The sequel to Elizabeth's Plan. Begins later that same night, and is my version of where the show should have taken them instead of Jason abandoning Elizabeth while off playing super hero to the entire town.

Chapter 1

He unlocked the door the penthouse and opened it, allowing her to walk in. He wondered if she'd speak, and if so, what would she say. Since she had agreed two hours earlier to move in with him, she had shut down almost completely. She packed a suitcase, then a smaller bag; apparently trying to plan for every contingency that might arise. He had called Francis and told the bodyguard he needed to come back.

On their way out, she stopped to tell her neighbor across the hall that she was going to stay with a friend since the break-in had left her shaken. The old woman who had been ready to attack him and Francis the day before, now smiled at him and told him to take good care of Elizabeth. He stood there holding a bag of art supplies he insisted she pack, telling her he had no idea how long Alcazar was going to be a problem and that he wanted her to have whatever she needed for her art, and assured Mrs. Haskins that he would.

The ride to Jake's had been hushed, as had the time she spent gathering her things. The ride to the penthouse and the trip in the elevator had been deafening in their silence. Normally the quiet didn't bother him. He relished in it, loved the solitude. But having Elizabeth this still unnerved him. He never realized how accustomed he'd become to her perpetual state of motion and her babbling.

"Are," he stopped and cleared his dry throat and began again. "Are you hungry? I could order something from Kelly's or the Grille."

She shook her head no, and stood next to the couch, clutching the strap of her purse. "I'm kinda tired. Maybe I should just head to bed."

"If that's what you want," he said and picked up her bags. She followed behind him into the guest bedroom directly across from the master bedroom. He set her bags down on the bed and turned to her.

"There's a bathroom right over there," he pointed to the door on the same wall as the sliding closet doors. "There should be towels. If you need anything just let me know and I'll get it for you."

"Thank you," she said softly. "I'm sure it will be fine. I don't want to put you out or be in your way."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Apparently the little hellcat he'd been fighting with the past few days had retreated for the night. "Elizabeth, you won't be in the way, or a bother. I asked you to stay here. Do you want to get settled first before we talk?"

She raised her eyes to his. "Talk?"

"About your work, your cell phone, things like that."

Her eyes dimmed slightly and she shook her head. "No, I'm tired. Let's do it now and then I can just go to sleep after I'm done unpacking."

"Alright," he said and pulled out the chair from the desk. "Francis will be your primary guard. He or I will tell you if there will be somebody else occasionally. If we don't tell you, it means we don't know the guy. So if someone new shows up, don't go with him. Francis will wait outside or in the car if having him in the gallery makes you uncomfortable. Okay?"

He looked up to where she was sitting on the bed. She nodded, so he smiled and then reached into his jacket pocket. "I got you a cell phone today. I want you to be able to reach one of us if you need anything. I programmed my cell, Francis, Johnny, and Max in there. As well as my phone here and Sonny's line."

"Alright," she said as she took the silver phone from him. "Anything else?"

"You're free to come and go as you please, Elizabeth. I'm not going to lock you in here. I know you won't stay home from work, so all I ask is you be careful. Please just take a guard with you if you go somewhere. I really don't know what Alcazar's up to, and that makes him dangerous. This is your home now for the time being. So buy what you want for food, or whatever else you need."

She nodded, and he bit back a sigh. Maybe she was just tired. She'd woken up with a hangover, and now had moved yet again. He'd worry tomorrow if she continued the church mouse routine. Standing up he looked at her. "I need to go check in with Sonny. Max is on the door, and Francis will drive you to work tomorrow. You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah," she answered. He wasn't entirely convinced, but he accepted it. "Thank you, Jason. Good night."

"Good night," he replied and then exited the room, closing the door behind him. He paused at the top of the stairs and closed his eyes. Please let things work out.

He exited the penthouse and stopped to tell Max that Elizabeth was in her room and things should be quiet for the night. He turned back when Max called after him.

"I'm sure she's just a little shaken up. She'll be fine in the morning."

"Thanks," he mumbled, even though he didn't feel it, and headed into Sonny's penthouse. His boss and friend was sitting on the couch waiting for him.

"Carly and Michael are asleep upstairs," he said. "Do you want a drink?"

"No. I just wanted to check in."

"How's Elizabeth doing?"

"Alright, I guess. She says she's tired."

"She didn't fight much about moving in?" Sonny asked.

"No."

"Alright, you don't want to talk about it," the older man said. "What did you come up with on Alcazar?"

"I think making a move against Elizabeth was a diversion. I didn't know where she lived or worked, he could have just taken her."

"Right, but instead he gives her a warning, breaks in but doesn't take anything. Hounds to the hunters, he was driving her towards you."

"So then I would be distracted worrying about her, and you would be vulnerable."

"You were right on the money," Sonny told him as he took a sip. "Roy DiLucca came to see me tonight. Alcazar told him to kill me."

Jason's head snapped up on that. "What?"

"Roy's getting a little nervous about Alcazar's demands and regretting his decision to take the money. Alcazar's threatening Felicia and her daughters."

Sonny was too calm. He should have been going through the roof, demanding Jason go take care of the threat. "You've got a plan."

"Yes, we do."

Dressed and ready for work, nearly an hour early, Elizabeth stood in the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't realized how exhausted she'd been until she woke up that morning and realized she hadn't dreamt at all last night. And waking up without a hangover was certainly an improvement from the day before. She still wasn't sure what woke her so early, all she knew was that once she'd awoken with a jolt from not remembering where she was, it had been difficult to go back to sleep.

Because then she had remembered where she was and why she was there. Luis Alcazar had ordered someone to break in to her apartment after stopping her on her way to work. A new job, a new apartment and Jason's enemy had still known where she was. Her whole plan had been blown. The only part of her plan that had gone right was that Jason hadn't known where she was. And he hadn't been too happy about that.

She still couldn't figure that part out. Because the reason she'd started the whole plan was because he'd told her he couldn't be her friend anymore and had walked away from her. But there'd he come, like a white knight with saber drawn, charging to her rescue when he heard she was in danger. He was so infuriating. He told her he didn't want her to leave town, and that after the whole problem with Alcazar was over they'd figure out where they'd go from there.

What did that mean? Did he still want her in his life? Would he just push her away yet again once the danger was past? She just didn't know, but she wasn't going to figure it out hiding in her bathroom. Sooner or later she was going to have to face Jason. It may as well be sooner. Just because she was living with him did not mean she was going to let him back into her life. She would be polite, keep out of his way, not cause him any undo stress or burden, and when it was all over...she'd move on with her life and he'd move on with his. And never the two should cross.

Walking down the stairs and into the living room she was surprised to see Jason sitting on his couch drinking a cup of coffee. He looked decidedly relaxed as he read the paper lying before him on the coffee table. When her foot hit the bottom of the stairs he turned and smiled over his shoulder at her.

"Morning. Find everything you needed in your room?'

He sounded so...hospitable. Like a good and proper host. "Yeah. Thanks. I-I guess I'll go see what I can scrounge myself up for breakfast."

He stood and followed her into the kitchen. "I'm afraid I don't have much, but I'll give Francis some money and you can shop later if you want."

"I'm capable of buying my own groceries," she said, hoping to keep the exasperation of out of her voice. And for the most part succeeding.

"I know," he said, gentle and easy. "It's just I don't have much here, and since I asked you to stay, the least I can is provide some food as well."

He didn't say it but she could hear him add, after all, it's what a good host does. Because she was just a guest. It wasn't like they were living together because they both wanted to. She just gave a shrug and opened the refrigerator. A block of mold that may have once been cheese, a loaf of bread, a Chinese food carton and several bottles of beer greeted her. She pulled out the bread and scrunched up her nose when she saw black and green fuzz on it.

"On second thought, I'll just grab something on the way to work."

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," he said as she put the bread on the counter.

"It's alright," she told him. "It's not like you planned for this to happen, and I sure know that I didn't, so I can't blame you for not having stuff here. I know you're not a breakfast eater."

He looked like he was about to say something, but she skirted past him and went over to the stairs where she'd left her purse. "When will Francis get here?"

"He's here now," Jason told her. "He arrived just before you came down. Look, it'll just be him today. I've got some things I need to take care of."

"That's fine," she cut in before he could go on. "I certainly didn't expect you to be my personal guard. I know you've got better things to do than baby-sit me. So you go do your stuff. I have to get to work, and I'll see you when I see you."

He looked unhappy or slightly hurt. And why did she feel like she'd just kicked a puppy into traffic? "I-" he stopped and took a breath, then started again. "I don't know how long I'll be, but if I get back before it's too late, do you think we could talk tonight?"

Talk? Weeks of avoiding her, giving her the frozen block of concrete treatment and he suddenly wanted to talk? Why? Why now?

"Sure," she shrugged, shouldering her bag. Of course she intended to be in her room so she could pretend to be asleep, but those were just details.

"Thanks," he said, then opened the door and greeted Francis. He pulled out several bills and handed them to the guard, telling him to take her shopping on the way home if that's what she wanted. She didn't have the heart, or the energy to tell him she didn't intend to take his money. Besides, how could she buy several hundred dollars worth of food?

"I'll see you later, Elizabeth," he told her. Then turned to Francis and instructed, "Call me if anything happens."

"Sure," Francis nodded, then moved towards the elevator.

"See you later," Elizabeth told Jason, then followed Francis into the elevator while Jason headed over to Sonny's.

By the time Elizabeth arrived at work, she was back to her resolve to keep a casual distance from Jason. His sudden interest in her life was only because of Alcazar. It's not like he truly cared. He would do this for anyone. That's just the way Jason was. And she refused to take advantage of his generosity or fool herself into thinking it was something more.

When she went into the employee area, she saw the receptionist putting her stuff up. Elizabeth smiled at her, "Morning. It's Regina, right?"

"Yep," the woman smiled. She was a couple of years older than Elizabeth but seemed nice enough, and Elizabeth figured she should get on with the part of her plan to try making new friends. "And you're Elizabeth. Your last name's Webber, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth said, as she looked in her bag for her lipstick.

"So are you related to Rick Webber?"

Elizabeth paused. "Yeah. He's my uncle. I haven't seen him in a while though."

Regina gave her a puzzled look. "You haven't seen him? So the guy they found dead in the car over the cliff wasn't your uncle?"

Dead? Over a cliff? What was she talking about? Then somewhere in her mind she thought she'd heard someone talking about Rick Webber being back in town. Her heart dropped. Her uncle had been in town and he'd never looked her up. Another family member that had obviously had better things to do than to deal with her.

"Elizabeth?" Regina asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice a little weak. "I'm fine. I-I just didn't know he was in town. When did it happen?"

She listened as the other woman told her everything she'd heard on the news. If Elizabeth had been shocked by hearing her uncle, who she hadn't even heard from, was dead; nothing compared to hearing that Luke Spencer was Scott Baldwin's prime suspect. Or hearing that Lucky and Nikolas had been questioned as well in the incident.

When exactly had she become invisible to the entire town? Well, she was going to fix that. After work she was going to the police station and have a chat with a few people.

Chapter 2

"Evening, Elizabeth," Francis smiled at her when she walked out of the gallery at the end of the day. "How was work?"

"It was fine, dear," she smirked. "Considering it's only my third day and I'm still trying to figure out what exactly I'm supposed to be doing."

"I'm sure you're doing just fine. You'll get the hang of it soon." He held open the door and she climbed into the car. "So, you wanna go get some food?"

"No," she said. "I want to go to the police station."

"What?" he asked, as he turned to look at her.

"The police station," she repeated. "I need to have a talk with Scott Baldwin." Then she sat back and closed her eyes. She heard Francis sigh, could hear the seat creak as he shifted and started the car. He didn't like it, but at least he wasn't sitting there arguing with her.

When Elizabeth walked into the police station she was surprised at the mad house it was. Sonny, Carly and Jason were standing on the side of the room, and Sonny and Jason were deep in conversation. Elizabeth could only guess what was going on, apparently Jason's things to do included getting hauled down to the police station. Then Luis Alcazar walked out of the interrogation room, straightened his cuffs and started towards the exit. He paused when he saw her, but Francis shifted himself between them and the arms dealer continued on. Another day, another saga with Luis Alcazar.

She didn't have time to worry or care about it, because Scott came out and she locked her sights on him. She stepped out from behind Francis and started across the room when Carly stepped in her path.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Carly," she smiled falsely. "Please excuse me."

"No. Look, I don't know whatever pathetic little story you came up with to get Jason to ask you to move in, but I'm telling you now you aren't going to win."

"Win?" she questioned.

"Jason. He's just doing this because he feels sorry for you."

"I know," Elizabeth said, and surprise flickered over Carly's face. "He doesn't want me. I know that. You know, I actually did something that you would have liked. I moved. I quit my job. I didn't tell Jason where I was. I was getting out of his life. But Jason tracked me down when he found out my apartment was broken into. When he heard Alcazar stopped me on my way to work he asked me to move in with him because he was worried. I was going to leave town but he asked me not to."

"He what?" Elizabeth would have laughed if she hadn't felt like crying. She was doing everything Carly ever wanted, that should have made her giddy beyond reason. Yet the blonde was about to get her panties in a bunch because Jason hadn't reacted the way she had worked it out in her head.

"Yeah," Elizabeth shrugged. "He said he would worry about me. And he needed to do his job, take care of Sonny and you and Michael. So I'm staying with him so that he can do that. Francis is my guard, and if that makes Jason worry less until this is all over, then I'll do it. When the problem with Alcazar is over, I'm planning on leaving Port Charles. That should make everybody happy, especially you."

Carly started to say something, but stopped and smiled brightly. Elizabeth wondered what was going on, and then she heard Sonny's voice. "Carly, Elizabeth."

"Hello, Sonny," she said.

"Why are you here?" he asked her. "You can't come down here when you hear Jason's in trouble. It's really best that you stay out of this."

"Believe me, I'm trying," she mumbled. "I didn't come down here because of Jason. I didn't even know he was here. I came here to talk to Scott Baldwin."

And speak of the devil. "Elizabeth. Here to give Morgan a false alibi?"

"Arrggh!" she growled and every eye in the station turned towards her. "I am not here for Jason!"

"Okay," Scott said, talking a half step back. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to ask you about Rick Webber's death. You know, my uncle? A man who went over a cliff in a car. Luke Spencer is your prime suspect. I want to know why I had to hear about my uncle's death from a lady at work?!"

She was shouting and she didn't care; barely registered Sonny's hand on her shoulder. Scott looked away and shuffled his feet guiltily. Taggert and Mac took a step towards her.

"Elizabeth?" Mac said softly, while Taggert tried to get the other officers back to work.

"What? Did you guys all forget he was my uncle? Forget my last name was Webber? Didn't put two and two together and come up with four?" She was vaguely aware of Jason coming to stand beside Sonny and Carly who were over her right shoulder. "Or was it just because you don't like my friends that you decided not to tell me? The friend of people you hate doesn't deserve to know that a family member died. Is that what you decided?"

"I'm sorry," Mac said, looking like his collar had turned two sizes too small. "Why don't we got into my office and I'll fill you in on the whole thing."

His calm voice finally cut through to her and she realized she was making a scene. Her hands shook with residual anger as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "A-alright."

As she followed him to his office, she turned and looked over her shoulder at Carly, Sonny and Jason who were watching her. Carly looked down when she met Elizabeth's gaze, and Elizabeth wondered if that was guilt she saw on the older woman's face. Sonny looked at her sympathetically, and Jason...Jason just looked like he pitied her.

"What did you say to her, Carly?" Jason demanded once they were inside the limo parked outside the police station.

Carly shifted in her seat and looked away. "Are we going home or not?"

"Not until you answer Jason's question," Sonny told her. "Before I showed up, what did you say?"

Shooting them both an annoyed look she huffed out, "I told her it didn't matter whatever little story she said to get you to let her move in with you, it wouldn't work. You don't want her." When Sonny glared at her she shot back, "I was just trying to warn her not to hurt Jason. Heaven knows she's done it enough already."

"Carly, I'm going to speak real slow and use small words," Jason ground out, not caring how it sounded. "Stay out of my life. Leave Elizabeth alone. Stop trying to run off every woman in my life."

"That's not..." she sputtered and then stopped. "Anyway, I could have just saved my breath. She knows you don't want her. She knows you only asked her to live with you because you feel sorry for her."

"She actually agreed with you when you said that?" Sonny asked in disbelief.

"No. She said it herself. She said she's only staying there so Jason won't be distracted worrying about her and so he can do his job. When it's all over, she's planning to leave town."

Jason clenched one hand into a fist and pinched the bridge of his nose with the other. She was still planning to leave town. He had hoped after yesterday she'd moved beyond that idea. Apparently not. "Carly."

Her chattering stopped at the lethal tone in his voice. "Jase?"

"Never speak to her again unless you can speak to her civilly."

The order hung pregnant in the air and Sonny looked out the window, signaling he was not getting involved. Carly blinked in surprise and then smiled at him. "Come on, Jase. If she can't handle me, if she's so fragile that big ol' Jason has to protect her, then clearly she's not the right girl for you. I simply told her what she already knew, that you don't want her."

Jason ground his teeth together so hard he was pretty sure Johnny could hear it in the front seat. "I have put up with a lot from you, Carly. And all I have ever asked in return is for you to show certain people respect. You didn't with Robin, you didn't with Emily, and you haven't with Elizabeth. No more."

"Jason?" she questioned. She looked to Sonny imploringly, but her husband was making a great show of studying his nails.

"I mean it, Carly. If you can't treat her with respect, if you can't understand that she's important to me and be civil for my sake, then don't speak to her at all. Do not cross me on this again."

He moved toward the door and paused with his fingers on the handle. "I'll call you when I get in, Sonny. I think we need to put the plan into motion. And, Sonny? I won't leave her in the dark."

Sonny nodded his head in agreement and Jason stepped out of the car. He planted his feet on the sidewalk and took a deep breath, trying to relieve the tension in his shoulders. The limo pulled away from the curb and he turned his gaze toward the entrance to the station. He was about to go in and wait for her when Francis stepped outside, followed by Elizabeth.

She stopped on the stairs, her hand in her purse and said, "Francis, do you know what kind of plan Jason got on my phone? Not that international calls are probably covered. So, you know, just ignore me. Let's go."

"Elizabeth," Jason said as they neared the car. She turned and looked up at him.

"Jason? Why are you still here? I thought the police released you."

"They did. I stayed to see how you were doing."

"Oh," she said her shoulders drooping slightly. "I'm fine. Talked with Mac and Scott. They told me what happened."

"Why didn't they tell you?" he asked. He could tell how much that had hurt her. He knew she wasn't close to her family, but the man was her uncle. Probably as a kid they'd seen each other at family gatherings or something.

"They forgot," she laughed humorlessly. "They told Monica, but they forgot to tell me."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged it away. "I need to call my dad. He'll probably know who to call on Rick's side. Or maybe Gram knows."

"Do, do you need anything?"

She looked at him, then shook her head. "No, I'm...you know, I'm not even that sad. My dad and Rick didn't always get along. The whole Monica thing was a sore spot for them. So I didn't see him very often. I-I think I just more upset that nobody told me. It's like they forgot I'm a Webber or something. So now that I've yelled at them, I feel better."

"Okay," he said, taking a step towards her. She took a step backwards and bumped into the car.

"So, thank you for asking, and waiting. But you didn't need to. I know you have things to do for Sonny."

If there was one good thing that came from Carly talking to Elizabeth, it was finally knowing a little of what was going on in Elizabeth's mind. She thought he was only being nice to her because he pitied her, or because he felt obligated to keep her safe. Well, he did feel obligated to keep her safe, because he brought danger to her life. She would never hold that against him, but he did. But he didn't pity her; he wanted to help her. Because they were friends, and because he wanted so much more from her. He didn't want to help her because he thought she wasn't capable, he wanted to help ease her pain, her worries, her burdens. He just needed to convince her of that.

"I'm actually done for now. I've got a meeting later tonight. So what do you say we get some food so we don't starve?"

He reached for the door, but she didn't move. She just stared at him like he'd spoken to her in Russian. "What?"

"I'm trying to picture you in a grocery store."

"What?" he asked again.

"I'm trying to imagine you pushing a shopping cart. One where the front wheel squeaks and wobbles. I'm trying to picture you going up and down the aisles filling up your basket, and I just can't see it."

The corners of her mouth were slightly curved up and he found he'd missed her teasing him. "Okay. I can see where you'd think that, given what little food I actually do have."

"That was food?" she asked. "I thought maybe Michael was working on a science project for school."

This time a chuckle escaped from her, and he added one of his own. "Funny. All right then, come on. We're going shopping. You can teach me how to maneuver a wobbly-wheeled cart, and I can have some food in the house. Wouldn't want anyone thinking I'm trying to starve you while you're there."

"Right, 'cause who knows how long I'll be there." She said it with the same smile, but the tone of her voice held something else. Regret with a bit of disappointment.

She moved to the side and allowed him to open the door. She slipped inside, and Francis went around to the front and climbed in. Jason told him to the go to the grocery store near the penthouse, and as the car pulled out into traffic he leaned back in the seat. For just a brief moment Elizabeth had let her guard slip. She smiled and she laughed, and it felt like old times. Then she sobered, and the walls came sliding back into place.

Well, he had a taste of her smile, and he wanted more. They had a lot to talk about, and he had a long road ahead of him to convince her that he was her friend, that he wanted her in his life. It wasn't going to be easy; he had no delusions about that. That didn't mean, however, that he wasn't going to do it. And he would be successful. Because he had two key things, perseverance and a plan.

Chapter 3

When Elizabeth walked out of the gallery Friday afternoon she was surprised to see Jason waiting for her where Francis had stood for the past three days. She had hardly seen him since the night she charged into the PCPD and laid into Scott Baldwin for not telling her about Rick Webber's death.

It had actually been all right with her that she hadn't seen much of him. Sure he waited for her outside the police station that night and after they got back from shopping they ate dinner together. But then he left to go meet with Sonny. Always Sonny.

That was fine. She had things of her own she needed to do. She called her grandmother to talk about Rick's death. Not much had even been discussed on that matter because when she'd mentioned she was staying with Jason, civil conversation ceased. In the end, Elizabeth just gave up and went to bed.

Getting up early the next morning, she called her parents to let them know the news. She told her father what happened, gave him the number to the police department and was told thank you for calling but he had patients waiting. He did say, before hanging up that he would call Rick's family, and that seemed to be the end of it.

If only that were true. When she walked in the door that evening, the phone was ringing. Francis who was standing behind her, had answered the phone in case it was for Jason, and then handed it to her. Her father had spoken to Audrey and was none too pleased to hear she was living with a mobster. It had been a thoroughly unpleasant conversation and when it was over she'd just gone upstairs and went to bed. She heard the door downstairs open, but didn't know and didn't care if it was Jason or Francis. Her parents, after not being there for her when she was raped, graduated from high school, lost her boyfriend in a fire or when she was going to get married, were now telling her what bad judgment she had. They told her to go live with Audrey or come to Europe to live with them, but simply couldn't and wouldn't understand why she ever get involved with a criminal as a friend.

What she hadn't said to her father was she would rather gargle glass than live with them or Audrey. While Jason may not want to be her friend, she would rather stay with him than with her family. He at least wouldn't constantly berate her for her choices, for being a college drop out. And couldn't she just give medicine one more consideration? No, Jason would be polite and mostly avoid her, but she was used to the silent treatment.

She had been prepared to see or hear from Jason very little while she was staying with him. So it was a bit of a shock to see him standing there, casually waiting for her with his motorcycle just mere feet away. He came towards her, slipped the bag from her shoulder and turned towards his bike.

"Where's Francis?" she asked, not liking the warring feelings in her that were partly excited he brought the motorcycle but mostly bittersweet that it would probably be their last right.

"I told him I was going to pick you up. It's been a while since we've taken a ride." Then he paused, "Plus I needed to talk to you. I thought if we went someplace else we wouldn't be interrupted."

"I'll believe that when your phone doesn't ring," she mumbled. Jason did not turn off his phone. Ever. There were too many people that needed to be able to reach him. And she knew that right now there were a lot of things going on. Once she would have given anything for Jason to spend some time with her, take her out of on his bike and talk like old times. Now however, she just wanted him to go about with his life so she could go on with hers.

So, actually, his cell phone was going to be her saving grace. Sonny would call and Jason would need to go. The little device of technology that she had once cursed, she'd champion now. Waiting for it to ring so that they wouldn't have to drag this out. Except that Jason was smirking at her, and she didn't like that.

"There won't be any calls," he told her, and she realized she hadn't spoken as quietly as she thought. He stood and took the phone out of his pocket. "In fact, no calls at all."

He turned the phone off and then put it in his saddlebag. She stared at him, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Something was definitely up and she was beginning to think it was a very bad thing. He seemed determined, and when he got that look, things happened. She suddenly had the feeling this was not going to bode well for her plan to stay away.

But as she looked at the bike, her mind betrayed her. She couldn't think of an excuse to get out of it. And she realized that she didn't want to avoid Jason right now. It was hard work to keep her aloof distance around him. She wanted to go on the bike, she wanted to wrap her arms around his trim waist and if he truly wanted to talk to her - she'd probably break down and tell him everything.

Without even realizing she'd moved, she was standing beside him, accepting the helmet from his hands and climbing on the bike. She wrapped her arms around him and waited for the bike to start. The machine roared to life and her pulse sped up in anticipation.

"Hang on," he called to her over his shoulder and she nodded her head vigorously. The only problem she realized as they sped away from the curb, was she wasn't sure how she was going to let go when all of this was over, and Jason's pity of her ceased.

Jason slowed the motorcycle and stopped, putting the kickstand down. He hadn't known where to go at first. He started out, just taking the cliff road until he thought about going to Vista Point. It was quiet there and they shouldn't be interrupted. Elizabeth hadn't laughed and screamed like she had on their other rides, but she held on, seemed relaxed and to be enjoying herself. When he started towards Vista Point she pulled back, putting distance between them instead of being pressed up against him. Her arms slid from around his waist until she held loosely onto the sides of his shirt.

He sped past Vista Point, cursing himself for thinking of going there. That was where he'd told her he couldn't be the friend she thought she was. That was where she had misinterpreted that statement and developed her plan. He couldn't take her there. He wouldn't take her back there until they were on better terms. Until she knew that he hadn't been telling her he didn't want to be her friend, but so much more.

When he started down the road to nowhere and stopped at the bridge he was glad she didn't tense. He shut off the engine and turned to look at her. She was taking off the helmet, her eyes downcast. When the strap was undone, she slid it off, handed it to him and then accepted his arm to climb off. Moving away, she wrapped her arms around herself and he sighed and rubbed his forehead as he watched her guard go back up. This was going to be difficult.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said.

"For what?" she asked, still not looking at him. Classic Elizabeth tactics. Just pretend there's no problem.

"I wasn't thinking earlier when I almost went to Vista Point. I remembered our unconventional date, I wasn't thinking about the last time we were there."

He was still two feet away from her, but he could see her stiffen. She shook her head. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," he told her, claiming another step. "I-I wanted to talk to you about that."

"No need," she cut him off. "You don't need to explain yourself to me. You always say what you mean, so it's not your fault. I just needed to get used to not having you in my life. That's why I came up with my plan."

She was speaking in a rush and was full of nervous energy. But he saw it as progress. She mentioned her plan; she brought up why she came up with it in the first place. He just needed to get her to listen to him long enough to explain.

"Elizabeth," he said softly. "That's what I wanted to talk about. That night - the night I said I couldn't be the friend you thought I was, I didn't mean I didn't want to be your friend."

She turned around finally. Her eyes were wide and damp. "B-but you said-"

"What I meant," he cut in, "was I couldn't do it again. Last year when I was here, I listened to you talk about how much you loved Lucky. You jumped back and forth, and then you walked away when I asked you to come with me. I couldn't do that again."

Tears escaped from Elizabeth's eyes, and she quickly turned and dashed them away. "I see."

"No, you don't," he said, keeping his voice even and soft. "I couldn't do that again with you and Zander. I-I admitted to you last year that I wanted something more. I still felt that way when I came back. I don't want just a friendship with you, Elizabeth."

"You mean you did, until I slept with Zander. I tried to explain, but you just pushed me away. I feared I finally hurt you too much for you to ever forgive me, but I couldn't let go. I kept pushing. But that night, that night I realized it was over for good. You were never going to forgive me. You finally made me understand. So I knew that I had to get out of your life, never see you, or I was going to be like Carly was when you were shot and staying at my studio."

He stepped up and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently turning her around. "Elizabeth, please calm down. Just let me explain."

She nodded silently.

"I still want to be your friend. But I also want to be more than just that. It hurt when you slept with Zander," he told her truthfully and kept his hands on her shoulders to keep her from pulling away. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me, and you explained what happened, you don't need to again. I didn't let you explain then because I couldn't have handled you telling me you wanted to be with Zander and I was afraid that's what you were going to say."

"I didn't. I never did," she whispered.

"I know," he assured her. "I know that now. And I'm sorry I didn't listen to you back then."

"I can see why you didn't," she said regretfully. "After the way I treated you last year with Lucky, I can see why you would think I was fickle. I nearly slept with you the night of Carly's party and then stopped because I said I wanted it to be more, and then I slept with Zander. Why wouldn't you think it meant more with him?"

She pulled away from him and walked across the bridge. He followed slowly behind her. "I don't think you're fickle. You were confused and did the best you could. In both situations."

Elizabeth turned around and he stopped. She tipped her head to the side and asked, "How do you do it, Jason? How do you forgive so easily? You really aren't mad at me, are you?"

He shrugged at her. "There's nothing to forgive. You did what you had to. My being mad at you doesn't do any good. You apologized, and I forgive you."

"But I hurt you. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, and that's all I seem to do."

"Elizabeth."

She stopped and looked up at him, waiting for him to continue, "Hurting is a part of life. I hurt you when I walked away from you. This isn't about blame or payback."

"Then what..." she started, then trailed off.

"I think it's time we were honest with each other. I want to be your friend, but I want more than that too. I did that night I walked away, and I let you think I didn't."

Hurt and anger flashed in her eyes and it tore at his gut. She stood there, still and silent, but her eyes darted wildly about as she took it all it in. "Why? Why would you do that? You say it wasn't about payback, but that's how it feels from here. I turned myself inside out, trying to give you what you wanted, it didn't matter that I was miserable and making myself sick. I kept telling myself it was better being miserable alone than to be reminded how you didn't want me every time I saw you."

She was hurt and upset, and he deserved her anger. He had been protecting himself. She had been right that night she accused him of walking away to protect himself while claiming she was in danger. The danger was a real reason, and he would always be concerned for her and wonder why she chose to be with him. But he had been protecting his heart. And maybe it was time to stop and take another chance.

"I'm sorry you went through that." And he was. More than he could ever tell her. "I did...I let you think that because you were right. I was afraid."

Chapter 4

"You were afraid?" she repeated. She wasn't sarcastic; it just stunned her a little. She wasn't one of the people in town who believed he didn't have emotions, or that thought he could only be angry. She knew he had emotions just like anyone. She had seen him in pain over losing Michael, she had seen him hurt last year when she walked away from him, and she had seen him near tears. Jason felt emotions; he just masked them from people he didn't care about. Fear just wasn't an emotion she'd seen with him. "Why?"

"Because you mean so much to me," he told her, his voice husky. "It hurt when Robin and I ended. What I feel for you scares me sometimes because it means you have so much power to hurt me."

And she had hurt him many times already. No wonder he hadn't wanted anything to do with her. "I know. As I've done many times."

She needed to take the blame there; to remind her of the reason Jason wanted nothing to do with her. He was only helping her because he felt responsible.

"And you've been hurt too," he said softly.

"I'm learning that hurt is a part of life. Anyone can break a heart. No one is completely safe when you care about another person." They were walking proof of that.

"I would never hurt you on purpose," Jason promised her.

"And I feel the same," she assured him. Even though she'd hurt him plenty, she had never done it on purpose or relished in it. "The hurt we've caused was never intentional."

"It wasn't. So what does this mean?" he asked her.

Puzzled, she looked at him. "What do you mean?" He couldn't be hinting at that. Even though as she thought about the conversation it sounded like it, it wasn't. It couldn't be, he was only doing this because he felt guilty over Alcazar still stopping her.

"What does this mean for us?" he asked. He was asking about an us? "You're important to me. I want to be with you. Or do you just think I'm only saying that because I pity you, like you told Carly. Are you still planning on leaving town?"

She gulped and looked at him. He appeared so sincere, so much like he did at the beginning of the summer when he first came back. She would never forget the day he walked into Kelly's and she spotted him, it was like her life suddenly became brighter. But under it was the same wounded look he had when she mentioned leaving that night he asked her to move in. She thought he was just insisting she stay with him because he needed to do his job.

And Carly had told him she mentioned leaving at the police station. The older woman probably couldn't wait to crow over the fact that Elizabeth planned to leave town. Did this mean he really didn't want her to leave, even when the danger was over?

"I thought it was for the best," she said, not able to look into his eyes. "I thought you didn't want me around anymore, that after the danger was gone, it would be..."

She trailed off, having made the mistake of meeting his deep gaze. He closed the distance between them and took her hands in his. "Elizabeth, I don't pity you. Yes, I asked you to move in with me so I could protect you, but also because I wanted you there. I hated not knowing where you were after you moved. I wanted you close."

His admission stunned her. It was the most she'd heard him say, the most she'd heard him be honest with her in a long time. But was she just supposed to go from one extreme to another so quickly? For weeks she'd been trying to convince herself to move on, come up with a way to forget Jason, so that she could survive without him. But she never had wanted to do that, so she should be happy now, right?

The problem was, he'd pushed her away so easily. How could she be sure he wouldn't do it again? She wanted to trust him when he said he wanted more, that he wanted to be with her. It just still hurt that he'd kept her at arm's length.

"Do you believe me?" Jason asked.

"Yes, but that doesn't fix everything," she said gently, even though she hated saying the words.

"You don't want to be with me?" he asked, tensing. "You want to leave?"

"I don't want to leave, I never wanted to leave," she told him. "That day at Vista Point, I was crushed because I wanted more. I was trying to tell you that, it's just so hard for me to tell you things clearly sometimes. And you just walked away. I've spent the last few weeks trying to accept that."

She couldn't stand still anymore, be that close to him, and she gently pulled her hands from his and began to pace. "You can't just say you were lying to me, that you didn't mean what you said, but were trying to protect yourself and expect me to say that I'm okay with that and want to be with you too."

"I see," he said, taking a step back from the path she was pacing in front of him. She could see him closing off.

"No," she said firmly, immediately ceasing her pacing and taking his hand this time. "Don't do this. This is what got us here in the first place. We're so afraid of being hurt that we shut down and assume the other meant something else. What I'm saying is I need time, Jason."

"Time?" he repeated. He appeared a little more relaxed, and shifted his hands so they were wrapped around hers. His thumbs brushed lightly over her knuckles.

"Yes. It seems like because I was free from Lucky that we tried to rush things," she said and flushed slightly at the thought of that night in her studio. "You were gone for over a year. We need to remember we're friends, as well as wanting more."

He smiled again, and there was something behind it. "Friends. Time. I can do that. I-I just don't want you to shut me out."

"I don't want you to shut me out, either."

"I want, I want to be with you," Jason said, and she felt her heart warm as he repeated the words that she believed were true. "I know I can trust you when you say you want the same. And I can respect you, now by giving you time, and in the future by being there for you, and being honest with you."

He tensed as he said the word honest, and she was suddenly worried. "I need to you tell you something. It has to do with Alcazar."

"Business?" she asked. Jason never told her about business. It was something she understood, and tried hard to not bother him about.

"Yes," he paused. "Sort-of. I can't tell you everything, but something's going to happen. I wanted you to know so you wouldn't be worried, or think I was keeping something from you."

Alright, she was officially concerned. Jason looked nervous, and like fear, it wasn't a common emotion for him. "Okay."

"Alcazar wants Sonny dead. He's ordered a hit on him. But there's a plan. I can't tell you more than that, except that Sonny is going to fake his death. You have to act like you don't know, though. Can you do that? You can't talk about it to anyone, not even Carly in case someone's watching you."

His thumbs stilled and he looked deep into her eyes. She was worried. For Sonny, for Jason, for Carly, but she could do this. She would prove to him and Sonny that their trust wasn't misplaced, because she knew Jason would tell Sonny she knew. Slowly she nodded. "Yes. I faked my own death, I know it's serious. Just - just be careful and take care of Sonny okay?"

"I will," he said, then pulled her into a hug. The brief contact felt wonderful.

When they arrived back at the penthouse, Elizabeth was quiet and Jason understood why. He and Sonny were taking a big risk. So many things could go wrong, despite all their precautions. He was a little worried at the risks Sonny was willing to take, but the only thing he could do was his best to make sure his friend was safe.

They went inside the penthouse and Elizabeth sat down on the couch and picked up a sketchbook from the table. Jason went over to the balcony doors and looked out over the harbor, staring at where Alcazar's boat had been until it blew up and sank the night before. He heard Elizabeth sigh and close the book before tossing it on the table and standing. He could hear the tap of her footsteps as she wandered aimlessly through the penthouse. He turned his head when she wandered into the kitchen, and then hid a smirk when she came right back out. He knew she was worried, he could read it in her face, but she was trying to keep it to herself.

"I think...I think I'll just go up to my room." She stopped in front of him and looked up at him, "If you have to leave tonight can you at least say good-bye, or will you just have to leave? I know I shouldn't ask...so you know what? Never mind, I'll just get out of your way."

He watched as she furiously nibbled at her lip. He couldn't help himself; he had to touch her, so he gently put his hand on her shoulder as she started to turn away. "I'll let you know," he promised her. "You don't have to go to your room, unless you want to. Do-do you want to play a game of pool."

Her eyes brightened slightly. "You have time?"

"I'm not sure when Sonny's going to want to leave, but we can start."

"Okay," she smiled. She seemed to relax, and he found himself doing the same. He paused when he realized she'd been taking her cues from him, and didn't want to be in his way. It had been a while since he'd had someone concerned for his safety, and not just what he could do for them. He forgot she would see his preoccupation and not want to compound it.

Partway through the game, she tucked her hair behind her ear and asked, "Do you ever get nervous?"

He looked up from where he was lining his shot. "About my job?"

She nodded and he put his cue down as he walked around the table towards her. "No. I know what the danger is, and I do my job. I try not to take stupid chances, but I know how to do this, I'm good at it."

Was his job bothering her? He had never wanted to bring danger to her life, but now he was wondering if she wished he did something different. "Does what I do make you nervous?"

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But only because, because you are so important to me. I-I remember that day I found you in the snow by the boxcar and I have never been so scared. I'd only really known you for a few months, but I was so afraid you were going to be gone from my life. And that frightened me, and made me more scared than the night I thought Lucky died in the fire."

Jason felt frozen for a moment. She was more afraid of him dying than she was the night of the garage fire. He remembered seeing her and how devastated she was. Swallowing he said, "I remember that morning. How much it hurt. But I remember you yelling at me to get up; you weren't going to let me die."

"I couldn't lose you," she shakily admitted. "I never knew, even back then, but you'd become very important to me. I-I don't want to tell you not to do your job. I know what you do. And I know that your job is a part of you, like art is for me. I wouldn't ask you to give that up, but I can't help but ask you to please be careful."

"I'll try," he said, raising his hands up and sliding them down her arms from her shoulders to her wrists.

"I don't want to lose you," she said, looking deep into his eyes. "So, I'm going to believe in you, just like I always have. And I'll try not to worry so much."

A simple tug and she would be in his arms for a hug, and she probably wouldn't hesitate if he lowered his lips to hers. There was so much emotion swimming through her eyes and he knew they'd had a major breakthrough this evening. But she was still hesitant and he promised himself that he would not rush her. He promised her space and time, and so he forced himself to take a step back as he said, "It's been a while since I've had someone that worried about me. I don't want you to feel you have to hide how you feel."

"I know," she whispered.

There was a knock on the door and Sonny stuck his head inside. "Jason?"

Elizabeth had her back to the door and didn't turn around, or look up at Jason, and so he looked over his shoulder to Sonny. "Yeah?"

"Hello, Elizabeth," he said as he stepped inside. "Sorry to interrupt."

"It's okay," she said as she turned. "I'll head upstairs; just let me grab my sketchpad."

Jason knew that it was time to leave. Sonny hadn't stopped by to talk to him. "Elizabeth, we have to go."

Her eyes blinked several times, but she just nodded. "Okay. Be careful"

She started to turn, but she stopped and turned back to him and hugged him tightly. She surprised him when she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Quickly stepping back she turned towards the stairs and paused by Sonny. "I hope...I hope everything works out."

"Thanks," Sonny said, then watched as she walked upstairs. He waited until he heard the door to her room close then looked at Jason. "You told her?"

Jason grabbed his keys and nodded as they stepped into the hallway. "Yeah. She handled it okay. She won't say anything."

"She's just worried, right? Carly was the same."

Then they said nothing more until they were in the limo and heading toward St. Timothy's. Sonny filled him in on the call from the mysterious woman, and Jason had to force all thoughts of Elizabeth out of his mind. This woman, whoever she was, was a complication he didn't like. The rain that had started now was going to be problem enough. It would make it harder to look for a second shooter that Alcazar might have sent.

Sonny was determined to go through with this, and so Jason was determined to keep him protected and make sure this went off as they planned. If Alcazar thought he'd killed Sonny, then Jason could eliminate him while the arm's dealer guard was down. They could then get rid of this complication in their lives. What he wasn't prepared for when he went up to the church at the predetermined time was Brenda Barrett kneeling over Sonny's prone body.

Sonny told him to grab her, and so after calling the paramedics and Carly he grabbed the hysterical woman they all thought was dead. As he threw her into the car and told Max to drive, he wanted to yell in frustration at the wrench in the plan. So instead he turned and shouted at Brenda to shut up and stop her crying.

Chapter 5

After a sleepless night of tossing, turning, and imaging all sorts of things going wrong, Elizabeth headed over to Carly's house. Francis had knocked on the door in the morning saying Carly wanted to see her. She knew Jason told her that she couldn't talk about the plan with Carly, but she hoped that the other woman was asking her over to say she'd heard from Jason and things were going as scheduled.

So when she walked in and Bobbie was on the phone, her eyes red-rimmed and haunted, she forgot that everything was supposed to be a sham. When Bobbie said Sonny had been shot and Jason hadn't been heard from, her panic and fear were genuine. Why hadn't Jason called in? It wasn't until Carly came downstairs that she began to pull it together.

Back over at Jason's penthouse she felt so horrible. Carly wasn't really a widow, but if she was Elizabeth couldn't have been more blatantly selfish. All she could do was go on and on about finding Jason and making sure he was all right. It was only at the end that she showed some concern and empathy for Carly. No wonder the older woman was always calling her selfish.

"Francis," she said as she opened the door and smiled at the sandy haired guard. "I need you to do something for me."

"What?" he said as he stepped inside the penthouse.

"Last night Mr. Randolf asked me to come in today to work with his assistant, learn those responsibilities. I forgot about it when Jason picked me up last night and told me what was going on."

"Elizabeth," Francis interrupted, "it wouldn't be a good idea for you to go in today."

"I know," she said. "Plus it would look really off if I just waltzed off to work the day after Sonny died. That wasn't what I going to say. That would make me so completely selfish, which if you'd listened to me over at Carly's it wouldn't be such a wild leap of imagination."

"Elizabeth," Francis cut in again, smiling slightly. "You're babbling."

Nervous laughter escaped her. "I know, I know. I just need something dropped off at the gallery. He gave me some papers to go over, and I'm not sure if Patricia - that's his assistant - needs them today, and I don't want to call and wait for her to get in, call me back and all that. So, I just wondered if someone could drop it by the gallery? I don't want to be a bother; it's just that when I call Mr. Randolf and tell him I won't be in I want to be able to tell him the things are being dropped off."

Francis closed the door and walked over to her, forcing her to stop her slight pacing. "I know you're worried about Jason, and I haven't heard from him, but I'm sure he's fine. I'll have one of the guys drop the stuff at the gallery. It's all right. You just need to calm down."

"I'm fine," she told him, and didn't like when he rolled his eyes slightly. "I just forgot about it and I...I know it sounds pathetic at a time like this, but I don't want to lose this job. So - nevermind. Here's the stuff. Just drop it off with the receptionist Regina."

She pulled the things out of her bag and handed it to Francis who left and quietly closed the door behind him. He was right, she was worried about Jason. And finding something else to fixate on briefly distracted her. Grabbing her cell phone from her purse she called the gallery and asked Regina to put her through to Mr. Randolf.

"Hello."

"Mr. Randolf, this is Elizabeth Webber."

"Ah, yes, Ms. Webber. Still coming in today, I presume? I really think this is going to work out great for you to train with Patricia."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Randolf, but I won't be in today. A friend of mine died last night, and I'm going to be with his wife, helping her. I know I just started, his death was just very sudden and I'm sending someone by with the things you gave me last night, I just..."

"Of course, Miss Webber. We wouldn't expect you in today. Do you think you'll be in Monday?"

"I'm not sure when the funeral will be, but I'll call."

"Alright. Please give my sympathies to your friend."

"Yes, thank you." Then she hung up the phone and rubbed her forehead. Apparently she sounded convincing. One less thing to worry about now.

She really hoped Jason and Sonny were okay. And she really hoped this plan of theirs was over quickly. It may be selfish of her, but she didn't want to lose this job. If the funeral, or whatever kind of service Carly decided to hold for her non-dead husband was on Monday then Mr. Randolf probably wouldn't say anything. The gallery was closed on Sundays, so she would really only be missing two days of work. Throwing her head back she let out a frustrated growl.

There was no sense in worrying about what she couldn't control. Jason and Sonny had trusted her to know, and she was going to do whatever she could to make sure things worked out. And right now she had to play the grieved and concerned friend so Taggert and the PCPD didn't suspect anything. She had faked her death before, she knew what she needed to do. And right now, she needed to suck it up and head back over to Carly's.

He hung up the phone and turned to the man who had been hovering around his office all morning. "She called. 'A friend' died suddenly last night."

"Yes, of course. So she says," he said with a malevolent smile. "You'll keep her job open for her, won't you?"

Mr. Randolf nodded, having lost the ability to answer. What had he gotten himself into? When he first got Elizabeth Webber's resume he thought she was all right, but didn't know that he would have hired her. When he was first approached about hiring her by someone looking to make a contribution to the gallery he should have been suspicious, especially by the hefty amount of money Luis Alcazar was willing to pay, but he saw a way to get a few creditors off his back.

It was only after he'd made a deal with the devil that he began to have worries. Who was Elizabeth Webber and why was Luis Alcazar so interested in her having this job? A little checking revealed she knew Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos, and those were two men he didn't want to be on the wrong side of. But he certainly had no doubts that if he told Mr. Alcazar it was over he would wind up dead. The one and only time he met the man had left him with a cold and lethal feeling.

"Mr. Alcazar thanks you for your cooperation and wants to compensate you for your troubles." The arms dealer's associate stood and took an envelope out of his suit pocket. He slid it across the desk and then took his leave.

The gallery owner watched the other man go and let out a shaky breath. He eyed the envelope warily; not at all interested in counting how much blood money he'd received. What had he gotten himself into? "Heck of a time to get a conscience."

Opening a drawer, he slid the envelope inside and then closed and locked it. Leaning back in his chair, Mr. Randolf stared unseeing out the window. Sonny Corinthos may have listened to him, as he explained what he'd unknowingly gotten into, used his information, but would Jason Morgan? There was always a chance Sonny Corinthos could turn against him, but the younger man's boss and friend had just been murdered and his girlfriend hired as part of a scheme. He read the papers; he knew that Mr. Morgan had been arrested on charges of murder. Just because they never stuck, didn't mean they weren't true. And right now, there was no telling how the enforcer cum mob boss would deal with the information if he were to go to the younger man.

A shiver ran over the older man, as if his grave had been walked on. And that's exactly where he'd end up if he told Jason Morgan he'd conspired with his enemy. With another sigh he went back to thinking about how to get out from between a rock and a hard place.

"She's alive."

Jason looked up at Sonny, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Sonny seemed to be stuck on the fact that Brenda Barrett was alive. Apparently she was the thing Alcazar had that mattered most to Sonny. Looking back it was the only thing that made sense. She tied Sonny to Jax, and Jax had been having his own problems with Alcazar as well. This plan of theirs had been rocky from the beginning, and Brenda being alive was a major crimp in it.

"Yeah," he nodded, but he knew that Sonny wasn't really listening, or needing him to answer. His friend was just talking to himself. "This changes things, but we can't let it throw us off."

"How can you say that, man? Alcazar's gotta be going crazy."

"Right," Jason agreed. "He'll be distracted. Sure, he'll think he won, killed you, whatever. But he's going to be looking for her. This is the perfect opportunity."

"Yeah. We have, no, you have to talk to her and get all the information about Alcazar she has."

"I will, but then I have to get back to town. Everyone thinks you're dead, the Five Families are stirring things up-"

"And you need to step up. I know," Sonny said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Plus, Carly's probably going nuts."

"Yeah. And Taggert's going to be coming by, watching me; we gotta stick with the plan."

"Someone's gonna have to watch her," Sonny said, hooking a thumb at the wall that separated them from Brenda.

"Max, or Marco would be good. Francis is on Elizabeth and Brenda knows Johnny. Someone who doesn't know her very well, someone's who's going to keep it purely business and not get pulled in by her talking."

"Yeah," Sonny nodded. "Since Max was driving the car, leave him on her. That way we don't have to explain this to somebody else."

Telling people, Jason thought. Carly and Elizabeth knew about Sonny's death, should they know about Brenda? There was no reason to tell Elizabeth, but Carly... would flip out hearing Brenda was at the same place that Sonny was. Then she'd probably do something crazy, and throw off the plan. But it wasn't his decision. "Do you want me to tell Carly about Brenda?"

Sonny grimaced and looked at the wall. "She'd probably hate it."

"Yeah."

"You gonna tell Elizabeth?"

Jason looked at Sonny and raised an eyebrow. He was asking what Jason was going to do with his friend, who wasn't even his girlfriend, so that he could figure out what to do about telling his wife? Sonny needed to get some sleep. Even Jason could see the flaws in that so-called logic.

"There's no reason for Elizabeth to know about her. But Brenda isn't my ex-fiancée, and Elizabeth isn't my wife." He couldn't give thought to the odd sensation Elizabeth and wife in the same sentence caused in him. He had to deal with this problem now, and then he could work on getting her back.

"Yeah, but you know Carly."

"I do. And if I don't get back soon she'll do something. So make up your mind while I go talk to Brenda."

Then he crossed to the hall door and walked to her room, and took a deep breath. He was going to need a lot of patience in the next little bit.

With angry, harsh strokes she scribbled over the picture she had been trying to draw. A noise of frustration rose up in her throat as she ripped the paper out of the sketchbook and then for added measure ripped it in half, then in quarters. She dropped them on the growing pile in the trashcan and sighed. Realizing that all she was accomplishing was wasting her supplies, she dropped the sketchpad and pencil on the table and stood up.

Running her fingers through her hair she turned towards the terrace doors, and then wrapped her arms around herself. She was prevented from seeing out by the light of the penthouse reflecting back at her, so she found the switch and hit it, plunging the room into darkness. She opened the doors and stood just outside them, as the hint of rain on the horizon washed over her with the breeze. Taking a deep breath, she just stood there and looked out into the night.

It had been over twenty-four hours since Jason had left with Sonny, and Elizabeth was just a shade beyond worried. It had been hours since she came back from Carly's penthouse, feeling edgy and yet helpless as the blonde woman had pretty much just ignored her. Bobbie had spoken to her more than Carly had. She didn't know if it was because Carly knew she was in on the plan, and so just brushed off her words and offers to help as hollow or what.

Whatever it was, Elizabeth had finally grown tired of just sitting on the couch with her hands on her lap. Michael was at the island with Leticia and one of the guards, and Bobbie and Carly were making calls. So she just sat there, thirsty but not wanting to be a bother by dirtying a glass. She was pretty sure that when she told Carly she was going to go back to Jason's that the other woman had looked relieved.

Being at Jason's hadn't been any better. She played endless games of pool against herself until her eyes crossed. Taggert showed up, but since she had only recently moved in and started talking to Jason again, he had quickly tired of her endless "I don't know's" and left. Then after lunch the phone calls started.

Audrey had heard the news about Sonny and called. There was no concern for Carly or Bobbie, just endless questions on would this finally make her see that Jason would get her killed one day. After her grandmother, her parents had called. Years of not talking to her, and they thought she would just roll over and agree that she should move out. They never even said anything about living with a man, just that she was blind and they were certain they'd be attending her funeral soon. Like they would even bother to come.

When the phone call with her parents was finally over it was dinnertime. However, she had no appetite. The phone calls had taken their toll, along with the worry she felt about Jason. So she tried sketching, but everything was coming out unfocused and just wretched.

Lightening flashed in the distance, illuminating the harbor and the skyline. The temperature was dropping, and she knew she should go in soon. She just wasn't looking forward to staring at the walls waiting to hear from Jason. Sleep wouldn't come anytime soon, so she wasn't going to torture herself by even trying.

She had to get a handle on this. Jason had a job to do, and the last thing he needed was to feel like he had to worry about whether she was bored. The gallery was closed tomorrow, and Monday looked like that was going to be the day of the funeral. So all she had to do was get through tomorrow. Tuesday she could go back to work. She was going to have to; for the sake of her job, but most of all for her sanity.

It started to rain and she walked inside, locking the doors behind her. She cleaned up the living room, decided to fix Jason a sandwich so he could have something to eat whenever he got home, and then wrote a note telling him about it and left it on his desk. She double-checked the front door, making sure it was locked, but wondered why she even bothered knowing Francis was outside, and then went up the stairs. Reading always put her to sleep and she was sure Jason wouldn't mind if she borrowed one of his travel books. He was busy, had to focus, and he'd be home when he could. She just had to have faith in that.

Chapter 6

The elevator slowed and stopped at the penthouse level and Jason wearily stepped out in to the dim lighting of the hallway. Looking to the right he saw Marco standing outside Carly's door and gave the guard a nod. If he had any luck at all, Carly would be asleep. Of course being four in the morning the chances were good, though there were no guarantees. Especially with her. But he really needed to get some sleep.

Hours of dealing with Sonny, then Brenda, had taken their toll. Brenda had fluctuated wildly when he questioned her, apparently early signs of her disease. She was near hysterics that Sonny was dead, then panicked and insistent that someone guard Jax so he didn't wind up dead like Sonny, and then she was confused and frustrated when he asked her questions about Alcazar. She had been heavily medicated while she was with the arms dealer in order to keep her calm, and even though she stopped taking the medication she still couldn't remember anything clearly.

After many fruitless questions, and nothing but growing aggravation and a headache on his part he left the safe house. He didn't have his motorcycle so he was forced to drive one of the cars back to town, which did nothing for his disposition. Halfway back to town Carly called and said Sammy Tagliatti had stopped by to express his condolences to the grieving widow, but she said he seemed to be making overtures towards her.

Jason changed directions and headed toward The No Name where he'd had an informal meeting with Sammy and two other representatives of the Five Families. He assured them that he was in full control of Sonny's territories and that he wasn't changing anything. The other representatives seemed convinced and gave their respects. When they left he told Sammy in no uncertain terms that any future disrespect towards Carly and the organization would not be tolerated.

He left the restaurant intent on going home, taking a shower and going to sleep. Except that Sonny had heard about Tagliatti and called him back to the house. They discussed the families, and the new information Johnny and Benny had turned up on Alcazar. Finally Jason said he had to go. He had to get some sleep. Sure he may not need a lot, but he'd been awake for nearly forty-eight hours. Besides, he was now supposed to be in charge. He was no longer the enforcer carrying out orders, he was the boss issuing them. He needed to start projecting that image or the whole ruse would fall apart.

As he approached his door Paul stood up straighter and welcomed him home. Jason paused before opening the door and asked, "Everything go alright tonight?"

"Yes," the guard said. "When I got here Francis said Miss Webber was in your penthouse. She never came out while I was here."

"Alright," Jason said tiredly, glad there were at least no problems with Elizabeth. He opened the door and said, "Thank you."

Closing the heavy wood door behind him he turned to toss his keys on the desk. The sight before him made him put them down quietly and cross softly to the sofa.

Elizabeth lay curled up on the leather couch under a yellow afghan she must have brought with her. She was asleep with one of his travel books open face up on her chest. He picked it up, marked her place and then read the cover. The Galapagos Islands. Interesting choice, he thought she may have chosen one of his books on Italy.

He glanced up from the book and saw Elizabeth looking at him through sleep heavy eyes. "Hey," he said softly. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's alright. I'm glad you're home." She glanced down and saw the book in his hands. "I hope you don't mind, I borrowed a book. I couldn't really sleep, and reading always knocks me out, no matter how awake I am. Which is a pain with school, but I put it to use tonight."

The tension of the past two days seeped away as she rambled, even though her voice was thick with sleep. Listening to her made him feel like things were all right. She wasn't demanding things from him, and even if she did want something she would try not to burden him. The knot in his shoulders loosened and the pain in his temples eased.

"It's alright," he said. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah," she smiled as she sat up and began to fold the blanket. "Have you been there?"

He shook his head as he set the book on the coffee table. "No. I just picked it up one time."

"Hmm, well who knows. Maybe you'll go there one day. It sounds interesting." She stood and peered down at him. "Are you hungry?"

"What?"

"I made you a sandwich earlier, before I tried to sleep. I wrote a note and put it on your desk. I could get it for you, something to drink?"

Reaching out, he gently encircled her wrist with his fingers. Sitting up a little straighter he frowned, "You don't need to wait on me like a customer."

She sat down and covered his hand with her other one. "I'm not. I just figured you've been busy and probably haven't had a chance to eat. Not knowing when you'd be back I didn't want you to just think it was too late and not fix yourself something." She gave him a little grin, "It may not be a Jason Morgan special, but it's better than not eating."

He released her wrist and clasped her hands in his, his thumbs gently brushing over the backs of her hands. He had sensed it last night when they were playing pool; she was genuinely concerned for him. Not because of what he could give her, or what he could do for her, but because she cared about him. Looking at her, he saw the tired blood-shot eyes and was even more touched that she would want to make things a little easier on him, even though she was clearly tired.

She hadn't been able to sleep, hadn't known when he would get home. She had to have been worried because he was gone so long, but she said nothing about it. The thing she was more concerned about was making sure he was eating. "Thanks. I guess I am kinda hungry."

"Do you want anything to drink? Coffee?"

He grimaced and shook his head no. He'd had so much coffee in the past two days that he wasn't sure he could look at another cup right now. "No coffee. I guess just water."

She gave him a little chuckle and stood and walked into the kitchen. Moving over to the couch, he settled back stretching out his tired legs. Elizabeth came back and settled onto the couch beside him, then handed him a plate and a glass. "I bought some juice when we went shopping. Normally I know you probably wouldn't drink juice, but I just couldn't imagine you with a glass of water and a sandwich. Seems too PCPD or something."

"It's fine," he said. He really was thirsty, and right now anything liquid would do as long as it was cold. But he appreciated the thought she put behind it.

"Well, I guess I'll head up to bed. I'm glad that you're safe, and that you're here." She bit her lip briefly, then said. "I know I probably shouldn't ask, but Sonny's okay?"

"Yeah," he said after swallowing. "He's fine. I really can't say-"

"I know," she cut in. "I'm not asking. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. Do you have to go out tomorrow?"

"I'll need to meet with Carly, and a few other things. Taggert will probably come by."

"Probably," she confirmed, her voice changing slightly. "He stopped by and talked to me and Carly. But since I told him we'd only been talking again for a few days he seemed convinced I didn't know anything. So he left pretty quickly."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm not. Taggert doesn't bother me. I guess the guy who helped me after my rape is pretty much gone. I've become another person to harass in his vendetta against Sonny. He never even said anything about my uncle until I asked him about it, and then it was like he was being put out to answer me."

One of these days Jason was going to give Taggert an excuse to throw him in jail, because he was sorely tempted to pummel the cop into the ground. He remembered the day the man had taunted a heartbroken girl about the death of her first love just because she was friends with Jason. She never blamed him, never wanted to end their friendship, she was more upset about Taggert insulting him than she was about the insinuations Jason was somehow responsible for Lucky's death. Her loyalty and concern for him touched him deeply, but it still angered him that the cop would treat her so callously just because she was connected to Jason.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he put down the empty plate and reached out to brush a lock of hair off her face. "Did he have anything new about your uncle?"

She shook her head, and leaned her face into his touch. "No, nothing new."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged and closed her eyes, but not before he saw the hurt flash through them. "It's not like we were close. I was just curious. Gave me something else to think about for a little while. I felt kinda useless, Carly had Bobbie there for her, so I was just in the way."

She picked up the plate and quickly went on, acting like she hadn't said anything. "I'm sorry. I've been rambling on and you're probably exhausted. I'll just go stick this in the kitchen and head upstairs with the book."

When she came back out of the kitchen he was standing by the couch, holding the book out for her. The glass was on the table and he stopped her when she went for it. "Leave it. I don't mind. Thanks for the sandwich and the juice. I kinda liked it."

She smiled and walked beside him towards the stairs. "I'm glad. I sorta stocked the freezer with it, it's my favorite."

He joined her sheepish chuckle as they paused on the landing. "I'm glad you're here. And I'm sorry you were worried, I tried to get back here."

Shaking her head, she held up a hand to stop him. "You're doing your job. You're here now, but you need to sleep so you can back out there tomorrow and take care of everything. Sonny and Carly are depending on you. You have to take care of yourself, so let me help you, okay?"

His throat felt thick and tight and Jason nodded his head. He cupped her jaw and slowly leaned towards her. Her eyes widened slightly, and then she turned her head just enough so that his lips fell on her cheek. Holding back a sigh, he pulled back prepared for her rejection. He didn't see it, just a slight hesitancy, and a bit of regret.

"You need to sleep. We can talk about us on a night when you haven't been awake for two days and are going after a would-be killer." She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and he immediately did the same, burying his face in her air and breathed her in. She didn't pull away, just gave him her support and strength the only way she could at the time. Finally he pulled back and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Goodnight, Jason," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Elizabeth," he whispered back. Then he released her and watched her walk up the stairs and disappear around the corner.

When the knock sounded on the door Carly nearly flew across the room. "Come in, Jase..."

She trailed off and her face settled into a look of disgust. "What are you doing here?"

Elizabeth sighed slightly, but kept her back straight. "Can I come in?"

Carly stepped aside to let her pass then closed the door. "Look, I know that Jason is back. And I really need to talk to him, so you're going to have to leave soon."

"I know. Jason's on the phone with Benny so I left to let him talk. Plus, I needed to talk to you."

"About what?" Carly said, hoping that Jason got over there soon and saved her from having to talk to the twit for very long.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday."

That caught Carly's attention. Raising a slender brow she said, "Go on."

"When Bobbie told me about Sonny, I...I just went on about Jason, about his safety. That was rude and I apologize. You were worried too."

"So that's why you came back?" Carly asked, her voice not even masking her annoyance with the conversation.

"Well, don't you think it would have looked strange if I'd just sat in Jason's penthouse or gone off to work like I was scheduled for?" Elizabeth snapped. "Yeah, that would have convinced everybody."

"So, what? You want brownie points for being a good actress?" she asked as she stood and headed for the drink cart to pour a glass of water.

"No," Elizabeth said as she smoothed her hands on her hips. "I wanted to apologize. If Sonny had died that night I would have been pretty callous. I do know what it's like to lose someone you love, and I should have been more sensitive."

Carly laughed mockingly. "Oh, this is just rich. You're apologizing for if my husband was dead you would have hurt my feelings. Wow, I think you may just be worse than The Saint."

Crossing her arms over chest Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I...I don't even know. I just wanted to say I was sorry. You were worried; Jason said this morning they hadn't been able to call you. So I shouldn't have gone on asking if Jason was okay. You love Sonny and I imagine it's gotta be hard not being able to see him right now. So you know, just for forget it. I try to apologize and you're determined to still be nasty to me."

"Oh please, you're just over here so you'll look good to Jason. You're hoping he'll walk through that door and see you being nice to me. Looks all so good for the little princess."

"Yeah, because I scheme trying to figure out how to impress people," Elizabeth said, her voice laced with disdain. "I'm not like you, Carly. Jason doesn't know about yesterday and he doesn't know why I'm here."

"I don't know about what?"

Both women startled and turned toward the door. Jason looked at Elizabeth, curious and concerned and when she lowered her eyes he shifted his focus to Carly. She seethed inside when his gaze turned suspicious. Of course he'd be all soft towards Princess Purity and look at her like she'd done something wrong.

"Carly? Elizabeth?" he asked when he closed the door.

Elizabeth stepped forward and shook her head. "It's nothing, Jason. Just something between Carly and me. I'm going to go so you can talk to her."

Carly had to turn away when Jason stopped her from walking out the door. She tried not to pay attention as they talked, but she couldn't help it. He tried to find out what Elizabeth meant, but she just shook it off and told him to talk to Carly.

"We'll talk when I get back," he said and Elizabeth just shook her head and left.

"Oh geez," Carly scoffed when the door closed. "Poor little Elizabeth, better protect her from Carly."

She looked up and saw Jason glaring at her, his jaw clenched and his gaze hard. "I asked you to treat her with respect. To not go around picking fights with her. For my sake. So what was she talking about?"

She swallowed and glanced away. Jason had asked her that, and she'd just blown it off because she didn't want to. "Jase-"

"Save it," he snapped, cutting her off. "Sonny wants me to tell you he's alright. You did good to schedule the funeral for tomorrow. I talked to Tagliatti, he won't be bothering you again, but if he does you tell me."

The cold, detached manner chilled her. Nodding she said, "I will. Jason, I'm sorry-"

"What do we need to go over for today?" he asked, cutting off her attempt to apologize again. "I'm sure Taggert will be stopping by and I need to organize security and some things for the funeral. So let's just take care of this."

"Jason-"

"Carly," he said, his tone hard but his volume neutral. "I don't want your apologies because you're only sorry you got caught. When you're ready to be serious and talk about tomorrow, call me. I've got to go meet with Benny."

Then he turned and walked out the door and left Carly alone, frightened that she may have just lost her best friend.

Chapter 7

When she opened the door Tuesday night, Elizabeth was surprised to see Jason sitting at his desk going over some papers. He stood and smiled at her, then spoke to Francis in the hallway briefly. She headed over to the couch and sank down into the soft leather while she slipped off her shoes and wiggled her toes.

"You okay?" Jason asked, as he came back inside and sat down beside her.

She opened one eye and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"You look tired."

"Wow, you sure know how to flatter a girl," she laughed. Then she sighed. "I am. I know it's silly, but it's just hard for me to sleep when I know you're out there at night."

She held up a hand to stop him from talking. "I don't want an apology. It's your job, and I understand and accept that. I'm just being honest. Besides, yesterday was rather eventful."

It was his turn to sigh. "Yeah, it was."

"I cannot believe Taggert barged in with a search warrant to check the coffin. What kind of judge signs that? If Sonny were dead, that would just be a horrible thing to do to Carly. And I'm not even going to ask how you thought that might happen and had Sonny in there; I was so surprised to see him there."

"There wasn't any time to tell you," Jason said as he took her hand. "I barely got out of the police station in time to get to the church."

She shook her head. "I had no reason to know. I know that telling me Sonny's alive is involving me in business enough. You don't have to explain yourself. But I don't want to talk about that anymore. I'm hungry and if I don't eat soon I'm going to get cranky, and you don't want to see me cranky."

"I don't know," he chuckled. "Remember I said I like it when you get all fired up."

She remembered that day, the day he promised her no bailing and gave her the postcard she cherished. "Yeah, that's right. Feel free to remind me, though, as long as dinner's involved."

"Well, good thing for you then I started heating up one of those frozen pizzas you bought."

"Oh, thank you," she said in gratitude. There were times it was nice to not eat take-out or Kelly's. Even though she knew she had a regular kitchen in her new apartment and could make something more, she knew she was lazy and would be back to eating whatever she could when she remembered to eat. She was going to miss having someone to share a meal with sometimes. "I'm going to go change."

"Okay," he said. "It should be done soon."

By the time she had changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top and came back downstairs, Jason had the pizza out of the oven and cut. He came out of the kitchen carrying two plates and told her sit when she headed towards the kitchen to help him. Raising her eyebrows, she gave a shrug and sat on couch and curled her feet up underneath her.

"Would you like a beer?" Jason asked from the doorway.

Her nose wrinkled in disgust. He really didn't have any other alcohol, and she didn't feel like a beer. "No, a soda's fine."

He came back with a Budweiser for himself and Pepsi for her. They ate in silence; Elizabeth quickly eating the two pieces he'd put on her plate. She knew she'd regret it later, but she was still hungry so she got up and brought a third piece back for herself and Jason.

"I figured you'd want another one," she said as she slid it on his plate.

"Thanks," he smiled. "I would have gotten it, though."

"I was already up," she shrugged.

"I meant yours," he clarified.

She shook her head with a chuckle. "That's not necessary. I have feet, I can walk."

He gave her a look that made her heart speed up and her stomach flutter. "I want to. You're here because I asked you, and you've had to miss your work. You don't ask questions and you try to make sure I'm eating. This is my way of saying thank you, as well as making it a kind-of at home date."

He gave her a slow, sultry smile. "You might even say it's an unconventional date."

Okay, she was not going to be a sap and start crying. She thought he had been so angry with her that night, but now he was remembering that time and building a new memory. In the midst of everything going on - Sonny in hiding, convincing the other business people he was in charge, dealing with Taggert, looking for Alcazar, and who knows what else - he made the time to be with her. To be attentive to her, to treat her special, and she realized his phone hadn't rang once so he must have really planned this.

"Hey," he said with a slight frown, scooting closer to her. He reached up and brushed the tears away that spilled over, not heading her determination to not cry. "What's wrong? Should I not have called this an unconventional date? I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory for you."

"No, Jason, that's not it," she said, placing her hands on his wrists and relishing in the warmth and strength he exuded. "Nothing's wrong. I'm...it's hard to explain. Tonight, by having dinner here, not having any phone calls even though I know there are a lot of things you need to be doing, by calling this an unconventional date, turning an unhappy memory into a good one, you made me feel so special."

"You are special," he told her as he ran his hand through her hair and let it linger.

"Thank you," she said, as she could feel her cheeks flush from the compliment. She leaned closer to him, resting her elbow on the back of the couch and reaching up to cup his face. "Tonight was...there are no words to say how much it touched me."

He smiled, and she felt the mood of the room shift. The pull was undeniable, the attraction she felt even stronger. She knew there were still issues to resolve, and she knew she wasn't ready to declare herself in love, but she didn't care. This night with Jason was better than any dozen white roses or limo Lucky would use to show her romance. This reminded her of all the small moments she and Lucky shared before the fire; simple yet full of meaning.

Maybe it was wrong to think of a previous love when she was with Jason. Those memories were special to her, just as these were always going to be. Jason wasn't one to rent out The No Name, pick her up in a limo and shower her with diamonds, and she didn't care. He made dinner for her, spent time with her, showed her she mattered, and it was one of the best nights she'd had in months.

Jason leaned towards her, and this time she didn't turn her head. His mouth whispered over hers softly, not pushing or demanding. She responded immediately, angling her head and bringing her hand to the back of his neck to pull him closer. He matched her movements and energy, the heat rising up between them as they moved closer still.

He pulled back before she was ready for the connection to end, laboring to catch his breath. "I'm sorry."

She looked up at him with hurt and confusion, fighting the urge to touch her swollen lips like she had the night he kissed her at Vista Point. He was apologizing for kissing her? With regret, he tipped his head toward the door and she belatedly realized someone was knocking. "I told Francis not to knock unless it was an emergency."

"O-okay," she said, the flush on her cheeks deepening with a mixture of embarrassment and the delicious aftermath of his kiss. "I'll head upstairs."

He grabbed her hand as she started past, pulling her back for a hug and one more quick kiss. "I'll try not to be too late."

She nodded and then headed up the hardwood stairs, knowing she had to get away from him or she wasn't going to let him open the door. As she walked into her room she looked at the bed and laughed. She wasn't going to get much sleep tonight, but it would be for a much different reason this time.

Jason hated the illusion of being the boss. He hated the trappings when Sonny was gone for a year, and he hated them again now. Being driven around by Johnny, because it wasn't right for the new boss to ride alone and exposed on a motorcycle was chief among his complaints. At least Carly hadn't descended upon him yet trying to get him to start dressing like Sonny again. And thankfully, Johnny hadn't put up a huff and insisted they take a limo. A sedan would be more inconspicuous, well as inconspicuous as bulletproof sedans were.

He leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes. All the double-backing and driving in circles Johnny was doing to ensure they weren't followed was boring to watch. Plus, he was trying to sort through all the information Johnny and Marco brought to him this evening. This was something that definitely had to go to Sonny right away.

The car arrived at the house and the two men climbed out. He looked over as Johnny once again cleared his throat and wiped around his mouth. Jason raised a brow and shook his head. Johnny had been doing that since they left the penthouse, and it was getting on his already short nerves.

When they walked in Sonny was waiting for them instead of sitting by the vent connected to Brenda's room. It was disturbing sometimes to see him listen to her rant and rave, or cry over his supposed death. As Jason sat down on the couch, Sonny smiled and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Did Johnny catch you in the middle of something?"

He shrugged, not wanting to have to explain what he'd planned for Elizabeth that night. "I was having dinner with Elizabeth."

Sonny chuckled and Jason didn't really see the humor. Sonny had dinner with Carly all the time. Why did it seem that because he was trying to show Elizabeth she mattered to him, Sonny was grinning like a fool? "Next time, maybe you should use a napkin. Elizabeth's lipstick doesn't look nearly as attractive on you as it does on her."

Beside him Johnny tried to choke back a laugh and Jason turned to glare at him. "Is this why you kept wiping your mouth?"

Johnny merely nodded, still trying to stifle a laugh. Jason huffed in annoyance. "Next time just say something."

Of course the next time he kissed Elizabeth he was going to remember this incident and be checking to make sure neither of them were embarrassed. Sonny shot Johnny a look that quieted the guard down then looked at him. "Hey, we're just happy for you 'cause we saw you when you didn't know where she was."

"Okay," he said dismissively. "Why don't we just get this over so we can all get out of here?"

"Alright," Sonny said, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his thighs. "What did you come up with?"

"Alcazar's had people checking out the church were Skye and Jax are getting married on Friday," Johnny told him.

"Roy got word to me that Alcazar wants him to take care of Jax like he took care of you," Jason added. "Roy's hedging, saying the pressure's getting to be too much and he and Felicia are getting out of town with her girls."

"Which must be why he's got others checking out the church," Sonny speculated, and Jason and Johnny nodded their confirmations. "Okay, if we have to, we put guards on Felicia and her daughters. Or we get Roy to take 'em out of town. Last time Alcazar had the Jones girls in his suite, I don't want that to happen again."

"I'll tell him tomorrow," Jason said. "If he disappears Alcazar will probably go to the church himself to make sure Jax is killed."

"Probably," Sonny agreed. "He figures he killed me, he can take care of Jax and then find Brenda and leave Port Charles."

"How can we be sure he'll show?" Johnny asked. "He could just as easily go searching for her himself and leave his men to finish off Jax."

"We'll eliminate his men," Sonny said. "He'll be anxious to get out of town if he thinks Jason and his men are avenging my death."

"So he'll be desperate to kill Jax, and he'll show because he'll think Brenda will be there. The wedding announcement has been in the paper, and we've spread the fact that you were going to meet a mysterious brunette the night you were shot," Jason added.

Sonny nodded and leaned back in the chair. "Exactly. He'll figure she'll show up to warn Jax, he eliminates the other man, grabs her and they're gone. There is no way Luis Alcazar won't show up Friday."

Chapter 8

Friday night found Carly in a situation she wasn't very used to; lonely and bored. She hadn't seen Sonny since just after the funeral service. He had to leave to get back to the safe house before someone came in, and no matter how much she begged him he wouldn't let her visit him there. Too many people would be watching her and they couldn't risk her being followed. It was risky enough with Jason coming out. And she certainly didn't dare ask Jason to change his mind, or try and convince Sonny to change his.

She sighed as she shifted her weight to her left foot. Jason was still mad at her. He came over Wednesday morning to relay a message from Sonny, and she wanted to cry over his cold tone with her. When she tried to get him to stay, ask how Sonny was doing, try and find out how much longer this all might go on, he snapped and said he gave her the message from Sonny but he didn't have time to talk.

He was apparently serious when he said he wanted her to treat The Muffin with respect. Yesterday when she ambushed him in the hall to try to apologize once gain, he brushed her off and said she was wasting her time. The person she should be apologizing to was at work, and if she did approach Elizabeth she better be polite. Otherwise she should just stay away.

So now she stood in the hallway outside Jason's penthouse trying to ignore Francis while he tried to ignore her. It was ridiculous, really, reduced to standing outside her best friend's home. When had she begun worrying about not barging in on Elizabeth? Back when Jason had been shot she pushed her way inside that pathetic little studio, dismayed that Jason would consider staying there instead of some place where she could take care of him.

The key to this, she realized, was going to be convincing Jason she truly was sorry for her behavior and was going to play nice with Elizabeth, while making sure the other woman knew exactly who was boss. She could do that. Elizabeth was a mouse. Carly had watched her demure and shrink during the Face of Deception days, all she had to do was keep that same take charge attitude. Plus, Elizabeth would probably spout off something like "Let's try and get along for Jason's sake." This was going to be a cakewalk. Jason would see her making an effort and all would be right with her world again.

Squaring her shoulders, determined not to look like she'd been standing in the hallway indecisively, she turned to Francis and told him she wanted to see Elizabeth. He nodded, knocked and then opened the door where they saw one very angry Elizabeth Webber.

"I don't care," she snapped into the telephone. Carly stood by the door and raised her eyebrows at Francis who only shrugged in response. "Dad, get it through your head, I am not coming to Europe. Uh-huh...uh-huh...yeah, well I'll take that tone with you because apparently you still think I'm twelve years old and you can order me around. News flash, I'm over eighteen, maybe you remember the fifty-dollar check you sent because you sure as heck never showed up. I'm an adult, been on my own for years, so I am not going to go anywhere just because you tell me to."

Then she hit a button and ended the call. Five seconds later the phone started ringing again. She folded her arms over her chest, ignored the phone and looked at Carly. "Did you need something? 'Cause Jason's not here."

"I know," Carly said. Then arching a brow asked, "You going to answer that?"

"Why?" Elizabeth asked. "It'll just be my parents. 'Why are you living with a mobster, Elizabeth? We really think you should go live with your grandmother. Why don't you come stay with us in Europe?' No, they can shove it for all I care."

"You don't get along with your parents?" Carly asked. She couldn't believe she was reduced to mindless chatter with the twit.

"I think it's a little late for them to act like they care," the younger woman said as the telephone finally fell silent. "They ditched me with the neighbors when I was fifteen so they could go help the underprivileged. Noble cause I guess, but they didn't care enough to come when I was raped, thought my boyfriend was dead, faked my death or was going to get married, why should I care now about what they want? I sure don't want to live with them and I'm safer here than on Hyde street with my grandmother."

The telephone began to ring again and she shook her head. Putting the phone down on the desk she continued on, "Eventually they'll give up, or they'll fill my voice mail. I am so getting a new number soon. Francis, did you put the bags in the kitchen?"

"Yes, I did," he said as he eyed the phone. "Want me to handle them?"

"Nah," she shook her head. "They'll get the hint. It's been a while since they've dealt with Lizzie; I think it's time they got a refresher course. So, why'd you come by, Carly?"

She was beginning to wonder if Elizabeth forgot about her, or was purposefully ignoring her. "I came by to talk to you."

The brunette raised her eyebrows, but shrugged. "Okay. I was planning on baking tonight, so if you wanna talk you'll have to come to the kitchen."

"My, my, how domestic of you," Carly jeered even as she followed Elizabeth. "Trying to be Jason's private Betty Crocker? Thinking about meeting him at the door wearing nothing but an apron and a smile?"

"No," Elizabeth said, her voice just shy of acidic, "I was going to go on a chocolate binge. I'm tired of painting, so I'm baking. Triple chocolate brownies, Tammy's double dark fudge. I was going to give you some, but after that remark, I think I'll just add your portion to the guards'."

She stopped as they reached the island in the center of the kitchen and turned. "Were you a little bored tonight, Carly? Figured you'd come over for another round of Let's Insult Elizabeth? What exactly do you want?"

Carly winced and closed her eyes. "No, actually I came to apologize."

Elizabeth paused in the act of pulling flour, sugar and baking chocolate out of the paper sack. "Really? How 'bout this? You don't speak for the next twenty or so minutes, you stir what I tell you when I tell you, and maybe I'll let you attempt to apologize. But don't be shocked if I don't believe you."

Apparently the old saying was true, good help was hard to fine. Such a trite thing to think of a time like this, but nevertheless he did. Roy turned chicken after Sonny's death. Jason Morgan's men were making short work of Alcazar's, and Roy feared for his life along with Felicia Jones and her daughters. The four had skipped town Wednesday morning.

With him gone and his own men dwindling, Alcazar had come himself to ensure the rest of his plan went off correctly. His men had asked around, and from the description the priest gave them he was convinced the woman Sonny came to see was Brenda. She must have tried to warn him. Too bad she failed.

So he had no doubt she would try and warn her other ex-fiancé. Jason Morgan and his men were searching for her as well, so there was a chance they would show up here. Because of that he had his remaining men on the lookout, but he had an advantage. Morgan was just like Corinthos, always so careful not to harm or disrupt innocent civilian lives. They would look for him, but not get too close and risk disturbing the wedding.

As he watched from an alcove as Jax prepared to say his vows he felt almost guilty. Skye Quartermaine was a beautiful woman; it seemed a pity to make her a widow before she even got to kiss the groom. He raised his gun and eyed the sights. Just another minute. Skye just needed to move a few inches and his revenge would be complete. When Brenda realized both her protectors were dead she would come to see he was the only man left who could help her with her illness.

He cocked the gun and waited. They were exchanging rings now, and when Skye reached for Jax's ring from the preacher he would have a perfect shot.

"You don't want to do that," a menacing voice growled in his ear. Morgan. Except the flunky without a boss was wrong. He did want to do this. Morgan could shoot him, but he would get a shot off as well.

There was a gasp from the guests as a strike of lightning hit close enough to the church to fill the air with ozone and cause the lights inside to flicker and then go out. He anticipated Morgan to use the darkness to try and stop him, and the two men fought. The other man did manage to pull him away from the door, and he didn't want to give away the element of surprise by attempting a shot. Then the world went black as he was struck from behind.

When he came to later, he found himself tied to a chair in a dusty warehouse that was damp from the rain. The river had to be close, the air smelled like thick heavy plants and animals, and water collected on the floor as it trickled down the wall. He could taste blood in his mouth as he worked his jaw around, then spit on the floor. A metal chair scraped over the concrete in the shadows, and footsteps approached the dim light he was encircled in.

"You're awake," the man said. "Good. Mr. Morgan will be here in a minute."

Time seemed to drag on forever though. He could make out the distant murmur of voices, but nobody seemed in a hurry to talk to him. His arms and legs had long gone numb and his head throbbed in echo to his pulse. He wished Morgan would just get on with it. He was going to die, he knew it, so what was the point in dragging this out?

Somewhere in the distance a metal door creaked open and footsteps echoed across the barren concrete. The darkness parted and Jason Morgan stepped into the pale circle of light. The younger man's eyes glinted hard and cold and Alcazar knew it was going to be Morgan's gun that killed him.

"Why don't we just get this over with?" he questioned from his position in the chair.

"We will," Jason confirmed in a low, hard voice. "You won't terrorize this town any longer. Jax and Skye were married tonight and will leave for their honeymoon. Brenda is alive and staying at one of our safehouses."

The younger man stopped and smirked. "We've had her since the night of the shooting. We used her to draw you out."

And he'd fallen for it. He wanted Brenda and they knew it. He should have killed Jax sooner and then looked for her; hindsight could be cruelly unforgiving. But he was at least going to his grave with one small victory. "That may be, but Sonny Corinthos is still dead."

Out of the shadows came a slow, easy laugh; like bourbon on a warm night. Corinthos casually stepped forward; one hand tucked in his trouser pocket. "How does that saying go? 'The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.'"

"You," Alcazar said in shock. "How?"

"Roy," Sonny stated simply. "He told us what you had planned. Then it was a matter of blanks and a bulletproof vest. You failed, but I won't. Jason."

Morgan nodded and stepped forward, flexing his arms. He looked at somebody behind Alcazar, and his eyes flicked ever so quickly. The doomed man felt someone grab him and drag his chair to a plastic sheet. He met his impending fate with silence; he knew that if he begged it wouldn't matter, and he wasn't going to embarrass himself by fruitlessly crying for his life. It was only when the enforcer stepped forward and raised his gun that he spoke.

"Be sure to say hello to your little girlfriend for me. I hope she enjoys her job, it was my pleasure to help her get it."

The control and calm faltered for a second, and then it was back. The gun steadied and Morgan's eyes turned cold as flint. He said nothing, just squeezed the trigger.

Chapter 9

As Elizabeth put the pan of brownies in the oven she looked over her shoulder at Carly. The other woman had not said one snide thing since Elizabeth had snapped at her over an hour ago. Of course, she'd scrunched up her face quite often and looked like she was just itching to say something nasty, but so far she'd held herself in restraint.

Elizabeth checked the pans of fudge that were cooling and began to wipe down the counters and gather the dirty dishes. During the time she'd been cooking she'd been able to pretend she was too busy to talk, and they hadn't said much beyond instructions about the food. Now, she didn't have that excuse. The brownies would take forty-five minutes to cook, and she would only be able to wash dishes for so long.

"Can we talk now?" Carly asked, not really polite, but not as acidic as she could have been.

With a sigh, Elizabeth pushed a strand of hair off her damp forehead and turned. "Alright. You've helped out, and you haven't called me names for entire hour. Do you want a drink?"

Carly pressed her lips together tightly. "I'm not really a Kool-Aid kinda girl."

Of course. Let the insults begin again. "Well, then it's a good thing I bought some peppermint Schnapps while I was at the store. I had a feeling I was going to need to lace my hot chocolate. Jason always has beer, if you'd rather."

Carly sniffed, "That's fine. Or I could just go get some of Sonny's good stuff from our place."

"You do whatever you want," she smiled sweetly, even as she ground her teeth. She could only be so lucky that Carly would leave. Then she would lock the door and tell Francis under threat of never getting brownies from her again that he was not to let Carly back in the house. But as she turned to put the water on the stove, Carly remained where she was. Twisting slightly, she asked over her shoulder, "Do you want the Schnapps with or without hot chocolate?"

"Oh, what the heck, with is fine."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but said nothing. A few minutes later they were sitting on the couch, and Elizabeth took a sip of her hot chocolate before adding a liberal splash of the liqueur, then passed the bottle to Carly. The older woman wanted to talk; well she was going to have to make the first move. Carly took a drink and then shifted in her seat.

"Look, I'm sorry."

"For?" Elizabeth prompted as she arched her brow.

"For earlier this evening," Carly began. "I came over to apologize and I insulted you."

"Again," Elizabeth said, as she took another drink.

Carly shot her a look, then slowly nodded. "Yes, again. I wanted to apologize for that day before the funeral...when Jason came in."

She shrugged. "It's alright. I wasn't really surprised. I'm pretty much used to your insults by now. I know you're never going to stop."

"But I promised Jason I would," the blonde said. "He asked that I treat you with respect out of regard for our friendship."

Elizabeth couldn't suppress the laugh that escaped. "So you're only doing this because Jason's mad at you. You figure you come over here, give me a half-baked apology and I'll tell Jason and you'll get your best friend back. Am I right?"

She took Carly's silence and not meeting her eye as confirmation and she nodded. "Right. Wow, and you are so quick to call me false and only doing something to look good in Jason's eyes. Your hypocrisy is choking. How do you live with yourself? Nevermind. Don't worry, I'll talk to Jason. I'll tell him you said you were sorry and that I'm not mad. I mean, I still am of course, but I'm not going to tell him that."

"Why?" Carly asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Because you're his friend. I don't understand it, but I will respect it the way he has respected the choices I've made that he hasn't understood. I will never tell him it's you or me and I won't be the reason he's mad at you. So don't worry, you can go now and rest assured that you'll have your friend back in a few days."

She got up, grabbed her mug and the bottle and stalked into the kitchen. Angrily she dumped the rest of her hot chocolate out and made sure the lid was tight on the bottle before she put it in a cabinet and slammed the door. She turned and jumped slightly in surprise when saw Carly standing just inside the doorway. "What do you want?"

"You really are angry aren't you?"

She shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah, I am. But don't worry; I'll tamp it back down before I talk to Jason."

She knew her next few paintings were going to have deep, dark colors and harsh, angry strokes, but hey. Small price to pay.

Carly scoffed which made Elizabeth's tenuous grasp on her anger slip closer to the edge. "You truly are a goody-goody aren't you?"

"No," she snapped. "But I will not be like you. Do you think I don't know that you hate me? You think I'm not aware I've made mistakes with Jason? I know I have! And I know that you have too! You had him arrested for kidnapping Michael when he was listed as his father on the birth certificate.

"You act like you're the only person who has a right to be forgiven by Jason. You've hurt him. You've betrayed him, and he's forgiven you. I've made mistakes and we've worked through them, but you constantly butt in."

She took a shaky breath and looked at Carly with a narrowed, determined glare. "Everyone talks about how Robin tried to change him, how she was always trying to tell him what to do. Well, you are no different! You constantly tell him I'm no good for him, constantly put me down and tell me to stay away from Jason. You told me you got rid of one woman in Jason's life and you'd get rid of me too. You hate me because you can't get over the fact that when you slept with Sonny and hurt Jason he let me help him and not you!"

Carly took a deep, angry breath but Elizabeth shook her head. "No. This is my turn to yell and I'm taking it, so shut up! I will tell Jason not to fight with you because of me. I am going to support him, be his friend-"

"I'm Jason's friend," Carly hissed.

"I'll be his friend," Elizabeth repeated, her jaw tense and her eye ticking lightly as she tried to ignore Carly's outburst. "I will not change him or ask him to give up his friends just to make me happy. I lo-...I care about him too much to ever try and do that to him. But I'm telling you now, Carly, back off. What is between Jason and I is private and only our business. I won't ask him to choose, but don't be surprised if he does anyway if you keep acting the way you have.

"I want you to go," she said, her anger still roaring through her and the momentary calm she'd gained slipping away. "I'm tired of this fight. And I am so tired of you...so Get. Out. Now!"

Carly said nothing, but left the kitchen quietly. Elizabeth waited until she heard the front door close and then let the tears come, sinking onto the floor as her legs began to shake. She hated fighting with Carly, she hated feeling like she was somehow inferior and unworthy of Jason's love just because Carly declared it to be so.

What surprised her though wasn't the fierce protectiveness she felt toward Jason, or the desire to not be someone he felt he had to fight. What had surprised her was she almost blurted out to Carly that she loved Jason. They had always been more than friends, had always had a strong pull, and before she chose obligation and duty over her heart last April, they had admitted they wanted more from each other. With everything that had gone on this summer she still wanted to be with him.

Just the other night when they'd kissed, hadn't she said she didn't think she was ready to declare herself in love with him, though? Apparently that was her over-cautious nature once again raring up. But faced with the Carly and all the pent-up feelings she'd been suppressing too long, her heart had spoken truthfully. To be perfectly honest, the revelation frightened her because she knew she and Jason were still working past so many things. How would she react now that she realized she was truly in love with Jason?

"Oh," she groaned as she stood. "Not going into deep philosophy tonight. What I need is chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate, and," she opened the cupboard and pulled out the Schnapps, "a lot more of this."

Sonny watched as Jason moved apart from the men, and stared at a grime-covered window in the warehouse wall. After Alcazar was shot, Jason immediately began issuing orders for the removal and disposal of the arms dealer's body and all the evidence. Now that the last of the men were reporting in that their tasks were completed, the enforcer in him was fading out to be replaced by a worried and distant man.

Walking towards his friend, Sonny saw Jason tense in acknowledgement of his presence, but still he didn't turn. Sonny cleared his throat as he put his hands in his pockets. "Last of the men have reported in.

"Yeah," Jason replied, still not looking at him.

"Jax and Skye have left for their honeymoon."

"Okay."

"We can let Brenda go, I suppose. See if she needs any help."

"We can have Benny set up an account, get her a place to stay...here or where ever she wants," Jason said. He was saying all the right things, but he was a million miles away.

"What's wrong?" Sonny asked softly. "Alcazar's dead, Brenda will be out of our hair, I can come out of hiding, and you can spend more than a few minutes with Elizabeth."

He stopped when Jason tensed on Elizabeth's name. Taking a step forward he asked, "Did something happen with you and Elizabeth?"

Jason shook his head. "No."

"Carly and her?" He knew his wife, and sadly he didn't see her backing off Elizabeth just because Jason asked her to. Plus, he'd seen Jason tense up as well at the mention of Carly's name.

"That's not it," Jason said, finally turning. "It's Alcazar."

Sonny's brow furrowed. "Alcazar's dead, he can't hurt Elizabeth now."

"He got her the job at the gallery. That's what he said before I shot him," Jason told him as he scrubbed a hand over his face. "He manipulated her life, so he could distract me, make you vulnerable. He could have hurt her, and I never would have known. He may be gone, but will his influence be gone? How can I tell her that she got a job because of one of my enemies?"

"Hey, man," Sonny said as he stepped closer and put his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Hey, it's not your fault. You were doing what you thought was best to keep her safe, and when you realized what he was doing you protected her. You'll check this gallery owner out, let him know what Elizabeth is to you and that it would be in his best interest to ignore any person who tries to contact him about her again. You'll be honest with Elizabeth and tell her you support her if she wants to keep the job. Nobody is going to let her get hurt."

Jason looked away and nodded. Sonny understood. His friend hadn't had a relationship like this since Robin and Jason didn't want Elizabeth to get hurt. He'd tried to push her away to keep her safe, and apart from simply not working, it had made Jason miserable to not be with her.

"Let's go," Sonny said. "We're done here. Alcazar's body won't be found, but we need to get home. I want to see my family. We'll make my reappearance to Port Charles, and deal with Brenda tomorrow. Go see Elizabeth."

Jason once again nodded and the two men started towards the warehouse entrance where Johnny was waiting for them. Jason paused halfway, and turned to him, "Thanks."

Sonny waved him off. "I'm just returning the favor. Now, let's see if we can get home before the sun comes up. I'd like to sleep a few hours in my bed before Taggert hauls me to the station on some trumped up charge."

Jason chuckled and Sonny felt like he'd accomplished a goal. Climbing in the limo, they set off for the Towers, neither man speaking. Sonny wanted to see Carly, have a reunion with her, and then see what she did to Elizabeth that set Jason off. Because no matter how much he claimed he was silent merely because of Alcazar's comment, Sonny knew his friend and his wife well enough to know that something had happened.

Chapter 10

When she heard the ding signaling the arrival of the elevator, Carly smiled broadly. Sonny was home. Finally. She had been waiting for the elevator ever since he called her to tell her he would be home that morning. They had been apart for too long and she didn't plan on wasting a single minute of their reunion.

The door slid open and she heard Jason and Sonny step out and call Paul, the guard on her door, over. She grinned. Now she could open the door and listen a little easier instead of pressing her ear against the door.

"...you, Paul. You can go home now," Jason was saying.

"Yes, sir," the guard answered.

"Come on, come on," Carly whispered. "Finish up so Sonny can get in here."

"Everything alright with Carly and Elizabeth?" Sonny asked. She wanted to scream in frustration. Didn't he realize she was waiting for him?

"Yeah, pretty much," Paul said, somewhat hesitantly.

Carly's eyes narrowed. Paul had come on duty while she was over talking to Elizabeth. When she came out after the other woman had yelled at her, both Paul and Francis asked if everything was alright in Jason's penthouse. Paul had only recently been promoted to guard, and she knew he would be telling them everything, and then Jason would be even angrier.

"Pretty much?" Jason questioned. Ah, crap. She knew that tone. He was already suspecting trouble.

"Mrs. Corinthos was over visiting Miss Webber and after a bit we could hear shouting. Miss Webber was yelling at Mrs. Corinthos to get out. She left and went back to her penthouse. When Miss Webber came out later with some fudge for us it was obvious she was upset and Francis tried to talk to her. She wouldn't though and went back inside your penthouse, Mr. Morgan."

Oh yeah, Jason was going to be mad at her. Did she dare hope that Elizabeth would tell Jason not to fight with his friend? Would he even listen to her now that he knew she and Carly had been fighting? Probably not. And she couldn't say that she blamed him.

Jason was right, he'd asked for very little from her. And she'd never given it to him. She was jealous and angry with Robin because after talking to her, he'd stopped having sex with Carly. She thought she loved Jason and he would be happier with her so she did everything she could to sabotage Jason and Robin's relationship and get him for herself. She was even disgusted to think of how she'd used Jason's love for Michael to keep him coming to her.

She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Turning the corner she felt Jason and Sonny's gaze immediately fall on her. "Hi, Sonny. Hello, Jase."

"Carly," Jason said tensely, as Sonny pulled her close and gave her a brief kiss. She knew that was as much as she'd get until she cleared this up with Jason.

She chewed on her cheek, then blew out a breath. "I went over to apologize to Elizabeth. But I didn't want to really, so I was going to be just nice enough so she'd tell you to stop being angry with me. She realized I wasn't sincere and she got angry with me."

"So that was the yelling?" Sonny asked.

"Yeah," she said, her shoulders falling under his piercing scrutiny. "She said she was going to tell Jason to stop fighting with me, because she didn't want him upset with his friends because of her."

Jason looked at her curiously and she hurried to finish. She could sense his patience was waning and knew he wanted to get to his penthouse. "But she also told me to back off and stop interfering in your relationship."

"That's what I've been asking you to do all along, Carly," Jason said in exasperation. "You're my friend, but I'm tired of fighting you about my life."

Carly sighed sadly, and kept his gaze even though she wanted to avoid the piercing look. "I know, and I'm sorry. I don't want to fight with you, and I don't want you out of my life. I'm not saying I'm going to suddenly become the twi- I mean Elizabeth's best friend, but I'll let up. I'll back off and I'll respect your privacy and your right to make your own decisions." Then with a chuckle, "Though anytime you want my advice..."

"I'm sure I won't," he grinned back. "Thank you, Carly. That's all I ever wanted."

Stepping forward she gave him a hug and was relieved when he hugged her in return. Pulling back, she tipped her head towards Sonny. "It's been great, Jase, but now I'd like to catch up with my husband. You understand, don't you?"

Jason shook his head and pulled back, while Sonny rolled his eyes. She turned to give him a proper welcome home kiss that held the promise of more. Sonny took over and started directing her towards their home while Jason turned for his. Carly was almost around the corner when she broke from Sonny's embrace and grabbed the wall, stopping them.

"Jase?"

"Yeah?" he said, turning back.

"You might want to be aware that Elizabeth was drinking peppermint Schnapps last night. When she came over to bring me a small, and I'm talking tiny," she indicated with her hands and Jason shot her a look that told her to get on with it, "plate of brownies, I thought I smelled it on her breath."

"Okay," he said softly. "Thanks."

Then he unlocked his door and she turned to Sonny, kissing him soundly. They made their way inside the penthouse, got the door closed, and then all else was forgotten. Sonny was finally home.

Jason opened his door slowly; a little apprehensive about what he'd find. Carly's rendition of her fight with Elizabeth was curious, but something had obviously changed. He wondered what condition he'd find Elizabeth in. Remembering the night she'd gotten drunk at Jake's after Alcazar had broken into her apartment, he hoped it wasn't that bad.

Closing the door softly behind him, he looked to the couch and felt a stab of disappointment when he saw it was empty. She didn't do it every night, but he liked the nights he came home to find her trying to wait up for him. He pulled off his jacket and hung it up, then made his way upstairs. Pausing outside her room, he was tempted to check on her, just to watch her sleep for a minute but he didn't. He had shed blood tonight, and he felt the need to clean up, wash the act away before seeing her. She may know about his life, but he couldn't come straight from taking a life and hold her without showering.

Quickly he showered and dressed, ran a comb through his hair, then left his room. He stopped as he approached Elizabeth's door and realized it was open. He'd been in his room less than fifteen minutes, and he knew she didn't like waking up early. Had she been awake when he came home?

Following the sounds from the kitchen, he headed downstairs. Elizabeth was making coffee, bleary-eyed and hardly awake. He knew her slow movements weren't just from being tired, but probably from the alcohol as well.

"Hey," he said softly, not wanting to startle her. He hoped she didn't have a hangover like that morning at Jake's.

She turned, and the beautiful smile she gave him warmed his heart. "You are here. I thought I heard the shower, but I wasn't sure. I'm so glad you're home."

She gave him a hug and he relaxed, losing himself in the warmth of her softness. Her blue terry cloth robe she always wore untied over her pajamas separated his hands from truly feeling her back. Nothing was between them in front, however save his T-shirt and her thin tank top and pajama bottoms and he could feel her body heat seep into his skin. He could definitely get used to more mornings like this. Pulling back slightly, he reached up and cupped her cheek. "I think I like these welcome homes."

She blushed slightly, but didn't pull away. "Are you hungry? Did you eat already?"

"I don't really eat breakfast," he told her.

Rolling her eyes she replied, "I meant dinner. Tell me you ate something and I won't make you eat now."

He was caught, and she knew it. "I didn't eat."

"Then let me fix you something."

"I thought you couldn't cook," he teased.

"I may not be able to cook like Sonny, but I can scramble eggs and even I can't burn frozen waffles."

He laughed and let her out of the hug, but steered her towards the counter. "Well, good thing for us Sonny taught me how to cook a few things. You've already made the coffee, so why don't you some toast, grab juice if you want it and I'll do the rest."

She paused and peered up at him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. You're right, I should eat and I thought we could talk while we ate."

"About what?" she pressed. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," he tried to reassure her. "It's...it's over. There are just a few things to clear up, but it's done."

"It's done," she repeated. "You mean Sonny's fake death? The threat with Alcazar is gone?"

"Yes. Sonny's home now. We have to deal with a few things, and a few of Alcazar's men may try and retaliate, but things should be safe now."

"Meaning," she said slowly, "that Alcazar is dead. That's the only way you two would feel it was safe."

He paused in the act of getting out a mixing bowl and looked over at her. "Does that bother you?"

She turned and walked to the table, fiddling with the cuff of her robe as she sat down. "On the surface, the thought of you killing someone bothers me," she said looking down at the table. Focusing her gaze at him she said, "Not...not meaning that I don't like your job and want you to quit, but because I worry about a hidden gunman seeking revenge on you, or you getting arrested no matter how careful you are. But I also know that Alcazar wouldn't just go away because you and Sonny threatened him. He ordered someone to kill Sonny, and he would have kept coming after him, you and the people you care about. You saw it that you had to...him or you thing."

Jason let out a soft, slow breath and leaned against the counter. "You're right, you know, he would have kept coming after us and those around us. He...he's the reason your apartment was broken into. He knew where you lived, he knew where you worked, and he wanted to frighten you. And if that didn't work he probably would have come after you, probably to hurt you and not just frighten you.

"He did things to you to distract me so he could go after Sonny," he said, and then sat down across from her at the table. He needed to be close to her, and he felt the need to sit as he explained his next bit of information. "There's something more, though. I don't want to worry you, but you deserve to know."

He didn't like the fear that sprang immediately to her eyes. He really hoped Alcazar was bluffing, but something in Jason's gut told him it was true. "He told me he hoped you liked your job. That he helped you get it."

"What?" she gasped. Then she shook her head. "No, no. How could he? I mean, I know he stopped me on my way to work, but how could he know every place I sent resumes to? I was looking for a job for a couple of weeks."

"I don't know," he said as he covered her hands, stilling their nervous movements. "I want to check into it though. Check out the owner and make sure he understands it wouldn't be in his best interest to help anymore of Alcazar's associates. That...that is if you want to keep the job."

She pulled her hand out from underneath his and pushed them through her hair. "Oh man, I don't know. Maybe it was just a bluff. I-I really like this job. I thought I got it because I was qualified and not because some creep was out to mess with my life."

He shifted uncomfortably on his seat. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

"Please don't, Jason," she whispered, dropping her head so he couldn't see her face.

"Don't what?"

"Don't apologize for something that you couldn't control. For one of your enemies coming after me." Her voice broke and he strained to hear her in the quiet kitchen. "Please don't say that y-you've changed your mind and it would be best for us not to see each other anymore. P-please don't say that."

He swallowed hard as he realized she was still fearful he'd push her away. Even after all the talks they'd had, the memory of Vista Point was still fresh and she thought he'd change his mind. It hurt him slightly, but he realized he'd given her reason to doubt him, starting back when he tried to stay away from her that January when Sorel came after her. He shook his head, even though she never raised her eyes from the tabletop. "No, Elizabeth. I wasn't going to say that."

"I'm sorry," she said, meekly raising her gaze. Tears shimmered in her eyes and he found himself coming around the table and kneeling beside her.

"Don't," he said as he reached for her cheek to wipe the tears away. "It's okay. I'm - I know we still have things to work out, but I'm not pushing you away. It doesn't work. People still know I care about you, and I-I miss you too much when you're gone. I like that you're here because you're safe, but also because I like coming home knowing that you'll be there."

"I like it here too," she smiled shyly up at him. "You may not have a lot of furniture, but what you have suits you. The view...the view is amazing. And I'm finding a lot of inspiration for my art lately. I like being here."

She paused and looked nervously away. "I just-I just think if I stay here that it's rushing things. We've had two unconventional dates, not that we're really ruled by tradition. I know your job keeps you busy, but...but I want to see you more than just passing by in the halls."

"I know, I want that too. And I would never pressure you," he told her, feeling the need to reassure her he wouldn't push for them to sleep together until they both felt it was right.

"I know that," she said softly, even as a slight blush crept up on her cheeks. "I just wonder if we can work through everything living together."

"It's your choice," he told her. And it was, he wouldn't stop her if she decided to move out. But he was also going to be fully honest with her; "I-I'd like it if you stayed. For your safety, yes...but it's more. You give me something to look forward to, a reason to come...you make this feel like a home instead of just a place where I keep my stuff."

She gave him a watery smile and then looked down at their clasped hands. "I'll think about it."

He gently brushed his thumb across her cheek and smiled at her, before standing up and heading back to the counter. He wasn't going to push anymore on the subject, and he still wanted to talk to her about what happened last night with Carly. "It really wouldn't be that bad with Carly even. I think she's realizing you're here to stay in my life. Plus, keep bribing the guards with brownies and they'll help you toss her out. Though, according to Paul you certainly don't need any help."

He looked over his shoulder and watched with a smirk as she groaned and dropped her head into her hands on top of the table.

Chapter 11

Elizabeth stepped off the elevator and turned towards Jason's penthouse. All she wanted to do was get inside and ignore everything else for a while, but lately luck was never on her side. Sonny's door opened and out of habit and curiosity she turned to look over her shoulder. Carly. Now she would at least have to acknowledge the other woman. "Hey, Carly."

"Elizabeth," Carly returned with a stiff nod.

Alright, well no sense pushing her first meeting alone with Carly since the night she yelled at her in Jason's kitchen. She put her key in the lock, turned it and was almost safely inside when Carly spoke again. "Elizabeth, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah," she said cautiously, as she pivoted on her foot and faced the blonde.

"I wanted to apologize. For real this time," she said when Elizabeth raised a skeptical brow. "I'm sorry for the snide comments and all the crap I gave you."

"It's okay," she said with a tired shrug. "We're not going to try and bond now, are we? 'Cause no offense, I'll be happy not fighting with you every time we see each other, but I really don't want to become best friends and go shopping."

"I don't know, I think we could update your style," Carly said, taking an appraising look.

"Carly," she said with warning, not in the mood for another round of call Elizabeth frumpy. "Let's not go there."

"Okay," the other woman said with a shrug. "I told Sonny I was going to grab a pie from Kelly's...it's my punishment for him not telling me Brenda was alive and staying at the same safe house. I make him eat cooking that's not his, and I'm going to keep doing it until he's sufficiently showered me with gifts and groveled for my forgiveness."

Elizabeth shook her head with a bemused smile. The messed up level of Sonny and Carly's relationship was something she didn't even want to know or think about. "Well, that's good, Carly, I'm just going to go inside now."

"See you."

"Okay, that was officially the weirdest conversation I have ever had with Carly," she said as she walked inside and closed the door. "She's punishing Sonny by buying pies from Kelly's. That has...I don't even know."

Jason looked up from the game of pool he was playing and laughed. "They can be a little confusing."

"Confusing," she said as she took off her jacket and put it in the closet. "That's one way to put it."

By the time she turned from the closet Jason was beside her. He smiled at her, and leaned down to brush a kiss across her lips. Oh man, if she could be welcomed home like this every day, she would definitely stay with Jason. He was not playing fair.

"I'm glad you're back. How did things go today?"

She sighed and pulled back from him. Work and Mr. Randolf. Of course. She pushed past him and sat down on the couch. "Mr. Randolf got back from New York City this afternoon. It...it was a little weird being around him. But I think he was nervous as well. You didn't go down to talk to him, did you?"

"No," he said as he sat down. "I was actually glad he was out of town."

She quirked a brow in question. "You were?"

"Benny was able to run a background check on him, and I...I could calm down. I know you probably don't like to hear this, but anytime someone tries to hurt you, or interfere with your life I just-"

She placed a finger against his mouth to silence him. "Calm down, Tarzan. I know you want to keep me safe, and you don't like any aspect of your life touching me. You can't stick me in a bubble though, just like you can't control everything everyone else does. You'll talk to him, and maybe after you do that I'll be able to decide what I want to do about the job.

"But can we not do this again? The past two nights you've apologized for Alcazar, Mr. Randolf and yourself and I've tried to figure out if I even want to keep the job. All it does it make my head hurt and my stomach feel ill. Can we do something else tonight?"

"How 'bout we go for a ride and play some pool at Jake's?" he offered, and she appreciated him letting the other stuff drop.

"I think I'd rather not go to Jake's," she said as her nose wrinkled up and she gave a shake of her head. "Coleman gave me the creeps when I rented a room there and that was before I found out he was the guy who blackmailed Courtney into stripping. I like the part about a ride though, I really like that part."

He matched her grin and laughed, "See, I told you you only liked me for my bike."

"That is not true," she said, slapping at his arm playfully. "Well, it's not the only reason I like you. So, what would you say to dinner at Eli's, a ride up to Vista Point?"

"Vista Point?" he asked softly.

She smiled reassuringly at him. She knew he'd headed there nearly two weeks ago when they'd finally started back on track, but didn't go because she'd tensed and pulled back. She hadn't wanted to go there then; because all she could remember was the utter heartbreak she experienced the day he walked away from her and left her crying. But now she wanted to go back there because they had survived that experience and were stronger for it.

"Yeah," she nodded, sliding closer to him and putting her arm on the back of the couch behind him. Her fingers just seemed to find their way into the hair on his neck and she smiled as he shivered slightly at her touch. "And I want to drive."

"You're not driving," Jason replied automatically, as he opened his eyes.

"Really?" she smirked, still playing with the hair on his neck. Then she stopped, stood, unfurling herself from the couch. She circled the couch and walked by the pool table, slowly trailing her fingers along the edge. "Wanna bet?"

Jason stood and turned, eyeing her with a mischievous glint; "You want to play a game to see who drives?"

She waited until he was between the couch and the fireplace and then she ran. The chair was pushed to the side and she opened the middle drawer of his desk and squealed in delight. She snatched up the keys from where he normally kept them and jingled them in triumph. As he ran for her she stuffed them in her pocket and shook her head in mirth, "I believe I hold the keys, so I think I'll be driving. But I will let you choose-"

"Oh, I get a choice?"

She smiled brightly and nodded with great enthusiasm. "Of course. I firmly believe in choices and fairness. So, do you want to eat first or go for a ride?"

"I want my keys."

She frowned and shook her head. "That wasn't a choice."

"You're not driving my bike, Elizabeth."

Through the door she heard the ding of the elevator and she reached out, snagging her coat and purse. "You better move or I'll leave without you."

Then she opened the door, skirted past a startled Sonny and Carly and slid on the elevator just as the doors were closing. "See you in the garage, Jason."

What a difference a day makes. Last night Elizabeth had been carefree, playful, reminding him of the time she brought home that pathetic little Christmas tree she made him help decorate. They ate ribs at Eli's, and he was amazed at how much someone so tiny could eat. Then came the best part of the night, they drove to Vista Point. Elizabeth had held her ground and sat in front, something he had to admit he liked very much.

Sitting at Vista Point looking out at the city lights and stars had been so natural and right. Elizabeth could see pictures in everything and tried to point out the interesting play of lights, the shimmer of their reflection on the water and tried to figure out which buildings were which. He loved sitting there, holding her as they leaned back against the rock wall on the bench where he'd nearly ripped them apart forever.

Sometimes she would stop talking and turn to look at him, catching him watching her instead of the city. She would flush, just the briefest hint and stammer slightly until he would capture her words with a kiss. By the time they reluctantly left, he knew it would physically pain him if she decided to move back to her apartment. Her presence had seeped into his soul, and he didn't want to live without it.

Today the laughing, joking woman was gone. She was tense, her movements lacking her normal flow and she hardly ate breakfast. All because he was going with her to work to talk to Joshua Philip, known to his friends as J.P., Randolf. He knew she understood why he was bothered by the man, it would always bother him that her life had been toyed with like it had.

Elizabeth came down the stairs, after going up to brush her teeth, and gave him a tense and forced smile. "Ready?"

He held the door open, and gave what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "Relax. I'm just talking to him. I'm not going to beat him up."

"I know," she replied tightly. "I guess I'm nervous about finding out why he hired me."

"Whatever the reason, there's no point to worry until we find out." He pushed the button the elevator and reached for her hand, grateful when she relaxed slightly and twined their fingers together.

The door to Sonny's opened just as the elevator's did. "Hold the elevator."

Jason put his hand on Elizabeth's back as they stepped in. Sonny walked on behind them and grinned at them.

"Hi, Sonny," Elizabeth said with a flicker of a smile.

His grin grew. "Hey. Heading to work?"

The tension that had just bled out, came rushing back and Jason squeezed her hand, then turned to look at Sonny. "Yeah, I'm taking her in today."

He really hoped that Sonny didn't press the issue, and thankfully he didn't. Instead his friend just nodded and looked up at the numbers as they flashed. When they reached the parking garage he turned to them and asked, "Why don't you come over to dinner tonight? We didn't get a chance before the whole plan and if you guys come over maybe Carly won't spend the entire meal muttering under her breath about how I didn't tell her about Brenda."

Elizabeth laughed and looked up at Jason, "Sure, I'd like to."

He knew she was doing it for Sonny, but Jason agreed because he wanted to see how Carly did with Elizabeth in her home for a couple of hours. He wanted to see if Carly was really going to stop the constant bickering or if it was all just a fluke.

"Hey," Elizabeth said, as they reached the cars, "can you make your tiramasu? Tell Carly I asked for it. That after working at Kelly's for so many years I'm not sure I can face a pie from there for dessert."

Sonny's laughter echoed off the concrete walls. "She'll probably add on an extra day to her punishment, but I'll make it before she gets home. We'll see you tonight."

"I can't believe you willingly agreed to dinner with Carly tonight," Jason said as they climbed into the car.

"Why not?" she shrugged. "I like Sonny, and I like his food. Besides, I very well could use a little chocolate to drown in after today."

And just like that, the tension was back. They said nothing until they reached the gallery and walked inside. The receptionist glanced up to smile at Elizabeth, and then did a double take when she saw Jason.

"Morning, Regina," Elizabeth told her.

"Elizabeth," the woman replied. "Did...is there-"

"Is Mister Randolf in?" Jason asked.

"Yes, but he's not expecting any appointments this morning."

"Tell him Jason Morgan wants to see him. I'm sure he'll be available."

Chapter 12

Hanging up the phone, J.P. Randolf leaned back uneasily in the leather executive chair. Jason Morgan was here at the gallery and wanted to speak to him. Suddenly, his throat felt very dry and his bladder very full.

When the news broke that Sonny Corinthos wasn't actually dead, but alive and back with his family, Randolf had become very nervous. Would Mr. Alcazar send someone to him with a new message regarding Elizabeth Webber? Nobody ever came though, and then the rumors floated through town that Luis Alcazar was missing, and most of his employees had been found dead and others were leaving town. Sonny Corinthos has reappeared at the same time, and there was suspicion connecting the two events, suspicion that Luis Alcazar had been eliminated.

If Alcazar was dead and his associates were leaving town, maybe his deal with the powerful man would be over. More importantly, it would never have to come to light. The fear he'd felt about Jason Morgan discovering the truth had dissipated and he'd begun to breathe easier. The tension that plagued his sleep had gone away and he imagined everything was all right now.

He took a deep breath and stood, smoothing down his tie and buttoning his double-breasted jacket. Maybe he could project an air of confidence. Against a man who killed people for a living? Good grief he was an idiot.

"Mister Morgan," he said as he stepped into the reception area. Miss Webber wasn't in sight, so either she didn't come or she was busy in the back.

"Mister Randolf," the younger man returned. His face was a blank mask, his eyes revealed nothing and J.P. found himself unnerved.

"What can I do for you today, Mister Morgan?" he smiled in what he hoped looked like a casual manner. "Were you interested in purchasing some art?"

The thought of the man before him - leather jacket, motorcycle boots and spiked hair - being interested in a casual stroll through the gallery to look at paintings and sculptures seemed ludicrous. But he wasn't going to tip his hand in the off chance the mobster didn't know of his involvement with Alcazar.

Jason Morgan shook his head and casually strode forward. "I wanted to speak to you alone about Elizabeth Webber...and Luis Alcazar."

He swallowed hard against the knot of his tie that had suddenly shrunk. "O-of course. Let's just go this way. We can speak in my office."

A few silent minutes later they were in his office, seated across the desk from each other. Morgan leaned back, crossing his ankle over his knee. He looked casual and relaxed, though his hands resting in his lap were curled in loose fists and his jaw was set hard.

"How may..." Randolf stopped and cleared his throat as his voice seemed to stutter on a squeak and started again. "What did you want to talk about?"

"The eighty thousand dollars you received from Luis Alcazar to hire her and keep her job for her."

His hand shook and he looked down, unable to meet the steely blue gaze of the man across from him. Licking his parched lips he nodded his head. "Yes."

"Did he tell you why he wanted you to hire her?"

"No," he said emphatically. "He said there was a person he knew, talented artist, hard worker, just wanted to get her foot in the door. Not averse to starting at the bottom and learning the business. He wanted to be her anonymous benefactor...and he made a very generous offer."

"Yes," Morgan nodded thoughtfully, "got those creditors from Chicago off your back temporarily."

"Yeah," he said listlessly.

"So, you didn't know why he was so willing to help you, and her, out?" the mobster asked, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees.

"No," he said, though his voice shook slightly.

"Did you realize why later, or did he tell you?"

"J-just before the news of Mister Corinthos's death. I...I did a little looking into her background. She's a good worker and I got a little curious why Mister Alcazar wanted her hired. Especially after I looked into his background. That's when I realized she knew both you and Mister Corinthos."

"Mister Alcazar has left town," the man said, and J.P. wondered under what capacity that exit had taken place.

"He won't be contacting you again," Morgan continued casually, but then his face hardened. "If one of his employees or associates does..."

He trailed off and Randolf realized the man was testing him to see what he would do or say. "If anyone contacts me I'll tell them I am no longer doing business with Mister Alcazar. Then I'll contact you."

"Good," the younger man replied, his voice still conveying his warning. "Sonny Corinthos will appreciate your cooperation on the matter."

"Yes, of course," he said. He didn't want Sonny Corinthos displeased with him anymore than he probably already was. If anybody connected to the almost certainly dead arms dealer did try to contact him, Corinthos would most likely protect him for his cooperation. And, if he pleased the mafia don maybe he'd be lucky enough to sell some art in addition to keeping his life.

"I'm glad we understand each other," the other man said as he stood. "Elizabeth will let you know if she plans on keeping the job."

"If she does," Randolf said cautiously, "we'll be lucky to have her. She is a hard worker, and though it may have started out under false pretenses, she's made a place for herself."

Morgan merely nodded, and left the office. A long, relieved sigh issued forth, and J.P. leaned back in the chair. Jason Morgan was not a man to be trifled with, and he certainly was not going to cross him or Sonny Corinthos. Most of all, he was grateful he had only dealt with quiet, forceful threats instead of being grabbed and dragged to a dark alley or deserted building.

The thought made him pause, and tempered his relief. Had he just traded a deal with one devil for another?

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Sonny looked up at Carly as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen, a teasing smile on her face. He stirred the marinara sauce without looking, and smiled back at her. He figured she'd tack on an extra day or two of pies from Kelly's, but for a night of near normality where he could have a family dinner he would eat all the processed sugar goods his wife wanted. But he wasn't about to tell her that, or he'd never hear the end of it.

"I saw Jason and Elizabeth this morning and invited them over," he said, playing along with her. "I figured Elizabeth might need it, especially after today."

His wife arched her brow and strolled over to him, leaning her hip against the granite countertop. "What's up? You and Jason - especially him - have been tense ever since you returned from the dead."

Sonny set the spoon on the trivet and glanced toward the door to make sure Michael wasn't there. "Alcazar bribed the gallery owner to hire Elizabeth so he would know where she was. He broke into her apartment, stopped her on her way to work; tried to push her towards Jason, distract him so I would be vulnerable. Jason was going to talk to the owner today."

Carly turned and swiped her finger through the sauce, then tasted it, earning a glare from Sonny. "How'd Jason react?"

"How do you think?"

"I imagine his first instinct was to kill Alcazar again," she said. "Then he probably got like you and hated that his enemies were targeting her and wants to protect her."

"Pretty much," Sonny confirmed as he put the bread in the oven to warm. Then he picked up the pasta and carried to the sink to drain the water off. "He said she's not sure if she wants to keep the job."

"Hmmm," she murmured as she reached for a grape tomato. "Yeah, she seems like she'd be bothered knowing she didn't get it on her merits. I remember how it felt when I had the idea for Club 101 and Jax believed in it and wanted to help out. Greatest feeling."

Sonny scowled. "He probably only did it because you were my wife and he knew it'd upset me."

"Ex-wife," she corrected, "and the idea was sound. But honestly, let's not get into that again. The point is, Elizabeth thought she got the job on her own, and then she hears it was all because of a bribe...oh, my word, am I actually trying to understand and argue a point for Elizabeth Webber?"

He laughed at her mock-pained expression and dried his hands before walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Yes, yes you are."

He silenced any further protests or comments she could make with a kiss. His wife, despite all her denials and attempts not to, seemed to be finding some understanding and respect for Elizabeth. He wouldn't delude himself into thinking they'd be best friends, but maybe he wouldn't have to hear the snide comments and put downs anymore.

"Ewwwww."

With a laugh, Carly pulled away and looked over at Michael who was standing in the doorway covering his eyes and shuddering. "What are you doing, Michael?"

"No more kissing," he pleaded. "Besides, Uncle Jason and Elizabeth are here."

"Okay, let's go," Carly laughed as she wiped Sonny's mouth with her thumb and whispered, "lipstick."

"Tell them to go ahead and sit at the table," he called after them. "Dinner is ready."

Sonny watched Carly and Michael walk out of the room, and then heard the soft sound of voices carrying in from the living room. He put the pasta and sauce into bowls and then brought them to the table, saying hi to Jason and Elizabeth himself. He smiled at them as Jason pulled out her chair for her, then sat down beside her. Back in the kitchen he pulled the bread out, placed it in a basket and returned to the table with it and the salad. Carly was already opening the wine, and he realized that she had brought out a bottle of beer for Jason as well.

He couldn't help but smile as he sat down and looked over his friends and family sitting there with him. It had been a long time coming for them, and he hoped it continued. Especially for Jason and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth sat on the couch, waiting for Jason to come back downstairs. Michael had wanted to show him the diorama he was working on for school and then asked him to read him a story. She told Jason she would wait for him, and that he could take his time knowing how much he loved being with the little boy. She would always remember the pain and emptiness Jason felt over losing Michael and was glad he'd gotten to have a relationship again with the boy he'd once called his son.

Sitting in the living room with Sonny and Carly was getting to her though. Carly was being, if not nice then at least not rude, but it was a little strained. Sonny was dealing with a coffee supplier on the phone who was having an emergency, and Carly was talking about Michael's latest obsession with robots. When Sonny finally hung up the phone, Elizabeth decided to act, feigning a yaw and standing up.

"I...I think I'm going to head back over to Jason's. Just let him know when he comes down, okay?"

"Sure," Sonny told her with a smile.

"Thank you for dinner, Sonny, it was delicious. Goodnight. Goodnight, Carly."

"Night," she murmured from the couch where she'd picked up a magazine.

Sonny walked her to the door and told her goodnight once again and that he was glad she'd come over. She waved at Johnny as she headed across the hall, then let herself in the place she'd called home for the past couple of weeks. When the door was closed, she leaned her head against the smooth wood and sighed. Dinner had been wonderful, feeling like a Norman Rockwell painting - with just a slight twist. She liked Sonny and this new relationship with Carly was nice, if still a little befuddling. Michael, as all children do, made her immediately feel welcome and like his oldest friend.

But dinner had also been hard. She loved Jason, and she loved being here with him. And while she had decided to keep her job, she had also decided to move back to her apartment. She just felt they weren't ready to live together on a permanent basis yet. How was she supposed to tell him that, though, and how was she supposed to deal with the deep emptiness that filled her at the thought of not being near him like this?

Chapter 13

She was leaving. Elizabeth had decided to wait until the weekend to move out, but the point was she was still leaving. They had talked about it, he told her he wished she would stay - not to protect her but because he wanted her there - but she still decided to move back to her apartment.

He stood downstairs, leaning against the wall by the pool table. The room looked stark without her blanket on the couch, or her sketch pads and pencils on the coffee table. The closet seemed too big for just his one jacket, and without her purse and half its belongings scattered across his desk it looked too tidy and organized. He never thought he'd long for clutter in his life, but if Elizabeth was part of the package he'd gladly take it.

He turned when he heard the door upstairs close and Elizabeth walk down the hallway. Crossing the room, he started up the stairs to meet her on the landing and silently take her suitcases from her. She quietly thanked him, then waited at the bottom of the stairs as he placed the bags by the door.

"Are you sure you just want Francis to take you home?"

She reached out her hands towards him and he took them, tracing a light pattern across the back of them. "I know this doesn't make sense to you, but I'm not ready...I don't think we're ready for this yet. But at the same time it's hard for me to walk away from here, and I...it's just better if Francis takes me home."

His throat felt tight and his stomach ill. "If you feel you need to go, I won't stop you. But I won't give up on you."

She gave a ghost of a smile. "I'm not giving up on your either, so I'm glad to hear that. Does that mean you'll call me up, ask me out on a date?"

"Every chance I can," he promised.

"Pick me up and take me for rides?"

Her hopeful sparkle was bright, but brief. Her eyes were growing moist and he didn't want to make this any harder on her, or himself. She didn't feel the time was right now. He would just convince her that there would be a time that was, and he would wait until then. He had lived a life without Elizabeth, and he knew it was better with her. If she needed time to be more comfortable with them and their relationship, then he would give it to her. In a few weeks they'd gone from one extreme to another. He understood her hesitancy.

"I'll pick you up whenever you want to go for one...and maybe I'll just surprise you sometimes."

She shifted her stance and he knew there was no point to drag it out. Opening the door he took a deep breath and waited for Francis to turn from his post. "Take her bags down to the car."

The guard nodded and picked up the suitcases, then headed for the elevator. When the guard was out of sight, Jason pulled Elizabeth into a tight hug. He pressed his face into her hair, then pulled back and captured her lips in a kiss. Heat, tempered with sorrow flowed through him and he could taste it's echo in her. Slowly he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," she whispered.

"I'll walk you down."

She shook her head no, and stopped him. "I'll...I'll call you later tonight."

"I'll be here," he told her, then stood there feeling helpless as she stepped away. Their hands were still twined together and his lifted, his fingers sliding apart from hers until only their fingertips were still touching. Then their connection broke and his heart constricted painfully.

He stood there with the door open until he heard the elevator arrive and she climbed on. When the metal doors slid closed, he finally shut his own. And in the empty penthouse that now felt cold and sterile, he pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to hold the tears back. It was no surprise though when he lost the battle.

Carly stopped on her way to the elevators and frowned. Francis was standing against the concrete wall between the elevators and the stairs, looking unseeingly at a distant spot in the garage. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be guarding Elizabeth seeing as the little tease was moving out.

Her best friend was miserable because the little girl had for some inexplicable reason decided to move back to her apartment instead of staying with Jason. What woman in her right mind turned down Jason Morgan when he asked her to move in with him? Even Saint Robin had moved in, and Carly herself had jumped at the chance and kept trying to come back. She thought it was her cousin who was supposed to have been brainwashed.

"Francis," she said, "I thought you were supposed to be guarding Elizabeth."

"I am," he said with a tip of his head towards the stairwell.

"Ah," she replied. Well, she'd go see what this was all about. Her high heels clicked over the concrete as she rounded the corner to the stair alcove, and what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks. "Elizabeth?"

The younger woman looked up, her eyes red, her cheeks splotchy and her mascara mostly cried off. Good grief, she was more than her usual mess. Yet, Carly found she couldn't just walk away. "What's wrong?"

Elizabeth sniffed and looked away. "Don't worry about it, Carly."

"Well, see, that's the problem," she replied, leaning against the concrete wall. "I do. Jason is my friend, and he's miserable right now. I thought this was what you wanted, but you look even worse than he did this morning. So, what's wrong, muffin?"

That should get her at least a little worked up. Elizabeth looked up, then shook her head and muttered. "I must be out of my mind."

There were so many retorts rolling around in Carly's head, and she was proud of herself when she didn't say any of them. Something, besides Jason's voice in her head, told her to stay quiet. Elizabeth sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I thought I was making the right decision."

"Moving out?" Carly asked, when the younger woman fell silent.

Elizabeth nodded. "I felt it was too soon, and after everything that happened this summer I thought we should take our time. We went from good, to bad, to worse and back to good, all within a few short months. I...I wanted to be sure. I needed to be sure that I wasn't just running to Jason, using him because he was safe or something."

Ah crap. Why did Elizabeth have to go and say something like that? She wanted to be sure she wasn't using Jason. Carly wanted to be mad at her, and instead she was feeling a measure of respect. "So, if you wanted to be sure, what's the problem?"

"I feel like I'm cutting off my arm. I've been sitting down here for almost half an hour crying because I don't want to get in the car. Sure, I could, and I did, but I got right back out."

"Then there's your answer Elizabeth," Carly said, coming over and sitting down beside her. "You don't want to leave, so don't. You'll be miserable, he'll be miserable...be happy. Jason certainly deserves it...and I guess so do you."

"Gee, thanks," the younger woman said dryly.

"Look, it's clear that you finally woke up and realized that Jason is a wonderful man and you'll never find anyone better. And while I may continue to question why, Jason's clearly decided he wants to be with you. So why are you sitting down here when you clearly want to be upstairs?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth shrugged, but Carly could see the determination and life coming back into the woman.

Now it was Carly who was sure she needed to have her examined. Standing up she reached down and pulled Elizabeth to her feet. "Well, stop trying to figure it out and just get upstairs. Jason won't care that you left earlier. He'll be so happy you're back you'll probably get lucky tonight."

Oh, ewww, did she just say that? She really had to stop being so nice to Elizabeth.

The younger woman's cheeks reddened, but she smiled. "Thanks, Carly."

Then she turned and started running up the stairs. Carly merely shook her head and walked back to where Francis was standing next to Max. The two men regarded her curiously as she approached. "Take her bags back upstairs. 'Though I wouldn't knock on their door any time tonight, but that's just me."

Francis shook his head and walked off muttering under his breath. Carly joined in as Max started to laugh, and the two climbed on the elevator after the door opened.

"At least they both to seem to be on the same page now," Max said when the elevator started climbing. "I was not looking forward to dealing with either one of them until she moved back in."

"Me too, Max. Me too," she answered with surprising honesty.

She paused on top of the landing and leaned forward to catch her breath. What had she been thinking deciding to run up the stairs? She should have waited for the elevator, Carly was probably already home, but who could wait for an elevator when she had to get back to Jason?

Pulling open the stairwell door, she didn't bother glancing at Sonny and Carly's, just zeroed in on Jason's. She debated using her key he refused to take back, but instead knocked. She had left, despite his asking her to stay, and she didn't feel she could just walk in. Impatiently she knocked again and really hoped Jason hadn't gone to sleep.

"What?" Jason snapped as the door was wrenched opened. He paused, noticing it was her and his face softened into a question. "E-Elizabeth? I-I thought you left."

"I couldn't," she whispered, pained to see his red-rimmed eyes and lost look. "I thought it was what I wanted, what I needed...but I couldn't. I sat in the garage telling myself to just get in the car and go back to my apartment; that we needed to take things slow. But I can't leave...because I love you and you're a part of me...and the thought of leaving you is like...it's like cutting my arm off."

He stood there for a moment, and fear began to creep in. Fear that she'd hurt him too deeply; fear that they would start the dance all over again, her chasing after him while he tried to protect his heart. Slowly, she lowered her gaze to the floor as tears flooded her eyes. Would they ever get right? Could they ever get their hearts at the same place at the same time?

She didn't know Jason had moved until she felt his arm around her waist, and she was stumbling to stay standing as he pulled her inside. With his other hand he cupped her jaw and lifted her head to meet his mouth as it came crashing down to mate with hers. Raising her arms, she clung to him, losing herself in the kiss.

"I-I love you too," Jason breathed out when they pulled apart for air. "I...you came back...I'm so glad you came back to me."

"Me too," she smiled, before tugging his head down so she could claim his lips once again.

The next time they broke apart, Jason raked his fingers through Elizabeth's hair and she shivered at the sensuousness of it. "Where are you bags?"

She gave a careless shrug. "Francis put them in the car. After I talked to Carly-"

"Carly?"

She shook her head; "It's a long story."

"Okay," he smiled. "You'll tell me later. Go on."

"Why thank you," she smiled back with a small chuckle. "After I talked to Carly and she told me to get up here, I didn't stop to think about my bags. All I could think about was seeing you again."

"Doesn't matter," he replied with a quirk of his brow. He walked her to the side, reaching out to close the door and twist the lock into place. "We'll get them later."

He brought his lips against hers again in a slow, drugging kiss that left her pulse racing and her body heated, craving more. She smiled languidly against his cheek, then peppered it with kisses as she moved towards his ear. "Much, much later."

"Tomorrow works for me."

"Hmm, I like the way you think."

Jason leaned back, flashing her a wolfish grin before pulling her flush against him. "Well if you like that, then you're going to love what I come up with next."

"Really?" she replied, matching his grin with one of her own. "I think I can't wait to find out."

The End

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