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Chapter 73

~Elizabeth's Apartment~

When she opened the door, Elizabeth smiled broadly at Jason; she felt nervous, but also excited, to see him again. Adjusting Cameron on her hip, she kept him close as a safety net and as a buffer. Seeing Jason brought a flood of memories from last night into her mind. If she didn't have a hold of Cameron she was afraid she'd fly into Jason's arms and take him where they stood. As it was, she felt her cheeks burn as she stepped aside to let him come in.

"Hi," she said softly, commanding herself to not turn into a blithering idiot. "Come on in."

"Thanks," he said. That one word conveyed a tone that made her wonder if he was nervous about this evening as well.

He looked down at Cameron and smiled at her little boy. "Hey, Cam."

She wanted to ask him about his day, but knew he would have been involved with business so they couldn't discuss that. Instead she said, "Dinner's almost ready. You want to sit down?"

He shook his head, "Can I help you with anything? Does Cameron need to be fed?"

"Actually, I fed him already," she said. "He was hungry earlier. I have some little snacks for him to eat when we do."

"Let me take him, then," Jason insisted. He reached out and took her son and even the slightest brush of contact sent warmth flooding through her and making her stomach clench.

He followed behind her as she pulled out their simple dinner from the oven. She knew Jason didn't care what they had, and she had wanted to spend her time with Cameron and not have a lot of worry about a meal. It wasn't like the big dinners the Webbers had when she was growing up, or even that she'd had with her grandmother. She didn't care because this was her apartment, her first Christmas with her son and so no matter what they had or what they did, this evening was a success to her. And having Jason with her made it even better.

Jason got Cameron situated in his high chair and she gave him some cereal pieces to place on the boy's tray. She set their dinner on the table and then they sat down. At that point, she felt some of her nervousness fade. This was just another dinner for them; something they'd shared before. It felt normal and familiar and it was easier to push the undercurrent of their night together down and not keep focusing on it.

Eventually, they both settled down and enjoyed their dinner and time together. They talked about some of their favorite Christmases, and while it was awkward to remember why they spent their first Christmas together it wasn't all completely bad. They could reflect on presents, quiet times together and Elizabeth's catching Christmas spirit. As they finished eating, Jason made a statement that stole her breath.

"That first Christmas, I was so grateful to have someone there who cared about me and would stand up to anyone for me. It kept me going at a time when I was ready to give up." He licked his lips and then said, "You've saved me again, Elizabeth. After everything that's happened this year…I-I don't know if I could have made it through."

He sighed and then reached out and covered her hand. His thumb swept over her skin and Elizabeth felt her heart rate speed up. "I once told you there were no words…there still aren't. You are my friend, but you are so much more than that. It's not just because of the people I've lost when I say you've become important to me. I am so glad you're back in my life."

She twisted her lips in a futile effort to keep from crying, but when he stood and pulled her up into his arms, she felt fat, warm tears leak out. She needed to kiss him; it didn't entirely matter to him what she had planned. Lifting her head and looking at him intently she was relieved to see it mirrored on his face. He lowered his mouth to hers and she drank him in.

A squeal from Cameron brought them back and she leaned her head against Jason's chest. Looking over at her son, she smiled at him and tried to calm her breathing. She could hear Jason's heart thudding under her ear as his hands slowly brushed over her back.

"Are you ready to go, Cam?" she asked, stepping away from the man who unknowingly held her heart. "Ready to go get everything set for Santa to come?"

She looked at Jason and gave him a brief smile, and then gathered her son from his highchair. The three of them then went into the front room where Elizabeth was prepared to help him put his stocking up and experience his first Christmas.

~Deserted Road~

Manny rubbed his gloved hands together as he walked down the road. He'd parked his car and hidden it carefully, and now was going to the latest safe house that Jason Morgan had purchased. It was the night before Christmas and this little mouse was looking for a place to hide. With this brand new place his mole had just told him about, he would have a few days to hide out.

He could also scope out the place and figure out a way to get ahead of Morgan. The other mobster was buying new houses because Manny had given away the fact that he knew where the organization's safe houses were when he stumbled upon an occupied one. Morgan knew that Manny had a mole that had given him shipping schedules, but the enforcer-turned-mob boss had no idea just how highly placed that mole was.

It was fun to know he knew something Morgan didn't. He knew where every single new house that Morgan purchased was, and he knew that it meant the other man was nervous. He was scrambling to deal with the threat the Miami mobster posed, but the younger man was running blind. And he would always be behind because Manny's insider was relaying every piece of information about Morgan's movements and motivations.

Manny needed to take tonight to figure out how exactly to use this to his best advantage. Morgan was working hard to keep everything together, and even though he was projecting an aura of control to his people the inside report stated Morgan had a tenuous grasp at times. His rock seemed to be lovely single mother Elizabeth Webber, and Manny firmly believed she was the key to Morgan's control. On himself. If something happened to her, the mobster would potentially, or at least temporarily, crumble.

Morgan had guards on her and her child, had moved her into Harbor View Towers and had responded very quickly when Manny had approached her outside her work. Based on the growing intimacy he had observed before he left and that his insider reported on, Morgan would probably respond even more strongly if Manny were to go after the lovely Elizabeth again. If anything were to happen to her Morgan would be vulnerable and ripe for revenge. Because Manny had no intention of stopping until he had avenged Javi's death.

It was almost too bad that sweet Elizabeth would have to be hurt in the process, Manny thought as he let himself into Morgan's safe house. But, he figured she had brought it into her life by associating with Morgan. If she hadn't so blatantly broadcast she was friends with the mobster, then Manny would never have bothered her. So this wasn't his fault; he was merely following their lead.

~Elizabeth's Apartment~

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

Her stocking was next to Cameron's, and a plate of brownies sat next to a glass of milk. When she put the plate out, Jason raised a brow and smiled, then asked where the cookies were. She pertly informed him that she made better brownies than cookies and so the Webber Family would be giving Santa brownies. The jolly old elf would probably be grateful for a break from cookies.

Jason was feeding Cameron his last bottle of the day while Elizabeth read. As she mentioned a mouth drawn up like a bow, she looked over at the pair and paused with a smile. Cameron was asleep, the bottle hanging slack from his mouth. Closing the book she reached out, brushing her fingertips over her little boy's fine hair.

"Maybe we'll be able to read more next year," she laughed. Looking up at Jason briefly, she chuckled, "You probably think this is silly."

"No," he said softly as he handed her Cameron. Adjusting a cloth diaper on her shoulder, she worked gently to ease a burp from her son while not waking him. "I think that you enjoyed this, and he'll enjoy it in the years to come. It's good to have traditions."

"I'm going to put him in his room," she said, standing up from the couch. Jason's hand was on her elbow to assist and she smiled briefly.

After putting Cameron down in his crib, she covered him with his blanket. He was in a warm, footed sleeper, so the blanket wasn't entirely necessary, but she was taking some time. Without Cameron to be a buffer between them, she and Jason would be alone. She didn't know what would happen tonight, or even what she wanted to happen. This wasn't just about sex for her, and she didn't want to treat it that way. But it wasn't honest to say that she didn't care at all either.

Finally, when she felt she couldn't hide out any longer, she went back out into the front room, and got a surprise. Jason had taken the opportunity with her being out of the room to bring presents in. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Did Santa come early?" she teased as she approached him.

"Maybe a friend," he answered with a small smile, and a slightly nervous tone entering his voice. "I saw something for Cameron and I...I got it even though I know he's a little young for it."

"He can always grow into it," she tried to comfort his uncertainty. "What is it?"

"It's still in the hall," he said and she raised a brow. There were several new presents under the tree; she figured he was referring to one of them.

She followed behind him and saw a brightly colored train and with a smiling face. "It's called Chuggin' Charlie," he explained. "The saleslady said it's pretty big this year."

He picked it up and carried it into her apartment. "I know he's a little small for it now, but it's got an accessories kit with a handle you could push him with when he gets bigger. It's got a strap to hold him on. He can push it when he's walking and then he can sit on it and push it with his feet. The saleslady said he should be able to play with it for years."

Elizabeth was surprised at how much thought he'd put into this, and then she realized she shouldn't be. This was Jason; he had raised Michael and loved children. He wouldn't just buy something without thinking about it. It was just...touching that he cared so much about her son to by such an expensive gift.

"Do-do you like it?" he asked, tightening his hold on the plastic toy.

"I do," she assured him. "And Cameron will, too. I just...it's overwhelming, Jason. You didn't have to do something like this for him."

"I wanted to," he said, and she knew it was as simple as the complicated as that.

"Do you want me to put it under the tree?" he asked.

"Actually," she hesitated slightly. "I may wait a couple of months to give it to him. Wait for him to not wobble quite so much when he sits on it. But I...I love...I love it, Jason. Thank you so much."

He set the train down and smiled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm glad. I...I remember getting a toy motorcycle for Michael that he could ride. When I saw the train I-I thought of Cameron and I wanted to get it."

Stepping towards him, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him. She was glad he could remember Michael and not hurt as much. She was still amazed he would buy such a toy for Cameron, but she also knew that Jason wasn't trying to use her son to help ease that hurt.

It seemed a natural progression to go from hugging Jason to kissing him. Her arms worked to keep him close to her even as her hands sought to feel as much of him as possible. At one point, Jason wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. It was a move he'd done last night and then she'd crashed against his bare chest. She gasped against his mouth at the sudden movement and as the frisson of the memory flowed through her.

He pulled back and looked at her, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she nodded and tried to pull him back to her.

He resisted though, his body tensing. "I'm sorry," he sighed. "I...I...this isn't why I came here tonight, Elizabeth. I wanted you to know-"

"Jason," she interrupted softly. "I know. That wasn't why I invited you this morning. But I'm not complaining."

He groaned at her statement and took a step back from her. "I just...I worry about you, Elizabeth. My life isn't safe. People come after me and the people around me with guns. You remember what Sorel did, and we were just friends then. You have a son now."

"I know," she nodded. "But I also know that danger and violence isn't limited to the mob. Helena Cassadine came after me because I was connected to the Spencers. And Tom Baker...I was just sitting on a bench in the park."

Jason groaned again, but this time it was not because of sexual torment. He looked so grief-stricken she would mention her rapist's name.

"Ric targeted me because I was connected to you and Sonny," she stated. "I know that there is danger and you told me Manny is back in Port Charles. I've accepted the guards, and we're living in a secured apartment in a secured building and I'm not running."

Elizabeth licked her lips and shrugged. "Maybe I should be more cautious because of Cameron, and it's not that I'm recklessly disregarding reason or anything. But you and I have seen so much loss this year, Jason. Carly and Emily both died so young... Life is too short and I don't want to be paralyzed by fear or live my life afraid of everything."

"I want to keep you safe, Elizabeth," he said in a thick voice. "And right now, Manny has me worried and he's already come after you once. I just want to be cautious and safe."

She walked up to him and placed her hands on his biceps, feeling them move under her palms. "I understand, Jason. But I told you; right now, I have no desire to run. I...I want to see where this goes."

Jason brought his hands up to cup her face, "So do I. I just...I don't know that I can take you out on a date. It's not that I'm hiding...or embarrassed."

"I know. And for right now, having something only we know about..." She smiled coyly, "Maybe that wouldn't be so bad. Just our little secret."

The corner of his mouth twitched up. "You'd be okay with that?"

"Do I want to hide forever? No," she admitted and hoped he wouldn't think she was pushing him. "But for now, I understand why we should be cautious."

"I don't want it to be forever, either," he confessed. "Manny is just too unpredictable right now, and I'm trying to make things safe with Sonny gone. He doesn't follow any normal rules, and I can't give him any further reason to go after you. But I want to be with you, Elizabeth."

He pulled her closer, and his thumbs brushed across her skin. "I do want to see where this goes."

She rose up on her toes to meet his kiss. She didn't know if he could stay all night, if it would even be the best thing to do, but she was glad to know that he wouldn't have to leave for a little while.

~New Safe House~

Manny had fallen asleep in a back bedroom on a small bed that had been left behind. Morgan's people would decorate the place and make it comfortable to stay in. For now, just the basics were in the house and the heat was on, so it met his requirements for the night.

He was pulled out of his sleep by a car arriving, its engine rumbling through the silence. Getting up, he pulled on his shoes and then picked up his gun. Looking out the window, he saw a parked car in the back and saw someone disappear around the corner of the house. He moved down the hallway, keeping his grip on the gun loose and relaxed, and soon he was rewarded by his alarm sounding that the door had just been opened. Everything went still and quiet.

"What was that?" a voice carried to him.

"Come into my parlor, said the spider to the flight," Manny whispered delightedly to himself.

Someone from Morgan's organization had come to the house. The car and the multiple footsteps highly spoke against a squatter looking for a warm place for the night. It looked like he was going to get a very nice Christmas present. As he stood, waiting for the person to move into the room, a grin spread across his face when he finally saw his visitor.

Merry Christmas to him.

Chapter 74

~Quartermaine Mansion~

Monica was sitting in the breakfast room when Alan came downstairs early in the morning. He'd woken up at an unreasonable hour and had tried not to rouse his wife when he slipped out of bed, and then had been surprised to discover she was already gone. It appeared neither of them could sleep lately.

Quietly he entered the room and made sure to walk in her line of sight so he did not startle her. He sat down beside her and gently placed his hand on her knee.

"Hey," she said softly, leaning towards him.

"You're up early," he commented. "Couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head. "How is it possible that today is Christmas? It just..."

"Feels wrong," he admitted. "My mother was the one person this whole family loved and gathered around. With her gone...we all felt lost."

"And now Emily," she said, covering her mouth with her hand as she tried to choke back a sob. "It hurts so much...so much to lose them both this year."

Alan's throat burned with grief and loss and he leaned his head against his wife's. His mother and his daughter had been taken from him this year and he hadn't been prepared for either loss. He was sad and he was angry and he felt so lost and alone. The one bright spot he thought the family might have was taken away when A.J. left town with Michael. His son hardly called, and the family had resigned themselves to not have a relationship with the little boy.

"I bought her presents," Monica sighed shakily. "I don't know what to do with them. I can't bear the thought of taking them back, but what else can we do with them? I also can't bear the thought of giving them to someone else."

He pulled Monica closer to him and held her as she tried to compose herself. "We don't have to figure it out today, Monica. Nobody will expect us to do everything right away."

"I think about today and even though we have Dillon and Brook Lynn back visiting...all I can think of are those who won't be there. And not just because they're dead; I want our sons with us."

"I know," Alan agreed.

He strongly suspected they wouldn't hear a word from A.J. They hadn't gotten any presents or even a card from him, even though Monica had made sure to send a box to the family. Their oldest son seemed determined to thumb his nose at them and ignore everyone. He had his son and he was clear across the country and he had no intention of letting them have a chance to know Michael. At this point, he really wasn't any better than Sonny and Carly.

Their best hope was actually Jason, but Alan was smart enough not to count on him. He could surprise them by calling, but he didn't really regard them as his family because they had pushed him too hard and he pulled away. The two people that he would keep in contact with were now dead. However, with Emily and Lila's deaths, that might make him reach out to the rest of the family today.

Or he could be so busy with once again running Sonny Corinthos' criminal organization that he wouldn't carve out time for them. It angered Alan so much to know that Jason would so anything for the thug who took advantage of him, but would ignore the family who loved him. But if they reached out to Jason, he would retreat farther away from them and put up more walls. So they had to sit and wait and hope; all the while knowing they'd more than likely end up disappointed.

"Merry Christmas, Doctor Quartermaine," Alice said softly as she came into the room. "And Doctor Quartermaine, Merry Christmas to you too, sir."

He smiled at the maid, "Good morning, Alice. Merry Christmas to you. Thank you for bringing this."

She had placed a tray with coffee and pastries on the coffee table in front of them. The pastries were fresh and Alan thought he could even see steam rising up from them.

"Cook wasn't sure if you wanted a full breakfast now or to wait for the rest of the family," she said, "but she thought you might enjoy these."

Pouring a cup of coffee, she handed it to Monica and then gave one to Alan. He accepted the china cup and smiled at the maid's kindness. "Thank you, Alice. And tell Cook thank you as well."

"If you need anything else, please let us know," she said, then quietly left the room.

Alan sipped at his coffee and held his wife against his side and just prayed to get through the day ahead.

~Elizabeth's Apartment~

By the time Elizabeth's grandmother and brother arrived, she and Cameron had been awake long enough to open Jason's presents and put them away. Jason had already left in the morning, waking Elizabeth before he returned to his penthouse. He didn't want to leave, but they both knew how her grandmother would react to his presence. So he kissed her good-bye, told her he loved her, and left her apartment.

She felt all the unfairness of the action. Why should he be alone while she was with her family? She knew he wouldn't spend time with the Quartermaines or call them, and everybody else was gone. Aside from his guards, she was the only person he would willingly want to be with. And she'd kicked him out of her apartment early this morning.

Despite knowing that's not really how it happened, it still made her feel bad that she was greeting her gram and Steven ready to open presents and have brunch while Jason would be sitting in his penthouse alone. That was why she and Cameron had opened his presents early in her bedroom. She felt that she owed it to her new lover to open his presents away from the prying, and judging, eyes of her grandmother and brother.

Her cherished treasures were now tucked away in her bedroom as she greeted her family. "Gram. Steven. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Darling," Gram smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Hey, Lizbits," Steven grinned and then took Cameron out of her hands. "Hey, big guy."

"Careful," she cautioned him. "He just finished his bottle."

"Oh," her brother laughed, looking at his nephew. "You wouldn't spit up on me, would you?"

"You've been warned," she stated with a raise of her brow as she helped her grandmother set out the presents under the tree. Once they were distributed she smiled warmly at her grandmother, "I'm glad you're here, Gram."

"We wouldn't miss Cameron's first Christmas," the older woman smiled in return. Then it dimmed slightly, "But I don't understand why it has to be here."

"Because this is Cameron's home," she said, desperately trying to avoid a fight this morning.

"Because one of Jason's Morgan's enemies has threatened you," the older woman huffed. "And you moving in here does not help get you out of danger."

"And being around Lucky and Nikolas put me in danger from Helena Cassadine," she stated bluntly. "You remember her, don't you, Gram? She wanted me dead and so I took poison before hiding for weeks fearing for my life."

When the older woman and Steven blinked, Elizabeth sighed, "I don't want to fight with you, Gram. Especially not today. But I am an adult, and I am tired of people trying to tell me I can't be friends with Jason Morgan or I need to do this instead of that. It is my life and I am aware of the reality of the situation."

Steven walked over beside Elizabeth and their grandmother and said, "It's Christmas, Gram."

"I don't want to fight," Elizabeth fairly pleaded. "Please, Gram. I know we won't agree on Jason, but do we have to fight every time we see each other?"

The woman sighed and then softened, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I didn't mean to fight...I just worry about you, Darling."

"I know," she acknowledged. It was more than her parents did and she appreciated it. Most of the time. "I know you worry and I know you care. But this is my life, Gram, and I'm tired of everyone trying to tell me what I should do."

Her grandmother frowned, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, if I made you feel like I was trying to tell you what to do."

Elizabeth looked away.

"I did tell you what to do, didn't I?" Gram said heavily.

"Gram," she interrupted, attempting to diffuse the building tension. "Let's just enjoy today, please? Cameron and I want to give you your presents and have fun today."

"I think that's a great idea," Steven said with a bright grin while giving Cameron a little bounce. "I want to see if this little guy likes the gift I got him."

"I agree," their grandmother nodded, forcing an unaffected smile. It was clear she would never be happy about Elizabeth's association with Jason, but she was willing to let it go for now.

Reaching out to take Cameron from his uncle the great-grandmother cooed, "Let's see if you end up enjoying Christmas as much as your mother."

Elizabeth let out a breath as they all moved towards the tree. It wasn't perfect, and she didn't believe her grandmother would now just accept Jason, but maybe there would be less fights about him now. Elizabeth was not going to listen to lectures on how bad Jason was from the woman who had told her to go back to Ric. This was her life, and she was going to live it for herself.

~Jason's Penthouse~

This was not the way Max had planned on spending Christmas, but it would help him and Jason see if Milo would fit in in the organization. He glanced over at his brother, then knocked on his boss' door. After a few moments, the wooden structure swung open and Jason looked at him in question.

"Hey, Jason," he said somewhat uneasily.

"Max. What's going on?"

"We have a problem."

With a sigh, the acting boss opened the door and let them in. Max saw a box on the table with brightly colored wrapping paper beside it. He knew that his boss and Miss Webber had been spending a lot of time together and the guard on Jason's door reported that the single mother had spent the entire night after Miss Quartermaine's funeral with the enforcer turned head of the organization. Despite the speculation and curiosity everyone had regarding their boss and his relationship with the graphic artist, Max had been quick to insist that the boss' personal life would stay that way. They would not gossip or make the pair feel uncomfortable.

He wondered if he'd interrupted something this morning, but knew that Jason wouldn't have invited them in if Miss Webber was here. It helped him feel a little better, aside from the news he had to tell the other man. That made him wish he hadn't eaten four donuts this morning before he'd received the phone call.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

"Ric Lansing is dead," Max said with a grimace.

"What?" Jason demanded. "What guard decided to do that?"

"It wasn't a guard," he shook his head. "At least we think it wasn't a guard considering two of them are also dead."

The very beleaguered man ran his hand over his face. "Tell me what happened, Max."

"I got a call from the guards who were supposed to have duty this morning. They said the safe house was empty; the guards and Ric were gone but there wasn't any sign of a struggle. So I sent them out to search the area, but then I got a call."

Jason tilted his head in question and Max said, "I think it was Manny. He said to check our latest purchase to find our missing guest."

He sighed and said, "Milo and I went out to the house Bernie finalized yesterday."

After a pause he said, "You need to see it."

~Safe House~

This house had only been acquired the day before. Only a few people knew about it. So how did guards who didn't know about it along with Ric end up here? And how did Manny Ruiz stumble upon it?

The two guards who had been assigned to Ric were dead just inside the door. Ric was further inside the room, but just as dead. They weren't tortured; the guards had clearly been caught by surprise. Jason stared at the scene and desperately wished he knew what had happened. There were too many questions and they could not afford them right now. Just like they couldn't afford to have Manny Ruiz getting inside their safe houses.

Somewhere in the organization was a mole and Jason knew he had to be eliminated soon. The unpleasant fact was that the mole was someone in his inner circle. Only five people knew about the safe house.

"We have a traitor, Boss," Max pointed out. "Five of us knew about this place."

The guard shifted a little uneasily, "I understand if you don't trust me right now, but I was with Milo since he showed up yesterday. But I know I was one of the people who knew about the new places."

Jason held up his hand but Max kept going, "I didn't tell anyone about the places you've been buying. I only brought Milo this morning because he knows how to use a gun and I felt I needed backup."

"Max, Max," he interrupted. "I don't believe you're the mole."

The practical part of Jason knew that he should be suspicious of everyone, but his instincts told him that Max was not the mole. The guard could never bluff at poker well and he showed too easily when he was nervous. Right now, Max was practically drowning in sweat and nervous fidgets. He was stammering and shifting on his feet and his eyes and expressions were completely open.

"So what do we do?" Max asked.

"I'm not sure yet," he shook his head. "Right now, we need to clean up this place. How were you planning to dispose of Ric?"

"We had him planning a vacation," Max began. "But with this now, we need to change things around and Stan's visiting his mother for Christmas. Should we contact him?"

"Have one of the guards bring the computer geek and his laptop and tell him to help you," Jason ordered. "We need this done sooner than Stan can get to it. Have him rent a cabin somewhere remote or have him check into an old hotel because his car broke down or he was tired. Then torch the place. He'll be the only victim, and he'll be burnt beyond recognition."

"What about the bullet holes to his head?" Milo questioned. "Won't that be suspicious if he dies in a fire?"

"Milo," Max hissed, "shut up. Now."

"No," Jason shook his head. "That's a good point. Look, nothing will be perfect, but do your best. Find a small town that doesn't have a tendency to call in big city forensics teams. Bribe someone as a last resort, but get his body out of here. I know it's Christmas..."

"It's okay," Max shook his head. "This is a top priority. If you trust me and Milo-"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Then Milo and I will take care of it," his acting second promised. "We'll get this cleaned up and we'll call you when it's done."

"What about the guards?" Milo asked. "Is there any family or someone..."

"No," Max answered. "That's why they had duty last night. Come on, Milo. You wanna work for Mr. Morgan, then this is your chance to prove you're up to it."

The young man nodded eagerly, but also looked a little nervous. Jason looked around the room and settled his hands on his hips in frustration. His day had started out so well and now he was the middle of a nightmare and he knew that until he found his mole and took care of Manny that it was only going to get worse.

~Remote Cabin~

The nearest neighbor was over a quarter of a mile away. Through thick, undisturbed forest. The couple, vacationing for their first Christmas together at a romantic retreat, heard the explosion but didn't know what it was. The husband looked outside, but quickly retreated back into the warmth of the cabin and his wife's arms. It wasn't until hours later when she got up for a middle of the night bathroom break that she saw the flames rising above the trees.

The couple called the emergency caretaker and 911. One of Jason's guards, moonlighting as the holiday caretaker, stood back and watched as the volunteer fire brigade tried to keep the fire from engulfing the whole forest. He answered questions about the guest renting the cabin and then worked hard to show the proper amount of shock and horror as the fireman emerged from the structure and said there was a burnt body inside.

The fire's cause was later determined to be a faulty connection from the propane tank to the cabin. The property owner was horrified that a guest had died; it was almost a shame he would ultimately pay the price for the propane leak the guard had caused when he put Ric's body inside. Jason would make sure the man didn't face any actual jail time and would find some way to compensate him for any fines the owner incurred.

Now the guard could report back to Max that Ric Lansing had been disposed of in a way that would hopefully not be traced back to Jason. Finding Manny Ruiz had now become the organization's number one priority and every man was needed. He'd done his job disposing of a corpse, and now he was ready to go after the big boys.

Chapter 75

~Elizabeth's Apartment~

When she opened her door, Elizabeth was wondering why exactly her boss had decided to come instead of sending a messenger. She tucked her hair behind her ear and ushered Ned in.

"Hi, Ned," she greeted him. "I was just expecting a messenger."

"I wanted to talk to you," he stated. She must not have concealed her worry because he quickly said, "No, no, it's nothing bad, and especially not with your job. No, you're doing a great job and Lois is really excited about the work you're doing. She says you have a lot of talent and understand her when she describes something."

Elizabeth smiled somewhat embarrassedly, but unable to deny that she was pleased by the praise. It wasn't her normal style of art and sometimes she wondered if Ned and Lois would wise up and tell her they'd decided to go with someone better qualified. She was also relieved that Ned apparently wasn't here to let her go.

"I certainly enjoy it," she said. "It's a challenge."

"Do you get a chance to do any of your own art?" he asked.

"I've done some sketching," she answered. "Some charcoals or pastels. I don't really want to set up to paint with Cameron starting to crawl and grab onto things."

"That's good," her boss smiled. "You have a lot of talent and you should get a chance to express yourself. And you know, if you ever want to set up a room at the studio to work you could do that. We have the offices Chloe used; I'm sure we could work out something for you."

Elizabeth kept her expression neutral, but she definitely was suspicious about Ned's conversation. This couldn't have been why he came over here personally. To talk to her about her art and offer her a studio to work in; it felt like he was working her for an ulterior motive. The only thing she could think of was Ned had shown up for some reason to talk about Jason. There was a part of her that began to feel indignant at the thought.

She wasn't going to be rude and immediately dismiss him, but she wasn't going to be enthusiastic in her response, "That's a very generous offer, Ned. I...I'll have to think about it. I don't know that I want to have Maria come over to watch Cam just for my painting. I guess it's different for my work, but this is my hobby."

Ned smiled with a little laugh, "A common feeling of new parents. But remember to take some time for yourself."

She nodded, and decided against telling him she was spending her free time with his cousin. Especially since she had the feeling he had come over here to talk about Jason. She was happy doing some sketching, but mostly she was trying to be a good mother to Cameron and enjoy spending time with him.

"If you ever want to show your work," Ned offered, "Lois and I know some galleries here and in New York."

With an arch of her brow she said, "I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well, if you'd ever like to," he left the offer open.

"O-kay."

He gave a little chuckle and then said, "You're probably wondering why the sudden offer and why I'm here."

"Well, I'm realizing it's probably not just to pick up my work," she stated pointedly.

"No," her boss admitted. "I'm here on behalf of my family."

Elizabeth folded her arms over her chest and said, "Mmhm. I wondered."

"It's not what you're thinking, though," he said with a shake of his head. "This isn't about Jason. Well...not entirely."

"So then why exactly are you here?"

"The family is aware that you are living in Jason's building and you came to the hospital and Emily's funeral together," he began. "Now, admittedly the old man is looking for ways to use that somehow, but Monica and Alan were quite vocal about that on Christmas. They told him that the quickest way to upset Jason and push him even farther away would be to harass you."

"Astute observation," was all she admitted.

Ned laughed ruefully, "Yes. I'm afraid our grandfather will never give up on Jason, but the others know better than to push. Especially right now. Besides, Monica and Alan were feeling in a rather good mood after Jason called Christmas night. It wasn't long, but he did call. It was probably because of Lila and Emily, but it meant a lot to the family, so Monica forbid Edward from harassing you or Jason."

"Well, I appreciate that," Elizabeth said. "And now I'll be prepared if Mr. Quartermaine suddenly tries to talk to me."

"Yes," he nodded. "But that wasn't the only reason I came. Monica and Alan wanted me to thank you."

Elizabeth leaned back in her seat and asked in confusion, "Thank me? For what?"

"For being there at the hospital with Jason when Emily died," Ned answered softly. She could feel the pain in him as he talked about his cousin's death.

"Well...Jason is my friend."

"I know, and Monica is really glad he has someone who is there for him after everything that's happened."

"I'm not doing it for the Quartermaines," she shook her head pointedly.

"No, no, of course not," Ned quickly said. "And Monica knows that. She's just...she's hurting over Emily's death and Lila's and with A.J. being gone and she worries and cares about Jason despite what he may want or be comfortable with and-"

"I understand," Elizabeth interrupted gently. "And I care about Jason, too, and as I said, I'm his friend. But I'm not going to report on him to your family."

He looked shocked for a moment then said, "No, we're not asking you to. We just wanted you to know that we're glad Jason has a friend. We know this has been difficult for both of you since Emily wasn't as close to you before she died as she used to be."

Ned then sighed, "Emily had a will and it's going to be read and the lawyer said you are both mentioned. We don't know what she says, so we were a little worried for both of you. So hopefully both of you will be able to come together."

She sat looking at the older man feeling slightly numb. She was in Emily's will; she hadn't expected that even when they had been on better terms. Maybe that was because she only had a will to ensure Cameron was taken care of in case something happened to her. She didn't have a will to give things away. Of course, she wondered what exactly Emily had put in her will.

"I'll talk to Jason," she said tonelessly. "Just let me know when the reading will be. But I know he's been really busy."

"I understand," Ned said, and she believed he did understand why she was hesitant. "I'll call you, and if you can't come, we'll have the lawyer call you."

"Okay," she nodded. A part of her began to hope that she couldn't make it. She would rather have Emily's angry diatribe read to her without the Quartermaines listening.

~Coffee Warehouse~

Jason sat in his office across from Max and Milo and looked over the files the men had brought him. He knew he might be taking a chance trusting Max, but he was going with his instinct here. Max wouldn't work with a rival; the man was simply too loyal to ever consider betraying the organization. Besides, the check he had the computer geek Spinelli do brought up nothing suspicious so he was feeling more confident.

"Despite Bernie coming up from Miami, I wasn't worried we'd find anything on him," Max said, clasping his hands in his lap. "And nothing popped. He's never had any suspicious contact with the Ruiz family. I think he's as loyal as his brother."

Just as he should have been more concerned about Max, Jason knew perhaps he should be more suspicious of Bernie. His brother Benny had died while at a meeting Sonny sent him to when Jason had been forced out for dating Courtney. Bernie could have decided to go after Sonny and him, but he seemed to have the same loyalty and work ethic as his brother. Spinelli hadn't been able to find anything that sent up flags.

Maybe he was about to be burned, but he didn't feel like it. He didn't think Max or Bernie were the traitors. That left two possibilities, and both of them had actions and transactions that sent him to a swirl of suspicion. Either his attorney or his tech specialist had betrayed him to Manny Ruiz.

"So how do we flush out the mole?" he asked Max. "What's your idea?"

"False information," he stated simply. "We feed them both false information separately and we see what Manny does."

"Make it intriguing enough that they can't resist telling Ruiz," Milo offered a little nervously. The younger brother was trying hard to show Jason that he could work for him, but also had Max's unease and nerves.

"Then I want you to come up with something," Jason ordered, looking at Max. "It doesn't just have to be about the safe houses. Make up a problem with a shipment or a warehouse; something that makes it seem like I'm having problems. So then I'll have to oversee it personally to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"You want to draw him out?" Max asked.

"Into our trap," he answered.

"We'll have security, right?" the guard asked insistently.

"Of course. We want to trap him, instead of just reacting to him." Fisting his hand on the desk he said, "I'm not going to be reckless. We're going to set this up right and have plenty of people. But I want Manny Ruiz dealt with. He's caused problems long enough."

There was a knock on the door and then Artie opened it slightly, "The cops are here to talk to you, Mr. Morgan."

He cast a glance at Max and then gathered the files and stuck them in a drawer. Nodding at the guard, he sat back and waited for the cops.

"Morgan," Lucky greeted with barely restrained hostility as he walked in with another cop. "We have some questions to ask you."

"You know I don't answer any questions without my lawyer," Jason stated neutrally.

Lucky grinned at the other cop and Jason knew that the PCPD had set this up and actually thought they could get away with it. It appeared Spencer hadn't learned his lesson about coming after Jason, and he knew Jordan would follow through on her harassment complaints. What had Jason shaking his head was that Mac would actually send Lucky over here.

"Then I guess you'll just have to come down to the station," Lucky taunted. "Because we have questions about Ric Lansing's death and we wouldn't want you to skip town."

"I'll call my lawyer and we'll come down," he said, only to be cut off.

"You'll down with us," the other police officer said, stepping forward and reaching for his handcuffs. "I'm sure one of your colleagues here can call your lawyer."

"You're arresting him?" Milo asked in disbelief.

Jason caught the guard's eye and shook his head. "Call Jordan so she can meet me there."

"You got it, Jason," Max assured him.

Then Jason was handcuffed and led out of the office.

~PCPD~

Jordan wasn't waiting when Jason arrived at the police station but he'd barely sat down in the interrogation room when she blew into the building. He could see her through the window and watched as she stormed up to Mac. He couldn't make out the words, but he could hear her tone and she was clearly upset. In a few moments she stormed into the interrogation room with Mac, Lucky and the other cop behind her.

She took a look at Jason and huffed out, "This is unbelievable. I really didn't think that the entire PCPD was stupid. I thought I made myself perfectly clear, Commissioner Scorpio, that if you had questions for my client that you needed to contact me first."

"That was in regards to the warehouse incident," Mac stated.

The lawyer shook her head in frustration and irritation. "Alright, then let's have no further confusion and misunderstandings. Any time you have any questions for my client you will first contact me. Do we now understand each other, Commissioner?"

"Yes, Ms. Baines," he fairly ground out.

"Good," she snipped back. "Because from now on I will file complaints and harassment charges. And I will be starting off my new crusade against the PCPD with this."

Sweeping a hand towards Jason, Jordan unleashed her venom. "You put Mr. Morgan in handcuffs when he was not under arrest. You wanted to question him and when he exerted his constitutional right to have his lawyer present first, you put him in a police car and brought him to the station where you then put him in an interrogation room. Did you offer him his phone call?"

When Jason gave a slight shake of his head and the police looked away she scoffed, "Let me guess, the lines were busy."

Letting out a breath his lawyer shook her head. "I am absolutely appalled. And I am seriously considering informing the ACLU about the way the PCPD routinely and grossly violates the civil rights of people it simply doesn't like. Mr. Morgan has never been convicted of a parking ticket, yet you've practically imprisoned him. He asked for his lawyer and you acted this way just because you don't like him."

Turning towards Lucky she asked, "And why was Officer Spencer one of the policemen sent to question my client when we had already discussed his unprofessional conduct towards Mr. Morgan and you removed him from the investigation of Mr. Morgan's warehouse?"

She didn't give Mac a chance to speak; she just kept going. "I want my client released immediately. This is the most disgraceful behavior I have ever seen from the police department, and I have seen some appalling behavior."

"We do have questions for him regarding Ric Lansing's death," Mac tried to salvage the moment.

"I thought I understood from the news that Mr. Lansing was found dead because of a cabin fire at some place near the Canadian border," she said as if she wasn't completely sure of the facts.

"He was," Lucky confirmed.

"Do Port Charles' city limits now extend to the Canadian border?" Jordan asked sweetly.

The other detective shook his head, "No."

"Did the law enforcement in whatever town he died in ask for your assistance? Did they find some evidence linking my client to his death?"

"No," the commissioner admitted.

"Then why exactly is my client here?" she pressed. "You have no jurisdiction; your help was not requested. This reeks of this department's continued illegal, unprofessional and unconstitutional harassment of Jason Morgan and the repeated violation of his civil rights."

She leveled a glare at Mac that was meant to wither him and it was somewhat successful. "Rest assured, gentlemen, I will be filing harassment complaints against the city, this department and each one of you. Keep this up and I will have your badges."

Looking over at Jason she softened slightly and gave him a reassuringly and resolute look. "Now, I want my client released immediately. And I want an apology from you and your men and this department."

Once Jason was released from the cuffs and Mac gave a very sullen and very insincere mumbled sorry, he followed Jordan outside to where Max was waiting by the limo. He gave Jason a subtle signal, but one the acting mob boss understood and hurried Jordan along to the limo.

"What is it?" he asked once they were all inside the car.

"There's been a breach at the Towers," he said casting an uneasy glance at Jordan. "Manny made it two floors below Elizabeth's before he was detected. He escaped, but we have people following his trail."

Jason sat back against the plush leather seats and felt his heart sink. It could have been a coincidence, but only Jordan knew that Jason had been arrested and that the focus of the hierarchy would be on that and Jason would be away from the building. Did they just find their mole, or did they have to keep searching?

He wasn't really thinking of any of that, though. Jason was anxious to get back to the Towers and see Elizabeth. He'd been busy these past few days since Christmas, trying to find Manny Ruiz and figure out how to flush out the mole. He'd spoken to her briefly and she said she understood he was busy, but that seemed like cold comfort now that Manny Ruiz had gotten into what was supposed to be a secure building.

He needed to see her; make sure she was okay physically and emotionally. He needed to hold her and her son and he needed to do that before he looked into how Ruiz had breached security once again. But until he was ready to leave Elizabeth's side, he knew Max would start the investigation.

Chapter 76

~Jason's Penthouse~

Elizabeth paced anxiously around the living room, her sweater pulled tight around her. Cameron was asleep in the portable crib the guards had set up for him, and a fire was going, but she felt cold and unsettled. Manny Ruiz had gotten back into the building and made it two floors below hers where he was apparently foiled by the new security measures that had been put in place.

The guards had rushed into her apartment, told her to get Cameron and his diaper bag and then she was ushered upstairs. They later brought up things they thought she might need. Based on all they had brought up, she was about to wonder if there was anything left in her apartment; she half-expected Cameron's crib and their dressers to arrive at any minute.

So when the door opened she was surprised it was actually Jason himself and not one of his guards. He froze for a moment when he saw her and stepped in while dropping his keys on the desk.

"Oh," she gasped, her eyes filling with tears at the sight of him. She flew across the room into his waiting arms and clung to him.

His hands roamed over her, not to entice or enflame, but to assure himself she was there and she was safe. He pulled back, his hands coming up to cup her face. His eyes roamed over her, then locked on hers. She read a myriad of questions, his fears, but also determination. Then he lowered his head and crushed his lips to hers in a burning kiss.

A whimper from Cameron brought them back to the moment and they pulled away, breathing heavily. Jason looked around in question and she said, "It's just Cameron, shifting in his sleep."

"Is he okay?" Jason asked, looking over at the portable crib. "Was he scared?"

"He thinks it's a great adventure," she shook her head. "He has his favorite toys and blanket, more places to crawl around and explore. He could barely keep his eyes open after all his looking around."

He nodded and then looked at her intently. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," she tried to assure him as they walked to the couch. Once they were sitting with her practically in his lap, she sighed. "I am...or at least I'm sure I will be."

He wrapped his arm around her and drew her to him. Resting her head on his shoulder, she finally began to feel calmer, to not feel so chilled with terror.

"I was scared," she admitted. "I didn't know Manny was in the building, but suddenly there were guards, grabbing me and Cam again."

"I'm sorry," he sighed heavily, brushing his hand over her hair gently. "There's a mole in the organization telling things to Manny. I was working on a plan to flush him out."

She twisted to look at him, "Someone's betraying you? Why would they do that?"

"Power, greed, maybe they're being blackmailed," he said indifferently. She couldn't understand how he wasn't more bothered by this. People he was supposed to trust, someone who was supposed to protect him and those he cared about had turned on him. She was upset on his behalf.

"It's between two people and we'll get him," Jason assured her. But she could hear the slight tremor in his voice; he wasn't entirely confident. "But until we do, I want you to stay here. This is the safest floor; we have these penthouses secured with extra precautions. I know now that there's no guarantee, but it would make me feel better to know you and Cameron are here. Then I can focus on going after Manny."

She'd moved into Jason's before, and it was for her protection then, too. She knew it wasn't fair to think that Jason would avoid her again now based on what happened then. It had been Sonny's secret, not his, and she had overreacted in her hurt and embarrassment. Even if she hadn't said it, she loved Jason and she believed he felt the same towards her. This wasn't just physical between them.

But it wasn't just her and her desire to be with Jason. She felt that she had to think of Cameron. Sometimes she felt that she was being selfish and impacting his life detrimentally. Was she being selfish like Carly and not thinking more of her son all because she wanted this chance to be with Jason? Despite the guards, and living in Jason's building, it felt very different to agree to live in his penthouse.

Yet, she also knew that Jason's penthouse was the safest place they could be. And if that helped him focus so that he stayed safe, then maybe she needed to yield. Manny Ruiz needed to be stopped, and she really didn't want to be grabbed again. It had been terrifying and she never wanted to go through it again, or have something like that happen to her son.

"Okay," she nodded. "Until Manny is taken care of. After that..."

"You worry about confusing Cameron by constantly changing homes."

"Yes."

"I understand," he told her. "For now, we'll try to make him as comfortable as we can."

And with that pronouncement, Jason directed Cameron's crib to be brought in along with most of their other belongings. Jason supervised it all, never removing his arm from around her. When everything was set in place, Jason told the guards to help Elizabeth baby proof the apartment.

He took her near the balcony doors to get some privacy from the waiting guards and caressed her cheek gently. "I need to go talk to Max. I'll be back as soon as I can. If you need anything, ask the guards."

"Okay," she agreed.

He leaned down and kissed her gently, and then he left.

~Sonny's Penthouse~

They had turned Sonny's penthouse into a place where they could work because they weren't going do business in Jason's place. They were not going to banish Elizabeth and Cameron upstairs. Since Sonny was gone for treatment, they could use his house and Jason would still be close by to watch Elizabeth.

"What did you find?" Jason asked without preamble as he walked into the room.

"Manny disappeared," Max admitted with self-recrimination. "The guards were following him when he disappeared into the maze of alleyways by the docks. They searched, but they couldn't find him at all."

"It's okay," Jason said, only to move the process along from apologies. It angered him that Ruiz had once again eluded them, but he knew there was no guarantee he could have caught the mobster. "What do we know?"

"It's not Stan," Max stated. "Manny got caught on the security measures Stan put in place. He tripped the silent alarm, couldn't get past the code, and he had to flee because the guards were coming down towards him. If Stan was the mole he would have told Manny how to get past it, right?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded. "Probably. Unless this was all just part of his game."

"We could drive ourselves crazy over-thinking this," Max shook his head. "Not everything has to be complicated or involve tricks. Mot of the time the solution is the simplest one."

He had once told Elizabeth a solution didn't have to be complicated to work. Maybe he should listen to that.

"So if Stan isn't the mole, then who's been making large payments to his accounts?" Milo asked. "Because there is a lot of money put in there in recent weeks."

"Get Bernie on it," Jason commanded. "Use Spinelli if needed."

"You trust that kid?" Max asked with a lift of his brow.

"He's been persuaded to feel bad for helping Ric, so he'll help out. Explain it to him that it's in his best interest to do this."

The younger brother nodded, "You got it."

Max seemed pleased his brother would take the initiative on this one, and then turned to look at Jason. The acting second's face became serious and focused as he asked, "So what do we do about Jordan?"

"First, we find a new lawyer," Jason commanded. "We stop giving her the truly sensitive or important things. She mentioned a lawyer in her building who sometimes covers. Find out who that is, investigate the person and if they seem good, then make an offer of employment."

"And then?"

"We feed her false information that's too good to not tell Manny. Because we need to draw him out and eliminate him."

"You mean we use you as bait," Max surmised.

"It's better than him coming after Elizabeth or Cameron. I will not have them terrorized again by him."

"Okay," his second nodded. "I've been thinking about it. New Year's Eve is just a couple of days from now. We schedule a shipment, or at least make it look like we are. Tell Jordan you're going to be there because the harbormaster is asking questions or something like that. You want to get it done quickly because you want to spend the evening with Miss Webber."

Jason looked at him sharply and the other man held up his hands. "I mean no disrespect to you or Miss Webber, Jason, but your...friendship is not a secret. We're not making her a target. We're just saying you're anxious to get out of there, that you don't want to be there. Maybe he'll think you'll be distracted."

"Fine," he answered curtly, still not liking the thought of mentioning his relationship with Elizabeth to Manny. "But make sure security here is increased. I don't want today to have been a test and Stan to have actually fed Ruiz information. I don't want him coming after Elizabeth because he knows I'm gone."

"Maybe we should have that Spinelli kid make some changes to the program that Stan won't know about," Max suggested. "Just in case."

Jason thought about it for only the briefest of moments before he agreed. It could never hurt to cover all their bases. Besides, even if it wasn't Ruiz paying Stan, there was somebody. And it wouldn't hurt to have some changes made to the things the tech guy normally set up. There was no sense giving things away that they didn't have to.

"Take care of it and let me know by tonight what our status is. Come by after nine," he said. "Cameron should be asleep by then and we won't disturb him."

"You got it, Boss," Max assured him.

Feeling better now that plans were in place and precautions were started, Jason stood and turned for the door. He wanted to get back to Elizabeth, to be with her so she didn't have to put on a brave front or try to bury her fear. He'd felt the fine tremors in her frame when he held her and knew she'd been shaken by the knowledge of how close Manny got and the sudden move. Instead, when he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, he found his ex-wife there arguing with the guard in front of his door.

~Outside Jason's Penthouse~

Courtney was surprised when she heard a door open behind her and Jason stepped out of Sonny's penthouse. Then, she eyed the guard outside his door suspiciously. The man had insisted that Jason was not home and was not available, but that didn't make any sense to Courtney. Why would a guard be outside Jason's door if he wasn't at home? She thought maybe her ex-husband was trying to avoid her; now she believed it might be something else entirely.

"Why were you at Sonny's?" she questioned immediately. "Is he home now?"

"No," Jason shook his head. "He's still with Sam on the island."

It made Courtney sick that that tramp was down on the island where Sonny had taken Carly and the boys. Where Jason had taken her. Sonny must be trying to get Morgan used to his new mommy and let the little boy bond with her away from Port Charles where people couldn't object.

"Then why were you were over there?" she persisted. If Sonny wasn't home and there was a guard on Jason's door, then Elizabeth and her son must be at Jason's. She'd known this day would happen, but she was still caught off guard by the hurt that accompanied the anger. Courtney wondered how long it would be until Jason took them down to the island.

"What do you want, Courtney?" he asked, doing very little to hide the annoyance in his tone or the fact that he was dodging her question.

"I wanted to talk to you about Sonny," she answered.

"About what?" he questioned. "He's not your brother."

"I thought he was," she countered. "I didn't know anything about Mike's lies. I grew to care about Sonny."

"Until you just couldn't stand what he did for a living," her ex-husband charged back. "What I did for a living and you started your foundation. You want to make sure nobody else ends up like us. Nice way to show you care."

"Why couldn't you see that there was another way to live besides violence?" she pleaded with him. "I just couldn't stand to live way anymore."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it when you went charging off to South America or any of the other times you tagged along and interfered claiming you were helping me. And you certainly didn't mind when my lifestyle kept you out of jail or meant you didn't have to work." He paused and gave a harsh shake of his head. "Look, I don't want to argue with you and I'm not trying to hurt you. But Sonny isn't your brother, so there's no reason for you to be here asking about him."

"Morgan is still my godson," she countered quickly. "I have a right to be concerned about him."

When he didn't say anything, just merely pressed his lips together, she charged on, her anger growing. "I can't believe Sonny took Morgan and Sam down to the island. Is he trying to replace Carly in his life? Carly was his mother and it's Sonny's fault that she's dead. He hit her and he pushed her towards Alcazar. Why aren't you bothered by this? Why did you let him take Morgan away?"

"Because Sonny is his father," Jason countered. "Morgan's lost his mother and his brother, do you think he deserves to lose his father as well?"

"I'm sure he's confused," Courtney admitted softly. "So do you think it's wise he spends so much time around Sam? She hated Carly."

"No, she didn't," her ex countered. "She didn't set out to steal Sonny. Carly was bouncing around between Sonny and Alcazar and Sonny was just as willing to hurt Carly as she was trying to punish him."

"How can you say that?" she demanded. "I thought Carly was your friend. I should have known you would side with Sonny."

"I'm not picking sides," he said in exasperation, rubbing the back of his neck. "Carly was my friend, but I knew her for years and she pulled schemes and got into messes. She played Alcazar against Sonny and his nice objected."

He held up his hand quickly, "That doesn't mean she deserved to die or be hit. I would never say that. I'm still searching for Sage Alcazar, but it's unlikely she'll be found. Plus, what am I supposed to do if I find her? Kill a sixteen-year-old girl or send her to prison for twenty five years or even to the death chamber?"

Courtney's eyes went wide at all he was saying and the implications of it. "It was a bad situation all around, Courtney," he continued. "Just like with Sam. Her baby was innocent in all this. I agreed to say I was the father because Carly was going to change the paternity results and keep Sonny's child from him. Was that right? Sonny is trying to do the best he can for everyone. His daughter has an illness, Morgan is unsettled and Sonny thought time away would do them good."

"So you run things so he can have his little family?" he asked. "What about you?"

She looked over at the penthouse she once lived in and thought she'd raise their baby in. "Do you get to have your little family? With Elizabeth and her son?"

Jason sighed heavily and looked away. "Courtney."

"You always wanted her, even when you tried to deny it," she accused him. "I saw you together in the hospital chapel and then she came to our home to flaunt it in my face."

"No, she didn't," Jason countered, his voice rising in anger. "She came to tell me about Emily."

"Always defending her," Courtney scoffed. "I had to stand by and watch you feel her baby kick when I knew that I couldn't have children. You were rubbing my face in it and punishing me."

His face went hard and his voice was tight as he said, "I wasn't. I'm sorry you can't have children, Courtney, but it wasn't my fault."

"I lost our child trying to rescue Carly!"

"I didn't ask you to do that, and I didn't know you were pregnant. I never asked you to get involved in my business." He paused and then she watched as he forced himself to soften and say, "I am sorry you can't have children."

"Yeah," she said flatly. She didn't think she'd get pregnant naturally or with other methods. Jax seemed quit content to woo her and offer somewhat sincere sympathy over Carly and her discovering Sonny wasn't her brother. But when she expressed an interest in children in the future, even without him, he always got tense and short with her. She wasn't trying to trap him or pressure him or any of the other things he accused her of. It made her wonder about his interest in her. Had it all been because of the bet, and now he was just sticking around until he found something else to interest him? Had it been a way to get back at Sonny and he was trying to extricate himself gently now that the truth was about regarding Sonny's true paternity? She didn't know, and she wasn't sure if it was really worth it to try and figure it out.

"I'll tell Sonny you asked about Morgan," Jason told her. "I know Carly would appreciate that you are concerned about him. But Sonny is his father and he's with Sonny and that's what Morgan needs right now."

"If it did become a bad situation," Courtney pressed, "would you step in?"

"Sonny asked me if I would be Morgan's guardian if something happened to him," Jason answered and Courtney felt a pang of hurt that she hadn't been considered. After all, she was Morgan's godmother, Carly's friend and certainly in a position to help.

"If I felt Sonny wasn't taking care of him I would speak up," her ex continued on. "But Sonny loves his children, and right now Morgan is exactly where he should be."

She folded her arms over her chest and looked away. Clearly Jason was just going to blindly follow Sonny and sing his mentor's praises. She should have realized he wouldn't give this real consideration. "I see it was a mistake to come here. You don't really care; you would never go against Sonny. I mean...you were ready to claim his child as your own."

"I would never neglect Morgan," Jason countered. "I will take that responsibility very seriously. I just don't understand what you thought you would accomplish by coming here. Sonny isn't going to sign Morgan over to you and let you poison him against his father just because you've got some foundation now."

"That isn't-" Courtney denied. She shook her head and dropped her shoulders. "I don't know what I was hoping for."

She took another look over at the door, knowing Elizabeth and her son were there, sharing Jason's life and no doubt his love. Turning for the elevator she cast one glance at her ex-husband and said, "I see now that everything was a mistake. Just...just give my love to Morgan."

Then she boarded the elevator and vowed to never come back here again. It, like much of Port Charles, held too much pain.

Chapter 77

~Quartermaine Estate~

Monica had been giving a lot of thought to her own will lately. After Emily beat her cancer the last time, Monica had hoped things would be better. That like her, Emily would have many years of remission ahead of her. Sadly, that hadn't happened, and now the provisions in her will for her daughter were negated by the fact that Emily's would be read today.

"Will there be anything else, Dr. Quartermaine?" Alice asked, setting down a tray of finger sandwiches. "I just have the drinks to bring, but-"

"No," she shook her head. "No, Alice, thank you. This will be fine."

The maid nodded and smiled kindly, then left the room. Slowly, the other family members came in; some quiet, some blustering as usual. Tracy was happy to have Dillon back for the holidays and Ned was equally glad to see Brook Lynn again. Monica wondered if her nephew and niece would be coming home now that it seemed like Lorenzo Alcazar had taken his niece and disappeared. He was probably more interested in keeping her out of jail than going after a few teenagers. That was probably something to be decided on later, certainly not in the middle of the school year.

The doorbell rang and Monica looked over anxiously at the doorway between the den and the foyer. She knew that Ned had passed along the invitation to Jason and Elizabeth through the young mother, but she didn't know if her son would show up. Monica would never stop wishing for a relationship with him, even though she knew he did not care for most of the family. The two members he did love and would visit had died and with them Monica feared so would his reasons to reach out to the rest of them. She could only hope that his love for his sister outweighed any hurt she had caused him in recent months.

"Mr. Morgan and Miss Webber," Alice announced them unnecessarily as they stepped into the room.

The pair looked like they would rather be anywhere else but here, Jason especially, but they entered anyways. Much like the night Emily died and they had come to the hospital, Elizabeth's hand was firmly in Jason's. She looked small and hesitant, and he looked like he would bolt the second anyone got too close.

"Jason," Edward said in a subdued, heavy tone as he rose. "Thank you for coming, my boy. And you, Elizabeth."

The artist nodded her head just a fraction, her eyes slightly skittish. Alan stood from his chair and approached the pair, but stopped when Jason tensed.

"Elizabeth," Monica's husband said softly. "You may sit in my chair if you like."

"Oh...no," she shook her head. "Thank you, Doctor Quartermaine, but I...I'll be fine here."

Alan looked like he would press the issue more, but held back when Jason drew Elizabeth closer to him and she looked up at him with a look only the younger man seemed to understand. Instead, the grieving father returned to his chair and sat heavily upon it. Monica came over beside him and rested her hand on his shoulder. He covered it with his own and then looked up at her. "You should sit here."

"No," she shook her head, sitting on the arm of the chair beside him. "I'll be fine here."

"Miss Emily's lawyer is here," Alice said, leading Mr. Barlin into the room.

Monica stood, trying to square her shoulders, "Thank you, Alice. Thank you for coming, Mr. Barlin."

The older man put on his glasses and nodded to the group. "Is everyone here?"

"Those who are in town," she answered.

"Then let's get started," he stated and opened his attaché case. "Regarding the will of Emily Bowen Quartermaine..."

~Quartermaine Docks~

Jason walked up behind Elizabeth and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Are you okay?"

She stared out over the gray water and nodded. "Yeah. I just...I needed some air. I was so afraid she was going to yell at me from beyond the grave and instead..."

Bringing her hand up to cover her mouth she choked back a sob. He drew his hand out of his pocket and placed it around her shoulders. Elizabeth turned her head towards him briefly and drew a shuddery breath. "Instead, she left money for Cameron, for him to use for college. She...she left money for me to use however I wanted. I...I misjudged her very badly."

"She was very angry these last months," he said softly. "I think we were both apprehensive. I knew she was hurting over Nikolas not remembering her, but I never thought she'd act like she did."

"She must have amended her will right after Cam was born," Elizabeth mused. "She was so excited when I called and told her and she said she was going to be the best aunt ever. It didn't matter that we weren't blood; the Quartermaines had taught her that."

Stepping away from him and up to the edge of the dock, she wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. "I can't imagine her writing it after I came back and I wouldn't help her scheme to get Nikolas back. I...I feel like I don't deserve it."

"She wanted you to have it," Jason told her. "She could have changed it, but she never did. That means something."

"Yeah," she mused. "I suppose it does."

With a shake of her head, she dashed her tears off her cheeks and asked, "What did she say to you? I-I'm sorry I didn't stay. I was surprised and overwhelmed and then Lucky showed up and was glaring and I just..."

He reached out and touched her arm, sliding his hand up to cup her cheek. "It's okay. She left me her ELQ stock, which made the old man mad."

She gave just a wisp of a smile, "Probably why she did it."

"Maybe. Then..." Jason scratched his eyebrow with his thumb, "then there were some pictures she wanted me to have and then she wants a fund set up to donate to AIDS and cancer research. She wants me to help with it."

"Two things she knew you would care about," Elizabeth said softly. "You always donate to AIDS research."

"After Monica's scare when they thought she came out of remission, I've donated to cancer research," he admitted. "I don't remember my childhood and sometimes she pushes too hard, but she raised me and she's my mother and..."

"I understand," Elizabeth said gently, taking her hand in hers. "I'm sure it means a lot to her that you came."

"After losing Lila and Emily I just...I can see that she's afraid I'll never contact the family again." That was why he'd called on Christmas. It was late and he didn't really know what to say, but after returning from the safe house and dealing with that mess, he found himself picking up the phone and calling. He had heard the pleasure in her voice when she spoke to him and when she told Alan he was on the phone. His relationships with Lila and Emily hadn't been instant; maybe he should give Monica a chance. She was trying not to judge him, so maybe he owed her the same courtesy.

"Well," a voice interrupted them and Jason looked over wearily to see Lucky walking towards them. "This is cozy."

"Lucky," Elizabeth sighed in exasperation. "Don't start."

"I haven't said anything," he shook his head. "It's just interesting that the two of you would hang out on the Quartermaine docks. You can't stand your family, Jason."

Jason looked away, not going to rise to the cop's taunts. The other man had been taken off cases involving Jason and had a harassment complaint filed against him; he was too dumb to realize that attacking Jason in front of a witness wouldn't help his cause. He just wanted to provoke Jason, maybe even taunt him into a fight.

"Come on," Elizabeth tugged on Jason's hand. "Let's just go. I want to see Cameron."

"I can't believe you let him be around your son," Lucky said in disgust to Elizabeth.

Jason had his hand on her back and tried to keep her going, but she stopped and turned, "What is wrong with you, Lucky?"

"He's a criminal," the detective spat.

"And so is your father, as I mentioned before," she charged right back. "It doesn't stop you from being around him or looking the other way and not arresting him."

She shook her head with scorn, "I don't understand you, Lucky. You spent more time with Jason's sister in the end than he did and it's still not enough for you. You just had to keep getting your jabs in; at the hospital when Emily died, at her funeral, and now here. Where is your decency? When you act like this, I don't see the sweet boy who helped me after I was raped; I see the brainwashed, controlling...abusive man you were when you proposed to me in an arcade."

Lucky's eyes flared with anger, "Abusive?! I never hit you."

"There's more abuse than just physical," she said softly, her arms wrapped tight around her middle. "When I realized what Ric did to me and I talked to someone, I also realized some things about us. You told me what to do, who to be and who I could be friends with. I didn't want to be a model; I was raped by a photographer. You took me to Tom Baker's old studio where he held me and Emily in the darkroom and threatened to rape me again, and you never once thought about how I might be bothered. That's not love; that's control; that's abuse."

Jason carefully placed his hand on her shoulder, making sure to stand beside her instead of behind her, trying not to startle her. He didn't believe the tremors visibly shaking her body were just from the cold; not with the way her voice was high and cracking. "It's okay," he said softly. "Let's go."

"You're nothing more than a bully, Lucky," she got off one last shot. "Hiding behind his badge. You don't hate Jason because you think he's a criminal; you hate him because you're petty and childish and I want you to stay away from me. Stop attacking him every time you see us together."

"Come on," Jason coaxed a little stronger, wrapping his arm around her waist. He leveled a glare at the detective and spoke evenly so there would be no mistake. "Stay away from Elizabeth. Listen to her. As for us, personally we have no reason to talk. Professionally, my lawyer will charge you with harassment."

Then he led Elizabeth off the docks and onto the path that took them to the car. He wanted to get her into the limo where it would be warm and then they could talk about what had just happened.

~Limousine~

As the heater began to thaw her, Elizabeth still shook on the rich, leather seats. Jason didn't say anything or crowd her, but she could feel his comfort and strength surrounding her. She couldn't believe she had done that; that she had said all of that to Lucky.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the heated seat. Taking slow, deep breaths through her mouth she tried to calm the bile churning in her stomach. But it didn't work and it rose rapidly until she could taste it in the back of her throat.

"Stop the car," she pleaded, sitting up suddenly and reaching for her seatbelt.

"What?" Jason's confusion was clear as he looked at her.

"Please," she was desperate now. "Stop the car, stop the car, stop the car."

"Paul!" Jason shouted into the intercom in the back. "Stop the car, now!"

As soon as Elizabeth felt the rough gravel under the wheels and the car slow, she scrambled across the seat, across Jason, and reached for the handle. He was right behind her, covering her hand with his, "Elizabeth, wait."

"I can't!" she sobbed out.

The car stopped short, not gradually, and she flung the door open and leaned out, half lying on the floor of the car as she slid off Jason towards the ground. His hand was gentle on her back, and then he gathered her hair away from her face as she continued to be sick on the side of the road.

"Mr. Morgan?" the driver's voice floated back from the front of the car.

"It's alright, Paul," Jason answered absently. "Just give us a moment."

"Okay," the guard answered. "There's soda back there if it will help."

"Thank you," Jason answered, and then the divider whirred back up.

With her stomach now empty, Elizabeth pushed herself back into the car, but continued to sit on the floor. Jason slid down beside her, and looked at her in concern, "Are you okay?"

"I can't believe I said that to Lucky," she shook her head.

"Do-do you regret it?"

"Meaning it?" she asked. "No. Saying it? Yes."

She brought up her knees and rested her elbows on them, unmindful of the way her dress slid down her legs. "After confronting Ric I was ill like this. I hate confrontations, especially this kind. Admitting what they did to me, saying it out loud...it makes me feel like I'm fifteen again. I knew what they did, I talked to a therapist, I dealt with it and I knew that I could never be involved with either of them again. I didn't need to tell them that."

Her forehead felt sweaty and clammy and she brought her hand up to wipe it, pulling her damp bangs off her skin. "But looking at him, watching him sneer at you and look at me like he was so disappointed in me...that's what he was like back then, wasn't he?"

"Back when?" Jason asked softly, his hand sliding under her hair and lifting it slightly.

"Back when you asked me to go to Italy with you. When you said that Lucky had changed."

"Yeah," he answered, his voice low in the car. "That's what I saw."

She shook her head and let out a bitter laugh, "Man...I sure can pick 'em. Lucky, Ric, Zander...all used me and treated me... But I can't really regret Zander because he gave me Cameron and I would never say I regretted my son or how he came to be."

"Nobody could regret Cameron," Jason said, his voice deep and husky. "He's a wonderful boy."

"He's the best thing I've ever done," she said. "I just hope I don't mess him up."

She frowned and then said, "Ugg, I need to rinse my mouth."

Jason shifted away from her and a few seconds later was back with a glass of soda, "Here. Sonny always wanted a stocked wet bar in the limo."

He gestured to the door, "You ready for me to close that?"

"Actually," she said sheepishly, looking away from him. "I wanted to rinse and spit."

He nodded and left her to herself until she felt comfortable once again. When she was done, she pulled the door closed and finally sat up on the seat. Jason asked if she wanted a refill and when he returned with it to her, he sat beside her. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," Elizabeth answered, leaning into his side. "Sorry about all that."

"It's okay," he told her with such honest purity that she knew he was more concerned about her than sitting beside someone while they were throwing up. "I'm just sorry you were so upset."

"It's not your fault," she assured him. "I needed to deal with Lucky and his attitude and how he acted towards me; I just hadn't intended to confront him like that. I thought I could just avoid him, but like Ric he just kept pushing and I just..."

She trailed off and took a sip of her drink. "I just have to try to remember the boy who helped me when I needed him, and realized that he changed afterwards and he's not going to be like that boy ever again. It wasn't fair to either of us to stay together when it wasn't working. I just need to forgive myself for that."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Jason disagreed with her.

"I was willfully blind about Lucky and Ric," she countered. "I ignored a lot of the warning signs and things people pointed out to me."

"It's not wrong to want to believe the best about someone you love," he said softly. "I didn't see Courtney was in pain and on drugs. She could have blinded you for the rest of your life. And then suddenly she couldn't stand my job or my choices and she tried to change me and interfere."

He brushed his hand over her hair in a soothing motion and said, "I know they hurt you and I'm sorry. I hurt you, too."

"Not like they did," she countered immediately. "We may have been hurt and lashed out at each other, but we didn't try to manipulate each other or control each other and call it love."

She took his hand and twisted to look at him, "I don't want to change you, Jason. I will admit that sometimes I don't always like your job, but I don't hate you or it. I'm trying to realize that I can't judge other people for the choices they make. You treat me with respect and I know you wouldn't tell me what to do just because you want to control me."

"No," he vowed. "I want you to be happy and do what you want."

"And that...that's why I love you, Jason," she confessed to him. "Because you support me and I feel it...I know you want the best for me. Even when you think it's not you. You are the right person for me because of how you make me feel. Loved for who I am."

"I do," he told her, his voice thick with emotion. "I love you, Elizabeth. I have for a very long time."

He set her glass aside and then kissed her. It was tender and gentle, but she felt all the love and desire he had for her. When the kiss ended, he tucked her against his side and held her there, brushing his hand softly over her arm. After a few minutes he lifted the phone that connected to the front and told Paul to return to Harborview.

"I wish I didn't, but I have to go out tonight for a little while," Jason said regretfully. "Hopefully it won't take long. I know it's New Year's Eve..."

"It's just a day," she shook her head. "I know that there are things you have to do and life won't ever really be normal. I just want what time I can have with you, Jason. So I'm not going to be upset over some arbitrary night."

"I'll spend as much time as I can with you and Cameron before I have to leave," he promised and kissed her temple.

She leaned against him and said, "That's all I can ask from you, Jason. And I'll take what you can give me."

She just hoped this newfound strength she possessed didn't wane in the reality of the times he would have to be away in the future. Knowing he loved her already made things feel different, made her feel stronger. Hopefully it would be enough.

Chapter 78

~Corinthos-Morgan Warehouse~

It was cold out tonight. There were some party goers out to celebrate the New Year, but Jason figured most of them would stay indoors due to the weather. They certainly wouldn't come down to the docks where the window was blowing in bitterly off the harbor. Especially since Nikolas Cassadine was out of the country and there would be no fancy ball out on Spoon Island bringing revelers down to the waterfront.

A decoy shipment was due soon, meant to draw out the harbormaster that they had paid already. Jordan was told to be available tonight in case she was needed. She had agreed, though Jason had sensed her reluctance. That told Jason she had told Manny about tonight and she didn't want to be anywhere near the area.

Men had been in position since the morning around the area. Jason didn't want a sudden flurry of activity tipping off Manny that they were expecting him. Max had set up several perimeters hoping to catch the mobster before he even arrived, but Jason had to admit that the man from Miami had an ability to slip in and out undetected. That was definitely something he hoped ended tonight.

Right on cue the ship arrived and the men went out to begin unloading. Jason went to supervise and present an enticing target. He made sure to move around often and behind crates to disrupt a clear shot. He wanted to frustrate Manny and get the other man to reveal himself in the hopes of gaining a better sight line.

As pre-determined, the harbor master arrived and Jason was forced to deal with the man. Jason didn't like having an innocent man exposed, which was why after they went into the warehouse to get the shipping manifest the harbor master stayed inside and one of the guards came out wearing his coat and hat.

All the men were watching sight lines and were tense and on alert. As much as they wanted to finally end things with Ruiz, they didn't want to be caught unaware. They wanted to find the man before he could act. Even though they knew the chances of it were unlikely. There were innumerable places Manny could hide.

The shipment was half unloaded when Max suddenly shouted and charged at him, "Get down."

The crate above them splintered with a shot and Max shouted orders, "To the east. The shot came from the east."

Jason got up, his gun drawn and scanned the direction his second indicated and saw a glint of metal in the lights. "Middle building," he shouted, "let's go."

~Warehouses~

Manny slipped off the roof onto the fire escape and ran. Morgan wasn't down, but there were guards sure to close in on his location. Manny had no intention of being captured. He still had to avenge his brother's death and ease his father's pain. Jason Morgan would die, even if he had to burn the city to get him.

Dropping to the ground, he took off down the maze of alleyways, intent on escaping. Shouts alerted him to Morgan's men up ahead and he altered course. If he could get out of the warehouse area, and around other people, then he could easier evade Morgan and his goons. They wouldn't want to hurt innocent people, and he would definitely use it to his advantage. He had no scruples like the younger man did.

Slipping down a side passageway, Manny ran for an empty building. Instead, he ran into an iron fist.

~Warren Building~

Jason's men had worked perfectly to drive Ruiz straight to him. Their shouts and obvious sounds of pursuit had caused the Latino to run where he wanted him. Right into Jason.

Ruiz staggered back, and then charged at Jason. The man was small but had power and Jason was forced back, recoiling from the force. A battle started then, the two men throwing punches and trying to gain leverage as they moved around the alley. It wasn't easy to keep his footing as they stumbled over debris and slammed into brick walls.

Jason lost his footing as Manny slammed a shoulder into his stomach and the other mobster was quick to jump on the advantage. His fist exploded against Jason's jaw and he felt darkness creep around the edges of his mind. Manny hit him again and Jason fought back. Against the darkness and against the other man. He managed to throw Ruiz off him, but was slow getting up which allowed the other man to escape into the empty building.

Jason got up, struggling against the ache in his head and the pain in his ribs and raced after Manny. Pulling out his gun, he moved quickly, searching for his rival. He could see the other man racing up the stairs and ducked out of the way as Manny fired at him. Jason fired back and continued pursuit until they reached the roof.

"You've got nowhere else to go," he stated, aiming his gun at Manny.

"Neither do you, Morgan," Ruiz countered. "Only one of us is leaving this roof and it will be me. I will tell my father I avenged Javí."

Jason wasn't going to get drawn into a battle of words; he simply said, "You'll return to your father the same way your brother did."

Manny seemed to realize that Jason was not going to play games and a glint entered his eye. Jason saw it and fired. Manny had fired at the same time and Jason threw himself to the side and then brought his gun up and let off another shot. And then he watched as Ruiz stumbled and fell off the building.

Jason got to his feet and winced as his torn pants caught in the raw skin on his knee. He slowly made his way to the edge of the roof and looked over. Manny's body was on the ground, his limbs at odd and twisted angles. Guards swarmed the area and Jason knew that if Ruiz wasn't already dead, there was no way he would get away. Feeling relieved at the thought, Jason slid down the brick edge to sit on the roof and catch his breath.

~Alleyway~

Max rushed into the area behind the other guards and surveyed the scene. Manny Ruiz lay dead on the concrete ground. If the fall hadn't killed him, the two gunshots to the chest probably would have done him in.

"We have no idea if anyone heard the gunshots," he said, "so get the area cleaned up in case the cops are on the way."

"We're on it," Greg assured him.

Max looked around and then asked, "Where's Jason?"

"I think he's still inside," someone answered. "Maybe on the roof."

Max went inside the building and through the maze of steel girders over to the stairs. They would need to clean up in here as well; there were blood trails and bullets and while this building was not a stranger to such things, there was no need to leave fresh evidence for the cops to find. When he reached the roof, he stepped out slowly. Jason was leaning against the edge of the building looking like it had been a rough fight with Manny.

"Jason?" he asked, walking towards the boss.

The other man stood up, favoring his ribs. "Clean up?"

"Already underway," he assured Jason. "The men will finish up here; they're already moving the body. What do you want to do with it?"

"Get rid of it so nobody finds it," his boss ordered. "Harbor, or bury him deep."

"What about Hector Ruiz?" Max asked. "He'll want to know about his son."

"I'll let him know in a few weeks," the acting boss said. "Explain that Alcazar doesn't run this town and as long as he stays in Miami, he lives."

"Okay," the other man nodded, helping straighten Jason. "Let's get you home. Maybe we should take you to Sonny's old place for the night."

"No," Jason shook his head. "Take me to my penthouse."

"I...are you sure?" Max asked. "Miss Webber might be upset to see you this way."

"Take me to my penthouse," the boss insisted. "She'll be more upset if I don't come back tonight."

He knew that the boss and Miss Webber had developed a relationship, and Max was discreet enough to not say anything to either of them. He was fairly sure they were sleeping together, and so he believed that this time Jason was determined to make it work with the single mother. That was why he would not stay away from her tonight. If there was truth to the rumor he'd heard that Miss Webber took care of the boss when he'd been shot before, then she probably wouldn't shy away from taking care of him.

"Alright," the guard turned second conceded. "Then let's get out of here before the cops come and see you beat up."

Helping him off the roof, Max got him out into the alleyway where the crew had removed Manny's body and were working on the remaining evidence. "Don't forget the inside," he commanded them, then called to a guard, "Eric, come here."

Once the man came over, Max ordered, "Take Jason to his penthouse. Tell the guards there to call Jordan immediately if the cops show up."

"I understand," he nodded, and then escorted Jason to a nearby car.

Once their boss was away from the scene, Max turned to the crew and was pleased at their efficiency. There was still more to do, so Max stepped in and got to work. He would really like to get out of here without the cops showing up.

~Jason's Penthouse~

Despite knowing that Jason could be gone for hours, Elizabeth didn't try to go to bed. Nor did she try to work or even do any sketching because she knew she would be too distracted to do anything decent. It was New Year's Eve and so she knew Dick Clark would be on TV to entertain her and hopefully keep her mind occupied. Worrying would not change anything except cause her excessive stress. So she planned to watch the ball drop or watch movies and pray Jason was safe.

The ball drop was still half an hour away, and some tramped up pop star was braving the twenty degree weather in a midriff baring outfit. The poor little thing would no doubt wrap herself in a parka as soon as she was done. Elizabeth was quite glad she was in the penthouse with the fire going and a warm blanket tucked over her legs. She was actually getting so comfortable she was about to get up and get some hot chocolate and wake herself up.

The decision was made for her when she heard keys jingling in the lock. She was kicking the blanket off her legs so she could stand up when the door swung open and a guard she'd never met helped Jason inside. She could tell even before she reached him that he was hurt.

"Thank you, Eric," Jason said as Elizabeth neared them. "See if Max needs anything."

"I will, Mr. Morgan," the man assured his boss. He looked over at Elizabeth briefly, Have a good evening, Miss Webber."

"Thank you," she acknowledged distractedly as she turned her full attention to Jason. She could see his knee was torn up, he was holding a hand against his side as if his ribs hurt and his face had definitely been worked over.

She made sure the door was locked and then reached up, "Let me help you get your jacket off."

She gently eased it off his arms and then hung it in the closet. Turning back to him she asked, "Can you make it up the stairs?"

"I'll be fine, Elizabeth," he told her softly.

"I know," she nodded. "But I'm still going to help you out and take care of you."

"I know," he said with a soft smile. "I'll go upstairs."

"I'll turn off the lights down here and meet you up there." She watched him slowly start up the stairs and she winced with each painful looking step he too. Quickly she turned off the TV, the lamps and then looked over at the fire.

Crossing the room, she opened the door and looked at the guard, "Paul?"

"Miss Webber?"

"I'm going to help Jason," she said. "Could you make sure the fire gets put out and then lock up?"

"Of course, Miss Webber," he assured her. She hated using the guards to do tasks she could do for herself, but she knew that she needed to focus on Jason right now.

When she made it upstairs to Jason's room, she couldn't think of it as theirs even though she stayed there as well, she found him sitting on the edge of the bed trying to take off his boots. She had checked on Cameron and hoped that her little boy stayed asleep tonight. Shutting the door, she placed the monitor receiver on the dresser and then approached Jason.

"Let me help," she offered.

Once his shoes were off and set aside, she did an inspection of his knee. It probably looked worse than it was, but it still needed to be cleaned and bandaged. Looking up at him she asked, "Where's your first aid kit?"

He touched her cheek gently and answered, "In the bathroom."

She rose to her feet and walked into the other room, looking under the sink. Expecting to find the normal store bought container, it took her a moment to realize the fishing tackle box was what she sought. When she returned to the bedroom she found Jason had removed his jeans, even though the effort seemed to have drained him.

Elizabeth wanted to ask what happened tonight, but she knew it was better not to ask questions about the business. And she knew it was pointless to ask if he was okay, so she just silently went to work. Gently she cleaned his knee, getting rid of the gravel and dirt. She was ready to bandage it, first spraying it with an antibacterial ointment when he spoke.

"Elizabeth."

His voice was soft, but seemed to echo through the room like thunder. She stilled and looked up at him, her eyes wide with question.

"Manny Ruiz is dead," he told her. "He can't hurt you or Cameron."

She let out a breath.

"I don't want to give more details."

"I wouldn't ask."

"I don't know if the cops will come looking around," he continued. She was ready to tell him she'd tell the police he was here when he said, "I'm not asking you to lie for me."

"Jason," she said firmly, "I've lied to half the town and the police before."

He sighed heavily, "Elizabeth."

"Look," she countered, "this may all be worry for nothing. But do not expect me to stand by and watch you be arrested and put on trial and not do something."

"You're a mother," he countered, "and they could come after you for a false statement. Cameron needs you, not you in jail."

"And people need you here and not in jail," she returned firmly.

She took a deep breath and said, "This isn't helping. We're arguing over something that might happen."

"I have to be prepared."

"You need to be taken care of," she told him, lifting the gauze once again. "So let me finish so you can get some rest."

"I need to call Max," he shook his head.

"I'm going to finish patching you up first," Elizabeth said firmly. "So hold still and then you can call."

Once his knee was wrapped, she found a pair of sweats and helped put them on him. Then she helped him take off his shirt and followed his directions for taping his ribs. Finally, she began cleaning his face, putting little pieces of tape on the cut above his brow. The split on his lip had stopped bleeding so she just cleaned the dried blood off and let it alone, same for the scrape on his cheek. She was pretty sure he would have bruises, but she couldn't do anything about them.

"You should take some ibuprofen," she encouraged him as she closed the first aid kit and stood.

"I will," he assured her. "I just need to call Max."

"Then I'll go check on Cameron," she told him, as she brought him the phone.

She stood in front of him, resting her hands on his shoulders before bringing them up to his cheeks. He looked up at her, his eyes warm in the soft light from the bedside lamp. Slowly, she leaned down and kissed him. It was light, mindful of his lip and his need to call Max.

"Happy New Year, Jason," she told him. "I'm glad you're safe and you're here."

She kissed him one more time and then stepped back. "I love you."

Then she left the room to let him make his call. She entered Cameron's room and sat in the chair by the crib as she watched over her little boy sleep. Tears filled her eyes in relief for Jason making it back. She didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't, and she was glad she wouldn't have to find out. At least tonight.

Chapter 79

~Jason's Penthouse~

Jason could tell the sun was high in the sky when he woke up. He knew before he even looked over that Elizabeth wasn't in bed beside him. With a glance at the clock, he was surprised at the time and that he'd never heard Elizabeth get up.

He pushed himself up from the bed and groaned at the sharp, protesting ache in his ribs. He stopped when he was sitting, but didn't attempt to go farther as his head pounded in protest. After a few moments he felt he could stand and made his way to the bathroom, his knee twinging with each step. Manny had worked him over good and he needed a hot shower to work the knots out.

After undoing the bandages Elizabeth put on last night, he turned the water as hot as he could stand it and then stepped inside the shower, staying until it began to cool. Feeling a little better, he made his way back to his bedroom and found Elizabeth waiting with the first aid kit.

"I heard you moving around up here and I thought you might need some help."

"Thank you," he smiled slightly at her. He'd seen his face in the mirror and the blossoming bruises hurt if he smiled too broadly.

Elizabeth wrapped his knee and helped him pull on his jeans, then wrapped his ribs again and helped him into a shirt. He gritted his teeth and pulled on his socks, not liking the thought of her doing that even though he knew she would gladly help him.

"Do you want your boots?" she asked. "Max stopped by when you were in the shower and said they would be over at Sonny's place."

There was no way he could bend over again and pull on his boots so he shook his head. "Thank you for helping."

"You know I will," she told him in a heartfelt tone. "And I know you need to meet with Max so I made you a sandwich you could eat quickly and go."

Jason stepped up to her and gently brushed his fingers over her cheek. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"You're keeping all of us safe," she answered. "It's the least I can do to help you."

He wanted to kiss her and moved towards her, but paused when he saw the exhaustion coloring her eyes. Brushing his thumb over her cheek, he asked, "What time did Cameron get up? I didn't even hear him cry."

"It was early," she admitted. "I think he had a bad dream. We dozed off on the couch."

"If you need to call Maria, then do that," he encouraged her. "She would help out so you can get some rest."

"I know," she said with an embarrassed shake of her head that he knew meant she wouldn't. She would utilize the babysitter when she needed to work or when she needed to go somewhere, but she wouldn't have the other woman come over just so she could get some sleep.

"He's actually lying down now," Elizabeth said, "so I think I will, too."

He kissed her lightly and then said, "I'll try to be back soon, but I can't say how long this will take."

"I understand, Jason," she assured him. "I really do."

He nodded and then moved away from her. He had to stop touching her or he wouldn't want to go. He'd want to go back to bed and hold her as she rested. However, he had things that had to be done; like eliminating the mole. He needed to focus on that and not the fact that Elizabeth would be asleep in his bed.

~Sonny's Penthouse~

Jason slowly walked into the penthouse across the hall from his, and looked at the people assembled there. Bernie immediately stood and approached him, "Mr. Morgan, are you alright, sir? Should we call the doctor for you?"

With a shake of his head, he put his hand on the accountant's arm, "I'm okay. A few bruises, but I'll be fine. Is there any word on Ruiz's shooting?"

"The police got a report of shots," Max informed him, "but we had the area cleaned up before they arrived. They showed up at the warehouse, but all they found was the unloaded shipment and the harbormaster inside having a cup of coffee while he signed off on the manifest."

Jason raised his brow; he could only imagine how that must have frustrated the PCPD. They no doubt rushed down to the docks hoping to find him surrounded by dead men from a shootout and instead he wasn't even there. The harbormaster signed off on a dummy shipment that they had no probable cause to search.

"Max called me," Jordan stated, shifting and pulling her skirt over her knees. "He said you never came down to the docks, so I needed to come down and deal with the cops. He never said anything about Manny.'

"No," Jason shook his head as he sat down, being careful of his ribs. "We didn't tell you. There was no need for you to know."

"If you were going for deniability on my part," she said, tilting her head to the side, "You just blew it."

"This isn't for deniability," he countered. "We didn't want you to run when you found out Manny was dead."

He saw a flicker of fear go through her eyes before she quickly got it under control. After all, she'd been betraying them for weeks; she had to have some measure of self-control. Jordan had been by their sides, working with them and listening to them talk about going after Manny Ruiz and she never once gave herself away. She wasn't going to just fold easily.

"Why would I run?" she asked incredulously.

"Because you've been giving Manny Ruiz information about the organization. You told him I would be at the warehouse last night so he could kill me. You told him when I was arrested so he could come after Elizabeth. You told him about the new safe house and had Ric transferred out there. You gave him information about all aspects of the business," Jason listed all her faults and crimes with pure disgust. "We know you did it. You were the one who knew I would be at the warehouse."

"Max knew," she protested, her calm demeanor slipping.

"You have some unaccounted deposits," he stated.

"Bernie could have ginned those up," she shook her head.

"Bernie didn't find them," he countered. "The computer guy Ric used found them."

Jordan swallowed and leaned back in her seat. "So what do you intend to do? Since you're so convinced I've betrayed you."

"We both know you did," he stated. "I don't know why and I really don't care. But I won't tolerate anyone who betrays me."

"You won't kill me," the lawyer insisted. "You don't hurt women."

"If you thought being a woman would protect you, you were wrong," Jason stated. He didn't like going after women, but there were some who thought they could act with impunity because of their gender. Faith Roscoe had been like that, and apparently Jordan thought she could escape retribution as well.

They couldn't afford to just let her go with only a warning. She knew things about the organization that would be dangerous to fall into the wrong hands; whether that was a rival organization or the Feds. As much as the thought of killing a woman went against everything he believed, he knew he couldn't leave her alive to come after them.

He looked at Max and saw the same hesitancy in the other man, but also the same knowledge. "Arrange an accident," he commanded. "Make it quick and painless, but make sure she's dead."

"What?" Jordan gasped. "You can't do that!"

"You sold out not just me, but everybody in the organization to Manny. You put every person in danger; I can't just ignore that. The men would have no faith in me if I did nothing."

"You just want to protect your little bed buddy," she sneered. "You don't like that Manny came after her."

"No," he agreed. "I don't. But this isn't about Elizabeth only. You endangered me and every person that works for me and is under my protection. I won't allow anyone to do that."

He looked at Max and said, "I think our former lawyer has a drinking problem, or just had too much to drink to celebrate last night. Alcohol poisoning or accident."

Turning to Bernie he commanded, "Get rid of all her files that are about us. She gave her resignation this week. Make sure you have everything from her home and office and off her computer."

He didn't want to do this, but speed was of the essence. "Take Stan with you. And take the computer guy Spinelli. You need all the files quickly. Spinelli takes the computer; Stan helps you with the files."

That would hopefully keep Stan from sending any of the information to himself or whomever was paying him. Bernie knew that they were investigating Stan and so the accountant and fact-finder nodded his understanding. Jason knew the older man would keep an eye on Stan and not let him cause problems or steal information. Hopefully.

"Then you all have your assignments," he stated. "Milo, make sure she writes her resignation letter and postdate it."

The younger guard nodded resolutely, even though he looked nervous. "You got it."

"Good," Jason nodded. "I'm going to go talk to the Spinelli guy."

~Harbor View Apartment~

Spinelli looked up when the door to his abode of captivity opened. While he was no longer as restricted as he was before - he could now access the web - Jason Morgan hadn't said he could go. He didn't understand it, and when he'd asked the Bumbling Brothers about it last week, the larger of them said that Mr. Morgan would like him to stay for a little while longer.

Put like that, Spinelli stayed.

Today it appeared he might get to hear why The Serious One was now in his apartment and Spinelli felt slightly disconcerted. The man showed very little facial expression; it was almost like he was carved from stone.

"Max says you've been helpful," the other man began with no preamble. "You've helped him and Bernie do some research and you found things quickly that really helped us out. And then you changed the access codes to the secure floors."

The man across from him paused and then said, "There was someone who wanted to hurt someone very important to me and you helped keep him out. I'm grateful for that."

Spinelli nervously ran his hands through his hair, pushing his bangs to the side. It disconcerted him to have Jason Morgan praise him and thank him so sincerely. The other man had always been angry and slightly hostile towards him. While he wasn't particularly warm now, Spinelli could sense he was being genuine.

The older man pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Spinelli while saying, "Because you helped on more than just dealing with Ric, I wanted to pay you."

As his eyebrows rose in surprise, the computer hacker took the paper and unfolded it. It was a numbered account to a bank in the Caymans. He looked at the paper and then at his computer and then back to the mobster. "Uh..."

"Go ahead and look," the other man said.

With an excited bounce, Spinelli bounded to the couch and his fingers flew over the keyboard. In no time he had his account set up and he blinked as his jaw dropped. "Whoa."

There were a lot of zeroes in that number and only two of them were after the decimal point. When he looked up at Jason Morgan the other man said, "I believe in paying my employees well. It's only right to reward their work, and hopefully it guards against betrayals."

The blond man shifted and growled lightly as he said, "It doesn't always work."

Spinelli couldn't understand why not. Sure, he had turned against Ric Lansing, but the dead lawyer had never paid that good; certainly not as good as Jason Morgan. Besides, the mobster had been quite persuasive in convincing the hacker to turn against Ric. And despite the sometimes brusque demeanor of the people around him, they weren't always dismissive or belittling of him.

"I need someone to help with my technical stuff," Morgan continued. If he was calling it stuff, then it was most apparent he needed a lot of help. "You'll be working with Bernie on a project. You do what he says, and you don't discuss your work with anyone but him, Max or me. Do you think you can do that?"

Spinelli could only gape at the other man. "You want me to work for you?"

"I need discretion and secrecy. You can't even hint at this online in your blogs or chats or whatever," the lethal man growled forcefully. "If that's going to be a problem, then we're done. Take the money and my thanks and you can leave. But if you're interested then tell Bernie when he comes by."

"I'll do it," the hacker blurted out.

Jason looked at him appraisingly. "I mean it. Say nothing to nobody."

He nodded mutely, his eyes wide. He was too terrified of Jason Morgan to even think of betraying him. But the pay was excellent and he wanted to try it for a little while. He could always quit, take his money and go elsewhere if it became a drag.

"Do-do I have to stay here and never leave my apartment?" he asked hesitantly.

The older man shook his head, "No, I guess not. You can go back to your apartment if you want."

The younger man looked down, "Could I stay...maybe stay here?"

With a frown, the stoic one said, "I thought you didn't like living here."

"I don't like being detained here," he corrected sincerely. "But now that I will be free to roam, this might not be such a bad place to be."

"Don't you have an apartment?"

"Not as nice as this place," he said, sweeping his arms out to the side. "This where the action is. You live here; your guards are always around...this is Action Central. Other guards live here, as well."

"So you want to live here?" Jason asked in confusion.

"Yes," Spinelli nodded.

"Is this place okay?"

He was a couple of floors below Jason and he would have liked to be closer, but he would take what he could get. He knew there was a floor above him where others lived, but if Jason wasn't going to mention it, then Spinelli decided to stay quiet.

"Let's see how it works out," the mob boss suggested. "Try it out first. See if you like it; see if it works."

"Okay," he nodded. He would be able to pay rent on both places given the amount of money in his new account.

"There's just one thing," Morgan said, his tone serious and slightly scary. "There are no drugs. I find them, you're gone. And if you betray me, I will hurt you."

"I-I understand," Spinelli answered solemnly. He would not do anything to upset Jason Morgan and jeopardize his chance of employment. Or life.

~Jason's Penthouse~

Elizabeth looked up when the door opened and Jason stepped inside. She set her work aside and stood up. Jason paused by his desk and sighed.

"I know I was gone for a while," he said apologetically.

"I don't care," she shook her head. "You had things you needed to do. I just want to make sure you're not pushing yourself too hard."

"You don't need to worry about me," Jason told her. "You should be resting; taking care of yourself and Cameron. You should take advantage of his nap."

She looked over at Cameron laying in his portable crib and then smiled as she looked at Jason. "I slept when he had his morning nap. Since then we've played, had a delicious lunch of barley cereal and green beans, read books and had a bottle before having another nap. I was just doing some work."

She came towards Jason and could see the fatigue and worry weighing on him. Touching his arm she told him, "Go sit down. I'll bring you some lunch and then we can rest. You look like you need some yourself."

Thankfully he didn't fight her or insist he wasn't hungry. She turned for the kitchen so she wasn't hovering over him, but she did watch from the doorway as he sat on the couch. He held his ribs and couldn't suppress a groan as he lowered himself to the cushion; she knew he was in pain but trying to deny it. She wasn't going to pester him or bring it up; she just made sure to set a bottle of pain reliever on the tray along with his food. She knew that he would take some to humor her, and secretly be grateful for its presence.

"Here," she said softly when she walked back into the room. "It's not barley cereal and green beans."

He twitched a smile and accepted the tray as she held it out to him. She then sat down beside him, curling her legs up underneath her and snagged a piece of chicken from his plate. They talked of minor things while he ate, her work for Ned and Lois, the Rose Parade she'd watched with Cameron that morning, and other such things. She wanted to ask about Manny and the mole and what would happen now, but wasn't sure how to approach it. The threat, the reason she'd agreed to stay was gone. So did she go, or stay until things were a little better? Would she keep finding reasons to stay with Jason, or did she think of Cameron and not let him get too attached to this place and the man beside her in case the relationship didn't work out?

When Jason finished eating, she took the tray and set it aside. Then she leaned against him, mindful of his ribs and loosely wrapped her arms around him while closing her eyes. Cameron would sleep for a while yet and there was no sense borrowing trouble by worrying about too many things. Everything would be sorted out in time, and for right now, she was going to hold onto this moment with Jason. Because there was no way, given the life that he led, of knowing how long it would last.

Chapter 80

~Jason's Penthouse~

Elizabeth walked out of the kitchen and paused when she saw Jason standing by the pool table, his hands braced on the wood railing. "Jason?"

She approached him, placing his hand on his back. He was stiff and tense and she wondered what had happened to make him this way. "What's wrong?"

"My lawyer's dead," he answered.

She blinked in surprise, "What happened?"

"Jordan was the mole," he told her and she was surprised he would tell her that. She was also shocked that the woman who had worked so hard to deal with the PCPD on Jason's behalf and had cowed them, could turn out to be the person who had been betraying him. "She was giving Manny Ruiz information."

"Why?"

"Money and power," Jason explained. "He seduced her and promised her power."

Elizabeth felt disgust and anger. She and her son had been terrorized and endangered all because Jordan wanted power and was greedy. Jason and his men were put in jeopardy because of her.

"And she's dead?"

"Yes, on my orders." She could hear in his voice that he was struggling with that.

She moved her hand to his arm and wondered if anything she could say would make a difference, but she felt she had to try, "She chose to go to your enemy, Jason."

"I know," he sighed. "That's why I couldn't let her live. I just..."

"She was a woman."

"Yeah," he nodded.

Elizabeth knew there was nothing she could say that would make him feel better so she just stood there beside him. He turned towards her and wrapped his arms around her, lowering his head to rest against hers. She gently rubbed his back until he began to relax, offering him the only comfort she knew he could at the moment. Finally, he let out a breath and kissed the crown of her head.

"Thank you. I knew it was happening, it was just hard to get the call and know that I was responsible." He sighed and tightened his hold on her. "And then I got a call from the doctor treating Sonny."

She looked up at him and asked, "Is he alright?"

"The doctor says there's been improvement. Actually, some really good improvement." Jason paused and then said, "The doctor thinks it would be good for me to come see him."

Her eyebrows rose, "Are you going to go? Can you go?"

"I have to take care of a few things, but now that Manny's gone, and Jordan's been taken care of, it's probably a time when it would work to go." He swallowed and then said, "I really do need to see how he is."

"You want him to be better," she said in understanding.

"I want him to be healthy, to be able to be with his family...with his children."

"You also don't want to be the boss," Elizabeth stated. "You may be good at running things, but you don't want to."

He let out a sigh and nodded, "I don't. I don't like all the negotiations and the front man status. Sonny likes that; I just..."

"You want to be in the background; you want to do the work but not have all the responsibility."

"Yeah," Jason agreed.

They stood there for a little while and Elizabeth was content to be quiet. She sensed there was more Jason was struggling with and she stood with him, giving support however she could.

"When I go down to the island, will you and Cameron come with me?"

She hadn't been expecting that. She'd thought that it would be a good time to move back to her apartment while he was gone. Never had she thought he would invite her to go with him to the island. She loved Jason and she was enjoying all their moments together, but taking a trip with him was so different. She was living with him temporarily for safety reasons, but that was different than moving in with him. Taking a trip with him, to Sonny's island, was also different.

She loved Jason, she wanted to be with him and she was fully committed to making a relationship work. It was just a big step to take a trip together and she felt she needed to think of Cameron. He would have to come with them because she knew her grandmother wouldn't watch him. Despite asking her gram to please accept that this was her life and her decisions to make, she knew it would be too much to ask the older woman to watch Cameron while she went on a tropical trip with her mobster boyfriend.

Yet, Jason hadn't expected her to leave her son. He invited her and Cameron along. She knew that Jason cared for her little boy, even loved him, and it was proof of that when he invited her son along. It touched her heart to know he was so accepting and caring to Cameron.

"I...I didn't expect..." she stated. "I thought maybe that was when I would move Cam and I back to our apartment. I just..."

"You don't want to go," he began, "I understand."

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him earnestly, "No, Jason, I want to. To be with you, to spend time with you...away from Port Charles and all we've been through lately...I want to. I just...I was thinking about Cameron."

"I love him, Elizabeth, because I love you," Jason spoke, confirming her thoughts. "I want to be with you, but I know we need to be careful; because of my work and especially because of Cameron. But I'd like to take you and especially because of Cameron. I'd like to take you to the island."

She smiled slightly, "It would be nice to go back, and be with you this time. I thought of you when I was there, but it was a weird situation since it was about helping Lucky. Now it will be about us."

"Will you come?" he asked hopefully.

"I will," she smiled at him.

He kissed her and she knew he was happy over her decision. It didn't solve their living situation or how things would work in the future - if Sonny came back or not also impacted things - but she was determined to enjoy this trip with Jason. After all that had happened, they deserved a little break.

~Coffee Warehouse~

Jason walked into his office and sank into his chair. Max and Milo came in followed by Bernie; all of them were subdued knowing what had happened that morning. When the door was closed, Jason leaned forward and got down to business.

"Has there been anyone to find out about Jordan?"

Max shook his head. "She had an accident on a remote stretch of the road; it could be a while before someone drives by."

"Our man inside the PCPD will tell us when she's found," Bernie told him.

"You got her files?" Jason made sure.

"Yes," the older man nodded. "Cleaned her file cabinet out and her computer."

"How'd that guy Spinelli work out?"

Bernie raised his brows, "He is a very...unusual man, but he is very proficient. He downloaded the information quickly, and then said that he fixed it so nobody would be able to tell the hard drive had been tampered with."

"And Stan?"

"He wanted to be on the computer," the accountant stated. "He did not understand why Mr. Spinelli was doing the work. Once the scrub was done and we had the files, I let him look over the computer but was standing by him to make sure he didn't do anything. He admitted he wouldn't have known Mr. Spinelli had erased anything."

Jason was glad to hear that. He didn't understand all the technology, and he needed someone who did. He looked at his fact-finder and asked, "What have we found on Stan's money?"

"It's coming from a bank in France," Bernie answered. "I'm checking into who owns the account, and I've asked the new guy to look into it. There are a lot of encryptions, so I would be skeptical that the person is actually in France."

"But the point is," Max stated, "is that he is getting money from an unknown account. It's a large amount of money, irregular payments, encrypted accounts..."

"It's too suspicious," Milo said.

"I agree," Jason nodded.

"Do we want to ask him about it?" the younger brother asked.

"Only if we can't break the encryption," he instructed. "Bernie, you and Spinelli...you work on it and see if you can break it. We can't spend a lot of time on it; I don't want to leave him in the organization to have access to information."

"I agree," Max stated. "Should we give him a dummy investigation? Something to keep him occupied so he doesn't wonder why we're not using him? Then we can monitor him and see if he sends anything along."

"Do it," Jason ordered. He didn't particularly care how it was handled, he just wanted Stan dealt with. "It needs to be done quickly, but you'll have to call me with the information. Sonny's doctor called me."

"Is Mr. Corinthos alright?" Bernie asked in genuine concern.

"The doctor thinks he's getting better," he answered. "That's why I need to go down there and see him."

"Of course," the accountant nodded.

Max leaned forward, "We'll take care of things here, Jason. We'll have the plane standing by."

"Elizabeth and Cameron will be coming with me so their guards will also be going. That way they'll know someone when I'm not there."

"I'll let Paul know," Max informed him. "Now, are you ready to interview our new lawyer?"

"She agreed to meet me?"

"Yes," Max answered, a grin crossing his face. "She is amazing. You thought Ms. Baines could go after the PCPD? I think Ms. Miller will be just the same. She's got fire."

"Max has a crush," Milo laughed.

"Idiot," his brother hissed. "Shut up."

Jason felt the corner of his lips twitch, "Let's meet her first and see if she's willing to work for us."

~PCPD~

Something was different in town. There had been an air of menace and threat hanging over the town, and now it didn't seem to be there anymore. Lucky couldn't figure out what had changed, but he knew that somehow Jason Morgan was involved. There had been a certain tension around Morgan and his men. There had been the shooting at the warehouse, Ric Lansing's strange death, and of course there had been reports of shots in the warehouse area on New Year's Eve.

While there was nothing that the cops could find, Lucky knew there was something going on. There was always something going on with Jason Morgan. It made Lucky disgusted that the criminals in this town always seemed to get away; they never paid for the things they did. Everyone around him seemed so enraptured by Jason and it made the cop in him angry.

Emily and Elizabeth had fallen under Jason's spell and defended him constantly. Emily had at least ceased in her praise of Jason when she was angry with her brother, but before her death she made some sort of amends. She shouldn't have had to do that; she shouldn't have asked for Jason's forgiveness. Yet, in the end she'd spoken to Morgan at the hospital, apologizing to him and Elizabeth. She gave Elizabeth money and asked for her brother's help in running a trust to help others. A criminal was going to look respectable helping fund cancer and AIDS research.

Lucky would have happily helped Emily fulfill her philanthropic endeavor. If Nikolas had remembered her, she probably would have asked him, and that would have been right. However, Lucky was the only one who had stood by her. He had supported her when everyone else had turned on her. Why had she not trusted him with this?

Had Elizabeth somehow gotten to Emily? Spewed her lies against Lucky to the other woman? He loved Elizabeth; how could she say that he had abused her? He was not his father. He would never hurt a woman and Elizabeth of all people should know that. He had found her after her rape, he helped put her back together and trust men again, and she had seen him when he found out what his father did to his mother. After knowing all that, how could she accuse him of deliberately hurting her?

She had fallen completely under Jason Morgan's spell. Jason could do no wrong and everybody else was the bad guy. It was just disgusting that she had turned her back on him for a thug.

Well, Lucky was not going to stand by and let Jason Morgan get away with this. The other man's high-priced attorney may have intimidated Mac and the new D.A., but Lucky was not going to give up. He may not be able to officially work a case against Jason, but he was a Spencer. He knew how to investigate and if he found the proof of Jason Morgan's criminal activities, then the city would have to act on them. He would be hailed a hero and Elizabeth would see Jason for who he really was.

~Hardy House~

Elizabeth stepped onto the porch holding Cameron in his car seat and rang her grandmother's doorbell. She didn't have to wait long before the door opened and her brother was reaching out to take his nephew from her. The air was warm inside and smelled like cinnamon and apples. She smiled at her guard and promised she would keep him well supplied with hot coffee.

"You look good, Elizabeth," Steven smiled at her as he unstrapped Cameron from his seat and unzipped the little boy from his snowsuit. Elizabeth unwound her scarf and took off her jacket. She could hear their grandmother moving around in the kitchen and she called out a greeting.

The older woman briefly appeared in the doorway, but disappeared once more to finish dinner. Elizabeth looked at her brother and asked, "Is she still mad at me for Christmas?"

Steven set Cameron down on the floor and they watched her son go up onto his knees and look around for a moment before tentatively crawling to explore his world. Steven shifted and let out a breath, "She's not mad, Lizbits, she just doesn't like it."

Elizabeth looked away. If her gram didn't like her living in Jason's apartment building, then she would just love hearing Elizabeth planned to go on a vacation with him.

"She has a hard time realizing that you aren't the teenager she took care of, but that you're a grown woman with a child. It's a little hard for her to let go and let you grow up."

She tilted her head and said, "And you're trying to guilt me on her behalf. I know that you don't like Jason because you worked for the crime lab in New York City and all you see is criminal when you look at him. However, you tried to date Carly Corinthos when you first came to town and I could curl your eyebrows with stories about her and the things she did."

"You shouldn't speak ill of the dead," he told her, but his tone wasn't angry. She knew he wasn't really mad or disappointed in her. He was just being her big brother.

"Then you shouldn't speak about people you don't really know and have never even tried to get to know. You don't know who Jason is or the things he's done for me. Gram's told me to go back to two men who abused me and one who raped me. Jason would never hurt me like that and he has done everything he could to keep me physically safe."

She saw her grandmother step into the living room, staying near the kitchen doorway. Elizabeth licked her lips and said, "I learned that the world isn't safe or perfect when I was fifteen years old. I've gone back to men who have hurt me after everyone else in my life told me they were good men and I should be with them. This is my life, and it's time I started following my instincts and doing what I want. How can I tell Cameron he should live his life for him if I don't?"

"And Jason Morgan is what you want?" their grandmother asked.

"He wouldn't rape me or emotionally abuse me or try to control me," she answered. "He supports me."

"And you love him," Steven stated.

Elizabeth blushed, but nodded. "I do. That's why I'm going to stay in my apartment, that's why I'm going to see him and I won't hide it."

She licked her lips and squared her shoulders, "And that's why I'm going to go with him to Sonny's island."

"Oh," Steven said softly as his eyebrows rose. He turned and walked over to pick up Cameron, grabbing the diaper bag and walked towards the kitchen, "Let's go figure out dinner, Big Guy, and let your mom and Gram talk."

Her grandmother crossed her arms delicately over her chest and asked, "So are you expecting me to watch Cameron while you go off on your trip?"

"No," she shook her head. "I know better than to ask or expect help or any support from you."

Her grandmother looked slightly stricken and raised her hand to her throat.

"I already told Jason that you wouldn't watch Cam and we would need to bring him with us. Jason loves my son and is looking forward to spending time with him. So he wasn't bothered at all by bringing him with us." Elizabeth hoped that she was making her point because she was tired of fighting with her grandmother over Jason. "I merely came here to give you the common courtesy of telling you I would be out of town for a little while."

She turned for the kitchen to see how Steven was doing with Cameron's dinner. When she reached the doorway she turned and said, "Hopefully we can get through dinner without a fight. I thought we made progress at Christmas, but I see now I was just expecting too much."

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