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Chapter 10

Elizabeth walked into the church, right beside Jason and a half step behind Sarah. She could feel the heat from Jason's hand as it hovered above the small of her back, but didn't quite touch it. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself it was a funeral, not exactly the time to let her fancy go off. She squinted her eyes as they adjusted to the dim interior, and she took notice of the different groups of people that were gathered about. Finally they passed through the entryway and into the main part of the church.

She felt Jason tense as they stepped inside, and she knew why when she saw the Quartermaines stop talking and stare. Typical. They were probably wondering how he had the nerve to show up. She glanced over at Jason, and as expected, his face was a wall of ice. He was staring at nothing and revealing nothing.

She let her eyes continue to scan the room and bit back a sigh when she saw that Sonny was staring intently in their direction. Leaning toward him she said, "I think Sonny wants you."

He followed her gaze over to where Sonny was standing with Carly and then looked back at her. "Probably."

"It's alright," she said, trying to reassure him. "He probably needs you. Go ahead. I'm going to talk to A.J. anyway."

He cast a small glance in Sonny's direction before turning his gaze back on her. "Alright. I'll be back shortly."

Then he slowly walked towards the older man, not sparing a glance at the Quartermaines. When he reached Sonny and Carly, the three formed a tight knot and leaned in toward each other as they began talking. Elizabeth turned back to Sarah and briefly closed her eyes. She didn't expect him to come back. They'd spent time together in the studio, and now Sonny would probably demand his full attention. It hurt, but she expected it. Low expectations. It was just easier to send him off to Sonny rather than have the man stand around glowering in their direction the entire time as Jason pretended to ignore him and be attentive to her. Plus, she figured it would be less tense if she went to talk to A.J. without Jason beside her.

"I want to talk to A.J. and Mike," she said quietly to her sister. Churches always seemed to bring out people's soft voices.

"I'll come with you," Sarah nodded.

Together the two sisters made their way to the front of the church where the two men were standing next to an older blonde. The trio was next to the coffin, receiving condolences from the slow line of people passing by. The blonde must be Courtney's mother. Elizabeth had never really seen her, but figured that she would return for her daughter's funeral. Bobbie and Tammy were in front of them, and the older women were taking a few moments to express their sympathy. It gave Elizabeth some time to look around at the flowers and more people as they trickled in.

As Elizabeth watched Tammy talking to Mike she wondered what had become of their relationship. She hadn't seen Mike around Kelly's very much, and hadn't heard Tammy mention him recently. She hoped that even if it wasn't Tammy, that Mike had somebody there to provide some support. The older blonde didn't look like she cared about anybody else except the fact that her daughter was dead.

Finally Tammy stepped forward, keeping the line progressing, and Elizabeth stopped in front of Mike. They kept their comments brief, Elizabeth mentioning that she would miss having Courtney around. It wasn't entirely a lie; she would never wish death on anyone. She remembered how Luke and Laura were when they thought Lucky had died in the fire and she hoped Mike found a way to cope better than they had. She didn't hold out too much hope though when she caught the faint odor of alcohol waft over her.

Finally pulling away from Mike, she shuffled toward A.J. where Sarah was talking to him. Elizabeth stood quietly by as they finished and then stepped forward as A.J. shifted his gaze.

"Thank you for coming," A.J. said quietly, sounding like he was talking on autopilot.

"I'm very sorry, A.J.," she said. "I know how much you two loved each other."

A.J. nodded, but said nothing. She didn't really expect him too. He was probably too numb to process much of anything. She knew there were others waiting behind her, and etiquette dictated she should move on, but she felt she had to add, "I know how lost I felt when I thought Lucky died. I felt like no one could hear me and how much I hurt. If you ever just need to talk, please- I'd be happy to just listen. I know how it helped to have someone there for me."

A.J. blinked and Elizabeth felt he was truly looking at her for the first time. He managed to choke out a thank you, as fresh tears came to his eyes. "I would appreciate that."

"Any time," she said with a slight smile, and then walked away, following behind Sarah as they looked for seats. She raised her gaze to scan the back rows of the church and stopped. "Oh, no."

"What?" Sarah asked, turning back towards her.

Elizabeth didn't really hear Sarah; all she could see was Edward, Alan and Ned descending upon Jason and Sonny. Edward was looking extremely agitated and flushed and she knew he was gunning for the two men. Did Edward ever pass up an opportunity to go after anyone? Couldn't he even respect the sanctity of a church? When he stopped, flanked by his son and grandson, Elizabeth's only thought was, Apparently not.




By the time Edward and his entourage descended upon them, Jason was already in a terribly foul mood. Carly had been making snide remarks on the fact that he had walked in with Elizabeth. When he mentioned that he'd given her a ride over, she nearly threw a fit in the middle of the church. It was only because he'd shot her a scathing look and told her to drop it that she finally stopped. Or maybe it was because she was also pretending to be upset with him that he hadn't called her. He figured it was the latter, since him not calling her back dealt with her and why would Carly choose to be upset about someone else when she could claim injury.

Because she had, after all, left a message for him and he'd yet to talk to her. Apparently, she didn't, or wouldn't, understand that he'd been a little busy the past couple of days. Getting shot at and then having to track down someone didn't leave a lot of free time for chitchat. And did she even express concern over him? No, it was just that she was in a huff because he hadn't called her back right away.

Sonny had eyed her curiously as she'd gone on, wanting to know why she needed to talk to Jason so badly, especially about Brenda. Carly told him it was nothing, really, she just wanted to see if he had any ideas about how to get Brenda out of town. She'd tried to pass it off as nothing, but Jason knew otherwise, and he suspected Sonny did as well. But he didn't care. He was not getting involved in another crazy Carly scheme that was only bound to backfire.

Brenda had given him enough of a headache when she was locked up with Sonny, he planned on giving her a wide berth from here on out. Carly would just have to deal with this herself, learn to trust Sonny, or just grow up. Maybe it was time to treat Carly like the adult she claimed to be and just let her deal with the consequences of her actions. After all, she was going on and on the other day about how she was teaching Michael that sometimes he had to deal with the unpleasant effects of his decisions. Jason was beginning to realize Robin had been right; as long as he continued to bail Carly out, nothing would truly ever change. And he was getting tired of constantly having to swoop down to her rescue and save her from herself.

To top it off, he was in pain. He was tired and it felt like every time his heart beat the wound in his side throbbed in echo. Elizabeth had been able to tell he was hurt, how come the people who claimed to be closest to him couldn't? How come they couldn't sense he just wanted to sit down and stop listening to them flap their jaws?

"How dare you show up here," Edward hissed at them as he came to a stop.

"And why wouldn't we?" Carly huffed, pushing her way forward. "Sonny is Courtney's brother."

"He's a criminal," Edward said, shaking his head in indignation, a move that caused his jowls to quiver. Then he jerked his finger at Jason, "And this thug here, who claims to be my grandson, is the person responsible for the gun that killed her."

"Jason has never claimed to be your grandson, so why would you pull out that card now?" Carly snapped.

Jason took a deep breath and kept his gaze focused on a spot on the wall behind the three men. He wanted to tell Carly to shut up, to just ignore the old man, but he wouldn't give Edward the pleasure of letting him know Jason was even aware of the conversation going on around him.

"That's right," A.J. said, joining the trio, and bringing more attention with him. "But that doesn't mean they don't love him anyway. What are you two doing here? Didn't you hurt Courtney enough while she was alive?"

"She was my sister," Sonny said calmly, speaking for the first time since everyone had shown up. "I have a right to be here."

"Well, you've come, paid your respects, now go."

"I'm not ready to say good-bye yet," he countered. Jason just shook his head. Sonny appeared to be just like the Quartermaines, willing to use any situation to get a dig in on a nemesis. He would deliberately stay just to provoke A.J.

"Well, I've just decided to make this a private funeral. And you're not invited. So leave or I will call the police." A.J. then rounded on Edward and said, "And if you can't respect my wife's memory, then you can leave as well."

Then he walked away and returned to the front of the church where the reverend was waiting. Edward shot the trio one last look and then stormed away, blustering under his breath about deviants and unseemly characters.

"We should go," Jason said softly, but he was sure it carried. The whole room had fallen silent, everyone staring at them to watch what happened next.

To his credit, and Jason's relief, Sonny kept his voice down, but still refused. "This is my sister. Quartermaine can't kick me out."

"He can and he did, Sonny," Jason told him. "Taggart is watching, don't give him a reason to go after you. You two go outside, I'll be out in just a few minutes."

"Jase, come on," Carly said, her voice taking on a bit of a whine. "Ditch the little twit and just come back with us. I still want to talk to you, and I'm sure Sonny does too."

"Go," he grit out through clenched teeth. "I'll be out in a minute."

Then he turned and headed towards Elizabeth, who had slowly begun making her way to the foyer doors. She didn't resist when he placed his hand on her elbow to lead her, didn't say anything, just went. He noted with irritation that Taggart was following behind.

"I'm sorry," he began.

"For what? For Edward? He was wrong and he knows it. I don't care what he said," she paused, frowned, then continued. "Well, I do, but that's only because you know I hate people picking on my friends."

"I remember," he said with a faint smile.

"So are you and Sonny going?"

"Yeah. I think it's best." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "A.J.'s just being A.J."

"He has a right to his grief. He was wrong to kick out Sonny, though." She looked like that statement was painful and sour in her mouth. "But grief...grief is a hard and funny thing."

He was transported back three years ago when Elizabeth was mourning for a boy she thought was dead. He may not ever agree with his brother, but Jason could appreciate Elizabeth's defense of him, looking at his actions based on her memories.

"Do you want me to call Francis, have him pick you up afterwards?" he asked, feeling Taggart move in and wanting to be sure she was properly looked after. He was certain the lieutenant was going to question him and he'd probably want to do it down at the PCPD.

"No," Elizabeth shook her head. "I came to pay my respects to Mike and A.J. I don't need to listen to the service or watch them bury her."

"Alright, I'll drive you home." He could hear the service beginning, and Elizabeth was heading towards the outside door, so she must have already said good-bye to her sister. He almost breathed easy until Taggart's voice boomed, just as he went to open the door.

"Not so fast, Morgan."

He turned, setting a comforting hand on Elizabeth's arm.

"What?"

"I have some questions to ask you. About your sister-in-law's death and also about the shooting on the docks three nights ago."

"Fine. I was going to take Elizabeth home. I'll answer your questions once I've done that."

"You'll come down with me now. I'll have an officer escort Miss Webber home. It's probably safer that way." Turning his gaze to the young woman and acting like Jason wasn't even there he continued, "When are you going to realize that hanging around Jason is only going to get you hurt or killed, Elizabeth? Look what happened to Courtney."

To her credit, Elizabeth said nothing, though her eyes blazed and her jaw clenched. Letting out a slow breath she said, "Last I heard it was a stalker."

"Same difference," Taggart muttered. He gestured for them to go outside and Jason complied, keeping his hand on Elizabeth's arm.

He knew as soon as Sonny saw Taggart with him that he'd out of the limo and up the steps of the church. And right on cue, the door opened and Sonny marched towards them. Elizabeth tensed and stepped away from Jason slightly. Jason knew why. Getting close to him was one thing, getting close to Sonny again would be another matter. She had probably shifted her anger from him onto his boss.

"What's going on?"

"I need to ask Anger Boy some questions, and I'm taking down to headquarters."

"Lieutenant Taggart-"

"Sonny," Jason cut in. "Call the lawyer and have him meet me there. Could you do me a favor and take Elizabeth home please?"

Several people all spoke at once.

"Jason, really, I'm fine."

"Jase, you can't seriously want us to give her a ride home."

"I said I'd have an officer take her home."

"I'll take her."

A voice cut through the clamoring, and Jason's wondering how Carly had shown up so quietly to voice her outrage. They all looked up to see Sarah Webber walking towards them.

"I got paged to GH, and Elizabeth's studio is on the way."

"Thank you, Sarah," Elizabeth nearly beamed. Jason knew she'd hate the idea of riding home with Sonny, but he was not going to leave her stranded.

"Thank you," Jason said to the other Webber sister. Then he pulled Elizabeth close and leaned down so only she could hear. "Call Francis. Sonny doesn't know he's guarding you. I'll call you when I'm done."

"Alright," she said and took a step towards Sarah. "See you later?"

"Yeah," he half smiled.

"Okay," she said, and then she was gone.

He turned to Taggart, ignoring Sonny and Carly. He didn't feel like dealing with Carly and her Elizabeth hatred, or Sonny's wondering looks about what he'd whispered to Elizabeth. Eventually he'd tell his boss about Francis, but not now and not in front of Carly. Looking Taggart in the eye he said, "Let's get this over with."

"By all means, Morgan," the police officer smirked.

They walked away and Sonny called out that he'd call their lawyer. Jason hoped he did, because that's the only thing he wanted from Sonny Corinthos at this moment. And the sooner Sonny did his job, the sooner he'd be able to leave the police station.

Chapter 11

He sat on the docks, lost in thought. He'd come down to check on the rebuilding of the warehouse, really just needing a distraction. Construction was right on schedule, of course, owning the construction company and being the only building project they were doing guaranteed a certain efficiency. The building was set to re-open before the end of the year. Not a bad turn around time.

He needed some space, some time to think. The walls of the penthouse were closing in around him ever since Courtney's funeral. Four days of would haves, could haves and should haves had been tumbling around inside his head. Carly had been trying to help out, but all he wanted to do was to sink into the darkness that beckoned at him.

Jason hadn't been around very much lately. Castinelli and the other families were still making rumblings, though after the pier shooting things were quieter. But he and Benny were tracking down every lead generated by the information Jason had gotten. It wasn't very much, but it was building, and Jason was working hard on it.

He almost got the feeling that Jason was avoiding him, still angry with him for some reason he couldn't understand. Jason would come in, give his report and be gone as soon as he could. It was just a boss/employee interaction. He couldn't help but recall Jason's words when he said that he'd been treating the younger man as just another employee. That wasn't true, was it? He hadn't been treating his friend like that, had he? But ever since he'd gotten Jason a lawyer when Taggart had taken him down to the police station, the other man was hardly ever around, and had left as soon as Taggart set him free and didn't come home until later that night.

He was pulled from his thoughts by approaching footsteps. He knew his guards were around the docks, so he couldn't really be in danger. He looked up and almost wished it was Castinelli or even Taggart when it was it was Mike.

"Michael," Mike said as he approached.

"What do you want, Mike?" Sonny asked as he stood up.

"I wanted to ask you how you could do that at Courtney's funeral."

"Hey, it was A.J. who kicked me out of my own sister's service," he said forcefully. He had been wondering how long it would take Mike to come down and yell at him.

"Oh, so now she's your sister. Pretty convenient now that she's dead."

"What is that supposed to mean? I cared about Courtney."

"How?" Mike questioned. "By trying to destroy her husband in her eyes every chance you got? By turning your back on her just because she didn't immediately bow down and worship at the altar of Sonny? By never trying to get to know her?"

"She made it pretty clear she didn't want anything to do with me. I tried to help her out, after the Quartermaines cut off A.J., when she was stripping, I offered her a guard when she was being stalked. She turned me down every time," Sonny protested. He couldn't believe his father of all people was mad at him for not being there for someone.

"You offered her money, but you also couldn't help gloating and relishing in the fact that you were swooping in to help after her husband had failed," Mike countered. "You only came around when you could look like a savior and never was there for the every day moments. Is it any wonder she turned your money down?"

"What about my help? When she was stripping, when she was being stalked?"

"You offered help and when she turned you down you walked away and never gave her a second thought."

"I put Jason on her, at the Oasis, and when A.J. was out of town."

"Right," Mike scoffed. Sonny couldn't believe that Mike was so livid at him. "You shoved her off on Jason. That's your answer for everything. Someone has a problem, give 'em a guard. Did you ever try spending time with her? Or was it just easier to act like you cared?"

"I did care," Sonny hissed.

"Of course," the other man mocked. "You never even tried after you came back from the dead, even though she had been beating herself up for never getting to know you. All you would have needed to do was reach out, but you probably just got off on the fact that you had so many people who mourned you. No time to care how they felt."

"I reached out when she was in trouble. Is it my fault she turned me turned me down?" Mike certainly couldn't find fault with that. He'd had Jason guarding her, and then she and her husband had sent him home. Sonny offered a different one when Jason was unavailable. Courtney has still said no.

"Of course not," Mike sing-songed. "It never is your fault, is it? You offered, she said no, you're absolved, right? When has somebody saying no ever stopped you when you truly cared."

Sonny blinked and took a small step back, not liking the turn of the conversation. Mike advanced with him and kept going.

"When you left Brenda, you had guards on her. Even after she found out and demanded Jason remove them, they stayed because you'd ordered them. You have ignored Carly's wants more times than anyone could count, from moving her in with you when she was pregnant to taking her to the island after she got a restraining order on you. When something truly matters to you, you never let anything stand in your way.

"But Courtney said no and that was it. It was out of your hands. So you were off having an nice romantic dinner with your wife, plenty of guards ensuring your protection, while your sister was fighting for her life."

"It wasn't my fault!" Sonny yelled.

"Yes, it is. Because you are a selfish, cold-hearted bastard who can't see beyond himself anymore. It's always about you, and everybody else be hanged. You used to care, you used to try. I find it hard to believe that you're the same person who took care of Stone. You've changed, Michael, and not for the better."

He started to walk away, but stopped and turned back. "I have tried for so long to earn your forgiveness, to try and come back into your life. Well, I'm through. You're no longer somebody I want to know. From now on, Michael Corinthos, Junior, you are dead to me."

Then Mike spun on his heel and walked away. Sonny stood there, his hands in his coat pockets and stared at the man's back. Several minutes later he sat down on the bench, a feeling of numbness coming over him. If he'd been at the penthouse he was certain every crystal in the house would have been broken by now. Instead, all he could was stare at the choppy water and replay Mike's words over and over in his head.




"Hey, Marissa," Elizabeth said as her co-worker walked into the diner. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Hey, Liz," the other woman smiled at her. "Long day?"

"You could say that," she said. She tried to laugh, but all she felt was relief. Just then there was another crash from the back.

"Oh boy," Marissa rolled her eyes. "How many dishes has she broken today?"

"I've lost count," Elizabeth answered as she untied her apron and stuck it under the counter.

"Well, you're done now," Marissa laughed. "So go on. And have fun tomorrow night at the party. And enjoy your birthday."

"Thanks," she said as she grabbed her coat and headed outside. She paused for a moment to button her coat and sensed Francis step closer. "Hey, Francis. How are you?"

"Fine, Miss Webber."

Elizabeth sighed as she turned her head. "We really have to work on that, don't we? Well, let's go so that you can stand in my drafty hallway instead of outside here. I really wish you'd reconsider coming inside."

"'Fraid I can't do that, Miss...Elizabeth."

She just shook her head, and headed off. She was grateful Francis was around. She had liked him the first time he guarded her, and it was nice knowing there was somebody there looking out for her again. And after a day like today, she was grateful that she could just decompress and not have to worry about looking over her shoulder. Maxie Jones had been hired to work a few hours after school and on weekends, and the girl was an even worse waitress than Emily had been. Elizabeth was trying, but her patience was being tested as she trained the teenager.

And to top it all off, Sarah had convinced her to go to the Halloween charity party at Club 101 the following night. Sarah had wanted to get together on Elizabeth's birthday, but she had to work. So she had begged until Elizabeth had relented. Dang her sisterly guilt for kicking in. The last place Elizabeth wanted to be was at some costume party laughing and pretending to have a good time.

She knew she would be pretending, it was almost guaranteed. She'd have to be around Nikolas, Gia and Lucky part of the time because they were friends with Sarah. And so they would all make polite, strained talk over music that would be too loud. And in the end, they'd all go their separate ways and nothing would change.

But Elizabeth would go for Sarah. Instead of being home as she'd rather be. Elizabeth would rather finish the painting of the bridge and feeling she was accomplishing something, instead of standing around feeling like a socially inept idiot next to her sister. The painting was actually going better now that she knew Jason was all right. His wound was healing, and Elizabeth felt oddly grateful it was only a knife wound instead of a gunshot wound. Of course, she hated that he was hurt, but she was certainly grateful for the lesser wound.

She walked down the steps onto the docks and turned for her studio, pausing when she saw the man sitting on the bench. Sonny. She hadn't seen him since Courtney's funeral after A.J. had kicked him and Jason out. Never in her life had she been so grateful for Sarah, coming up to save her from having to ride in a limo with Sonny and his wife. There was no way she was ready to deal with either of them. And it turned out that Sarah had lied. She hadn't been paged from the hospital, but Elizabeth didn't care. This was one lie she liked.

Sonny looked lost, withdrawn and Elizabeth thought to the time she had found him in the hospital and held him when Carly had lost their baby. Dang. Not a moment she wanted to remember, because back then Sonny had been kind to her. Back then he seemed to care. If she remembered that man she'd be tempted to try and find him, possibly soften towards him.

After all, she was rebuilding things with Jason. She had listened to his apology, stopped being so angry, was finding herself wanting to believe in him again. So if she could work on things with Jason, try and forge a relationship with Sarah, then staying mad at Sonny would be wrong. Right? Of course, Sarah and Jason had reached out to her, attempted to meet her halfway. Sonny had stopped acknowledging her long before his 'death'.

Resolve back, she started walking, intending to pass right by Sonny and never say a word. But everyone knows the old saying about good intentions. She got closer and saw Sonny's face. His eyes were unfocused, a sheen of moisture covering them. Funny, she'd never thought of Sonny as someone who had to fight tears. Except for that night in the hospital. Crap.

Pausing a few feet from him, and shivering slightly as the approaching storm grew, she wondered what she should do. Should she say something, or should she just leave? But after she'd stopped, how could she really just walk away. There were times she really cursed her conscience.

"Sonny?" Her voice softly broke the silence. He said nothing, just shifted his gaze briefly towards her before training it back on the water.

"I just..." Just what? Wanted to say she was sorry? Yes. But there was so much more she wanted to say, but it was probably best that she didn't. "I just wanted to say I was sorry for your loss. I didn't get the chance to say that at Courtney's funeral."

Again he said nothing. The only sounds were the waves lapping at against the pylons holding up the pier, and in the distant, a rumble of thunder over the water. Well, at least Elizabeth had said she was sorry, even if she sounded like a generic Hallmark card. It was only decent to say so. And if Sonny refused to acknowledge her, well, nothing new there and nothing she could do.

"I guess I'll just go then. What with the storm coming and all." Okay, that was beyond lame. Just stop talking and walk away now. "Bye."

She'd made it to the stairs that would take her off the docs and up to her building when he finally spoke. "Elizabeth? Wait, please."

She stopped, turned, but didn't move closer to him. He turned on the bench, holding her gaze with his dark eyes. "Do you have a minute?"

She did, but the better question would be, did Elizabeth really want to give it to him? Shrugging, she stepped off the stairs, but stopped at the bottom. "I suppose."

"Thank you," he said gently as he stood up. "Thank you for your sympathies. I didn't mean it to seem like I was ignoring you."

"You're welcome," she answered, noting to herself that this was the most they'd spoken in...she couldn't remember. Don't think about that she commanded herself as she watched him slowly walk to the edge of the pier and put his hands in the pockets of his overcoat. Alright, well, they'd talked. Polite, short conversation. Best not to press their luck and act like anything more than disinterested strangers, former acquaintances.

"Well, goodnight, Sonny," she said as the silence had begun to drag. She turned, put her hand on the railing when again his voice stopped her.

"So you think so too?"

Puzzled, and cursing herself for not just leaving, she turned again and asked, "Excuse me?"

"You think I'm a selfish person too. I mean, you can't wait to get away from me. It's more than obvious that you'd rather be anywhere but here talking to me. You think I've changed, too."

Walk away. Now! her head screamed, even as her feet took her closer to him. "I - I really don't think it's my place to judge you. I've been called a selfish person myself. And I really don't-"

His short bark of laughter cut off her words, and he turned to face her. "Very artful answer, that didn't really answer the question. Which means it must be true, you're just trying to be polite. So, why do you think I'm selfish?"

Oh this was so not a conversation Elizabeth wanted to have right now. She remembered Jason telling her once about Sonny's self-destructive, self-loathing side. She really shouldn't add to his dark time. As much as there were things she could say to answer that question, she just shouldn't.

"You've had a lot of things to worry about lately-"

"Again, not answering the question," he slightly chided.

He was pushing, she knew that. He'd keep pushing until she snapped back and said something. Then she'd regret it, or he'd think it was her fault. Nope, she wasn't doing this. He wanted to self-destruct, fine. She wasn't going to pull the pin on a grenade and hand it to him just because he asked.

"I'm not doing this, Sonny," she said, her voice hardening slightly. "I don't think we should have this conversation, so I'm going to go. Goodnight."

"Wow," he said, looking out over the water. "Carly is right. You aren't cut out for this life, and you're certainly not good enough for Jason. No wonder you just keep hurting him. So just go, walk away from me, just like you walked away from Jason."

Chapter 12

She stood there, her back stiff, silent as she clenched the railing of the stairs. Sonny watched her, hands casually in his coat pockets as the sky darkened with thunderclouds and with the setting of the sun. If the temperature hadn't already made him feel cold, the freezing hatred rolling off Elizabeth would have completely done the job. Maybe it had been wrong to push her. But if he knew Elizabeth Webber, there was one way to get her to drop the polite crap and give the truth, and that was to make a vicious jab about her that she surely had been thinking herself. He could only hope he'd judged right, and...that the damage wouldn't be too drastic.

"And you are more like Carly than I ever thought," she said, her voice shaky. She turned and glared at him. "I used to think you at least respected that whatever was between Jason and I was our business. But apparently you think that everything in this town is your business."

He said nothing, just shrugged his shoulders, knowing it would only serve to make her angrier. And it worked perfectly.

"I never thought we were best friends," she continued, "but we at least were kind to each other. I will always remember you catching me the night of the fire that we thought killed Lucky. I don't know if I ever said thank you, there was so much about that night that was just a blur. I always felt bad that Luke yelled at you and blamed you. I didn't think it was your fault, and you looked out for me. I guess that was the first time I let myself mistakenly think you cared. I guess it was only guilt."

Sonny looked away. He remembered that night, catching her, watching her, wondering if the fire had been somehow connected to him. He hated that an innocent boy had lost his life and a girl was now grieving because he was to blame somehow. The fact that it wasn't him, but Helena Cassadine didn't really improve his feelings, because the woman standing before him, still had continued to grieve. And once he knew that the fire hadn't been because of his business, he'd been robbed of an opportunity to go after those responsible and make them pay.

Elizabeth apparently took his silence for indifference, because she continued on. "I mean, when Jason left the first time, you came to Kelly's and I thought it went beyond just a favor to Jason. But see, that's always my problem, I always read more into a situation than there really is. I guess I was just a way to feel close to him because he'd already shut you out, even before he left, because you had betrayed him with Carly."

Even all these years later, he still hated being reminded of that moment. And to have Elizabeth throw it in his face and be so callous about it hurt. He thought he and Jason had come to terms with that part of their life.

"Jason stood by you, because you gave him a job. He thought that meant he should always be loyal, even in the face of your betrayal. And I've watched you use that loyalty and forgiveness to hurt him again. You and Carly both just use and abuse the fact that he will always be there for you no matter what it costs him. Does it ever bother you?"

He looked at her, stinging from the words she was saying, but starting to feel anger. How dare she stand in judgment of his friendship with Jason? She had used that same forgiveness against Jason herself.

She looked out over the water as she took a deep breath and shook her head. "I suppose it's really not my place to say anything about your relationship with Jason. Carly has repeatedly told me how Robin always tried to tell him what to do, tell him how to live his life. If he doesn't seem to have a problem with it, why should I? It's his life, he makes his own decisions."

"That's right," Sonny said. He didn't want to hear her continue to critique his shortcomings as a friend, and especially didn't want to think about how they were starting to ring with truth, so he decided to put her on a new direction. "So, enough about Jason, what about you and me?"

She sighed, and looked back out at the water. "I thought we were friends. Not like you and Jason, but more than just mere acquaintances. You helped after Lucky, I helped Jason when he was hurt and I was a way for you to feel close to him. But when he left, you protected me from Sorel and we talked about missing Jason. I thought you understood, because I thought we both had come to find something so wonderful and unconditional in Jason that we both missed that it was gone from our lives.

"And then he came back. The first time, you and I didn't interact much, but the February I hid him in studio we saw each other more. That was the second time I'd hid him, kept him safe while lying to everyone else around me. I left when you needed to talk to him, and I didn't flip out. I felt like you trusted me, but maybe it was because there was just no other choice."

"No, you did really good. Better than most would have," Sonny told her. Thinking back on that time, he had been worried about Jason staying there, but he always knew that Elizabeth wouldn't say anything. She had protected Jason with a fierceness he hadn't seen in her before that December he was hurt, and when her reputation started to be tarnished, she hadn't batted an eyelash. Jason's safety had been her top concern.

"Well," she said sadly. "I guess somehow that all disappeared. Because petty soon you stopped caring. Sure, you helped me when I needed to fake my death, but maybe you just did that so your debt to Jason would be fulfilled. I mean, before that and especially after that, we hardly spoke. There was that brief show of concern when I had my accident, but I guess that was just a flash in the pan, or maybe it was just because Courtney was involved as well."

"I did care, Elizabeth," Sonny told her, hating to hear her rundown of their relationship. She was cold, detached, fighting a slight quiver in her voice that was the only indication she was bothered by the events. He saw a slight sheen of moisture on her eyes, but he didn't know if that was tears or from the cold wind blowing in off the water. She had become very adept at hiding her emotions.

"Okay," she said, with a tight laugh. "Then I guess I just imagined that even when I was living at Jason's we never talked. I was only useful to see if Zander could remember anything about Alcazar in order to help you.

"You were there because Zander was shot at and you went to Jason for help. Just like you asked Jason not to hurt Zander earlier in the summer," Sonny explained, feeling as if he needed to remind her, and not going for the gentle course. He watched as she flinched briefly and her eyes went cloudy before they hardened.

"Zander and I both were shot at in the hospital. I was there," she said as she pointed a finger at her chest. "That was my life in danger just as much as Zander's. And when I hid him in a hotel room, I stayed in danger. So I went to Jason, yes. But I wasn't there just for Zander, I was there because I was frightened for me."

"I didn't know you were shot at," Sonny told her honestly.

"Of course, because you didn't ask. And after the way I had jerked Jason around and hurt him, why would you? It only makes sense that your loyalties would lie with Jason, just as his lie with you."

"Are you mad at him for that?" he asked, unable to miss the bitterness that crept into her voice. "Are you mad at him for not telling you about my death? You did, after all, walk out on him that night that I came back."

"Yeah, I did," she said as she closed her eyes. "And I regret that. But it hurt, and I won't apologize for feeling that way. I was grieving for you, and I was worried about Carly and Jason. I knew how it felt to lose someone you love, so I tried to be there for Carly, and I wanted to make sure that Jason knew he had someone there that he could lean on. That was all I wanted."

"You know that Jason can't tell you things," Sonny chided her, but his tone not as harsh as it had been earlier.

"I know," she choked out. "I've dealt with that before. And I could have dealt with it then. What I couldn't deal with was him pushing me away. He stayed away, he took care of everybody else - everyone that you wanted him to, but he never came to see me. He didn't know until days later that I'd gone back to work at Kelly's, because he never came to the penthouse. And then he had the nerve to tell me that I could be upset - like I need someone to give me permission to have feelings - but I needed to understand it wasn't about me."

"It wasn't," Sonny said. He felt pained. The hurt coming off Elizabeth was more biting than the wind whipping off the water. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her middle, and he wondered if she was trying to hold herself together. He wondered if her stomach was clenched like his was becoming.

"I don't want to know about the business," she said. "I never have. I just worry about Jason. I know he takes care of himself, but I worry. I always will. I just don't want him to push me away. He wants me to maintain deniability with the police, I get that."

"Do you?" he questioned. "Because it sounds like you're saying it, but you don't quite believe it."

"I deserve that," she said softly. "After all, why should you believe anything I say? Just forget it."

She stood from the bench they'd ended up on and Sonny stood as well. "Elizabeth-"

"No. Just forget it," she cut in brusquely, trying to force down the hurt in her voice and on her face. "In your and Carly's eyes I will never be good enough for Jason. You will always doubt me."

"That's not-"

"True? Oh please," she laughed and the hollow sound was harsh to his ears. "And you know, you're probably right. But I really don't want to talk about that. In fact, I really don't want to talk about anything anymore. I just wanted to tell you I was sorry about Courtney."

"Thank you," he replied.

She took a step away and then paused and turned, a soft, sad look clouding her eyes that had just been stormy. "For what it's worth, I've missed you. I've missed the man who I thought was a friend, who was there when I needed him. If you, the you that I used to know, ever comes back, let me know. But I'm not in a hurry to talk to you again as you are now. So please don't seek me out trying to do whatever it is that this whole little conversation was all about."

Then she turned and walked away, leaving Sonny alone once again with his thoughts. Why had he stopped Elizabeth? For so long they hardly spoke, she was right about that, but out of the blue he just wouldn't let her go. He'd needed so desperately to talk to her, and he kept pushing when she dodged his questions. Why? Because Mike's words had hit too close to home and he was looking for someone to refute them?

Jason, Mike and now Elizabeth all claimed he'd changed. Could they be right? But if they were, then why had nobody else said anything? Carly saw him everyday, and she never kept her opinion to herself. If he was really as selfish and as changed as they were saying he was, then surely she would tell him so.

Heavy boots thundered down the stairs and Sonny turned to look up at his friend. Jason's steel blue eyes looked through him, a look Sonny wasn't used to seeing directed at him. He had seen Jason use it on their enemies and on his rivals. Why would Jason now look at him like he was the enemy.

"Jason," he said in calm greeting.

A muscle in Jason's jaw ticked and Sonny noticed the clenched fists at his sides, and that's when Sonny realized. He glanced towards the stairs Elizabeth had just walked up. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough." The word was cold and detached. Sonny couldn't believe the fierceness the single word contained. Well, he wasn't going to be intimidated by his friend. What had gotten into everyone lately? Nobody was acting like themselves.

"Look, I was only talking to her."

"I know what you were doing," Jason said. "Max told me Mike talked to you earlier and that you were upset when he left. I can't believe you would take it out on Elizabeth."

He paused and then slowly crossed his arms over his chest. "Actually, the sad thing is, I can. You've changed. You would never have gone after someone that way just to make yourself feel better. I'm telling you now, don't ever do it to Elizabeth again."

Sonny took in Jason's words and his stiff and determined posture. The younger man's eyes cut into him harshly. "Is that a threat?" he asked with a laugh.

"No. I'm saying if you can't treat her with respect, then stay away. I'm not some flunky, I'm your partner, and I'm trying to remember we're friends."

"We are," Sonny declared. Why was everyone saying they weren't?

"Then act like it," Jason said. "And stop acting like my only purpose is to serve you and Carly and clean up your problems. I do have my own life. And it took her walking away for me to realize that. I'm not letting her go again."

Sonny couldn't believe what Jason was saying. Is this what had been bothering Jason lately? He started to say something, but Jason spoke again, his voice all business. "I came to tell you Castinelli has a meeting tomorrow night. I think some men from our organization may be going. I'm taking Johnny and Max with me, because I know I can trust them, and we're going to find out what we can."

"What about Francis?" Sonny asked. Francis had been working with Jason this, hadn't he? "I thought he was helping you. You've had him on something since before the pier shooting."

"He's guarding Elizabeth," Jason stated unapologetically. "And he will remain her guard."

"I see," Sonny said, clenching his jaw slightly. "I think we need to have a talk, Jason. Things are happening that I don't like."

Jason nodded his head. "Fine. Tomorrow. I'm going over the warehouse paperwork in the morning. I'm free in the afternoon before Castinelli's meeting."

Jason was dictating things to him now? Making him wait? Sonny didn't like that at all. Jason hadn't been this determined, this stubborn in a long time. "What about now?"

"I'm going to talk to Elizabeth," he stated. He turned and nearly walked away, when he stopped by the stairs and turned back. His voice softened and concern shone in Jason's eyes, and Sonny was reminded of the friendship they had. "You should go home. You've been out here for a while, and Carly's probably worried. You need to pull it together."

Sonny nodded his head slowly, feeling very weary. "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow."

Jason acknowledged with a slight dip of his head, and then he bounded up the stairs and over to Elizabeth's building. Sonny almost called after him to tell him to let Elizabeth know he was sorry, but he stopped. The words wouldn't come; he couldn't get his mouth to form them. And that bothered him. He should never have treated Elizabeth like he had, she didn't deserve it. She had always been kind to him, always had a smile for him, she'd brought him brownies and was there when Carly lost the baby. He couldn't even remember when the last time was he'd said something more to her than just a perfunctory hello at Kelly's.

Turning, he slowly walked up the steps and toward the limo. Mike, Elizabeth and Jason. They all seemed disgusted by his actions. And the more he thought about it, the more he worried they were right. He reached for a drink once the car began moving, but stopped when he realized that was his automatic answer for a lot of things these days. Suddenly, a drink didn't seem so appealing anymore.




Jason walked down the hallway, pausing to talk to Francis briefly before continuing to Elizabeth's door. He wondered what state he'd find her in. She had tried to walk away from Sonny, but his boss had known the right buttons to push. Elizabeth had apologized to Jason for walking away from him, and she'd never said it but Jason knew Carly's words always bothered her when his supposed best friend claimed she wasn't good enough for him.

That was why Jason had to come talk to her. He needed to see how she was. Reassure her she hadn't done anything wrong by saying the things she had to Sonny. Let her know he wasn't upset with her. Raising his hand, he knocked on the steel door and waited.

Elizabeth pulled the door open, wearing faded, paint-splattered clothes. He fought a grin over the fact that she already had a streak of paint on her chin. She smiled hesitantly as she stepped back to let him in and said, "Hi."

He accepted her invitation and walked inside. "Hey. You got a minute?"

"Sure," she said, as she picked up her paintbrush and walked back to the easel. It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed in three years. She would paint while talking if there was something that was making her nervous.

He quietly stood behind her and looked at the painting that she'd been working on for the past week and took in the blended colors. She had explained it to him when he'd came over after Sonny's lawyer had gotten him released the day of Courtney's funeral. When he arrived at Elizabeth's four hours after Taggart had taken him in; she was happy and relieved to see him. And she'd had a creative burst because more had been done to the painting from when he'd seen it earlier in the day.

"It's almost finished," she said as she cast a nervous glance over her shoulder. "I just have a few details on the bridge to do, and then that's it. I know you can't see it, so I won't ask you what you think."

Jason laughed and put his hands on her shoulders, causing her to briefly stiffen and then calm her frantic hand movements. "I'm making you nervous, I know. I just wanted to see if I could see it any better this time."

"Oh, okay."

He looked at it, but it was still indiscernible except for the gray she had told him was the bridge. He cleared his throat and finally got around to why he was really there. He turned her around and waited for him to look at him before he said, "Elizabeth, I saw you and Sonny on the docks. I heard you talking."

She took a step away from him and looked down at her feet as she nervously twisted a loose thread from her shirt around her finger until the tip turned red. "Oh. I see. I'm sorry. I know he's your friend. I never should have said those things to him."

"Oh man," he couldn't help but groan as he took a step towards her. "Elizabeth, I'm not mad. Well, I am. But I'm mad at Sonny. He never should have-"

"Jason, no. You don't need to defend him, or me. He's hurt and he's lashing out. I understand that. I should have known better."

"Sonny should have known better," he said calmly, but firmly. "You were right. He's changed. I saw it. I just didn't want to. I figured I just needed to figure out better what he wanted, that I was somehow letting him down. But it's not that. He's different."

"I'm sorry, Jason," she said as she walked over to the couch and sat down. "He was always a good friend."

"Yeah," he said as he joined her, sitting beside her so that their thighs bumped. He didn't know what to do, what to say about Sonny. So he decided not to. No sense in making himself crazy with something he didn't understand. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine," she said quickly, as she turned to face him and tucked her knees up to her chest.

"Elizabeth."

"Alright, alright. I will be," she said as she looked at him and captured his eyes with hers. "I just...miss him. He was there for me when you were gone. We used to talk about how we missed you. He helped me when I had to fake my death to fool Helena. I just wish..."

"Yeah, I know," he agreed with her softly, as she trailed off and looked over at the wall behind them. He found himself wishing too, something he never saw the point of before. Just because he wanted a person to do something didn't mean it would happen. He'd found that out with Elizabeth and others before her.

Comfortably they sat together in silence, just next to each other. He wasn't sure who moved first, but her hand ended up resting in his, his larger fingers wrapped protectively around hers. It had been a long time since they'd had this comfort level, and he enjoyed that it was beginning to return. He knew they'd still have their awkward days when one of them would hesitate or be uncomfortable, but he'd take the small steps they were making. Unfortunately, he had things he needed to do. He needed to meet with Johnny and Max and get them set up for the next night.

With an apologetic sigh he rose from the couch. "I'm sorry, but I need to go."

"Yeah," she said with a touch of sadness. "I know. Thank you for stopping by. It-" She stopped whatever she was about to say and just shrugged, "Thanks."

"Sure," he smiled at her.

"So, I'll see you later sometime?" she asked with a small, hopeful smile as they walked to the door.

"Yeah," he assured her. "I've got something I'm doing tomorrow night."

"Yeah, me too," she groaned with a laugh. "Sarah's dragging me to the party at Club 101 tomorrow. I don't want to go, but Sarah begged, and Gram asked that I go in her place."

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"Probably not," she grimaced. "But I'll go anyway."

"Are you doing anything the day after? On your birthday?"

Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at him. Then she shook her head. "Sarah and Gram both have to work, though Gram is taking me out to brunch before her shift. Bobbie gave me the day off so I think I'll just spend the rest of the day painting. I've got an idea for another painting, and since I've been in a slump I'm gonna go with it."

"Would it be okay if I stopped by?" he asked cautiously. He didn't want to be in her way, but this was the first time he'd been here on her birthday since that first year.

"You want to come by?" she asked almost shyly. "Yeah, I-I guess. I plan on being here all day, so if you come, that'll be fine."

"Then I'll see you then," he told her as he grinned.

"Okay."

"See you later," he said as he opened the door and stepped into the hall.

"See you later, Jason."

He waited until he head the locks slide into place and then turned to walk towards the exit. He could see she'd been surprised he'd remembered her birthday, and she wasn't sure to believe if he'd actually stop by. She seemed to be playing it easy and casual with him, still guarding herself. He had hurt her, and he knew it was going to be a while to get her trust back completely. But he was determined, that no matter what, he'd be seeing Elizabeth on her birthday.

Chapter 13

He arrived when the party was in full swing. Watching and waiting, he hid himself in plain sight among the press corps while the interesting groups of people arrived. Amazing what a fake ID and an expensive camera can fool people into believing. The police had walked by him and didn't even look twice.

The Quartermaine family arrived, minus the matriarch in the wheelchair and the recent widower. Monica Quartermaine, he'd done some checking and discovered she was Daisy's mother-in-law, arrived looking very subdued along with her husband and father-in-law. He heard a reporter beside him mention that if it wasn't for the Quartermaine family being on the hospital board they probably wouldn't have shown up at all.

It didn't matter very much to him. He got his pictures, but Dr. Quartermaine wasn't holding his interest very much. She was amusing and diverting, but not really compelling. Not like Mrs. Corinthos, Daisy's sister-in-law, who arrived in great style with her husband. The guards that surrounded her could prove to be a problem.

It had to be a sure stroke of luck that the Webber sisters arrived just after Mr. and Mrs. Corinthos. He was able to take numerous pictures of the two without arousing too much suspicion. He just hoped nobody realized his camera wasn't focused on the alleged mob boss and his lovely wife. He got quite a few pictures of Athena and Artemis before they finally disappeared inside. Then he slipped away, donned his costume and made his way inside the party.

Once inside, he used the anonymity of his disguise to float throughout the crowd and listen in on his interests. The Quartermaines were dull and listless and not engaging in any fights that he'd heard they were famous for. The Corinthos family was huddled in a corner and he wasn't able to get near them, but they didn't look happy. Or more specifically, Mrs. Corinthos looked unhappy.

But the Webber sisters were continually out among the crowd. They seemed to spend some time with three people, two men and a woman, but most of the time it was just the two of them. And he was even lucky enough to bump into Daisy's co-worker on the way to the bar and share a few words with her. She looked quite fetching in her huntress outfit, and from his height advantage over her, he was able to see the toga gave only just a peek at her beautiful form. The only question that remained unanswered was where Jason Morgan was. The alleged mob enforcer wasn't someone he wanted to run afoul of, especially given the intensity of the looks he gave Elizabeth at the funeral.




"So, how long 'til we can go?" Elizabeth asked Sarah as she returned to their table with their drinks. The music was too loud, the place was too crowded, and when Nikolas, Gia, and Lucky had stopped by their table earlier, the tension had been so thick Elizabeth felt like she was choking. They had tried to make small talk, but the specter of the past's betrayals and harsh words had made it difficult to be beyond. Elizabeth began to wonder if they ever could.

Now all she wanted to do was go home, change out of her costume and curl up on her couch with a mug of hot chocolate. Maybe she would paint; it wasn't like she would get much sleep since Jason had told her he'd be off on business. The last time he'd told her that there'd been a shoot out on the pier and he'd shown up several days later with a knife wound in his side. Anybody would worry about their friend after that. Friend. That's what Jason was. Yes, delusions were grand.

"Just a little bit more? Please, Elizabeth," Sarah asked. "Lucky asked for a dance, and...I...well..."

"Go ahead," Elizabeth told her with a small smile. If Sarah wasn't going to give her a hard time about Jason, how could she do it to her? It wasn't like she was bothered so much by her and Lucky's sometimes relationship, and she had heard so many apologies lately that she felt that she needed to show some encouragement now. She still didn't fully understand what her sister saw in her ex-fiancé, but others never understood what she saw in Jason. She only had to get through one more dance and then they could go.

She'd would just sit there, as she had practically all night, while Sarah was out dancing. She really didn't care to dance, especially if it wasn't with Jason. She cringed when that thought crossed her mind, and the memory of dancing with Jason at Kelly's that accompanied it. She was such a sap. Friends indeed. If there hadn't been others around she would have snorted at herself. She still wanted more from Jason, and that scared her. She could feel the walls of her defense starting to grow, even as her heart fought with her head to tear them down.

Looking around at the people in the room, Elizabeth began to feel uncomfortable. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she felt like a fish in a glass bowl. As her eyes drifted towards the bar, she saw a man in a Phantom of the Opera mask looking at her. Their eyes locked, and she felt cold under the intensity of his gaze. A group of people passed between them, and when she could see the bar clearly the man was gone.

She wondered if it was the same Phantom she'd run into on her way to the bar earlier. The way he'd been closely pressed against her in the crowd and the way his hand had drifted dangerously close to her bottom put her on edge. Something in his eyes was unsettling. She felt in that brief encounter that she was being sized up for something, though what she didn't know. Had the man at the bar been the same man, and if so, why was he staring at her? She'd been stared at by men who wanted nothing more than to worm their way into her bed, but that wasn't the look she got from him.

Elizabeth was pulled from her thoughts by the arrival of Sarah and Lucky, and a few seconds later, Gia and Nikolas. She stood to greet them, but also to not have them sit down and then stay forever. Once again the awkwardness descended upon the group, and Elizabeth was itching to just get outside and away from everything.

"Hi, Elizabeth," Gia smiled graciously, if somewhat forced. Well, she always had been the better model than Elizabeth, and there was a certain amount of make-believe in modeling.

"Hi," she returned.

"Are you ready to go?" Sarah asked, and Elizabeth nodded yes, hoping not to look over-anxious.

"You're going?" Lucky pouted. "I was hoping for another dance."

"Sorry, Lucky," Sarah said, a little reluctantly. "But I have to work tomorrow, and Elizabeth is having breakfast with Gram for her birthday. And since she'll be painting until she drops like most nights, we'd better go."

Elizabeth looked over at her sister, but couldn't quite catch her eye. What was Sarah doing? Why all the extra explanation instead of just saying she had to work in the morning so they had to leave. She was beginning to wonder if Sarah had picked up her babbling habit, until she saw Nikolas and Lucky shift uncomfortably and look away from her in unease. Ah, crap. Sarah was purposefully reminding them of Elizabeth's birthday. Just what they all needed to add to the tension among them.

"It's your birthday tomorrow?" Gia asked. "Well then, happy birthday. We'll have to bring you a card tomorrow at Kelly's or something..."

"Sure," Elizabeth shrugged; knowing it wouldn't happen and not even caring. She just wanted to go home, now.

"Oh, you can't," Sarah smiled and then moved before Elizabeth could step on her foot. "Bobbie gave her the day off, so you'd have to drop it by her studio since she'll probably be holed up there all day painting. She's really gotten back into it lately."

"Oh well, yeah, sure," Gia stammered and looked at Nikolas imploringly.

"Sure," he smiled in the perfect Cassadine smile. Then he stepped forward and lightly kissed Elizabeth's cheek. "Happy birthday, Elizabeth."

"Thanks," she said softly. Yep, it was official; she was going to kill Sarah for forcing this situation. Why couldn't her sister just leave well enough alone?

To her left, Lucky cleared his throat and stepped forward. He gave her a stiff hug and a peck on the cheek. "Yeah, happy birthday."

"Yeah, thanks. Um...goodnight guys."

"Night," the trio murmured.

Elizabeth turned and started to walk away, not caring that Sarah was still saying good-bye and would have to scramble to catch up. She just needed to get outside and get some air. After hours in the club, and especially after the last encounter with Gia, Nikolas and Lucky, she felt like she was going to suffocate if she didn't get some fresh air. On her beeline to the door a Phantom stepped right into her path and she had to sidestep quickly to avoid a collision. Something inside Elizabeth told her to get away and just keep going.

"Excuse me," she said automatically and continued on to the door.

"So sorry," he said softly as he gave a slight bow at the waist.

Elizabeth walked on and paused when she thought she heard the man say her name. She looked back, wondering how he could know her name, but the man was now several feet away with his back to her. Maybe she was imagining things, but her several encounters with the costumed man left her feeling uneasy.

"Hey, there you are," Sarah smiled as she joined her. "Sorry, they kept talking.

"No problem," Elizabeth said, not looking at Sarah, but at the retreating cape. Finally realizing no answers were going to come to her by staring at the man's back, she turned to her sister and smiled. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Sarah answered as they collected their coats. "I think the coffee machine is going to be my best friend tomorrow. A thirty-six hour shift that starts at seven, I'm going to be dead on my feet."

"You always say that," Elizabeth laughed as they headed outside. "But you know you've mastered the art of working with little sleep, or taking power naps. You inherited it from Dad."

Sarah only laughed in reply as the two sisters rushed to Sarah's car for the ride home. The air was definitely getting colder with November almost there. As they drove down the street, Elizabeth wondered how soon until they'd get some snow.




Elizabeth put her paintbrush into the chocolate colored water, and placed her hands behind her back as she arched it, trying to stretch the tight muscles. Several pops reached her ears, and she grimaced, and then smiled in relief as some of the pain and tension seeped out. The finished painting of the bridge rested against the wall, and her latest painting sat on the easel before her. She tilted her head, critically studying the painting of Jason playing pool. When she'd found the old sketch from over a year ago, she had been struck with this sudden urge to put it on canvas.

Something was eluding her, though. She couldn't determine what it was, but it nagged at the back of her mind. Or maybe it was just the worry. It was nearly eleven at night, and there had been no sign of Jason all day. Each time there was a knock at the door she opened it eagerly, and her smile would fall as the person turned out to be someone other than Jason.

After her brunch with Gram, at which the older woman had given her a beautiful case to carry art supplies in, she'd returned home and thrown herself into her painting. As she tried to capture the exact shade of Jason's eyes and the angle of his nose, she couldn't keep her thoughts from wandering to when exactly he would arrive. She'd been truly surprised that he'd remembered her birthday and that he wanted to see her. Maybe he really was sincere about spending time with her and regaining the friendship they'd almost lost.

Abandoning her painting for the moment, Elizabeth decided what she needed was caffeine and snacks. She put water in a kettle and set it on her hot plate while she pulled out two mugs and hot chocolate packets. She looked over at the cards sitting on her artist's table that had been delivered during the day. Gia and Nikolas had shown up shortly before lunch, giving her a card and a gift certificate to Bath and Bodyworks. Because nothing says you care like a large amount on a gift certificate. Lucky showed up some time after lunch with a large bouquet of white roses. She'd accepted them, and then twenty minutes after he'd left she'd asked Francis to go with her to the nursing home by the hospital.

When she returned, now without the flowers, she had continued to try and paint, and forget about the fact that the mail hadn't brought a card from her parents. As she looked at the painting over her steaming cup of hot chocolate she realized she should have just given up. She should have gotten out of the studio and gone to Vista Point or just taken a walk on the bridge. Gah, she was doing it again. She told Jason she would be here, so she waited around all day instead of doing what she wanted.

Slightly angry with herself, she picked up the other mug of hot chocolate, a gift from Zander - gourmet hot chocolate flavors and a chocolate cake, and opened the door to give some to Francis. He looked up as she walked out with a tray carrying two mugs and two plates of cake. Francis had treated her to dinner earlier in the evening, and since he was stuck in the drafty hallway, the least she could do was sit down and share her snack with him.

"Hey, Francis," she said as she took a seat and watched in amusement as Francis looked at the floor and then lowered himself down, probably thinking about how dirty his suit was going to be when he stood up. "Thought you might like something to eat and something to warm you up."

"Thanks, Elizabeth," he said as he reached for the plate and ate the cake in several large forkfuls. Then he picked up his mug and took a sip as he scanned the hallway, lingering on the doorway to the stairs. Elizabeth took a bite of her cake and then set it down the tray. Somehow it didn't seem as appetizing now since she wouldn't be able to relax with Francis. She knew he took his duties very seriously, and he was still on duty and didn't have time to talk.

"You know, Francis," she said as she stood up and brushed her jeans off before reaching down for the tray. "If you're going to continue to be my guard you might want think about dressing warmer. You think this hallway is drafty in November, just wait until December when it's even worse. Besides, that suit doesn't exactly blend in on the docks, or this building."

"Thermal underwear," he said with a saucy wink. "And, Elizabeth, my job isn't exactly to blend. It's to make sure that nothing happens to you. And sometimes the best defense is just to let someone know that there's someone watching for danger. People are less inclined to take on a target that has someone who shoots back."

"I know," she said feeling slightly uncomfortable about the mention of the gun and just how seriously he took his assignment. "I just feel back about you doing nothing all day but stand outside while I'm working or painting."

"I'll be fine," he assured her with a smile. "I'm used to just standing around for my job. And as far as the cold, I grew up in Buffalo. I survived lake effect snow and wind chills below freezing. This drafty hallway ain't nothin'."

He'd done it again. As Elizabeth laughed and he joined in, she realized he'd managed to put her at ease and make her feel better. "Thanks, Francis."

"Anytime, Squirt. Thanks for the food." He placed the mug on the tray she was holding and Elizabeth mockingly glared at him. Squirt. That was a new nickname from him.

She was prevented from getting back at him by the ringing of her telephone. Giving one last playful huff at Francis, she quickly ran into her studio, placed the tray on her stool and grabbed the phone. It was now 11:15 and Elizabeth wondered if this was Jason calling to tell her he couldn't make it after all.

"Hello?" she gasped out as the phone began its fifth ring.

"Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth paled in surprise and looked up to see Francis pause in the act of closing the door she'd left open in her haste. A worried crease furrowed his brow as he studied her. She clutched the phone tightly as voice she hadn't heard in months rang in her ears. "Oh my...Emily?"

Chapter 14

Jason Morgan was tired, hungry and more than a little angry. Having been awake since six the pervious morning, he was contemplating shooting the men in front of him just for the fact that they were annoying him. And they were keeping him from his birthday date with Elizabeth.

It all started when the foreman for the coffee warehouse called and told him there were problems with the morning shipment. Jason at times really hated the legitimate side of the business; suppliers, purchasers, shipments, customers who'd get pissy with them. It was a good thing Sonny handled most of the negotiations. He was much better at the labor side of things. After he'd gotten that taken care of, it was almost noon. He thought about stopping in to see Elizabeth before she took off for the Halloween party that night, but Sonny had called and summoned him.

He arrived at the penthouse to find Carly out shopping, and Sonny ready to talk. The talk had been interesting to say the least. Sonny had gone between glimpses of the man he used to be, and the selfish, angry man Jason hardly recognized anymore. Hope wasn't a familiar emotion for him, but after talking with Sonny and getting a lot of things out in the open, Jason did feel hopeful. Sonny seemed to at least be willing to admit things had changed. He acknowledged that he'd lost his focus a little, forgot a few things about being a friend. Jason hoped that Sonny's vow to do things different from here on out was sincere, but he couldn't help but feel a little skeptical.

He had to put it all of out his mind when he, Max and Johnny headed out to do surveillance on Castinelli's meeting. They watched as the men from Castinelli's organization came in, and then came men from their organization. They took pictures, listened to and recorded the conversation, and when the men came out and skulked down the dark alley, Jason and the guards grabbed them. They blindfolded the two men, threw them in the trunk of the car and headed out to a safe house.

Early the next morning, that morning if wasn't past midnight now, Sonny arrived. The men had been gagged, bound and slightly manhandled by the trio but the interrogation waited until Sonny arrived. Twelve hours later Sonny and Johnny left, with more names, some good information, and seething about the leaks and breaches they had. Sonny was off to call Benny and make some changes, while Jason and Max were left to take care of the traitors.

They could have killed and disposed of the men easily, but they had to wait in order to send the proper message. To the men inside Sonny's organization that may be wavering in their support, they needed to say this is what happens when you turn. And a message needed to be sent to Castinelli and his men, which apparently now included Sammy Tagliatti, that they'd been found out. Max walked in and nodded at Jason to let him know that everything was in place. Jason stood and grabbed one of the men while Max grabbed the other and they headed back to Port Charles under the cover of darkness.

An hour later, Jason walked into his penthouse, shedding his jacket and dropping it on the desk. He stripped off the grimy, bloody clothes and threw them into the laundry before heading upstairs to shower. A short time later he came back downstairs carrying his boots. Once they were on and tied, he stood and headed for the door, grabbing his jacket on the way.

When he opened the door, he wasn't entirely surprised to see Sonny standing in the hall. "Going out?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded as he closed the door behind him. "It's Elizabeth's birthday today. I told her I'd stop by."

Sonny glanced down at his watch and frowned. "You're cutting it close. Sorry 'bout that."

Jason waved the apology away, eager to be done and on his way. "It's taken care of. Cashman and Traweek have been taken care of and will be found in Castinelli's territory. They'll be discovered by the dock workers coming on the nightshift."

"Very good," Sonny said. "Any problems?"

Jason shook his head to say there were none.

"Great. Then get out of here," Sonny smiled. "Tell...tell Elizabeth happy birthday. I didn't know..."

He trailed off and cleared his throat and Jason agreed and took a step, then paused when Sonny put a hand on his arm. "I don't know what your plans are, but if other people saw you that would be...helpful."

Jason scowled at the floor and rubbed his forehead. "I know. I hate...I just hate feeling like I'm using her like that though. It's her birthday."

Sonny shifted and shook his head. "You know, never mind. You're right, it's her birthday. Not business. Go."

Jason sighed and then headed towards the elevator. He exited down in the garage and climbed on his bike with a renewed sense of urgency. There was half an hour left of her birthday, and he hoped she felt up for a ride on the bike.

When he arrived at Elizabeth's studio, he passed by Francis on duty in the hallway. The look on the guard's face told him how seriously he took his job, and just how lucky Jason was that he'd shown up. He knocked on the heavy door and then waited for Elizabeth to answer. Minutes seemed to drag by, though he knew it was only seconds, and he shifted uncomfortably. Had she given up hope and gone to bed? He wouldn't blame her, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Then he heard the locks turn and she opened the door. The first thing he noticed was the phone clutched in her hand, and the tears on her face. It killed him when she cried, whether he was the cause of it or not. Given how late he was, his first thought was the tears were over him. But, while he knew Elizabeth would always worry about him when he was out late, she didn't strike him as the kind to cry just because of that. Something else must have happened, but what?

"Hey, Jason," she said softly and opened the door wider to let him come in.

He stepped inside, then stopped a few feet from her and turned to face her. "Elizabeth, is everything okay?"

She paused from where she was fiddling with the locks and met his gaze. A small smile curved the edges of her mouth and she wiped at her face. "Yeah, everything's good."

He studied her and could see she meant it, even though there were tears. "Then why were you crying?"

"Happy tears," she shrugged.

Yeah, women would always confuse him. And he knew it wasn't just from his accident. They were just confusing creatures.

Elizabeth looked at him, pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she obviously weighed how to tell him. "Emily called me."

"Is she okay?" he asked, concern for his sister kicking in until he remembered Elizabeth said they were happy tears.

"Yeah," Elizabeth said, and then walked past him towards the window. He turned and watched her, but made no movement. "It was just kinda a surprise to hear from her."

"Why?" he interrupted. Emily and Elizabeth had been good friends for years. Even before he really got to know Elizabeth on her own, he could remember Emily talking about her friend, or seeing them together occasionally. Since it was Elizabeth's birthday he couldn't understand how a call from Emily would surprise her.

"We...we haven't spoken since this summer," she said, not able to face him. Her fingers picked at an invisible spot on the window, and he held back the questions that he had. She would tell him, it was just difficult for her to talk about, and that only made him concerned and curious. "I called her...after everything that happened with Zander. I know that she broke up with him and told him she had a boyfriend, but Zander...Zander was really important to her. She loved him, and the rule among friends is you don't sleep with your friend's ex. She...she got angry when I told her what happened and she said she never wanted to speak to me again."

"I-" Jason didn't know what to say. He had no idea Emily had said that. He hadn't discussed Elizabeth and Zander with his sister, hadn't wanted to or felt it was his place to tell her about something like that. And Emily had stayed quiet on the subject and hadn't mentioned Elizabeth, which wasn't something that had surprised him. After Jason had left in April after asking Elizabeth to leave with him, Emily hadn't talked about her, knowing that it hurt Jason. Finally he managed to lamely say, "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," she told him with a shrug. "I knew she would probably be hurt or upset, but I had to tell her. I couldn't let her find out about it from somebody else."

Jason moved towards her, pausing at the edge of the couch. Close to her, but not crowding. "I would never tell her," he said. Did she think he would?

"I know," she reassured him, looking over her shoulder briefly before turning back to the window. "There weren't many people who knew, but I had to tell her. I owed her that. Even though Lucky and I had broken up, it still hurt that he slept with Sarah because they lied and kept it from me. I wouldn't have been able to talk to her and pretend like nothing had happened."

"So, she called you tonight?" he asked, moving away from his thoughts. Memories of the night of Carly's party when Elizabeth found Lucky and Sarah together and dragged him back to her studio. Their first kiss, nearly sleeping with her, the feel of her skin under his hands, the taste of her lips against his. Those memories always seemed to be followed by seeing Zander and Elizabeth kissing and then Zander's swagger the following morning signaling he had done something Jason hadn't. He was glad to realize that lately the memories of Zander were fading and he was hoping for the opportunity to create new ones with Elizabeth. It was just best to get away from his memories and her obvious discomfort over the summer.

"Yeah," Elizabeth smiled, a smooth and easy one that showed how much it had surprised and pleased her. "She said she'd missed talking to me, and decided to call. We didn't talk long because you knocked, but it was really good to talk to her. I've missed her."

"Me too," Jason admitted. It seemed odd to be in Port Charles and not have his sister around. A little glint entered his eye, as he got around to the big reason why he was here. "You know what else I've missed?

"Uh-huh," she shook her head.

"The cliff road."

"Really?" she asked, a hopeful smile on her face until she peered at him questionably. "But you must have driven them since you've been back."

"I have," he admitted. "But they're not the same without you. So, what do you say?"

"A ride? On the cliff road?" she asked, almost like she couldn't believe he asked. When he nodded, she grinned and said, "Then I say that it's the best birthday present I've gotten this year."




The bike slowed down and then rolled to a stop by the edge of the bridge. Elizabeth released her arms from around Jason's waist, and then leaned back. Tipping her head back, she gazed up at the stars and spread her arms out. Funny how in twenty minutes she could feel like she'd found completion. She had missed their rides.

"You okay?" Jason asked, pulling her back down to earth. She sat back up and looked at him, turned on the seat studying her.

"Oh, yeah," she breathed. Climbing off, she took off her helmet and handed it to Jason who had climbed off the bike as well. She turned toward the bridge as she continued to enthuse, "I almost forgot how great that could be."

"You certainly yelled loud enough," Jason teased her as he joined her at the railing looking out over the gorge.

"Sorry," she said, and hoped it was dark enough to hide the blush she could feel creeping up her cheeks. "Guess I got carried away."

"No reason to be sorry for having fun. I enjoyed it too."

She turned around and leaned her back against the railing, pulling her leather jacket tighter around her. "I think I'm going to have to do that again."

"Anytime," Jason told her as he turned as well.

"Thanks," she giggled. "But that's not what I meant. I mean, I want to be able to do that anytime and I want to drive."

"You're not driving my bike."

"Brat," she laughed with feigned hurt and nudged his shoulder with hers. "What I meant is I think I'm going to have to save up my money for my own bike. Get my license, learn to drive."

"What?" he asked as he turned to face her and leaned his hip against the bridge.

"What? You once told me I should get my own bike. Well, maybe I should. Learn to drive. And who better to teach me than you? So, yeah, I should save up and get one." She paused as the words sank in and she realized the major snag to the plan. "Of course, actually saving enough money could take a while. Especially since I'm gonna try and go back to college next semester. Hmm, could be a while."

Jason let out a breath and Elizabeth turned at the sound. "Maybe that's a good thing."

"A good thing? How can you say that?" she asked, still lingering on the disappointment of another goal being out of reach.

"I don't know if I could picture you on a bike of your own."

She turned and looked up at him, meeting his gaze with a determined one of her own. "Why? Because it's too dangerous?"

If he said yes she was going to kick him. She was so sick of that word coming out of his mouth. Slowly he shook his head. "Not the way you're thinking. You're just...tiny."

"I prefer petite," she said. "Besides I didn't say I wanted a bike like yours. I meant something a little smaller, something I could handle."

He still didn't look like he liked the prospect, but he was doing an admirable job of keeping it in check. She wasn't mad, she liked knowing he cared but wasn't going to try and talk her out of it. Her gram would probably offer to buy her a car, anything to not be on a motorcycle. Closing her eyes and sighing she turned back to look out into the darkness over the gorge.

"It doesn't matter," she said, not looking at him. "It won't be happening any time soon, if at all. I'm going to have enough problems to worry about with college. First though, I gotta see if I can even get back into school."

"Hey," he said, touching her arm so she'd look at him. "I'd never tell you not to get a motorcycle. Everyone told me that when I got mine. I just have a hard time thinking about you on one without me. But I'd teach you if you want."

She smiled, and told herself to not cry. She hadn't seen that sincerity and belief in her in a while. Being out here reminded her of the times they went riding before he left last April. And the thought of him only picturing her on his motorcycle warmed her. Finally she got the lump out of her throat and said, "I know. But me getting a motorcycle is one of those pipe dreams of mine. Those dreams when I sit around thinking how big the lottery jackpot is and what I would do with the money if I won. A motorcycle is like the dream of going to Italy. Someday, but not today. Today I have to worry about rent and food and saving for tuition."

"So you really want to go back to school?" he asked as he clasped his hands in front of him and rested his elbows on the concrete.

"I do," she declared firmly. "I had to drop out during the whole brainwashing mess with Lucky. I want to get my degree. Even if it's only for me. It will never matter to my parents because it will only be a degree in art and the rest of my family is doctors. But I don't want to work at Kelly's forever. But it'll be good for while I'm in school."

"It's good to have plans," Jason told her. "I never think that far ahead."

"Oh please," she laughed. "These aren't big plans. Most of the time I'm flying by the seat of my pants, just trying to keep up. I guess I just had too much time on my hands today or my birthday put me in some weird reflective mood."

"Didn't you enjoy your birthday?" he asked. "It looked like you started a new painting."

"I did, and it's not that I didn't enjoy it. I had some fun. My Gram took me out for brunch; Zander stopped by and gave me gourmet hot chocolate and a chocolate cake. Francis bought me dinner. Those were all good. Lucky, Nikolas and Gia came by because Sarah pretty much put them on the spot at the Halloween party, and my parents and Steven ignored the day as usual. So, those things sucked. But I've never really made a big thing out of birthdays."

Man she was morose tonight, she thought as she chided herself. "Overall, it was good. New painting, chocolate, a call from Emily, and of course being here with you. It's better than a lot of them in the past."

"I'm glad," Jason said softly, as he turned to face her again. "I'm sorry I was late."

"It's alright," she interrupted, not wanting him to feel like he had to explain himself to her. "I know you can't talk about it, but I've gathered that there are problems. It's important that you're there for Sonny."

"And it's important to me," he admitted. "But you're also important, Elizabeth. I told you I would see you on your birthday, because I wanted to see you. And it may be after midnight, but I wanted to give you this."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a wrapped box. Elizabeth took it from him as he handed it to her, hoping he missed the slight tremor in her hands as she did so. She really couldn't explain to herself if she was trembling from the cold, the emotions he'd touched in her, or from the surprise that not only did he remember her birthday, but he got her something. She undid the ribbon and slipped it into her pocket, then pulled off the top and looked inside. A red vase, made from the same glass Jason had given her at Valentine's, lay nestled inside on cotton.

"Jason," she said, as tears floated up in her eyes. "I...I love it. Thank you so much."

"I remembered you said you'd like a vase out of the glass I gave you so that you could paint it. And I figured since you've been painting again that you might like it."

"Oh, I do. Thank you." She wrapped her arms around him, and Jason hesitated a second before he brought his arms up and hugged her back. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head before she pulled back, but not completely out of his arms. She knew that if she didn't step away soon she would probably kiss him, and there was a part of her that was still skittish about that no matter how enticing it appeared right now.

"We should probably go," she said just above a whisper as she met his gaze. "I have to work at ten."

"Right," Jason said as he visibly swallowed. Then he stepped back, but not far enough that he still couldn't tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Wouldn't want Bobbie mad at me for her best waitress falling asleep on the job."

He took her hand and walked her back to the bike where he handed the helmet to her. Elizabeth put it on and then looked at Jason with a determined glint in her eye. "Want to make it a perfect birthday for me?"

He was about to climb on the bike, but stopped and looked at her. "You're not driving."

"It's my birthday," she pouted.

"Technically, it's not anymore," he smirked at her. "Besides, you're not driving my bike until you've gotten your permit."

"What?" she asked, certain she couldn't have just heard Jason say that she could drive his bike.

"When you've taken the test and gotten your learner's permit, then I'll let you drive the bike."

She climbed on the bike and smiled goofily as she grabbed onto his waist. He was offering her a chance to drive, and all she had to do was get her permit. First chance she got she was getting the test manual from the DMV. There was no way she was passing up on this offer for more rides. She laughed just before Jason started the engine; "You've got yourself a deal."

Chapter 15

He was amazed at how easy it was. For all the security measure the place took, he was able to walk about freely and unimpeded. The right clothes and a confident air, and nobody looked twice. He could watch her, observe her routines, see what kind of obstacles would be in his way, and he was invisible to everyone around him.

It was different than with Courtney. She had captivated him while she danced, and all he wanted was the chance to get close to her. The people and barriers in his way had frustrated him then. This time, he was ready for the challenge, and he was looking forward to it.

If he'd really thought about it, he'd been playing this game most of his life. As a child he knew what stores were the easiest to steal candy from. As he got older and began stealing cars, he knew which neighborhoods had the heavier police patrols and vigilant neighborhood watch groups. He avoided those areas and stuck to streets where nobody looked out their windows. When he progressed into robbery, he and his partner would case the home and the area looking for the best time to strike. He always felt it was odd that broad daylight was often the best time of day.

Then a snag hit his life. A homeowner had returned early and he'd never known it until the police arrived. He was arrested, convicted and sent off to prison. He'd met some interesting people inside, and like all convicts, he'd taken ample notes on what to do and what not to do.

Finally he'd gotten out on parole and came down to Port Charles, looking up a friend he'd made inside that had told him about the jobs available on the docks. One night after a long, hot summer day unloading cargo, he'd gone off to the Oasis. A few cold beers, some beautiful women, it seemed like the perfect end to the day. And when he'd seen Daisy, he knew someone had smiled down on him from Heaven. After that he was a regular customer. And when he discovered she also worked at Kelly's, he'd started going there more often.

He hadn't set out with a clear intention. Things had just progressed, and he'd simply gone along with the flow. The night that he'd killed her, that certainly hadn't been his plan. What he never expected was that the horror he'd first felt soon gave way to an odd euphoria. He had the ultimate power. He had watched Courtney react to the things he'd done. After years of living his life dictated by the state, having that power over someone was amazing.

Things were going to be different this time. The game was constantly evolving and he intended to have a little more fun. But first, he needed to let the prey know she was being watched. How she reacted determined how he would proceed.

Slipping into the break room, he went over to her locker and made quick work of the lock. He brushed his gloved hand over her jacket and scarf before he attached the envelope inside the door of her locker.

Then he was back out of the room and headed for the stairwell. He stripped off his gloves and dropped them in a disposal bin as he passed by. One more pair of gloves wouldn't arouse suspicion. By the time he was down in the lobby, shifts were changing and he was just another worker going home.




The call came as the dinner rush was ending. Penny handed the phone to her, and when Elizabeth heard Bobbie on the other end telling her to come down to the hospital her blood chilled. It had been nearly a week since her birthday, and she had seen Jason a few times. She also read the paper and heard the news, not to mention Taggart had questioned her about what time Jason showed up on her birthday and where he'd been before that.

Jason and Sonny seemed to have problems on two fronts. Whatever business problems were going on - Scott Baldwin was throwing around phrases like 'mob war' and 'how many innocent people would die?' - were being compounded by Luis Alcazar. Alcazar seemed to want Brenda Barrett back, and both Jax and Sonny were determined to protect her. Skye and Carly were both not liking that fact, and what few times she and Jason had been together had been interrupted by Carly calling.

Carly calling Jason wasn't a new thing, there were times Elizabeth would have sworn Jason's phone had been surgically attached to his ear. Usually during the most inconvenient of times. What was surprising was that Jason didn't run off to do her bidding. He told Carly to either trust Sonny or not, to deal with it or not, but to stop calling him all the time and expecting him to find the solutions for her. Two nights ago when he'd walked her home, he'd actually turned off his phone because Carly kept hounding him.

"Elizabeth?"

She looked up at Penny who was watching her rather concerned. Then she realized she was still holding the receiver, which was emitting a beeping tone to tell her to hang up. Apparently she'd been standing there for a few minutes.

"Everything all right?" her co-worker asked.

"Huh?" she asked, then the question registered. "No, no. I'm sorry, I have to go. Bobbie said there's something wrong with Sarah."

Sarah. Not Jason as her mind had first raced to when Bobbie called and told her to come down to the hospital. Funny how her mind had drifted to Jason automatically and she hadn't even though of Sarah or her grandmother.

She grabbed her things and went outside, even as she was still pulling on her coat. This was one time Elizabeth was glad she had Francis watching her. She wouldn't have to catch a cab or take a bus. He said nothing, just took her elbow in an expression of concern and support and lead her to the car when she told him she had to get to the hospital.

When she rushed out of the elevator and to the nurse's station fifteen minutes later, she frantically sought out Bobbie. "Bobbie? Bobbie, what's wrong with Sarah? What room is she in?"

"Elizabeth, dear?"

She spun around and saw her grandmother, looking pale and her face drawn and tight. Elizabeth hurried over, her scarf slipping to the ground as she struggled against it and her coat. "Gram? What is it? What happened to her?"

Audrey set a comforting hand on her arm and smiled somewhat forcibly. "Darling, Sarah's not hurt. She's in the doctor's lounge. Let's move out of the lobby."

Now Elizabeth was even more confused, and worried. If her sister wasn't sick or hurt, then why had Bobbie called her and told her to come down to the hospital? She followed behind Audrey, absently noting that Francis was trailing discreetly behind. As they neared the doctor's lounge, Elizabeth saw there were several hospital security officers in the hallway and several police officers near the doorway.

Audrey paused as the officers looked at her, but she explained to them that they were Sarah's grandmother and sister and they were here to see her. The officer let them in, but made Francis wait in the hallway. When they stepped into the room Elizabeth suddenly felt claustrophobic. There were people everywhere in the small space, or at least it sure felt that way. Officers and technicians were dusting for prints and other evidence, while Taggart and Capelli were talking to Sarah who was sitting on the couch visibly upset.

"So you've had no threats against you?" Taggart was asking. Sarah merely shook her head.

"Anybody that you could think of that might do this?" Cappelli asked. "Anybody that's asked you out, shown an interest you haven't reciprocated?"

Again Sarah shook her head. "No. Not that I can think of. I-I've been out with Lucky Spencer a few times, but work keeps me busy. Or spending time with Elizabeth."

Taggart looked up at that point and met Elizabeth's gaze. He stood and walked over to Audrey and Elizabeth who were still standing by the door where they'd been instructed to stay. Capelli remained talking to Sarah, and Taggart took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"These are standard questions we have to ask," he explained to Audrey. "But it seems pretty likely it's the same guy."

"What's going on?" Elizabeth demanded. The question came out harsher than she intended, but everyone seemed to know what was going on except her. She was clueless at the moment, and she hated that others knew more than she did and weren't telling.

"Your sister had some photographs left in her locker this afternoon," Taggart told her. "There are pictures of her at several different places, taken from a distance. You're in several of the photos with her."

Elizabeth stood there; numb to hear the words come out of Taggart's mouth. Someone was watching Sarah. Someone had followed Sarah, watched her from a distance, and apparently Elizabeth had been there as well. Taggart showed her the pictures and Elizabeth wanted to look away, say she didn't need to see them, but she did. An odd part of her brain needed to actually see them; to know that what he'd said were true. And there they were, pictures from Courtney's funeral when she and her sister met on the steps of the church, several of Sarah by herself - going to work, leaving her grandmother's house, heading into Kelly's, and then pictures of the two of them at the Halloween party at Club 101. It made the hairs on the back of Elizabeth's neck prickle and stand on end.

"The Phantom," she breathed out softly, as the feeling reminded her of the one she had Halloween night. The unease she felt when the Phantom had been watching her and when she'd bumped into him on her way out.

"What?" he asked.

"A-at the party, at Club 101, there was someone dressed as the Phantom of the Opera. He seemed to be watching Sarah and I. I-I ran into him a couple of times, the last time as we were leaving, and I thought I heard him say my name," she explained. She didn't say that it had made her feel uneasy, it was probably quite apparent by the way she'd wrapped her arms around herself as if warding off a chill.

"It was the same guy all night?" Taggart asked, taking her ramblings very serious.

Why that question? she wondered. "I think so. I know, I think I saw at least one other Phantom at the party."

"Did you ever see him without his mask?"

She shook her head and Taggart slumped his shoulders. "Alright, thank you, Elizabeth. We're done here for now. Is Sarah staying with you, Mrs. Hardy?"

"No," Audrey said with a heavy sigh. "She has a room at Kelly's. But maybe she'll stay with me."

"We'll have an officer escort you home if you want," he said as Sarah and Officer Capelli came up. "If you get anything else, phone calls or feel like someone's watching you, call us right away. You did the right thing by calling us."

Sarah nodded jerkily, and the two men left the room followed by the technicians. An officer told them he'd be waiting outside for when they were ready to go, and then finally they were alone. Audrey sank into a chair behind her and covered her eyes with a slender hand.

"Sarah, maybe you should think about staying with me tonight. Elizabeth, you too. Maybe both you girls should stay with me - at least until this is all over."

Elizabeth looked at her grandmother and then at Sarah. She was concerned for Sarah, and she was a little creeped out that she was in the pictures, but she did not want to move back in with her grandmother. No matter how temporarily. She liked her studio. She'd gotten used to the heavy steel door, and she knew that it would take a cannon to get through it. And she had Francis guarding her. Besides, the pictures weren't delivered to her. She had precautions enough.

"If Sarah wants me to stay with her and you for tonight, I will. But I'm not moving in with you, Gram. I'll be fine," she said calmly, hoping that it would prevent a firestorm. But she should have probably asked for world peace while she was sending up that Hail Mary.

"Elizabeth, dear, I wish you'd think about this," her grandmother said, her voice already showing how clearly Audrey disagreed with the decision. "I know you feel safe with Jason Morgan's man guarding you - and why he's watching you I don't even want to think about - but really, Elizabeth, after everything that you've been through because of that man why would you put your faith in him? I think both of you should come stay with me."

And here started the 'why are you stilling hanging around that criminal?' routine. Now she remembered why she hadn't spent long periods of time with her grandmother. Audrey hadn't learned to accept her choice of friends, and Elizabeth couldn't hear her grandmother disparage Jason without saying something. It generally made for tense and unpleasant encounters. Her gram would not like Francis or any other guard outside her house, and Elizabeth knew that Jason would still be worried about her because of Alcazar and whoever was causing problems for him and Sonny.

"I'm sorry, Gram. I'm not going to move in with you. Especially if you're going to constantly berate me for being friends with Jason," she said firmly. "Sarah, is there anything I can do for you?"

"No," Sarah said, her voice sounding stronger. "And, Gram, thank you for your offer."

Their grandmother smiled triumphantly, probably thinking she had at least one smart grandchild. The smile fell as Sarah continued, "But I'm going to go home. To Kelly's. I won't let this guy chase me out of my house right away."

"Oh, Sarah, be reasonable," Gram tsked. "Someone is watching you."

"And the police know, hospital security knows, Bobbie knows. If I get anything else, I'll call the police." She turned to Elizabeth and asked, "Do you need a ride?"

"No," she said. "Francis is here. Sarah," then she paused and pulled her aside while looking at their grandmother. "Sarah, I've never been good with other people making decisions for me, or telling me my decisions aren't right, so I'll stand by you. But please, think about what Gram said. I work at Kelly's. I-I know that there are a lot of people that come in and out of there. I just want you to be safe."

"I can't just run off to Gram, Elizabeth," her sister said back. "I'll tell Lucky. His room is next to mine. I'll be careful, I promise."

Elizabeth looked away and bit her lip. She hated this. Hated this worry, this feeling of being powerless. "Do you want me to stay with you and Gram? I'll bite my tongue and suck it up when she goes on about Jason. I'll try not to fight with her."

"Elizabeth, you shouldn't have to do that. Gram...we both know how Gram feels about Jason and you being friends with him. Do I sometimes wish you weren't friends with him, does the guard make me nervous? Yeah, sometimes it does. But it's your life, Lizzie," she said with a smile and Elizabeth didn't even get mad at the nickname. "Gram would use this as a tool to badger you and try and get you away from Jason. Do you want that?"

"No," Elizabeth said strongly. "But I'll stay there if you want. Or...or you could stay with me. I know the studio's small, and there's not a lot of sleeping space, but it's got a steel door, and there's a guard outside."

Sarah surprised her when she suddenly gave her a hug. "Elizabeth, thank you. But no. I'm going home. I have to do this. Do you understand?"

Did she understand? Of course she did. She did the same thing when she got out of the hospital after being kidnapped. And then she completely freaked out because she was all alone and ended up sleeping with Zander because she was frightened. But she saw the same stubborn pride in her sister's eyes that had looked her in the mirror after Jason brought her home. She knew she wouldn't change Sarah's mind today. But she'd had to try.

"I understand," she told her. "But if you ever change your mind."

"I'll let you know," Sarah promised.

"Okay," she said, then leaned in even closer. She knew their grandmother was probably wondering what all of this was about, but she couldn't have Gram overhear this next part. "Promise me you'll call if you need anything."

She gave her sister a pleading look, hoping she knew that if Sarah needed help she would be there, which would really mean Jason or a guard would be there as well. Sarah nodded and smiled gratefully. "I will. I promise."

"Alright," Elizabeth said, and stepped back. "Night, Sarah. Goodnight, Gram."

She walked to the older woman and gave her a brief hug before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. Francis stood there, immediately alert and holding her scarf that had fallen. "Thank you."

"Miss Webber, is everything alright?" he asked quietly, as she started walking down the hall. She merely shook off his question and kept going, even as Audrey followed and called after her, encouraging her to change her mind.




"Hi," Maxie Jones said, looking up at Jason as he sat down at the counter. "What can I get you?"

"Is Elizabeth almost ready?" he asked.

"Elizabeth? Oh, she's not here," Maxie informed him. "She went to the hospital right after dinner."

"What?" he asked as he sat up straight. His mind was racing in several directions; the chief one being why hadn't Francis called him.

"Maxie," Penny smiled gently as she cut into the conversation, "why don't you go take care of table five?" Then she turned to Jason. "She's not sick and she's not hurt. Bobbie called and said something happened with Sarah, so Elizabeth left. Your guy, Francis, took her."

"Thank you," Jason said with a sigh as he stood and dropped a twenty on the counter, even though he hadn't ordered anything. He turned and headed out the door, reaching for his cell phone as he paused in the courtyard.

"Jason."

Turning in surprise, he saw Francis walking towards him. "Francis. Why aren't you watching Elizabeth?"

"Because Johnny is there, and she's locked herself in her studio. We've got trouble."

"Let's head to the warehouse," Jason said, a pool of dread forming in his gut. Had Alcazar or Tagliatti or even Castinelli made a move against her? He thought things were calming down with Castinelli and the other families.

The family representatives had called a meeting earlier in the week, minus Castinelli, to discussed things. They all agreed that both Tagliatti and Castinelli were getting out of control. The head of Tagliatti's family, Sal Giavanni, withdrew his protection of the rogue, especially after learning he'd allied himself with Castinelli, in effect creating an open hunt on the man. He must have gotten wind of the new development because he and his shadow had disappeared. Someone from every family was looking for him, but Jason figured it would be a while - if ever - before they found him. Castinelli would be dealt with as well, reduced in prominence in the group and a severe warning from Giavanni. The message would be clear, one more indiscretion and the man would be eliminated.

Jason and Francis made their way into the warehouse shell. The outside was complete, and now C&M Construction was working on the interior. Jason braced his feet apart and crossed his arms over his chest. If Francis didn't break the silent routine soon he was going to blow.

"What happened tonight?"

"Elizabeth got a call to come to the hospital. Her sister Sarah got some photographs left in her locker."

"Photographs?" Jason asked.

"From what I could overhear the police talking about, they were of Sarah, several different places, all without her knowing she was being watched."

Warning bells went out loudly in Jason's head. "She being stalked?"

"Police seem to think so," Francis confirmed. "I heard someone mention Courtney's name. They never caught the guy, and apparently some of the pictures were from Courtney's funeral."

The guard shifted uncomfortably and then said, "Elizabeth was in some of the pictures too. And when Taggart and Capelli left, they were talking about a guy dressed up like the Phantom of the Opera at the Halloween Party."

"Alcazar?" Jason asked. The arms dealer had dressed as the Phantom and made some veiled threats toward Sonny and Carly. Then he later showed up at Jax and Brenda's cottage, but left after only making some threats against Jax and telling Brenda he'd win her back.

"Don't know," Francis shrugged. "There apparently were several different Phantoms there. Besides, with Alcazar leaving, how would he have bumped into Elizabeth as she and her sister were leaving? It doesn't match up time wise."

Jason dropped his hands to his side and clenched them tightly into fists. This guy had watched Elizabeth, had contact with her, and Francis hadn't been there because Elizabeth had asked for him to have the night off. She said she would be fine with so many people there.

"Did she tell you anything?" he asked Francis.

"Nope," the guard shook his head. "Didn't say a word to me at all. Guess Mrs. Hardy tried to get both Sarah and Elizabeth to stay with her, but they said no. Elizabeth came home, locked herself in the studio, and wouldn't talk to me. I called Johnny to come over and came looking for you."

"Alright, thank you, Francis," Jason told him and rubbed the back of his neck. "You can go home. I'm gonna go see Elizabeth."

"Maybe you'll have better luck talking to her," Francis said hopefully.

Jason didn't say anything, but he hoped Francis was right.

Chapter 16

Elizabeth sat on the ledge by the window and stared unseeing out into the dark. She was worried and knew there was no way she could sleep. Whoever this man was, that was after Sarah had probably gone after Courtney, and her co-worker had ended up dead. She shouldn't have been so stubborn and refused to stay at her grandmother's house. If she had just given in and agreed, then Sarah would have stayed there too. Instead she'd been selfish and Sarah had decided to go back to Kelly's.

Sighing, Elizabeth leaned her head against the cool pane. She could probably call her sister. No doubt Sarah was still awake like she was, and Elizabeth could probably convince her to go to Gram's house. She knew she was safe, but she was worried about Sarah being at Kelly's.

She turned her head slightly when someone knocked on the door. Probably Francis wanting to check on her. She just wasn't up to explaining everything to him right now. She was sure he was worried, and had probably heard snatches of the conversations at the hospital. She knew she'd have to tell him and Jason about Sarah, but not tonight. That's why she was ignoring the knocking and instead sitting in the dark.

The click of metal tumblers unlocking caught her attention and she looked over at the door. She didn't think Francis had a key, but maybe Jason had given him one. She turned back to the window and gazed down on the docks, intent on ignoring the guard. Maybe he'd get the hint that she didn't want to talk and he'd return to his post.

"Elizabeth?"

She snapped her head around and saw Jason taking off his coat and hanging it up by hers near the door. He flipped the locks and walked into the darkened room. Silently, he stopped at the couch and removed the cushions, then pulled the bed out. Once that was done, he came over to where she was sitting and stopped beside her.

"Come on," he said softly. "You need some sleep."

She shook her head. "I can't. I'm worried."

"I told Johnny to go over to Kelly's and keep an eye out. Max is going to relieve him in a few hours." He reached for her hand and repeated, "Come on."

This time she allowed him to help her to her feet. As he pulled back the covers she asked, "Francis told you?"

"What he knew," Jason said. He covered her up as she lay down. "Do you want to talk?"

She burrowed her head into her pillow and shook it. "Not now, please."

"Okay," he said. He stared to walk away, but she reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Are you leaving?" Her eyes pleaded with him. She didn't want to be alone, but she knew he had things he had to do. She couldn't expect him to stay with her just because she was frightened.

He knelt down by the bed and smoothed the hair off her face. "No. I was just going to see if you still had your sleeping bag in the closet."

"There's a blanket there. Please," she stopped and closed her eyes. "Could you stay here...on the bed? I- I just need...I want you..."

"Sure," he said and she let out a sigh of relief. It was hard for her to admit she needed him, that she wanted him close by. After being so hurt and vowing almost three weeks ago not to let him close, she knew this was a huge admission. Part of her always knew that she'd let him back in her life, and she'd probably give him a second chance at love because she had never stopped loving him, but she had vowed to take her time. A part of her wondered if it was the danger that was making her vulnerable. But the way he came in and took care of her without asking questions had filled her with such warmth.

She felt him come back to the bed and sit down. He took off his boots, then lay down bringing the blanket up over him. She turned to face him and smiled when he turned on his side as well. The light filtered in from the window and made his eyes stand out brightly.

"Thank you," she said as she brought her hand out of the covers and reached for his, linking their fingers together. She was thanking him for staying, but also for not pressing her on what happened with Sarah. For respecting her enough to let his questions wait. And she was thanking him for not making a big deal of her admitting she wanted him.

He squeezed her hand gently. "Sure. Now get some sleep. I'll be here."

She smiled back sleepily. She knew he would be, and she knew that she could trust him.




Jason's eyes opened, slowly at first, and then as normal he was immediately awake. He looked over at Elizabeth, still asleep on her side. Her hand was resting on his chest, and she had moved closer to him during the night. It wasn't like those movies that Robin used to try and get him to watch where two people went to sleep and woke up all tangled together in the middle of the bed. But it was a nice feeling, the light pressure of her hand, the nearness of her body.

Last night when she asked him to stay, told him she needed him, he knew he would stay. There was no way he would let her be alone after finding out her sister was being watched and that she was in some of the pictures too. But when she said she wanted him there, he had to keep from showing how much that meant to him. Turned out he needn't have bothered because she kept her eyes closed.

It seemed that slowly but steadily they were getting back to where they used to be. She was still a little standoffish, but she seemed to believe when he apologized for hurting her. And she also seemed to believe that she was important to him and that he would be there for her. She still expected him to always run off and do Sonny and Carly's bidding. But she was beginning to realize that while he did have to leave for business, he didn't leave all the time. And he wasn't running off just because Carly had a problem.

He figured that the real test of where Elizabeth's acceptance of that would be how she reacted when she woke up. He knew she wasn't trying to hurt him, she was just protecting herself from hurt. He understood it; he'd done it himself this summer after everything with Zander. And she'd called him on it and had been right. So he was going to show her he'd be there for her, and not just tell her. He'd told her once he wanted to be with her and left her alone. This time would be different.

Elizabeth murmured in her sleep and then shifted onto her back. She slung her arms over her eyes and groaned. He remembered how much she hated mornings from when he stayed in her studio that December.

"Stop looking at me," she said with no anger. "You're probably wide awake and ready for coffee. I hate that you wake up so easy."

He chuckled and rolled onto his side. "I remember. Don't suppose you have any coffee, do you?"

She moved her arm and turned her head to glare at him through one eye. "No. Been a while since I had a houseguest who needed it in IV form. All I have is hot chocolate."

"I'll just have to get some later," he said. "What time do you have to go to work?"

"Not 'til noon," she answered. "But I want to check on Sarah."

"Do you want to talk about that?" he asked, telling himself not to tense in preparation for her rejection.

She closed her eyes, then pushed herself up to sit. "How much did Francis tell you?"

He told her what he knew, as he sat up as well. She pushed her hands through her hair and talked while she looked down at the bed. "Well, that's really it. Sarah got the pictures and called Hospital Security who called the police. They showed them to me when I got there."

He picked up her hand when she stopped. "Where were they taken?"

"Courtney's funeral, Gram's house, Kelly's, the hospital and then the party at Club 101."

"And that's where you ran into the person dressed as the Phantom of the Opera?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I felt like I was being watched, and I thought he said my name as I was leaving, but I figured I was just wrong. Are you mad I didn't say something sooner?"

He told her he wasn't, but then told her about Alcazar showing up at Brenda and Jax's dressed as the Phantom. She remembered him from the summer, and she told him that she didn't get the same menacing feeling that night she had when she overheard him and Roy talking. This person was completely different. Jason knew that was probably the case, he just didn't like that he was facing an unknown enemy.

"I know your sister doesn't really like me, but I'll help her if she wants it."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said, gratitude shining in her eyes as she looked at him. "Gram wanted us to stay with her last night, but we turned her down. She was already unhappy with Francis bringing me to the hospital, I didn't think she'd like if I said he'd be standing guard outside her house. And I knew you'd want me to it have a guard still because of Alcazar. Plus, I like knowing he's there."

Jason didn't really react, but he felt a sense of relief that she was at ease with having a guard, and that she wouldn't have sent him away. But at the same time, "I'm sorry your grandmother-"

"Don't," she said. "This is the same thing Gram has been saying for the last three years. She just doesn't accept that I have my made my choice to live my own life. And that my life includes you."

He remembered that day outside of Kelly's when he had tried to stop being friends with her, before he left town the first time. She'd put up quite a fight. She'd already moved out and was living on her own because her grandmother didn't approve of him. He kinda liked that she was still fighting for him. And he knew that she would stick to that no matter what Audrey Hardy said.

"Thank you," she said. "For sending someone over to keep an eye on Sarah. I was about ready to call her and say I'd go to Gram's with her because I just wanted her safe."

"And you didn't want to go there." It wasn't a question. He knew she didn't have the best relationship with Audrey, but she would have gone for Sarah. She was selfless that way.

"No, but I would have," she smirked and then laughed, "So thank you for saving me from that. I wasn't up for a fight with my grandmother. And thank you for coming last night and staying."

"I wanted to see if you were alright," he told her. "If you needed anything."

"I did. You staying was exactly what I wanted." She gave him a hug and then quickly got out of bed and rushed to her dresser. "I'm going to get dressed so I can go see how Sarah's doing. Do you know when Francis will be here?"

"I can call him to meet us at Kelly's. I'll take you there; we can even get breakfast. Then I'll need to check in with Sonny and go to the warehouse, but that can wait."

She held her clothes in front of her and smiled at him. "Okay, I won't be long."

Then she was headed out the door and to the bathroom down the hall. He got up and made the bed, putting it away and straightening the cushions. He called Francis and told the guard to meet them at Kelly's, and then checked in with Johnny and Max before putting his boots on. He was finishing tying his laces when Elizabeth came back in. She wasn't joking about being quick.

"I talked to Johnny and Max and they said things were quiet."

"Good," she said with a sigh, her shoulders relaxing. "Ready?"

"Let's go."




Sarah sat at the table in Kelly's and drank her coffee. Last night had been the worst night of her life. She kept the lights on, the door locked, and jumped at the slightest sound. When the first phone call came where she thought she heard breathing, but no one spoke, she tried to pass it off as a wrong number. After the third one she ran to Lucky's room and pounded on the door.

When he opened the door, clearly having just woken up, she threw herself into his arms and begged to stay with him. She told him everything, about the pictures and the calls. He of course agreed to let her stay, and finally she was able to fall asleep, though she woke several times.

When she woke up, Lucky was on the phone with Nikolas, asking his brother to come meet them at Kelly's. So now here the three of them were, quiet after she'd filled them in on everything.

"You should have gone to your grandmother's," Lucky insisted.

"I probably should have," she agreed. She just didn't know how to tell them she hadn't gone because Elizabeth hadn't. That she admired her sister's strength to tell her grandmother no, and so she'd tried to forget her own fear. She knew Elizabeth had a guard, and so was probably safer than she was, but what she really admired was her sister's resolve to not give in to their Gram about Jason. It gave her the courage to come back to her room and not let this guy control her life. Of course, that bravado had shattered on the first phone call. As she stared into the caramel colored liquid in her cup, she frowned to realize she just wasn't as strong as her sister was.

"Are you going to go there tonight?" Lucky pressed.

"I don't know," she shrugged, even though she knew she wouldn't. Nothing but widows or middle-aged families lived on her grandmother's street, and she just didn't like the isolated feel there. Once she loved that it was so quiet, now she was frightened of it. "I think I'll call Elizabeth."

"What is she going to do?" Nikolas asked. "Oh wait, I've seen her with Jason a lot lately."

"So what you're saying is you're going to call Jason Morgan for protection. Great, another woman sucked in and swayed by the almighty Sonny Corinthos and his thugs. You'd rather turn to them than your friends?"

"No," Nikolas declared, as irritated as Lucky was. "You can come live at Wyndemere. If you need a guard, I'll hire someone for you. You don't need that thug Jason, no matter what nonsense Elizabeth's filled your head with."

Sarah set her cup down carefully and looked at the Cassadine prince she'd once had a crush on. "Elizabeth trusts Jason."

"He's almost gotten her killed many times. And if you trust him you'll just end up dead too. So, say you'll move in. Lucky can come too."

"Sure," Lucky piped up. "It'll be just like last time, only better. Plus, you'll be safe."

Safe. She liked the sound of that. Rubbing at her temple she nodded her head. "Okay. I'll move in."

"Sarah?"

She lifted her head and looked straight into the deep blue, and hurt, eyes of her sister. "Elizabeth."

Chapter 17

Elizabeth stood near her sister's table, Jason a discreet distance behind her, as Sarah looked up at her, regret filling her eyes. Nikolas and Lucky sat there ignoring Elizabeth, looking over at a picture they pretended to be engrossed in. She wanted to say she couldn't believe it, but sadly she could. She could believe that Lucky and Nikolas would say those things about her, and most of all about Jason, because they weren't the same people that had sat in this diner with her and Emily and ate brownies. That seemed like a lifetime ago, and she realized sadly that it was. It was before the fire they thought killed Lucky, the event that had changed all of them.

So she had to shake off those thoughts, those pangs of regret for the lost past, and focus on the now. Her sister was in trouble, and for her Elizabeth would do anything. Even put up with Nikolas and Lucky and resist the urge to say something snide.

"You're going to move to Wyndamere?" she asked, keeping her voice neutral and even. "Did something happen last night?"

She took a seat as Sarah indicated, and waited for her to talk. "I got phone calls last night. The person never said anything, but I knew someone was there."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth sighed. "I should have gone with you to Gram's. I-I almost called you last night to go."

Sarah covered her hand and shook her head. "It would have been so much worse at her house, and you know it. She would have hovered and fussed. I should have stayed with you. I almost called you, but he called again and I just couldn't stay in the room, so I ran next door to Lucky's room."

Elizabeth looked up and saw a very proud, smug look on her ex-fiancé's face. He looked like he'd just slayed the dragon that had been terrorizing the local village. She swallowed the distaste in her mouth and smiled slightly. "I'm glad he was there for you."

"I am too," Sarah said, giving him a smile. "He called Nikolas this morning and...well, you heard the rest."

"Yes," she said. Along with Lucky's declaration that it would be just like old times, only better. Better in that she shouldn't be there, and he wouldn't have to hide his attraction for Sarah. They could be the perfect couple to go with Nikolas and Gia's perfect engaged couple routine. They wouldn't have her as excess baggage. "I heard. I'm glad for you, Sarah. You'll be safer than here at Kelly's."

Safer in that the stalker probably wouldn't figure out how to get out there, at first. She knew that Spoon Island wasn't an impenetrable fortress, but it was better than the greasy spoon. She could just feel the smugness rolling off Nikolas as she said that, and she had to tamp down the desire to put Jason's boxing lessons to use.

"I would come stay with you," Sarah said, breaking through her thoughts. "I know with your guard and that door, we'd be safe. But there just isn't space."

"I know," Elizabeth sighed. And for the first time she wished she had a different place. She liked her studio and the little fold out bed. She never had a problem sharing the space with Jason, but Sarah was different. Her sister didn't like roughing it, and to her Elizabeth's studio may as well have been a base camp in the Sahara.

There was just one thing she needed to say, to wipe the self-satisfied looked off Nikolas and Lucky's faces, and to let her sister know that her begrudging respect of Jason hadn't been misplaced. "Jason put guards on you last night."

Sarah looked at her in surprise, and Nikolas's spoon missed the saucer. "You asked him to do that for me?"

"No," Elizabeth said, and cast a glance around the diner for Jason. He was seated at the counter drinking coffee, watching her and the rest of the restaurant, but giving her group space. She gave him a small smile when he met her eye, and he smiled back in return. Turning back to Sarah she said, "Francis talked to him after he brought me back from the hospital and he sent a couple of guys over here to watch out for you."

Sarah looked over her shoulder at Jason, and then back to Elizabeth. "I-I can't believe he would do that. He barely knows me and I've never been nice to him."

"You're my sister. He knew I'd be worried." And in that instance, that was all the reason Jason needed. It was one of the things she admired so deeply about him.

"I'm going to tell him thank you," Sarah declared, and stood. Probably before she could lose her nerve.

Elizabeth slowly turned her gaze to the other occupants of the table and let her eyes harden. "I'm glad that Emily isn't here to see this. It hurt her so much that you guys didn't want to go to Jason with the whole Dead Ted thing. But we can at least chalk that up, and Lucky's aggressive behavior toward him, on Helena's brainwashing. But you're free of that now Lucky, and you're still as much of a jerk as you were back then.

"Jason is not the reason we broke up. Stop blaming him and me for that. We changed. It's a fact of life. Apparently though, you've changed so much that you'd rather hang on to your inexplicable hatred of him than remember that he helped you out when you fought with your parents and moved out. And you," she said, turning to Nikolas, "have apparently become the Cassadine Prince you fought so hard against becoming. Helena must be so proud. Jason saved your life, but because I turned to him after Lucky died instead of you, you hate him.

"You are both nothing more than overgrown children masquerading as adults." She closed her eyes, weary of both of them and the argument. "For Sarah's sake, I hope we can get along. Because I love my sister, and will do whatever I can to help her whether you approve of my help, or my friends, or not. Your decision. Now if you'll excuse me."

Not even sparing them another glance, she got up and moved to Jason and Sarah. Jason looked relieved at her arrival, and she smiled. He had probably done the classic Jason Morgan routine. 'There's no need to thank me.' Well, there was a need, and she was proud of Sarah for telling him.

"Sarah, are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'll feel better knowing there are other people around."

"Do you need any help packing?"

"No, I'll be fine," Sarah assured her. "I'll call you tonight though, and I still want to have lunch with you tomorrow."

"I'd like that," Elizabeth said. Inside she was relieved; glad to know her sister still wanted her around. A part of her feared that Sarah would forget about her when she moved to Wyndamere and she realized it was a testament to how they were really getting along this time.

"Well, I better get busy before I have to head to the hospital. I'll call you," she promised and then headed towards the stairs. Elizabeth watched her go, and then turned to see Jason studying her.

"You alright?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "Just still worried."

"You want to get breakfast?"

"You don't eat breakfast," she said. And after her run in with Lucky and Nikolas, and knowing that they were still there, she didn't feel like eating. "Actually, I just want to get out of here for a while so I don't get sucked into working before my shift starts."

Jason looked over her shoulder and she knew he was staring at the two men. "Okay, just a second though. Penny, can we get a muffin, a hot chocolate and a coffee to go?"

Her co-worker smiled at both of them and then quickly filled their order. Jason laid a twenty on the counter, handed her food to her, and then stood and placed his hand on her back as he steered her out the door. "Let's go."

When they got outside to his motorcycle, he looked down at their food and shook his head. He turned and steered her down to the docks, keeping a steady pressure on her back. As they reached the bench they used to sit on and talk, he said, "When you're done there's somewhere I want to take you."

"Where?" she asked, the cup paused in front of her. The muffin sat on her lap and she was touched that Jason had ordered it for her, but she really had no appetite for it at the moment.

"The DMV."

"What?"

"To get you a book to study for your permit. That way you can start your driving lessons."

"On your motorcycle?"

"Yep," he said, as he took a sip of his coffee. He watched her over the rim and his eyes had a small twinkle in them. Sure he was doing this as a distraction for her, but there was no way she was going to pass up an opportunity to drive Jason's bike. She set the cup on the bench beside her, and unwrapped her muffin with determination. She may not be hungry, but she wanted to fly.




Sitting on his couch, Sonny went over the invoices and files Benny had brought by. The coffee business was going fine, and rapid progress was being made on the warehouse. It looked like it was going to open ahead of schedule. Shipments were going well, the families had settled down and relative peace was upon them. The thorn in their side was Alcazar, but even he was being quiet at the moment.

He shifted back to the file Benny had given him and opened it, though he really didn't need to. It was short, to the point, and he had it memorized already. Now all he needed was for Jason to show up and they could go over it. When he'd called the younger man, he said he would be over as soon as he dropped Elizabeth off at Kelly's.

The door opened, and Marco announced and admitted Jason. Sonny stood and walked to the wet bar, passing over the scotch and pouring a glass of water. "You want anything to drink?"

Jason shook his head and unzipped his jacket before taking a seat on the couch.

Sonny walked over and sat down as well. "Everything alright with Elizabeth?"

Blue eyes met his own and regarded him with mild suspicion. It wasn't a surprise, but it kicked him in the gut none-the-less. The words that Mike, Elizabeth and Jason said had rolled around his head for the past week. Jason still kept their exchanges brief and businesslike, and Sonny was beginning to realize it had been a long time since he'd asked the man he considered a friend how he was doing.

"Yeah," Jason said. "I was just dropping her off at work."

"Francis is still guarding her, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded. "He wasn't on duty, because I was with her. I couldn't leave her when you called."

"Relax," Sonny said, hating the realization that Jason felt he had to explain why he wasn't there right away. "I was just wondering how she was, and if you still had Francis on her."

"Alright," Jason said, but it was clear he didn't quite believe it was idle curiosity. "What did you call about?"

Rather than try and make small talk, or try and convince Jason that he wasn't just paying lip service, he merely handed over the file. It was just easier to deal with business right now than try to prove to Jason that he was serious. Jason read through the pages and then looked up at him.

"How reliable is this?"

"Benny says it's solid."

"What do you want to do about it?"

"I want you to go out there and eliminate the problem," Sonny said, taking a sip of his water.

Jason looked down for a moment and when he looked back up his face was blank. "Okay. I'll leave tonight. I just need to tell Elizabeth that I'm leaving."

Sonny regarded him, and had a flash of something. He wasn't sure what, but Jason's quiet insistence that Elizabeth know he was gone seemed more than because he cared about her, or that she had been hurt to not know about Sonny's fake death. There was a tone that indicated clearly that even if Sonny didn't want her to know Jason was going out of town he was still going to tell her. "What happened? Is Elizabeth in danger? Did Alcazar make a move toward her?"

"No," Jason shook his head. "It's not Alcazar and it's not Elizabeth. Her sister got some photographs at the hospital last night. Elizabeth was in some of them. She's just worried about her sister."

Photographs. Sonny looked at his water glass and debated getting something stronger. "She's being stalked."

"Yeah," his friend confirmed. "Some of the pictures were from Courtney's funeral. Francis overheard parts of the conversation at the hospital. The police think it's the same person."

Now Sonny did stand and pour himself a drink. The man who killed his sister was now targeting another woman. It made his stomach twist with anger, and fear for Sarah Webber. He hadn't been able to prevent Courntey's death, and he wondered what he could do now.

"How-" he stopped and cleared his throat. "How is Sarah Webber doing?"

"She's frightened," Jason said. "She got some calls last night. But I put Johnny and Max at Kelly's last night. They said it was quiet. I guess she's gonna move out to Wyndemere with Cassadine and Lucky Spencer."

"Good," Sonny said. He couldn't believe that she'd gone back to Kelly's last night. It was even more unprotected than Courtney's apartment had been. "Do you think...think that she would want a guard? Elizabeth could talk to her about it."

"She thanked me for putting Johnny and Max on Kelly's last night. Cassadine offered to pay for a guard for her if she wanted one. He and Lucky were pretty vocal against our guards."

He stopped his pacing and rubbed at his forehead. He couldn't force his help upon anyone, but even as he thought that he frowned. Mike was right when he said he'd ordered guards on Brenda, even after she didn't want them. He hadn't done that with Courtney, even though he could have. He could do the same for Elizabeth's sister, put a guard on her when she wasn't over on Spoon Island. She would never have to know about it, but Elizabeth would probably appreciate it.

Elizabeth. Sonny pushed down an unexpected pang of guilt as her words from the night on the dock came back to him. Why hadn't he included her in the plan to fake his death? He was ashamed to admit that he really hadn't thought of her, even though he knew she was at Jason's and was important to his friend. She just hadn't crossed his mind. And as a result, when Jason finally got home after taking care of everything Sonny had ordered him to do, she walked out. Hurt about being lied to; hurt about coming last in his life.

It had taken some doing on Jason's part, a big portion of which included him putting his foot down and saying no to Sonny, but they were talking again. It reminded him that the man across the room from him was more than just an employee. Of course he would want to tell her he was going to be gone. He was making an effort. And with all the things going on now with her sister, Elizabeth would be worried, and Jason wanted her to know he wasn't abandoning her.

No, he wasn't abandoning her; he was being ordered away on business. Again. Sonny didn't know what to do the shame he suddenly felt.

"Sonny?"

He blinked and realized Jason was standing in front of him, studying him. "What?"

"I asked when do you want me to go?"

Sonny shook his head, quickly coming to a decision. "You're not going."

"What?"

"You should stay here. Elizabeth needs you here."

"This is my job," Jason said forcefully. "I have Francis on Elizabeth. She'll understand."

She might, Sonny thought. Or she would pretend to in order to not make Jason feel guilty. But she would be happier if Jason stayed.

"It's not your job to kill Sammy Tagliatti this time. Giavanni's enforcer is doing the actual hit. The families are just sending representatives to observe."

"And it's my job to represent you. I go when you can't."

"Not this time," Sonny shook his head. "We've been talking about giving Johnny more power. He pretty much fills in when you've been out of town."

"But I'm here now," Jason reasoned. "Unless you're changing my position in the organization."

"I would never do that," Sonny vowed. "You know I depend on you. You're irreplaceable. But I realize I don't have to give you every job. This is the perfect opportunity to promote Johnny. He's been with us for years. He can do more than guard a door. And you have responsibilities too that he can never fill, but you're allowed to have a life. I'm sending Johnny, and this will let the families know he has our confidence and our trust in his new position."

"Alright," Jason agreed slowly. "So what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to check out this new information on Alcazar," he said, handing over a file. "And then you make sure Elizabeth and her sister know you're there for them."

Chapter 18

He stood in the courtyard; his hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his coat. The snow from the previous day's storm was still on the ground, though the foot traffic had pretty well cleared the courtyard. He ignored the cold that stung his cheeks, and just stared at the brick building. It was the last place he'd seen Courtney alive, when he'd stopped in to have lunch with her, and he hadn't been able to come back since then.

Finally, he knew he'd have to go inside sometime, and the diner looked fairly empty right now. He pulled open the door and when the bell chimed, the waitress behind the counter looked up. He matched her tentative smile with one of his own and sat down at the counter.

"Hi, A.J."

"Hey," he said as Elizabeth turned over the cup in front of him and poured some coffee. He looked at her, and then shifted in his seat. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure," she said, then turned to Penny. "I'm going to take a break."

Penny looked at them, gave him an awkward smile and told Elizabeth she'd cover the diner. He picked up his coffee and walked to a corner table and waited for her to sit down. Then he sat, and shrugged out of his coat, before taking a sip of his coffee that he never even tasted.

"How are you doing?" Elizabeth asked, then looked down at the table. "I'm sorry. I hated that question. Because I felt like I had to smile and say I was doing alright when I just wanted to scream."

"I want to scream," he admitted. "I want to cry. Sometimes I just want to sit in a dark room with a bottle of vodka and drink 'til I'm numb. But I don't. Courtney always had such faith in me, never called me a drunk or believed anything half the town told her about me, when she probably should have. I-I just feel like if I take a drink I'm betraying her. Her belief and support of me."

"When I thought Lucky died, I didn't know how I was supposed to go on." Her eyes darkened slightly, and he had a feeling she was turning inside herself, much as he found himself doing. "And I'd look at my paints and sketchbooks and I'd just want to thrown them all away. He was the one who believed in my art. He was the one wanted us to go to New York City, live in the Village, and be starving artists together. I'd paint and he'd play his guitar. I kept at my art for him, and eventually I found it helped me."

A.J. sat back in his seat, and just listened to her. He was glad he'd come to see her, that Grandmother had talked to him about Elizabeth Webber, and Emily had encouraged him to talk to her. "My grandmother told me about Lucky. She saw you at Courtney's funeral, and talked to me about you two. I...I remember when Emily was sad her friend had died, but I didn't pay a lot of attention. I had a lot of problems back then."

"You don't have to apologize," she told him. "Just like you don't have to apologize for anything you feel now."

"Thank you," he said, his eyes feeling damp. "This is the last place I saw her...alive I mean, I haven't been able to come back before now."

She nodded, but said nothing, seeming content to just let him talk. He appreciated it, considering everyone at the mansion either talked him to death, or seemed afraid to talk to him for fear of upsetting him. It was nice that she let him control things, take them at his pace.

"When you thought Lucky was dead, what did you do? How did you get through the day?"

"Oh." She shook her head. "Don't do what I did. I did a lot of pretending. Pretended I was all right, that I didn't miss him every moment of the day. That I didn't just want to curl up and die myself. I felt that I had to be all right for everyone else."

"Why?" he asked. Sure he was living back at the mansion again, because Monica had insisted. He was all right with it; he never wanted to see the apartment again. He'd barely been able to go and get his clothes and the few things of theirs that he wanted to keep out of there. His grandmother was the one person he believed was genuinely sorry for him. Skye probably was as well, but she was drinking her way into oblivion because Jax had left her for Brenda. He couldn't imagine having to pretend he was okay for his family, because it was almost as if they didn't remember, or just didn't care, that he'd lost his wife.

Elizabeth sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I think they wanted to be able to move on with their lives. I'm not saying they didn't miss him, but it was like they were afraid to be happy, to get back to some semblance of normal. If I wasn't happy, then they shouldn't be either. So I'd pretend that I was all right, that I was getting on with my life, so they could too. Why should I hold them back just because I couldn't imagine being truly alive without Lucky?"

Emily and Grandmother had been right. Elizabeth was a good person to talk to, someone who understood many of the things he feeling. He did wonder how he was going to go on. He wondered where he was going to fit in in life. Courtney was the first person who had looked beyond his past and the awful things he had done, and loved him. He had married her to try and get his son back, and instead had found the most beautiful love he'd ever known. She had accepted him, warts and all, and now without Courtney he was right back to where he was before.

He was the family screw-up. Edward was so convinced he was going to start drinking again, that any time he came into the den, Grandfather would tell Reginald to hide the liquor. His parents were constantly fighting with Grandfather. Grandmother was trying to convince the Quartermaine Patriarch to give him a job at ELQ, having somehow managed to get him to unfreeze A.J.'s money. But A.J. didn't know if he wanted to go back to ELQ.

Taking a sip of the lukewarm coffee, he asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you get past it? Did you, or was it only because you found out he was alive?"

"I finally started to get past Lucky's death when I met Jason," she said carefully, twisting her fingers together on top of the table. "I went looking for trouble one night, and found Jason instead."

A.J. wasn't going to say anything. There were so many retorts rolling around his head, but he knew that if he insulted Jason she would be gone. And he was enjoying talking to her. When he realized she had stopped talking and was looking at him, he asked, "What?"

"Nothing. Nevermind. I kinda expected you to say something." She took a deep breath and continued. "I really only knew him as Emily's older brother, and I gave him some attitude when he helped me out. I wondered how he could possibly understand what I was feeling. Told him he never had one good thing in his life suddenly ripped away, that he didn't know what nothing felt like.

"And he told me that he did, because he lived there. I thought he was full of it, but we ended up talking." She stopped and looked at him uncomfortably. "That was when he'd lost Michael, and we were able to talk about how we were sad or just lonely. I was finally able to talk to someone who didn't care if I was sad, or upset, or whatever. I could just be me."

She stopped and gave a wistful smile. "It was such a relief to not have to pretend. We became friends, took rides, and could talk. Without me really realizing it, I began to hurt less, to miss Lucky less, and was able to move on with my life."

A.J. sat there, not really sure what to say or think. Life had been so chaotic back then. The custody fights, the arguments with Jason over visitation, being married to Carly and knowing she still wanted his brother. He was wrapped up in trying to beat the Golden Boy, hang on to what he considered his. He never really saw Jason as being able to feel hurt or loneliness. But Elizabeth Webber had.

The conversation had lapsed and he was feeling uncomfortable in the silence. "So...I..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on about me. You came here to talk, not to have me make tire tracks all over your problem. I meant what I said at the funeral, if you ever do want to talk, I'm willing to listen."

She left the invitation open, and he nodded in gratitude. "Thanks, I may just do that. I - it seems so cliché to say, but I feel a little better having talked, and listening. To just know that it's okay to feel lost and hurt. Thanks."

She chuckled and said, "You're welcome. I always used to tell Jason thank you, and he would say he just listened, like he didn't do anything. But it always helps to talk."

"Yeah, it does. Thank you again."

"Sure," she said as she stood. "Anytime you want to talk, give me a call. I hate to run, but I have to get back to work. The lunch crowd is going to be here soon."

"Okay, I understand," he told her. He watched her go, then reached in and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He placed some money on the table, then grabbed his coat and turned to go. He wasn't sure of much right now, but he could breathe just a little easier. The oppressive weight on his chest had eased slightly.

Opening the door as he pulled on his overcoat, he turned to exit the courtyard and stopped. Standing right by the side of the building was his brother. "Jason."




Jason stood there, motionless, his face revealing nothing. He hadn't seen A.J. since the afternoon of Courtney's funeral when he'd kicked Sonny out. It had been a typical A.J. stunt, and he hadn't thought much about it after he'd got Sonny out of there. He wondered what A.J. was doing here now, and why he was talking to Elizabeth.

"How you been, Jase? Haven't..."

Jason turned his gaze back to the other man. The usual tone meant to needle and taunt him was gone. He looked tired, unshaven, and lost, but Jason noted the one think A.J. didn't look, was drunk.

"Look," A.J. said, putting his hands in his pants pockets. "I don't want to fight. I came to talk to Elizabeth because both Grandmother and Emily said she'd probably be able to understand...after Lucky and all."

He turned and looked in the diner. Jason followed his gaze and saw Elizabeth and Penny busy behind the counter. "It just helped to talk to someone who isn't expecting me to fall apart drinking. She just listened, like she said you did for her. So, I hope it doesn't bother you, but I'll probably take her up on her offer to talk more."

Then he stepped to the side and walked past Jason out of the courtyard. Jason watched him go, a puzzled look on his face at the other man's uncharacteristic behavior. A.J. usually couldn't pass up a chance to blame him, harass him, or just in general be an annoyance. But he was subdued, just slightly off from his normal behavior. Jason shook his head and pulled open the door.

Elizabeth looked up when he walked in and smiled broadly at him. "Hey there."

"Hey."

"Are you here for lunch, or do you have to head off somewhere?"

"No, I stopped in for lunch," he told her.

"Great," she said as he sat down at the counter. "You ready to order or do you need a minute?"

"No," he said, not being able to hold back a smile at her ever-pleasant waitress manner. "I'll have a number seven and coffee."

"Ah," she said, smiling as she tipped her head to the side, "the Jason Morgan Special. It'll be up in just a minute."

He watched as she put the order in, then moved out into the dining area to take the orders of customers that had come in. When there was a small lull, she came back behind the counter and filled his coffee cup. She lingered by him; apparently satisfied that things were under control for the moment.

"Have you heard from your sister today?" He wasn't sure what to say about A.J. or if to say anything at all, and so he asked the next thing he thought to speak of. Her fidgeting stopped and he knew that whenever she stilled, things were bothering her. Maybe he should have waited until she was off work. He placed a hand over hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "What happened?"

"Sarah had to work last night, so I met her at the hospital for breakfast this morning. She was relaxed a little because she hadn't heard anything since the pictures and the phone calls the first night. Each day that passed she worried a little less, but at the same time she wondered when the next thing would come."

"She got something?"

Elizabeth nodded. "She went up to her locker after we were done and there was another letter inside. She called the police right away."

"More pictures?"

"No," she said shaking her head. "A letter, saying he's missed her since she moved to Spoon Island three days ago. Stuff like that. Detective Capelli said it was probably just to let her know he was still watching her, that he knew where she was. Nikolas and Gia picked her up, and as they were leaving he said he'd hire a guard for her."

"She didn't have one before?" he asked, thinking back to his conversation with Sonny.

"She said she didn't want one. Lucky was always dropping her off at work and picking her up. She thought with hospital security she'd be fine."

He could leave it at that. Cassadine was going to get her a guard, with all the money he had could hire a good one. But Jason wasn't a person to just pass things off to someone else to deal with. "Sonny offered to put a guard on Sarah if you thought she might go for it."

"Sonny offered?" she asked as a customer walked in and took a seat at a table. She smiled over Jason's shoulder, "Hi, I'll be right with you."

"Yeah," Jason confirmed. "When I told him about Sarah getting the pictures he was bothered."

"Because of Courtney," she said as she nodded her head. "I'll be right back."

He watched as she took an order, filled more drinks and made sure everyone had what they needed. Then she came back to the counter. "I guess - I'm just surprised Sonny offered. But..."

She shrugged and didn't say anything else. "Yeah. He feels guilty he didn't do more for Courtney, but he also knew you'd be worried. So he wanted to offer."

She grabbed a rag and started to wipe at the counter. "I-I can ask her. I don't know. Lucky and Nikolas aren't real fond of that. But tell Sonny thank you."

Sure," he said, knowing that she hadn't expected to hear Sonny had thought about her and Sarah and made the offer. The last time Elizabeth and Sonny talked it didn't go real well.

The lunch hour picked up and he didn't get the chance to talk to her again, so he decided to head over to the warehouse to make some calls. The interior was nearly finished, and he knew that the shell of his office was a better place to talk to Johnny than out in the courtyard of Kelly's. She gave him a harried smile when he told her he'd be back, and then he left. He knew Francis would look out for her, and that he could go take care of business with one less worry on his mind.

Two hours later he finally got out of the warehouse. He'd talked with Johnny and the other man told him that Sammy Tagliatti was no longer a problem. Giavanni's enforcer killed him the night before and the others had witnessed and confirmed it. The rest of the time was spent making calls trying to track down some leads on Alcazar. The arms dealer was starting to hunt around some of their accounts, and he and Sonny weren't sure if it was a genuine threat or a diversion.

Stepping into the courtyard, he tiredly ran a hand over his face. He gave a weary nod to Francis as he stepped inside and felt a little of the tension ease when Elizabeth looked up from clearing a table and smile at him. "Hey."

He stopped beside her. "Hey. Do you have a minute?"

"A whole lot of them," she smiled. "I just had the lunch shift, so I'm done for the day. Is something wrong?"

"No," he assured her. "I just need a ride. Wondered if you were up for one? It's getting cold out there."

"Then it's a good thing I dressed warm. And you know me; I'm always up for a ride." She put the buss bucket away and took off her apron. Coming out from behind the counter with her bag she chuckled as she saw Jason already had her jacket. With a gleeful smile she said, "I've been studying the manual we picked up, so maybe you could quiz me later."

He nodded, unable to resist her enthusiasm. And he didn't want to resist it. He just wanted a moment to escape and relax on the back of his bike, and he wanted her there with him. The curiosity he had about A.J. talking to her could wait, he had no new information on Alcazar and there was no point in waiting around. And he could give Elizabeth an escape from the situation with her sister. He knew soon that it would be too cold to take her riding, and he wanted every ride he could squeeze in.

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