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Chapter 33

Jason sighed when he heard the door across the hall slam. He looked at Michael then called to his son's nanny, "Leticia, could you watch Michael? I need to talk to Sonny."

She walked out of the kitchen where she'd been working on dinner. They were still working through things, but he had compromised to agreeing to her cooking meals, but not to her acting as the maid. Sitting beside Michael she nodded, and then distracted the little boy so Jason could leave without him getting upset.

Walking over to Sonny's he stopped by Max and asked, "What set him off?"

"Anything sets him off," Max said. It was as close to criticism as the guard would come.

"Yeah," Jason agreed wearily. "Alright, I'm going to talk to him."

"Good luck, Jason," Max said and turned the knob for him.

Stepping inside the room, the enforcer looked around with a frown. "Sonny?"

He came out of the kitchen angrily, "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you," Jason said, slipping his hands into his pockets. "About Sam."

"I don't want to talk about her," his boss nearly exploded.

"Well too bad," he shot back, yanking his hands out of his pockets. "You're being stupid and it has to stop."

"Don't tell me how to run my life," Sonny shouted, slicing his hand through the air.

"Then how about focusing on business?" he challenged. "Joseph Doyle loves Sam like his own daughter. Do you think it's smart to alienate the Chicago families?"

"She left me!"

"She thought you went back to Brenda!" Jason pointed out, his anger growing. Sonny was acting like a child.

"Why would she think that?"

"You never called her. You sent her and Elizabeth away and never contacted them for weeks." Tired of this whole thing, he wasn't going to protect the older man's feelings any longer. "Elizabeth told you this, but you refused to listen to her or give credence to what she said. And now you're being stubborn because you think you were wronged in this whole thing. Why don't you think about someone else for once? Like the woman you claim to love? I'm getting sick of having to fix everything for you."

Then he stormed out of the apartment and punched the elevator bottom. It wasn't until he stood in front of Elizabeth's apartment knocking on the door that he realized where his instincts had led him. When he was upset at Sonny and when he was worried if he was doing the right things for Michael, he had come here. He wanted to see her because he missed her.

He had read her letter several times since she'd put it on his door, and each time he seemed to find something new in it. Something was going on with Sam, but Elizabeth didn't tell him what. But she'd cared enough to ask Jason to please not judge Sam. To keep an open mind and try to understand how she must have been feeling. It was part of the reason he had pushed Sonny; the older man needed to reach out to Sam because the couple needed to talk.

He just wished he had someone to talk to. He had grown accustomed to her presence, to having her near to share quiet moments with or talk about thoughts that came to them. It had been growing before he was shot, but when they had gone on the run it had grown and solidified. They spent every moment together, relying on each other, talking about so many things beyond their current situation. It had continued when they joined Sonny and Sam, even though he'd been busier and away more.

Then it was lost. He was off with Sonny, making a show of presence in Port Charles, and then reuniting with his son. Despite what Elizabeth told him, he did feel bad for not reaching out to her. She had tried to support him when he was worried about Carly and Michael, and he hadn't given her much thought even after Sonny had yelled at her.

He'd told her he was a friend, and had proved to be a rather poor one. He wondered if he'd ever get the chance to make it up to her.

Two weeks and two postcards from Elizabeth later, Sonny finally called Sam. Jason didn't know what Sonny's postcards had contained, but he highly doubted they were as light and upbeat as the ones the artist sent to him and Michael. She didn't reveal much in her notes, but he knew she was alive and Francis was keeping her safe. He also knew she'd been to Machu Pichu and now was heading south through MesoAmerica.

Sonny called his fiancée and then came over to Jason's to tersely inform him he was going to Chicago for a few days. Sam had been short with him, but did agree to meet with him. But she also made it clear she was unhappy with him by demanding he come to Chicago. She wasn't inclined to Port Charles. Sonny didn't like it, but he'd heard Shane McCall in the background and knew that if the nearly retired enforcer was upset then it was a safe bet to believe the Doyle family was upset.

It was time to swallow his price and go make amends. Jason found himself hoping that his friend worked things out with Sam. Not just to keep relations good with Chicago, or because Sonny was easier to deal with when she was around. He hoped Sonny worked things out with Sam because then it meant he might be able to see Elizabeth sooner than he had any hope to otherwise.

He just hoped that no problems arose in Port Charles while Sonny was gone. They had been pretty lucky with reasserting their power. They were eliminating Alcazar's men and dealing with those who had turned. They couldn't get rid of everybody, so they tried to pair those they knew they could trust with those in question.

But they'd left town after Alcazar's boat was blown up. Despite Jason coming back often to make a show of presence, they were walking a fine line. People knew Sonny was distracted because Sam didn't come back and Jason found himself hoping that nobody tried anything during Sonny's current absence. They needed a break; they needed some to recuperate and get back to full strength.

When his phone rang, he sighed hoping this wasn't the call signaling everything had just gone south. "Morgan."

There was a pause and he demanded, "What is it?"

"Jason?"

Her voice was beautiful coming through the line. "Elizabeth?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Is this a bad time?"

"No," he assured her, setting down in his chair. "Michael's asleep for the night. I'm just waiting to hear about a shipment that's supposed to come in a few hours."

"I hoped I'd catch you after he was down for the night; I didn't want to interrupt bedtime."

"You didn't," he told her, touched that she remembered his son's bedtime routine and had tried to respect it.

"You're probably wondering why I called," she said, her voice light, yet uneasy.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I did, but it was just nice to hear from you."

She didn't respond to that, instead she sighed, "I called because I heard from Sam. Sonny finally called her.

"Yeah," he admitted. "He left for Chicago tonight."

"I hope it goes well," she fretted. "I...I'm asking you to help them because things are probably going to be ugly and messy."

"Why?" he asked.

"I can't say," she said regretfully. "I'm sorry. Just...just look out for them please."

"Are you alright?" he asked, sensing she was about to hang up and wanting to keep her on the line.

"I'm fine," she assured him softly. "I'm just having some time to myself, traveling around like I haven't been able to do before."

"Francis is keeping you safe?"

"He's keeping me safe," she laughed. "I'll send you a postcard soon. I have to go."

She hung up before he could say goodbye, as he suspected she would. He was glad to hear from her, even though she had been anxious to get off the phone and she was worried about Sam and making sure he would help. Now Jason wasn't worried about the business anymore; he was worried about the storm that was about to blow in from Chicago.

Sonny was one of the heads of the Five Families, and had just defeated a South American arms dealer who had tried to take him down. He owned Port Charles and was used to men paying him deference. Yet he wasn't getting that in Chicago. Here he was the man who had hurt Shane McCall's daughter and Joseph Doyle took that very personally.

He was shown into a room of Doyle's house, where the aging don sat beside his son Kevin. Shane McCall stood in the middle of the room looking as happy and approachable as a pissed off bear. Sonny kept his temper in check, making sure not to come in antagonistic as he approached the older man. Sonny's guards were in the kitchen with the other security men; Sonny was expected to come in open and vulnerable.

"Hello, Joseph. Kevin," he greeted the two men. Then he looked at his future father-in-law. "Hello, Shane."

"Corinthos," McCall growled. "Nice of you to finally contact my daughter. She's only been here nearly a month and you've never contacted her. Did you decide you didn't love her anymore? You'd toss her aside for your former model flame? My daughter not flashy enough for you? Not glamorous enough?"

"That's not it at all," he burst out, then sighed as he worked to control himself because Sam's father wanted to fight with him and he knew it would only make the bad situation worse. "I had no intention of going back to Brenda."

"You always referred to her as your greatest weakness," Kevin pointed out, his voice tinged with scorn. "How was Sam to know since you didn't have the courtesy to talk to her?"

"I appreciate your concern, Kevin," Sam said, stepping into the room. Sonny turned to look at her but she refused to meet his gaze. She walked towards Joseph Doyle and held out her hand, "Thank you for letting me stay here, Joseph."

Joseph stood and drew her towards him as a father hugs a child. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "We are always happy to see you and you are always welcome here."

Then father and son left the room, not bothering to look at Sonny or speak to him. He was definitely getting the cold treatment from the other men. Once they were gone, Sam turned towards her father and sighed expectantly, "Daddy."

He stiffened and crossed his arms over his chest, "I am not happy with him."

Looking directly at Sonny he said, "Do you understand? My daughter cried. You promised you would take care of her and respect her. Where was that?"

"Daddy," Sam said, trying to calm him. "I know you're upset, but this is between me and Sonny. He's my fiancé and it would be better if we talked alone."

"I don't like it," Shane shook his head. "He wasn't there when he should have been. When he was needed."

"He's here now, and I would like to speak to him alone," she said firmly. She was as stubborn as her father, and they stood their ground staring at each other.

"Fine," the older man sighed, his shoulders slumping in dejection. "You take care of yourself. Don't let him upset you."

"I will," she said softly and nodded. Her father nodded, and then quietly left the room. Again, Sonny was not acknowledged.

After everyone was gone and the door was closed, Sonny stood awkwardly as Sam walked to the couch. She sat down and swung her legs up, stretching them out in front of her. She grimaced slightly and then settled into the cushions. As he watched her he saw how tired she looked and slightly ill. Despite all the anger and hurt pride he had over her leaving the island without his permission or even talking to him, he did love her and he was concerned about her.

He walked towards Sam and sat down in a chair near the couch. He didn't want to crowd her, and he knew she wouldn't welcome it. "Are you alright?"

"Why did you go looking for Brenda?" she asked. "And why wouldn't you say anything to me?"

"It was business," he answered.

Her head whipped around to look at him incredulously and she asked, "After everything that we went through, you're going to seriously use that excuse? It was just us, it was all of us together talking about the evidence, the theories, the whys and the whats...you suddenly just take off. And now you're using the business excuse? No, it doesn't fly, Sonny."

"You know I don't discuss business with you," he tried to insist.

"We had been talking about it," she said in agitation, twisting on the sofa. "Suddenly with no word to us, we were shipped off. You said nothing to me. But the guards knew, and they talked."

Sam looked intently at him, "Can you understand why it would be upsetting to hear you went to find your ex-fiancée and you didn't bother to tell your current one?"

"It wasn't done intentionally to hurt you," he shook his head.

"Then why don't you tell me how it was?"

Sonny sighed and ran his hand over his face and into his hair. "Alcazar said Brenda was the person who set this all in motion. She wanted him to go after me because she was upset at me. She was the reason we were attacked. So I went to track her down, to see if she was really alive."

"Was she?" Sam asked, arching her brow.

"Yeah," he nodded. "She was down on Alcazar's compound in Venezuela. She was sick; her disease is progressing. But she admitted to going after me because she was upset I didn't look for her after her accident and because I didn't fight Jax harder for her."

"And because Elizabeth never liked her," Sam stated. Obviously she had talked with his sister. "Elizabeth saw something in Brenda you didn't and tried to warn you. Why did you never see anything in her? Why wouldn't you listen to Elizabeth when you know what she could see?"

It was something Sonny had been thinking about a lot. Especially after his fight with Elizabeth on the island. He had accused her of being jealous of him giving attention to other women, of wanting him to be alone and miserable like her and her trying to steal the women from his life. She could have thought he meant their mother as well. But none of that was true. Deep down, he knew Elizabeth wanted him to be happy and have someone to love.

He'd lashed out at her unfairly because he was upset and off-centered after seeing Brenda and learning Sam had left and his sister was an easy target for his anger. It wasn't something he was proud of. He'd never apologized to Elizabeth because he was upset at himself for never seeing the truth about Brenda and having his baby sister trying to bail him out. He didn't really blame her for Brenda's crazy plans; she had no control over his ex-fiancée's dementia and anger. But he'd lost control, been disappointed by the truth about Brenda and coming back to find things hadn't been done as he'd ordered.

"I was wrong," he told Sam. "I was wrong to yell at Elizabeth and I was wrong to not tell you about Brenda. I was shocked she was alive and then sad after seeing her."

"So why did you see her?" Sam asked.

"To get the truth," he answered. "And deal with her. She's in a facility now; she'll never leave and she'll be guarded for the rest of her life so she can't ever do something like this again."

He sighed heavily and said, "Plus, I had to deal with Luis' brother. Lorenzo said he understands what happened and that he tried to persuade his brother not to follow this plan, but the Alcazar family is powerful and I'm watching them to make sure they don't take a shot at revenge."

"So are things getting better?"

"I think so," he said slowly. "Hopefully there won't be any big problems in shoring up the business again."

"That's good," she said, shifting on the couch. "At least you still have your business."

"And what about you?" he asked her cautiously. "Do I still have you?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted. "You hurt me, Sonny. The sudden shutting out, the lack of trust and communication. I...I'm going to be honest with you, Sonny. I still love you and I want nothing more than to go home with you today."

"But?" he asked, filling in the word that hung heavy in her pause.

"You hurt me and I'm wary. Yet, I can also understand why you did what you did. To a certain extent." She closed her eyes, "And I left the island keeping a pretty big secret of my own and never reached out to tell you because I was petty and I wanted you to make the first move."

He peered at her, wondering, "Sam?"

"I'm pregnant," she said and he was slammed by surprise. "I suspected I might be, but Elizabeth was the one who brought it up. She said she saw something different in my colors. She...said we're having a girl. Once I got to Chicago I saw a doctor and he confirmed I'm pregnant."

Sonny swallowed, stunned and surprised, but also happy. He was going to be a father, and his sister had known before him. No wonder she was angry he'd gone to see Brenda and why she kept telling him to contact Sam. She and Sam were friends, and she was protecting her friend. Even from him.

"Because of that," Sam continued, "I feel like we need to see if we can work things out. But I'll be staying in Elizabeth's apartment and I won't get back together with you just because of our daughter. I have to trust you with my heart, Sonny. So I need some time."

And attention. He needed to show her just how much he loved her and that he'd been a mess with her gone. But Sonny was determined because he knew what a good thing he had in Sam and he wasn't going to let her go. Before their daughter was born, he would be married to Sam. They would be the family they wanted to be.

Chapter 34

That was why, despite feeling ill from her pregnancy, she told Sonny to have his jet ready to take them home. He hadn't been sure, because he didn't want her to be uncomfortable. She, however, had been insistent; with both her fiancé and her family. So now her bags were being put in the car and her father and Kevin were trying to discourage her from leaving.

"I knew he would do this," her father grumbled. "He doesn't care that he hurt you or that you don't feel well. He just wants to leave and he expects you to go because you're pregnant with his child. That doesn't give him the right to order you around."

"Daddy," she sighed, "I'm the one who decided to go back to Port Charles. I don't want to be in Chicago anymore."

He looked at her in disbelief. "This was your idea? Why?"

"Because you won't listen to me," she said. "I asked you to stop insulting Sonny, and yet every day I hear you going after him."

"He hurt you," Kevin stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "You thought he had abandoned you for his ex-fiancée just when you discovered you were pregnant."

"That is between us," Sam said, her eyes narrowing. "Besides, you have a mistress and a wife so you don't have any moral high ground, Kevin."

"Samantha," her father gasped. "We do not speak of such things."

"You mean women shouldn't," she rolled her eyes. "Look, I appreciate that you are my friend and that you feel protective of me, but don't forget that I grew up with you and I know the things you've done. I love Sonny and I know he isn't perfect, but it isn't up to you to punish him."

She looked over at her father, "Nor is it your job. I asked you to support me and you didn't. I'm stressed and I'm not happy here, and I want to go home."

"So you're just going to forgive him for all that he did?" her father asked.

"No," she shook her head. "I know there are things that Sonny and I need to work on, but it's up to us to fix them. And it will be better for us to do that in Port Charles."

Besides, maybe if she returned to Port Charles then maybe Elizabeth would as well. Sam had a feeling that it was going to be up to her, and possibly Jason, to get things right between Sonny and Elizabeth again. The siblings were upset and estranged and she felt partially responsible since Elizabeth had felt protective of her and the baby and fought with Sonny.

Besides, she knew that neither one would be truly happy until they worked things out.

"I don't understand why you insist on living here."

Sam looked over at Sonny and shook her head with a laugh, "You look like a little boy pouting because you haven't gotten your way."

He frowned at her slightly, but then stopped when her eyes lit up with a twinkle. He looked around his sister's apartment and said, "If you wanted to move back to Port Charles, then why are you living here?"

"Just because I wanted to get away from Chicago does not mean everything's fixed between us, Sonny," she shook her head. "I love you, and a part of me still really wants to marry you, but I refuse to just gloss over everything."

He looked around and said, "I just think it's ridiculous for you to live here. It was ridiculous for Elizabeth to move here when she had a room upstairs with us. Just like it's ridiculous for her to be traveling around seeing the world."

Sam sighed and frowned as she looked at him. She looked decidedly displeased, but was biting her tongue. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and huffed out, "What?"

"It is that attitude right there," she flung her hand out at him, "that made Elizabeth move out and sent her running from the island. It's also why I left."

"What are you going on about?"

His fiancée narrowed her eyes. "Forget it. I'm not talking to you when you're this angry. So you can go until you've calmed down and you're actually willing to listen."

Sonny stared at her and knew by her defiant stance and tense shoulders that she was serious. It wasn't that Sam never stood up to him, but never this forcefully. Normally she tried to be softer, and try to reason with him more. Apparently she wasn't going to do that today.

"Go!" she ordered.

Sonny took his hands out of his pockets and held them up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so angry."

She regarded him for a moment and then moved towards the couch. "You often get angry," she said bluntly. "A lot of the time Elizabeth and I brush it off as just a part of who you are. But sometimes, like when you take that anger out on us because we're there and we're familiar and you know we love you no matter what, it's hard to just brush it off because it hurts too much."

Sonny dropped his shoulders dejectedly and moved to sit down on the chair by the sofa. He knew he had a temper, and unfortunately he sometimes took it out on Sam and Elizabeth. He didn't mean to, but he did. And he could sometimes be cruel. Like when he'd yelled at Elizabeth on the island.

"You like to be in control and that's fine for business, but you can't control every aspect of your personal life and the lives of those around you. You try to run your sister's life and sometimes she doesn't fight you, but sometimes it becomes too much and she fights back. Right now, she's fighting back and the more you try to hold on and control everything, the more she'll fight back and the further she'll run."

"I'm not trying to control her," he denied with a shake of his head.

Sam eyed him, "You don't even realize you're doing it because you do it in the name of safety."

"Of course I'm trying to keep my sister safe," Sonny insisted heatedly.

"I don't blame you for that, Sonny," she told him. "But sometimes it's...too much. And I know why you did that. Deke could have killed her, the state could have taken her away from you, and the people you worked with could have hurt her. But you now have this...pathological obsession to keep her safe your way. On the island, in your penthouse, always where you can see her and know everything."

When he clenched his jaw, she reached out her hand to cover his, "That was understandable when she was a teenager or you were taking over the territory. But, Sonny, she's an adult now. You've isolated her and she expected you to do it again."

"She's safer on the island."

"Then why am I here?" she asked. "Why is Jason's son here? Why is she the only person you want tucked away?"

He looked at her and she shrugged, "Your instinct may not be the best anymore, and that's why you and Elizabeth fight."

"I'm not trying to control her," he shook his head again.

"But that's what you're doing," she said gently. "She...Sonny before you sent us to the island and she got angry, I was worried about her."

His brows drew together, "What do you mean? What was wrong with her?"

"She was depressed. She didn't think there was a place for her in Port Charles and she wasn't even going to try to stick around. This was even before we suspected about the baby, but she said we had each other, Jason would have to take care of Michael and there was no place for her. A grown woman shouldn't have to live with her brother just to get his approval."

"That's not-"

She cut him off, "That's how she felt. She had to fight for your approval unless she did just what you wanted."

"I wasn't trying to make her feel that way," Sonny said defensively. "You make me sound like some overbearing father; you make me sound like Deke."

"I never said that," she shot at him. "But in many ways you were like a father to her and it's hard to let go. But you have to give her some freedom and stop making it so difficult for her to grow and live her life."

"So are there any other ways in which I'm a complete and utter failure?" he asked as he stood and stalked across the room.

"Would you stop?" she demanded in exasperation, standing up as well. "I'm trying to help you understand why your sister freaked out and fled."

"Freaked out?" he asked with an arched brow. He'd almost laugh if he didn't see that Sam was completely serious.

"You left, had no contact with her, sent her orders through the guards, sent her to the island and then she overhears the guards talking about Brenda and it was suddenly her worst nightmare come true." When he looked at her, she continued, "You have no idea why she hates Brenda so much."

"She was a liar and a manipulator Elizabeth said, but I didn't agree and we clashed."

"There is that," Sam nodded, "but so much more. Brenda knew that Elizabeth didn't like her and she knew your sister was trying to warn you about her. So she tried to get rid of Elizabeth, and she preyed on Elizabeth's worst fears."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "What do you mean?"

"Your sister is afraid that you will decide you don't want her around and you'll choose someone else over her. That you won't want anything to do with her because she's a freak and she's responsible for your mother's death."

"That's not true!" he shot at her.

"Then tell her that; because Brenda vowed she'd rid of Elizabeth from your life," Sam answered back heatedly. "That's why you sending her down to the island, and heading off to see Brenda made her freak out. You would dump me, abandon your child, get back together with the woman who made you ignore your instincts and push Elizabeth away and since she already felt like she didn't belong anywhere...do you understand now why she reacted badly?"

He let a breath out and nodded, "Yeah."

"Then can you also understand why I was nearly convinced you were leaving me to go back to your supermodel?" she asked. "I knew of Elizabeth's history and feelings in regard to Brenda, and I learned more before I left for Chicago."

"So you need reassurance I'm not going back to Brenda?" he asked. "I told you that already."

"I need to know you're not going to shut me out on the important things," Sam said. "This wasn't just business, and we had been together for weeks talking about everything, and suddenly you shut me out, went secretive and I felt betrayed and abandoned. I want to please avoid that in the future."

"Okay," he nodded and stood. He realized that he'd been unfair to Elizabeth and Sam and he knew that he was lucky Sam came home with him. He understood why she would stay at Elizabeth's apartment and what he was going to have to do to make things right. He was going to have to find his sister and convince her he was sincere when he apologized and tried to convince her to come to Port Charles. To stay.

There was somebody living in Elizabeth's apartment, but it wasn't Elizabeth; therefore it felt wrong. While Jason was glad that Sam had returned to Port Charles and he was surprised to find out she was pregnant, but pleased for his friends, he also felt unsettled. It was because the only person who should be in Elizabeth's apartment was her. There was a part of him that worried that with Sam living there, then Elizabeth would be less inclined to come home.

"Mr. Morgan."

He looked up to see Leticia standing in the doorway of Michael's room, "Yes?"

"Miss McCall is here to see you," she said. "She apologizes for interrupting Michael's bedtime and said she would wait downstairs if that was convenient for you."

He looked down at Michael and then brushed a hand over the little boy's red hair. His son's eyes fluttered, but he stayed still. Standing, he walked over to the nanny and said, "He's almost asleep. Will you sit with him until he settles down fully?"

"Of course," she assured him.

Jason stepped into the hallway and tugged on the hem of his shirt, then ran his hand over the back of his neck. He went down the stairs and gave a slight smile to Sam who turned at the sound of his approach.

"I'm sorry," she said before he could speak, "I thought he would be asleep already. I just wanted to come up here and talk to you while Sonny was gone."

"It's okay," he told her. "Michael's a little fussy tonight with a molar coming in. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," she nodded, but he wasn't entirely convinced. "I just...I wanted to say thank you for sending me Elizabeth's letter and...and for not getting angry with me for leaving. Or at least not showing it."

"Elizabeth asked me to give you a chance and to remember it wasn't my fight."

Sam gave him an odd smile, but didn't give him long to dwell on it. "Elizabeth has been orchestrating a lot from afar."

She paused and twisted her fingers together in front of her. "She's actually what I wanted to talk about."

Instantly he was alert, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing immediate," she quickly said, holding up her hands. "I just...I'm worried about her, Jason."

"Sit down," he encouraged her. Once she was seated on the sofa, he sat on the chair and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "What has you so worried?"

"Sonny and Elizabeth's fight. I tried to get Sonny to see why she got so upset over the thought of Brenda and reacted as bad as she did. But even if he fully gets it and tries to make amends I'm afraid it won't be enough."

"I won't try to make her forgive him," he shook his head.

"No, no," she said with a shake of her head as well. "No, I know that ultimately it's up to them and I would never say what she should or shouldn't do. No, I'm worried that even if they work things out that Elizabeth won't come back."

Sam licked her lips and ran her hand through her hair. "Sonny and I are having a baby, and we'll probably work things out and get married." She smirked wryly, "Probably before the baby's born if I know Sonny and his thoughts and persistence."

"Probably," he acknowledged.

"She had a friend who saw her for the first time. You weren't put off or intimidated by her brother, and you weren't out to use her for a plan. But she now thinks it's over."

Jason frowned at her, "What?"

"You now have Michael to take care of and help him adjust with Carly being gone. And she figures you'll push her away because of what happened to Carly."

He looked to the side and swallowed, "She would be safer away from me. Carly was killed because of her association with me."

"But Elizabeth is different from Carly," she pointed out softly. "She's Sonny sister and she will forever be a part of this world no matter who she's friends with, who she dates or if she ever marries."

Jason's stomach clenched oddly and he did his best to ignore it. He shouldn't think about her marrying someone, just like he should have never thought about how pretty she is or wondering what it would be like to have her lips on his instead of his cheek. He rubbed his hands over his skin.

"Look, I'm not trying to interfere," Sam said. "I'm not saying you should date her or anything like that, I mean I have no idea if you see her as anything more than Sonny's sister, or even as a little sister to you, or if you'd even ever have the guts to stand up and tell Sonny to back off and let you guys live your lives-"

He looked over at her, but she wasn't looking at him odd or calculating; she was on a determined roll.

"That's your business. But I am here," she said, "to talk to you as Elizabeth's friend. You're her friend and I've seen that you understand her better than anyone else. I just... I don't know how to convince Elizabeth that she's wanted here and it's not just obligatory. That she won't be superfluous or in everyone else's way."

Leaning back in the chair, Jason rested his arms on the overstuffed, high sides of the furniture. "I...I'm not sure how to convince her of that except to tell her, and to show her. She needs to feel it or it will never work."

Sam nodded, while drawing her lip in between her teeth. "Yeah. Which means it's a crapshoot because I honestly have no idea what she'll think or feel or believe and I'm afraid I'll lose the friend I've found in her these last couple of months."

Jason felt her words wash over him, and felt them pierce home. Despite her claim that she wasn't trying to interfere, he felt he'd been set up. He wasn't really angry at Sam, because he felt like he had a lot to think about. Did he want to lose Elizabeth, or was he going to speak up?

Chapter 35

Foolishly he had believed his charge when she said she had been to Europe before so she wanted to see Latin America. She was so unassuming she'd completely snowed him; distracted him with her anger at Sonny to set him up. Because their travels had led them to the clinic that Sonny had committed Brenda in. He didn't know how she'd discovered that piece of information, but she was bound and determined to use it.

"I know you don't like it," she said redundantly, "but I need to do this."

His only reply was a lift of his brow. He'd learned that sometimes that was all he needed to do because Elizabeth would keep talking. This time was no different.

"Brenda sent Luis after my brother because of me," she said. "We didn't like each other, we clashed, and she did this. The destruction that hit Port Charles was because of me, and I'm going to confront her. Especially since she's in there and I'm out here. Right now, I'm petty enough to enjoy that."

She would not be dissuaded, and underneath her anger he could sense enormous hurt. He had heard Elizabeth and Sam talking about Brenda and he knew his charge had never gotten along with her brother's ex-fiancée. Francis had a feeling she wanted to do this to prove she was no longer the insecure, scared girl she had once been then. While he could understand the instinct, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was still a very bad idea.

He knew that she would get angry with him when she realized what he'd done, but Francis felt it was worth the risk. While Elizabeth was occupied talking to the director of the institution, Francis stepped to the side and pulled out his phone.

"Morgan."

"Jason, it's Francis."

"What's wrong?" the other man demanded, panic filling his voice. "Is Elizabeth alright?"

"She's fine," he assured his boss. "At least physically. Emotionally I'm not so sure. We...we're at the mental institution you and Sonny put Brenda in."

"What?! How did she find out and why did you let her go there?" Jason demanded angrily.

"You know how Elizabeth is." It wasn't meant to be sarcastic or even disrespectful, it was simply meant to remind him how determined and stubborn she was.

It must have worked because the younger man signed in resignation, "Yeah. So what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to come down here," Francis said bluntly. "You're her friend, you're not her guard, and maybe she'll listen to you. Plus...I think she needs you."

Francis paused and then pressed just a bit, "This goes beyond Brenda, Jason. She hasn't been the same since her fight with Sonny, but there were problems going on even before then."

There was a sigh on the other end of the line and then Jason answered, "I'll be down there as soon as I can, Francis. Keep an eye on her."

"I will," he assured the other man.

"No, it's more than that," Jason insisted. "It's-"

Unfortunately, Francis never got to hear what it was because he had to hang up the phone. Elizabeth was almost done talking to the director, he could tell by her body language and expressions, and he didn't want her to see him on the phone. The only thing he could do was pay extra attention to their surroundings, and hope that Jason arrived soon.

Brenda Barrett was once called the most beautiful girl, and next to the world famous supermodel Elizabeth had often felt awkward and inadequate. Sonny had met Brenda several years after Adella Corinthos Johnson had died and Elizabeth was in the middle of a very awkward phase. She was leaving her teenage years, but not quite a woman. Struggling to find her style and identity, she had first been amazed her brother was dating the supermodel and was nervous about meeting her.

Then she did meet Brenda Barrett and the illusion was shattered. Her brother's girlfriend was vain, shallow, selfish and cruel. There was a manipulative and vindictive streak that went beyond normal games women sometimes played. There was nothing good about Brenda in Elizabeth's opinion, and soon the feeling was mutual.

The more Elizabeth tried to convince Sonny that Brenda wasn't the right woman for him, the more she felt her brother pull away from her. There was a time when she wondered if the model was a witch or had sought the help of a voodoo priestess, but Elizabeth merely came to realize there were evil people who could disguise their intentions in a pretty package. When Brenda began stringing Jasper Jacks along and playing the men off one another, Elizabeth was certain her brother would open his eyes and see the truth.

However, just like he ignored her warnings based on the colors she saw and refused to heed the visions and impressions Elizabeth knew he saw, Sonny refused to believe there was anything evil in Brenda's intent. It was merely Jax being a rake and trying to steal Brenda away because he was a selfish man used to buying anything he wanted. And Brenda was merely confused because Jax fit her lifestyle better and it wasn't easy to date a mobster while being in the public eye. He encouraged Elizabeth to try to help Brenda, and then got angry when she didn't do enough.

It was in moments like that that Elizabeth would fear she would lose her brother. Sonny would decide to choose the pretty face who could also warm his bed and decide that his freak of a sister was simply too much trouble. Brenda would smirk as if she could tell exactly what the younger woman was thinking and Elizabeth would live in fear that her brother would exile her forever.

That was why she was determined to see Brenda. The conniving woman's plans had failed. Sonny wasn't dead, and neither was Elizabeth. Sonny had Sam; she was certain her brother and friend would work things out, and soon he would have a baby girl. Brenda had lost her protector and was locked up in a mental institution. It was time for Elizabeth to face her and exorcise her past with the woman.

Waiting in the visitor's room, Elizabeth forced herself to remember that Brenda could no longer hurt her. Words were just words and she now realized the former model wielded them with vicious sharpness. She would lash out, but Elizabeth had grown in the years since Brenda made her feel inadequate. She also knew Jason Morgan and she had learned to be stoic like him.

The door opened and a nurse led Brenda into the room. As soon as the other brunette saw her, her face hardened into pure fury.

"What are you doing here?" she growled.

"I came to see you," Elizabeth stated simply.

"What for?"

"To let you see for yourself that you lost." Her voice was almost toneless; it was all in an effort to make the patient believe she wasn't affected by her anymore. "Sonny's alive, and so am I. But your big protector, the man you sent after us...he's dead. And look at you...you're stuck in the nut house. You're going to lose your mind and if there was any justice in the world then you will end up drooling into a cup."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Brenda scoffed angrily.

Elizabeth listlessly tilted her head to the side and said, "Yes, I would. Because it would be fitting. You sent someone to kill me, my brother, Jax...countless other innocent people. You have no conscience, you have no morals and you can't use your illness as an excuse. You knew what you were doing, you knew exactly what would happen and you didn't care. That's not madness, Brenda, that's vengeance."

"So what?" the former model asked. "What are you going to do about it, Lizzie? Find someone to run off and cry to? Did you ever find someone who thought you were pretty enough to sleep with or did someone just take pity on you?"

Elizabeth kept her face neutral at the barb. Before, with her difficulties in dating and her doubts over her appearance, the words would have hurt her. Now, they didn't. While she had never slept with Jason, nor even kissed him properly, she had felt his attraction to her. If nothing ever came of it, Brenda could still never take that away from her or ever belittle the feelings she had.

"Are you afraid that I'll take vengeance on you?" Elizabeth asked. "Because I am Sonny's sister, Brenda. I grew up in the neighborhood and I know lots of bodyguards and professionals...they like me. Why wouldn't they do what I asked them to?"

Brenda finally dropped the smug look on her face and licked her lips. Inside, Elizabeth smiled. Finally the toxic ex of her brother knew that the little girl who'd so desperately wanted the beautiful model to like her, to be her friend, to be a female presence in her life and had been devastated when Brenda had ignored her and belittled her...that little girl was gone. In Lizzie's place was Elizabeth who would never again seek Brenda's attention.

"You thought you had it all, didn't you?" she asked, leaning forward slightly. "You had my brother and Jax panting after you, showering you with gifts and fighting for you. But then Sonny tired of the game and you wanted him to pay. How dare he stop giving you all his attention?"

Elizabeth laughed, black and mirthless and said, "Even now that he knows you're alive...he won't think of you. Maybe except to regret he ever knew you. Because Sonny found a new person to love and she is nothing like you. She cares about him, she cares about people besides herself and Sonny is happy with her. Genuinely happy. He doesn't have to jump through hoops or twist himself inside out anymore."

Wanting to cut deeper, wanting to twist the knife more, Elizabeth added, "And best of all? They're going to have a baby. Sonny is so excited; he loves children and is looking forward to being a father. You remember that, right, Brenda? You remember how he talked about it when you guys thought you might be pregnant and then how he was disappointed when he said you weren't. See, his fiancée isn't selfish like you were, she didn't get an abortion because she didn't want to ruin her figure or her already failing career."

Smiling in twisted delight over exposing Brenda's secret she said, "So they'll get married, raise their daughter and any other children they might have, and you will just be the crazy woman who tried to have him killed."

Standing, Elizabeth turned for the door. "And as for me? You don't affect me anymore. Sonny now sees you for you really are; what I've known all along. And he's free from you. You will be locked up here for the rest of your life and pretty soon, the only people who will care about you are obsessed losers who Google your images, make pathetic web pages about you and think how sad it is that you died all those years ago."

She knocked on the door and then grinned when the nurse opened it in time to hear Brenda swear at Elizabeth and charge across the room. Orderlies rushed in to restrain her, she was injected with a sedative and then dragged back to her room. Elizabeth watched the spectacle and then walked down the hallway to exit the institution. Francis was no doubt ready to freak out and she figured she should relieve his anxiety and let him know they could go to their hotel.

But she stopped dead in her tracks when she stepped outside and saw Francis pinning Luis Alcazar to the wall. He was being cautious since there were people on the street, but there was no mistaking the lethal fury on the guard's face. Elizabeth, though, was wondering if crazy was catching because she could have sworn her brother had killed Alcazar.

"You are a very stupid man, Lorenzo," Francis growled, "and it's obvious why you never got involved in the family business. Jason and Sonny warned you, and yet here you are, following Miss Corinthos and trying to see Miss Barrett. It's a good thing Mr. Morgan is already on his way down here; he can remind you of a few things."

Elizabeth gasped at the realization that this man was Luis' brother, and that Francis had called Jason and he was coming here from Port Charles. She felt relief, fear, anger, betrayal and desire. Francis, however, gave her no time to process it all, or vent her anger towards him; he grabbed her arm and escorted both her and Lorenzo Alcazar off the street.

As soon as Francis hung up the phone on Jason, he told Leticia he had to leave and wasn't sure when he'd be back. He grabbed his emergency bag he always had packed and then left for the airport. He called Sonny's pilot to get the plane ready and then he called his boss. He didn't want to worry the older man by only saying that Francis had called, but he also didn't want to say that Elizabeth had gone to see Brenda. Neither would make Sonny happy, so in the end he avoided lies and explanations by saying he had to leave and he'd call to explain when he could.

Of course, all Sonny would have to do was read the flight plan filed by the pilots to see where Jason went, but he hoped his friend trusted him. He tried calling Francis to warn him about Lorenzo Alcazar, but the guard never answered his phone. The only relief he got was when he landed and turned on his phone, he discovered a terse message from the guard telling him what hotel they were at.

Because there was nothing else on the message and Francis didn't answer his phone when Jason called him, he was not prepared for what he found when he arrived at Elizabeth's suite. She was decidedly unhappy, but that wasn't where his focus went. Francis had Lorenzo Alcazar seated on chair with a gun pointed at him.

"What is going on?" he demanded.

"Mr. Alcazar thought he'd try to visit Brenda, disregarding everything you and Sonny told him," Francis said, his thoughts regarding Alcazar's stupidity clear. "When I told him no, he asked then why was Miss Corinthos allowed to visit her? She was currently in with Brenda, so what did it matter if he saw her?"

Jason turned to glare at Lorenzo Alcazar, "Are you really this dumb? You were told. We could have taken you out, but you said your brother was a fool for trying to do Brenda's request. You said she was crazy and your brother was a fool. You're a history teacher and you claimed that's all you wanted to do."

Alcazar's jaw ticked and Jason angrily pressed, "So what is it? Why would you go to visit Brenda if you said you wanted nothing to do with her?"

"Your associate confiscated my belongings," the other man said. "If I could just see them."

Jason regarded him for a moment and then nodded at Francis. The guard handed over the sparse items; certainly not what Jason would have expected. There was a wallet, a handkerchief and a set of keys. Alcazar opened his wallet and pulled out a small, thin piece of plastic. The other man handled it carefully, and never touched one end which made Jason wary and Francis very alert.

"Poison," he stated. "Slow acting enough that she would be returned to her room before it affected her. It's a paralytic agent; it would cause all her muscles to seize. She would suffocate and not be able to call for help."

Elizabeth gasped from the side of the room. "You were going to kill her?"

"Why?" Jason asked.

"She's responsible for my brother's death," the man replied. "She didn't love him, but she played him. She teased him; gave him just enough attention to keep his feelings and affection engaged. Because she wanted him to do her bidding and my brother, who prided himself on being so smart, was too blind to see he was being played for a fool."

"So you were going to kill her?" Jason asked skeptically.

"Ultimately, she is responsible for Luis' death and she was going to pay," Alcazar declared.

The enforcer shook his head, "Not today. Go home. This is your one warning; step out of line again and all bets are off."

He stepped forward and said, "And don't ever come near Sonny's sister again. I don't know if you were keeping tabs on her or not, but don't do it again. Forget she exists and you'll be fine. Otherwise, I will kill you myself."

Chapter 36

Once the door was closed, an oppressive silence threatened to descend over everyone and Elizabeth decided she didn't want to contend with it. "Well, now that he's gone, I guess that's that. We can all go to bed or go our separate ways."

"I don't think so, Elizabeth," Jason shook his head. He was rising to her bait, though his voice was still calm and soft. Not bitter and brittle like hers. "We need to talk."

"Fine," she nodded. "We can talk about my replacement guard. Clearly Francis is no longer going to do what I want, and I'd like someone who isn't going to call home and rat me out."

"Tough luck, kid," Francis said. "Any other guard would have never gone with you without Sonny's express orders. I didn't call to rat you out; I called Jason, and not your brother, because I was worried about you. I knew you and Sonny fought over Brenda, I knew she was responsible for Alcazar coming to Port Charles and quite frankly I was concerned about you suddenly wanting to visit her."

Elizabeth licked her lips and looked away from her guard's piercing gaze. He had been a friend of sorts to her, and she knew this wasn't meant as a betrayal. She just didn't like he'd called Jason.

"Jason's been able to talk to you in the past when nobody else could get through to you and I thought maybe this was what you needed. You certainly weren't listening or talking to me anymore." With that, Francis said, "So I'm going to leave and let the two of you talk."

Instead of going into his bedroom, he left the suite completely and Elizabeth gaped, then glared, at his back. Tucking her hair behind her ear she glanced over at Jason. He was standing with his hands tucked into his pockets and watching her intently.

"If I said I didn't want to talk about it would you just drop it?" she tried.

She knew what his answer was even before she shook his head. "Not this time, Elizabeth."

"Figured," she shrugged in resignation. "It was worth a shot."

He took a hand out of his pocket and rubbed his jaw, "Why'd you run, Elizabeth?"

"At first it was to get away from Sonny," she said, looking down and away from his piercing eyes. "But I'd already been thinking of leaving. But that was Port Charles and I was planning to go to the island; I just had to change my plans since we were already on the island."

"Why would you plan to leave Port Charles?" he asked with a frown.

With a shrug of her eyebrows she said, "I could already tell I was going to be superfluous. Sonny had Sam, now they're going to have a baby. You have Michael and your son needs you. He's lost his mother, had to move and your main priority is to take care of him and help him adjust."

"You thought you'd be in the way," he breathed out.

"I could paint anywhere," she pointed out, "and I had a better set-up on the island."

"But Sam is your friend," Jason argued. "I'm your friend."

"And both of you have families. So we'd hang out for a few hours, you guys would go home to your respective children and I'd go home to my paint tubes. If I'm going to live that kind of life, I'd rather do it on the island. I'm used to being isolated there."

With a shake of his head he refuted, "But you know Michael; you've been around him."

Elizabeth shook her own head. "I'm not his nanny, I'm not the babysitter and I'm not Daddy's girlfriend."

"You're my friend," Jason countered strongly.

"And I'll confuse Michael," she argued back. "Am I his new mommy, am I going to be? 'Why don't I have a mommy like Billy does? Why can't she be my mommy? She's here all the time and you like her.' He'll ask questions like that; you know he will."

Jason nodded, "Maybe. But all children ask questions. I've always been honest with Michael."

"I don't want him to be confused," she told him. "I don't want there to be any awkward moments or anything that would negatively impact him. I can't do that to him just because I selfishly want a friend. I'm used to being alone on the island, and being there makes it easier to be isolated."

"But you don't have to be," Jason insisted. "You don't have to isolate yourself."

"Have you met my brother?" she asked. Then she sighed and said, "It makes it easier."

"It makes it easier for you to hide from life," he shot at her and Elizabeth stepped back. It was one of the first times he'd ever been sharp, almost mean, towards her.

"I'm dealing with my life in the way I choose to. Kinda like how you really had nobody in your life until Carly invaded it and forced Michael on you. So don't you dare criticize me for how I do things."

"I'm not," Jason said softly, a little contrition in his voice as he held up his hands. "I just...I want you to see that it doesn't have to be like that. Just because I have Michael doesn't mean I don't have time for anything else. It doesn't mean I'm going to forget my friends."

He took a step towards her and before she could blink she found him right in front of her, staring at her so intently she felt a shot to her gut. "It doesn't mean I'm going to forget about you. I haven't stopped thinking about you in the weeks since I returned to Port Charles after getting your letter on the island. Michael lives with me now, but that doesn't mean I'm only his father now."

Elizabeth took a step back, hoping to retreat from his piercing gaze, only to discover she was backed against the couch. Jason closed the space between them and then raised his hand to touch her cheek. "I haven't stopped thinking about you, wondering where you were, if you were alright, safe, happy, scared, sad...all that. I wanted to talk to you, to see how your day went, to go for a ride, or talk about a painting you're working on."

The gentle touch of his fingers changed as his hand slid across her jaw and under her hair at her neck. She looked at him in uncertainty because she couldn't believe this was happening, that she wasn't misreading the situation. But there was no mistaking when Jason exerted just a little pressure on her neck and pulled her forward and lowered his lips to hers.

It was just a light, fleeting touch before he pulled back to look down at her, "I think about you, Elizabeth; I never stopped thinking about you. I want you in your apartment, not someone else; I want to spend time with you, because you're my friend. But you're more, Elizabeth. This is more than friendship, there are no words for what I feel for you."

"I thought it was just me," she whispered in disbelief.

His fierce kiss convinced her that it definitely was not just her.

Elizabeth's lips were like silk. He'd been teased with them before, when she kissed his cheek and they came tantalizingly close to his. That night had surprised him and the door was closed before he could process it. Then when Elizabeth didn't mention it, did not act any different around him, he followed her lead. He did not act any different, did not mention it, and pretended like it never happened.

Except it had and he found himself thinking about it. When they were together on the run, romance was the last thing on his mind. Survival, health, finding Michael and Carly, that was their focus. But they did talk about other things, and Elizabeth refused to leave his side and it was those moments he dwelt on when he and Francis went in search of Michael.

He had sensed her caring, her insistence that he stay safe wasn't just for her brother's sake, and that had stayed with him while he searched for his son. And it had continued to play in his mind when he was away from Elizabeth. When she left the island, he wondered why and worried that he had somehow caused it. He couldn't bear the thought of her being angry with him and despite what she said in her letter he thought of her often.

So when Francis called, he came here to protect her from Alcazar, to help her if he could, but most of all convince her to return to Port Charles. Jason refused to let her slip away again, not if he could give her a reason to stay. She felt she was in the way; he wanted to show her that was the farthest thing from the truth. She had a place, and hopefully it would be by him.

Things were quickly escalating and when he found his hands on her back, pushing up her shirt while trying to lift her up to sit on the back of the couch, he pulled back. Elizabeth's eyes were heavy-lidded as she looked up at him, breathing heavy. He leaned his forehead against hers and fought to regain control of himself.

"I...I didn't mean...I got carried away," he breathed out. "I didn't mean to practically maul you on the couch."

"Sometimes a little mauling can be fun," she countered, leaning against his chest.

He groaned and tightened his hands on her shoulders. "Elizabeth. You can't...you can't say things like that."

"Sorry," she said with a slight laugh.

Jason stepped back and shook his head, "So am I."

"It's a little fast," she admitted as she tugged her shirt back down. His hands itched to help her but he stuffed them in his pockets.

He stepped back so she could slide off the couch and then he followed her around to sit on the cushions. She looked at him and then said, "So what happens now so that we don't get bogged down in uncomfortable embarrassment?"

"I want you to come back to Port Charles," Jason told her in perfect honesty.

She looked at him and raised her brows, "Wow, you don't beat around the bush."

"Why should I?" he asked. "I know what I want. I knew it when I got the letter you left on my door. I just wanted to let you have your space, but when Francis called...I came. Because I wanted you to be safe, and I wanted you to see you. I won't hide that."

She licked her beestung lips and nodded. "When I found out Francis had called you, I felt angry and betrayed, but I was also torn with the desire to see you. I wanted to, but I also didn't because I was certain this was all one-sided. I wasn't sure I could see you and be indifferent in my feelings; that's also why I wanted to stay away from Port Charles."

There was no need for that now, and Jason told her so. She smiled at him in a way that stirred his cooling blood and he wondered if he shouldn't find a different place to sit besides the couch. Being this close to Elizabeth might prove his undoing.

"And what happens in Port Charles?" she asked. "Do we hang out when we can? Do we date? What about Michael? What about my brother? What happens the next time someone comes after you, do I get sent away without a word and ignored by my brother and you?"

"You're not a replacement," he told her. "You know Carly and I were only involved briefly and our interaction was only about Michael. I love him; it doesn't matter to me that he's not really my son. He is in every way that really matters."

"I know," Elizabeth nodded.

"And I'll tell him about Carly," he continued. "Explain how things happened and what he can understand when he's old enough. This isn't about finding a replacement mother for him.

"As for the rest," he shrugged. "I want to date you, and Sonny has no say in our private lives."

Elizabeth tipped her head to the side, "He won't like it."

"Probably not," he agreed. "But Sonny has to let you live your life, and I'm sure you'll be capable of telling him that."

A whisper of a smile crossed his lips, mirroring his own. "You make me sound like quite the shrew."

"You know you're not," he laughed. "You merely stand up to your brother and let him know when he's becoming too overbearing."

"Then I'll probably be standing up to him quite a bit," she stated. "He never wanted me involved in his life beyond being his sister."

"I'll do all that I can to keep you safe," Jason told her solemnly. "I would always treat you with respect."

She reached out and covered his hand and his skin warmed under his touch. "I know that, Jason. I...I know that in your heart...you are a good man. One that I can trust my heart to. Someone I know won't try to deceive me, or try to deliberately hurt me."

"Never," he vowed, moved by her faith and trust in him. He looked at her, studying her, and then turned his hand to clasp hers. "Why did you go see Brenda?"

"When I left the island, I really didn't intend to," she answered, her voice tight. "I just wanted to get away from there. Sonny was so angry, Sam had left, and I found out that I was the reason people had died. I was the reason Michael no longer had his mother and almost lost his father and I could have been the reason my brother was killed."

"Elizabeth, no," Jason shook his head. Her gathering tears sliced at him more painfully than a knife. "No, you're not-"

"I had to get away from all that," she continued on, not stopping to listen to him. "I had to get away from Sonny's voice in my head and I ran so that I wouldn't drown in guilt every time I saw you or Michael."

Jason moved, reaching out and pulling her to him as her tears crested. "No," he said forcefully. "No. You are not to blame. Brenda said that to hurt Sonny, to try to drive a wedge between you two. She's crazy, but she's selfish and petty and she's angry at Sonny and Jax and she used Luis Alcazar and he exploited the situation. You didn't force anyone to do anything."

"But Carly," she protested against his shirt.

"Was my fault for not being firm enough with her until it was too late," he sighed. "But it was also just who she is. Or...was. She was selfish and she manipulated, and she schemed because she wanted her own way. She refused to listen to what people were saying or warning her about. She thought she could force people to do what she wanted. She wanted me and she made a deal with a person who double-crossed her to get his own agenda. She could have gone to my family and told them the truth about Michael to force me to marry her in order to prove there was a stable, loving home for Michael. She would have done anything to get her way because that was just her nature."

Elizabeth was quiet and pensive for a moment and then nodded, "I'm trying to accept that. That was why I needed to see Brenda; to prove, not to her but to myself, that I wasn't the lost young woman longing for her acknowledgement and then scared I would lose my brother.

"Seeing her there, knowing she failed," the woman in his arms sighed, "It helped me realize she's powerless; she's nothing. And it helped me put her in the past."

Jason tightened his hold on her, "I'm glad. I'm glad you did it, even though you scared me. We knew Lorenzo Alcazar was here, trying to get into see Brenda and we were watching him. When Francis said you were here...I was afraid he would grab you as leverage for some revenge for his brother. It was a long plane ride of worry, anger, fear and praying you were alright."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly against his side.

"It's okay," he shook his head. "Because you're okay and you're here and I have you now."

And now that he had her in his arms and admitted she was in his heart, he wasn't going to let her go. They would return to Port Charles and deal with everyone, and everything, that came their way.

Chapter 37

The first step to really feeling secure was to face Sonny. Otherwise they were merely hiding and pretending. That was why they had returned to Port Charles. It was time to talk to her brother.

"It will be okay," Jason said softly, his hand once again caressing a circle on her back.

She nodded, even though she didn't feel his confidence. The elevator stopped on the floor below Sonny's and the three occupants stepped out and turned for her apartment. Jason took her bags from Francis and told the guard to check in with Sam's and get a detail established for Elizabeth, then he was to take several days off to rest before resuming a rotation on his charge.

As Jason was talking with Francis, Elizabeth dug out her keys and then knocked on the door before sticking the metal into the lock. She didn't want to catch Sam off-guard. Twisting the key and pushing the door open, she jerked her hand back when the structure was yanked out of her hand. Sam was then before her, sweeping her into a hug.

"You're safe; you're alive!" Sam exclaimed in pure delight as she pulled Elizabeth to her.

After she was dragged into the apartment, Sam then turned to Jason, "You found her. You brought her home."

Elizabeth was practically shoved down onto the couch. "I won't ask why you left," Sam continued on. "I know why you left. I won't ask why you came back, but it's good that you did. Your brother needs to talk to you."

She rubbed her head wearily. She knew that it was inevitable, but suddenly she felt as if it was all somehow up to her to fix her brother to ensure the business and the stability of everyone. It was rather daunting and overwhelming. Elizabeth and Sonny did not have the easiest of relationships and this would not help it.

"I'm sorry," Sam said as she sat down on the couch. "You barely got home and I'm shoving all of this on you."

"It's okay," Elizabeth told her friend with a shake of her head. "I understand you're worried about Sonny.

"Yes," her brother's fiancée nodded. "But I was also worried about you. Jason called me on his way to the airport and said Francis had called him. I was worried something had happened if your guard was calling home."

"No," she assured the other woman. "I'm alright. It turned out okay."

When Sam looked at her questioningly, Elizabeth shook her head and said, "Another time. Tomorrow."

"Of course," Sam immediately agreed. "You're tired. You probably want to rest."

Looking over at Jason then back to Elizabeth, the expectant mother said, "I, uh...I think I'll go to my room. I took the guest bedroom, okay?"

"Okay."

With a smile, Sam said, "I'm glad both of you are back. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sam," Jason said. Once she was gone, he sat down beside Elizabeth and she curled into his side. Brushing his hand over her hair he asked, "Are you tired?"

"Not really," she answered. "A little apprehensive."

"I'll be here tomorrow when you talk to Sonny, if you want," he offered. "I won't let him get mad at you, and I won't leave it to you to tell him about us by yourself."

"It might make it worse if you're here," she cautioned.

"Elizabeth, I know he feels bad for getting upset," Jason told her firmly, yet gently. "But he was going to hit you on the island."

She sat up and turned to face him, emphatically shaking her head, "No. No, Jason, he wasn't. He may have been upset with me, but I know my brother, Jason, and he would never hit me. Deke used to hit us, I watched my mother get beaten to death in front of me; he would not hit me. He was just gesturing wildly and I was too close to him. It was not intentional; Sonny would never hit a woman."

"Okay," he said, trying to calm her down. "I was just worried for you and that's why I want to be here. Plus, I won't hide from Sonny about us."

"Okay, we'll see how it goes tomorrow," she conceded, mostly because she didn't want to spend all evening arguing about it. "Sitting here...I'm starting to get tired. And if you leave now, you can help put Michael to bed."

There was no mistaking the desire he had to see his son and he agreed. "I do want to-"

"Then go," she encouraged him. "Go see your son."

Jason leaned forward and kissed her briefly on her cheek, then he stood and left her apartment. Elizabeth pulled herself up off the couch and went to lock the door. Then she grabbed her bags and headed to her room. She wasn't up for questions from Sam tonight. Thankfully she was able to make it to her room without being stopped, and she locked the door behind her.

It had been a long and restless night for Sonny and he was anxious this morning. He had not been able to sleep well after Jason came over and told him Elizabeth was home and would talk to him in the morning. The younger man hadn't stayed to answer questions, and that had only added to his discomfort.

So he'd put his inability to sleep to good use and had cooked. He'd fixed his sister's favorite foods so she could just pull them out of the refrigerator or freezer and heat them up. He'd even fixed some of her favorite desserts. Yes, it was obvious bribery, but she deserved his groveling to go along with the apology he intended to offer her today.

And just to start the morning off right, he'd brought along favorite breakfast foods. Buttery, flakey croissants; thick, steaming Belgium waffles with fresh fruit and cream; hot, crisp bacon; there was no thought for calories or cholesterol today. He didn't, however, bring eggs; because Elizabeth couldn't stand the smell of them. And despite his sister's love of sausage dipped in syrup from her waffles, there was none because Sam could barely stand the smell of meat due to her morning sickness. She could only eat bacon and chicken cooked with cumin.

"Are you planning to feed an army?" Elizabeth asked as the guards brought in the endless containers of food.

"Shameless groveling," he admitted with a shrug. "It's some of your favorites; you just have to heat them up. That way I know you have healthy food to eat and you don't have to worry about seeing me if you don't want to."

His sister looked away uncomfortably.

"Come on," he said as Jason arrived. "Let's eat. Nothing says we can't have a good meal. I brought favorites of everyone."

He turned to smile at his fiancée and said, "Including plenty of bacon."

"Thank you," she said warmly as she kissed him on the cheek.

They ate together in slightly awkward silence until finally everyone had their fill. There was a pause as they looked uneasily at one another, and then Sam stood and looked at Jason. "We'll clean up; you two go talk."

Sonny looked at his sister who appeared decidedly uncomfortable, and then gestured towards the couch. She stood and walked over to the seat and he followed behind her, careful not to crowd her.

"First," he said once they were sitting, "I am sorry. For not talking to you, for yelling at you and scaring you. I was...I was thrown off by hearing Brenda was alive and then seeing her."

Sonny reached for Elizabeth's hand and said, "I want you to know that I don't blame you for what Alcazar did or for Brenda. You aren't responsible for the choices they made."

His sister looked away and he said, "I know you never got along with her and I'm sorry for that. I wanted my sister to like her and I was certain she would love you just as much as I did. I never saw her for the selfish manipulator she was. She hurt you, didn't she?"

Licking her lips she said, "She wanted all of your attention and tried to shove me out of your life. I could never understand why you didn't see what was going on."

He sighed heavily and shook his head, "I don't know, either. I wanted someone in my life and I blinded myself to what was really going on. I want you to know, I don't think you wanted me to be alone. And I certainly don't blame you for our mother's death. That's Deke's fault; not yours."

"I love you, Sonny," Elizabeth told him. "I just want you to be happy."

"I know that," he assured her. "You like Sam and you've been very supportive of me and her. That's how I knew she was good. She likes you. I feel bad because I've found that happiness, and I want that for you."

His sister's pinched her lips together. "You've locked me away on the island behind guards...it's kind-of hard to find someone."

Sonny sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face. Sam had told him he was being unfair and overbearing towards his sister. "I know. I...I just want to take care of you and keep you safe, but I realize I've stifled you. I haven't been fair. It should be your choice where you live."

She looked at him, arching her brow in question. "So if I said I wanted to live in Port Charles that would be alright with you?"

He nodded. "Yes. You've got an apartment and a secure studio. You like Francis, you accept the guards...and I won't stop you from going places around town.

"Well," he amended. "I'll try not to. I'm still your brother and it won't be easy to stifle my instincts that want to keep you locked away inside."

"As long as you're trying," she told him. "Real and honest trying and you agree that we'll talk about things instead of you just bellowing and expecting me to obey."

"Sometimes I need to have things happen," he said. "Safety-"

"I understand that," she agreed. Then she sighed and looked at him uneasily. "And if there was someone that I wanted to date...that would be my choice as well?"

There would always be a part of him that wouldn't like the thought of any man near his sister. But he realized he couldn't deny her the happiness he had. Then Sonny narrowed his eyes; he had the feeling Elizabeth wasn't just talking about hypothetical in the future. While it wasn't a vision, or something he sensed by touching her, he knew his sister well enough to read her. She already had someone definite in mind.

"Elizabeth?" he asked suspiciously. "Is there...is there someone you...that you're interested in?"

She darted her eyes away. First towards the kitchen, then towards the front door. "Uh...yes. There is."

Suddenly he knew and Sonny stood up and declared, "Absolutely not. You are not going to date one of the guards."

"Sonny!" Sam chastised as she bustled from the kitchen as Jason followed behind her.

Elizabeth was on her feet, squaring off against her brother. "It's my life, Sonny, and I..."

She trailed off and peered at him. "A guard? Who said anything about a guard?"

"You did," Sonny insisted. "Besides, who else would it be? Francis defied my orders by leaving with you. He must have done it because of your relationship."

"Francis went with Elizabeth," Jason cut in, "because she would have left without any guard. He considered it his job to keep her safe, no matter what. Even if meant going against your orders."

"There's no relationship between me and Francis," Elizabeth declared. "He's just my guard. I...I actually meant someone else. I meant Jason."

Sonny looked between the two of them and then asked, "Jason?"

"Yes," the blond said, stepping up beside Elizabeth. His hand twitched at his side as if he wanted to touch her, but then stopped.

"My sister?" the older man demanded. "You want to date my sister? You would disrespect me like this after all I've done for you?!"

Elizabeth clenched her hands at her side, but before she could argue with her brother, Sam huffed and rolled her eyes, "Oh, that is just absolutely ridiculous."

Pointing her finger at him she said, "How is Jason disrespecting you? Just because she's your sister? They were honest with you, Sonny, and didn't hide it. But they don't need your permission to date."

"My enforcer wants to date my sister," he spat out angrily.

"Do you have objections to Jason?" Sam asked in a deceptively sweet voice.

Sonny huffed, "That's not it and you know it. I think Jason is a good man, otherwise I wouldn't trust him with my life or business."

Looking back and forth between Elizabeth and Jason he sighed, "I just...I never wanted my sister in this life."

Elizabeth looked over at Sam and then at Sonny, "I know you think I'm better than this life, but, Sonny...I'm in this life. There's no real escaping it because I'm your sister. I'm the one family member people knew you would do anything to protect. I'm constantly surrounded by guards; I rarely meet men not connected to the business. Who else would I meet?"

"If Jason wasn't in the mob, would you object to him?" Sam asked.

"No," he shook his head. "I just..."

He looked at his second, his friend and said, "It's not you, Jason."

"I know," the younger man nodded. "I tried to stay away, tell myself that I shouldn't feel this way. She deserved somebody better than me; somebody who wouldn't put her in danger."

"The same way you felt regarding me," Sam pointed out softly.

"I know," he sighed. "I know I'm using a double standard here."

"You want the best for Elizabeth," Jason said. "So do I. I want the best for her. I want her to be safe, I want her to be happy, I just want her to have a good life."

"I want to see if Jason can be a part of that," Elizabeth said. "I'm not doing this to hurt you or get back at you or anything like that."

Sonny stepped up to her and said, "No, no, I know. I just...this is just a shock. But I won't fight you, and I won't send Jason out of town on business just to keep him away from Port Charles. Just...just bear with me as I adjust to this."

She hugged him, her eyes closing as she rested her head against his shoulder, "I will. And thank you, Sonny."

Sonny held on just a beat longer, and then pulled back. Turning to look at Jason he instructed, "You take care of her."

"I will," Jason assured her brother, shaking the proffered hand, knowing he had nothing to hide if Sonny was searching for something.

"I..." he kissed Elizabeth on her cheek and then said, "I'm going to go."

Sam looked at Elizabeth with a soft smile and then told Sonny, "I'm going to come with you."

Once the door was closed, Elizabeth looked over at Jason. "Did that really happen? I mean, my brother didn't completely flip out on us. He...he actually might accept us dating?"

"Yeah," Jason said softly. "Maybe all those talks he's had with Sam have brought honest change."

"I suppose we'll just have to see," she said with a shrug. "I think I lost my roommate, though."

Jason nodded, in agreement as well. With Sonny and Elizabeth on their way to fixing things, he doubted Sam would continue to live here. She didn't need to fix anything anymore, and he knew that she really wanted to be with the father of her child.

"Let's get out of here," Elizabeth declared suddenly.

He blinked at her, "What? Where...where do you want to go?"

"I don't care," she shook her head. "We can go see Michael; we can go anywhere. Just not here."

Jason held out his hand to her and gave her a coaxing smile, "Let's go for a ride."

A smile curled her lips, delight clear on her face, "That sounds like a great idea. Let's go."

Chapter 38

Edward must have been following him, keeping tabs on him in order to ambush him. How else to explain why the old man was in Kelly's?

"I'm not going to argue in front of Michael," he said calmly, but firmly.

"No, of course not," Edward shook his head in a patronizing, but also upset, manner. "You won't talk to your family and now you hide behind your child and try to make us look bad."

Wagging a finger at Jason the older man said, "It was a tragedy what happened to this sweet, little boy's mother, but this is the time when you should be turning to your family."

He had brought Michael to see Lila at the house, but he had no plans to tell Edward that. He only went when he knew everyone else would be gone. Because he knew that the rest of the Quartermaines, especially Alan and Edward, would try everything possible to insinuate themselves in Michael's life.

"And that...that crook you hang around with is not your family."

"Excuse me."

The old man turned to look at the person who would dare to speak to him and interrupt him. He glared and demanded, "Who are you?! What do you want?"

With a bright, deceptive smile, Elizabeth held out her hand. "Hi. I'm Elizabeth Corinthos; sister of the crook. I'm not sure who you are, but the entire diner is staring at you. More than that, this little boy does not need to see you yelling at his father. Frankly, I expected someone of your generation to have better class and manners."

"This is Edward Quartermaine," Jason said by way of explanation.

"Ah," she raised her eyebrows. "Your grandfather. No wonder you don't want anything to do with much of your family."

"Now see here, young lady," the old man spluttered at her. "You have no class or manners yourself. You're just like that degenerate brother of yours."

"Thank you," she smiled at him. "Better a degenerate than having him ram my head into a tree and rewire my brain while the family covers it up and refuses to see me for who I am."

Edward was stunned silent, even though his mouth opened and closed. Taking advantage of the silence Elizabeth turned to Jason and asked, "Would you like me to take Michael out of here?"

"He's eating his lunch," Jason shook his head. "Would you sit with him?"

"Of course," she immediately assured him and gave him a little smile.

Jason stood and grabbed Edward's arm, propelling him out of the diner. Thankfully the courtyard was empty.

"Now see here," the older man said indignantly as he yanked his arm out of the enforcer's grasp.

"I've told you before to stay away from Michael," he growled low in his throat.

"That boy is a Quartermaine and we have a right to see him."

"He's my son and I don't have to let you do anything," he countered. "It's up to me to decide what's best for him and I will not let you try to mold him into your image or groom him to take over ELQ. He's not even two and he's just realizing his mother is not coming back. I will not have you upsetting him by constantly coming after me."

"You can't stop me," Edward tried in one last attempt of bluster.

There were many ways Jason could stop the old man and they both knew it. From the legal and embarrassing for a man who desired to keep his private life private, to the illegal and messy. But Jason knew he didn't have to resort to either such tactics. He merely had to inform Lila what Edward was up to, and she would cause the old man more problems than Jason ever could.

"I can, and you know it," he said with the promise of the truth. "So stay away from my son and me."

The older man looked over Jason's shoulder through the windows into Kelly's and attacked, "So you'll turn away your family and let that...that mob girl be around your son? Is she going to be his new mother now?"

"Elizabeth is my friend, and Michael is comfortable with her. You don't want to go after her; Sonny is very protective of his sister. And so am I."

Then he turned around and walked back into the diner. Elizabeth had obviously been watching the door and observing the scene through the windows by the way her brow was knit with concern. She was helping Michael with his lunch, but her focus was clearly on Jason.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, keeping her voice light, as he approached the table.

He sat down across from her on Michael's other side and nodded, "Yeah. Edward doesn't know when to stop, but I can handle him. Thank you for sitting with Michael; I didn't want to argue in front of him."

"No problem," she smiled at him. "I'd been at my studio and was hungry so I decided to get lunch. I guess that worked out good for you."

"It worked out good for all of us," he agreed with a smile. "Because now Michael and I can ask you to join us for lunch."

"I'd love to," she said, looking over at Michael and laughing as the toddler crammed a tater tot into his mouth and left a streak of ketchup on his cheek.

"Do you have plans after lunch?" Jason asked.

"I was just working on a painting," she said. "But it's not really working out so I don't mind leaving it for now."

"Then would you like to go to the park with us?" he asked hopefully.

"People will talk," she hedged. "Nice little family outing."

"People will always talk," he told her. "You've been home for over a month, I'm not losing interest, Elizabeth. I don't care what people think or say. We're the only people who matter."

"Then I would love to go with you to the park."

"Has he always loved the swings?" Elizabeth asked as Jason carried Michael, the little boy's head resting against his father's shoulder.

"He loves the water," Jason answered, smoothing his hand over his son's back. "He always has. I've taken him to the beach from the time he was a baby. People would tell me he was too young, but I knew he liked the water."

She smiled at the obvious love he had for his son. "I was just kinda surprised he liked the swings. According to Sonny, I would scream whenever I was on them as a kid. When you said the park, I thought we'd be going to the sandbox since it would be like the beach in a way. But I guess there are no more sandboxes."

"City got rid of them," Jason explained. "Animals used 'em as litter boxes and parents didn't like their kids playing in them so they went to wood chips."

"Then I guess it's a good thing he has the island so he can play in the sand," she smiled indulgently as she brushed her hand over Michael's back. The little boy was falling asleep after a hard afternoon of playing. "And that he likes the swing, because cats can just as easily use those wood chips as sand."

"I know," he agreed. "That's why I set up a play area at Carly's. We had one of those sandboxes that could be covered up to keep animals out. I wonder if I should buy a house so he can have a yard and a place to play."

Elizabeth shrugged, "Can you secure it as well as the penthouse?"

He sighed, "I don't know. I secured Carly's."

As they neared the edge of the park that was close to Kelly's, they waited for Francis to bring the car. Elizabeth looked towards the street that led towards the little diner and tensed when she saw a familiar figure.

"Jason," she touched his arm lightly. "Bobbie's across the street."

He scanned the area and sighed, "She hasn't handled Carly's death very well."

"I know," Elizabeth tried hard not to let bitterness creep into her voice. She had witnessed a couple of times when Bobbie had confronted Jason, suffering in her grief over her daughter's death. But she didn't think it right for the older woman to go after Jason for things that truly weren't his fault; Carly was a grown woman who knew what she was doing when she went against the man raising her son and taking care of her all in an effort to manipulate him into doing what she wanted. It only made Jason feel worse, and she didn't want that to happen again today.

Francis pulled up with the car and Elizabeth noticed it drew Bobbie's attention which pulled it to the father and son beside it. "Maybe I should take Michael and go back to the penthouse. That way you can talk to her."

"No," he shook his head. "I'm going to have Francis take him back. Leticia will be there to watch him."

"Are you worried she'll be upset if I take Michael?"

"She might be," Jason answered, "but I'd already called Leticia to meet Francis. I was hoping we could do something together. Just the two of us."

A pit of warmth formed in her stomach at the look he gave her. While she enjoyed spending time with him and his son, she also liked when it was just the two of them. And that Jason seemed to try to create time for just them, so it wasn't just them hanging out at each other's places.

Jason put Michael into his car seat, moving slowly to avoid waking the little boy up. Once the straps were secure and snug, Jason straightened, but didn't close the door. Bobbie was crossing the street and it was obvious she was heading straight for them.

"He's asleep," he said as the grandmother approached. "But you can look in on him."

She gave him a grateful smile as she bent down to look in on her grandson. Her posture and face softened as she gazed wistfully at Michael for a little while. Then she stepped back and straightened. Jason closed the door and nodded to Francis who was standing by the driver's door.

"Oh," Bobbie said. "You weren't leaving with him?"

"It's his naptime," Jason said, and then the conversation paused as Francis drove away.

"Is he doing okay?" Bobbie asked. "Michael...he's adjusting?"

"He is," Jason tried to assure her. "He knows my house. I think he misses Carly's house, but he's doing okay. I...I was wondering about getting a house so that he had a play area like he was used to."

"You could always just move into Carly's," Bobbie suggested.

Even before she saw his grimace, Elizabeth knew Jason wouldn't like that suggestion. There was no way Jason wanted to live in Carly's house. Not only that, but it couldn't be good for Michael to live in the house he shared with his mother when she was now dead. While Jason had tried to explain to the little boy that his mother was gone and wouldn't be coming back, he wasn't two years old yet and he couldn't fully understand. To go back to Carly's house would confuse him and make him wonder when his mom was coming home.

"I don't think that would be good for Michael," Jason said hesitantly. "He doesn't really understand Carly's gone; I don't think it would help if he went back to where he lived with her."

She sighed shakily, "I guess that was just me projecting. I just...I can't bear the thought of packing up her house and having someone else buy it and live there. But you...you should live where you think is best for you and your son."

The older woman looked over at Elizabeth and the artist could hear the question in her mind. The nurse was wondering if Elizabeth would one day be moving in to live with Michael and Jason. If that was the reason Jason didn't want to move into Carly's house. While the older woman had known Jason was not in love with Carly, and that her daughter had done all she could to make Jason love her, Elizabeth wondered whether Bobbie would view Jason loving someone else as a betrayal to Carly or merely the inevitable.

"I know it's been hard on you to deal with what happened to Carly," Jason said gently. "I've tried to give you the time-"

"I know," Bobbie cut in. "I need to pack up her belongings."

"If you want my men to pack up the house, they can do that," he offered.

She shook her head, "No. I'll pack up her things. You don't need to do that."

"Then just call one of my men and set it up," Jason said kindly.

"I will," the older man said. Then she looked over at Elizabeth and then back to Jason. "Well, I should go. You two probably have plans."

Then she walked away and Elizabeth looked over at Jason, "I don't know what you were thinking of doing, but I'd rather just go to my studio. I'm afraid of staying in public and running into another person who is going to question us or insinuate that we're going to move in together and raise Michael and I'm just a substitute for Carly.

"Or," she sighed. "I'd run into Mike, and frankly, I'm not up for any of that."

Jason put his hand at her waist, settling his broad palm on her back. "Then let's go."

As Jason locked to the door to the studio, Elizabeth moved across the room and draped a cloth over her painting. He didn't know if it was because she didn't want him to see it or because it wasn't working and she didn't want to look at it. He actually didn't care because he was more concerned about her and how quiet she'd become after they left the park.

He walked up behind her as she stood at the window looking down on the docks. She didn't tense or pull away from him and it encouraged him to step closer and put his arms around her. With a sigh she leaned back against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked after they stood in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm fine," she told him. "I just...I felt like people were fighting with you because of me. I don't want to cause problems in your life, or especially Michael's life."

"Edward and Bobbie didn't fight with me because of you," he told her. "Bobbie wasn't even arguing."

"They all want to know if I'm going to be his stepmom or Daddy's special friend and play Mommy to him. I..." she swallowed and he could feel her tense. "I guess I'm just sensitive to it because I remember my mom's dates and then there was Deke. I just want Michael to be happy and well-adjusted."

"He will be," Jason said. "Hopefuly. But I don't plan for him to have a never-ending string of Daddy's Special Friends."

Tightening his hold around her, he pressed a kiss to her temple. When she melted into his embrace and tilted her head further to the side he was quick to take advantage of the move and kissed her jaw and then her neck. In the time that they'd been dating, they had gotten to know each other. They had deepened their understanding and knowledge as friends, but that was not the only way they had grown together.

Because Elizabeth had been taken advantage of by men she trusted, Jason wanted to show her that his interest in her was romantic, not just sexual. They had grown closer physically, but had not yet slept together. A fact he suspected was beginning to torture them both. However, Jason had learned about the sensitive spot on her neck and he took full advantage of that now.

"There is only one person I'm interested in, Elizabeth," he said between assaults on her neck. "You. So whatever happens is between us, and I'm not going to make decisions based on what other people think, and I'm not seeking a substitute or a stepmother. If you end up playing a role in Michael's life, it's because you're in my life."

She turned around to face him, determined to be an active participant and not merely passive. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the wooden floor with a thud.

"I need you to know, Elizabeth," he told her. "I don't know what exactly will happen between us, but I'm not walking away any time soon."

She took his face between her hands and gazed into his eyes. "I believe you, Jason. I do. I just worry about affecting Michael negatively. That I could somehow hurt things, especially if anyone ever found out the truth about him. I would walk away in order to keep the two of you together."

"No," he shook his head. "No walking away. We'll figure this out together, and I firmly believe you could never hurt Michael by being in his life."

He kissed her deeply, "Just like you could never hurt my life by being in it. You only make it better."

Then he kissed her again and hoped he had eased her fears. Or at least silenced them. Because the time for talking was over, and as her fingers pulled his shirt up and began to dance over his skin he realized they both knew it.

Chapter 39

Even though the scale of the wedding was reduced, the heads of the other Five Families, as well as key figures from other associates were there. It was a veritable Who's Who of the mob, and the local police and Feds were all swarming around hoping to make a bust. Their own security was heightened, augmented by men from Doyle's organization and anyone found trying to bring a gun, for personal security of course, to the ceremony was escorted off the premises.

In between trying to ensure safety, keep peace and deal with Federal agents trying to imitate members of the catering staff, Jason was exceptionally busy. But Elizabeth knew he did not mind. He wanted her brother to have a stress-free, or at least stress-reduced, wedding day. Due to his and the guards' efforts the day was a beautiful success. Sonny and Sam married and after a beautiful reception they jetted off to their honeymoon. Nobody knew where Sonny was planning to take his bride, except that it would not be to the island.

After Sonny and Sam left, the party still continued at the reception. Except that the men clustered together in groups to talk business. Finally, wives, girlfriends, or merely time drew everyone away. Then it was only the men from Sonny and Jason's organization, making sure everything was taken care of and loading the gifts to take to Sonny's home. Elizabeth oversaw it all, ensuring Sam's day and vision remained unspoiled.

"You should go," Jason told her when he came upon her ensuring the caterers had all their dishes and containers and thanking them for all they did. "It's late."

"Actually," she smirked with a glance at the clock on the kitchen wall. "It's early."

"Elizabeth," he sighed, clearly not appreciative of her teasing at two in the morning. "The men can oversee this; you should not be here."

"Then why are you here?" she asked, before stepping forward to shake the lead caterer's hand and press a tip into the woman's hand for her and her staff.

Once the last person was gone, Jason stepped forward and rested his hands on her bare shoulders. "I'm overseeing the men, but you don't have to."

"Sonny is my brother," she responded. "Our mother is dead, so is Sam's. It is my duty to help, and that's what I'm doing."

"Okay," he sighed, choosing not to prolong the discussion. He must have realized she would not yield. His thumbs brushed lightly over her skin, igniting warmth and desire in her.

"I don't know if I told you how beautiful you looked today," he said, lowering his head to drop a kiss on her shoulder.

He hadn't with his words, but she had seen it in his eyes when she walked down the aisle ahead of Sam. She had seen brotherly love and affection from Sonny as he looked at her, but she'd also seen him looking beyond her, anxious for who would come after her. But in Jason's eyes, she had seen delight to see her and pure appreciation for the dress Sam had chosen for her. For just the briefest moment, pure, unbridled want radiated from him before it was banked into something just below the surface.

"I wanted to shoot every man who looked at you and asked you dance," he growled low in his throat. "Why couldn't Sam have picked an ugly dress for you to wear? There were too many men who clearly wanted to drag you off to a corner and ravage you."

"And yet the man I would have gladly let do so was always off somewhere else," she pouted teasingly as his kisses increased up her shoulder and moved to her neck. He delighted in taking advantage of that sensitive spot. "I only got to dance once with you."

"I don't dance," he told her. "But I should have danced more with you."

"I know you had to talk to your different associates," she absolved him. "Sonny spoke to some of them, but the task mostly fell to you."

"And you were left to make nice to men who kept trying to feel you up," he said, the words clearly distasteful on his tongue. "I told Francis to keep an eye on you."

"He did," she assured him. "And others watched out for me and stepped in if someone crossed the line. No one really wanted to have any problems because some second son or foolish employee couldn't hold his liquor and offended the organization by disrespecting Sonny Corinthos' sister and Jason Morgan's woman?"

"My woman?" he smiled against her shoulder.

"Oh, yes," Elizabeth confirmed. "It was a good thing the priest couldn't see the look you gave me. It said you wanted to be anywhere but there, as long as I was with you and we were alone."

"I hope I didn't embarrass you," he told her, contrition in his voice.

She learned her head against his shoulder. "You didn't. It was kinda nice to know someone wanted to see me."

Jason kissed her shoulder again and then spun her around to face him, "I'm always happy to see you."

He kissed her, moving his lips over hers. He took a step forward, backing her up against the stainless steel counter in the industrial kitchen. Dropping his hands to her waist, he lifted her up onto it, never once removing his mouth from hers.

"Can I ask you a question?" Elizabeth asked as they walked through the reception hall and made sure the guests and workers were gone. The last of the guards were checking the building and assuring Jason could leave.

"Yeah," he told her as he put his tuxedo jacket around her shoulders.

"Did Sonny really not want Mike at the wedding or did he just do that for me?"

"Mike was never on the guest list," Jason told her as they walked out to the waiting car. "Sonny doesn't get along with him and he didn't want Mike here. It was also about you because he knew it would hurt you and he wanted you here today."

"You wouldn't just be saying that, would you?" she laughed as she leaned against him.

"No," he told her, brushing his hand over her hair. She nestled her head against his shoulder and he watched as she blinked and slowly drifted to sleep. He rested his cheek against her head and breathed in the scent of her shampoo. She was absolutely exhausted but she hadn't wanted to go home, feeling she owed it to Sam and Sonny to oversee their wedding planner and not just pass the responsibility off.

When they reached the building, Elizabeth didn't wake up and he didn't try to make her. There was no reason to. He simply carried her to the elevator and upstairs. She half-woke as he helped her get ready for bed, but as soon as he put her under the covers she fell right back asleep. After Jason changed, he checked on Michael, left a note for Leticia and then went back to his room. He crawled in bed next to Elizabeth, draped his arm over her waist and soon was asleep.

Elizabeth woke and blinked lazily until she realized that the window was in the wrong place. She heard a noise behind her and she bolted from the bed, taking the sheet with her. And then she sagged against the dresser when she saw Jason sitting up in bed blinking in confusion.

"Elizabeth?"

"Jason?"

"What's going on?" he asked as he looked at her and then rested his elbows on his raised knees.

"This isn't my room," was all she could think to say.

"It's my room," he said, tilting his head to the side. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I just...we've never come here before; we've always gone to my place. I just didn't know where I was and I was disoriented. I don't like waking up in strange places."

"It's okay," he said, holding his hand out to her. "Come back to bed."

Padding back across the room, she settled the comforter over them. Elizabeth shivered slightly at the cool sheets underneath her. He helped tuck the thick blanket over her and wrapped his arm around her as they sat back against the headboard.

"I'm sorry you were startled."

With a laugh, she said, "I was in the twilight space and so was just trying to figure out where I was. Then I heard you snore behind me and for that brief moment I thought I was drunk and left with someone or something like that."

"Don't you know I would never let you leave with someone else? Drunk or not?" he asked. His voice was light, but there was also a seriousness in the question.

"I do," she told him sincerely. "It's just the combination of everything. I'm tired; it's early, not enough sleep, waking up in a strange room."

"You need more sleep," he told her, sliding back down in the bed until he was no longer sitting. She allowed him to coax her to do the same until she was stretched out beside him.

After waking up so suddenly she thought there was no way she could fall back asleep. The sun was up; Michael would be up soon if he wasn't already. How was she supposed to sleep now? But as Jason held her and she slowly warmed in the cocoon of his arms, she found herself growing drowsy. They didn't talk and as she found her eyelids growing heavy she found herself wondering why Jason had brought her to his penthouse when she had never spent the night before.

Jason woke about an hour later and looked over at Elizabeth. She was still asleep and he took the time to watch her. Gently he eased from the bed and pulled on a pair of sweats and a shirt. When he stepped out into the hall he could hear sounds of Michael playing downstairs. When he made his way down the steps, Michael looked up from his toys and ran towards him.

"Dada!"

He picked up his son and hugged him close. "Good morning, Michael. Have you been good for Leticia this morning?"

The little boy nodded with a big smile, even though he was more interested in pulling at the collar of Jason's shirt. Leticia walked out of the kitchen and greeted him; she was going to take Michael to Bobbie's for lunch and playtime, but Jason had wanted to see his son before the pair left.

"Thank you, Leticia," he told the nanny.

She smiled, "You're welcome, Mr. Morgan. How was the wedding for Mr. Corinthos and Miss McCall?"

"Good," he answered as he held out Michael's arm so she could put on the little boy's coat. "Everyone enjoyed themselves and there were no problems. They left for their honeymoon last night."

"I saw pictures of Miss McCall's...Mrs. Corinthos' dress. I bet she was beautiful."

She had been, but Jason had spent his time watching Elizabeth. But Leticia didn't seem to require an answer and after Jason hugged Michael and told him to listen to Leticia and Bobbie, the two of them left. Then Jason checked with the guard on his door to make sure there weren't any problems he needed to deal with, before heading into the kitchen.

Even though it was nearly noon, he fixed coffee and breakfast for him and Elizabeth. When he returned to his room, she was just beginning to stir. Setting the tray on the side table, he sat down beside Elizabeth and gently brushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered and then snapped open, looking up at him.

"Remember where you are?" he teased her.

She frowned, "That's not fair. It was early and I'd just woken up. You can't blame me for anything I might say or do."

"Actually," he said as he reached for the tray of food. "I think you were most honest then because you weren't censoring yourself."

When she looked at him sharply he explained, "You were correct; I've never brought you here before. In all the weeks we've been together, we've never spent the night together here."

"I know that's because Michael and Leticia are here and there's nobody at my apartment," she said. Whether she was trying to absolve him or if she was truly alright with it, he wasn't sure.

"That was a part of it," he said. "But not because I didn't want you around Michael or anything like that. I wanted us to be alone, to just have time to ourselves. Your brother lives across from the hall from me and I know that he's trying to accept us, but I didn't want him to think we were flaunting our relationship or trying to provoke him."

"Oh," she breathed out, holding her coffee cup in her hands. "I never thought of that."

"And I didn't bring you here last night just because Sonny's gone now."

"Because Michael is still here," she said knowingly.

Jason took the mug from her hand and set it by their uneaten food. Then he took her hands and said, "I brought you here last night because it was time."

"Time?" she questioned.

"Sonny and Sam formally joined their lives last night, even thought they were joined already and everyone knew it. I wanted to join all aspects of our lives. No more separation, no more only being together partly. Both you and Michael are my life, and it's time to act that way. Otherwise, you're just the woman I'm sleeping with but am hiding from my son."

He'd heard some of the men last night at the reception and not all of it was crude or lascivious discussions about how beautiful she looked. Some of the older men thought Jason was not just disrespecting Sonny, but he was also disrespecting Elizabeth. He would hide - and not very successfully after the look he gave her before the ceremony - in the back rooms, but he wouldn't be honest in about his feelings towards Elizabeth by letting them see daylight.

"I know I've always said I don't care what people say, but I won't give anyone cause to speak ill about you, or our relationship," he told her. "Because I love you."

Elizabeth gasped and tears filled her eyes.

"I want our lives to be together, and have everyone know that. I want that, Elizabeth," he told her. "I want it all with you. Marriage, a family with Michael, and maybe more children one day."

"Jason," she breathed out reverently.

"Sonny knew when he met Sam that she was the woman for him."

"Sam knew, too. She knew she'd marry him. It wasn't for his power or anything like that that attracted her."

"It was love," he agreed. "It may have been a little longer for us to figure out, but I knew what I want, Elizabeth, and it's you. And one day we'll have it."

"I love you, Jason," she said, leaning forward to kiss him.

"When I first met you and you wrote that sentence for me, I knew more than that you were the man my brother sent. I saw your strength, your honesty, your integrity and your loyalty in that color. I wanted to paint it because I wanted it with me forever and handwriting can fade over time. I was trying to keep you with me forever. I didn't know then all that I saw or felt, but I know now. I love you and one day I do want it all with you, Jason. Whenever it comes."

It would come, and probably sooner than she ever believed or expected. But Jason wouldn't rush it today. He told her what he wanted and knew she wanted the same. For today, they would just enjoy all they had revealed and discovered. Tomorrow they would begin on the rest.

The End

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