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Chapter 28

Sonny sat in his office, the muted sounds of construction filtering through the closed door, reading over the file that Benny had just delivered. It was a preliminary write-up, but at least he now had a name and a picture of the man that had met with Alcazar and most likely killed him. The file was thin, sketchy at best with few facts and a lot of unanswered questions. The man was practically a cipher, especially before college, but Benny had only received the name a couple of hours ago when one of the guards snuck into the office at the hotel and pilfered it.

Closing the file, he handed it across the desk to Jason. The younger man read through it and lifted his pale blue eyes. "Not much there. Think it's even his real name?"

Their accountant and fact finder shrugged, "We're looking into it. If that is his real name, he's got a heck of a lot more money than normal for the folks who frequent the Shady Pines."

"Which means he doesn't want to attract attention to himself, even though he was associated with Alcazar," Sonny said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk. "And that makes me worry. This man is up to something."

"I agree," Jason said. "We need to make sure we've got a good guard rotation on him. I don't want him seeing the same face too much and get suspicious."

"Yes," Sonny concurred. "Work with Johnny to come up with it. I want them to check in daily with you and let us know what's going on."

"I'll call him and set it up," Jason assured him.

"Anything else, Boss?" Benny asked.

Sonny leaned back in the leather office chair, glancing briefly at Jason. "I want to keep up with the investigation into Sarah Webber's death. Especially any connections to Courtney's murder."

"Of course, Boss," he promised. Then he looked at Jason. "I'm sorry about Miss Webber's sister. Is she doing alright?"

"She's trying," Jason replied.

"Right. About all she can do," Benny said. "Please give her my sympathies. I"ll get working on finding more information about this guy right away."

"Okay," Sonny nodded, and watched as Benny gathered his papers and left the office, closing the door behind him.

Jason sat forward on his chair, poised to stand up, "I'll call Johnny and get things set up tonight."

Sonny stood and crossed to the credenza where the coffeepot sat and poured a glass of one of their premium blends. "You don't have to do it tonight."

Jason stood and ran a hand over his face. "I know what you're trying to do, and you don't have to. I-I appreciate it, but you don't have to stop giving me jobs because you feel guilty about Elizabeth leaving last time."

Sonny looked down, slowly swirling the coffee in his mug. Taking a breath, he raised his eyes to his friend's. "Right now, at this time, Elizabeth needs you. It's important for you to be there."

"And I will. But I can still do my job. I don't want to be on stake-outs right now, but I can talk to Johnny, get things set up, and then I can give my full attention to Elizabeth." The younger man sighed and lifted his arms in a shrug; "We don't have to make this hard. Elizabeth and I...we're better now. I won't take her for granted or avoid her, but she understands my job and that there are times I have to be gone. You and I-"

"We just need to talk," Sonny said. "I forgot for a while you're also my friend and you're allowed to have things in your life that aren't work. And I don't just mean your bike or your pool table."

Jason gave a slight smile and another shrug. "Yeah, 'cause I want it, Sonny. I want her in my life and I'm going to do what I have to to make it work."

"And you should," he agreed, feeling some of the weight leave his shoulders. This man was his brother; his friend and he deserved the same respect and regard Jason had always shown him.

"So, we clear now?" Jason asked. "'Cause the longer we stand around, the more time I'm wasting before I can get back to Elizabeth."

Nodding with a smile, Sonny said, "Yeah. I...I know you'll always take care of what needs to be done. I'm just...just trying to remember you're not the only man available. Tell Elizabeth I'm very sorry, and let me know when the funeral is."

"I will," Jason replied, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. "I'll call you after I meet with Johnny."

Sonny acknowledged him and watched as Jason strode out of the office. He finished his coffee and decided against pouring another one. Walking back to the desk, he picked up the file and sat down. For the first time in months, things finally felt right and balanced in his life.

Jason parked the car and checked the street before getting out and walking up to the porch. Francis was standing sheltered from the wind, but still able to scan for approaching dangers. The guard stepped forward as he hit the bottom of the steps.

"Anything unusual happen?"

Francis shook his head. "There was a car that went past several times, like he was circling the block. Got the plate number and was about to call it in, when he slowed down and his girlfriend came running from between the houses. Must've snuck out after Daddy's back was turned."

"Okay," Jason said, turning his head as if he could discern which house Francis was talking about. "Good."

The chances were slim, but this guy could start watching for whatever his next plan was. He wasn't going to take any chances the killer would decide to come after Elizabeth. She was getting another guard so that she was protected twenty-four hours a day.

He stepped up onto the porch, pausing by Francis. "You can go for tonight. I'm going to put a second guard on her for the times you're off, but you're the one I'm trusting to be her main guard."

Francis nodded his understanding and approval. "That's good. Last night she..."

"She debated not calling you and just going to Kelly's herself," Jason said. "I know. And that's why I'm putting a second guard on her."

He paused and looked away, his eyes unfocused on the plants at the end of the porch. "I...I really appreciate you coming, even though you were asleep."

Francis stepped forward and placed his hand on Jason's shoulder. "I like her and never want anything to happen to her. More than that, I know how important she is to you. If I'd said no and something had happened to her? I would have given myself cement shoes before you could."

Jason couldn't help but laugh slightly. "Thanks. Take it easy, and I'll call you about tomorrow."

"Will do," Francis said. "Tell her to relax a little and not take it all on herself."

Then the guard was gone and Jason was alone on Audrey Hardy's porch. He wondered how Nikolas and Lucky would react to his being there, but he didn't care. What mattered was Elizabeth wanted him with her and her grandmother seemed more accepting of him. If Spencer and Cassadine didn't like it, tough.

Lightly, his finger pressed the round button and he heard the chime of the bell echo back at him through the wooden door. It opened a few seconds later and Audrey smiled weakly at him. "Jason, come in."

She peered out on the porch and asked, "Did Elizabeth's guard go home? I was going to ask if he wanted some coffee."

"Yeah, he went home," Jason replied.

"Oh, okay," she said, shutting the door and turning back to the living room.

Jason followed her, taking a seat beside Elizabeth on the couch. Her foot rested on the coffee table and he saw a towel - which he presumed had ice in it - was on her knee.

"Hi," she smiled as he sat down.

"Hey," he returned softly. Then he looked up at the others. Nikolas and Gia sat on the loveseat across from them, and Lucky was in an overstuffed chair to the side. Neither man appeared too pleased he was there, but the Cassadine Prince was even less so.

"We're almost done here," Elizabeth told him. "Lucky and Nikolas were just trying to persuade Gram to have a caterer for the gathering after the funeral."

He nodded back, not really caring, but just because he knew it was important to her. He could see the tight set of her shoulders and wondered how things had gone before he arrived.

"Nikolas," Audrey said, shifting the focus away from Jason. "I appreciate everything you've done and are doing, but this isn't necessary."

"I'd like to, Mrs. Hardy, but I won't press. We really probably should get going; we've taken up a lot of your time today. If you and her parents decide you want it, call me and I'll arrange everything. Otherwise, we'll see you at the church." He and Gia stood and pressed a kiss to the elderly woman's cheek.

"Thank you for coming by," she said, her eyes damp.

"Lucky, you want us to wait?" Nikolas asked as they reached the door.

"No, I'll meet you back at the hotel." When the pair had left the room, he walked over to Audrey and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry. If-if you need anything, anytime, just call."

"Thank you, Lucky. I appreciate all of you for being here."

"You're welcome," he replied, then walked over and sat down on the other side of Elizabeth, careful not to brush her knee. "You hanging in there?"

She shrugged and allowed him to pull her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. She-she felt really bad you two started fighting again. She was embarrassed about how she acted; she was going to call you. Sarah loved you, Elizabeth, she really did."

Jason could only watch, feeling slightly out of place, as Elizabeth began to cry against Lucky's shoulder. He knew she'd been bothered by the sudden change and distance from her sister, and he knew this would mean something to her. Elizabeth pulled back and in a voice thick with tears, told Lucky, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled. "And I'm sorry also for...for a lot of things. If you ever want to talk, I'm here for you. I-I've missed my friend."

"Me too," she whispered.

Lucky gave her one last hug, then straightened and looked at Jason. "I know I don't have to say this, but take care of her."

"I will," Jason told him.

Looking at Elizabeth, the younger man softly told her, "I'll see you at the church."

"Okay."

"I'll see you later, Mrs. Hardy," Lucky said, standing.

"Thank you again, Lucky," she told him as she walked with him to the door.

Jason pulled Elizabeth close to him, and her head softly rested against his shoulder. Quietly he told her, as he brought his hand up to brush over her hair, "I'm here, for however long you want to stay. We don't have to go until you're ready."

She slipped her hand into his and squeezed it lightly. "Thank you. I'd like to stay for just a little bit more."

"Whatever you want," he promised. "It's fine with me."

Elizabeth lay quietly in the dark next to Jason. She knew he wasn't asleep, and that he knew she was awake as well, but there was no uncomfortable need to fill the silence. He held her cradled to his side, his hand lightly caressing her arm through her long-sleeved satin pajama top. Light dimly filtered into her studio, and she looked up to find him watching her.

"Thank you," she said, her voice just above a whisper. "I-I didn't want to be alone, and I didn't want to stay with my grandmother. I...wanted to be with you tonight."

His hand continued to glide from her elbow to her shoulder. "I didn't plan on leaving you alone," he confessed. "And I wasn't sure if you'd want to go to the penthouse."

She didn't, and she knew it was silly to feel that way. But she hadn't been back to his penthouse since the night she walked out after learning Sonny was alive. He always came to her studio, and she liked him having him there, secured away from the world. She was also really glad that she'd purchased her sofa bed.

In her mind she knew she would have to go back to Jason's. It was just a place, and they could forget the bad memories and make new ones, just like they had with her studio. Eventually she'd have to go there to prove to herself that the past was the past. Just because Sonny and Carly lived across the hall did not mean Jason was going to change again, go back on all the progress they'd made in their relationship.

She had put it behind her, firmly and fully believed Jason when he said she mattered and he wasn't going to put her last. It really was time to put the demons of the penthouse to rest. She simply wasn't up for it tonight. She'd just helped plan her sister's funeral and her parents were coming to town tomorrow. She'd had enough emotional bombardment for one day, especially considering the surprising breakthrough with Lucky.

Tonight, she just wanted the familiarity of her studio and the peace she felt with Jason there by her side. The tension of the day was bleeding off; washing away with each stroke Jason made on her arm. She opened her eyes, fighting against the sleep coming to claim her. Her eyes locked with his and she smiled.

"Thank you, for knowing what I needed before I even did."

"You need to sleep," he coaxed with a tender smile.

She stretched herself against him, reaching to claim his mouth in a brief kiss. Love coursed through her, but she kept it quiet for tonight. She was sure he could feel it, see it in the way she looked at him, but she didn't feel the need to name it right now. She wasn't going anywhere, and she knew he wasn't either. When she told him she loved him, it wouldn't be the night she was on painkillers and dreading her parents' arrival for her sister's funeral. She would make it special for him, the way he always made her feel cherished.

"Goodnight, Jason," she murmured, and then let herself succumb to sleep.

Chapter 29

"You okay there, Elizabeth?" Francis asked as he helped her climb out of the car.

She winced as her knee twinged in protest of the movement. Her heater had stopped working sometime during the night and she woke up shivering, despite being pressed up against Jason and burrowed deep under the covers. The cold made her knee ache deeply and when she first tried to get out of bed she couldn't bite back the scream of pain.

Jason wanted to call Monica or take her back to the hospital, but she refused. She had him make her a hot water bottle to put on her knee and after a little bit, combined with the pain pill she took, she was able to get up and head to the shower where she finally got warm. When she got back, Jason was complaining about the heater saying he hadn't been able to fix it. He didn't come out and say it, but she figured he was either going to talk to the building owner, or call in a repairman.

She didn't even bother to tell him not to do it, because she knew she didn't have the energy for a feeble protest. At this point, she'd welcome his involvement if it meant she'd be warm. Telling him she didn't need to go to the hospital or have Monica come to her studio had been as much of an argument as she wanted to have with him. And the last thing she wanted to do was fight with Jason when she knew she was going to need all of her patience to deal with her parents. If there was one thing she'd learned over the years it was to pick her battles.

Leaning against the car while Francis got her crutches, she smiled uneasily but nodded. "Sure, just perfect."

"Whatever you say, Squirt. They're you're parents, not Helena Cassadine."

"It's been years since I've seen them," she told him, not taking the crutches in his hands. "There are times I think facing down Helena might be easier because at least with her, I know exactly where I stand. I don't feel that way with them. The times when I wanted them, when I needed them, they never came. I don't want to go in there and be mad that they dropped everything to come for Sarah, and yet I am mad. All the things that happened to me, all the times that Gram called them and asked to come...I sent them an invitation to my freaking wedding and they said the same thing they did every time. They were too busy and couldn't possibly get away. So sorry, hope I understood."

"And yet you don't want to go in there and pick a fight because this should be about your sister and not you, right?"

"Because it shouldn't be about me, no matter how upset I am," she agreed. "Besides, if I said something my mother would call me selfish little Lizzie like she did most of my childhood and say it's horrible of me to turn Sarah's death into something about me."

Francis held out her crutches and she took them this time, probably doing so to save her from getting further agitated. He fell into step beside her, "Let me talk to them. I've got a few things I'd love to tell them."

She laughed and nearly stumbled, but for Francis catching her. "Thank you. For keeping me from falling on my face, and for wanting to deal with my parents. But I think we'll save the long drive and...other measures for another time."

"If you change your mind, you just let me know, Squirt."

She paused at the top of the stairs and looked up at him. "When exactly did I become 'Squirt'?"

He merely shrugged and she could tell by the glint in his eye that he was about to razz her when the door opened and suddenly she was face to face with her mother.

"Lizzie?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Why are you late? Your grandmother said she told you what time our flight got in. We expected you sooner."

"I'm moving a little slow," she said, trying not to immediately get angry and make what she knew was going to be a tense situation get off to an even worse start.

Her mother appraised her and Francis and asked, "What did you do to yourself?"

"I twisted my knee when I...when I tripped...when I found Sarah," she finished in a small voice.

Her mother pinched her lips together, then raised a shaky hand. "Are you okay? Did you get it looked at?"

She nodded, "Jason took me to the hospital and had Monica Quartermaine look at it."

"I see, well that's good. Thank you for helping my daughter out," her mother said to Francis. "Are you her boyfriend?"

"My name is Francis, Mrs. Webber. I'm Elizabeth's friend."

"Well, okay. Where's your boyfriend, Lizzie? You didn't want to bring him to meet your family?"

"Mom, can I come in the house?" she asked, trying not to sound exasperated, but not wanting to stand on the porch being grilled about her life.

"Oh, yes, yes, of course," her mother laughed, in that false social laugh Elizabeth hated. "Sorry, come in you two."

"Thank you, ma'am, but I'll just be out here."

Her mother looked confused at Francis's remark, but Elizabeth took advantage of the fact she was no longer blocking the doorway and went inside. She needed to sit down, and oddly enough she needed to have her grandmother around when she told her mother that Francis wasn't just a friend but her bodyguard, and that her boyfriend was Jason Morgan.

"Elizabeth, dear," Grams said lovingly and gave her a hug. "How's your knee today, Darling?"

"A little sore," she admitted. "My heat went out last night so the cold made it stiff."

"The heat went out in your building?" her mother cut in. "Is your landlord getting it fixed? You have to have heat this time of year. Jeff, you call her landlord, and then you help Lizzie get her things so she can move in here until it's fixed."

"Mom," she cut in. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure Jason will get someone to fix it."

"Jason?" her father asked.

Elizabeth wished she'd just kept quiet when she saw her mother's face.

"Is your boyfriend your landlord, or are you living with him?"

"Calm down, Amanda," her father interjected. "Just let Lizzie sit down and then I'm sure she can answer all our questions. It's good to see you, sweetie. It's been so long. Look at you, no more black eyeliner and those crazy fishnet stockings."

"Hi, Dad," she said, forcing a smile. She hadn't even been in the house five minutes and she already wanted to leave. She felt like everything was coming at her from all sides all at once and her head was spinning. Instantly she was right back to being Lizzie with her mother trying to override her life and every move she made. Her father was laid back, quick with a smile and stepping in when her mother was working herself up into a good tear. But as always, he was detached, pulled back, and really probably did think she'd been a fifteen year old girl wearing fishnet stockings and too much make up all this time.

She looked over at her grandmother and saw sympathy and support. Maybe, just maybe, with Grams by her side she'd be able to get through the next however many hours with her parents until she could escape to her studio.

"I wish this guy would do something," Marco groused as he took off the headphones and stretched to work the kinks out of his back. "I hate doing nothing but sitting around a hotel all day. Haven't your eyes crossed yet from all that solitaire you've played?"

Johnny placed the nine of hearts on the ten of clubs and turned over three cards. "Marco, you gotta learn to relax on stakeouts. I can't take the constant pacing, and if you crack your knuckles one more time I'm going to shove my deck of cards down your throat."

"Maybe you should take a turn on the headphones," the other guard told him. "I think he's listening to Arma-get-it-on."

He rolled his eyes and ground his teeth while moving the king of diamonds through the eight of clubs to a free space. "I am just going to pretend you didn't say that, even while I'm counting the different ways I can break the bones in your hand."

"Geez, O'Brien, you gotta lighten up. Take a nap or something."

That was it. Take a nap? Was he five and in Kindergarten getting out the big blue mats after having his milk? Normally he got along with Marco, but today he just wanted to shove his fist down the other man's throat. If their guy ever left the hotel, he was going to have to leave as well. When he spoke with Jason yesterday he said he was fine, that he could wait until the guy made a move before rotating off. Now someone else needed to take babysitting duty and he needed to spend the night in his own bed.

"Heads up," Marco said, having picked up the headphones and mercifully left Johnny alone. "He's turned off the TV. Got sounds like he's getting his keys and jacket."

A moment later they heard the door open, then close. The radio on the table faintly crackled to life. "We got him."

They had men in a tan work van on surveillance outside and in another minute they said, "He's in his car. Looks like he's headed towards town."

"Okay, follow him," Johnny ordered. "Watch where he goes. If you need to, call in others so that he doesn't see the same face or car too often."

"Gotcha, Johnny. We'll be cautious and we'll keep you up to speed."

"Okay. I'm leaving the hotel, but I'll be on radio and cell phone. I'm going to check in with Sonny." He let go of the button on the radio and stood to gather his things. He was not sticking around here any longer. "You want to go as well, or you wanna stay?"

"I'll stay," Marco shrugged. "I only came on yesterday, I'm still good. What do you think he's doing?"

"Whatever it is, I don't think it's gonna bode well for us. This guy's been hanging around Alcazar, he was in the hotel room the night he died, he's no altar boy."

"You said it," the other guard agreed. "I think I'll get a little sleep while this guy is gone."

"'Kay," he replied, heading for the door. "I'll call Paul and have him come out."

Then, blissful fresh air. Air that smelled like the promise of snow and not stale coffee and takeout like he'd been breathing since they followed the guy to the hotel. It was good to be outside, he decided. Man, he'd gotten soft lately. That had to be the reason he was ready to snap after less than 48 hours. If Francis heard about this, he'd never live it down. Of course he had the privilege of guarding Elizabeth these days, so maybe he'd be a little soft on stakeouts too.

He headed for the warehouse, figuring that Jason or Sonny would probably be there. If not, he could at least get his own car and leave the non-descript sedan there for someone else to use. Along the way he called Paul and told him to get out to the hotel. He checked in with the men in the van and found out their mark had stopped off at a diner on the way to town, so Johnny would now arrive before him.

That was actually good. He could check in, update Sonny on the man's movements, and then if needed help on car surveillance. It was odd. One more minute of sitting in a hotel was enough to make him want to snap Marco's neck, but he was looking forward to following this guy in his car. Maybe he wasn't so soft after all.

Pulling into the warehouse lot a little while later, he got out and headed inside, tossing the keys off to one of the men. Sonny was in his office going over some papers and looked up when Johnny knocked.

"What's going on?" his boss asked.

"Guy headed out this morning. I called Paul, he's going to the hotel. Tim said the guy stopped for breakfast, they'll call in when he leaves, follow him. He was dressed in a suit, so I figure he's going somewhere."

Sonny leaned back and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, keep me up to speed on what this guy's doing. I'll let Jason know next time he checks in. He's running down some leads Benny found."

Then he smirked and Johnny looked at him, wondering what about this whole situation would amuse his boss. "And he's purchased himself a little real estate lately."

"Huh?"

"He bought the building Elizabeth's studio is in. Her heating went out and when he couldn't persuade the owner to upgrade it-"

"He bought it," Johnny laughed. "So has the work already started?"

"Benny's down at City Hall getting the proper permits," Sonny said with a smile.

Johnny shook his head with a grin of his own. For years none of them had liked the fact Elizabeth's building was on the docks, had no security and was basically falling apart. He wasn't surprised Jason was fixing it, he just wondered what Elizabeth's reaction was going to be. And he was equally split on whether he wanted to be around to watch the show, or far away from the messy fall out.

Chapter 30

"Our guy rented an apartment today," Sonny said without preamble when Jason walked into the office. "Nice part of town, signed a six-month lease, told the landlord he's a lawyer and he wants to see how things go before committing to a longer term."

"So he's setting himself up in town, now. Seems quick after Alcazar's murder."

"Probably thinks no one ever saw him with Alcazar, so now he's just a Regular Joe moving to a new town," Sonny theorized. "Told the landlord he used to live in New York City. In fact he headed back down there, Johnny and Max followed him. The guy drove, so they haven't checked in yet."

"He rented an apartment, then left for the city?" Jason asked. "Seems like the perfect time to put surveillance in it."

"I agree. You wanna call our guy?"

"Sure," he answered immediately. "We should go in at night. We could cover as workers, but we run the risk of a neighbor telling him his work got done while he was gone when he ordered none."

"You gonna be able to do that tonight?" Sonny asked cautiously, knowing Jason would be checking on, probably even seeing Elizabeth soon.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

"'Cause Elizabeth's heat is still out. I know you; you won't let her stay there, so you're probably trying to figure out how to get her to move in with you. And after last time, you've got to be thinking of how she'll react if you leave on business the first night she's there."

"Yeah," he admitted. "But she understands. She does. Last time she was mad because I avoided her and lied to her. She doesn't want to know the business, and she realizes that with Alcazar's death I've got things to do and she's trying to be understanding."

"Okay," Sonny said, with a shrug of his eyebrows. He accepted that Jason would get it done as promised and figure out how to explain that to his girlfriend. "What did you find out on the lead Benny gave you?"

"Nothing," Jason sighed and slid down in the seat. "Complete dead end."

Sonny sighed as well and twisted his face in disgust. It often happened, it was just annoying to waste the time to end up empty-handed. "Maybe Johnny and Max will find something in New York City."

"Hopefully. If we bug his place maybe we can keep one step ahead and figure out what he's up to."

"It would be nice to not constantly be playing catch-up," Sonny agreed sourly. He looked through the window down at the warehouse floor. The big work was almost done, and the small finishing work had already begun in some places. With a chuckle he glanced back at Jason. "So when do the permits get filed, and when do our guys start construction on your new building?"

His friend shook his head, and Sonny couldn't help but laugh. It was a relief to have this back instead of Jason coming in, reporting on business and leaving again. Finally Jason said, "Benny got all the forms, I signed them and he filed them with our guy this afternoon. Permits should come through in a couple of days."

"So what are your plans?" he asked as he stood and reached for his coat.

Jason watched him for a minute, but stood as well when Sonny opened the door and headed out. They went outside, and Paul, now on duty since he wasn't needed at the motel, followed behind them.

"I had people inspect it," Jason said as the top of Elizabeth's building came into view. "The wiring and the plumbing were cheap, so it's all falling apart now."

Well, with their construction company doing the refurbishing, the work would be first rate to go along with the best materials available. He wondered what Elizabeth's reaction would be, but he decided he would stay out of it unless asked. Even then he might not get involved. He did not want to do anything to mess up their relationship as it was finally getting back on track.

As they walked down the stairs of the pier they paused, seeing Francis standing there and looking around. When the guard caught their eye and relaxed slightly he asked, "Francis?"

"Elizabeth," Jason said at nearly the same time.

She was sitting on the bench, her jacket pulled tight around her. Her crutches were resting next to her, and when she brought the cigarette up to her lips Sonny narrowed his eyes. He didn't think she was a smoker. "Elizabeth?"

"Sonny," she asked, looking up. "What are you guys doing here?"

"That's what I was going to ask you."

"Are you cold?" Jason asked, sitting down beside her.

"I'm numb," she laughed mirthlessly. "It's great."

Sonny turned and motioned Francis over. "How long has she been out here?"

"About an hour," he answered, not really meeting his boss's eyes. "I've tried to get her to go inside, but she's refused. And aside from throwing her over my shoulder, I didn't really know what to do."

"Have the limo brought around," he told the guard and then turned back to Jason and Elizabeth. "Hey, how are you, Elizabeth?"

"I'm great," she said with an over-bright, brittle smile. "My parents are in town and it's just like the good ol' days. Especially the ones right before they ditched me with the neighbors in Colorado. My mother didn't miss a beat. Five seconds after 'hello' she was criticizing my life and telling me exactly what I'm doing wrong. From studying something so utterly useless as art to dating a mobster, I'm still Lizzie The Screw Up."

"No, you're not," Sonny said softly, but forcefully as he crouched down in front of her. The bitter taste of all the times Deke called him worthless and a screw-up rose in his throat and he felt a blinding anger growing towards Amanda Webber. He looked at Jason; "I had Francis get the limo."

"Okay," Jason said, then focused his attention back on Elizabeth. He took the cigarette out of her hand, dropping it between the planks on the pier. "Let's go, Sweetheart. We need to get you inside and warm, your heater's still broken...so will you come back to my place?"

She nodded slightly and Jason stood, lifting her in his arms. Sonny reached for her crutches and saw her purse lying on the bench. A new pack of cigarettes and lighter were beside it. He looked at the cigarette butts on the docks and most of them were only half-burned. Pocketing the pack and the lighter he decided that if she asked for them he'd give them back. But he suspected it was an old habit she'd fallen back into with the stress, or maybe it was something new, and wasn't really into it. There would be no need to ask her if she wanted them back as she most likely didn't realize she'd even gotten them.

When he got to the limo Jason had Elizabeth inside and the engine was running with the heater going full force. Francis must have had it started by the time they arrived. He climbed in and Paul closed the door, then got in the front-side passenger seat. As Francis started towards the penthouse Sonny hoped that Carly didn't come out and cause problems. It just wasn't what Elizabeth, or Jason, needed to deal with tonight.

Stepping off the elevator, they all turned for Jason's penthouse and he wondered why Sonny followed behind them. He knew his friend was worried about Elizabeth, it had been evident in the way he'd acted on the docks and the quiet way he tried to unobtrusively observe her in the limousine. Yet, there was a deeper unsettled air about Sonny and Jason wondered what it was about. As he paused to unlock his door, the older man cleared his throat; "Elizabeth, here's your purse."

"Oh, thanks," she told him, not moving from Jason's side. Her voice was detached and tinny, "I didn't even notice I didn't have it."

Jason opened the door and stepped aside to let them come in. Francis took position outside the door and closed it, while the two men followed slightly behind Elizabeth. She maneuvered her way to the couch and sat down, her face twisting into a grimace as she did so.

"I'm not staying," Sonny said from where he was standing by Jason's desk. He set her purse down then crossed the room to sit on the arm of the sofa near Elizabeth. "I just wanted to say I was sorry about your sister. I'm also sorry...for a lot of things, but mostly for forgetting your friendship and forgetting how to be a friend."

"It's okay, Sonny," she whispered, her eyes looking glassy.

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "No, it's not, but thank you for saying that. How 'bout I bring some dinner over for the two of you later?"

"I'm not really hungry."

"Maybe you will be later," he said as he stood and tugged at the ends of his suit coat. "I'll keep it light. If you're not hungry, just stick it in the refrigerator. Heaven knows Jason has plenty of room in there. Take it easy, okay?"

"Thank you, Sonny," she said softly, then tipped her head to lean it on the arm of the couch as she closed her eyes.

Sonny gave her one last look, then nodded and turned, walking over to Jason. "You don't have to call Stan about tonight."

Jason looked over at Elizabeth on the couch and ran his hand over his jaw. "The guy may only be gone one night. This might be our only shot. I'll spend some time with her, get a feel for how she's doing, but it needs to be done tonight."

"Send Francis with Stan if you want to stay. He'll know how to rig a room, the man's an electronics genius, our best next to Max."

Jason knew he was right. There were others who could do this; he just didn't want to make it seem like now that he had Elizabeth in his life he was skipping out on the work he'd always done before. Sure, others wouldn't view it that way, but he knew that he himself needed to find a balance to things. He was about to say something when the door opened and Carly blew into the room like she usually did.

"Hey, Jase," she smiled. "Sonny, Paul said you were in here. We need to go pick Michael up from hockey practice."

"You'll have to get him yourself tonight," he answered. "I'm going to go start dinner."

"Sonny, come on. You're not home most nights, we could pick him up and go out to dinner."

"Carly, the next time I'm home, I promise you we'll do that, but I told Jason and Elizabeth I was going to fix them something to bring over here."

Carly looked at him, gave a quick glance at Jason and then pinched her lips together as if she'd bit into something sour as she looked over at the couch. "So, you're back. Should have known, why else would Sonny not do something with his family?'

"Carly," Jason cut in, knowing she thought she was defending him, but wanting her to stop. In fact he wished Sonny would just go with her to pick up Michael, he and Elizabeth could order in. But he also knew that this was going to be a silent battle of wills between his married friends. Sonny had grown tired of the way she'd been acting, and was proving to be just as stubborn as she was. "Look, Sonny we'll just order take-out. Go ahead and go. And, Carly, don't start. I invited her here, this is my home."

"She's twisted you around her finger, and you fell for it just like you always do."

"She's also in the room, but not for long," Elizabeth said as she stood with great difficulty and Jason's heart changed beats. Did she mean she was going back to her studio because of the situation here?

"What happened to you?" Carly asked, observing Elizabeth gather her crutches and start moving away from the couch.

"Nothing really, I just landed bad on my knee when I tripped over my dead sister's body," she said blankly, Carly flinched casting a quick look over at Sonny and Jason. "I need to take a pain pill, but if I don't eat something with it I'll throw up. So, don't mind me, keep on doing what you were doing. I'll just be in the kitchen."

"Let's see what I've got," Jason said, immediately heading towards her. He was aware of Sonny grabbing Carly's arm and dragging her from the room, but never even looked over his shoulder.

Easily he was at Elizabeth's side and fought within himself to pick her up and carry her as he saw the obvious pain she was in and the struggle it was to walk. The look on her face told him how she'd react and so he held back.

"Do you even have any food?" she asked as they stopped inside the kitchen.

"I've got some of that white cheese popcorn you like." He'd developed a taste for it after she walked out in October and left a bag behind. It was one of the few food items he'd purchased recently.

Laughing she shook her head. "I haven't eaten that since...since I stayed here. I kinda overdid it, especially since Zander always burnt the microwave popcorn every night. But after smelling it cooking I had to have some kind of popcorn."

He'd never known that, only that there had been a bag left behind in her room. Of course, it was his own fault he didn't know what she was doing while he was avoiding her and guarding Brenda and Courtney. "So, you want some?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "I just can't have an empty stomach when I take the medicine. I should have taken one earlier, but when I got down the docks I just wanted to sit there. And...I can't go to Kelly's...I just can't."

He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her; pulling her back to his chest as her breath caught and she covered her face with her hands. He pressed a kiss to her temple and said, "Of course...it's alright. Come on; let me grab the popcorn and something for you to drink. Do you want to eat in here or the couch?"

"I...I really need to put my leg up."

"Okay. Can you make it out there, or would you like some help?"

"I'll try it," she said, and he knew not to push. While she started back to the living room, he grabbed the popcorn and some soda and carried them to the coffee table. Then he grabbed her purse and came back to help her sit down.

"I'll be right back," he told her, then went upstairs to get the heating pad in his bathroom. She needed something to warm the joint and the muscles and he didn't have a hot water bottle. Maybe he'd send Francis out for one, since moist heat was probably better than a heating pad.

"Thank you," she said, when he came downstairs and plugged it in. She was already eating the popcorn and he suspected her earlier claim to Sonny about not being hungry wasn't true, considering the rapid way the bag was emptying.

He wasn't sure how to broach what happened with her parents, the cigarettes he'd seen her with twice now, or the news about her building. He would be there to listen if she wanted to talk, but he wasn't going to bring it up right now. He'd seen Sonny's jaw tense as she repeated her mother's words and he'd felt the same anger inside him. Maybe it was just grief that made her say those things, but he certainly had a thing or two he wanted to say to Elizabeth's parents.

The news about her building, that could wait too. Right now she just needed to relax. A few hours, or even a day wouldn't matter. He ate a little of the popcorn with her, but she ended up eating half the bag herself before finally rolling the top down and brushing her hand on her jeans. After she took the Percocet, she shifted on the couch and spooned up against him. He made sure the heating pad wasn't too warm, then put his arms around her and let her settle into him.

"Are you warm enough?" he asked. "I could get a blanket."

"I'm fine," she said, her voice calm, relaxed and beginning to show the effects of fatigue. "You keep me warm."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head as he pulled her closer. "I need to go out tonight, but it won't be until later and I shouldn't be gone long."

"Okay," she murmured drowsily into his side. He wondered if she was really aware of what he'd just told her.

"Do you need me to get you anything?" he asked. "Toothbrush or clothes? Or do you want to go back to your place before the funeral?"

She didn't answer and he couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head. He knew if he looked she would be fast asleep. He shifted slightly, seeking out a more comfortable position. He hadn't expected her to fall asleep so quickly or he would have grabbed a book to read while he was upstairs, so instead he just leaned his head back against the leather sofa. He didn't want to move her; he didn't want to lose the sensation of her peacefully sleeping against him. Sonny would be over in a little bit with dinner, and until then he would just rest as well.

Chapter 31

He had to be careful this time. Driving up to the park across the street from the church, he noticed uniform officers on the street and a few people in the park he was sure were plainclothes officers. Guess his pictures from Daisy's funeral had made the police suspicious he'd come to Sarah's. Well, he had prepared for this, and he scanned the parking lot as he pulled out Photography for Dummies and put it in his jacket pocket.

He walked to a bench in the center of the park, sat down and pulled a camera out of the black canvas bag he had slung over his shoulder and made a show of checking settings against the book. He took some pictures of the trees and merry-go-round, all the while fiddling with the knobs on the camera and referencing the book. He extracted a different camera from his bag and flipped to the section on black and white photography and took a few test shots.

In his time in the joint, he'd read a lot and had been intrigued by photography books. He'd read that it wasn't unusual for someone to have two cameras, one loaded with black and white film, and one loaded with color film. His goal was to come off as someone who'd been sold nearly top of the line of the line cameras, but didn't fully know how to use them yet. He wanted to appear erstwhile, if somewhat daft, and therefore completely benign. Eventually any police officer who had twigged to his arrival and cameras would soon realize he was just bumbling his way through the book, a weekend photographer trying to learn how to take pictures like the professionals. Standing from the bench he began to aimlessly wander through the park, stopping to take pictures while muttering under his breath about filters and light sensor settings whenever someone walked near him.

Some townsfolk were arriving but he could tell none of the people he cared about were there yet. He did turn to snap a few pictures of the church, kneeling down on the pretense of capturing the full height of the structure, but soon enough turning and looking for new subjects. When the Quartermaine family arrived, he headed towards an area near the front of the park, but not directly across from the church. The area had a state and trees that he could pretend to be engrossed in while in reality photographing the arrivals he most wanted to document. He did take a picture of the grieving Quartermaine grandson, if only to have proof that the husband was still deeply mourning the loss of Courtney.

First among his featured list of must have subjects were Sarah's friends. They stepped out of the limo and immediately formed a tight group. The boyfriend, Lucky Spencer, was flanked supportively by his brother the prince and Gia Campbell, former Face of Deception model. Luck was on his side and the lovely Miss Campbell was on the side closest to him and he was able to get a couple of clear pictures before he turned to capture the statue from a different angle.

A dark blue Oldsmobile pulled up and he continued facing the opposite direction before finally turning and taking a few pictures of the people. He recognized the stately, yet grieving, silver-haired woman as Sarah's grandmother and figured the man and the woman beside her were the young doctor's parents. A limo pulled up as the trio was halfway to the door and they paused and turned. A bodyguard got out of the passenger seat and walked back to open the door for those inside. Jason Morgan stepped out first, then reached back to help Sarah's sister Elizabeth who was moving slowly and awkwardly with crutches. Sonny Corinthos followed and the two dark-suited men flanked the grieving sister supportively, yet were decidedly protective.

He snapped off a quick picture, then walked away. He had stayed in one place too long and despite wanting more time to observe them, it was time to go. He took an indirect path back to his car, pausing once or twice to take a few more pictures, fighting every instinct inside him to get back to his car as quickly as possible. Halfway to his car he heard someone call out after him. He kept walking until they called again, this time closer, and he knew he couldn't continue to ignore the person.

"Yes?" he asked, turning around. The person behind him was wearing a gray overcoat. He didn't overtly look like a cop, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Inwardly he cursed himself to staying in one place too long.

"You dropped this," the man said, holding out a film canister.

"Oh, thank you," he replied in relief that he hoped sounded like gratitude. He put it in his camera bag and continued to his car. When he got inside and started the car, letting the heater warm up before he started driving, he allowed himself to shake at the frightening close call.

Elizabeth knew they would wait for her. After the way she left Gram's house yesterday, ignoring her parents' requests to stay with them last night, and saying she'd meet them at the church she knew they wouldn't be happy. The question was what reception she'd get. She figured they'd save the screaming and yelling for when they weren't in public and didn't have to look like the perfect family, and instead she'd get the intense silent treatment that would leave absolutely no doubt just how mad they were with her.

With Jason and Sonny beside her, she started up the few short steps. Her knee was feeling somewhat better this morning, definitely less stiff, and she was able to put some weight on it. They slowed as they approached her family and she smiled hesitantly, hoping that she could diffuse the situation.

Her grandmother was the only one who genuinely returned her smile and gave her a warm hug. "Elizabeth, dear, how are you feeling?"

"Better," she answered. "It hurts less today."

"I'm glad, darling. Well, we should head inside, shouldn't we, Jeff?"

"Yeah," he replied. "You look better today, Lizzie."

"I can't believe you brought mobsters to your sister's funeral," her mother said through a forced smile and clenched teeth. "You always do have to make everything about you. It's just like when you broke your arm on Sarah's birthday."

Then they were inside and Amanda became the grieving mother, once again. Lucky, Gia and Nikolas were talking to the reverend and they all quieted as the family walked towards them. Her parents separated to talk to the preacher, while Gram was intercepted by Nikolas, and Elizabeth was left to stand there silently seething. Showing up with her boyfriend and friend was of course her way of purposefully ruining the moment just like when she tripped and fell at the amusement park and Sarah's party had to end so her parents could take her to the emergency room and constantly berate her for her clumsiness.

"Hey, you okay?" Jason asked softly, lightly putting his hand on her back.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "My mother has always been like that. I'm used to it."

"I don't care if you're used to it," he pressed. "Please don't pull back."

She closed her eyes, the tears that had been floating under the surface since that morning when she woke up and realized Jason had stopped at her studio and brought over a lot of her clothes and things she would need so she wouldn't have to try and make it up the three flights of stairs with her knee, welled up again. She looked up at him, gratitude in her eyes, but then caught sight of Lucky walking towards them and she pushed the words she was going to say to Jason down as she turned to her ex-boyfriend.

"Hi," he said, giving an uneasy glance at Sonny and Jason. "How's your knee doing?"

"A little better," she shrugged. "How are you doing?"

"I-I packed up her things at the hotel last night. I thought I'd give them to your parents, along with her keys to Kelly's. It...it was weird. Hard."

"I'm sorry, Lucky," she said, remembering how it felt to pack away the things he'd given her before the fire.

"I think...I don't know," he said with a shake of his head. "I thought about going to spend some time with my mom."

"I think that's a good idea," Elizabeth told him. "Just don't forget to come back."

"I won't," he promised, a small grin crossing his face before he quickly kissed her cheek. "I'm going to go inside."

"Yeah, I think I will too," she answered. Because there certainly wasn't any need for her out in the vestibule, and while her knee may have been less stiff that morning because the heat in Jason's building worked phenomenally, it was still bothering her.

"Miss Webber?" The reverend's voice stopped her and she turned. "Miss Webber, I wanted to say how sorry I was for your loss. The tragic death of a loved one is always hard to understand or accept. I know it must be tougher for you, coming upon the scene as you did. You and your family are in my prayers, and I'm here if you ever want to talk."

Her lip trembled and her vision blurred as the reverend took her hand between hers in a gesture of pure comfort and support. For the first time, a stranger was consoling her, not making her feel like it should have been her that night. In a voice barely above a whisper she said, "Thank you. I appreciate that."

"Are you ready to go inside?" he asked everyone.

When they murmured their agreement, he led them down the center aisle. Lucky was already seated in the front pew on the left, Nikolas beside him. Her parents sat in the pew on the right, and she sat down next to her grandmother. Jason sat on the other side of her, and it was only then that she realized Sonny wasn't with them. She turned her head, and spotted him halfway back in the church sitting next to Francis and Marco. All three men gave her small brief smiles to let her know they saw her.

As the reverend cleared his throat and looked out over the congregation, Jason slipped his fingers through hers and gave them a tender squeeze. The tears finally crested and she lowered her head to his shoulder and tightly closed her eyes, her own shoulders trembling with silent sobs.

"I can't believe she invited Sonny Corinthos into her home."

"Elizabeth says he's her friend, and Audrey said she wasn't going to fight her about it today."

"Our daughter brought mobsters into my father's house," Jeff said with a shake of his head.

"She's still acting out, trying to ruin everything," Amanda agreed, taking a sip from her cup.

"I used to think the same thing for the longest time," Audrey said from the doorway to the kitchen. "When Elizabeth first became friends with Jason Morgan, I did everything you're doing now. Told her I was so disappointed in her choices, tried to force her to move home by not paying for her studio anymore."

She sat down at the table and looked at Jeff and Amanda. "And when she said she'd pay for it on her own, and she did, because she refused to give up her friend I couldn't see it for what it was. We raise our children in the hopes of preparing them for life, to be independent, have courage, make their own decisions. I thought at eighteen she couldn't possibly be able to make the decision to be friends with this man."

"And clearly she wasn't," Amanda said. "You should have done more."

"No, Amanda, you and Jeff should have done more. The two of you loved Steven and Sarah because they followed in your footsteps and wanted to be doctors. You never knew how to deal with Elizabeth who was always imaginative and prone to flights of fancy."

She let out a tired breath; "She grew up when she came out here to join Sarah and I. She faced a lot of things in her life nobody ever should have to, let alone a girl of her age. But she faced them, she got through them and she became the person she is today because of them.

"No, I will never like that she's dating Jason Morgan or is friends with Sonny Corinthos," she said, pausing and rubbing her head, "but it's a decision she's made. The night Sarah was murdered Elizabeth went into shock and left the hospital. She had tripped over her dead sister's body, had her blood on her, had to stay at the crime scene answering questions and watched the coroner take Sarah away, but the thing she was worried most about was getting to hospital to tell me before I heard it from the police."

She wiped away a few tears and noted that Jeff looked a little chagrined. "She sat with me, listening as the police talked to me, trying to offer me support. Throughout all that she had an injured knee and it was only when her bodyguard asked us to take a look at it did she say something. She said she didn't want to be a bother. Elizabeth was in shock, there are times I think she still is, and the two of you have never even acknowledged or talked to her about the fact that she found her sister's body. You know the trauma that must have caused her."

"You said she left the hospital?" Jeff asked. "Was she...what happened?"

"She was in shock and left," Audrey nodded. "Nobody knew where she had gone, her sister had just been murdered - probably by the same man who had a few weeks before killed another woman - and Jason Morgan and his men searched for her. Eight men, six who barely know her, looked for her to make she was all right. Her boyfriend took care of her and took her to the hospital to have her knee checked out because she wasn't going to. When I saw her the next day I realized my fight with her over him was no longer worth it. I've lost one granddaughter and I refuse to lose another, especially by being too stubborn to accept that she's grown up and is an adult now."

Wearily she stood and rested her fingertips against the smooth wood of the table. "Maybe you should stop looking at her as the fifteen year old girl you abandoned and get to know the woman she's become. That is the reason I invited Sonny Corinthos into my home. Because he is one of the people who has helped her, supported her, and most of all, was there for her when her family wasn't.

"The two of you don't have any right to look down on her for the choices she's made in her life," Audrey told her son and daughter-in-law. "And if you continue to treat her like you have, she will decide to shut you out of her life completely. So for once, could you stop comparing her to Steven and to Sarah and treat her like Elizabeth?"

With a trembling sigh and a shake of her head she turned and left the kitchen. She didn't know if it would do any good, but she couldn't stand by and let the situation go on as it had. Elizabeth needed her parents, and Audrey was tired of watching Jeff and Amanda push her further away by their judgmental nature.

Chapter 32

Jason walked into Sonny's office at the warehouse with Johnny behind him, closing the office door in preparation for their now daily meeting. The other man put the folder on Sonny's desk and sat down in a chair with a grunt. "I'll save you the trouble of reading it. Nothing. Same as it's been for the last three days."

"Nothing?" Sonny asked.

"Nothing. He mumbles a lot to himself, just enough to be annoying, but not enough to be of worth. So far the man has given us nothing. His phone calls are for take out, the cable company, and apparently he's looking to rent an office for his law practice. We lifted his trash yesterday morning after he took it out. Nothing. Take out containers, beer bottles and Kleenexes. Seems he's getting a cold.

"What is he up to?" Sonny mused out loud.

"I don't know," Johnny groused, "but the guys who have to listen to this guy deserve a raise. I get a headache just reading the report."

"He's setting himself up," Jason finally spoke. "Putting himself into position for some plan. It all looks harmless, probably is to most people since we're the only ones who saw him with Alcazar. So he's working on some timeline and doesn't feel any rush. Which means he's confident, especially with the murder."

"One thing about confident people," Sonny said slowly. "All that confidence usually turns into arrogance and they slip up. We just need to be there when he does."

"Well, we know everything he does, everyone he talks to, everyplace he goes," Johnny told them.

"Then we'll know when something happens," Jason declared. "We just have to wait."

"And wait we shall," the man said standing up. "I'll let you know if anything happens."

"Thanks, Johnny," Sonny said as the other man left. Then he leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk blotter. "It drives me crazy not knowing anything. I know the men are doing everything they can do, but still. Anyway, what's going on with the latest shipments?"

"With Alcazar's death, I've really been moving the shipments in. His guys aren't organized enough to act without him so they're not harassing the supply line. We're transferring a bunch of stuff out tonight."

"Good. At least some things are going right."

"I've doubled the security for tonight," he added. He was nervous, felt that the shipments were moving too well and he wasn't going to take any chances. Sonny nodded in agreement, and Jason suspected his friend knew the real reason for the up in security, but wasn't going to push it.

"Good, we have a lot of stock to protect," he said. Then he smiled. "How's the building plan going?"

Jason groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are we going to do this every time? It's a building. Why are you so-"

"Because you usually just run things. I tell you what needs to be done; you carry it out efficiently and expertly." He held up his hands harmlessly, "Yeah, you ran the business and the bike shop so you've been in charge of things before, but you're a landlord, of your girlfriend's building."

It was different. He knew Elizabeth probably wouldn't be thrilled, and she really wasn't. Maybe it had been a rash decision to purchase the building like she claimed, but was he supposed to just accept her living in run down conditions? He had the money to fix the problems without needing to pass the expenses onto the tenants.

"She thinks it was a trick to get her to move in and keep her safe."

"Ooh," his friend winced. "Kinda like last time?"

"Yeah." Which is why he told her the law required him to provide temporary lodging to those that wanted it during renovations. A few others had taken it, but she hadn't made a decision.

"Good luck on it all," Sonny said with a little laugh. "Get the work done quick and don't push. It's a mistake I make with Carly and you know that."

Jason raised his eyebrow at that thought. He knew the headstrong natures of his friends and he knew the constant push-pull between them. He didn't want that kind of relationship with anyone, especially Elizabeth.

A quick, urgent knock interrupted them and Johnny poked his head in the door. "We got something."

"What's going on?" Jason asked as Johnny came in and sat down.

"He got a call. Too short to trace completely, but it was from Ecuador. Man said, and I quote, 'I sent the letter today'."

"That's it?" Sonny demanded.

"That's it. We'll watch the mail, see if he gets a Fed Ex or something."

Sonny smiled, and Jason could practically read his mind. Finally something was happening.

"Morning, Francis," Elizabeth said with a small, but genuine, smile as she opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"Morning, Squirt," he grinned. "How's the knee doing today?"

"Better. I'm off the pain meds Monica gave me." It still hurt some, especially since yesterday was the first day off both the crutches and the Percocet, but she was dealing with it. She hated the crutches and her limited mobility on them. Now, she just walked a little slower.

As they waited for the elevator to arrive, Elizabeth leaned up against the wall and yawned. The one drawback to not taking the medication was she didn't sleep as well. The nightmares that she could never fully remember because of the drugs had hit her full-force last night. She woke up, a scream trapped in her throat and trembling violently.

It didn't help that she was alone. It was like she and Jason didn't know how to address the sleeping arrangements when she moved in and she ended up in the room she stayed in before. At her studio they shared her bed several times and it was always about warmth, comfort, tenderness and not overrun with sexual tension. She wanted the same from him now, but they both had pulled back. She felt that if she asked to have him hold her, or asked to sleep in his room, that it would be holding connotations she really didn't mean.

She wasn't really mad at him for buying the building her studio was in. She was surprised, wished he would have discussed it with her, but she wasn't mad that he bought an entire building so he could fix her heat. Some people might consider it excessive, but she knew it was his way of showing how much he cared for her. Maybe if she wasn't dealing with her parents being in town and her sister's death she would have been upset. But she was simply too overwhelmed by his concern and tenderness for her to be mad.

The elevator door slid open and she could tell by the waft of perfume that Carly was on board. Maybe if she just kept her eyes closed the other woman would just go away without there being a confrontation. The smell of the perfume didn't fade though, and she didn't hear the penthouse door open, and she wondered what this fight was going to be about.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Carly?" she said without opening her eyes.

"Are you okay?" the other woman said with concern. "You look pale, like you're going to faint. Maybe you should have Francis take you to see Monica. Or I could call Momma and have her come over."

Elizabeth opened her eyes and stared at the blonde. Carly stepped forward and her forehead furrowed with further concern. "Elizabeth?"

"I-I'm fine," she finally said, shaking her head. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

"You know, I never told you...I'm sorry about your sister. I really am."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said softly, her voice catching slightly.

"Okay, well, you were heading out, so I won't keep you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright...you sure you are?" When Elizabeth nodded again, Carly sighed, not looking convinced. "Okay. I...really, I'm sorry about your sister. I didn't tell you that before the funeral and I should have."

"That's alright," Elizabeth said. "I'll be fine, but...thank you for asking. Uh...see you."

"Bye," Carly said, then turned for her penthouse. At the door she turned and gave one more look back, still the same worried expression on her face. When she finally went inside Elizabeth sighed and boarded the elevator.

"She's right," the guard said as they descended toward the garage. "You look pale. You sure you're alright?"

"I had nightmares last night," she told him. "The Percocet would knock me out and I wouldn't dream, or at least wouldn't remember. Last night...last night I dreamed about that night...about finding her."

"First time since that night?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. That first night...I don't know, I think I dreamed...I..." she trailed off and shrugged.

"You were in shock," he answered as they slowly walked to the car. "It's understandable. It's normal, Elizabeth."

"I know," she ground out, suddenly feeling on the defense. "I think it'd be a little weird if I wasn't having a problem sleeping. It's just not only do I have to deal with this...it's my parents also. They go from acting like they want to talk to me, get to know who I am now to acting how they always have. So I go from hope of having a real relationship with them to feeling like I always did, an annoyance of their time they wished would be more like my brother and sister. Can we just go to my grandmother's house so I can go through the same thing I've been through the past three days? Or do you want to grill me some more about how I'm sleeping?"

Amanda walked into the living room, where Elizabeth sat going through the boxes of Sarah's belongings she and Jeff brought over from Kelly's. Lucky had come over earlier in the day and given them the things she had at the hotel and Nikolas Cassadine's house. She and Jeff had gone through all of Sarah's things and decided what they were keeping, and what Goodwill was coming to pick up tomorrow.

Sitting down on the couch, she looked over Elizabeth's shoulder at the book in her lap, "What's that picture from?"

"It was the Valentine's Dance. Gram helped me find this perfect dress and she took a picture of us before she had to go to work."

Her daughter was small and withdrawn, and Amanda remembered it was that night Elizabeth had been grabbed in the park. She and Jeff had been in Bosnia, or was it Africa, at the time and they said they trusted Audrey to take care of her. She raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Elizabeth's ear, but stopped when her daughter moved away ever so slightly.

"I never understood why Sarah would keep this picture on her dresser," Elizabeth said in a ragged voice. "Every time I saw that red dress, all I could remember was how it looked after I was attacked. And how Sarah looked perfect and pretty as usual."

Sarah did look beautiful that night. She always did. Amanda could remember how pretty Sarah always was a child, with her hair perfectly curled and her dress without wrinkles. She ran her hand over Sarah's image and sighed, "I bet she was even more lovely in person that night."

"She was," Elizabeth said flatly, as she shoved the book off her lap and stood up. Amanda barely caught it before it crashed to the floor.

Blinking sadly she said, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. That night must be difficult to think about."

Standing she walked over to her daughter and softly put her hands on Elizabeth's shoulders. "Your father and I were talking last night. What would you think of coming to Europe with us when we go back?"

"Why?" Elizabeth asked as she turned.

"Your grandmother was right when she said we don't know you. We can't make up for all the years we missed, but we can start over. We could spend some time together."

"How long until you guys go back to refugee camps in Africa or the Middle East? Or are you working in a clinic in a city?"

"Well, actually we were asked by Doctors Without Borders to join them," she said with a bit of professional pride. "Your father and I were thinking we'd accept."

"So what would I do while you're saving the world as always?" Elizabeth asked. "I was planning on starting school again next semester. I wouldn't be able to do that where you're going."

"You could help out," Amanda told her. "They always need volunteers."

"Roll bandages and empty bedpans?"

Why was Elizabeth getting so worked up over this? It would be a chance for them to all be together. "You could find something to do."

Elizabeth shook her head and turned away, hugging her arms around her tightly. "Mom, I don't like blood and I...I don't want to sit around some place all day waiting for you and Dad to get done for the day so we can have family time. I'm going back to school. My friends are here, Jason is here. A-and I will never be able to take Sarah's place."

"I know you can't," she said.

"Do you, Mom? Because working with Doctors Without Borders would be something Sarah would like. And so you figured if Sarah would like then I must too, right?" Tears filled her daughter's eyes and she said, "I can't take her place and I can't become her, no matter how much you want me to. I'm sorry I didn't die that night and just put you out of the misery that you must feel having a screw-up like me as your daughter."

"What?" she asked as Elizabeth grabbed her coat and headed towards the door, "Lizzie, wait."

She turned and looked back at her sadly, then shook her head and closed the door. Amanda stood there stunned. Did she really think they wished it had been her murdered that night? She brought her hand up to cover a sob, as she leaned back against the desk. Audrey was right, they really had treated Elizabeth like she was second best in the family, and now they may have pushed her away for good.

Chapter 33

He sat in the room, pictures spread out around him. On the walls were a few of his favorite pictures of Courtney and Sarah, and the mementos he took from them were on the desk. He had decided to keep just a few pictures and put them away. After his shake-up the day of the funeral he decided he needed to play things a little safer. The man who returned his film could have been a police officer, which is why he stopped on the way home and threw it away.

He'd already traded his car for a different one. They could have followed him, taken pictures of him, or anything. He wasn't taking any chances, which is also why he moved in the days since the funeral telling his ex-roommate that he wanted his own space. He'd put the pictures up to allow himself one night of memories, but now it was time to get serious.

He hadn't settled on his next target yet, though he knew it wouldn't be easy to get at her. All the women in town had to be nervous, but he wasn't after just anybody. He hadn't been watching other people; he'd been watching a small group of women. And the challenge of getting at one of them, women who would be nervous and on their guard, women who would have vigilant security around them was intriguing.

He plucked a picture of each of them from the floor and placed them before him. The first was blonde like the others, pretty in an aloof yet superior way and it was almost worth it to go after the haughty woman just to prove he could. But he was also a practical man and going after Carly Corinthos would be a severe challenge. She never went anywhere without one guard, sometimes two. There would never be a chance to penetrate the penthouse and she wasn't involved in anything except shopping so he would never have a chance to get close to her. He decided there was a challenge, and then there was suicide.

Putting aside that picture he studied the remaining two. Both were beautiful women, and he had many pictures of each from when he was watching Sarah. Each woman had her own allure, but this hunt wasn't really about which woman was more desirable. Gia Campbell was a former model and had an exotic flair. Elizabeth Webber was petite with a classic beauty. He also knew from watching her with Jason Morgan that she had a wild streak.

The real factor were the people around them. Each woman would be guarded; each woman lived in a place supposed to be unreachable. But he'd proven he could get onto Spoon Island and into the heart of Wyndamere, and the rent-a-cop guards the Cassadine prince hired wouldn't stop him because Sarah's hadn't. The question would be, how much would Cassadine increase that security if Gia received pictures and he felt she was the next target. It was a game of chance.

Did he take a chance, or did he go with the known enemy and the known pattern? The people around Elizabeth Webber were extreme professionals. Men like Sonny Corinthos didn't survive or excel without such people. She was dating the right hand man in the organization, a lethal, stony man according to the word on the street. The reputation alone would scare off most people. But he'd seen Morgan display infinite caring towards her, focusing an intense tenderness on her that no one could mistake how he felt about Elizabeth.

He would protect her with the best men and those men guarding her would take their jobs seriously. They would protect her with their lives and wouldn't hesitate to use extreme force against a perceived threat. But there was always a chance to defeat them, especially if Elizabeth went back to her studio and wasn't inside the fortress of Harborview Towers. That wild streak she possessed could cause Elizabeth to slip away from her guards. When she was out with Jason, there weren't any other guards with them. While Morgan had a formidable reputation, the man was also in love and couldn't be always on alert while still being attentive to his girlfriend, he could use that to his advantage. There were plenty of variables.

The variables on both sides made either choice a toss up. He put their pictures in front of him and ran his fingers over the glossy surfaces. Both women were so lovely, the security around them a dead heat. How to choose who should be his next prey?

Getting up, he took the pictures off the walls. The pictures he wasn't keeping were already in a box that he would throw into incinerator at work. These pictures went into the book along with the newspaper clippings about the killings and the investigation, and the mementos. There was a loose panel in one of the kitchen cabinets and there was enough dead space between the cabinet and the wall to hide the book. He put it in there, then stacked the cans of food in front of it.

Wandering back out into the front room with the roast beef sandwich he made, he once again sat and looked at the pictures of Elizabeth and Gia. Just when he thought he'd made a decision he'd rethink it and have to start all over again. As he finished his sandwich and set the place down, a thin, malevolent smile spread across his mouth. It was perfect.

Gathering up the pictures he slipped them into an envelope along with a note he printed with his left hand. Then he stripped off the latex gloves and put them into the box to be destroyed. Putting on his coat and lined leather gloves, he headed for the door while slipping the envelope into his jacket. He had a delivery to make.

It was a trip down memory lane. He had decided to leave Port Charles, if only for a little while, and was just taking a moment to visit some places. The last destination he visited was the park. Snow was on the ground and it looked so different than it had during the summer when he'd been here. He walked slowly toward the fountain and paused when he saw Elizabeth's guard standing at the edge of the sidewalk. The two men regarded each other, then A.J. passed by and approached her.

"Hello, Elizabeth," he said, stopping a few feet from her and putting his hands in the pockets of his coat.

She looked up, wiping quickly at her eyes. "A.J. Hey."

He sat down on the edge of the empty fountain, careful not to crowd her. "You alright? You didn't hurt your knee again did you?"

"No," she said quickly shaking her head. "It's doing better."

"That's good," he told her. "You looked like you were in a lot of pain at the funeral."

She looked away and tucked a piece of hair behind her, but the wind immediately blew it back. "The funeral...it was strained. My parents and I haven't seen each other in years, they definitely don't like Jason, it was a lot of things besides my knee."

"I think I know the feeling," he said, sensing the feeling of never measuring up echoed in her. "Let me guess, Sarah was the perfect one?"

"Yeah," she chuckled bitterly. "I think my parents just don't know how to act around me because I don't speak their language."

When he looked at her confused she said, "Medicine. I don't want to be a doctor and I don't want to go volunteer with them while they work with Doctor's Without Borders."

"Sorry," he said, mostly not sure what else to say. There was a pause between them, and he shifted before saying, "I'm glad I ran into you here."

"I am too," she smiled back at him. "I know we didn't really say much at the funeral, but I wanted to say thank you for coming."

"You're welcome," he answered. "I know how numb you can feel. I just waned to be there to offer a little support."

She gave a small, fleeting smile. "Jason told me you came to the hospital that night, but I...I wasn't there."

"That's alright. I'm glad they found you. I wasn't even sure why I went there, you know?" he shrugged. "I-I just heard the news and the next thing I knew I was at the hospital. It kinda surprised me when I realized it."

"Are you doing alright?" she asked him, her eyes soft and caring. "With all of the talk about Courtney on the news again?"

He looked away for a moment and then sighed. "It's been hard. Thanksgiving was hard, not that it's ever really normal for us anyways, but this year..."

Letting out a little chuckle, Elizabeth asked, "How did the turkey get ruined this year?"

"Don't ask," he laughed as he shook his head. "I've made a decision though."

"Oh?"

"Elizabeth?"

They looked up and saw Jason walking towards them. His brother looked at him, and he could see that he was trying to hide the distaste he felt at seeing him sitting there with Elizabeth.

"Hey, Jason," she smiled warmly, and A.J. could tell just how much she cared for his brother. There was a part of him that felt a twinge of bitterness that Jason had that while he had lost his wife, but mostly he felt like a third wheel and regretted all the reasons that had led to the animosity between he and his brother.

"How come you're here?" she asked.

"Francis called me after you left your grandmother's." Then he looked over at A.J., "He didn't say A.J. was here, though."

"He just got here," she said, taking his hand in hers. "We were talking about the funeral and things. He was just saying he'd made a decision."

Jason looked at her, then him, but Elizabeth turned her full attention back to him and A.J. realized she wanted him to continue. Having his estranged brother there was a little unnerving, especially since Jason was stiff and silent, and he wasn't used to many people - maybe except for Emily - who continued on talking to him normally with Jason around.

Clearing his throat uneasily he said, "I've decided to leave town."

"You have?" she asked, her voice registering her surprise. "Where are you going to go?"

"I'm going to California," he answered. "I'm going to see Emily and then I'm...there's a company in San Francisco ELQ bought and I'm going out there to head it up."

He gave a little shrug, "Grandmother convinced Grandfather to give me a chance, and I...I just want something different."

She looked at him encouragingly and nodded, "I understand. Good luck...with everything."

"Thanks."

"When are you going?"

"In a couple of days. I just wanted to say thank you for everything, and to tell you good-bye." She was one of the few people he was going to miss. He may have only started talking to her, but he knew that she understood how he felt, and he liked that she never pressured him, just listened as he talked.

"If you ever feel like talking," she told him with a grin, "you can always call."

He saw Jason react to her saying that, even though the motion was small. A few months ago he would have done it just to needle his brother, but that urge was pretty much gone. Instead he just thanked her; "I'll keep that in mind. I think having Emily close will also help."

He stood up and rubbed his hands, stepping back as Jason stood and helped Elizabeth up. He looked at Jason and stuffed his hands uncomfortably in his pockets, "Jason, take care, okay? There are a lot of things I regret and...and that I wish I could do differently. Maybe one day you'll believe me when I say I'm sorry."

Jason looked at him, as if appraising the truth of the statement. Then he shrugged and said, "Good luck, I guess."

He knew that was as much as he would get from his brother and just accepted it. He smiled at Elizabeth and said good-bye, then headed toward the park exit. As he was about leave, he stopped and turned back to look at the two of them. Jason had his arms wrapped around Elizabeth in a gentle hug, then slightly pulled back and gave her a kiss. Keeping his arm around her, his brother led her out of the park and even from this distance A.J. could see the supportive and tender man Jason was with her.

It hurt because he'd lost that with Courtney. The constant reminders around town of what they'd shared and how it had all been ripped away was part of the reason he was leaving. He realized he needed time and space, from the memories and his family. He felt he was losing all the ground he'd gained and improved on when he was with her. After talking with his grandmother one night, he realized it wasn't running away to just want a new start.

He was determined to do his best in this new job. Grandfather, despite everything Grandmother said in support of him, expected him to fail - personally and professionally. Nobody, except Skye, knew that he was attending daily AA meetings, and had already found and spoken to a sponsor in San Francisco. He was determined to succeed for himself, and most of all for Courtney's memory.

Chapter 34

"Come on," Jason softly said as he led her from the park. He nodded at Francis and the guard waved, then headed off to the car. Elizabeth was quiet, but leaned into his embrace, her head resting against the side of his chest.

When they reached his bike, she stopped and regarded it. "How do you always know when I need you?"

"Francis called," he answered honestly. "And, I'll always come when you need me. All you have to do is call, Elizabeth. Please don't ever feel like you shouldn't call because you don't want to be a bother. The last thing you ever are is a burden to me. Let's go home, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded, her eyes large and bright with pooled tears. She climbed on the bike behind him, wrapping her arms tight around his waist and resting her head on his back.

He drove slowly so that she wouldn't get cold and to save the time when it was just them together. As they stepped off the elevator and turned towards his penthouse he smiled at Francis who held their pizza. "Thanks, Francis."

"Sure thing. See you tomorrow."

Elizabeth looked at them as they stepped inside. "How did Francis know to get pizza?"

"I told him to order while you were talking to A.J.," he said as he put the pizza on the coffee table, then took off her jacket before helping her sit.

"Are...are you upset about that?" she asked, pulling in one side of her bottom lip and chewing nervously.

"What?"

"I-I know you don't like him."

"No, I don't," he agreed. "But that doesn't matter. You two have talked about Courtney and Sarah's deaths. That has nothing to do with me and I would never tell you not to talk to him. So, no, I'm not upset. I'm gonna go get some drinks, okay?"

She nodded and when he came back with two sodas she had the box open and smiled up at him. "You got pepperoni and black olives. You don't like black olives on pizza."

"You do, and I can pick them off," he said simply. "Let's eat."

Dinner was mostly silent, they ate and when they did talk, they talked of nothing. He let Elizabeth babble when she felt the need to fill the silence, and he said nothing, allowing her to process the day in her own way. Francis had told him a little bit of her encounter with Carly, and then her quick and upset exit from Audrey's and he could see just by observing her that she was still bothered by the events. Then the guard asked if Elizabeth was sleeping alright, and he pretended he never heard the question; because Jason didn't know how she was sleeping, but he could guess it wasn't very well considering how pale she was looking.

He was going to fix that tonight. Things were quiet with the business, the guy they were watching was lying low and people were monitoring his movements. The remodeling of Elizabeth's building was being supervised by the foreman and Jason certainly couldn't do any better than him. So tonight was about he and Elizabeth and not letting all their progress stall, or go back to where they'd been the first time she lived with him.

As they finished eating, Jason reached out and laced his fingers with hers. She smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear, then shifted closer and curled into his side. He wrapped his arm around her, settling it on her waist as she tried to stifle a yawn.

"Thank you for tonight," she said, peering up at him.

"You're welcome. Come on, let's go," he said as he slid out from underneath her and stood.

Her forehead wrinkled with confusion. "Where?"

"You need to get some sleep." He pulled her to her feet, then effortlessly picked her up.

"What?" she squeaked in surprise. "I can walk."

"I'm taking care of you tonight," he told her. "I know you didn't ask me, and I know you can take care of yourself, but I'm doing this."

By then he was halfway up the stairs and she remained silent as they walked down the hallway. When he stopped in front of his room and opened the door she looked up at him questioningly. "Jason?"

Gently he set her on the foot of the bed and stepped back. "I don't know what happened when you moved in, Elizabeth. At your studio we shared the bed and there was never a problem. Here, it's like there was...it was all suddenly different."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "I-I wanted you beside me, but suddenly felt awkward asking you to stay."

Crossing the room, he knelt down in front of her and clasped her hands in his. Letting out a deep breath he looked up at her. "I would...I would never pressure you...into anything."

"I know," she whispered.

"I care about you, Elizabeth...I'm not trying to seduce you. I just...I just want to be here with you, to be there for you."

She slid off the end of the bed and knelt down beside him. He couldn't resist wiping away the tears making their way down her cheeks. She leaned into his touch instinctively and covered his hand with her small one.

"I'm not sleeping," she whispered brokenly. "I can't. The images of that night...I keep seeing them...especially at night since I've stopped taking the pain medication. I just want to sleep."

She paused and closed her eyes as she took in a shuddering breath. When she opened them again there was a mix of shyness and determination. "So I'm asking you, can I stay with you?"

"Of course you can," he got out as his throat became thick with emotion. "You can stay as long as you want."

"Can I stay in here?"

"There's no place else I'd rather you be. If...if you want to move your things in here you can," he told her. "But there's no pressure. Whatever makes you comfortable."

She gave a little laugh. "Well, the floor's not really comfortable. So I'm going to go change."

"Alright," he said as he stood and helped her to her feet. "I'll be right here."

When she came back to Jason's room after changing into a pair of cotton pajamas, she couldn't help the relief mixed with excitement that went through her. She felt so relieved that they had talked, because she had missed the closeness they'd had in her studio and worried that maybe it only existed there. And there was more. All the times Jason stayed at her studio, he'd been in his clothes since his staying over had been spontaneous and he had nothing to change into. Every time she saw him at the penthouse he was always dressed in his normal jeans and shirt, waking before she did and going to bed after her. He looked a lot different in sweats and an old shirt worn soft and thin in areas. He was handsome, there was no doubt of that, but all she saw was comfort because she knew there was no pressure.

"Thank you, Jason," she said as she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around waist. She felt safe, warm, and cherished when he enfolded her into his embrace. Stretching up on her toes as she moved her arms up to his neck, she smiled when Jason leaned down to meet her in a tender kiss.

She didn't know why she'd been fearful to talk to him. He was the one person she could always talk to, who never judged her or thought she meant one thing when she said another. Smiling as she pulled back, she chuckled and he quirked a brow in question. "I feel silly for not talking to you."

"It's alright," he told her as he brushed her hair behind her ear. "Things have been unsettled, and you've been through quite a lot. You just-"

"Forgot I could tell you anything," she smiled. "It's like you told me that day in the hospital. I won't forget again."

"Good," he said, a tender smile caressing his face. "Come on, you need to sleep. We can talk about your memory lapse later."

She turned and mock huffed as she went to the bed, grabbing the covers. "Memory lapse? You've had a few of those too, you know."

Walking around the bed he nodded. "I have. And you're stalling. What's going on?"

"I'm afraid," she admitted as she turned and sank onto the mattress. "I don't want to have these nightmares anymore...I don't want to keep seeing my sister's body every time I close my eyes. I'm so tired, but the thought of sleeping terrifies me."

The mattress dipped behind her and he put a hand on her arm and pulled gently. Willingly she turned, laying down beside him and clung to his shirt while tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you...that you were alone while you were afraid."

"I didn't say anything. You couldn't have known."

"I should have, but I had my own fears," he admitted. "I didn't want you to be upset by me buying your building and then thinking I only did it so you'd move in here. I know the last time I avoided you, got carried away with business because I was afraid you'd know something was off. But it was also more..."

Her tears lessened as he spoke to her, his hand moving unconsciously on her back, and she looked up at him, listening as she always did with her. "Last time you were here, so was Zander and we had that whole miscommunication thing where I thought you wanted to be with him. Now...this time there's none of that. We've worked things out, they're better...and I was unsure of taking the next step.

"I won't lie to you, Elizabeth," he said, caressing her jaw. "You're beautiful...I've been attracted to you for a long time. I want you...I want to be with you, but I know this isn't the right time. I just didn't want you to feel like I was pressuring you."

"I know, Jason," she said softly. "I-I'm attracted to you, too...there are times I wish I'd never stopped that night in my studio. But just like that wasn't the right time, sadly this isn't either. My life...it's just so up in the air...Sarah, my parents, everything, and I know you and Sonny have something that you're worried about.

"The one thing I am absolutely sure of is that I love you," she said with gentle firmness. "That helps me get through the times when I feel lost and afraid. I know that I found my way back to you after so many times when I thought I'd lost you completely; we're connected. I love you more than I can say."

His hand slid down her jaw and his thumb brushed her lips with a sweet friction. "I love you too, Elizabeth."

Then he raised his head off his pillow and leaned forward to kiss her. She could tell he was deliberately keeping the kiss gentle, working hard so it didn't spiral out of control. Forcing herself to pull back, she leaned her forehead against his and looped her arm over his neck.

"The time will be right," he said, shifting back just a bit. "Until then, just let me hold you."

"Let you?" she laughed softly. "I want you to hold me. I'm not ready for more, and I may be selfish, but I need to be near you."

Rolling onto his back, he waited for her to mold herself to his side. She placed her hand over his heard and felt it racing under her fingertips. When it had slowed, Jason caressed his fingers gently over her scalp and through her hair. "I'll be here, Elizabeth. I'll always be here."

Chapter 35

Marcus Taggart hated boats. An odd weakness he never admitted to anyone, and if it had involved anybody but his baby sister he would have just sent Capelli. But he'd received a frantic call from Nikolas Cassadine saying the housekeeper had found some pictures in the house. They were pictures of Gia at Sarah Webber's funeral and at different times before. The stalker, it appeared, had found his next victim. His sister.

The moment the boat hit the landing he was up on the docks and racing for the house. Capelli and the crime scene guy were trailing behind, but he couldn't wait. Reaching the door of the imposing structure, he knocked sharply and briefly acknowledged his sister's fiancé when he answered, then he was inside and protectively holding her.

"Gia, are you okay?"

"I'm scared, Marcus," she told him, and he could feel the truth of it in her trembling.

"Gia," Capelli said as he joined them. "I know this is frightening, but we need to ask you what happened."

"Mrs. Lansbury found the pictures," Gia said in a trembling voice.

"They were in Sarah's room," Nikolas explained. "We hadn't been in there since we cleaned it and gave her belongings to her parents. Mrs. Lansbury remembered she hadn't taken the flower arrangement out of the room and went in to remove it. That's when she saw the envelope on the bed."

"Did she touch it?"

"She brought it to us," he admitted. "When we saw it...I told Gia to call you and I looked at them, being careful to not touch anything but the corners, just to make sure they were actually pictures like I thought. I told her not to look at them."

Marcus nodded in agreement as he tightened his hold on Gia. Two women had been targeted by this sick punk and they were dead. He wasn't going to let it happen to his sister.

"We're going to need a whole lot more people out here," the crime tech spoke up. "I know this place is full of tunnels from when Miss Webber was targeted. We didn't have enough people, we spent a lot of overtime out here."

"You've got them," he promised without hesitation. This case would get all the manpower it needed.

"I'll make the call then," he said. "Then get started processing the room."

"We're not staying here," Nikolas told Taggart. "We're going to the PC Hotel tonight. If Gia wants...we'll go to my family's island off Greece."

Gia looked up at her fiancé in surprise and Marcus knew this was a discussion they didn't need to have in front of everyone. He understood Cassadine's strong desire to leave, to protect. He hoped the younger man did a better job on security than he did with Sarah Webber.

His cell phone rang and with a sigh he extricated himself from Gia and stepped away to answer it. "Taggart."

"What?" he asked, as he turned and snapped to get Capelli's attention and stop him from following after the tech. "Yeah, okay, I'll be right there."

"What's going on?" the other cop asked.

"I have to go. Elizabeth Webber just found some pictures, too."

"I don't think you should be here, Elizabeth."

"Frankly, Francis, I don't care what you think. I'm not going to stay and paint, I just want to pick up some art supplies. My parents left town yesterday, and what a lovely visit I had with them, I...I don't know if I can ever go back to Kelly's to eat, let alone work there. Bobbie's been supportive and is giving me all the time I need, Jason, you, everyone is concerned, I...I just need to paint, to work through some things on my own. I told Jason I wanted to come here, he said he'd call the foreman and gave me the man's name."

"I know, Elizabeth," he said, holding up his hands in an effort to calm her. He and Jason had been with her yesterday when she said good-bye to her family, and it had been a tense situation all around. Her parents just didn't seem to understand her and their comments, while sounding harmless, had been biting to their emotionally fragile daughter. He was glad the Webbers were gone, now maybe Elizabeth could start to relax, to heal and find a way to deal with all of this without her parents adding to her problems.

"If you know all this," she challenged, "then why are you trying to stop me and tell me not to?"

Okay, he knew that look. That was a look he wanted no part of. Jason knew she was coming, had called the foreman; he was just going to keep his mouth shut and make sure she was safe. Just because he didn't personally like the idea of her walking onto a construction sight, no matter if everyone knew she was Jason Morgan's girlfriend, it wasn't up to him to decide. His job was to protect her and he was just going to keep his mouth shut.

"Never mind," he said. "You want to go, let's go. I know the foreman, let's find him."

A few minutes later they'd spoken to the man, had their required hard hats to be on a construction sight and were heading up to her studio. His steely glare had sent most men who dared to look and let their gaze linger too long on Elizabeth back to their job. There was one worker, however, who seemed to be oblivious to the silent directive to put his eyes back and return to work. Francis didn't like it and so gently he took hold of Elizabeth's elbow and said, "Walk on my other side, okay?"

"What?" she asked, but then nodded and moved around him.

Finally, the man headed back to his tasks, and Francis memorized the worker's features. Something seemed off about him and he was going to mention it to the foreman. He was still thinking about the worker as Elizabeth unlocked the door. "Hey, Squirt, I need to make a quick phone call. Go ahead and get started, I'll be in in a minute."

She peered at him for a second, then shrugged. "Okay."

When she'd closed the door he pulled out his phone and called down to the foreman in the trailer. "No, no, we're fine up here," he assured the questioning man. "I've got a question about one of the workers. He seemed to take an over-interest in Miss Webber."

Giving a description of the man, where in the building he was working he was satisfied when the foreman promised he'd be there soon to verify which man it was, then get the employee's file and pass it to the guard. He flipped his phone shut and opened the door the studio, hoping the foreman hurried so he didn't have to explain why they had to wait to Elizabeth. She was standing in front of her artist's table not moving.

"Trying to figure out where to start?" he laughed, then frowned when she let out a scream as she spun around. She was pale and he immediately stepped forward as he scanned the area.

When he saw the plain manila envelope with her name on it sitting on the surface, he paused. "Elizabeth?"

"I-it was just sitting there," she said, her voice shaky. "I-I didn't...I didn't touch it."

"That's good," he assured her. Taking his handkerchief out of his pocket he turned the envelope over, undoing the clasp on the back. Then he tipped it and shook the contents out on the table. "Son of..."

Pictures of Elizabeth from Courtney's funeral, with Sarah and then at her sister's funeral stared back at him. He quickly dropped the handkerchief over the pictures and turned, grabbing Elizabeth by her shoulders and forcing her to the opposite side of the room. Her eyes were wide and the color gone from her face.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," he said, mentally berating himself. "I should have had you cross the room. I shouldn't have opened that in front of you. You didn't need to see those."

"He-he..he's coming after me," she whispered, shaking at the thought.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her when she buried her face in his shoulder and started to cry. Reaching in his pocket he said, "I'm calling Jason."

"And the police," she said, "You have to call them, too."

"Okay, okay," he assured her. "I'll call the police."

It was going to be the perfect day. Sonny had actually kept his promise that they were going to take Michael to the circus together. Leticia had the day off and it was just them together as a family. Michael was chattering excitedly and even Max was smiling as he waited behind them. Paul was downstairs getting the car and they just had to wait for the elevator to come before they could start their outing.

When it opened Jason, Francis and Elizabeth were standing tightly together inside. Each man looked grim and Elizabeth was looking down at the floor as Jason supported her.

"Uncle Jason," Michael said happily. "We're going to the circus today. Do you and Elizabeth want to come with us?"

Jason gave a sigh and slowly shook his head as they stepped out. He wasn't able to bend down while holding onto Elizabeth, but he looked directly at Michael. "We can't today, buddy. Sorry. You have a good time though and you can tell me all about it later, alright?"

"Okay," he shrugged, a bit disappointed.

"Is everything alright?" Sonny asked, watching their friend and the way he protectively cradled Elizabeth to his side.

"It's okay," he said. "You guys just go ahead and have a fun time."

"Hey, Michael," Carly said, touching her son's shoulder. "I think you should go grab your warmer jacket. Elizabeth looks kinda cold, and I want to make sure you're warm enough, okay?"

When he was inside the penthouse she looked back to Jason. "Do I need to go help him?"

"No," he shook his head. "You guys don't have to stay. Michael sounds excited."

"We have time," Sonny said, a deep V creasing his forehead. "What happened?"

Jason cast a quick glance at the door, then down at Elizabeth who hadn't raised her gaze yet. "There were pictures in her studio."

"Pictures?" Carly asked.

"Pictures of her," Jason explained. "At the funerals, with Sarah..."

"Oh my-" she gasped as her hand flew up to cover her mouth.

"Same guy?" Sonny asked, his voice low and gravely.

"They think so."

"You called the police?"

"She wanted me to," Francis spoke for the first time. The guard's expression was as worried as Jason's. "Taggart came over. Gia Campbell found some pictures today, too."

"Both of them got pictures?" Sonny asked as the door opened and Michael bounded out, dressed in his sage green down jacket that Carly knew he didn't need.

Jason merely nodded and Sonny shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"You guys go ahead and go," Jason said softly. "We can talk later. There's something that Francis found we need to go over."

"Alright," Sonny nodded, clearly still worried. But he took Michael's hand, forced a smile on and led him onto the elevator. Max held the door and Carly started to follow them, then stopped.

"Elizabeth?" she said softly, and the trio paused on their way to Jason's apartment. Slowly the younger woman looked up and the lost, pained look evident in her eyes made Carly curl her hand tightly onto the wooden rail attached to the wall. "I'm sorry. Is there anything you need? Anything we can get for you?"

"No," she shook her head just a bit. "Don't worry about it."

Jason gently turned her, and lead her into the apartment while Francis took up post outside the door. Carly stepped back and boarded the elevator, but she was still thinking of Elizabeth. Sonny put his arm around her and pulled her close so he could press a kiss to her temple. "Don't worry," he murmured softly. "Jason will take care of her."

"Is Elizabeth sick?" Michael asked, looking up at them.

"No, she's not sick," she answered. "She's just feeling...a little sad right now. But Daddy's right, Uncle Jason will take care of her."

The little boy nodded, as if satisfied with the answer and grabbed her hand. "Uncle Jason's good at that."

"Yeah, he is," she agreed as she cast a glance at Sonny and saw her worry mirrored on his face despite his reassurances. "Yeah, he is, sweetie."

Chapter 36

Michael was completely exhausted and had fallen asleep immediately after dinner once they returned from the circus. Johnny had left word that he had news on their target and Jason had said there was news beyond Elizabeth getting pictures, so he was headed over to his friend's for a meeting.

"Michael has a good heart," Max smiled.

"When Carly told him Elizabeth wasn't sick, just sad, he insisted on cheering her up." Hence the elephant shaped balloon, the stuffed tiger, the bag of cotton candy and the picture Michael drew of the clowns and giraffes burdening Sonny's arms. Francis glanced at them, a smile twitching the corner of his lips, then turned and knocked on Jason's door.

"Sonny is here," he said, then opened the door wider, allowing Sonny to pass through, following along with Max.

Jason and Johnny looked up from where they sat and Jason stood. "What...what's this?"

"Michael was worried about Elizabeth. Carly just said she was sad," he told Jason. "So he wanted to give her these things to make her felt better."

"She...she's asleep," Jason said, taking the items from Sonny. "Tell him thank you."

"I will," Sonny nodded, slipping his hands in his pockets. "How's she doing?"

"She's upset," Jason said. "I thought about having Monica bring something to sedate her because she was getting nearly hysterical...but she finally fell asleep. We should keep this short though."

"Of course," he agreed, and then turned to Johnny. "You found out something on our guy?"

"His letter came," the sandy-blond man said. "Name on the shipping label was Daniel Garcia. Now he's really mumbling up a storm, and your name's come up several times."

"Garcia. From Ecuador?"

"Yeah," Johnny snorted. "It's like Smith. Could be anyone."

"Wasn't one of Rivera's men in Puerto Rico...wasn't one of his men named Garcia and he left for South America after the old man died?" he asked Jason. Jason always could remember names, even when only said once or twice years ago.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Left to avoid the power struggle. Had some family there or something."

"So our guy contacts him to get a letter..." Sonny trailed off and rubbed his hand over his chin. "Johnny, tell Benny to dig into Rivera and Garcia's background, see if there's someone matching our guy connected to either of them."

"Sure," he said.

"Now," Sonny looked at Jason and Francis. "You said Francis found something today?"

Jason looked over at the guard and indicated for him to explain. "When I took Elizabeth to get some supplies from her studio, one of the construction workers...something seemed off. He was staring at Elizabeth, but it seemed more than just her being a beautiful woman. So I had the foreman get me his employment application."

"Got a record?"

"Petty theft. Got caught on a B&E. No weapons were involved, he did the minimum," Francis recited. "Did some work on the docks during the summer. Applied to the construction division 'bout a month ago. Foreman says he works hard, keeps to himself, doesn't talk much with the guys on break."

"Sounds innocent enough, but it didn't seem that way to you."

The words were said without judgment or malice. Francis had been a guard for a while, and his instincts had saved their lives before. He had been trusted with keeping Elizabeth safe and he took that as seriously as if he were guarding Sonny himself. No man wanted to let Jason down.

"He was watching her too intently. Looked as if he couldn't believe she was there. When I looked at him, it was like he didn't even care I knew he was staring," the guard said. "It wasn't until I had Elizabeth walk on the other side of me and moved my jacket so he could see my holster that he seemed to get the message and get back to work."

Jason had said nothing the whole time Francis talked, but he was stiff and tense. "She doesn't go back there while they're working. It doesn't sound right. I want this guy investigated and I want him watched. It's the only thing we have to go on right now. And she has two guards, Francis is primary."

Sonny nodded with Jason's instructions. It was exactly the orders he would have given if this had happened to Carly. As it was he was doubling her guards anyways. The men around Jason understood and nodded their agreement.

"Alright," he said. "We'll get to work on both these guys."

Johnny smiled reassuringly. "I'll call Benny and help him get started on the research. We're going to have a lot of information to get through and he'll need some help. Jason, she'll be fine. No one in this room is going to let her get hurt. You just concentrate on taking care of her."

His friend's shoulders relaxed just a bit, "Thanks, Johnny."

"I'm going to get started on this."

He said good-bye and headed out the door and Francis looked after him. "I should get back the door."

"Head home, Francis," Jason shook his head. "I'm here, we're not going anywhere. Thank you...thank you for taking care of her today."

"See you tomorrow," the guard told them, and followed after Johnny with Max behind him.

Sonny turned to his friend and watched him for a minute. "I know you're worried, but Johnny's right. Everyone will do everything they can to protect her. Francis...she's not just an assignment to him, she's a friend and he would take a bullet before he let anything touch her. He could have chased this guy down the night they found Sarah, but he knew Elizabeth needed him."

"I know," Jason sighed. "I just...I want to take care of her, get her out of town and keep her safe."

"Then go."

Hooking a hand behind his neck, Jason shook his head. "She won't go. Not right now. She won't run away."

"Well, you can always ask," Sonny shrugged, then patted him on the shoulder. "Take it easy. If you need anything, just call. Now," he gave a laugh while jerking his head towards the stairs, "Go be with her."

Locking the door behind Sonny, Jason turned off the light and leaned against the door, relishing the silence. He had never before heard the panic that was in Francis's voice when the guard called from Elizabeth's studio. Even the night Sarah had been killed there hadn't been that level of tension and nerves in the guard.

Immediately he'd abandoned his meeting on the docks and headed over to the studio. He knew he should have gone with her that morning, but she insisted she'd be fine with Francis. Jason could go to his meeting, she could get her art supplies and they could meet back at the penthouse and spend the day together. She just wanted to have a semblance of normalcy after her parents left and he didn't want her to feel he was smothering her.

Now she was upstairs in his bed, scared and shaken. He looked over at the Mylar balloon that reflected the pale light from the kitchen and smiled just a bit. Hopefully Elizabeth would find some cheer in Michael's efforts.

He headed up the stairs to his room and stopped just inside the door when he realized Elizabeth wasn't there. Pushing up the sleeves of his steel colored shirt he stepped back into the hall, telling himself that she was here somewhere. Light spilled out underneath the door to her old room and he frowned for a moment.

"Elizabeth?" he called as he knocked. The door pushed open under the force and he looked in.

She sat, her back to the door, as her pencil scratched over her sketch book. The vase of red glass he'd given her for her birthday sat in front of her and he flashed to the night she'd been sketching before he left for the church that night with Sonny. His stomach sank slightly in the memories of how everything changed for them after that.

Clearing his throat he called her name again. "Elizabeth?"

She gave a startled gasp, as she turned. "Jason. I didn't hear you there."

"Hey," he smiled as he stepped into the room. "You okay?"

She shrugged and curled up in the chair, clutching the sketch book to her, as he sat on the bed. "I woke up and heard voices downstairs. I came in here so I wouldn't disturb you. I...I thought I'd go through the boxes you and Francis brought up. I-I haven't done much drawing lately, and I just needed to have something else to focus on for a while."

"Do you want to talk?" he asked, not wanting to push her or crowd her. It was hard for him to stay on the bed, but he didn't want it to seem like he was hovering over protectively.

"Not really," she said, pushing her hair tiredly out of her face. "I-I just don't want to think about it. This guy, he...he watched Courtney and Sarah. It's like he thinks this is a game...torturing everyone."

"He does think it's a game," he sighed in agreement. He didn't want to scare Elizabeth any more than she probably already was, but he knew the only reason the guy was doing this was because it was fun to him. He'd taken the game of cat and mouse to the human level, targeting people just for the thrill of watching them scramble and run.

"You don't understand it anymore than I do, do you?"

He understood it, on a very dark level, because he planned on finding whoever was doing this and killing him. The only thing to do with a mad animal is kill it, but he didn't want to continue on with those thoughts right now. Elizabeth didn't need to hear them from him, she didn't need to worry about this man, or Jason going after him. Instead, he crossed the room and knelt down beside her chair.

"What do you want to do?" he asked as he took her hand in his and traced his thumb over the back.

"I don't know," she sighed. "My head hurts from everything right now."

"Then just let me take care of you," he told her as he reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She automatically leaned into his touch as his palm grazed her jaw and he smiled in response.

"We can do anything you want. We can set up a room for you to paint in." He paused and his smile fell just a bit. "I'm not asking you to give up the studio, but until whoever this person that's doing this caught...I just would feel better if you didn't go there. I could assign more guards, but I just would prefer that you painted here."

She peered at him, then asked, "Has something else happened?"

"I'm checking into a possibility," he answered. "I can't say much else, okay?"

"Alright," she said, her trust and love evident. "You'll tell me if you can, but for now I won't go to my studio. Tomorrow...tomorrow I'll see where the light is better. Tonight I just..."

"Come with me," he coaxed when she trailed off. "Sonny brought something over from Michael. We can order some dinner, and play some pool."

She looked over at the canvases stacked against the wall, then back to him. "Alright. Maybe it'll help inspire me. Can we order from Eli's?"

"Anything you want," he told her as he helped her to her feet and brushed a kiss across her lips.

"You know, you kinda surprised me tonight," she said as they walked into the hall. "I expected you to try and send me out of the country."

Wrapping an arm around her he admitted, "Part of me wanted to, still does. But I know that's not what you want, so I won't try and make you go. If you change your mind though, just say the word. All that I ask, Elizabeth," he said as they stopped on the landing, "is that you talk to me. I'm putting another guard on you besides Francis. But if gets to be too much, if you're frightened, if you just want to leave for a couple of days, just tell me. Please?"

Her eyes were soft and moist as she looked up at him. "I promise that I won't hide from you. I'm not feeling very unselfish right now to try and be brave and say I don't need you. Now, can we play pool?"

"Sure," he laughed at her hopeful smile and they started down the stairs again.

When they reached the bottom she paused and looked up at him. "Is that an elephant?"

He chuckled. "Michael got it at the circus. Thought it would make you happy."

"A tiger," she said as she picked up the stuffed animal. Still holding it, she picked up the drawing and smiled. "Clowns and giraffes."

Then she spied of the bag of blue spun sugar and actually squealed. "Oooh, cotton candy! He bought me cotton candy."

Watching as she opened the bag and tore off a large piece, then putting it in her mouth, Jason vowed that for bringing that smile to Elizabeth's face, Michael could have any toy he wanted. It was definitely deserved.

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