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Chapter 37

Elizabeth was just coming out of the kitchen when there was a knock on the door and Francis opened it and smiled at her. "There's someone here to see you."

"Okay," she said slowly, wondering who could be there. She didn't think it would be her grandmother. While the older woman said she understood Elizabeth's decision to live with Jason and said she knew he would do everything he could to keep her granddaughter safe, Elizabeth didn't really think she'd be dropping by anytime soon for tea. Her grandmother had apologized for the way things ended with her parents and invited her to come for lunch sometime soon so they could talk, but she knew unless it was an emergency she wouldn't be visiting. A.J. had left, so had Lucky, Zander was still out of town, Nikolas and Gia were busy dealing with the pictures sent to the former model, and Carly would just waltz through the door with Francis trailing behind her.

"Hey, Elizabeth."

She stood there in surprise when Zander walked through the door. But what really shocked her was the woman behind him.

"Emily. You-you're walking."

"Hi, Elizabeth," she smiled brightly.

Ignoring her paint spattered clothes she practically ran across the room and hugged her friend tightly. Tears burned her eyes, and she fought to keep them at bay. It had been years - too many - and she couldn't believe that Emily was here now.

Emily pulled back and when Elizabeth saw the tears on her friend's face, her own fell. "I-I can't believe you're here."

"I would have been here sooner," she said, her voice apologetic. "But my doctors were reluctant to stop my rehab for a little bit. I am so sorry I wasn't here for Sarah's funeral."

"It's alright," Elizabeth shook her head as she sat down on the couch. Emily and Zander followed, and Elizabeth couldn't keep from smiling as her friend took her hand. "You called...and that really helped me. I knew with your rehab it would be hard to get away."

"Well, I'm here now," the younger woman declared brightly. "For a little while at least. I want to see my family, and spend some time with you."

"We'll probably be spending a lot of that time here," she said, her voice a bit low.

"What happened?" Emily asked. "I thought you were happy living here this time. You and Jason didn't have another fight or something?"

"No, no," she shook her head. "I...uh, I got some pictures at the studio and now everyone, especially Jason, is just being really cautious. I don't really have anything to do right now, so I don't mind not leaving. Even Carly's not being annoying."

"Pictures?" Zander asked, giving Emily a curious look. "Wait. Pictures? You mean like the ones Courtney and your sister got?"

She pulled in her bottom lip and nodded silently. Emily swallowed visibly and reached for her other hand. "Is it the same man?"

"The police think so. Gia got some pictures as well."

"Gia?"

"Yeah. Pictures of her with Sarah, and at the funeral."

"Why both of you?" Zander asked, as he slid off the arm of the couch and sat behind Emily.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Both Jason and the police think the guy's playing with us. See how we react to the pictures. I really haven't wanted to go anywhere the last couple of days, though I am starting to feel a little stir crazy. So this is good, you can come visit me and make me feel better."

"Jason lock you in here and throw away the key?" Zander laughed, then winced when Emily turned and smacked him on the arm. "Sorry."

She turned back to Elizabeth and rolled her eyes, while talking over her shoulder to her boyfriend. "Jason doesn't need to do that, he wouldn't do that. He talks to her now. He's just worried, isn't he?"

Elizabeth nodded. "He's actually been great, cheering me up or just letting me be if I want. It's...it's kinda like that winter we thought Lucky was dead. He just listens and lets me have my time."

Emily smiled brightly and Elizabeth couldn't help but blush a little. "I'm happy for you. I knew if you and Jason just ever got on the same page you two could really be happy. Lucky and Nikolas I'm sure are being their usual selves over the issue."

"Actually, Lucky went to London to visit with Laura. He and Sarah were dating and...and he just...needed some space to think."

"You two have worked through it all, haven't you?" Emily asked quietly.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Elizabeth leaned her head against the couch. "Not really. We just...let go of it. I mean, I know how he feels, and we talked a bit. I had...Sarah and I were working on being sisters and we both just miss her. He needed to process it all and wanted to be near Laura right now. And Nikolas...well, I think Nikolas felt guilty that after putting Jason down and acting superior, that his security guard didn't keep Sarah safe. Now that Gia's received pictures they're talking of leaving town. Going to the Cassadine island off Greece."

"Sounds like Nikolas," her friend said with a shrug of her eyebrows. "Things definitely aren't like they were with the four us, are they?"

"No," she shook her head. "I've missed you, Em, and I'm really glad to see you. But I'm also worried about you now. This guy...he's sick, Emily. He'll see you as Jason and A.J.'s sister...and I don't want him to come after you."

"Hey, hey," Emily said as she hugged her. "Don't worry about me. I've got Zander, I know my brother will go into a worry protective mode and probably assign a guard on me, and I, sadly, can't stay more than a week and a half. It was all I was able to get out of my doctors. I'll be with you, we'll be here or with guards, we'll be safe."

"Thank you," she sniffed. "It seems silly, but the thought of something happening to you...it scares me more than knowing this guy's coming after me."

"I know," Emily said. "I feel the same way. I should go surprise my family or they'll get all upset and blustering over the fact that I stopped by Jason's first and spent so much time here. But I promise I'll be back tonight. How 'bout you make the brownies and I'll bring the fixings for hot chocolate?"

"I could definitely go for that," Elizabeth smiled.

"Good. If you see my brother, try and keep this a surprise, but I won't ask you to lie to him." She stood and pulled Zander up behind her. "Come on, Zander, let's see how long it is before Grandfather calls you a deviant. See you later, Elizabeth."

"See you later," she laughed as they headed to the door. Zander turned and waved before allowing Emily to pull him along after her. Francis closed the door, and then she was alone again.

The prospect of the solitude didn't bother her as much now. Emily had done it again. Just when she was down and ready to give into a moment of self-pity, Emily had raised her spirits. She was rejuvenated and inspired to work on her painting of Jason until he got home. He'd been working from the penthouse most days, but had gone somewhere with Sonny today. She hadn't said anything about it, but she felt the gun tucked into his waistband when she hugged him, and she couldn't help but worry at the need for a gun at a simple meeting at the warehouse and the cold, distant look on his face when he walked out the door.

Even though he sat casually in Sonny's office listening as Johnny and Max bantered back and forth over the latest episode of The History Channel's Mob Week, Jason felt tense and wired. He hated waiting. He would rather be out doing things, but his role in the organization was changing. He didn't go out on every fact digging mission, he was now a person who received reports. While he knew there were jobs that Sonny would only entrust to him, he was taking a less hands on role. Mostly though, he hated being away from Elizabeth right now, even for something that could tell him who was doing this to her.

Sonny entered the room with Benny following behind him. The other men fell silent and Jason dropped his ankle off his knee and leaned forward. When Sonny slipped into his seat, the tension in him was visible to Jason.

"What'd you have?" Sonny asked Benny, immediately getting down to business.

"The man on the job sight," he began, pulling out several files and handing one to Sonny and the other to Jason. "His rap sheet is pretty straightforward, but it's the people he met inside that makes him interesting. He worked in the prison laundry with Aleksandr Karenin, part of the Russian mob in Brighton Beach. Our boy took to spending quite a bit of time with old Sasha, got in pretty tight with him. Came under his protection, and many say his tutelage."

"He spent a lot of time at The Oasis," Jason said softly as he looked up at Sonny.

"Courtney was his favorite dancer," Benny informed them, almost apologetically. "Coleman said he ended up banning him from the club because he seemed obsessed with her. It was right before Jason started guarding her."

"Anything that connects him to Sarah Webber?"

"Nothing yet," the accountant answered. "He's a pretty quiet guy. Didn't open a checking account, pays for everything in cash."

"No records," Max groaned. "In the time I've been watching him, he goes to work, comes home, doesn't go out. I've searched his apartment, there's nothing there."

"He still being shadowed at work?" Sonny asked.

"Yeah," Johnny nodded. "He thinks it's because he scoped out the boss's girlfriend."

"We'll keep digging," Benny assured him. "The former roommate is out of town, but we're tracking him down."

Sonny leaned back in his chair as he pivoted away from the desk. The men in the room were silent out of respect for Courtney and concern for Elizabeth. Finally, Sonny straightened and said, "Alright, I want the roommate found. Max, you keep on this guy. Anything, anything suspicious, you let us know. You lose this guy, I don't want you trying to cover it thinking you can find him, you tell us immediately. He's the only thing we've got right now and I want to know everything there is about him and if he's connected to Sarah."

"You got it," Max assured him as he stood. Jason handed over his folder, having nearly memorized it while sitting there. He knew Max would do everything he could to keep Elizabeth safe, and yet it was hard to give up the power to someone else. He was needed here, when all he really wanted to do was get out there and find Toby Raines and beat the truth out of him.

When Max left, Sonny turned back to the desk. "What about our other guy?"

"He was quite interesting," Benny said as he handed over a file to Sonny.

Sonny read through it quietly, then stopped and turned back to the beginning. Jason looked at Benny, the question clear on his face. What is in the file?, but the accountant revealed nothing.

"Unbelievable," Sonny breathed out. "How did we ever miss this?"

"He hid him from the business world," the older man answered. "He was the son of his mistress, he wanted to keep the boy out of the life. They had very little contact that people knew of."

Sonny slid the file across to Jason who picked it up and flipped through it. Benny was good at what he did and had cut through the elaborately built façade and found the truth. Looking up he met Sonny's gaze, reading the anger and surprise clearly. He passed the folder to Johnny and leaned forward, clasping his hands between his knees.

"How do you want to handle this?"

"Same way we planned," he said cool and detached. "He wanted this meeting, he thinks he's got us snowed, we'll keep giving him rope until he hangs himself."

"We should go then," Johnny said. "I'll help Benny with our construction guy, see if I can't track down the roommate."

Sonny nodded and the two men headed down to Benny's office. Jason stood to work off some of his tension before the lawyer arrived. "You alright?" he asked.

"You know, I thought I knew everything about him," Sonny shook his head. "I don't understand how his kid got mixed up with Luis Alcazar and what the murder has to do with him contacting Daniel Garcia and coming here."

A knock sounded on the door and Sonny flashed a lethal grin to Jason who had stilled at the sound. "I guess we're about to get our first clue."

Paul opened the door. "Mister Ric Lansing to see you, sir."

He walked through the door, projecting the right blend of confidence and nervousness. Jason viewed everything Lansing did from the time he walked in and began to talk about knowing Garcia and how he was looking to move back to the States, how he admired Sonny's reputation and thus wanted to become their lawyer, as nothing more than a calculated act. The story he wove for them had elements of truth, but so many lies Jason was surprised the man could keep them straight.

But he'd probably had a lot of time practicing them. How else could the man who had murdered Luis Alcazar so calmly offer his services to them as the police were sniffing around trying to blame them for the murder? And how else could the bastard son of Rivera come in to Sonny's office - the man he had sworn to kill to avenge his sister's death - and smile like he'd just met his idol?

Chapter 38

Jason stepped off the elevator and couldn't help the tired sigh that escaped as, finally, he was back home. The whole meeting with Ric Lansing had left him tense; he hated dealing with liars. On some small level he could understand Sonny's desire to find out why the lawyer was there, and if he was acting alone in this apparent quest to avenge Lily's death. But Jason also knew Sonny had a tendency to get overly irrational about people who came after him. Then his methods to destroy them would turn personal instead of viewing them as the threat and enemy that they were and thus dealing with them cleanly, efficiently and with deadliness.

Jason didn't want to have to go through the weeks or months of playing up to Lansing to lull him into a false sense of security. Sonny recognized this at least and told him there would be very little required of him in everyday events or face to face meetings. He said that Jason's time needed to be spent with Elizabeth. She needed him and Sonny knew that's what Jason wanted anyway. Sonny finally seemed to have realized that Elizabeth was just as important to Jason as Carly was to him, and there were other men who could do day to day operations in the organization and follow people on stakeouts.

His friend finally understood Jason's need to do everything he could to protect Elizabeth. If only things could come together on their surveillance of the construction worker. He hated fighting against an unseen enemy. Nearly as much as he hated fighting against the police.

Today he got to do both because Taggart had shown up at the warehouse to question them in connection with Alcazar's death. They'd been questioned several times before, but that didn't seem to stop Taggart from continuing his bulldogged pursuit of them. Maybe it was because Jax and Brenda had disappeared for parts unknown immediately after Alcazar's death and the police were feeling frustrated. Or maybe it was simply because they liked to annoy he and Sonny that they kept looking to make the disagreements of the summer into motives for murder.

The funniest part of it was that if not for everyone suddenly showing up at Luis Alcazar's room and their new lawyer beating them to the punch, Jason would have actually killed Alcazar for the very motives Taggart was tossing about blindly. But he was innocent, and aside from flimsy circumstantial speculation, the police couldn't put him anywhere near Alcazar's suite at the time of the murder. He and Johnny, and a well paid bartender at The River Rat, had an alibi that had them drinking beers.

Jason had been unnerved by the terribly convenient timing of the police arriving while Ric was there. Even though Sonny seized the opportunity to start setting their snare, and the lawyer did everything right to thwart the police's bungled questioning, he still thought the two appearances couldn't just be fortuitous timing.

But as soon as Taggart told them they were free to go and Sonny said he didn't need to stick around for more chit-chat with Lansing, he took off. He wanted to get home, to be with Elizabeth; see if she'd done any painting and maybe try to find a way to take her mind off of everything. For the first couple of days she didn't seem to mind at all that they didn't leave the penthouse. They spent time in the same room, Jason reading while Elizabeth painted, or talking about nothing while playing pool. But when he said he had to leave for a meeting down at the warehouse he sensed she resented the fact that he could leave while she had to stay close to home. It was yet another reason he wanted to find out who was targeting her. He wanted her to have the freedom to do whatever she wanted and go anywhere she pleased.

"Hey, Francis," he greeted as he neared his door. "I'm here for the rest of the night. Head home and relax, okay?"

"I will in a minute," he nodded, but something in the guard's tone made Jason pause. "Elizabeth had a visitor today, and I think when you find out who it is you're going to want a guard on her."

"Her?"

"She'll kill me for ruining the surprise, but Emily is visiting."

"Emily?" he questioned, his shock clear in his voice.

The door opened and the two men turned, coming face to face with her. "Jason," she cried excitedly. "When we heard voices we thought it might be the delivery guy."

She'd already flung herself at him, hugging him tightly as she talked in a rush. He held on, in disbelief that his sister really was there and that she was actually standing. "Emily, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you and Elizabeth, silly," she laughed as she pulled back.

He looked over her shoulder into the penthouse and saw Zander looking uncomfortable, and Elizabeth who looked slightly guarded and uneasy despite her smile. A natural smile, though not as bright as Emily's, was on his face as he let her pull him into the room. Just before Francis reached out to close the door he stopped and turned. "Francis, about that thing you mentioned earlier, get it started tonight."

Francis nodded in understanding and told the room goodnight.

"Good night, Francis," Elizabeth smiled at him.

"We ordered food for you, Jase," Emily said, her smile still on her face. "And Elizabeth made her brownies like she promised when we stopped by here before going to the mansion."

She was still the same bundle of energy, and it just seemed magnified now that she was no longer confined to a bed. He had to set aside his worries and fears for Elizabeth - and now Emily - and just let himself enjoy this moment when both were in the same room and seemingly happy.

"You okay?" Elizabeth asked as she walked back downstairs after changing for bed. She had thought Jason would be coming up right after her, but after sitting on the bed for five minutes which then stretched into ten, she began to realize she might be waiting for a while.

He was standing motionless by the balcony doors, most of the lights in the apartment out. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, almost hesitant to disturb him, but concerned about him. "Jason?"

He turned and smiled fleetingly at her before holding out his hand. She needed no further encouragement and quickly crossed the room, slipping her arms around his waist and basking in the feel of being wrapped up in him. He placed a kiss on the top of her head and she could feel the tension in his movements.

"Jason?" she questioned softly, tilting her head back so she could look at him. "What's...are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you," he shook his head.

Her forehead wrinkled. "Is it business? I'm not trying to pry, but I could feel your tension and sensed you were distracted while Emily and Zander were here. Is it business, or is it something you can talk about?"

At her words, his face lost some of its hard lines. "Some of it is business. The police stopped by to ask us about Alcazar's death again, but it was only a nuisance stop because they can't find the real killer."

He fell silent and she rubbed light circles on his back through his shirt. "It's more than that, though. You're worried about Emily, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"I am too," she admitted. "When she walked through the door I wanted to tell her to turn around and go back to California. I don't want whoever is doing this to realize she's your and A.J.'s sister and take an interest in her."

"I put a guard on her," he told her, but she could still hear the unease in his voice.

Smiling, she gave a little laugh. "She figured you would, and she promised she wouldn't fight you on it. She's only going to be here about a week. I just want her to be safe."

"Me too," he said, his voice low. "And I want to keep you safe."

"I know you do," her voice dropped to a whisper. "And I know that you'll do everything you can. That's all I could ask of you."

"I can't lose you, Elizabeth. If you get hurt-"

"Hey, hey, shhh," she cut in, placing her finger on his lips. "Don't. I know you're worried. I'm worried too. But I don't want to get so caught up in the fear that it's all we talk or think about."

"I don't want that either," he said before leaning down and brushing a kiss over her lips. "Before I knew Emily was here, all I wanted to do was help take your mind off everything tonight."

"I did feel that way, relaxed," she smiled up at him. "Even though I know you would have rather not had Zander here."

"Yeah, well," he shrugged.

"You're a good man, but don't worry I won't spread it around," she teased him and was glad when he smiled. "So, tell me what's so special about looking about the window."

"What?" He clearly looked puzzled.

"Well, when you stayed at my studio last year you watched the warehouse out the window, this summer you spent a lot of time watching Alcazar's yacht...and avoiding me."

She shook her head before he could speak. "So, what do you see now when you look out the window?"

"Nothing really," he shook his head. "I just like to look outside, watch the lights at night and the people during the day."

He turned them both, shifting her so she was in front of him facing the glass doors. "When...when Michael was a baby and he couldn't sleep, I would sometimes stand at the window with him and read or just talk to him."

His soft voice trailed off, and she held herself still, not wanting to break the memories he was reliving. "I don't know if I used to look out windows before that," he continued on, his voice a whisper in the night, "but there's a part of me that remembers him when I do it now."

She leaned back against him as he tightened his grip around her while resting his chin on her head. In her mind she tried to envision what Jason would look like, holding Michael as a baby and reading to him about places from travel books. She hadn't really known Michael during that time, she only really started paying attention to the little boy after she met Jason and he talked about giving his son up. As they stood there silently, she closed her eyes and could feel the tension seep off from both of them.

Some time later, she caught her head as she drifted off and it slid to the side off Jason's chest. "Come on," he said, "we should go to sleep."

Blinking to clear her fuzzy vision, she smiled when she saw what was causing the haze. "Jason, it's snowing."

"Yeah. It looks like it might stick."

She hoped it did. They'd had light dustings, but it was always gone by morning. "Come on," she looked over her shoulder and stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" he chuckled as she opened the doors and stepped onto the balcony.

She tipped her head back and laughed as a snowflake landed on her eye. Sticking out her tongue she tried catching one in her mouth. When Jason stepped up to her and snagged his arm around her waist she looked back at him, a question on her face.

"You're going to get cold," he shook his head at her.

She didn't care. Wrapping her arms around Jason, she rested her head on his chest. She could feel the flakes landing on her shirt and starting to melt, but all she wanted to do was keep this moment of quiet beauty and make it last. It was when she shivered that he shook his head again and bent down, picking her up.

"Wait," she stopped him before he could take them inside.

He looked at her like she was two steps from crazy. "What?"

"This," she smiled, sliding her fingers up his neck and into his hair while she leaned forward and captured his lips. She kept the pressure light, not giving in when he tried to deepen the kiss. When he growled and nipped at her, she couldn't help but giggle. Whispering in his ear that she was cold and ready to go inside, she finally gave in and deepened the kiss while he stepped inside and kicked the doors shut behind him.

Chapter 39

He smiled, not believing his luck. He was glad for his choice in telephoto lenses and high speed film, so that he was able to capture the moment completely. An intimate encounter on the balcony between two lovers and he documented it all. While the amethyst silk pajamas Elizabeth was wearing were beautiful and enticing, he found himself wishing it was summer so she wasn't hidden beneath so many clothes.

There was no doubt in his mind that after the heated kiss before they went inside, that Jason Morgan would be bedding her tonight. Probably did every night. What man wouldn't avail himself of a little beauty like that? And scared and needy chicks were always willing to give it up and be comforted.

He wondered why Morgan was going through all the trouble of renovating the building that housed her studio. His place had to be huge and have plenty of space for her to paint. Why would he waste all that money upgrading a place that his girlfriend would probably never visit anymore? Maybe he was whipped, or maybe he didn't like the smell of paint fumes. Of course, with the rich, it was impossible to judge these things.

It was the first time he'd seen Elizabeth since the day she found the pictures he left for her. She seemed under lock and key, never once leaving Harborview Towers. He'd set himself up in a reconnaissance spot, hoping that maybe he'd be able to see into Morgan's penthouse and catch a glimpse of her. He should have known that men like Morgan and Corinthos wouldn't allow any direct lines of sight into their homes. He'd only caught brief glimpses of her, shadows mostly, and was ready to call the day a failure until she pulled her boyfriend onto the balcony in the snow.

As he packed his equipment away and cleaned the surrounding area, he smiled again. The pictures would be good, and most of all they'd let Morgan know he and Elizabeth weren't invulnerable in their high tower. Maybe he'd hold onto them until after Elizabeth ventured outside. He knew it would happen; a person like her would eventually grow restless being trapped indoors and no one would be able to deny her desire for very long. Every person around her seemed to want her to be as happy as she was safe, so he had no doubt she'd be outdoors again very soon.

He'd have to be careful waiting for the chance to watch her. The people in her life would be extra observant, and he had to be careful to shake the tail he seemed to have picked up without arousing any suspicion. Thankfully, the person on him didn't seem to realize there was a side exit to the building that wasn't seen from the street, or there would be someone watching that as well when he was home.

It was how he was able to get out and watch Gia Campbell and the Cassadine Prince. The two of them seemed to cautiously be going about their lives, yet not hiding away. Cassadine's aunt had recently given birth and they were visiting the baby and helping the lawyer at her practice. He'd already proven he could get past the so-called security at the hospital and the undercover police officer assigned to the former model was a bit better than the guard who couldn't protect Sarah Webber - but not by much.

As he wiped the room clean of any prints he may have left, he gave a sardonic chuckle. He had a feeling the gift he'd left for Gia tonight would shake up their false sense of security. The fun part now was seeing exactly how they responded.

The pictures and the rope tied into a hangman's noose were being properly catalogued and collected into evidence in the room down the hall, yet Gia just didn't even want to be in the same hotel with them. When she and Nikolas arrived back at their room after visiting Alexis and Kristina at the hospital, they'd walked in to find the latest move from the killer. A hangman's noose hung from the ceiling, a picture of her with red paint dripping off as it swung from its honored place in the center of the room. The cream colored carpet underneath was stained red, the shimmering paint still wet. Pictures of her, many of them taken in the past several days, blown up and their eyes burned out, were on the couch, the bed, the table, the walls, nearly every surface available.

The on-duty police officer who was guarding her had gotten a severe tongue-lashing from Marcus for not checking the room first. Nobody had really thought it was necessary since Nikolas had rented out an entire floor again. Hotel security and Nikolas' men constantly patrolled the halls, keeping every entrance onto the floor in view at all times. The killer had never made any move in the hotel with Sarah, they hadn't thought it was possible now.

The police were interviewing everyone, from the hotel cleaning and maintenance staff to the police officers who were supposed to check the premises three times a day. They were reviewing security tape footage and twice the normal amount of crime scene technicians had been called in to see if they could find any piece of evidence.

Edward Quartermaine himself had shown up to apologize and offer any help the police or they needed. His blustery manner was subdued, his apologies sincere. He didn't stay long and she was grateful for that. If only her brother would follow suit and leave as well. She knew he was worried, that Nikolas was too, but now she finally understood Sarah's desire to just be alone. She was tired of people hovering all the time.

"Gia?" Marcus asked as he finished talking to the police officer at the door and sat down beside her. "Can I get you anything?"

"I just want to go to bed."

"We're almost done here," he assured her. "Do you want us to bring your things over?"

She shivered, not wanting anything from that room. He had been in there, he could have gone through her clothes. "No," she whispered.

Nikolas seemed to understand because he nodded as he joined them on the couch and wrapped his arm around her. "I spoke to Mrs. Lansbury. She's flying out first thing in the morning to observe the staff on the island and make sure the house is ready."

"So you're going to go?" her brother questioned softly, just a bit sad.

She nodded emphatically. "I don't feel safe here. I was willing to give the guards and police a chance. But look around, Marcus, he got in anyway. I don't want to end up like Sarah. She had guards, the police were investigating, and she still ended up dead! Maybe if she'd taken Jason's help she'd be alive."

Her brother flinched and she felt bad, but most of all she was scared. Linking her fingers with Nikolas' she moistened her lips. "We're going to the Cassadine island off of Greece. Nikolas is upgrading the security and we'll tell the police there."

"You don't think he'll follow us, do you?" Nikolas asked her brother. If he did, she knew they'd run forever until he left them alone.

Marcus shook his head. "He sent pictures to Elizabeth Webber as well as you. I don't think he'll follow someone when he has people still here for him to target. If you'd been the first target then I would have thought it was someone going after you for being a model, but that's not the case. He's targeting young, beautiful women, and he's already watching another one. He probably picked both of you to see how you would react. He won't follow you."

She felt a little guilty at the thought that her leaving would cause the killer to go after Elizabeth even more, but it certainly wasn't going to stop her from leaving. Elizabeth had Jason and Sonny's guards on her, and those two men hadn't been killed yet. Besides, it wasn't like Jason couldn't get her out of town like Nikolas was doing for her. Sonny had hidden Elizabeth on his island when Helena ordered her grandson to kill her. Now that Jason was in town and they were dating, she would be fine.

"We'll tell you before we leave," she promised her brother. "And we'll keep in contact with you. All you have to do is say the word and you can come visit us. Maybe even for Christmas."

He hugged her closed and murmured words about missing her and wanting her safe. She didn't want to leave him, but she wanted to stay alive even more.

Opening the door when he heard the soft knock, he pulled Alexis immediately into a hug. "Thank you for coming. I know you don't like to leave Kristina."

"It's alright," she told him. "You said it was important."

"We're going to the island," he told her after they sat down; there wasn't any way to lessen the news other than to just say he was packing up and leaving. "The guy got into our hotel suite, left pictures...a hangman's noose."

"Oh, Nikolas, I'm so sorry," she said softly, her eyes widening. "I imagine Gia feels pretty shaken up."

"Yeah," he said tiredly. "She just wants to get away, feel safe, and I agree. This guy..."

"Has already killed two women. Of course she wants to leave."

"If you want to come with us, you're welcome to. We could get the best doctors and nurses for Kristina." He didn't know how Ned would react to her leaving with their daughter, but he also didn't care considering all the fights he'd seen the other man start with his aunt, the one family member who he felt truly loved him and supported him.

"I don't know," she said, looking tired from all the days of standing vigil by her daughter's side. "I don't know if we could even move her right now."

"Well, when she's bigger, stronger, if you want to come you know you can."

"I'll think about it," she said in a slightly uneasy voice. "I don't know if I want to go there, even if Helena is behind bars."

"I understand," he told her. For Helena, the illegitimate child of his grandfather returning to the family estate would enrage her. And she certainly would see Alexis' young child as a potential means for use in her desire to ruin Alexis. "In that case, I am giving you my proxy for the hospital board. Everything's going pretty smooth right now, so you shouldn't be called away from Kristina very often."

"I'm happy to help, Nikolas." She paused and then crossed her legs. "Are you going to let Stefan know you're coming?"

"He isn't on the main island. But I'm sure he'll be alerted of our coming, especially when Mrs. Lansbury arrives." He shrugged and looked away. "Maybe he'll decide to come here and handle things personally in my absence. You know how Uncle is. He'll be worried about protecting the family money and will claim you're too busy."

"I can handle Stefan," she waved her hand through the air. "And don't you worry about anything he might say to you. You have to do what you think is best to take care of Gia. She is your fiancée and if Stefan doesn't like your actions then that is his problem."

"Thank you," he told her, a small smile fleeting across his face. Her acceptance and support was exactly what he found himself needing at this time. "I feel a little better. You know we'll be praying for Kristina, and you can call any time."

"You're a good man, Nikolas," Alexis said as he stood. "No matter what Helena or Stefan say, you have grown into a very fine man I am proud to know and be related to. Now, you go take care of your fiancée and don't worry so much about if you're doing the right thing."

"Thank you," he said again as they walked across the room. "It'll be a day or two before we leave. We'll make sure we spend as much time with you as we can."

"Don't compromise Gia's safety," she shook her head. "That's the most important thing. I love you."

"I love you," he said as he hugged her. "And we will see you before we go."

"Alright," she laughed. He opened the door and she stepped out into the hallway. "Take care of yourselves."

After he closed and bolted the door, he crossed the room to peer through the partially opened drapes. The city looked so calm and peaceful from up here that it was hard to believe there was someone down there that given just the slightest opening would kill Gia without blinking. It truly made him shudder at the thought.

Chapter 40

Jason always seemed to go from a state of sleep to being wide awake in a matter of seconds. A side effect of the accident and not dreaming, it never took him any time to immediately be awake and aware of his surroundings. He liked that trait for his job, and especially since Elizabeth had moved in with him. He always woke before she did and he liked to watch her as she lay beside him, her hand usually resting on his arm or his chest.

This morning when he woke, he immediately noticed she wasn't beside him. His first instinct was that he'd overslept, but glancing over at the clock he saw it was the normal time his body roused him. The bathroom door was open and the room dark, Elizabeth wasn't there. Feeling the sheets beside him he realized they were cold; she had been gone for quite some time.

Slipping from beneath the covers, he stepped over the clothes he and Elizabeth had discarded last night on their way to bed and went in search of his sweatpants. Pulling them on he turned to find his shirt, but didn't see it in the shift of abandoned garments. He stepped out of their room and saw light washing over the rug at the end of the hall.

"Elizabeth?" He pushed opened the door and questioningly stepped inside.

She looked up; her hair tucked behind her ears, flecks of paint freckling her face, and smiled. "Hey. What time is it? Is it morning already?"

A smile crossed his lips as he walked over to her and reached out to brush her shoulder that was encased in his shirt. "You took my shirt."

She blushed ever so slightly. "Do you mind? You were asleep when I woke up with the urge to paint. This way it was like you were here with me." She shook her head and laughed. "Silly, I know."

He stepped closer and shook his head as he placed his thumb over her lips to silence her. She shivered at his touch and looked up at him with darkening eyes, a memory of last night clear in their depths. "I don't mind at all. I like it on you."

Leaning down, he captured her lips before she could dip her head in morning shyness. Her arms wrapped around his waist and her fingertips slid over his spine just as they had the night before. He snaked his hand under the shirt and pulled her even closer as the kiss deepened. When they separated, the only sound heard for a long time was their labored breathing.

"Did you get any sleep?" he asked, bringing his hands up to her shoulders.

"Some. I'm not sure what woke me up... I don't think it was a nightmare." She paused, her forehead drawing tight. Lightly he rubbed her shoulders, until she gave a little shake of her head and sighed. "I just couldn't get back to sleep, and after lying beside you for a while I decided to paint."

He walked behind her as she turned on her stool until they were facing her painting. He squinted for a moment until she said, "it's you. I found an old sketch of you playing pool...you remember when I did that?"

"Yeah." His voice was low as he remembered the day she came to Jake's and he posed for her before teaching her how to play. It had been a great afternoon, even with it being marred by Lucky's arrival. "You kept that?"

"You'll find that I rarely throw things away. I'm a bit of a pack rat. But this was special to me, and I wanted to try to paint it." She drew his arms around her waist and leaned back, tickling his bare chest with her hair. "I'd been working on it before, but felt I just wasn't getting it right; so I started a painting of Vista Point. That's what I was working on..."

She trailed off and drew in a shuddery breath that rattled his arm. "The night you and Francis went to Kelly's...and found Sarah."

Elizabeth nodded just once. "I'm not ready to work on it yet. But I did get inspired on this. Must have been all those games we've played lately."

He smiled and breathed a bit easier as she relaxed, not getting caught up too deeply in thoughts of Sarah this time. She trailed her fingers over his arm, and then linked them through his. "I think you're good for my muse. I think I'll keep you around."

Chuckling, he kissed her temple and rubbed his hands over her arms. "Good to hear. So, what do you want to do today?"

She stretched her neck to the side and soft pops drifted up, along with her yawn. "Sleep. My rush is wearing off and unlike you, I can't go on just a couple hours. What do you have to do today?"

"Probably a meeting later," he shrugged. "Nothing right now, though. Except this."

He picked her up, pulling her tight into his arms and meeting her seeking lips. Careful of her painting and supplies, he carried her from her studio and down to their room. Laying her across the bed he stretched over, losing himself in the love that flowed so purely between them.

"Thank you."

She smiled as Jason looked down at her as they walked into the park. Tim walked ahead of them while Francis brought up the rear. She felt silly that two guards accompanied them on a walk through the park to meet Emily and Zander, but she knew Jason felt it was important and she didn't fight him on it.

When she woke this morning she was surprised not to find Jason there beside her. He usually was, watching her sleep as his hand lightly swept over her skin. After the day before, where they spent parts of the morning and afternoon in a tangle of limbs where it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began, she was surprised to wake up alone and find him gone. But when she looked at the clock, she realized it was later in the morning than she originally thought and figured Jason had had to get up to check in for the day with Sonny. After she showered and dressed she came downstairs and found him going through some reports that had his face and shoulders set in hard lines. But they melted when he saw her and a smile flitted across his face as he told her Emily had called earlier and wanted to meet them at the park.

His arm tightened around her as he shook his head. "I didn't do anything."

"Uh-uh," she chided softly. "Don't start that again. You're supposed to say 'you're welcome.'"

"All I did was bring you to the park to meet Emily."

"That's what you think," she smiled and leaned against him. "I know this makes you nervous, but I was going crazy all cooped up inside."

His mouth turned down slightly. "I'm not trying to trap you or lock you up."

"I know," she said quickly, as she stopped and turned to face him. "Part of me didn't want to go outside anymore than you wanted me to. But now it just feels like...like it's after my rape. It was so hard for me to walk out of the house, to look at a man and wonder if he was the one who grabbed m, and I promised myself that I would never go back to that place again. I needed to get outside...even if it was to merely prove something to myself."

He ran his fingers through her hair before bringing his hand to cradle her jaw. "I understand. I hated when the Quartermaines tried to tell me I shouldn't go out or do certain things. I just want you to be safe."

"With you, Francis and Tim, I feel very safe." Stretching up on her toes she brushed a soft kiss across his lips. "Now, let's go meet Emily."

They rounded the curve in the sidewalk and came up to the gazebo where Emily said they'd be. She and Zander were laughing about something while a guard stood sentinel a short distance away. He nodded to Jason upon their arrival and then took up a new post as Francis and Tim joined him.

"Elizabeth," Emily smiled broadly and stood up to give her a hug. "I'm so glad you could come. Barely a day back at the house and I'm already looking forward to going back to California. I had to get out of there."

Elizabeth and Jason sat, his arm automatically going around her shoulder and nestling her to his side. Emily continued to chatter away, filling them in on her time with Lila, Edward's latest attempts to get her to come home and extricate Zander from her life and the latest go around with Cook over meals. Elizabeth said very little, content to let her friend fill the quiet and allow her for just a moment to not think about the danger that was waiting for her.

"I got Cook to pack us a basket," her friend smiled as she picked up the wicker hamper by her feet and set it on the bench beside her. She pulled out two mugs and a thermos and handed them to Zander. "I have coffee for you and Jason."

Then she pulled out another thermos and two more mugs. "And for us, hot chocolate. Along with whipped cream and sprinkles."

Elizabeth laughed at the complete fixings for hot chocolate spread before her on a bench in the park with snow around them. Leave it to Emily. There was a warm smile on her face as she watched the familiar shared drink being made. It always surprised her at the comfort that could come from such simplicity.

Handing over a mug, Emily smiled, her eyes holding another surprise. Reaching in one last time to the basket, she pulled out a plate and pulled back the cover. "Cook made some cake last night and I brought some along."

After giving each person a piece, she sat back and sipped at her drink. Elizabeth watched her over her mug and saw her friend's nervous glances around the gazebo and over at Zander. Resting her drink on her thigh, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Em? You okay?"

"What? Oh, sure, I'm fine."

Jason sat forward and glanced at Elizabeth before questioning his sister. "Emily? Do you want to go?"

She shook her head and sighed. "No, no, I'm not nervous or anything. I just..." She trailed off and looked at Elizabeth. "I just...I don't want to upset you."

"Upset me?"

"I didn't know where else to meet. I couldn't imagine meeting for hot chocolate at the Grille and while you guys might like Jake's, I just really wasn't sure about calling her and asking her to open the place early for us. Mostly, I just didn't think you wanted to go to Kelly's."

Elizabeth stiffened at the mention of the diner, and despite the cold air she felt a clammy sweat break out on the small of her back. Jason placed his hand cautiously on her shoulder and she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. The memories blindsided her and she knew it wasn't Emily's fault or intention, but it proved to her just how much she wasn't prepared to face Kelly's or what had happened there yet.

"I'm sorry, Liz," Emily said softly. "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen."

Forcing her eyes open she shook her head. "It's okay. It's just...I'm not sure I can ever go back there. Bobbie told me to take some time off, but I don't think I can work there. I just haven't really even wanted to think about it."

"No rush," Jason said softly as he lightly swept his hand down her back and then up again. "There's no rush."

She nodded her head shakily, just letting his voice calm her, and putting off making any decision about where to work or where to live for much later. There was too much going on and she just allowed herself to rest in the protection Jason provided.

Bless good fortune. He wasn't scheduled to work today so he once again took up a position to watch Morgan's penthouse, hoping for another glimpse of Elizabeth on the balcony. But after several hours of watching and seeing no movement at all, he decided to call it a day. He'd go see if he could find out how Gia had responded to his gifts he'd left the other night.

He'd arrived at the hotel in time to see the Cassadine heir leave and head off in the direction of the hospital. Alone. Slipping into the hotel and donning the pilfered maintenance uniform he'd stashed in an abandoned room, he headed for the security room to check the video banks. He wanted to see how well guarded Gia was before deciding what to do next.

As it turned out, there were more hotel security guards and on-duty cops patrolling around than he wanted to try to deal with. It had been hard enough getting into the surveillance room, there was no way he was going to push his luck right now. He'd give it another day or two and hopefully the initial surge will taper off a bit. So he made his way back onto the street and snagged his backpack from the car before cutting across the road.

He decided it was time to keep up the ruse of being an aspiring shutterbug and take some random, public pictures. With a hat on his head and his collar turned up to ward off the cold he wouldn't be too recognizable. Especially with a camera covering most of his face. Slowly, and without any real direction, he made his way through the park. He was actually getting into picture taking and soon it was all very real the experimentation he was doing with different lenses and settings.

Until he turned the corner and saw that Fortune had smiled on him. Elizabeth Webber was sitting in the gazebo surrounded by her boyfriend, another guy he'd seen around the diner when he'd watched Courtney, and a woman he'd never seen before. He couldn't believe his amazing luck, until a man stepped into his view through the lens and blocked the people from his sight.

Slowly, hoping he wouldn't attract too much notice, he shifted his focus and snapped some pictures of a snow covered tree. If anyone asked, he would say he was merely catching the contrast of shadows in black and white. He continued turning, taking pictures away from the group of people, until most of his back was facing the guard.

It was the same guard who'd been Elizabeth's shadow for weeks, and had accompanied her that day to the studio. He only hoped the goon hadn't seen enough of his face to recognize him and sound the alarm.

Chapter 41

Francis briskly rubbed his gloved hands together as he let his eyes drift over the park. He didn't linger in any place too long, just watched the people pass by and looked for anything unusual. He was glad he'd brought his sunglasses with him because some of the snow was still on the ground, and he didn't like dealing with the glare from it in places where people hadn't trampled through it.

He'd been nervous about this outing, but it was his job to follow orders and make sure Elizabeth was safe. He knew she wasn't a person who could be cooped up under normal circumstances. Even in the cold of winter she always spent some time outside. Now that she knew there was a threat against her she was being cautious, but he'd known it wouldn't be long until she just couldn't stay indoors any longer and wanted to get out.

She had become more than just a charge to keep safe and so he would do whatever he needed to do so she was happy. There was no doubt that Emily's visit made her happy, but mostly her joy came from Jason. The two had certainly worked through their differences from a couple of months ago, and it was clear that they'd gone beyond just staying with each other because of the circumstances surrounding them. The way they were completely focused on one another was proof of just how much they loved each other.

It was good to hear her laugh again, to see her relax for just a little bit. He knew that even with the three guards, Jason would still be worried and not completely in the moment, and so Francis would do everything in his power to make sure the couple had their time together. Jason needed it as much as Elizabeth did.

He was looking the other way when he heard someone come around the corner and stop. They'd had several people do that during the afternoon; it could be a little disconcerting to see three men surrounding a gazebo very obviously guarding the people inside. But when he looked over and saw it was a man with a camera trained on the group he immediately wondered about him.

Taking a step to the side, he decided to see how the man reacted. He didn't even lower his camera. Most people responded in at least some way when their picture was invaded. Or they lowered the camera and looked for the next subject to capture. This guy kept the camera glued to his face as he slowly, but surely, turned until his back was to the structure and, most of all, Francis.

Reaching into his coat pocket he pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial for Max. He wanted to check in and see where their construction worker was.

"Kozimor."

"Max, it's Francis. Where's our guy?"

"In his apartment. Why?"

"There's a guy in the park and something seems familiar...or just off about him," he said, watching as the guy was focused on the same spot for several minutes. "Are you sure he's there?"

"No," Max admitted. "I can't camp out in the hallway, but he hasn't come out and his car's in the lot. What's this guy doing?"

"Taking pictures. He's had the camera trained on the same spot for several minutes. He was first looking at the gazebo where Elizabeth is until I stepped into the frame."

"Get them out of there," the other guard said, as the faint sound of the car door creaking carried through the phone. "I'm going go get a closer look. You follow this guy, in case mine slipped by me somehow."

"Call me when you know something," he instructed.

"Will do."

Keeping an eye on the cameraman who had yet to move, he stepped over to the gazebo and softly called Jason. His boss came down the two steps and waited for him to speak. "Guy with a camera," he said with a slight tip of his head. "I think you guys should go. I'll follow him. Max doesn't know if it's his guy who might have slipped past him or someone else. We're checking on it."

"Okay," Jason said, his voice deceptively calm even as his eyes were hard as they cast a quick glance at the photographer. "I'll get them to the car."

Jason went back up the steps and sat down beside Elizabeth, remaining calm and not answering any of the looks the group gave him, while Francis took a surreptitious glance at his mark. He walked over to Tim and explained that he was leaving to do a new assignment, but to make sure to keep an eye on the cameraman until the group left.

"No sugar in my coffee," the younger guard called out as Francis walked away, apparently deciding to embellish the reason for him leaving. He just waved his hand and mumbled under his breath before ambling down a path where he'd be sure to find a coffee stand. But before he even reached it, he stepped off the path and doubled back towards the gazebo. Taking off his overcoat, he thanked his foresight in getting a reversible one, as he flipped it around, exposing the dark charcoal gray side so that he hopefully wouldn't look familiar to the man as he followed him.

As he settled into place to watch the photographer and the group, he heard Jason and the others make loud noises about leaving. The guy wasn't even taking pictures, but blatantly listening to everything he could from the group. Apparently he decided that following them might look suspicious, or maybe he just decided not to pres his luck, because he suddenly started walking away and dropped his camera to his chest. Unfortunately, Francis was situated so that he couldn't get a good look at his face, but he set off after him.

"Alright, buddy, let's find out who you are and what you're up to."

Johnny knocked on Sonny's door and poked his head in, making sure Carly wasn't in the room. "Boss, Jason just got back. And we got a new report on Lansing."

"Thanks," he said, taking the file from the man and giving it a quick scan. Nothing really new, but they weren't expecting it. He hated this waiting game. He was tired of lulling people along, never striking quickly or pre-emptively; maybe that was the reason so many people came after him without regard.

He'd been portraying weakness; too much of it lately. It was why Tagliatti had come after him, even defying the orders of his boss. Lansing had obviously done his research, knew how he'd responded to past threats, and figured he could come in here with his Harvard degree and fancy suits and take Sonny down before he could react. Apparently he hadn't taken a strong enough stance with Tagliatti since he'd let others make the kill.

Well, Ric Lansing was going to learn how renewed his determination was. Nobody was going to come into Sonny Corinthos' territory and think they could act with impunity. He was going to handle this upstart whelp, decisively and permanently, and send a message to anyone who might be foolish enough to think he truly was weak and they could challenge him.

"Tell Jason I want to meet with the two of you."

"Now?" Johnny asked a bit uneasily.

He peered at the younger man and asked, "What happened while they were gone?"

"Don't know," he hedged, "but he's looking tense, Francis wasn't with them, and he didn't say a word as he escorted Elizabeth and Emily into his place.

Running a hand over his face he sighed, "We need to meet, but tell him to make sure Elizabeth and the surveillance is taken care of first."

"Right," Johnny nodded and stepped out, pulling the door closed behind him.

Sitting down on the couch, he opened the file and read through it again, slower this time. He could only imagine why Lansing was doing this. The sketchy details they'd pulled together, cobbled together from second hand accounts and overheard conversations, it appeared Ric was intent on avenging Lily's death. He blamed Sonny for the explosion that claimed her life and had promised to kill him.

It apparently was his fault that Rivera had planted the bomb that inadvertently killed his daughter. Did people think he wasn't haunted by her death? That he didn't miss her, mourn for her and their child? He may not have honored her as he should have, but it crushed him when she died. Especially when he knew the bomb had been meant for him.

"Sonny?"

He looked up, shaking the cloud of the past away, and saw Jason and Johnny standing in the room. Jason sat down on the couch and waiting quietly for him to compose himself, while Johnny perched on the arm of the chair and discreetly looked elsewhere.

"How's Elizabeth?" he asked. "Johnny said you looked tense and Francis wasn't with you."

"He saw someone with a camera in the park, couldn't get a clear look, but wondered if it was our construction worker. He and Max are tracking it down, but I wanted to get Elizabeth and Emily out of the open."

"Of course," he nodded. "She alright?"

"Emily's with her. They'll talk, and I'm not leaving her tonight unless I have to. Johnny said there was a new update?"

He handed over the folder and stood to pour himself a drink. "I am not going to play around with Lansing. I'm sick of people constantly coming after me, thinking they can get away with it because I've gone soft or something. It ends now, and it ends with Lansing."

"What do you want to do?" Jason asked.

"I want him to know that we know he's a snake, that we aren't fooled. And then we're going to use him to send a message to others about what happens when you come into my home and piss on my floor."

"So we get rid of him and then what?" he asked. "What about Alcazar and the police? Just 'cause there's nothing truly connecting us to his death won't stop them from coming after us. It'll look odd if our new lawyer suddenly leaves town."

"Not if we do it right," he shook his head. "I'm notorious for changing my lawyers like socks and when I blast him publicly on being Lily's brother and how I don't want a liar in my midst it won't look odd."

"He won't give up," Johnny pointed out.

"Maybe not, but he'll eventually get tired of running into a wall and will move on. And that's where you come in, Johnny. You're going to make sure it looks like he moved, while he's really dead. Jason?"

"You just tell me where," he said, his voice even and lethal. "Nobody will ever find him."

"Good, good. Then this guy will be gone and maybe things will quiet down enough for us to figure out who's coming after Elizabeth before the next big threat comes along."

Jason merely nodded and flexed his hands as he stood. "Let me know what comes up. I'm going home."

There was a side door that he'd missed and Max was curing himself for the oversight. The rundown building had boarded-over doors, barely stayed up with the fire codes, and there just hadn't been enough time to check out every door to see if it led outside. He'd looked at the most likely candidates, and completely missed a small little door that led to an exit in an overgrown area. It was only when he'd emerged through the door did he see where it was.

And that was how Toby Raines had slipped out without him knowing. The guy wasn't in his apartment. When he let himself in after several long minutes of knocking and discovered it empty he immediately called Francis. His friend and fellow guard was following their mark and Max realized he must have a dummy car, or he'd been suckered into watching the wrong one. Man, Jason was going to hand him his head on a platter - or worse - for all these screw ups.

He watched as the guy pulled in the parking lot and disappeared inside looking calm, confident in thinking he had them all fooled. When his phone rang, he hit the button, "I'm around the side, Francis."

In a few minutes the sandy-haired man came around the corner. "What's the deal?"

"I missed a door," he spat out, angry with himself. "Guy's been sneaking out while I've been sitting out front with my thumb up my butt like an idiot."

"So the guy I saw today is the construction worker?"

"Yep," he nodded bitterly. "Which means he's either just stupid for scoping out the boss's girlfriend again, or this is the guy we've been looking for."

Chapter 42

He'd screwed up. He should have known just to get out of the park when he saw all the guards. He had the pictures of Elizabeth and Morgan on the balcony; he should have walked away. If he had just delivered them the next day he'd have the satisfaction of knowing he had shattered her sense of safety with Jason. Instead he got greedy.

Much like he had when he'd gone after both Gia and Elizabeth. He'd already proven he could get past whatever so-called security Cassadine could hire. Going up against Gia's brother and his fellow cops was no longer as appealing as going head to head with Morgan and his associates. He should have known he'd want to tackle the mob after all the time he'd spent with Sasha while in prison.

But he wanted to take them on on his own terms. He wanted them to react to him. He wasn't supposed to be reacting to them. Well, that was going to change.

Finishing packing up the most important things he needed, he didn't care what happened to the rest. Then he set about pulling out what he'd need for later that night. Whoever was watching him would wait for him to leave his apartment. They would have to check in with their bosses, and they wouldn't want to arouse the attention of his neighbors by barging in and grabbing him from his home, so they'd wait. And that would be their downfall in this game.

He was about to become a wanted man. No more job or permanent residence would ire his parole officer, which is why he was done checking in. He could no longer work under the radar at C/M Construction, and the guards would be watching him if he got a new job. He was about to bring the fury of the mob down on him, and depending on how good they were, the police. It was time to put all the tutelage of his friend and mentor to use.

This was why he hadn't made friendships, and why he'd ditched the roommate he'd first lived with. The other man could understand the desire for privacy after having lived in prison. It was all perfect and normal. But it also left him isolated, which is what he wanted. Nobody would notice when he dropped out of sight.

There might be some people hurt tonight, but that wasn't going to stop him. He needed to get out of here undetected, and that was all he cared about. It wasn't his fault his neighbors hadn't turned in the slumlord owner for not keeping up with building codes.

The guy was probably in for the night, and most likely wouldn't be coming out any time soon. Francis knew he should call in replacements for him and Max soon, and that they needed to meet with Jason and Sonny to fill them in and find out what to do. But he wanted to stick around a little bit longer. This guy was cocky; it wouldn't be completely surprising if he came out again tonight because so far he hadn't done anything they'd expected him to.

His phone rang and he shifted, pulling it out of his pocket. "Yeah."

"What do you want to do, Francis?" Max asked. "It's your call, man, but I'm out of empty coffee cups to piss in and my back teeth are gonna start floating soon."

Leave it to Max to have colorful descriptions for everything. "Why don't you go ahead and call for replacements. And the next time we go someplace, we're not taking your car."

"Okay," he answered. "They should be here soon."

Hanging up, Francis stretched his neck to the side to get the knots out. He wasn't looking for to this meeting with Jason, because he felt like he'd let the other man down. Somehow he should have been able to put all of this together sooner.

He was startled out of his mental berating by someone suddenly knocking on his window. Just his luck it would be some beat cop to write him up for loitering or some other trumped up charge. Instead he saw a frantic woman.

"Call 9-1-1!" she screamed. "It's on fire!"

He scrambled out of the car and looked up at the building they'd been watching in shock. Smoke was curling up into the sky and orange flames were starting to shoot out of the windows. The woman was still yelling at him to call the fire department and he fished out his phone, calling 911 and giving them the address.

Then he moved away from the frantic woman and punched in Max's number.

"I see it," Max answered.

"Cover an exit," he instructed, even as he moved towards the exit Max had missed. "How soon 'til our back-up gets here?"

"Probably not soon enough," he despaired. "We can't cover them all."

"Tell them to get here now," Francis barked out as he frantically searched through the crowd for Toby Raines. By now panicked people were pouring out, clutching their possessions. Parents had their sleeping children wrapped in blankets trying to calm them down and keep them warm in the frigid night air. They were trying to get away from the building, jostling him and making it nearly impossible to see the people clearly.

He passed by Max as they searched the crowd and both men groaned when the police and fire crews arrived and told everybody to get across the street. They kept scanning the crowd, but Francis knew they'd lost him. When their replacements arrived, they spread out trying to spot Raines, but they never caught a glimpse of him.

The four of men gathered later, each one silent as they realized their guy had gotten away. Francis turned and kicked a trash can, sending it down the alley as the contents spilled out. He'd failed Jason again, and most of all Elizabeth, by letting Raines escape. He'd be free to keep terrorizing her, and Francis was tired of this guy's games.

"Whoa, heads up," Nathan spoke. "Taggart just arrived. We better get out of here or you know he'll accuse of something."

"You're right," Max nodded. "You guys wait a couple of minutes so it's not four cars suddenly taking off. Go ahead and head on home; we'll go check in with Sonny and Jason."

"After we make a brief stop, right?" Francis laughed as they walked away.

"Unless you want me pissing on Sonny's carpet, which I personally don't."

"Let's go," Francis shook his head. "It's gonna be bad enough telling Sonny and Jason we know who the guy is, but that he got away during a fire he very well could have set. The last thing I need to be cracking up thinking about you and your overactive bladder."

Jason walked out of the kitchen and cast a glance up the stairs before he sat down at his desk. Emily and Zander had stuck around for a while, and then headed back to the Quartermaines after Elizabeth had pulled his sister aside to say she appreciated all Emily had done since the park, but she was starting to feel overwhelmed by the day and wanted to rest.

After the two had left, Elizabeth said she just wanted to sit with him. He could read or go over paperwork if he wanted, but he just held her as they stretched out on the couch. They talked a little, but he knew she didn't need a lot of noise right now. Emily had talked quite enough while she was here, and Elizabeth just needed to feel safe. He was glad she didn't shut him down, but let him help her. They ended up falling asleep until Sonny came over to drop off some dinner for them.

The rest of the evening was quiet. Elizabeth sat on the couch and read for a while until she stood and said she was going to bed. He looked up from his game of pool and saw by the set of her shoulders that she still wanted the space she'd asked for after dinner. He just nodded and let her go. When he went up several later minutes to say goodnight he found her already in bed and crying. When he crossed the room and sat down on the bed he was glad she didn't push him away, but let him hold her when he reached out.

Finally she calmed down and fell asleep, leaning against him. He sat, braced against the headboard, while he ran his hand over her arm lightly. When he knew that she wasn't going to wake up he got up to go over some reports and contracts he needed to sign. After sleeping on the couch he wasn't tired, and he wanted to get these taken care of while she was asleep so that he could be there for her when she was awake.

He was in the middle of the contracts when someone knocked on his door. He pushed back the chair and stood, opening the door to find Sonny with Francis and Max behind him. "What's going on?"

"Is Elizabeth still up?" Sonny asked. "We could go over to my place, Carly and Michael are asleep. But we should talk."

"No, she's asleep," he shook his head as he stepped back to let them in. "What happened?"

"I followed the guy from the park," Francis began.

"The photographer, right?" Sonny asked, and Jason realized he hadn't heard the information already.

"Yeah. He's definitely our construction worker, Toby Raines."

"How'd he get by you?"

Max turned to Jason, clearly apologetic. "When I looked at the place I missed a side door that was practically covered by a huge bush. The lock and chain on the inside door wasn't actually locked, just looked that way. I'm sorry, Jason. It's just an old building, and I didn't have a lot of time to check everything. I didn't want someone to notice me checking out a chained door.

"No," he shook his head. "You watched the exit you saw. We could have assigned more people to help. We should have."

"Well, having four of us didn't make a difference tonight," Francis shook his head. "We lost him tonight."

Jason raised his brow, but it was Sonny who asked what happened. Max shifted, and then filled them in. "There was a fire. We looked for him in the people coming out, but everybody was in a panic to get clear. Then the fire department and cops showed up."

"Convenient that a fire broke out tonight," Sonny shook his head. "I'll have Benny contact our guy on the arson squad and get a copy of the report. Odds are good it started in his room."

Jason sighed and leaned back against the desk, folding his arms over his chest. They had finally gotten a break on who could be doing this to Elizabeth and he slipped through their fingers. He wanted to go out and hunt this man down, not stopping until he found him, but he couldn't because he had to balance his desire with Elizabeth's needs. She needed him beside her, not out hunting her sister's killer and her tormentor.

"I want this guy found," he finally spoke, his voice low.

"We will," Francis promised. "We'll set up a schedule of men searching for this guy. He's gonna go underground, but we won't stop looking for him."

He nodded. "I want Max leading the search. Elizabeth is comfortable with you and I want you to stay with her."

"I will," the guard promised. Jason knew he would like to be out searching with the other men, but he would take the promise to keep Elizabeth safe seriously. "Look, I may be out of line here, and I apologize, but should we tell Taggart about Raines? Just about him watching Elizabeth and taking pictures in the park? Let them find his record and start looking for him to question him. Gia's his sister and this guy's going after her also. He may choose to overlook that it's us giving him the information that could break the case.

Marcus turned when Capelli walked up beside him. "This place was a dump. I bet we'll find dozens of complaints against the owner. And even more citations that we never enforced against him. How many?"

"What?"

"How many people died?"

Andy sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Five. All on the third floor where the fire started. Three were kids; asleep and the mom was at work. No smoke detectors, most of the fire sprinklers don't work. The kids were right next door to where they think the fire started. Smoke probably got 'em first."

Marcus closed his eyes. Probably a single mom who took off to work her second job when the kids were asleep and couldn't afford a babysitter. "Where'd the fire start?"

"Apartment 3-H. Belonged to a guy named Toby Raines. He wasn't home, far as they can tell. Crime scene techs and the fire weenies will go through it all, figure out how it started and write up their report. Not much we can do 'til then."

Turning, he rubbed his hand over his face. They now had arson on their hands, in addition to a serial killer. Squinting, he noticed a blank spot next to the curb, large enough to show where several cars had been. He flipped back through his mental snapshots of the scene, faces from the crowd flashing his memory.

"There were some of Corinthos' goons here when we first showed up. At least two suits, more I think."

"So?" Andy asked.

"A building burns down, Corinthos' men are here, and then they take off. Maybe we should ask them what they were doing here."

Chapter 43

Gia looked up from the magazine that Nikolas had asked to be delivered along with his newspaper at breakfast this morning. Breakfast still sat on the cart the guard had wheeled into their room. It wasn't as appetizing when guards refused to let the hotel employee off the elevator, and then inspected the cart and the food dishes to make sure no notes or pictures were there. She couldn't wait to get out of Port Charles.

Which is why their delay made her even more uneasy. They were supposed to leave today, but a hospital board meeting had been called on short notice. Nikolas felt he needed to handle the matter himself, especially since a doctor was getting irate over some policy he claimed was hurting a patient, or hampering his research, or something. Nikolas didn't want to leave it for Alexis to deal with.

He promised that they'd leave just as soon as it was over, and she hoped it was true. She knew her fiancé loved her, and that his honor and sense of duty wouldn't allow him to dump this problem on Alexis, but she couldn't help but selfishly wish he wasn't quite as noble. She wanted to leave now, she wanted to stop being afraid to go outside, she wanted to not look at every new person with suspicion.

The constant fear, the feeling of being trapped, the feeling of isolation, it was wearing on her. She just wanted to get out of here. Maybe once they got to Greece they could focus on wedding. It had been postponed for too long, and maybe it was time to focus on that again. To focus on them again.

She closed the magazine with a sigh and stood stretching her back. Nikolas looked up from his paper, "You okay? Can I get you anything?"

She turned to face him, but before she could speak the phone rang. Shaking her head she gestured for him to go ahead and answer it. Anytime the phone rang it was important. He dropped the paper on the couch and crossed the room. "Yes?"

Gia was halfway to the bedroom when she heard him say Lucky's name. Giving a small smile over her shoulder, she still continued on. It was a good sign that Lucky was calling them, they hadn't heard from him since he left for London. But she didn't want to sit around and listen to a one sided conversation; she just wanted to go back to bed until they could leave.

Francis stood beside the guard desk in the lobby in disbelief. He hadn't believed it, maybe he didn't want to believe that Raines was this bold. Or dumb.

The guards at the desk were charged with the task of opening all mail and deliveries. After too many things slipping through, like bombs in birthday presents, they had really stepped up their vigilance. All mail was opened, though they were discreet enough not to read it, and all deliverymen were stopped at the front desk and packages were signed for there. Some of the other residents grumbled at having to come down to the lobby for their packages, but Sonny owned the building and if they didn't like it they could always move.

So, like any delivery, the courier that morning was stopped at the front desk and the package signed for. The guard was a little curious, as it was the first thing they'd received for Elizabeth Webber since she'd moved in with Jason. They knew she was their boss's girlfriend, and that the same man who killed her sister and Sonny Corinthos' also was targeting her.

When Denny opened the envelope and saw the pictures he knew the man had struck again. He called Francis first, since he was the main guard on Elizabeth's detail. He figured that he should be the man to tell Jason.

"Who delivered it?" Francis demanded. All names of deliverymen and their companies were supposed to be logged.

The guard handed over the information and said, "I already called the manager and told him you'd be getting in touch with them."

"Okay," he smiled, knowing he needed to calm the young guard down and let him know he'd done well. "You did good. The pictures didn't get up to her, you got the information you were supposed to. I've got the hard job, I gotta go tell Jason."

He turned, taking the pictures with him, and headed for the security room off the lobby. Picking up the phone, he punched in Jason's number and told his boss to come downstairs. Hanging up, he winced and shook his head. Jason had that quiet, controlled voice that Francis knew meant he was mad, and he almost wished he didn't have to witness it.

Five minutes later he heard the elevator ding to signal its arrival and heard a muffled good morning from the guard to Jason. His boss opened the door and looked expectantly at Francis. Gesturing to the desk where, using his handkerchief and a worker's glove he found in the room, he'd laid them out along with the note, he didn't say anything.

Jason looked at them, quiet as his hands curled into tight fists at his side. Francis could only imagine the rage the other man felt. He was angry at the pictures, but he didn't love Elizabeth the way Jason did. And the pictures were of the two of them on the balcony of the home that Jason brought Elizabeth to to feel safe.

You look beautiful in purple. But I prefer you in green, like the sweater you wore with that leather skirt at Kelly's.

There were close-crop shots of Elizabeth in her pajamas. Pictures of Elizabeth wrapped in Jason arms, and the two of them kissing. Most of the shots showed the back of Jason's head, and if any part of his face was showing, it was blacked out. This guy seemed to be literally cutting Jason out of the picture. It was a disturbing sign of his growing obsession.

"You tracking down who delivered this?" Jason's jaw was clenched tightly as he spoke.

"Denny already called. I'll talk to the courier myself." He paused and then said. "We gotta call the police on this, you know that."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Elizabeth wants them to know what's going on. She trusts us, and she doesn't expect us to suddenly have coffee and donuts with them, but she wants them to know what's going on so when this guy is caught, the cops have plenty of evidence."

"Okay. Then I'll call Taggart. You given any thought to telling him about Raines?"

Jason licked his lips and dipped his head briefly. "Yeah. Given 'em a start. Tell them the guy was watching Elizabeth at the construction site, that he was at the park with a camera. This is for Elizabeth and Gia. Maybe Taggart will surprise us by not demanding everything.

Taggart snapped the phone shut and sighed heavily. Andy looked over briefly before returning his attention to the road. "What?"

"We just got a call from one of Jason Morgan's men. Some pictures were delivered for Elizabeth today."

"Geez," he breathed out. "This guy's just going all out, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

He cast another glance at his partner. "How's Gia doing?"

"She feels trapped. She's nervous, wants to get out of here."

"So you're okay with her running off to Greece with Cassadine?"

"Heading off to Greece will keep her safe," Taggart spoke like a true big brother. "This guy's going after the chase, the hunt. He's got another victim already lined up."

"Who just happens to be dating Jason Morgan."

Taggart turned to glare at him. "Do I wish she'd wise up and dump him? Of course. I have seen her go through so much danger because of Morgan-"

"And quite a bit of bad happened that had nothing to do with him," Andy interrupted. He'd read up on Elizabeth Webber and felt the need to point out that not everything bad in her life was because of Morgan. Though more than enough had come from his life.

"But I will do everything I can do keep her safe, just like I'd do for Gia. This guy's killed two people, I don't want it to be three," his partner said fiercely.

"Okay," he said as he parked the car. "Remember this is about Elizabeth first, we question them about the fire - and any reason they may have been there - second."

Marcus merely rolled his eyes and said nothing as they walked into the lobby of Harborview Towers. The guard at the desk lifted a phone, and a moment later a door opened behind the desk and Jason and a guard walked out.

"They're in here," Francis Donovan said.

Gia would be safe. Once she got out of Port Chalres and to Greece, she would be safe. There was a part of him that feared this man would latch on tight to the idea of her and follow after his sister. But he knew that wouldn't happen. And he felt guilty for feeling relieved. Because Elizabeth Webber was in great danger.

The pictures, the feelings behind them, conveyed anger towards his sister. Merely a desire to kill her. A noose, burned out eyes; the killer wanted to frighten her before taking her life. But the pictures of Elizabeth, and especially the note, were personal. More intimate. This man was fixating on her in a way reminiscent of Courtney.

"So only your guy at the desk, Denny, touched this barehanded?"

Donovan nodded. "I used a glove and a handkerchief. Laid them out for Jason and you guys."

It was hard to not act on the normal impulse and desire, to give them grief just because of who they were. "'Kay. We'll take them and have the lab guys analyze them. Elizabeth didn't see them, did she?"

Jason shook his head. "No."

"That's good," Marcus found himself saying. "She doesn't need these images in her head. Alright, we need the name of the courier. I know you boys want to go after him and question him with your own special brand of persuasion," he couldn't resist the barb, "but if you do anything to him you'll taint whatever he has to say and it'll be thrown out. So let us handle it."

"We will," Donovan nodded, but Taggart wondered if it was truth or platitude. "There's something else you should know."

He glanced over at Capelli, then at Morgan, but the younger man seemed content to let the guard speak.

"The day the pictures were found at her studio, there was a construction worker who seemed over-interested in Elizabeth."

"It's a construction site, she's a beautiful woman," Capelli shrugged. "I'm sure women on site are a rare thing."

"It was more," Donovan countered. "He seemed in awe she was there. He knew I'd caught him staring at her, but he didn't care. So we just kept an eye on him, pulled his employment record."

"What's his name?" Taggart asked, suddenly having a feeling he already knew.

"Toby Raines. He was also in the park yesterday taking pictures. Elizabeth was in the park yesterday; when he spotted her, he hung around the area pretending to take pictures until she left."

"The fire last night, you were there with some others."

"Watching," the sandy-haired man said, an edge in his voice. "Merely watching. We didn't start that fire."

"It started in his apartment."

"Did you find a body?" Jason asked quietly.

"No," he was forced to admit. "His apartment was empty."

Jason sighed and put his hands on his hips. "You don't trust us, we don't trust you. But I think we both want this guy caught. So can we put aside our mutual dislike and focus on that?"

He was a man in love, it was clear by his anger and his anxiousness, and Marcus could understand that. He wanted Gia safe and would do anything to ensure that. Jason at this moment was the same. "Yeah," Taggart nodded. "We'll look into Toby Raines."

Chapter 44

Taggart threw the file across his desk and watched with grim satisfaction as it skittered off the desk and smacked onto the floor. Sure he'd be cursing that impulsive outburst when he had to pick up all the scattered papers, but it felt good to blow off steam for a minute.

"Marcus?"

He looked up and saw Mac standing near his desk. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," he grumbled. "Absolutely nothing."

His boss sat down in the visitor's chair. "You think Jason's men gave you bad information with this guy?"

As much as it chaffed him, he was forced to shake his head no. "Toby Raines ain't no choir boy. Juvie record, kept it up as an adult, went to prison on a B and E. Got out, came down to Port Charles. He's kept his nose clean, but he just twigs wrong. He was a regular at The Oasis, then went to work for Corinthos and Morgan Construction. I talked with his old roommate, ex co-workers; they say the guy kept to himself. He's not just a loner, it's like he's a black hole."

Mac nodded, listening to him talk. "What'd the fire report say?"

"Fire started in his apartment," Marcus said from memory, even though he only got the preliminary report that morning. Three days of waiting to find out, and the report was only two pages thick. And the arson investigator said the complete report would still take a while. "Started with an accelerant, common household item."

"You think it's possible Sonny's men could have started the fire?"

Again he hated when he had to shake his head no. "If they'd set the fire, they wouldn't have stuck around. Much as I hate this, they aren't that stupid. Donovan even called 9-1-1 to report the fire. They'd seen this guy watching Elizabeth, saw him in the park with a camera, and so they were keeping an eye on him. No fingerprints except Raines' were found, but that doesn't mean anything."

Mac nodded. "It doesn't, but what's your gut feeling?"

"Gut feeling?" he sighed. "Raines set the fire to cover up his disappearance. He hasn't shown up to work, hasn't checked in with his parole officer, guy's gone underground. Which lends strong suspicion that he's the guy doing all this. He might have noticed Morgan's men were watching him and saw this as his only way to throw them off so he could keep watching Elizabeth."

The commissioner leaned back in his chair. "I think so too. How's the search for him going?"

"Every cop from meter maid on up has a copy of his mug shot. He's hiding though."

"How's Gia holding up?"

"Nervous. Hasn't left the hotel. She's anxious to get going. Cassadine's being cautious, things are being kept quiet so nobody knows that they're actually leaving tonight."

"When this is all over, you should take some time to go see her. I know you wish you could spend more time with her now." Then Mac stood and gestured to the floor, "In the mean time, clean this up and get back to work."

Emily stepped off the elevator and smiled when Francis grinned at her, then turned to knock on Jason and Elizabeth's door. He opened it and stuck his head in. "Miss Quartermaine is here."

"Thank you, Francis," she told him, before stepping inside the apartment. Elizabeth was sitting on the couch, a couple of travel books on the coffee table, and a sketch book beside her on the brown leather. They were just some of the many little touches that Elizabeth had brought to the place, showing it was becoming her home as well. Elizabeth's shoes were under the desk, her jacket over a chair and a blanket was folded across the back of the couch.

It made Jason's apartment look softer, more homey...more right. She knew her brother was worried, that he wanted to find who was terrorizing her friend, but she'd watched him around her friend and noticed that he looked happier with her, even a little softer. While she had been a bit hesitant to accept her brother and her best friend might have feelings for each other before her accident, she now saw that the feelings were real and ran deep. There were moments when they looked at each other and it was like everyone else in the room was invisible.

"Hey, Em," Elizabeth smiled, though it wasn't quite as bright as when Jason was around. "Where's Zander?"

"He's meeting with Ned," she answered as she dropped her purse on the floor and sat down beside her friend.

"So he's really going to move to California?"

Emily bit her lip for a minute, then smiled. "Yeah. Ned and A.J. have been talking, and A.J. says he thinks he can find a place for Zander in San Francisco."

She couldn't even say how happy she was that her brother and her cousin were willing to give Zander a chance. Especially A.J. after what Zander had pulled against him on Sonny's orders. But they seemed to believe now that he was sincere in wanting to make a change and get his life straightened out. It might be even easier for him to do away from this town and the bad choices he'd made here.

"I'm gonna miss him," her friend sighed. "And you of course. I've missed you and it feels like you've hardly been here and now you're getting ready to leave."

"I know. But I like my doctor's there and now that my therapy's not as intense I'm thinking of enrolling in college." She paused and took a breath, "you know, Zander's gonna still be here for a couple of weeks, you could come visit me. Stay with me for a little bit; give the police - or Jason - a chance to find this guy."

Elizabeth sighed and pulled her feet up under her. "Jason asked me if I wanted to leave town. I think he'd like it if I did."

Emily nodded in understanding. "He wants you safe."

"He does. I know that. And I love him for that."

"But you don't want to leave." It was a statement, not a question.

Her friend shook her head. "I don't want to leave Jason...and I'm...I'm afraid to leave."

"Afraid?" she asked, tipping her head to the side.

"If I leave, will this guy go after someone else? What if the police never catch him? Am I supposed to stay away forever because they never found him? If they don't get him, do I come back and live in fear forever that he'll come after me again? Or am I supposed to let him chase me away to a different town?"

"The devil you know is better than the one you don't," she murmured. She understood why Elizabeth didn't want to leave. While it wasn't fun to have the guards, the fear of going outside, or wondering when the next thing would happen, the uncertainty of what would happen if she left wouldn't be that much better.

"I just...I know what's going on here. I want this guy caught and I don't care if it's by Jason or the police. But I think I'd worry even more if I was away."

"I understand," she said to Elizabeth. "I didn't really think you'd come, but I wanted to ask. You seem to draw strength from Jason, and you seem to ground him. I think he'd be a little lost without you."

Elizabeth blushed slightly, but relaxed a bit and asked. "How's A.J. doing?"

"He's doing alright. Has his good days and not-so good."

"It's only been a month and a half," Elizabeth said in agreement. "I remember after Lucky, those first months were just a blur. It's like that now with Sarah. I saw something in the paper and nearly called her yesterday until I remembered. I think it will be good to have you near him."

Emily smiled a bit sadly. "I've missed him. Even when I was here, I didn't always feel connected to him. I hate that he's hurting, but I...I'm proud that he hasn't fallen into the bottle. I was a bit scared he would."

"Just be there for him. That's all, and the best thing, that you can do."

"I will," she nodded in promise. A.J. had told her how he'd talked with Elizabeth after Courtney's death, and she knew her friend was worried about her brother, as well as her brother worrying about Elizabeth in the aftermath of Sarah's death. "So, what can I do for you?" she asked Elizabeth. "I know Jason's not here, so you wanna watch a movie?"

She grabbed her purse off the floor and pulled out a couple of DVDs. She knew Jason had a player, even though he didn't watch movies. He had it for the houseguests he always seemed to have. "I've got a comedy, one that'll make you weep - but in a good way, and an action movie. I know there's junk food here," she wiggled her eyebrows. "So you wanna have a movie fest like we used to have?"

Elizabeth laughed and leaned over to give her a hug. "That's sounds really good. You pick the movie and I'll go start the popcorn and grab the brownies."

Sonny sat next to Jason and their lawyer across from Taggart and Mac in an interrogation room. They were here of their own volition, to try and clear up the mess with Alcazar's death and start the plan against Lansing. Without even looking at his friend, he could tell Jason was as aggravated about being here as he was.

Despite having video surveillance of Jax, Brenda and Alexis entering the hotel, and no evidence of Jason or anybody else in Sonny's organization, the police were doing their usual investigation pattern of trying to pin this on him and Jason. Because Jason and Johnny had tampered with the video surveillance on Alcazar's floor there was no evidence of Jax being in Alcazar's room, or their lawyer for that matter. The lack of evidence against Jason and Sonny was frustrating the police; they didn't want to think what Jax and Brenda's disappearance could mean, or their continuing absence. It simply had to be Sonny and Jason.

"Commissioner Scorpio," their lawyer said, his voice even and calm, "there is no evidence against either of my clients, they have provided alibis for the night in question, and yet this is the third time you've questioned them regarding this matter."

"Your clients had quite a grudge against Luis Alcazar," Taggart smirked.

"And so did Miss Barrett, who was at the hotel that night," Lansing pointed out. "Mr. Jacks was shot by Mister Alcazar and he is romantically involved with Miss Barrett. He was also at the hotel that night. Have you questioned either of them? Oh, no, that's right, they fled the country before the body was even cold and haven't been found."

Mac shifted slightly in his seat and their lawyer kept going. "Alexis Davis was at the hotel as well, and she'd recently had a fight with Mr. Alcazar that ended with her going into premature labor. She was quite angry according to hospital personnel when she encountered him after her daughter's birth. Don't you think it was odd for her to be there instead of with her daughter?"

"Just because we didn't see Morgan or anyone else doesn't mean they weren't there," Taggart argued.

"Unless you have any proof, you cannot keep questioning my clients and hope you'll badger them into a confession. That's harassment, and the next time you approach my clients without any new evidence or a proper warrant we will sue." Lansing paused, then leaned forward, "Are we clear on that?"

"We're clear," Mac said, authoritatively to send the message to Taggart. "You and your clients are free to go and we appreciate their answering our questions."

"If you have any more questions, direct them through me," the lawyer said as the three of them stood.

Throughout all this Sonny and Jason had remained silent. Jason looked at Taggart briefly as they stood, then looked away and Sonny wanted to smirk at the look of pure fury on the cop's face. Despite the apparent agreement to search for the stalker, Taggart was still as determined as ever to put him and Jason in jail. The three men walked out of the police station and Sonny buttoned his jacket as they walked towards the limo. He turned to their lawyer and gave a smile that was pure charm. "Thank you, Ric. Do you have a minute? There's something we wanted to talk to you about."

Dangle the bait.

"Sure, Mr. Corinthos," he smiled and nearly bounced on his feet as he waited to climb into the limo.

A nibble on the hook.

Sonny waited until the car pulled away from the curb, then grinned across the car at the man. "Thank you for joining us."

"No problem. I'm happy to help in any way I can. What did you need?"

"Well, we have a couple of questions for you. We were looking into your background...and there was just something that seemed off."

"Off?" Lansing questioned, trying to look confused and not scared.

"I never knew Lily had a brother," he started out, "so either your birth certificate is a fraud when it says that her father is also yours...or you lied to me about who you are."

Reel in the line.

"Either way, I don't like it. I really don't like it at all."

Gotcha!

Chapter 45

He knew Sonny Corinthos, while at times sloppy and overconfident, wasn't stupid. He had an amazing fact-checker in Benny Abrams. But Ric had made a life of hiding his read identity, it was a secret so deeply buried he thought no one would be able to unearth it. He apparently was wrong.

"What?" he questioned, hoping he could deflect the older man off course.

Sonny flashed a brief, but disdainful grin. "I'm asking you flat out, are you Hernando Rivera's son? Or is the birth certificate I found for you in San Juan with him as your father and Maria Del Castillo as your mother a fraud?"

He kept his face neutral, even though he was seething inside. Sonny had him. He could lie, claim the birth certificate was indeed a fraud, or a case of mistaken identity, but would they track down his mother - or had they already contacted her, and learn the truth? Or was it better to admit the truth and try to come up with a plausible reason for the concealment?

"Yes," he admitted. "Hernando Rivera is my father."

"I see," Sonny nodded, rubbing his chin with his thumb. "Max."

He was about to launch into his reasons for why he didn't reveal the truth earlier when he felt the car slow down. He looked out the window, suddenly afraid he'd see they were in a deserted area on the docks. Instead, he saw they were in front of his apartment building. "Sonny?"

"I thank you for your services, especially after today, in handling the police. But I don't like people who lie to me. I don't trust them because I always wonder what else they're hiding, if each word that comes out of their mouth is the truth or a lie. I have to be able to trust my employees, especially my lawyer, but I can't trust you."

"Mr. Corinthos," he began, but Sonny's hand flew up in the air and silenced him.

"My decision is made. I can't trust you - therefore I can't employ you. Thank you for your work, we'll send you your final check."

"Mr. Corinthos, if you'd please just give me a chance to explain."

"He's made his decision," Jason Morgan spoke for the first time since leaving the police station. "You need to go. Now."

The driver had the door open and he was forced to gather his briefcase and climb out of the car. Nothing was said as the limo drove away, or as he stood on the sidewalk. But when he got inside, he threw his briefcase across the room and swore viciously. How in the world had Corinthos found out who his father was? How as he supposed to get close, get on the inside and bring him down?

To avenge his sister's death and his father's usurpation of power, he had been planning for years. Working for Luis Alcazar was just a way to get money and contacts. But his eye was always on Sonny Corinthos, on seeking revenge and it seemed to have just vanished. He wasn't going to give up. He just needed to regroup and figure out how to get back in Corinthos' good graces.

Sonny turned to Jason after Lansing was out of the limo. "We're still watching him, right?"

Jason nodded. "We are. And we've got the audio still on in his apartment."

"Good. Good. I want to know everything he does after this. I know he's not going to give up."

"No," Jason agreed. "It all depends on how desperate he is as to what he does next."

Sonny shook his head in annoyance and looked out the window. "I know. Hopefully through our surveillance we'll keep ahead of him, or at least keep up. He thought he could come in and play me because I didn't have a clue about him. Now he's got to change his plan, and that makes him vulnerable."

"What are you going to do when he tries again?"

He shrugged. "I might string him along. Let him think maybe I'll forgive this, listen to whatever lie he comes up with. But I won't. I'll yank the rug right out from underneath him. I want Benny and Johnny to keep a close eye on him, make sure he's not in contact with someone who might be backing him or working with him."

"Alright," Jason accepted the instruction like Sonny knew he would. "When do you want us to deal with him?"

"Not yet. I'm not dragging this out," he assured his friend. "I just don't want any suspicion to fall on us, and I want to make sure I'm not going to be blindsided by someone seeking retribution on him."

Because there always seemed to be someone who came along to seek revenge. He was going to find out as much as he could about Ric Lansing so that he wasn't caught off guard and left scrambling to catch up, like had been happening too much lately. It was time to play this game smarter.

Shifting gears he asked about the topic he knew Jason was more concerned about and more concentrated on. "Any news on Raines?"

"Nothing," his friend shook his head. "Max is leading a team, they're checking dives and the underground contacts, but this guy seems to have crawled into a hole and covered it up."

It also wasn't easy since the police were looking for the same guy, and Taggart would use any excuse to harass them. "Any run-ins with the cops?"

"None so far. This guy's made it all a game. He knows we're going to be looking for him. He wants it just right so he can prove he can beat us."

The frustration was clear in Jason's voice, and Sonny understood it. Raines had most likely killed Courtney, and he wanted the slime caught for that reason, not just for him tormenting Elizabeth. Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if he'd done more for Courtney if they could have caught him and then Sarah Webber would still be alive and Elizabeth wouldn't be sitting in Jason's penthouse afraid to go outside.

Two women were dead, and he was determined there wouldn't be a third. He knew everyone else felt that way as well. Jason was growing tenser as each day went by. His friend was trying to hold onto his emotions because of Elizabeth, but when he was away from her the frustration he controlled around her was much more evident.

When they pulled into the garage, he could see Jason start to roll his shoulders to loosen them. His friend was always happier when he was with Elizabeth, and despite his anxiousness he was able to put it aside so it didn't affect her. It was a talent Jason seemed to have, an ability to seamlessly shift his focus, and put certain parts away. Sonny knew Jason would still think about the problem, but he was able to give his attention to other things and not constantly worry.

As they climbed out the car, Jason was much calmer now. He asked about Michael and how school was going. By the time he reached the penthouse floor, he would be able to focus on Elizabeth and be there for her and not bring his frustrations and burdens to his girlfriend who was dealing with her own.

Jason opened the door to his penthouse and smiled softly when he saw Elizabeth asleep on the couch. He set his keys down gently and slipped his jacket off, then started towards her. Frowning slightly when he saw all the Kleenex on the floor, the frown deepened when he saw traces on her cheeks still from her crying.

"Jason."

He stopped and looked over to see his sister coming out of the kitchen and motioning him over. He crossed the room and followed her into the other room. She smiled brightly and hugged him as he said, "Hey. I didn't know you were here."

"I came to see Elizabeth since Zander went into work today. We had a little movie and junk food fest," she explained as she wiped off the counter and threw away some trash. "I didn't want you to wake her up since she barely fell asleep."

"Is she okay?" he asked. "She looked like she'd been crying."

"We watched a sad movie," Emily told him, "but she was a little emotional today."

"This situation is getting to her," he sighed as he leaned back against the counter. "She hates being here all day. I hate that she feels like this."

"She understands, Jason," Emily said as she sat down at the table and motioned for him to join her. "She knows you will do everything you can to keep her safe, and she's not real anxious to go out very much. But yes, she does feel a little trapped sometimes."

"I know. I know." With the cold weather they couldn't really go for rides on the bike, and riding in a bulletproof car wasn't any better than sitting in a bulletproof penthouse. With the construction on her studio nowhere near close to being done, she couldn't even go to her normal place of refuge. "I wish I could take her away from here, just let her have a moment to breathe."

His sister smiled in understanding. "I know. She won't go, though. I invited her to come back to California with me for a little while."

"She said no?" He was both disappointed and relieved. He wished she would leave so she was safe, but he also wanted her close by because he would be worried about her if she wasn't by his side.

Emily nodded her head. "She won't let him run her out of town, make her afraid to come back if he's not caught right away. Listen," she leaned forward, "just listen to her. Be with her whenever you can, and catch this monster as soon as you can."

He definitely was planning on that. "Thanks, Emily. For being with her today...and for talking. How are you doing?"

"Good," she smiled. "It's really been great seeing everyone. I've missed Grandmother the most while I've been away. But I like California and I like my doctors there. I know you and Elizabeth, and everybody else for that matter, have been nervous with me here, and I'm kinda glad to be going back soon."

He could see she was nervous, even though she was trying not to let it show too much. "Do you want to stay here until you go? I'll even keep quiet about Zander visiting."

She tipped her head to the side for a moment in thought. "Would you mind? I...nobody really says it, but they're always keeping tabs on me, like they're expecting the guy to slip in and grab me. Grandfather's really got the security ramped up."

"You can stay here," he said, taking her hand in his.

"Thanks, Jason."

"Sure. You want to go get your things and come back for dinner?" He tried to hide a grimace, "Zander can come over as well. But he's not staying here."

She laughed at his statement, and his face. "Don't worry. He's been staying at Jake's. Grandfather laid down the law the first night."

He refrained from saying good, but instead just nodded his head. She stood and bounced with her normal extreme energy. "I'm going to go get my stuff, and I'll call you when I'm ready to leave."

"Alright," he agreed and accepted her hug.

He walked her to the door, and then turned to watch Elizabeth after he closed the door. He knew the stress of everything was making her sleep poorly, and so he stayed quiet so that she could get some much needed rest. He just wished there was a way he could help her.

Crossing the room, he sat down on the couch and pulled her feet into his lap. Her eyelids fluttered, but she didn't wake up, instead snuggling deeper into the couch. He reached over to brush the hair away from her face and hoped that they found Toby Raines soon before the smudges under her eyes grew even darker.

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