'll probably crash."

"Well," Jason nodded. "There is tomorrow to talk to him...and after he goes to bed, you and I can talk."

"I'm looking forward to it," Elizabeth told him, a smile turning up the corner of her lips. "I have been waiting so long to talk to you without Plexiglas in the way."

He took her hand and brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. "So have I. So have I."

It seemed almost ridiculous for Jason to go home to his penthouse the night he was released from prison, considering how late he stayed at Elizabeth's talking to her, but he insisted. Not, he said, because he wanted to, but because he felt he should. People were going to talk about her relationship with him enough as it was, he didn't need to make things even more difficult on her by staying at her house the very first night he was released. Elizabeth had pointedly told him she didn't care what other people said, she'd given up caring what they said when some people had chastised her for exposing Agent Raynor's corruption, thinking instead that a man should be railroaded into prison just because they didn't like him.

Jason had been equally insistent, and left her house sometime in the early morning hours. Elizabeth had poured herself into bed, knowing that the morning would come way too early and not even caring. Jason would be arriving back at her house and spending the day with her and Cameron and she was looking forward to it.

As she'd predicted, Cameron had still been awake when she went to his bedroom to get him, but she was able to tell that her son was staying awake by sheer willpower. He raced down the hall excited to see Jason and launched himself into the man's arms. Jason hugged him tightly, closing his eyes as the little boy's arms wrapped around his neck, and Elizabeth closed her own eyes in an attempt to keep her tears at bay. It was evident just how much the two of them had come to know one another, and care about each other from the letters they'd written.

The three of them sat down on the couch to talk, Cameron forgoing all pretense that he was too big for such things, and curling up on Jason's lap. While they talked, her son rested his head on the older man's shoulder and soon his eyes drifted closed. His lips parted slightly and he became a limp doll as he finally succumbed to sleep. Jason tilted his head and rested his cheek against Cameron's curls and then looked over at Elizabeth. He stood and she led the way down the hall, turning back the covers so Jason could place the sleeping boy into bed. His large hand brushed over her son's head before it drifted to his lips and then a kiss was transferred back via his fingertips.

Then he reached for Elizabeth's hand and they left the boy's bedroom, turning out the light and closing the door most of the way. Once out in the hallway, Jason stopped her and they shared their first kiss. A little hesitant, gentle, yet so full of emotion and feeling, Elizabeth knew that she could spend a lifetime sharing kisses with Jason. It was only the knowledge that her son was asleep just on the other side of the door that made Elizabeth take Jason's hand and lead him back to the living room.

They talked for hours. About anything and everything. He talked about his gratitude and love for her that she would risk so much to get him released from prison, and she told him about how she went into the bathroom and cried every time he sent a letter to her son and made Cameron's day because it was simply overwhelming that he was so giving with Cam. Jason cared more about her son than Zander and even from prison he was teaching her child responsibility and honor. He talked about where he was going to go and the things Diane was setting into place. She told him about the moving company that had already contacted her about packing her and Cameron up and making sure everything arrived safely. All she had to do was keep out their favorite belongings to take with them and drive the car, thus making it the simplest move she'd ever dealt with.

When Jason left, he promised that he would be back for breakfast and then the three of them could spend the day together. Elizabeth felt it was silly for him to come back that early, but he insisted and when Cameron came charging into her room early in the morning, she'd forced herself to get up knowing that Jason would be returning soon. Her son didn't turn on the TV to watch cartoons; instead he sat by the window and watched the street, anxiously waiting for Jason to arrive.

"Mom," he excitedly called out. "Mom...he's here. Jason's here. He's here."

A smile spread across her face at the little boy's excitement and she didn't even have the heart to admonish him to not open the door and run outside in his socks. Abandoning the pancake batter she was stirring up, she walked across the house to the front door and watched as the two most important men in her life greeted each other and then walked towards her. Jason was carrying a white sack and a drink carrier, listening intently to her son as Cameron jabbered on about his excitement to see the older man. Guards discreetly stood a distance away, not watching the scene, but the street.

"I can't believe I fell asleep last night," Cameron lamented. "I waited forever to see you, and then when you finally came I punked out and fell asleep. But I remembered you said you'd be back this morning and when I woke up I couldn't go back to sleep. I made Mom get up and she made me clean my room after getting dressed and I set the table and I was watching for you."

"Cam," Elizabeth called out to him. He'd stopped walking and was standing on the cold sidewalk in his socks, with no jacket on and Jason was stopped patiently beside him, listening to her son. "Why don't you and Jason come inside? You took off without your shoes and left the door open."

He looked slightly sheepish, and quickly started walking again, entering the house and turning around anxiously to keep Jason in his sights. "How come you don't have your motorcycle? I was hoping you'd have it today."

"Cam," she sighed.

"Sorry," her son apologized, his sheepish look back and bigger this time. "I...I didn't mean it like that, Jason."

"That's alright," he answered. "I didn't bring my motorcycle because I wouldn't have been able to carry this," he gestured to the items in his hands. "And because I wouldn't have been able to take both of you on it in case we decided we wanted to go some place."

"Oh," Cam nodded, happy with the explanation and then moved forward. "What'd you get?"

Elizabeth shook her head and sighed again. "Cameron."

"I brought donuts and drinks," Jason replied. "I know you and your mom like hot chocolate so I got you that."

"Mom loves hot chocolate," her son giggled. "But sometimes she drinks coffee. When she has to stay up late grading papers, or she has to get up early. She made coffee this morning."

"That's because Mom needed coffee," Elizabeth said under her breath, turning back to the kitchen. She knew that it would be impossible to get a word in edgewise around her son right now and instead of standing around, she'd get back to work on the pancakes.

She called out over her shoulder as she set to work stirring the batter again, "You can have a donut, Cam, but just one. You need to have pancakes as well and I don't want you filled up on donuts."

"Yes, Mom," he told her, and she could hear him rolling his eyes just based on the tone of his voice. Then she heard the sack crinkle and knew he was going after his donut.

"Here," Jason said softly at her side, handing her a paper cup with a plastic lid. "I asked them to put in extra whipped cream for you."

"Thank you," she smiled at him, warmth radiating from her fingers as she brushed against his hand while reaching for her drink. He was standing so close to her and all she wanted to do was stretch up on her toes and kiss him, but she felt self-conscious about it because Cameron was in the room with them.

She and Cameron had talked about Jason in the weeks as they were hoping he would be released and her ever-astute son had asked her pointblank if she liked Jason and if she would be dating him once he was released from prison. Elizabeth had admitted to her son that yes, she did like Jason and she did want to date Jason and see what might happen between them. When Cameron asked if that meant she and Jason would get married one day, she asked him how he would feel about such a thing happening. Her little boy who normally didn't like her going out on dates with anybody because he always worried that the men wouldn't like him, had thought about it for a moment and then said that it might not be so bad to have Jason around. He seemed nice from his letters and from all that Morgan had said.

Despite that conversation, Elizabeth knew it could be different for Cameron to actually see the proof of her attraction to Jason by kissing him. Yet, she also knew her son would have to get used to the idea. Jason wasn't just his friend to talk to; Elizabeth wanted to spend time with him, and hoped to spend time alone with him. She hoped her son wouldn't feel jealous or threatened by any interaction that she would have with the ex-enforcer.

"Are you going to kiss my mom?" Cameron asked Jason bluntly, his voice thick with the donut crammed into his mouth.

Elizabeth felt her cheeks flame as she stepped back from Jason as if she'd been burned and then turned to stare at Cameron. Her son was watching the two of them intently, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Cameron Webber," she admonished him.

However, Jason took a completely different approach to the situation. "Would that bother you?"

Her son looked slightly confused by the question at first, but then pondered it before shaking his head. "I...I guess not. I mean...as long as you're not doing it all the time and where people could see you. She's my mom and she...parents aren't supposed to go around kissing. But I've seen the older kids at school and they kiss all the time when they first start going out and I guess that's kinda what you guys are doing."

Elizabeth quickly flipped the pancakes and then took a deep breath while turning back to face her son again. "I guess that's what you could say Jason and I are doing. We...we like each other and we want to spend time together."

"I know," the younger boy sighed. "You're probably gonna go out on dates with him and I'll have a babysitter. Just...is that all you're gonna do, Jason?"

"I'll still do things with you, Cameron," he answered, sitting down at the table across from her son. "I want to spend time with you and your mom, and I want to take your mom out. But I'd also like to spend some time with you. If that's alright with you and your mom."

"You're not just saying that, are you?" Cam asked. "Mom would get asked out by other guys and they would say that they liked me and wanted to do things with me, but they never did. And I know kids from school who have stepfathers and they all claim they like the kid, but then a new baby's born and that's all their stepdad cares about."

He pondered for a moment and then said, "Jax isn't like that...I guess. Morgan says he's cool and that they do things together, but he wonders if that'll change if his mom has a baby some day. If Jax will still like doing things with him, or if he'll just get forgotten."

Elizabeth took the pancakes off the electric griddle and didn't bother putting new batter on. Sitting down at the table across from her son she reached out and took his hands. Her little boy allowed her to give him comfort for a moment and then he pulled his hands back and tried to shrug as if it wasn't a big deal.

"I know Jax seems pretty cool and Morgan says he likes him. But it...it's something he wonders about," Cameron confessed. "And...and I just, you know...if you and Jason date and then get married...are you going to do the same thing? My...my biological father didn't want me and he took off and left me and my mom. It's been just the two of us and I don't want her hurt. I don't...I don't want to trust someone and then find out it was all some big joke until their real kid comes along."

Elizabeth looked over at Jason, completely unsure of what she could say to calm her son's fears, or even if she should. Maybe Cameron just needed to get this all out and wasn't really looking for answers. Because how could a person truly believe a promise on the future when everything constantly shifted and changed? While a person would believe with certainty that they would always feel one way or would never do something...there were no guarantees.

"Cam," Jason began after clearing his throat. "I know you feel a bit scared; you're not sure of what will happen and it's not easy to face that. Nobody knows what will happen, but I do want to try to explain something to you. Okay?"

Her son nodded and looked at Jason with rapt attention.

"You know that Michael is my nephew, right?" When Cameron nodded, the older man continued. "He's my brother's biological son, even though Sonny adopted him. I knew Michael's mom when she was pregnant and it's kinda complicated to explain and understand, but when Michael was born, I was listed as his father on his birth certificate. I raised him for the first year and I loved him. It wasn't because he was my nephew instead of my son, I really did consider him my son. The moment I held him and became responsible for him, taking care of him and trying my best, he was mine. I didn't care about what biology or the law might say, he was my son and I couldn't have loved him any more than if DNA said he was mine."

Jason swallowed and then said, "Things changed and I wasn't in his life like that and now I'm just his uncle. I still love him and I will always remember raising him. Now he's my nephew and so is Morgan, even though there's no blood relation between us. Blood and biology don't matter to me. I don't treat Morgan any differently than I treat Michael, do I?"

"No," Cameron whispered as he shook his head.

"I love your mother," Jason admitted, "and I care about her life. I love you because I've gotten to know you from your letters, but even before that, I loved you simply because you were Elizabeth's son. You are so important to her and that made you important to me because I care about her very much. Now that we've written each other and we'll be spending time together...you're important to me. You're important to me like Michael and Morgan are."

He looked at Elizabeth and then said, "Maybe one day your mother and I will get married and maybe one day we'll have more children, but we will always have you and nothing will change that or change how we feel about you."

In some ways, it was incredibly easy to leave Port Charles. Jason had done it before, taking off for months, sometimes even years at a time and never expecting to return. He always had, of course, because he knew that he had friends and even family waiting here that he cared about and so he would either get the desire to return and see them, or something would happen with the business that necessitated his return.

This time, his departure was entirely different. He still had friends and family here, and knew that they would always be here, but this time...this time he knew that he really could not return. For his own safety, he needed to leave and not come back. Maybe once in a while he would be able to sneak into town for a week or so and visit, but he could not return and set down roots again. He could not come back if Sonny had trouble with the business. He could not be the person who fixed things for everyone again. He had to leave, and know that when he did, that his time in Port Charles was for all intents and purposes completely at an end.

Knowing that was hard for him to face. While Carly could aggravate him to no end sometimes, she was his friend. And while much of their friendship was one-sided, he did know that she cared about him fiercely. She was loyal to him and sometimes her disastrous plans came about only because she was trying to support him in what she thought he needed. Jason would miss Michael and Morgan whom he had watched grow from babies and had come to love and care for. Sonny had been his mentor and supporter and even when they were at odds Jason still felt closer to him than he did his family. It was a struggle for Jason to know that he was walking away from the business and Sonny; it made him feel like he was disloyal to a man who had taught him what the word meant.

Oddly enough, it was also hard to think about leaving the Quartermaines behind. Lila had died several years ago and at the time he'd thought that he'd lost the only person aside from Emily who would love him and support him. Emily was still around and her support and love remained, but it had always been different with her. She was his younger sister and he had always tried to protect her and she sometimes rebelled against him and challenged him in a way his grandmother never had. Yet, his sister had that same fierce loyalty of Carly and Lila and he had come to realize that she loved him no matter what he did. Monica had become less judgmental and tried to form a relationship with him, even when he would rebuff her. She would pull back, but never completely; instead he always knew that she was there and if he ever needed something she would help him. And she had. Without questions, without judgment, without recriminations, she would quietly help him and then never make him feel like she expected something in return.

In many ways, she had filled the space Lila had occupied. He found himself thinking of her and sometimes stopping by to see her when he knew everyone else would be gone. She would always delight in his visits, but never pushed him to spend time with the rest of the family. But just as his grandmother did, she would talk about the other family members and keep him informed about what was happening and when he arrived one day and found her crying on the couch because she was worried about Alan and his heart troubles, he had comforted her and held her when she cried, and then had carried those worries with him when he left. When she called him a week later and told him Alan had a heart attack, he had been halfway to General Hospital before he even realized it. And he sat by his father's bed and prayed for the surgery to be successful; wanting the older man to remain alive so that they could form a relationship Jason had never known he'd wanted until that moment.

His father had pulled through, and gradually they began forging a relationship. It had been strained when Jason went to prison, but when Elizabeth exposed Agent Raynor and the truth behind his actions, Alan had been a galvanizing force behind Edward's actions that had helped secure Jason's release. Jason found himself lamenting the fact that he would have to leave before truly working things out with his father and hoped that their progress was not entirely lost. It had been hard for him to say goodbye to the older man when he went to the Quartermaine mansion, and when Alan said that he hoped they could remain in touch, Jason had quickly agreed, determined not to neglect contact with his father.

For as much as the thoughts of leaving behind his friends and family for what would most likely be forever, it was very hard for Jason to know that he was leaving behind Elizabeth and Cameron. Since his release from prison he had spent every day with the woman he loved and her son. They spent the holiday and the weekend talking, playing games that Cameron insisted they all share, and ate dinner together every night. When Elizabeth and Cameron had to return to school, Jason visited the other important people in his life, but he was always aware of when they would return home and spent the afternoon and evenings with them. He helped Cameron with homework while Elizabeth graded papers and worked on dinner or gathering up the things the pair wanted to make sure they brought with them right away.

After Cameron was in bed, he stayed up talking with Elizabeth, trying to spend as much time with her as he could. He knew he couldn't stay until her semester was over, and he was trying to give them both new memories to carry them through until her arrival. Sonny was understanding of the younger man's desires, but he also told Jason that the former enforcer needed to move along soon. People were starting to get restless about him staying in town, and it would be disrespectful to Sal Basso if he stayed too much longer.

So tonight when he left Elizabeth's house, he would not be returning to his penthouse. The penthouse had been sold, the papers sighed today; it was no longer his. He would be getting on his motorcycle and driving out of Port Charles one last time. It was simply that he didn't want to leave. Even knowing that it was later than any night he'd stayed before, even though he knew Elizabeth had to get up and go to work in the morning, he could not bring himself let her go, stand up and walk out her door.

He was sitting beside Elizabeth on the couch, his arm wrapped around her as she was curled into his side like a cat. She'd draped a light blanket over her legs which were tucked up under her body, and with only the light over the sink and a small table lamp on, the room was more in shadows than in light. He could very easily fall asleep, and wanted to very much. Yet he knew he couldn't.

Despite the time he'd spent with Elizabeth and her son, and the talks they'd all had, Jason and Elizabeth had agreed to take their time in this budding relationship. While they had talked at prison and written letters, they wanted to make sure that moving to a new state, a new house and starting new jobs didn't put stress on all of them that made them fracture apart. Before jumping in even farther than they had, they wanted to be sure of things. Which was why they had only kissed since his release, and why he went home every night.

As beautiful as Elizabeth was, as much as he had always been attracted to her, he was not going to rush a physical relationship with her. She had a son old enough to be aware of things and who had heard comments from older kids at school. He didn't want her to think that he was only interested in her for her body, and he knew that it wouldn't be fair to either of them to cross that line and then have them be separated for several weeks. Jason respected her too much to hurt her in any way like that.

Bringing his hand up to brush over her hair, pulling it back slightly so he could see her face, he sighed and said, "I really should get going."

"I know," she agreed sadly.

They had been repeating these lines for several hours, but so far it had not actually gotten him up off the couch and out the door.

"Are you going to be alright to drive?" she asked him, shifting slightly so she could look up at him with concern. "The last thing I want is for you to get hurt because I've kept you here too late."

"I'll be fine," he assured her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I've been out late before."

"Doesn't mean I still won't worry," Elizabeth told him with such honestly and feeling that it moved him. He was used to pushing himself to get things done because the consequences if he didn't would be even more dangerous, or even deadly, to people besides himself. People were depending on him and so he just went on, no matter what.

Now he realized that there were people depending on him as well, but they didn't want him to eliminate a rival or destroy a shipment. They wanted him there; alive, healthy and able to spend his life with them. They didn't expect him to get on a motorcycle and drive even though he might feel tired; they wanted him to take care of himself and be safe.

"I won't go far tonight," he promised. "But I told people I would leave tonight. I need to follow through on that."

Her forehead creased slightly as it did whenever he alluded to his time in the mob or talked about the unknown deal that Sonny brokered on his behalf. But instead of being bothered by it, she merely said, "Then I guess that really does mean you should go."

He let out a heavy breath, but nodded. "Yeah."

"Will you call me?" she asked. "Whenever you get to a place where you're going to stop...will you call me and let me know you're safe? I'm so tired I'll probably fall asleep easily tonight...but I don't want to spend all of tomorrow worrying about you."

Bringing his hand up to caress her cheek he said, "I will. I'll call your cell phone and I'll leave a message if you don't answer. And then I'll call you and Cam tomorrow night."

The corner of his lips curved up as he said, "See if he needs any help on his homework."

She smiled fleetingly and then said, "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too," he replied. "But I'll call. Every night if I can and I don't see why I can't."

Leaning forward, he captured her lips, caressing them gently, yet also trying to convey to her just how much he loved her. Then he pulled his arm out from behind her and stood. When she went to stand, he shook his head.

"It'll be harder to leave if you follow me. Just...just let me say good-bye to you here," he requested of her and she frowned slightly, then nodded. "Just make sure you lock up after I leave."

"I will," she whispered softly, her voice thick with unshed tears.

He crouched down beside her and captured her lips once again. Her hands went behind his neck and held on tight while his tangled in her hair. Finally, with much difficulty, he pulled himself away and looked at her, catching an errant tear with his thumb.

"I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you, too," she returned. "And we'll see you in a few weeks."

"I'll be waiting for you," he vowed. "Maybe I'll meet you halfway and drive in with you."

"You better go," Elizabeth told him and he nodded.

Standing, he bent and kissed the top of her head, and then turned for the door. As he pulled it open, he looked over his shoulder, hoping to memorize the sight of her, and then stepped out into the dark.

Pulling his jacket together, he zipped the ends and then headed towards his bike. Retrieving his keys, he swung one leg over and looked back at the house. He could see Elizabeth standing at the window looking out, but she didn't raise her hand to wave and he dipped his head only slightly in acknowledgment of her. Then starting the bike, he nodded to the guards watching over her and her son and knew that when he pulled away, the man would let others know and word would reach Basso and the rest of the families.

He flexed his hands around the handlebars and could only hope that these next few weeks passed quickly.

It had only been a couple of weeks since he'd seen Elizabeth, but when he saw her car stop in the parking lot of the diner and she and Cameron climbed out, he'd never seen anything as beautiful as her. Wearing a cream-colored coat that was brilliant against the dingy slush on the ground and a matching hat, she looked like an angel sent down to earth. Cameron hopped excitedly on his feet at the front of the car as the little boy waited for his mother to gather her purse, lock the car and then join him so they could walk into the restaurant. Pulling open the door, her laughter joined in with the jingling from the string of bells tied to the inside handle and the two people he'd waited all day to see finally walked in.

Her eyes lifted to scan the room nervously, and then her smile brightened as she saw him standing next to a booth near the back. She nudged Cameron's shoulder and pointed and the boy's eyes lit up in perfect imitation of his mother's. He took off, not waiting for Elizabeth who nodded to the waitress and said they were meeting someone, and barreled straight into Jason's arms.

"Hey, Cam," he laughed out softly, holding the young boy tightly. "How are you? How were the last weeks of school?"

Cameron was about to answer, but then he realized his mother had joined them and he apparently decided to let the two adults have a moment to themselves. Jason was vaguely aware of the boy unwinding himself from Jason's embrace and moving to sit down; in truth he could only focus on Elizabeth as she stood beside him holding her hat in one hand while the fingers of her other finished undoing the last of the buttons on the swing coat.

"Hi," she managed to say in a thick whisper.

He wanted to touch her, he wanted to kiss her, but he was very aware that they had an audience that wasn't just her son. Instead, he settled for hugging her for a lot less time than he wanted, before pulling back and brushing her hair back lightly.

"Okay, I know I said no kissing in public," Cam spoke up from the table, "but I suppose just this once. As long as it's not like too long or something."

They laughed and looked at him and then Elizabeth looked back at Jason. "We've just been given permission by my son to kiss; seems a shame to waste it."

Jason smiled as well and lowered his head, keeping it chaste, but doing his best to show her just how much he'd really missed her. When he pulled back this time he finally managed to speak. "Hi. I've missed you."

"So have I," she answered.

Looking down, he saw that Cameron was sitting in the middle of the seat across from the bench he'd been on, and the message was clear. He intended to sit there, Elizabeth could sit by Jason. Not one to pass up the opportunity provided, Jason took hold of her hand and held onto it as he lowered himself into the seat behind him and then tugged on her hand to join him. Her grin was wide and her eyes laughed as she lowered herself onto the bench and then looked across at her son.

"Great," Cameron grinned. "It's about time. I'm starving. Mom packed up all the food and we've been eating out...when Mr. Corinthos hasn't been feeding us, and we left so early this morning and Mom didn't want to stop when we were getting close to where we were meeting you and I'm hungry."

"Always thinking with his stomach," Elizabeth laughed. Then she looked over at Jason and warned in mock horror, "Just wait until he's a teenager. It'll be worse."

"I see your family made it," said the older waitress who had taken over his table when the younger one who had first set upon him this morning when he arrived got tired of him not responding to her attempts to flirt with him. Jason had been anxious and had arrived long before the time Elizabeth and Cameron would have made it here, but he'd been unable to sit in his house waiting to leave. He'd rather sit in the diner where they'd agreed to meet, and so he'd been here for hours drinking coffee.

Jason took Elizabeth's hand and looked across the table at Cameron and answered, "Yeah, they did. So we'll need menus now, especially since he's starving."

Elizabeth Webber was a fiercely independent woman and one of her conditions for moving away from Port Charles and to the same town Jason relocated to was that she get a job on her own and find her own place to rent. It was not negotiable to her and he understood why she felt that way, it was just hard for him to watch her struggle to make sure she would have enough money and be able to provide for her son when he knew he could help her. But he respected her too much to press the matter, and instead gave her the only support he could; emotional support.

Diane had helped as well, assisting Elizabeth in finding out what she needed to do to get certified to teach in a new state, filing the paperwork and having things notarized. While Elizabeth was not able to find a full-time position, she had submitted her resume to several districts and felt confident she could get some work as a substitute. To help augment her income, she found work at the community center, aided by a glowing recommendation from the director of the center in Port Charles, and Elizabeth would be helping out with the art programs, for children and adults. The community center also said they would be accommodating for any substitute work she found that would take precedence during the day.

Armed with guaranteed income and the hope for additional earnings, Elizabeth had rented an apartment for herself and Cameron. It wasn't a small house-type as they'd had before, but they were on the ground level and there was plenty of room for Cameron to play outside once the weather warmed up. He would be able to come to the community center after school and use the facilities there so he would stay active. Of course, Jason had offered to help watch him as well.

There was no real reason for Jason to have to work, aside from merely wanting something to do. Since he could decide what he wanted to do and set his own hours and schedule, he would be free at any point to pick up Cameron after school and bring him to his house where they could work on homework first and then have fun together. This way Elizabeth would not have to spend money on a babysitter and Cameron would not have to spend all his afternoons hanging around the community center while Elizabeth taught her classes. He knew that the young boy was used to having to wait for his mother and he often did so without complaint, but there was no denying the excitement in his eyes at the prospect of having some variety to his routine.

The house Jason purchased for himself was a relatively simple place, yet there was no denying the richness of the building. It was merely that Jason didn't want, or need, an oversized house like Sonny's simply to show who he was. He would have been happy living in an apartment as long as it was big enough to have a pool table in it, but Jason had a plan for the future in mind when he bought the house. One day, he wanted to have a family living here. A family with Elizabeth and her son...and maybe one day more children.

It was big enough for them to grow into, to have fun in, but not feel like they were living in a museum. He'd found a room with wonderful natural lighting that could be converted into an art studio when the time was right, and there was a game room downstairs where the pool table, and other games could go. A place where friends could hang out after school and the family could enjoy themselves when they were alone. Security was not neglected in any way, but it didn't dominate the house with a massive fence like Sonny had.

He couldn't wait to show it to Elizabeth and Cameron and see what they thought. If they weren't comfortable with it, he would search for a new house that they could one day envision themselves in. But those plans would have to wait, because Elizabeth wanted to get settled into her place first. The last of the paperwork was signed with her new landlord, the keys were in her hand, and they were just waiting for Jason's men to arrive with the Webber's furniture. A smile curved his lips as the van pulled up right on time and another truck behind it and men climbed out and turned to await their instructions.

"I have never had a moving company that was this efficient," Elizabeth smiled at him, a teasing light in her eyes that told him she knew exactly who these men were, but she wasn't going to fight with him about it.

"If you think them arriving on time is impressive," he grinned back at her. "Just wait until you see how quickly they unload and set everything up. Cameron will sleep in his own bed tonight...I promise you that."

Elizabeth was beautiful when she slept. With her head pillowed on her arm as she was stretched out on the couch, her lips slightly pursed in the middle and soft puffs of breath blowing out, she was absolutely gorgeous. Once the truck was unloaded, the furniture placed where Elizabeth wanted it and the beds put together, Jason had insisted on taking the family out for dinner. There was no need for them to try to unpack everything tonight and figure out something to eat. Mother and son were tired and she didn't need to entertain him.

Once they returned, Jason and Elizabeth helped make Cameron's bed, and get out the things the boy would need for bedtime and to play with tomorrow while the larger boxes were unpacked and things were sorted away. Elizabeth had pulled sheets out for her bed as well, but had just tossed them onto the bare mattress. She seemed a little uncomfortable with Jason going into her room to help her, and he respected her feelings. They needed to date a while longer before that step was taken. Although Jason knew that eventually she was going to need something larger than a double bed.

However, Jason had been forced to go into Elizabeth's room due to the fact that she had fallen asleep against him as they'd sat together out on her couch. They'd talked about their weeks apart, filling in details that hadn't been shared in their nearly nightly conversations. They enjoyed the ability to simply hold one another and at times they lapsed into silence as the day began to catch up with them; Elizabeth especially. Eventually, her silent pauses stretched into long moments and Jason merely continued to hold her cradled to his side, his hand sliding through her hair, the strands falling like water over his fingers. He knew when he finally maneuvered enough to look down at her that she was asleep, but he certainly didn't mind.

He liked having her in his arms, and he was not going to pass up this opportunity to hold her while she slept.

Eventually, though, he knew she needed to not sleep curled up against him, so he stood and stretched her out on the couch, and then went into her room to make the bed. He smoothed the sheets out, smiling to himself, as he layered the extra blanket under the thick duvet. Once the bed was done, Jason checked the windows, frowning at the paltry lock and determining that tomorrow he would make a few upgrades to the apartment. He didn't care if the landlord liked it or not; Elizabeth had insisted on a ground level apartment for Cameron to have some room and for them not to feel hemmed in by a small balcony walkway and he was going to make sure she was safe.

The windows needed to be reinforced, even if it was with a simple stick braced across to show thieves that this was not some place to even bother wasting their time on. A heavier deadbolt needed to be installed, and Jason was sure that he could get the landlord to agree; especially if Jason assured the man he would install it himself and give the complex a spare key. But all those things could wait to tomorrow, especially since Jason knew he would be staying here tonight to see how the neighborhood was when decent folks were in bed.

Walking back out to the front room, he took off Elizabeth's shoes and then lifted her into his arms. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he carried her into her bedroom and then settled her on the bed. She shifted on the mattress, mumbling something under breath as she rolled onto her side. He pulled the covers over her and watched her for a moment in the light coming in from the other room. Finally, he smoothed his hand over her hair and left her room.

After a quick check in on Cameron and tucking the boy's feet back under the covers, Jason went out to the other room and picked up a book he'd pulled from one of the boxes near the shelves. While his initial inspection of the neighborhood and complex indicated that there shouldn't be problems with criminals or noise, he intended to find out for himself. He was going to make sure that they would be safe here. Settling back on the couch, he opened up coffee table book on Ireland and began to read.

Elizabeth knew she was suspicious of Jason, but she just couldn't help it. It wasn't that she thought he was a liar and had deliberately misled her like Zander had, it was just that she believed Jason had to feel something in regards to the situation. The national news had picked up this story and would not let it go, and Elizabeth found herself watching Jason as she began to detect the strain settling on him.

She wished she knew what to say, some way to reach him, but she'd tried and he'd shut down on her. He didn't want to talk about it and that was that. It stung, given all that they'd talked about and shared, but she tried to be supportive. Maybe he just didn't want to talk about it then, and after he'd processed it in his mind and sorted through his feelings, he would be ready to talk. That was days...weeks ago, and still he was frustratingly tight-lipped. He was becoming quiet and withdrawn, not meeting her and Cameron as often as he had when they first moved here until they hardly ever saw him or had any contact with him, and as Spring Break approached Elizabeth knew she was going to have to speak up.

Because this situation wasn't just affecting her, it was affecting her son. Where she could have let the situation go and not pushed things, she was not going to sit back and watch her child be hurt by this behavior. He didn't understand why Jason no longer picked him up after school and helped him with his homework while Elizabeth taught her classes down at the community center. He didn't understand why his hero and the man he had come to depend on was suddenly not there for him. And that was why Elizabeth had asked the neighbor to come over and watch Cameron after dinner and bedtime. She was no longer going to be put off; she was going to get answers.

Elizabeth stopped her car in the driveway of the house that she and Cameron had fallen in love with; touched by the thought Jason had put into its purchase. It was clearly not a house for a man who planned to live his life alone; he'd bought it intending for a family and there was no doubt just who he wanted that family to be. Her son loved coming here and playing in the large backyard. Its thick grass was perfect for practicing his soccer skills and Jason had set up a small goal where the two of them played. She'd seen the room Jason said could one day be converted into an art studio if she liked it and she felt it was just a matter of time before they were making plans to formalize the unspoken bond between them all.

Then the news came in. A mob war broke out in Port Charles. People said they hadn't seen Sonny Corinthos in days. His family had fled. The man was weakened, everyone said, by the loss of his former right-hand man; the man released from prison due to corruption of the U.S. Attorney's office.

His best friend was facing a war, and Jason wasn't there. Elizabeth knew it was bothering him, but he refused to speak about it.

Well, she wasn't going to stand back and do nothing anymore. She'd tried giving him space, she'd tried everything she could think of, and still he withdrew every day. Tonight she was going to make him talk to her. And then tomorrow when the dust had settled, she would hopefully have enough information to decide what to do after that.

Forcing herself to get out of her car and actually approach the front door, Elizabeth did her best to calm her nerves so she would not attack him first thing out of the gate. She wanted to listen to him, to give him an opportunity to try to make her understand why he had been acting as he had, and deep down she wanted him to have some logical explanation. Because she wanted to be with him, she wanted to believe that she hadn't been wrong in giving him the benefit of the doubt and another chance and then falling in love with him. She wanted to know that she hadn't just uprooted herself and her son on nothing more than a whim and a passing fancy.

Ringing the doorbell, she stood back and took a deep breath. She had faced the FBI, she had faced the people in town who scorned her for being a whistle blower, she had stood up to the mob boss and his ex-wife when their son had attacked hers...surely she could face the man she loved and find out what was happening. It was merely the fear that it would be over that threatened to bring her to her knees.

The door swung open and Jason stood framed inside the wooden casement, looking tired and drawn. He blinked at seeing her and stammered out, "E-Elizabeth?"

"Hi," she replied back softly but firmly. "I know it's late, but Cam's finally asleep and my neighbor's watching him. I really need to talk to you."

For a moment she thought he was going to refuse her, but then he stepped back with a heavy sigh and gave her silent invitation to come in. Licking her lips and lifting her head, she walked past him, and headed towards the living room. Setting her purse down beside the sofa, she turned to face him and found him lurking in the entryway, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I came to talk to you," she replied, doing her best not to give in to the anger that simmered under the surface. "I'm trying to figure out what's going on, Jason."

He took a few steps forward, but stopped before he got anywhere near the sofa or the chair next to it. "What...what do you mean?"

"I mean what's going on?" she asked him. "I've seen the news, Jason. I know what's happening back in Port Charles. I'm...I'm worried about Sonny and Morgan...but I can't even imagine what it's like for you. I...I wish there was something I could do for you, but...but you won't talk to me. I brought it up...you shot me down; so I tried to respect that and give you some space and you're taking it alright. You're spacing yourself right out of mine and Cameron's lives."

Stopping because her voice was threatening to break on a high, angry, hurt note, Elizabeth paused and took a breath, dragging her hands through her hair. "My son doesn't understand why you're suddenly not around; why you don't pick him up from school, why you don't call or why you don't do any of the things you originally did when we came here. He's a smart boy, he's caught some of the news, he heard a few things from Morgan until we lost all contact with him and he's worried for his friend. He's worried for you because he wonders if you're going to go back to Port Charles and if you'll die there-"

Jason's head whipped up sharply and he stared at her.

"Or if you'll end up back in prison," she continued on. "And I'm wondering the same thing. I just...I don't know what to tell him because I haven't heard anything from you and..."

She turned away, her hands once again going through her hair. "I'm trying not to be scared or worried in front of him, and I'm trying not to be angry."

Turning back around to face him where he stood frozen to his spot she said, "I'm trying really hard not to be angry with you, Jason. I... Logic says that you have to be worried about what's happening, and maybe you're even questioning whether you did the right thing in leaving and promising to stay away...maybe you're trying to figure out ways you can go back to Port Charles and help Sonny and not get sent back to prison. I've gone over this again and again and again in my mind and I tell myself that this situation is hard for you and I need to be patient and I need to be understanding and I...I just need to give you time."

Stopping and swallowing because her voice hitched and threatened to break she tried to ease the tightness of her throat. Looking down and blinking at the tears that misted her eyes briefly she lifted her head and said, "But I have a little boy who is scared and hurt and I don't know what to say to him. Is he going to lose his friend Morgan? Is he going to lose you? Are we going to move away and he'll never see you again and was he lied to by someone he'd trusted? I don't know what to say to him, Jason, because I don't know what's going on and I..."

Elizabeth pressed her lips together and looked at him, unable to contain the tears in her eyes. "I just want to know, Jason. One way or the other, good or bad...whatever's happening. And then I can at least have enough information to figure out what I'm going to do for me and my son. So...so can you please talk to me?"

Jason took his hands out of his pockets and let them fall limply at his side as he stared at her. She drew her lip between her teeth to keep it from quivering as she refused to look away from his gaze. Looking defeated and weary, he closed his eyes and then lifted a hand to scrub it over his face.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice soft, but filling up the silence between them. "I'm so sorry."

How she swallowed her sob she would never know, but she must have made some sound, because Jason looked up and then he was moving. He was right in front of her and he lifted his hand, letting it hover near her, before his arms were suddenly around her and he was crushing her to his chest in a move that completely caught her off guard.

"One of the families broke the agreement," he told her, his arms tightening around her. "One of the families thought that Sonny would be weak and despite what they'd told him and the deal that he'd brokered, they decided to go against Sonny and Sal Baso. They sent someone after me."

Shock hit her hard and she pushed back to look up at him in stunned disbelief. "What?!"

"They sent someone here to kill me," he confessed, his voice thick. "That's why I couldn't be near you or Cameron. Sal heard what they were planning and he let me know. He's got men here keeping an eye on things and you and Cameron have guards and I knew you would be protected, but I wasn't going to be around you. I've been staying here, or heading out of town trying to draw the man out so Baso's men could take care of him."

Her mouth was opened wide as Elizabeth stared at him. Then she blinked and demanded, "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you at least say something to us instead of just disappearing and leaving us to wonder?"

"I didn't want to scare you," he told her, contrition in his near-whisper as self-recrimination washed over his face. "I didn't want you and Cameron to look over your shoulders or be afraid to leave your house."

"Jason," she said, taking a breath. "We have guards. We know we have guards. They came and spoke to us about needing to be more cautious right now...we already knew that something was happening. It...I would have preferred if you had talked to us."

Pinching her lips together she battled with the merits of saying her next words before she finally said, "I would have liked you to have respected us enough to be honest with us instead of just disappearing from our lives. Neither Cameron nor I can handle someone doing that to us...it just...we can't make a relationship with someone when that happens."

He let out a long breath and said, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I just...I was scared for you and Cameron and I just...I couldn't allow myself to be around you and be the reason one of you was hurt. I was worried about everyone back in Port Charles and...and so many times I wanted to go back there but I knew I couldn't. Jax and Carly took the boys and went to Sonny's island...he's in the middle of a battle and he can't talk to me about it and I can't support him and the only thing I could do was make sure that you and Cameron were safe."

Slowly nodding, Elizabeth reached for Jason's hands and clasped them in her own. "I...I thought that you were going through this. Worrying about Sonny and his family, your friends and I thought you were probably struggling with the desire to go back and help them."

Looking up at him she said, "But Jason, you didn't have to go through that alone. I was here...I wanted to be there for you. And...and I can understand you wanting to protect me and my son...but we knew that there was going to be danger being around you. We knew that there might be people who would try to hurt you. We knew we would have men watching out for us and...and Jason, I'm not stupid. I know you've got a gun and I know you've...I know you've killed people."

Licking her lips she said, "This isn't an ultimatum, Jason, but I can't make a life with you if you pull away every time something happens. I know that this probably won't be the last time something like this happens and I thought about this long and hard before I decided to quit my job and move here and try to make a life with you. We...we've got to figure out a way to deal with this that doesn't involve you shoving us away if we're going to have a real chance. Because I want that, Jason...I just need to know what we'll do in the future."

If Jason had thought it was hard to leave Port Charles knowing Elizabeth and Cameron were still there, that moment was nothing compared to the awful realization that he was personally responsible for the pain of two people he loved. While he'd always felt the disappointment of the Quartermaines, it had never struck him particularly hard; even seeing his grandmother's pain despite her attempts to hide it had never affected him as deeply as he felt it now. He'd hurt the Quartermaines with his callous, often anger-tinged words or by his actions, and sometimes he'd feel a little pang of regret over the moment, but most of the time it was killed by annoyance and irritation at them for making him feel like he didn't measure up to their standards. It always brought him back to the moment when he woke up from his coma and couldn't remember them; their tears, pleadings and then disappointment had been more than he could bear at times and it was what had ultimately helped drive him from his home and the people who claimed to only care about him.

But holding Elizabeth in his arms and feeling her pain slice into him and knowing that he had caused it hit him with such force it threatened to knock the air out of him. He hadn't meant to hurt her or Cameron; he'd only wanted to keep them safe and he had focused solely on that. He did that when he'd worked for Sonny; if there was a problem his only goal in life was to work on eliminating it. No matter what he had to do, how many hours he spent on it or what he let fall by the side, the only thing that was important was keeping Sonny and the business safe and defeating the other person.

Letting out a breath, he pulled back slightly from Elizabeth and gestured for her to sit down on the couch. As they sat down, she looked at him, doing her best to keep calm in the face of all she'd said to him, but he knew she was waiting for some indication from him that would give her answers. What would they do in the future? Would they be together, would he push them away, should she and her son just pack up and leave now in an attempt to mitigate their losses? He could see it all in her eyes along with her pain and anger that she'd undoubtedly felt over the past weeks.

"I love you, Elizabeth," he began, "and I want you and Cameron in my life. I didn't think it was possible to have you when I went to prison, but I accepted that deal because it would get me out of the mob. When you visited me and you told me that you loved me, it was what gave me hope and kept me going through the remaining weeks. As much as I felt like I didn't deserve you in my life because of all that I'd done, I wanted that life that you were offering me and I looked forward to it. It's why I planned and set all of this up with Diane."

He let out a breath and then said regretfully, "I'm sorry that I didn't continue to act that way and that I hurt you and Cameron. It didn't mean that I didn't love you or want a life with you, because I want that. I want nothing more than for us all to be together, to become a family, and that's always in my mind when I'm with you and we spend time with each other. But when I got word that someone was coming after me, the only thing that I thought of was that I had to keep you guys safe. And the best way to do that was to not be near you, because if either of you were hit by a bullet meant for me...it would absolutely devastate me."

"Jason," she breathed out softly, her eyes moist as her head tilted to the side. She squeezed his hand and said, "I know that you just want us to be safe."

"This is what I would do for Sonny," he told her. "I focused on eliminating a threat or a problem and then when that was done, I went back to the rest of my life. I...I've had girlfriends and a couple of them lived with me, but that's how I always handled my job. And maybe that's why the relationships never worked out and they left. But that was the only way I knew how to do what I was supposed to, how I could take care of my responsibilities to Sonny."

He frowned slightly as he reached out and touched her cheek, resting his elbow on the back of the couch. "But things are different for me now. You and Cameron are the ones I should be focusing on and I realize that I have to talk to you."

"We're not asking you to change who you are, Jason," she said, a tiny frown of her own marring her face as she looked down at their hands that were twined together. "That's not fair to anybody. But...but to not hear anything and...and to feel abandoned..."

"Old wounds," he murmured knowingly. When she nodded just a fraction he closed his eyes and said, "I'm sorry."

"I know," Elizabeth replied. "I know. I can see it and I can feel it. And I don't want to dwell on it or make you feel like you have to make it up to us. Cameron and I...we want you in our lives, Jason. However we can have you, even if sometimes something like this happens and you have to deal with it. We just don't want to be ignored again."

"Come here," he said, tugging her close and cupping her cheeks in his hands. Moving his head slightly so that he could look at her he said, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she smiled, almost shyly at him.

"You and Cameron are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me," Jason continued. "I once thought that nothing could compare to how it felt when the nurse placed Michael in my arms and I became responsible for someone who needed me completely. I will always remember that...but meeting you and spending time with your son, knowing that you love me despite of who I am and what my life brought to Cameron...choosing to be with me in the face of everything you have gone through...there are no words to describe how that makes me feel. I feel like I am the most amazing man in the world and it is because of your love and your son...you've given that to me."

She swallowed and he captured her tears with his thumbs. Caressing her cheeks he said, "to know that I didn't honor you the way I should have...I really am sorry, Elizabeth."

"Don't feel guilty or beat yourself up over it, Jason. I don't expect you to be perfect, because I'm certainly not," she told him. "I just want you with me and I want us to both work together on doing better in the future. That's what I want, Jason. Not your guilt or your recrimination. I want you."

Leaning forward, she captured his lips and he held on tight and returned her kiss with a fevered urgency. He had missed her, worried about her and told himself he had to stay away from her despite just wanting to see her. When she'd shown up at his house tonight, he was certain that he'd lost her. He could see her struggling with her anger and trying to remain calm, but he feared that she would say that it was simply too much.

Instead, he felt closer to her than he had before.

He brought his hand up to sweep her hair back, tangling his fingers in her tresses just above her neck. They continued on, striving to be closer and Jason's blood began to throb with an ancient tempo. He loved her, he wanted her with him always, and right now, he wanted her. There was no way to deny his body's reaction to her, but he had just enough presence of mind to not completely get overwhelmed in the moment. They had been cautious in their dating and due to the fact that they were working through the change in their relationship and also because of her son, they had not yet taken that step. Elizabeth was uncomfortable finding a sitter for Cameron just so she could slip away and sleep with Jason, and he had respected her feelings.

Right now, he was having a very hard time reining in his desires to make sure that Elizabeth was comfortable with all that was happening. Plus, he did not want to feel like he was taking advantage of the situation, especially since they had not seen each other for weeks and she clearly had been angry with him when she first arrived. But her touch was making it hard to not get carried away and overpower the moment.

"Jason," she whispered near his ear as he tried to change the tempo and slow things down. "Jason...please."

"Elizabeth," he gasped out. "I...I don't want to take advantage...of you."

"You're not," she assured her, the movement of her hand nearly driving all rational thought out of his mind.

"Cam's at your house," the ex-enforcer managed to say.

"With the neighbor," she replied, pulling back slightly to look at him. What he saw in her eyes nearly undid him. "I told them both that I needed to have a very serious conversation with you and it might be a while. My neighbor is probably asleep on the couch."

Looking at Elizabeth he brought his hands up to cup her face, pushing her hair back as she looked down at him from her position on his lap. "Are you sure? I know that you wanted to be sure we were ready...I don't want you to regret this and decide it was just a reaction to what happened."

"Do you want-" she began to ask.

"Yes," he growled as he cut her off moments before pulling her close and claiming her lips.

That was all either of them needed to hear and after that, they stopped thinking and analyzing every moment; instead they merely went with their emotions and let themselves feel. Elizabeth was beautiful and the moment had been so long in coming that it was hard to make it last as it should. Instead of expressing disappointment, she lay with him and continued to entice and arouse him even while they recovered. The next time was everything he'd wanted to express before, and as they lay entwined afterwards, Elizabeth only expressed her love for him and her amazement at both couplings.

He knew immediately that loving her was going to be addictive and he wondered how things would work. Because he didn't want to give her up. He wanted her to stay the night, but he knew that she would say she needed to get home to Cameron. Maybe if the little boy slept over at a friend's house they would get the chance to spend the entire night together; for now, Jason would take every second he could with her wrapped in his arms.

A gentle kiss on his chest surprised him because he was almost certain she'd fallen asleep and he'd kept himself awake so that he could make sure she got back home to her son. Elizabeth shifted slightly, pushing herself up on her elbow and resting on his chest to look at him. Her face became sad as she said, "I don't want to leave..."

"But you need to be back for Cameron," he said in understanding.

"I do," she nodded. Looking down, she bit her lip and he stayed quiet, knowing that she was debating something and would decide on her own time when she'd speak. Looking back up at him, she was anxious as she said, "Come home with me?"

He blinked and asked, "Are-are you sure?"

"Cameron will want to see you and spend time with you tomorrow since it's Saturday and...yes," she nodded. "I'm sure. I...I don't want to be like school kids sneaking around. We need to be careful with Cameron...but he knows how we feel about each other. Maybe if he thinks you spent the night on the couch so you could be there tomorrow..."

A blush overspread her cheeks and traveled down her shoulders and chest and Jason began to suspect that they would not be leaving immediately.

"But you don't have to spend the entire night on the couch," she told him, almost shyly.

Lifting his head to kiss her, he pulled back and said, "Let me just pack a couple of things...and then we can go."

Leaning forward to hover just above his lips, Elizabeth smirked at him and said, "Did I mention my neighbor will probably be asleep? I don't think there's any reason to rush."

As expected, Jason didn't actually sleep much on her couch. In fact, neither of them slept very much at all the night before. It was late when they finally left his house with a small overnight bag - that she suspected had more than just clothes for tomorrow - and they went back to Elizabeth's apartment. They didn't do anything more than sit up talking once her neighbor was woken up and the older woman went back to her place. Curled against his side, with Jason's arm wrapped around her, Elizabeth had simply wanted to be close to him, to be held by him, but she wasn't entirely comfortable taking Jason to her bedroom. It was silly really...she knew where their relationship was heading, and one day Cameron would have to become accustomed to them sharing a room, but Elizabeth had felt awkward and Jason had understood.

Instead, they'd fallen asleep sometime in the early morning hours on the couch, partially sitting, partially reclining on it. It was cramped and slightly uncomfortable, even more so for him she was sure, but it was wonderful to be in his arms. She'd been so certain they were over...that Jason had changed his mind and she wouldn't be able to make him see that regardless of what was happening around them all she and Cameron wanted was the ex-enforcer in their lives. She didn't want things to be ended with Jason, but her heart's past experiences had all but convinced her that they were.

She was so glad now that she had remained calm and hadn't gone there angry and accusing. By telling Jason how she felt, by demanding - even though it wasn't harshly or cruelly - that things could not continue on like this, they had reached their turning point. She knew that if something like this happened again, and chances were likely that it would, he would talk to them. He would keep them beside him instead of pushing them away. She had seen it in his eyes and felt it in the way that he'd loved her. After fearing that she'd sink again into despair, she instead felt on top of the world. It was only intensified by the way she felt lying in his arms; she never wanted to lose this feeling and she would fight with everything in her to keep Jason in her life.

All too soon after an emotionally draining night and only a couple hours of sleep, Cameron woke up and discovered them. On the edge of her subconscious she'd heard his door click and footsteps head towards hers; Cameron's usual Saturday morning routine consisted of waking bright and early, and so much easier than school days, and getting out of bed to watch cartoons. He always felt the need to check in with her, even if sometimes she pleaded with him to pour himself a bowl of cereal if he was hungry because she needed more sleep.

However, on his way to her bedroom this morning he had undoubtedly looked over into the living room and discovered her and Jason lying together on the couch. His footsteps stilled, and then with all the exuberance and loudness of his youth he roused them with his cries.

"Mom! Jason!" Elizabeth jerked awake, her head connecting with Jason's chin and she stared over at Cam, blinking to wake up and drive the pain away. He peered at them, excitement and confusion warring on his face. "Jason, you're here! Mom, why are you on the couch? When did you get back? Did Jason come with you? Jason does this mean you're back and you'll be around now? Are you here for the day?"

"Cam," Jason's low voice cut through her son's excited chatter. "Give us a chance to answer."

He stopped immediately, but looked at them with clear expectation of getting his answers soon. Elizabeth pushed herself up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before she brought her hand around to rub at her head. Once she was sitting, Jason sat up as well, pulling his leg out from behind her and then leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees and scrub his hands over his face.

Letting out a breath he looked up and then held his hand out to Cam who immediately came closer. Once the boy was closer and grasping the older man's hand, Jason looked at her son and said, "Your mom and I talked last night and I want to apologize to you like I did to her. I'm sorry that I wasn't around. You know that some things were happening in Port Charles, and there was some stuff going on here. I didn't want you or your mom to get hurt because of me and I thought it was better if I wasn't near you as much."

He glanced at Elizabeth and then back to Cameron and said, "I understand now that I didn't handle it right. You were worried for me and you were hurt when I wasn't around and I'm sorry for that."

"It's okay," Cam said softly, his voice carrying his hurt and his emotions clearly, but trying to pretend he was alright.

"No," Jason shook his head. "It's not, but we're going to do better now. That's why your mom asked me to come back with her last night so that I would be here this morning."

"Are you here for good?" her son asked.

Nodding his head he answered, "Yeah, Cam...I'm here for good."

The young boy smiled and swung Jason's hand that he was still holding on to. Elizabeth felt a smile grow on her face and when Jason wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she willingly rested against him, gazing up at her son with pride and love.

"Listen," Jason continued. "Why don't you go get dressed? Your mom and I stayed up late talking and I'm sure she doesn't want to try to make breakfast this morning."

"We can just have fun cereal," her son answered excitedly. "There's some Cocoa Krispies in the pantry that Mom only lets me eat on the weekends."

"Yeah, but your mom and I need coffee this morning, so why don't we go out and get some breakfast for all of us while your mom stays here and gets a little more sleep if she wants," he said, giving Elizabeth a squeeze.

"Get it and bring it back?" Cam asked, excitement coloring his voice.

"Yeah," Jason nodded.

"I'll go get dressed!" her son shouted with enthusiasm and then turned around and sprinted for his room.

Jason turned to look at her and said, "I hope you don't mind."

She shook her head, "No. Actually, I think I'll take a shower while you're gone and hope that helps wake me up. I think today I'm going to miss the fact that he's not younger and no longer takes naps."

He laughed with her and then pressed a kiss against her lips. "I'll go to that little diner around the corner. That'll give you a little extra time...although it's going to be hard to not be imagining you in the shower while I'm out with your son getting breakfast for us all."

Jason did not go home Saturday night. The three of them had spent a full day together, talking things through and coming to appreciate the other's viewpoint. They played games, ate their meals together and ventured out in the afternoon to a local attraction and acted like normal, every day people. There were times that Elizabeth found Jason scanning the crowd, his shrewd eyes assessing and evaluating, but when he'd see her watching him, he'd smile, give her a nod of his head to assure her that everything was alright, and then they'd continue on. They stopped at the store on the way home and picked up ingredients for a meal that they all prepared together and when it was over, they sat on the couch and watched a movie until Cameron's yawns became too obvious to hide.

As the young boy was heading off to bed he turned to Jason and asked, "Are you going to stay, Jason?"

He looked at Elizabeth briefly before turning his attention back to her son. "Would that be okay with you if I did?"

Cameron thought for a moment and then said, "You stayed the first night we were here."

"If I stayed now?" Jason prompted.

Her son sat back down on the couch and lowered his head, not looking at Jason. Then he finally spoke up, "Are you really here for good, Jason?"

"Yeah, Cam," the older man nodded solemnly. "I'm really here for good."

"Do you love my mom?" he asked.

Jason looked up at her, love and heat in his gaze and answered, "Yes, I do. Very much. And I also love you, Cameron."

"You want to marry my mom, don't you?" her son continued.

"I do," he answered, finally voicing out loud what had been unspoken and suspected between all of them. Slowly, Jason brought his hand up and rested it on Cameron's back. "I want to marry your mom and be a family with you. I...it's up to you, Cam, but I'd like to adopt you, to make you my son and give you my name."

"Do you want more kids?" the young boy pressed, his voice slightly softer, almost scared now.

"Your mother is a wonderful mother and you are such a wonderful boy," Jason told him, warmth and tenderness filling the words. "She's done an amazing job of raising you and...and it would be great to have more children like you. But that doesn't mean I'm trying to replace you. You will always be my son."

"You once called Michael your son."

"I did," he admitted with a nod. "But that was a long time ago and I wasn't in love with his mother like I am with yours. I never adopted him; everyone believed he was my biological son so I couldn't. I didn't need to because I knew what was in my heart...but the circumstances changed."

He paused and then said, "You're probably scared that our circumstances will change."

"A little," Cam admitted softly.

"Nobody can promise and guarantee the future," Jason said. "I think you're old enough to know that. But I love you, Cameron, and I'll call you my son even if you don't want to be adopted. I want to do that because I want everyone to know how I feel about you; so nobody can ever think that I don't love you as much as any other children your mom and I might have. I want us all to be a family."

Looking up, he held his hand out to Elizabeth and she stepped forward to take it, sitting down on the coffee table across from the two men. Sweeping his thumb over the back of her hand he said, "That's what I want, Cam. What do you and your mom want?"

Her son looked up at her and her eyes stung with tears at the sight of them in his eyes. "Do you love him?" he asked.

"Yes," she told him.

"Do you love me?"

"I will always love you," Elizabeth answered, reaching out her free hand to grasp Cameron's.

"Even if you have more kids?"

"Even if I have more kids," she assured him. "My attention may be more on them when they're young, but that's because they'll need more help when they're little. It won't mean I love you less. And it won't mean that I love you more because we had more time together alone."

"Do you want to marry Jason?" he asked, and Elizabeth felt all the strangeness of the conversation where they were talking about marriage but Jason hadn't actually proposed to her.

"I do," she answered honestly. Then she asked, "What about you? What do you want, Cam?"

"I want us to be a family with Jason," the young boy answered. "I...I want to call him Dad."

"Will you?" Jason asked, and she looked up at him with a slight question in her eye. He squeezed her hand and asked, "Will you marry me, Elizabeth?"

"Yes," she nodded, tears falling from the corners of her eyes. "Yes."

Sometimes, life amazed him.

As he got older and gained more experiences and the ability to judge them and understand them, he simply was amazed. When he woke up from his coma, a scared and angry young man who fought and rebelled because nothing made sense to him and he hated the stifling and smothering feeling of those who claimed to care for him, he never envisioned the day that he would invite them to come to his wedding and actually want them to be there. When his parents and his sister said that they would gladly come, he had felt a relief and warmth enter him. They would be there on the day that Elizabeth became his wife and Cameron became his son.

He didn't feel that they accepted him or wanted to be at his wedding simply because he'd walked away from the mob. They didn't change their behavior or their attitude towards him, although they were noticeably relieved and happy with his decision; he finally just saw them differently. The Quartermaines were loud and brash and contentious, but when it came down to it, family was important to them and they showed their feelings the best way they could and he finally came to understand their manners. Sometimes they still chafed, but he no longer hated them for their actions.

Their acceptance and support of him on his wedding day made the absence of Elizabeth's family all the more pronounced. Her parents had sent a card and a gift, but they wouldn't take the time to actually attend their daughter's wedding or see their grandson. Monica and Emily immediately stepped in and offered their help and support to Elizabeth and his fiancée felt grateful to not be alone. Her acceptance of his family and the joy she felt at their complete acceptance of her and Cameron was obvious. Alan had absolutely forbidden Edward from mentioning ELQ or stock in regards to Cameron, instead welcoming and accepting the boy for who he was. It helped Jason see that his father had learned from the past as well and was doing his best, which in turn helped Jason be more understanding.

For the forming Morgan family's sake, the Quartermaines did not react disdainfully at the presence of Sonny and Carly, or their children. Instead, they were polite and they laughed at the antics of Cameron and Morgan who were thrilled to be reunited again and overjoyed at the fact that they would now be cousins instead of merely friends. Monica surprised everybody when she presented all three boys with gifts that were thoughtful and distinctive towards each young man's preferences and tastes. She didn't delineate on blood or family, she merely claimed they were all family now and she wanted to give all her grandsons a gift.

The only person to mar the occasion was Michael who sat silent and sulking in corners most of the time with Carly and Jax keeping a close watch on him. At times, Carly joined him, the look on her face clear that she was not happy to be where she was at. It made Jason wonder just what had been said at home before they arrived for the wedding. Especially because Jax seemed determined to show how much he supported Jason and Elizabeth and spend time with both Morgan and Cameron.

When the rehearsal dinner was over and people started to get ready to head back to their hotels, Jason approached Carly and Michael while they waited for Jax who was talking to Sonny and Morgan. Elizabeth was with Monica and Emily and the three of them would be heading back off to a hotel suite his sister had insisted on getting for her and Elizabeth so that they could have some time together and where his fiancée would get ready tomorrow. Cameron was going with Morgan and Sonny back to Jason's house and he knew they would understand if he didn't come with them right away. Sonny had seen his ex-wife's attitude and knew that this moment would arrive between her and Jason.

"Hey," he said neutrally as he joined mother and son. He wasn't sure what to say; didn't want to get into a fight, but he also wasn't going to spend his wedding day with the two of them pouting and glaring at others.

They acknowledged him, but didn't say anything beyond that, which was not normal for Carly. He sensed she was itching to say something and he felt the tension growing. With a sigh, he rubbed at the back of his neck and then just said, "Get it over with, Carly. Just tell me what you want, because it's obvious that you're not happy."

She looked at him as if to deny it, and then snapped her mouth shut. He arched his brow and looked over at Michael.

"We were told not to start anything," the young man said sullenly.

He closed his eyes and then opened them while saying, "You're not starting something if I'm talking to you. Why are you unhappy?"

"You're adopting her son?" Carly hissed at him. "The boy who started this whole mess between us, you're adopting him?"

Passing his hand over his face, he then looked at her and said, "I'm adopting Cameron because I love him and I love his mother. Just like Sonny adopted Michael after you guys got married."

Letting out a sigh he hoped he could get through to his friend. "Carly, Cameron did not start this whole problem between us. Cameron didn't do anything to anybody."

"You quit working for Sonny because of him and his mother," she countered. "Life was fine until that goody-goody decided that she couldn't handle who you were and like a fool you thought you had to change for her just like you thought you had to change for Robin."

"Carly, I thought you understood," Jason shook his head. "I know that what happened back in Port Charles probably scared you, but things settled down. You guys were able to come home and Sonny's in a stronger position now. He took care of you guys and I didn't have to be there for that."

"We missed you," she said plaintively.

"I know," he nodded. "I missed you guys, too, and I worried about you. I...I thought about coming back, but I knew that it would mean I'd be killed. I wouldn't have really been able to help you."

She looked away from him and pressed her lips together before softly admitting. "I know. And I don't want to see you killed; so I knew you couldn't come. But...but it was so...it wasn't the way it'd been and I didn't like it."

And that was the heart of the matter. It had been different. He hadn't been around and hadn't been able to call her much and Carly simply hadn't liked it. Her world had been shifted and she was lashing out because of it.

"Cameron isn't to blame for that," he told her pointedly.

"I suppose that means it's my fault," Michael grumped sourly. "That's what Morgan's been telling me. When Mom and I got upset that you weren't there to help us and when we were all sent off to the island, Morgan told us it was our fault things were the way it was. I made you mad by beating up Cameron and that made you want to change your life and move away from us. He didn't come back to live with us when we returned; he insisted on going back to Dad's house and he doesn't want to see me."

Jason let out a breath and said, "I'm sorry, Michael. But Morgan was wrong, you're not to blame. Things just changed. I saw what this life had cost you, I realized the example I was teaching you and your brother, and other children as well and I...I just couldn't keep doing it. It may have started because of what happened between you and Cameron...but ultimately, the decision to do something different was mine and mine alone."

He was silent for a moment and then asked, "You miss your brother, don't you?"

Michael looked defiant for a moment, before he softened slightly and nodded his head. "I liked to play with him when we were younger, and now Cameron's stolen him away from me. I feel like I've lost everything. Dad's mad at me, you left and Morgan doesn't want anything to do with me."

Jason let out a sigh and then put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Look," he said, "I'm not going to lecture you, because I'm not trying to make you feel bad. But maybe instead of blaming everyone else, maybe you should look at what's happening. Morgan used to love playing with you; I saw it. But you changed, Michael, and you know you did."

Carly sighed as well and stepped closer to her son. "This is what we've been trying to tell you, Michael. I...I know I've said some things that you've picked up on and thought it was okay to repeat or that it gave you the right to feel that way and...well, I was wrong. Cameron's not to blame. His mom's not to blame. They're not the reason Jason moved away...Jason made some choices for himself and...and that's his right. He's figuring some new things out for his life and he doesn't want to fight us."

She looked at Jason and said, "He shouldn't have to. As his friends and his family we should support him."

His friend was quiet for a moment and then continued, "Morgan's happy. He had a friend who was all about him and he was right; it wasn't right for us to treat Cameron the way we did."

"Yeah, I guess," Michael agreed, his voice still slightly sullen, but it was almost as if he was forcing it because he didn't want to agree too quickly.

"Maybe what you need to do," Carly suggested, "is spend some time with him and stop trying to be the big brother who always tells him what to do or makes him feel like he's wrong. Get to know him and listen to him. Both of you need to work on getting along with each other."

"Is everything alright?" Jax asked, his voice hesitant and careful as he approached the group.

The trio stepped back to let him join them and Carly nodded. "Yeah. We were just talking with Jason about a few things."

The Australian looked at Jason questioningly and Jason was sure he was searching to see if Carly and Michael had picked a fight with him over Elizabeth and Cameron. He merely nodded his head briefly and said, "I'll let you guys go back to your hotel."

"We'll see you tomorrow, Jason," his friend told him. "And everything's going to be okay."

"I know," he told her, trying to show her he believed in her. She would always be Carly, but she did have the ability to change. So did Michael. They just needed to stop blaming everyone else, but he didn't want to make them feel they were being lectured.

"Bye, Uncle Jason," Michael said as the family headed towards the exit.

Letting out a breath, Jason rolled his neck to relieve the tension as he stood in the empty room. He knew he should head to his house, but instead he merely stood there as staff members came in to start cleaning up the room.

He wasn't looking at the doorway, but he knew the minute Elizabeth stepped into the room. Her soft footsteps tapped across the wooden floors and her perfume reached him slightly before she did. Her arms wrapped around his waist and he brought his arm up to wrap around her shoulders. He pressed a kiss on her head and then said, "I thought you left for the hotel with Monica and Emily."

"I saw you talking with Carly and Michael and asked your mom and sister to wait. After they left I just wanted to see how everything went. I know Michael hasn't looked very happy these past few days and Carly hasn't always been a ray of sunshine. I know you can take care of yourself but I wanted to see if you were okay."

"I am," he assured her, pulling her close. "We talked. I think it's just going to be a slow process for them to accept that it was their actions that led to things and not always someone else's fault. It's not Cameron's fault or their fault I changed things in my life...it was just the right thing to do and an opportunity came. I'm not turning my back on them, but I'm not going to make excuses for them and I'm not going to fix their lives all the time."

He looked at her, meeting her gaze as she looked up at him, "I've got other things to focus on right now and if Carly and Michael are unhappy, well...they'll just have to figure it out. I've figured out what I want, and that's to meet you tomorrow at the end of the aisle and get married."

"Mom?"

Cameron's voice carried in through the door and Elizabeth wanted to talk to him, to say something to ease his fears, but she was afraid if she opened her mouth, more than just words would come out. She took several deep breaths in through her nose and hoped that would help.

Her son knocked on the door and his voice was creeping past concern into full-blown worry and probably was just a short stop away from all-out panic if she didn't answer him soon. "Mom? Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Cam," she tried to assure him. But she was sure the sounds that followed did little to alleviate the boy's unease.

"I'm calling Dad," he insisted.

"No, Cam," she tried to say. He didn't need to call Jason. Her husband was having dinner with his parents and would be home later tonight.

Monica and Alan had both decided to attend a medical conference in the area, only choosing to attend because it was close to where their son lived. The couple decided that they would extend their time away from General Hospital by stopping in after the conference ended Saturday and visit the Morgan family, something that Jason had agreed to easily when they called to run the idea by him. Elizabeth could tell it was still a little odd for him to willingly agree to be with the Quartermaines, but he was growing less and less uncomfortable around them. So when he hesitantly approached Elizabeth before she and Cameron left for school and said he was thinking about going over and meeting up with his parents and spending a little time alone with them she immediately encouraged him.

While she loved the couple for the easy and genuine way they accepted Cameron, sometimes her son was used a buffer between them and Jason. They talked about Cameron's classes and his soccer games, but they didn't always talk about them. She often had the feeling that both Monica and Alan and Jason had more they wanted to say, but could never find the words, or the quiet, uninterrupted moments to do so. It would do Jason good, and it would mean a lot to his parents, if they spent a little time that was just the three of them. Cameron would get to see his grandparents on Saturday and Sunday; Jason needed this time for himself.

While Elizabeth had known that her husband wouldn't be home when she and her son arrived back home from school, she hadn't been quite prepared for all that had occurred. And she knew that Cam was upset and needing reassurance, but she just hated to intrude on Jason's time with his parents. She was sure that in a couple of moments, she could pull herself together, toss their ruined dinner in the trash and once she got Cameron started on something else she would be fine. It was just hard to get up off her knees even though she was certain she didn't have anything more in her stomach to purge.

Footsteps pounded their way back to the bathroom door and then Cameron called insistently through it. "Mom...Mom, Dad's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."

She couldn't answer because at that moment a heave wracked her body. Cameron apparently heard her and he called out, "I'm opening the door, Mom. Dad really wants to talk to you and he's getting upset."

The door opened behind her and her son stepped into the bathroom. "Mom...please. Talk to Dad."

She reached for the phone and turned so she was leaning against the cabinet. "Hey," she responded weakly.

"What's wrong, Elizabeth?" Jason's anxious voice reached her ear. "Cameron said that you're sick and you've been in the bathroom for several minutes.

"Jason," a fainter voice carried through the phone as Monica approached. "Do you want me to talk to her? Do you want us to go back with you to the house?"

"That isn't necessary," Elizabeth answered. "Your parents don't need to come. I'll be alright."

Her voice must not have been very strong or convincing because Cameron called out to Jason. "She isn't okay, Dad. She doesn't look good."

"I'm coming home, Elizabeth," Jason said decisively. "Monica and Alan are coming with me."

"Jason," she protested.

"Let me talk to Cam," he requested. "You go to bed if you can."

"Cam," she said, shifting the phone and holding it out to the anxious looking boy, knowing it was futile to protest longer. "Dad wants to talk to you."

He immediately snatched the phone and listened solemnly and attentively to whatever it was that Jason told him. He made vows and assurances that he was okay and he would be fine now that he knew his father and grandparents were on their way home. He said that he would help Elizabeth and he'd stay on the phone with Jason if his dad wanted it. It was probably both of them wanting to remain in contact with each other, and as Elizabeth's stomach settled and her head swam less, she managed to pull herself up to a standing position, wash her face and rinse out her mouth and then stopped only long enough in the kitchen to grab a bowl before heading to the couch to lay down. There was no way she could climb the stairs at the moment.

Just a few minutes and then she'd be fine and able to put Cameron at ease.

She woke when Cameron's voice became more excited and loud, only moments before the garage door clanked as it moved along its track to announce it was opening. She had just managed to push herself up into a sitting position when Jason and his parents came in from the garage and headed straight towards her. Father and son hung up their respective phones and then Jason was at her side, kneeling in front of her while looking at her anxiously.

He glanced at the bowl and then back up at her, "Have you been sick again?"

"No," she shook her head. "I actually fell asleep."

"Jason," Monica said softly, touching her son on his shoulder. "Why don't you let me talk to Elizabeth? Perhaps you could take Cameron into the kitchen..."

"That's not necessary," Elizabeth said. "Actually, I...I need to talk to Jason first."

Looking up at the older woman she requested, "Maybe you could see if Cameron actually ate something? I don't know if you guys got a chance to eat."

"Mom," Cameron protested the thought of being sent off to the kitchen, but Alan stepped forward.

"Come on, Cam. Let's give your mom and dad a chance to talk. Grandma will come make sure I don't give you Pop Tarts for dinner."

"Elizabeth," Jason said tensely after the three of them had left the room. "What's going on? You've given us all a scare. I'd feel better if my mom took a look at you."

"There's no need, Jason," she told him. "Unless your mom's changed from cardiology to obstetrics."

He blinked and looked at her and she let the corner of her mouth twitch up. "Apparently seeing two lines was all my body needed to go from mild nausea to full-blown barfing at the smell of dinner cooking."

When he didn't respond but still looked at her anxiously, she decided to no longer tease him but speak plainly; she knew her husband was intelligent but he'd just spent a tense and anxious car ride, and it would be better to spell things out directly. Letting out a breath she said, "I'd wondered for a couple of days...I was late and feeling a little off, so I ran out on my lunch break and bought a home pregnancy test. I took it after Cam and I got home and it came back positive and I was going to tell you when you got home. However, while I was fixing dinner for us, I got really nauseous and had to run for the bathroom and well...you know the rest."

She watched as his shoulders visibly relaxed and then he stared at her in wonder. "You...you're pregnant?"

"Yeah," she nodded, a tiny smile forming on her lips as tears kissed her eyes.

"Really?" he breathed out, his voice becoming lighter in tone, but thick with emotion. "You're certain?"

"Well, I'll call my doctor," she told him. "But I took a test and it was the same brand I used when I was pregnant with Cam. I have a lot of the same symptoms I had with him. I want the doctor to say...but yeah, I'm fairly positive."

The look on his face let her know just how happy he was with her news, even if he was still trying to process the shift from worry over her being sick to finding out they were going to have a baby. He shifted and moved to sit on the couch beside her instead of kneeling on the floor and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, gently pulling her close to his side. "Wow," he said softly. "I'm..."

"Surprised?" she wondered. "Scared, nervous, happy?"

"Yeah," Jason agreed.

"So am I," she told her husband. "I know we said we'd just let things happen naturally and as the months passed...I wasn't really concerned or upset, I just...was. But when I started to notice a few things and then when I was late...I began to wonder. And I had a range of emotions."

"Why didn't you say something?" he asked.

"I was going to as soon as I took the test," she told him. "I was planning on getting a test today even before you said you were going to meet Alan and Monica. I hadn't said anything before that because I hadn't even fully processed it myself. It's been a while since I was pregnant with Cam."

"Were you pretty sick with him?"

"I lost almost fifteen pounds the first trimester," Elizabeth answered, and felt her husband tense beside her. "But it was also a very rough time for me because of my parents and Zander taking off. Stress does not help."

"It will be different this time," he told her, even if it was a bit foolish to promise since they had no control over the situation. But Elizabeth knew what he meant. He would be with her from the beginning, he wanted to be involved and she wouldn't be alone and scared and wondering how she was going to support herself and a baby.

"I hope I'm not as sick as last time. It was rough working and being sick. I was actually sick in the afternoon and evenings, so I was able to handle my classes for the most part, but the evenings when I was sitting in my apartment, alone and going over everything in my mind...those were tough."

"Well, that part will be different," he stated. "You definitely won't be alone."

Jason let out a breath and then said, "We need to let the others know you're okay. Do...do you want to tell my parents?"

She knew that they were probably sitting in the kitchen worried about her, and Cameron was as well. She hadn't really planned on telling anyone beyond Jason until she had a test done at the doctor's office, but it would not be fair to her son to make him worry about her all weekend. She only hoped that he wouldn't be hurt by the reality of the situation; despite all their talks with him about how they wouldn't treat him any different if she and Jason had children, she didn't want him to feel hurt by the news.

"Yeah," she nodded. "And Cam. They're probably worried in there."

He stood and walked to the kitchen, stopping in the doorway and saying, "Can you guys come out here, please? We...we want to talk to you."

It was clear that Cameron was worried as they walked in, despite trying to appear that he wasn't. Alan had his hand on the boy's shoulder and he looked concerned as well, but Monica...Elizabeth wondered if Monica suspected. The look on her face was slightly different; curious and something else that she couldn't quite name. Everyone took a seat and Elizabeth decided to begin by addressing Cam since he'd been frightened by her becoming ill.

"I know you got a little scared when I was sick," she started out. "I want you to know that I'm fine...but there may be more days where I'm sick. Hopefully not as bad as that, but I may throw up again."

Monica got just the slightest smile on her face and Elizabeth pressed forward. "I haven't seen a doctor yet, but I took a test at home. It looks like you're going to become a big brother, Cam; I'm going to have a baby."

"Really?" he wondered, no longer quite as scared.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm pretty sure."

Her son let out a breath and said, "So you're not sick?"

She shook her head. "No...not with any illness. But I probably won't feel well for a couple of months."

"I...I suppose that's cool," he said finally, not upset but not overly enthusiastic; he was mostly blasé as many boys his age were. He grimaced and said, "Not the being sick...but I suppose it'd be okay if you and Dad had a baby."

Jason Morgan was not a man usually plagued by doubts. When he'd worked for Sonny, he could not allow himself to have them. While he didn't rush into things blindly and without thinking about them, once he decided on a course of action, or actually did something, he refused to let himself get caught up in second guesses and doubts. It was a safety issue then; second guessing led to hesitation and that could lead to him, or someone else, being hurt. And once an assignment was complete, he didn't agonize over the actions he'd taken. Death and destruction were a part of the world he'd chosen and that was merely the way it was.

When he met Elizabeth and her son, things had changed for him. Seeing his actions mirrored and emulated by children had shaken him more than he'd ever thought. Knowing that it was because of him that things were happening, he realized he couldn't continue on the course he was on. It hadn't been easy, but he'd changed his life, and ended up with the love of an amazing woman and her son in return. They could have held the past against him and wanted nothing to do with him because of his connection to the boy who had tormented Cameron, but instead they became his family.

Jason hadn't fallen in love with Elizabeth simply because she had a son and he thought he could gain a family with her. And his desire to adopt Cameron hadn't been part of some wish to replace some void left by Michael. It hadn't been an easy process, either. Despite Zander Smith abandoning Elizabeth and Cameron and not paying any child support or wanting anything to do with the child he'd created merely in an attempt to swindle money from Elizabeth, he'd balked at the idea of his son being adopted by someone else.

Diane had worked her magic though, and sometimes Jason wondered if Sonny had somehow done something to try to persuade the other man. His friend never said a word, never gave any hint or indication in their conversations they'd had about the process and how it was dragging out, and when Diane finally told Jason and Elizabeth that Zander had agreed and signed the petition, Sonny had merely been congratulatory when Jason called him with the news. It was something that Jason found himself not wanting to ask, not wanting to actually know. Perhaps in this case, ignorance and deniability might be a good thing.

Besides, he was happy with the outcome, and genuinely believed Cameron was as well. The boy had had several conversations with Jason where he admitted that he knew Zander had lied to his mom and tried to use him; combined with the other man's absence from his life, Cameron had no real feelings towards his biological father. He never really thought about him, and varied between sadness and anger when he did so he tried not to. He was glad that his mom had found someone to love her and was glad that Jason loved him. Jason didn't want to bring more pain to the young boy by even hinting at the fact that Zander might have been threatened or even paid off into signing away his rights. It just wasn't something the father thought his son needed to be burdened with at this time.

So Jason had pushed away those thoughts, and merely focused on making a family with Cameron and Elizabeth. While they had talked about other children and it was always something Cam had asked about, he and Elizabeth had decided to let it merely happen naturally. When it did, he was both excited and worried. He wanted to experience everything with Elizabeth, instead of merely stepping into assume responsibility for a baby at a point where he had to. He also couldn't deny that he was relieved that no one would be able to challenge his rights to this child or take it away merely on a whim.

Yet he was also concerned. Safety issues lingered quietly in his mind, as he was sure they always would when it came to his family. But Jason was also concerned about Cameron. They had done their best to assure the boy, even before Elizabeth became pregnant, that they would love the boy if there were more children. And now that it was definitely going to happen, Jason found himself observing his son in quiet moments trying to determine if Cameron was truly okay with the changes that would be occurring or if he was merely pretending to be and hiding his true feelings.

The assurance Jason was seeking came to him finally, but not in the manner he'd ever expected it. For he hadn't meant to eavesdrop on Cameron's conversation with Morgan, but he also couldn't deny that he was glad he had. Morgan had come to visit his friend, and it was hard to tell they'd ever been separated. The two boys were thick as thieves and seemed to be trying to cram weeks' worth of activities into the time they had together. They fell asleep exhausted every night, but were up bright and early ready and anxious to start the next day. Elizabeth had done her best to plan out activities for them to get them outside on occasion and do something other than watching movies or playing video games. However, she also left them plenty of time to play by themselves and just enjoy their time together.

Currently they were in Cameron's room, cities and roads laid out while toy cars zoomed around. Jason had come upstairs just to check in on them and see if they wanted a snack or something to drink since Elizabeth had fallen asleep on the couch watching a movie and he didn't want Cam or Morgan to come charging down the stairs and wake her up. Instead, he ended up listening in on a conversation that left him relieved and so filled with love for his son.

"But see, that's why your mom's cool," Morgan was stating as Jason approached the room. "My mom is trying harder to show me that she loves me and it's not all just about Michael, but sometimes it feels like she's trying too hard. Like she's only doing it because I called her on loving Michael more than me. You've always known your mom loves you."

"I think your mom loves you," Cameron said softly.

"Yeah, I know," his godson heaved out and it sounded like he flopped down on the bed. "It's just I've always grown up knowing she loves Michael more. And now she and Jax are talking about having a baby and my mom has a hard time with pregnancies. She had a hard time getting pregnant with me."

"Then that shows she wanted you," his son tried to point out.

"I think she wants a girl more," Morgan said. "That's all she talks about with Jax. Wanting to have a little girl. So I know that if she gets pregnant and it's a girl...that's all she's going to focus on. Michael will still get her attention, and then I'll get whatever's left. That's why I like living with my dad. Michael says it's because I want our dad to spoil me and give me everything I ask for, but Dad doesn't do that. I just know that when I come into a room and want to talk to him, he's going to give me all his attention unless he's in an emergency meeting. He's going to listen to me and pay attention to me and sometimes I still don't always feel that with my mom. I feel it with Jax...but maybe I'm just still angry with my mom. My therapist says I need to make an effort, too."

Jason closed his eyes and sighed softly while leaning on the wall. He felt bad for Morgan, but knew that Sonny was doing his best and Carly was trying as well. There was just a lot that they all needed to deal with and overcome.

"But you never had that with your mom or Uncle Jason," Morgan continued. "Uncle Jason...I know he loves us 'cause we're Dad's kids and Mom's his friend, but with you..."

"With me?" Cameron asked curiously.

"With you...it was so obvious that he loved you. He loves your mom and he loves you, not just 'cause he was trying to get in good with Aunt Elizabeth. So now that they're having a baby...you don't have to worry that they're going to forget all about you," the boy declared.

"Yeah," his son agreed his voice somewhat slow and cautious. "I know that they love me, and they tell me that they're not trying to replace me with this baby. I...I never really felt that they were...it's just strange. My mom's gonna have a baby and she...she deserves to have a baby with Dad. My bio dad...he didn't treat her right, but Dad's always taking care of her and when she felt lousy and was still trying to make it into work, me and Dad had to convince her to just take it easy and rest. I heard her tell Dad one time that she was so used to having to take care of me and she had to work when she was sick before and she knows she doesn't have to, it's just hard to change old habits. I was glad she could rest."

"Yeah," Morgan said, filling up the silence.

"And Dad does his best to make sure I know he loves me," Cam continued. "I know that, and I know that sometimes they're worried about me, but they shouldn't be. I think it'll be cool to have a baby. I may be older than the baby, but as long as they don't ask me to change its diapers, I'm okay with it."

Jason pressed his lips together as he smiled so that he wouldn't chuckle and give away his position. It seemed that Cameron really was okay with the new baby coming. While they felt that he was, it was good to hear the boy say it to his friend. To feel like he and Elizabeth still loved him and he wasn't being replaced. They were still adjusting to the three of them being together, he and Elizabeth had been a little worried about adding a baby as well and how Cameron would react to that change.

It appeared that their worry was mostly unfounded.

Jason took a deep breath and then knocked on Cameron's door, pushing it open all the way and stuck his head in the room. After telling the boys that Elizabeth was asleep and that he'd bring up snacks in a bit if they wanted, he turned and went back downstairs. Elizabeth was still on the couch and he reached for a blanket to cover her legs, caressing his hand lightly over the blanket. Her eyes fluttered slightly, and even though he immediately stilled his hand, she stretched languidly and opened her eyes.

After first being a bit surprised to see him there, she smiled at him. A smile so warm and loving that he couldn't help being affected by it. Leaning towards her, he brushed his lips over hers, then pulled back to gaze at her. Her eyes met his and he felt volumes pass between them, even though neither of them said a word. Her love and acceptance of him still humbled him at times, he was always struck by the fact that she and her son had wanted him in their lives, and it still overwhelmed him at times to think that their family would grow soon, and maybe again in the future.

He'd liked his job with Sonny, and while sometimes he knew that his choices weren't always right, he'd accepted them and had learned to live with them. It all changed the day he saw Elizabeth and her son in that toy store, giving generously when they had little, and the full realization of his choices and his lifestyle became clear to him. While he missed his friends, and even his family, in Port Charles, he was grateful for the opportunity he had to be with Elizabeth and Cameron and become a family with them. His son or his daughter would only add to whole experience.

While he would always regret that Cameron had once been hurt, Jason couldn't really regret all that had happened in the past. Because it had led him here to this moment with his family beside him. A family that inspired him to be the best he could. He wanted to be someone they could be proud to call their father, but he knew that with Elizabeth as their mother, if he ever got out of line, his children would always be there to show him the way.

The End