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Chapter 89

~Wyndemere~

Nikolas was waiting in the living room when Alexis came down in the morning. Alfred had fresh, hot coffee and croissants waiting for them to share. The butler was then told to stay away so that Nikolas could speak to his aunt without interruption.

When she finally arrived, he closed the file was working on and stood. "Good morning. Would you like some coffee?"

"Thank you," she said as she selected some fruit and sat down.

He handed her a cup and then sat down as well. Crossing his legs he placed one elbow on the arm of the chair. "What have you decided about Kristina?"

She sighed and looked at him peevishly. "Surely there isn't any need to go to Jason or Sonny. It's bad enough that Sonny knows he's Kristina's father, but there is no reason to bring him and his world into deliberate contact with her."

She pursed her lips, "If he ever decides to come back from his island and his newest child, then I will petition to keep him away from her. In fact, I don't see why I couldn't just do that now."

"Because your petition will never be granted once there are his bodyguards protecting Kristina," he stated. "Because while I can hire men to protect her, they will never be as effective against Helena."

His aunt frowned and looked away from his stern gaze as he said, "You challenged her. She's in one of her moods and she sees the existence of you and your daughter as a direct affront."

"Then handle her," Alexis snapped.

"No one has ever been able to handle Helena," he refuted. "And while I may not like what she does, it is still my grandmother you're asking me to harm. And may I remind you how well you did in your attempt to rid the world of her?"

She shifted on the couch and looked away nervously. She and Luke wanted to kill Helena and instead they nearly killed Katherine Bell. Luke merely toyed with her, Stefan found it hard to commit matricide despite how he'd treated her, and Nikolas was trying to keep the family finances in order that were just beginning to right themselves, all the while dealing with his memory loss.

"You know as well as I do that Jason will protect Sonny's child. And he won't hesitate against Helena."

His aunt peered at him and tilted her head to the side, "Are you hoping that Sonny's men will kill Helena and that you won't have to be the one to give the order?"

Nikolas had thought of that for he knew Sonny and Jason's men would not hesitate to eliminate her if they deemed her a direct threat. But was that why he was insistent they go to Jason and get protection for Kristina? Couldn't he just hire men and give them orders to take out Helena regardless of whether it was technically illegal or not? Wasn't Kristina more important? Yet how could he do that and not become completely like Stavros or Helena?

"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "The elimination of Helena is not my focus; I want to keep you and Kristina safe. And if you refuse to swallow your pride and ask Jason to help protect your daughter, then I will speak to him. I don't think you should stay here since there are too many access points for Helena. So please enjoy your breakfast, but then we should all head over on the launch."

Giving her a nod of his head in parting, he stood and went to arrange things with Alfred.

~Sonny's Penthouse~

"What is it?" Jason asked as he walked into Sonny's place, responding to Max's summons.

"The geek found something."

The younger man scowled as he looked at his laptop. Jason sighed and took Max aside, "I know he's different, but ease up on him, okay? He's helping us out and he's found things that Stan missed. Or maybe Stan deliberately missed them. But Spinelli's not that bad, even if I don't understand him half the time."

Max looked over at the hacker and then nodded. "Okay. I know he's helping out; he's just not Stan."

"Which may be a good thing," Jason pointed out. Then he turned back to the computer expert and asked, "What did you find?"

"I set up a search for all known aliases of James Craig," the young man began. "Looking at flight purchases, bank records, cell phones, anything that would give us any information on him."

Jason nodded, thankful the younger man hadn't gone into some convoluted explanation. He could actually understand him this time.

"A ticket was purchased under his Bronsan alias; destination Montreal. And then," he said in triumphant delight, "Darkwing has just purchased a ticket to Montreal."

Jason raised a brow and looked over at Max, "Did he mention a trip to you?"

"No," the guard shook his head.

"The purchase was made after Mr. Brosnan's," Spinelli stated. "I monitored Darkwing's phone and e-mail accounts, but I did not detect anything. I do not believe it was an e-mail account. The younger of the Giambetti brothers got me inside Darkwing's lair and I bypassed his security system on his computer and set up a ghost program. I can see everything he does and I have access to everything on his system. There were no e-mails."

"Good work," Max said. Then he shook his head and said, "It's probably a cell phone. Pre-paid, disposable, only uses it for this guy. Who knows. The point is, we know he's going to Montreal. We follow him and we find out what's going on."

"Set it up," Jason told him. "I want this taken care of. This has gone on long enough and I want it over. Even if we don't get this James Craig guy, I want Stan grabbed. We're going to deal with him."

"We'll take care of it, Jason," Max assured him. "Stan will not get away with betraying the organization."

Jason nodded, "Keep me informed. Now, what do we have on Lucky and Thompson?"

~Jason's Penthouse~

"Yeah," Elizabeth cooed to Cameron as she held him and swayed side to side. "I know, you don't feel good."

She brushed her hand over his back and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. "Hopefully now that your tooth finally came in it will help. I sure hope so, Cam, 'cause Mommy needs to get some work done today. Maria's coming over to watch you, but I'll do a much better job if I know you're feeling better."

She'd given him some pain reliever, swabbed his gums with teething gel and he was chewing on his favorite teething ring even though it was no longer cold, but he was still fussy. She knew he was tired and she was hoping he would fall asleep soon and hopefully wake up feeling better. There were sketches she needed to send to Ned and Lois by the end of the day and she knew she'd be able to concentrate better if Cameron wasn't whimpering.

When she heard the knock on the door she looked over at the structure with a mixture of relief and anxiety. For as much as she would like to hand her very unhappy son over to someone and just have a few moments to herself, she had a twinge of guilt that she was leaving her son when he needed her. She knew that plenty of mothers who worked often felt that way and Elizabeth also knew that Cameron would be very well cared for by Maria, but it was still hard for her.

Walking over to open the door she expected to find the babysitter, but instead found Nikolas on the other side. Her eyes widened in surprise but she smiled as she greeted him. "Nikolas, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Neither was I," he replied. "I needed to speak to Jason. I thought you lived a couple floors below this one."

"Come in," she invited him. There was no reason to have this conversation in the doorway.

As her friend looked around, he slipped his hands into his pockets and said, "It appears things have changed."

"Cam and I moved in with Jason," she confirmed.

He nodded slowly and she found herself bracing for a lecture of disapproval; she shouldn't be doing this, Jason was dangerous, she wasn't supposed to be with him and every other statement the prince had ever made to her.

Instead, he surprised her when he asked, "Are you happy?"

"Yeah," she smiled as she let out a breath. "I am."

"I always knew you cared about him." Elizabeth paused and looked at him, trying to interpret his tone. He didn't sound accusatory, but his words could be deceptive.

"You were always drawn to him and everyone tried to keep you away from him." When she looked at him pointedly, he admitted, "I was one of them. You were supposed to be who we wanted you to be and we never thought about what you wanted."

She cocked her head in question, "You remember all that?"

"There is no emotion," he said. "But I remember most things. Lucky did not care about you, but most importantly you did not care for him the way you cared about Jason. Nobody wanted to see that. But you have now gone after what you want."

He smiled at her and said, "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," she said, smiling awkwardly.

"So you're happy?" he asked again.

Her smile grew easier and surer as she answered, "I am. I'm very happy."

"Does Lucky know?" he wondered, lifting his brow. "He has never liked Jason and he's never liked you with him. I…I can't imagine how he'll feel about this."

"Lucky's reaction is no longer my concern," she shook her head, trying not to sound too harsh. "I'm not going to change my life just to please him or anyone else who refuses to accept me."

Nikolas nodded and she wondered if he understood her warning. "It was why I was so angry at Emily," he stated. "She refused to accept that I could not remember her or want anything to do with her. I am sorry she is dead, but it is more for her family and those who truly remember her."

"So why are you here," Nikolas?" she asked him. "You didn't know I would be here and you and Jason have never been friends. He doesn't blame you for how you reacted towards Emily; he had the same reaction to the Quartermaines. So…"

"I need to speak to him regarding my aunt and my cousin. They are in danger," he stated.

"Not from Sonny or Jason," she shook her head. "Sonny was looking for his daughter, but he's focused on other things right now. And you're hiding her, so surely she'd be protected from anyone looking to send a message to Sonny."

"They are not protected from Helena," he refuted.

Elizabeth raised her brow, "Helena?"

"Alexis has stirred up some trouble beyond my current capabilities," he admitted ruefully.

Elizabeth looked down, shifting Cameron who had finally fallen asleep. "I need to go put him down," she told Nikolas. "Please excuse me."

"Of course," he nodded.

After putting Cameron down in his crib, she stepped into her bedroom and placed a call to Jason. She wondered if her friend had told the guards why he was there. They may just think Nikolas came to see her and so wouldn't think to call their boss.

"Morgan," he answered.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she apologized.

"You're never a bother," Jason assured her. "What's going on?"

"Nikolas is here," she told him. He wants to talk to you about Alexis, Kristina and Helena. I wasn't sure if the guards told you he was here."

He sighed and then said, "I'll be over there soon. Is Maria there?"

"Not yet," she replied. "But Cameron fell asleep. So if you come talk to Nikolas, then I can get some work done."

"I'm on my way."

She knew all Alexis ever wanted to do was protect her child, but it seemed awfully hypocritical to come now to Jason and ask for help against Helena when she'd lied to Sonny. Of course, Elizabeth didn't really have any room to judge the older woman considering what she'd done to Zander. That was why she called Jason; it was better that he handle this situation. It was his job. He would do it, and then she could do hers.

As Jason walked to his apartment, the elevator opened and Maria stepped off. She blinked at him in surprise and then said, "Mr. Morgan. I meant to be here sooner, but there was an accident along the way. I hope Miss Webber has not been inconvenienced."

"I believe she got Cam to fall asleep," he said as they paused outside the door. "He cut his tooth finally, but he's still been very fussy and had a rough night. Elizabeth really needs to get some work done today."

"I understand," she told him. "I'll help him be comfortable and hopefully Miss Webber can work."

Grateful that she was here to help, Jason opened the door. Nikolas and Elizabeth were sitting on the couch and she smiled at Jason when she saw him. Soon enough, Maria went off to keep an eye on Cameron and she'd undoubtedly fold the little boy's laundry despite Elizabeth's protests that she didn't need to. His girlfriend headed to the room that was quickly converting into a studio and Jason turned to Nikolas, looking at him expectantly.

"Elizabeth said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes," the prince nodded. "I apologize for just showing up, but I needed to speak to you. It is a rather important matter."

"Elizabeth mentioned Kristina and Helena," he said, trying to get on with whatever Nikolas needed. "What's the problem?"

"My aunt went into hiding to protect her daughter," Nikolas began.

"She didn't want Sonny to find out she'd lied to him and altered a paternity test," Jason corrected. Not angrily, but firmly. He wasn't going to let the Cassadines spin their version while presumably coming to him for help. "He spoke to Ned about it."

"She also did not want her daughter to be affected by the violence and danger that surrounds your life," Nikolas refuted, his tone taking on some of his princely disdain.

"Then why did she come back to town?" Jason wondered. "And why are you here?"

The younger man sighed, "Because my aunt forgot that her own life has enemies and danger."

"Your grandmother."

"Yes," Nikolas agreed. "She has largely left Alexis alone in recent years, but my aunt provoked Helena's ire and she is now determined to teach Alexis and her child a lesson."

Jason leaned against the pool table and asked, "What did she do?"

"She used Cassadine contacts to investigate something. That, combined with me using Cassadine resources to hide Alexis made my grandmother angry."

"And so you want what exactly?" he pressed. He had an idea of why Cassadine was here, but he wanted Nikolas to leave no doubt.

"I am here because I need your help," the other man stated. "I would like to ask you for men to protect my aunt and cousin."

"Why don't you hire men?" he asked.

"You and I both know that your men will protect my aunt and cousin at all costs. Any men I hire will be hampered by legalities or I will not know if I can fully trust their loyalties to not side with Helena," Nikolas replied with blunt honesty.

"So now Sonny's connections are acceptable to Alexis?" Jason questioned and saw the younger man look away. Raising a brow he asked, "Did Alexis send you here?"

"No," the prince shook his head.

"Does she know you're here?"

"Yes."

"Does she want my guards on Kristina?" he asked directly.

Nikolas shook his head. "She believes Helena will not really be a threat or that I can protect them. I, however, can look at this realistically and without the emotion she has. I know that your men are the best chance of keeping my aunt and cousin safe."

"I will not leave Sonny's child unprotected," Jason told the other man. "A fact you no doubt were counting on. But I want to speak to Alexis herself before I do anything."

~Miami~

Hector smiled as he read the report. Lorenzo Alcazar was not as smart as he thought. Although he was in a country that did not have an extradition treaty with the United States - less and less countries these days - that wasn't going to spare his life.

He probably thought Morgan and Corinthos would not kill his niece but instead try to get her sent back to jail. Corinthos and Morgan lived by a code and they wouldn't kill a sixteen-year-old girl. Hector did not intend to kill Sage Alcazar; he was going to kill her uncle. Lorenzo Alcazar was going to die and Sage Alcazar was going to find herself all alone. She would also find herself taking a trip to a country with an extradition treaty. And the proper authorities would be notified of her location. What happened to her after that was not up to Hector.

He wondered if he should tell Jason Morgan what he was planning, but then he decided not to. Morgan would find out of Lorenzo Alcazar's death from the news. Just like everyone else.

Chapter 90

~Kelly's~

Elizabeth stepped into Kelly's and felt a whisper of a smile cross her face when she saw Bobbie behind the counter. The nurse had been such a part of Elizabeth's life while she was growing up that there was always a part of her happy to see the older woman. However, Bobbie had not always been supportive of her, and so that tempered her feelings toward her former boss. Getting angry at Jason as Emily's funeral of all places was a hard thing for the artist to forgive and it was why the initial smile she'd formed on her face dimmed as she approached the counter.

She tried to be understanding towards Bobbie, knowing that the nurse was still grieving Carly's death. And the older woman didn't know the truth about why Sonny really left town, but nothing truly excused attacking Jason at his sister's funeral. It would be so easy to blame the incident on Lucky, believing he had egged his aunt on, but Elizabeth also knew that Bobbie could be just as selfish and self-focused as the rest of the Spencers.

"Elizabeth," Bobbie smiled warmly as the artist neared the counter. "Hello there. You're looking relaxed and tanned."

"Thank you," she grinned in reply. "Sadly, I don't feel as relaxed as I did a week ago."

"Oh?" the older woman asked, no doubt ready to hear a good story. Elizabeth knew what she was about to say wouldn't make Bobbie happy, but she wasn't going to censor her life. She would be respectful of Bobbie's feelings, but she was going to tell the truth.

"Jason took Cameron and me down to the island," she said. As expected, Bobbie's enthusiasm immediately dimmed.

"Oh?" the nurse asked, this time she was nearly strangled by the lightness she was forcing into her voice. "Did you have a good time?"

"We did," the single mother confirmed. "Cameron really loved the beach and the water. It was nice to relax for a few days."

"Did you see Morgan?" the grandmother asked.

"I did," Elizabeth nodded her head. "He's doing really well and enjoying the island. He and Cam spent a couple of play dates together."

"And is he calling Sam Mommy?" the older woman asked, unable to mask her bitterness.

"Sam is not trying to replace Carly," she shook her head. "Leticia is there to help with Morgan and Sophia as well. Sam is not trying to take over."

Bobbie looked at Elizabeth and asked, "Did you see Sonny?"

"Yes," she lied without even pausing. She knew once she began this conversation that this might happen. She knew the importance of keeping the truth of Sonny's break a secret, and if it she said she hadn't seen Sonny when the older man was supposed to be staying at the villa right next to Jason's would be suspicious. She knew Jason would not ask her to lie, but she had covered for Sonny and Jason before and she would do it again. Whether she was asked to or not.

"You did?" Bobbie asked, her eyebrows lifting slightly in surprise.

"I did," she stated. "Jason spent more time with him than I did, but I saw him."

Yes, it was a lie, but Elizabeth was well aware of the fact that Lucky and others were making whispers about Jason killing Sonny. She was not going to sit by and do nothing. She wondered how much of the rumors Bobbie had heard and if that was why the older woman was asking questions, but if her words could get back to Lucky then she'd make this effort.

"Really?" she heard from behind her. She knew that voice without turning. "You actually saw Sonny?"

Turning around, she looked at Lucky and said, "Yes."

Her ex-boyfriend crossed his arms over his chest and said, "I've heard rumors that nobody actually saw Sonny leave town. Just a limo, a closed hanger and then an airplane leaving."

She looked at him and asked, "Where do you hear this stuff? And what does it even mean?"

"That maybe Sonny didn't leave town alive," the cop suggested pointedly.

"You...you think he's dead?" she asked incredulously. "Let me guess...Jason killed him?"

"He's now running things," Lucky pointed out.

Shaking her head Elizabeth said, "Sonny is alive, Lucky."

"According to you," he said, making it clear just how little he believed her. "You're dating Jason; you'll say anything he tells you to. You've certainly lied for him before."

"Jason doesn't order me around," she shook her head, getting angry despite knowing this all started out as a lie.

"Right, just like he doesn't kill people," he scoffed.

"Considering your own family, Lucky, you should really stop throwing stones," she said in disgust. Then she took a breath and shook her head, "I'm not fighting about this. Sonny isn't dead, and if you're searching for evidence against Jason then you're in violation of the order keeping you away from cases involving him. I guess I should let him know so he can tell his new lawyer and she'll take appropriate action."

Her ex-boyfriend scowled at her and then spun on his heel and stormed out of the diner. Elizabeth turned around and looked at Bobbie slightly apologetic. "Sorry. Maybe I should just go..."

The older woman shook her head, "No. Lucky doesn't have an objective nature when it comes to Jason. I know it's not your fault, Elizabeth. So what can I get you?"

"I was going to get dinner for me and Jason," she said. "So his usual and I'll have the day's special."

"You got it," Bobbie nodded and turned to put the order in.

Elizabeth sighed and sat down at the counter. She should have just gone somewhere else. While she didn't want to feel run out of her life, with Lucky living here and Bobbie still trying to deal with Carly's death and the fight between her daughter and Sonny before that, it might just be better to go somewhere else for a while so that she didn't have to deal with uncomfortable run-ins like this again. The food at Kelly's wasn't that great, and nostalgia wasn't enough to keep coming back.

~Luke's Club~

Lucky stormed into the darkened room and headed straight for the bar. He needed a drink and grabbed a bottle from the shelf and pulled the top off. As he took a drink, he tried to wash the bitter taste of Elizabeth defending that monster out of his mouth. She appeared to be well on her way to being the perfect little mob moll. Now that Carly was gone, Elizabeth seemed primed to take over the roll of Morgan's biggest defender.

As he was taking another drink, his father shuffled out of from the back office. He looked at Lucky curiously as he sat down at the bar. The younger man turned away from his father's searching gaze as he took another swallow.

"Cowboy?" the older man asked. "What's wrong? You're bellowing around here like an angry bear."

"I saw Elizabeth today," he hissed out. "Jason took her and her son down to the island. She says she saw Sonny when she was there."

His father leaned back against his seat, "Well, that's good news. There you go; Sonny's fine."

"She's lying," Lucky insisted hotly. "She's lied for Jason before. She hid him in her studio and lied to me about seeing him. She told me she would stay away from him but she never did. She will do anything or say anything to protect him. So I'm sure she would lie and say she'd seen Sonny when she hadn't. Of course she would try to protect her lover from murder charges."

His old man leaned forward and rested his arms on the bar, "Look, Cowboy, I know you think Jason killed Sonny, but maybe it's just not true."

"Nobody saw him leave," he pointed out insistently. "My informant said Morgan was making decisions even before Sonny left. Nobody saw him in the days before his departure."

"Did you ever think that maybe your informant isn't telling the truth?" his father asked. "I've done a little digging into this guy you said talked to you and he was fired from the Corinthos-Morgan warehouse. He might be trying to use you."

"Right," Lucky scoffed, "because Jason Morgan would never turn on Sonny and your son will never be correct. 'Cause I'm just a screw-up, right?"

"Now I never said that, Lucky," his father shook his head, but it wasn't very convincing. "But you need to think, Cowboy. It's not like Sonny hasn't left town before. You know he took off after not marrying Brenda. He left Jason in charge and didn't come back for almost a year, even when things were tense around here. Sonny didn't come back until he was ready. And when he did, Jason gave the business back."

Lucky looked at his father, not wanting to admit it, but knowing the older man was correct. Sonny had left and stayed away, even when Jason was dealing with strikes and disputes. He could have come back, but he didn't; even when Jason turned the business over to his rival.

His father nodded, "You remember those times, Lucky. And you also know that Sonny does what he wants. He gets in those moods and he only cares about himself. For him to focus on only his family and leave Jason to deal with everything else..."

The older man shrugged, "It's not that big of a stretch if you really think about it."

"Then why go down to the island?" the cop asked. "Maybe he had to get Sam and the nanny to shut up."

"Now you're just grasping at straws, Cowboy," his father chided with a shake of his head. "You want Morgan to have done something just so you can nail him."

"He's a criminal," he pointed out insistently.

"So am I," his father laughed self-deprecatingly. "So was Sonny when you looked up to him and idolized him. So was Jason when you worked for him. So was Helena when you helped her out back when you were mad at me. You've turned a blind eye to things I've done when as a cop you could have and should have arrested me."

With a shake of his head he brushed his hand through the air, "You're my father. And you're not as dangerous as Morgan."

The older man shook his head and leaned forward again, "You are as obsessed with Morgan as Taggart was with Corinthos. This isn't just about right and wrong for you; this is personal."

"I'm doing my job," Lucky insisted on a hiss.

"You want to punish Morgan because you think he's responsible for stealing Elizabeth away from you," his father stated definitively. "And now that she's dating Morgan you're going after him. You want to punish him and her."

Shaking his head he denied, "That's not what I'm doing."

"Lucky," his father said, his voice low and serious, "You're playing a very dangerous game. You're already on shaky ground with the force. You've been told you can't investigate any cases involving Morgan. His lawyer's filed harassment charges against you. Mac isn't going to give you a medal for going after Morgan. The city will cut you lose to keep from getting sued. You won't just get demoted; you could lose your job."

His old man was just trying to scare him and Lucky shook his head. While they might slap his wrist they wouldn't kick him off the force. This town had been under the shadow of Corinthos and Morgan for too long and Lucky was going to be the one to break it. If Corinthos was dead and Morgan got sent away, then this stranglehold would be over. It would not get him in trouble.

"Even if you don't get in trouble with Max and the rest of Port Charles' finest," his father continued on, "do you really think Morgan is going to just sit back and do nothing? Word's going to get back to him 'bout what you suspect and what you're doing. He's not going to just let you come after him."

"If he comes after me, then he's going to have even more problems," the cop insisted. "He'll be charged with killing a cop."

"A rogue cop," the older man shook his head. "Nothing you do will stand up."

"Why don't you believe in me?" Lucky demanded angrily. "Why are you so sure I can't handle Morgan?"

"I don't want you killed," his father said. "Morgan's not going to spare you because of our connection in the past. I don't want to lose you."

"Your concern would be touching if I believed it," he snorted in disgust. "You simply have no faith in me. Too much of a loser to go after Morgan."

He slammed the bottle down on the bar and stalked out the club despite his father calling after him. He was going to get Morgan and take him down. No matter what.

~Jason's Penthouse~

It was always such a headache to talk to Alexis and Jason rubbed the back of neck as tension settled in. When she had been his lawyer, Alexis had been a fierce advocate for his causes, but she had also been high-strung and sometimes challenging to deal with.

"I want to know what you want," Jason told her, "in regards to Kristina."

"I want my daughter to be safe," she stated. "That is all I ever wanted. I want her safe."

"That was from Sonny and his enemies," he nodded. "But now we have Helena coming after her."

"Nikolas can protect us," the older woman stated.

"Nikolas doesn't know who will be loyal to him and who will be loyal to Helena," he shook his head. "My men have done some looking around and she's angry. There's been a lot of movement from her in the past few days. Ever since she got angry at you. She's coming after you and your daughter. Who also happens to be Sonny's daughter."

She pinched her lips together and looked away.

"Look," he said, "this isn't about you lying to Sonny; you did what you did. But the truth is now known and my friend's child is being threatened. What am I supposed to do about that?"

Alexis sighed, "I don't know."

"If I stand back and do nothing because you don't want anything connected to Sonny and his lifestyle associated with your daughter and something happens to her, then what do I do? How do I face Sonny or even you? Are you going to not blame me if Helena harms her and I stood back and did nothing?"

"Why would I blame you?" she asked, almost as if the idea was ludicrous to her.

"Your sister stuck her nose into Sonny's business, went some place where she didn't belong and she unfortunately got hurt." Her eyes hardened as she glared at him but he continued on, "I'm sorry she got killed, but it was entirely an accident because she walked into a place she shouldn't have. But you yelled at Sonny and me as if we had pulled the trigger on her. If I stand back and do nothing because I don't want to further your anger and disdain for Sonny's life and Helena harms her, am I then going to be another monster?"

He shook his head, "I can't leave Sonny's child unprotected, but I'm not going to fight you on the guards. They're not there to take over your life, but to keep you safe. Nikolas has asked for my help, but the choice is yours. They can help you by working with you or just watch from a distance and leave if you tell them to or call the cops on them."

"If you put guards on us now, they'll never go away," she argued almost petulantly.

"Then you don't want any guards what-so-ever?" he pressed. "You will do everything you can to protect Sonny's daughter from your family? The woman who slit your mother's throat?"

Alexis stood up and said, "You're not being fair, Jason. Sonny has enemies after him all the time. Violence surrounds him. Violence surrounds you. They could go after Kristina to make a point."

"And Helena wants to go after you and your daughter to prove a point," he stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "She will go after anybody and do anything. So how is your family any different from Sonny's world?"

The door opened and Elizabeth walked in, holding a bag from Kelly's. She paused by the desk and looked between the two of them before saying, "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay," Jason told her gently, his arms falling to his side in case he needed to help her.

"Hello, Elizabeth," Alexis said awkwardly.

"I'll just go put this in the oven to keep warm," she said, "and then go up and see Cam and Maria."

She walked into the kitchen and Alexis watched her, then looked at Jason, "She and her son live with you?"

Jason crossed his arms over his chest again, not wanting to be subjected to her judgments, but answered, "They do."

"And she accepts the guards for her and her child?" the older woman asked incredulously.

"Elizabeth knows the guards are there to protect her," he said. "And she knows that danger is not just from me and my life. She knows that from when she was a teenager and from being around the Spencers and your family."

"I am terrified of Helena," Alexis admitted. "But I'm also terrified of Sonny and his lifestyle."

"You chose to sleep with him," Elizabeth said softly from the doorway to the kitchen. "I know I chose to sleep with Zander and then I didn't want him around me or my child. But are you going to tell me that Zander and Sonny are the same? You're scared and I understand that, Alexis. But you and I both know how dangerous Helena is. She wanted me dead and I took poison to fool her. She won't stop and you know that."

"I do," she agreed. "But I don't want guards on Kristina forever."

"Then re-evaluate when things get better with Helena," the younger woman suggested. "But isn't your daughter and her safety the most import thing right now?"

Alexis sighed and then looked at Jason, "Yes. I won't fight the guards."

"I'll do everything I can to keep Kristina safe," he promised her. "But I want you and Nikolas to know that I'm not going to actively seek out Helena. She's not my fight; your family needs to deal with her."

"I understand," she nodded heavily. "Thank you, Jason, for caring about Kristina."

"She's Sonny's daughter," he pointed out. "I'll do my best for her because of that."

"Thank you," Alexis said, and then gathered her purse and left.

Jason turned towards Elizabeth who walked to him. "I didn't mean to intrude," she said, "But I know she's stubborn and I thought maybe if she heard another voice..."

"I'll keep her daughter safe," he said, "but her lying is between her and Sonny. When he comes back from the island they can work through it. For now, the guards will work out a schedule for Kristina."

"Well," she shrugged. "You did your best and you'll keep Sonny's daughter safe as best as you can. And that's all you can do. She and Sonny will have to work the rest out, like you said.

"Now," she smiled brightly, though she looked weary. "You go get Cam and tell Maria thanks. I picked up dinner because I didn't want to cook today."

He pulled her close and gave her a kiss, "That sounds nice."

"So I'll get it out of the oven," she continued, "and get Cam's dinner ready and we can just eat and relax for a little while. But I do have to admit...something happened at Kelly's that we need to talk about when Cam goes to bed. It...it has to do with Lucky."

Jason closed his eyes and let out a breath. He had just about been ready to relax, but should have known that he'd dealt with guards on Kristina didn't mean things would go easy for the rest of the night. But he also knew that Elizabeth was trying to give him some respite, so he decided to focus on dinner with her and her son, and then later he'd find out what happened.

Chapter 91

~Island Compound~

Dr. Firth watched as Sonny interacted with his son and daughter and saw the genuine delight he had with them. They had become more comfortable with him and so she had suggested he spent some time with them where it was just the three of them. She wanted to see how he handled changing and unpredictable situations. She hoped that he would no longer have to live at this compound, but could be closer to his family.

While she didn't think he should move in with his children and the women taking care of them, it was time to be closer. She didn't want to disrupt the children's lives, and she also didn't think it was wise yet for Sonny to be around others full-time in case he had a relapse. Sonny had been doing very well in his therapy and responding to the medication, the doctor didn't want to rush the situation by moving her patient into something too fast just because he wanted to get back and get back to his life.

As the children grew tired, Sonny spent his last moments with them and then took them to Leticia and the guard who had brought them to visit. Sonny watched his children go and Dr. Firth thought that maybe it was time for him to move. He could move into Jason Morgan's villa so he could be near his children, but still on his own and already established in a place in case she had to sedate him and treat him.

Once the guard and the nanny left, Sonny turned to look at her and said, "Dr. Firth, I would like to talk to Jason."

"I don't think you're ready to talk about business," she shook her head. "We're just talking about moving right now."

"It's not about business," her patient shook his head. "It's about the fact that I no longer want you as my doctor and I want him to find me a new one."

Gillian blinked in surprise at the statement. Sonny was not angry, he was not seething; he was calm but also perfectly determined and serious. Nothing at all like the man she'd first encountered when she came here. And apparently he no longer wanted her as his doctor.

"May I ask why?" she asked.

"You've helped me," he acknowledged, "but I'm not sure if it's a good fit anymore. You don't respect the people in my life and I'm not sure how I can get better if I'm fighting against your prejudices and judgments against the people around me and if you're trying to dictate my life."

"Is this about Sam?" Dr. Firth inquired. "I will not apologize for believing that Sam is not the right person for you. You should not be involved with anybody."

"I'm not trying to date her; that isn't what I'm saying," he shook his head. "This isn't about romance; I'm not trying to find a bed warmer. I'm upset about the fact that you don't respect the mother of my child. That you treat her with utter contempt."

"I do not," she denied.

"She hasn't come the past two visits because you've relegated her to the status of a nanny," Sonny countered. "Actually, you treat my son's nanny with more politeness than you treat Sam. Your dislike of her is clear to everyone and that is why she doesn't come here."

"That wasn't my intention," she shook her head.

She wasn't trying to be rude to the younger woman, she just didn't trust the con artist's interaction with Sonny. Despite what Sam claimed, Gillian didn't trust the other woman. Sophia's mother had relied on using her sexuality and her body to get what she wanted. Women like Sam McCall didn't change their ways, they only changed their tactics and their schemes.

"Then what was your intention?" Sonny asked.

"My entire goal has been your mental health and getting you well," she told him. "It is my duty to look out for you."

"Not anymore," he stated with a shake of his head. "Now, I want to talk to Jason. And you better start packing."

Sonny stalked away, leaving Gillian standing there wondering what had happened. She had been dedicated to helping Sonny get better and as a doctor had been pleased with his progress. Yes, she had heard about Sonny's past lovers and especially all that had happened regarding Carly and Sam, and she hadn't approved of the actions of any of the players. Sonny had a very unhealthy relationship with his deceased wife, and both had deliberately done things to hurt the other.

The doctor had not liked Sam preying on the situation, even though she had told Sonny he'd used the woman to get back at his wife. But when Dr. Firth saw Sam and the way she dressed and carried herself, she had a very good idea of how the younger woman had pulled her cons and it disgusted the woman in her. However, she may not have been completely professional in regards to the other woman.

Gillian did not have to like or approve of all aspects of her patients' behavior, and she didn't. But she tried to be professional and help the person get a better mind-set and make healthier and better choices. And for those patients who had medical diseases, she did her best to treat them. She hadn't wanted Sam to prey on Sonny and undo her patient's recovery and progress, but had she used that as an excuse? She hadn't hid her disgust and distrust for the other woman, but Sam had never openly complained.

She merely had stopped exposing herself to the situation and it was Sonny who had objected. Whether from romantic feelings, or simply from his innate, and sometimes not always sensical, code of honor. Sam was the mother of his child and she deserved a level of respect from him and those around him. Dr. Firth had broken that honor and now Sonny didn't want her around. Any trust the doctor and patient had was compromised, and she knew in this case she should recuse herself so that her patient could continue to recover.

Perhaps, she thought, as she went to organize her files and update her notes, Sonny was further along in his recovery than she'd thought.

~Docks~

As Nikolas made his way towards the launch, he was grateful that his aunt and cousin were now protected. While Alexis was chaffing under the guards presence and Jason Morgan did not like having to protect the woman who had lied to his boss, the protection was in place. That was the most important thing; making sure they were safe from Helena's terror.

He had learned the same information Jason had; Helena was angry and making her way to Port Charles. Such a combination was not a good thing. That was why he had pushed for Morgan to guard his family. He would not take chances with Helena. And maybe this time his grandmother would finally be dealt with.

As he came the stairs to the launch's arrival point, he saw his brother in a heated conversation with another man. Nikolas slowed, not wanting to stumble into an arrest or questioning, but soon realized by the men's words this was not official police business.

"Look," the other man sneered. "I'm not going to do your job for you. I gave you the information I had. Why don't you do a little police work and find the evidence? Morgan killed Corinthos; prove it."

"Someone claims they saw Corinthos alive last week," Lucky said, though his voice was skeptical.

"You mean your ex who's now shacking up with Morgan?" the man laughed. It was such a dirty sound accompanied by such a dirty look that Nikolas felt insult on behalf of his friend. "Yeah, like she wouldn't lie if Morgan told her to. The man's dead and Jason Morgan killed him. I gave you all the information I have. Do your job and stop contacting me."

Then the other man walked off, leaving Lucky seething. Nikolas stepped forward just as his brother kicked a piece of trash into the harbor. Hearing his footsteps, Lucky spun around to face Nikolas, his hand drifting towards his gun.

"What are you doing here?" the cop sneered.

"Waiting for the launch," he replied. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," his brother snapped with an angry shake of his head. "Just part of an investigation."

"I thought you were off cases involving Jason," he posited.

"Don't worry about it, Your Highness," Lucky growled. "Go protect your family."

"I will," the older brother said, "which is why I think you should know Helena may be on her way to Port Charles. She's angry about Alexis and Kristina, but if she can't get at them because of Jason's men, I don't want her to come after you and Lulu. Do...do you want to tell you father, or should I speak to Luke?"

"You went to Morgan to protect Alexis and Kristina?" Lucky demanded to know angrily.

"Kristina is Sonny's daughter," Nikolas stated.

"Right, and the cops can't do anything," his brother said contemptuously. "Nice to know what you think of me."

"This wasn't about you, Lucky," he shook his head.

"I bet you didn't even think of asking me for help," the younger man said, his anger increasing as it rolled off him. "Did you? No, let's just go run to the thug for help. You're as bad as everyone else; blind to who he really is and thinking he's wonderful. You were shot because of him. But go ahead and put your trust in him. One day you'll realize you were wrong."

"Are you mad at me?" Nikolas wondered. "Or Elizabeth for moving in with him?"

"She'll get what she deserves," Lucky sneered, "and so will you. Don't worry about my father or my sister. The Spencers will take care of ourselves. We don't need you or Morgan."

Then he spun on his heel and stalked away. Nikolas watched his brother go and sighed. It appeared that the younger man truly was Luke Spencer's son. A chip on his shoulder, unwilling to listen, and blaming others for all of his problems. Well, Nikolas had his own problems to worry about and Lucky was an adult. He would speak to Luke, offer help for Lulu and Lesley which would most likely be denied, and told to mind his own business. There was only so much he could do in the face of Spencer pride and he wasn't going to beat his head against that wall any more than he had to.

~Montreal~

It was amazing how white and male Stan's mother was. Of course, Max hadn't realized that Montreal was mistaken for Chicago either, what with crossing the border and having to show a passport and all. Stan had called Jason and said that he needed a few days off to see his mother in Chicago. They had all heard of Stan's mother and knew that the computer tech looked out for her because he was an only child and it had just been him and his single mother when he was growing up. If she needed help, Jason would of course give the man time off.

However, because the tech guy was under surveillance, they knew that his story was a lie. Stan wasn't going to Chicago to see his mother, he was going to Montreal to meet James Craig. Max and Richie had followed to document the meeting; trying to get information on Craig and then planning to grab Stan.

Max had gotten plenty of pictures of Stan and the mystery man, but wished he could have gotten close enough to hear what was said between them. Hopefully Richie would find something that would clue them in to Craig's true identity when the other guard searched the man's room. Once the meeting was over, Max would follow Stan and grab him, not allowing the traitor any time to betray Jason further. A third guard had come along, and he would follow Craig while alerting Richie to get out of the man's room. It had all gone well on Max's end. He followed Stan away from the meeting sight and when the tech was away from the crowds, Max walked up to the man they had once trusted.

"Hello, Stan," he said, his hand resting under his jacket on his gun. "How's your mother?"

"Max," the computer tech said in shock, his eyes widening. "What...how..."

"We're going to take a walk," Max commanded. "Don't be stupid and try to get away or draw attention."

Stan's gaze followed Max's arm down to where his hand disappeared under his suit coat. With a heavy sigh, he nodded his head and Max grabbed the traitor's arm. He led them to the vehicle they'd parked before following Stan on food and indicated for the other man to get in the back.

The tinted windows on the vehicle would keep anyone outside from seeing that Max now held Stan at gunpoint in the backseat. Richie was supposed to leave Craig's hotel room and come to the SUV, but it took a very long time for the guard to finally show up. When he did, he looked slightly shaken, but wouldn't say what had happened. He merely drove away and Max knew enough not to ask questions.

Mike would follow Craig; they needed to take Stan back to Port Charles and Jason.

~Previously Unknown Location~

Hector approached the house and knew that the guard with him did not like this, but as a good soldier he followed orders. Hector did not want to delegate this assignment out to his new enforcer or one of his lieutenants. This was a job that needed to be handled personally, and so Hector was here to take care of this himself.

He knew that security would be in place, but the same information that brought him here also told him how to get past the features. He was able to get up to the house, bypassing the patrols and taking advantage of surveillance dead spots. Once he was at the house, he looked in and saw a relaxed, domestic scene. The room's occupants had no idea of the danger just outside; they thought they were safe and could never be found. They were simply enjoying themselves; spending time together as a family. It was something they had stolen from Hector and he was not going to let them get away with it.

He waited, though, until the girl left the room because he didn't want to kill her uncle in front of her. While Sage Alcazar had killed Carly Corinthos, Hector did not want to make her witness her uncle's murder. He was content to wait, but thankfully was not forced to do so for long. The teen stood and gathered her things, kissed her uncle on the cheek and then left the room. A few moments later, a light upstairs cast light on the ground and Hector knew it was time.

Nodding to his guard, the men made quick work of the lock to the room next door, so they did not alert their target. Once inside the house, his guard was instantly on alert for any of Alcazar's men. This would allow Hector to do what he wanted to do and not have to worry about his own safety. Drawing his weapon, he stepped into the room where Alcazar sat reading, completely unaware of the fate about to befall him.

As Hector neared, Alcazar sensed his presence and lowered his book, "Did you forget something?"

His eyes widened when he saw that it was not his niece in the room. Trying to look strong and defiant, even though he sat looking down the barrel of a gun he demanded, "Who are you?"

"You don't know?" the older man asked. "You called my family and asked for our help. You promised we could walk into Port Charles and take over because Sonny Corinthos would be too broken to fight."

"Hector Ruiz," the Venezuelan smiled warmly, acting as if he was not being threatened.

"Yes," Hector dipped his head in acknowledgment. Then he continued on, Port Charles is still under Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan's control and my two sons are dead."

"I did not kill them," Alcazar denied smugly.

"You may not have pulled the trigger," Hector conceded, "but you are responsible for the situation. You wanted us to engage Corinthos and distract him so that you and your murdering niece could get away."

"Surely you knew there was danger when you went off to Port Charles," the younger man mockingly chided. "How is it my fault your sons died?"

"Yes, we were grasping for territory," the older man agreed, "but you set us up, and you did it deliberately. You didn't treat us fairly, and you played us false; you know you did. That is not how you treat associates and you know it. There are consequences for that."

"My death?" he questioned.

Hector lifted his brow, "Yes."

He lifted his gun and fired without giving Alcazar a chance to protest or fight. The bullet penetrated his head and blood trickled down the dead man's forehead. Hector signaled the guard to be alert for any guards that might be drawn to the noise, even though the gun was silenced. Then he switched his gun to his other hand and reached into his pocket for the capped hypodermic needle. Turning he headed upstairs; Sage Alcazar was next on his list.

There were no guards along the way, and soon he was in front of the door were light flood out underneath. The room was silent, aside from the occasional whispered shuffle of feet. Knocking on the door, Hector pulled off the protective cap from the needle with his teeth so it would be ready. There was no answer, even when he knocked again. Turning the handle, he saw the self-absorbed teen sprawled across her bed with ear buds in, undoubtedly destroying her hearing and not able to hear him. Lowering his weapon, he approached the bed with purpose.

His presence was finally noticed and she screamed when her fear-filled eyes lifted and saw him. Hector jabbed her arm with the needle and within seconds she went silent and limp. She could now be transported. She would wake up in protective custody and then be delivered to prison. She was an orphan and her guardian was dead; she would become a ward of the state while in prison. It seemed a fitting end to the family, and Hector had no qualms in his intended actions. His revenge was now complete, and maybe Mateo would grant him forgiveness for his actions.

Chapter 92

~Jason's Penthouse~

Phone calls in the middle of the night were never a good thing. That was true in any profession, but it especially held true of the mob. When he had been Sonny's enforcer, he was the one called to deal with the attack or problem. Of course, Sonny was also awakened during these times and he would coordinate everyone, receive information and assess the overall situation. Now that Jason was the boss, it was his job to coordinate things while others went out and dealt with whatever situation arose at two in the morning.

He had only come to bed a few hours earlier, and was definitely not happy to hear the phone ring. After getting a call earlier from Sonny telling him he no longer wanted to work with Dr. Firth and listening to the situation, he knew Sonny was not going to be swayed from his request. While Jason worried about the impact of changing doctors in the middle of the treatment, he knew that Sonny would not truly cooperate with his therapy and treatment if his current doctor remained.

So Jason had spent the day calling discreet contacts and trying to find his friend another doctor. He'd shared his concerns with Elizabeth, wondering if Sonny's demand was indicative of him getting better or if his friend was having a relapse. He wanted Sonny to be better for his friend's sake, but also because he would like to turn the business back over to the older man. So he really hoped this wasn't a setback. Unfortunately, they wouldn't know until the new doctor arrived and some time had passed.

But that wasn't what Jason was thinking of when the phone rang at night. He wondered what had happened now. He reached for the phone, hoping that Elizabeth wouldn't wake up.

"Morgan."

"Jason, you need to come to Sonny's place."

"Max?" he asked, sitting up and running his eyes. The guard was supposed to be in Canada watching Stan. "What's going on?"

"You need to get over here," the guard insisted.

"Okay," he said, blinking and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "I'll be right there."

Closing his phone, he then got up and reached for his clothes as Elizabeth stirred. "Jason?" she murmured, "what's wrong? Is it Cam?"

"No," he answered, pulling up his pants before coming around to sit by her side of the bed. "Max called; I need to go over to Sonny's."

She sat up and looked at him in concern," What's wrong?"

"I don't know," he shook his head, brushing her hair back gently kissing her lightly on the forehead. "Go back to sleep. Hopefully I'll be back soon."

She blinked at him sleepily, and he pushed her gently so she would lie back down. Leaning over to kiss her lips he said, "I'll be back. I love you."

"Mmmm," she murmured drowsily.

He had a smile on his face as he pulled his shirt on and left the room. Checking in on Cam, he covered the little boy up and then went downstairs. He had his boots in his hand as he crossed the hall to Sonny's penthouse. When he walked in and saw Stan sitting on the couch with Max holding a gun on the computer tech, the good feeling he had when he left Elizabeth completely disappeared.

~Sonny's Penthouse~

Jason looked exhausted when he walked into the room, and Max knew it was because the acting boss was not delegating as much as Sonny did. Jason was used to being a soldier and doing rather than having others do. Max was trying to do as much as he could to help, and everyone else tried to do the same. But it's hard to change a person's mindset and Jason was a man who had to be involved.

But that wasn't why Max insisted his boss come over now instead of waiting until later. Jason needed to be part of figuring out what to do with Stan, and hear what they'd discovered in Canada. This was not something that could wait, and this was not a situation for them to handle on their own.

"Jason," he said, standing up and putting his gun away. He reached for a file and began to place pictures down on the ottoman in front of the sofa. "Meet James Craig."

Leaning forward, the acting boss picked up a photograph and studied the man's features as best as he could. The man had no distinguishing marks on anything that would make him stand out. Jason looked over at Stan, and then back at Max.

"He followed Stan, have photographs of him with this Craig guy. He got an envelope; it's there on the table. So I grabbed him while Mike trailed Craig and Richie searched his hotel room.

"There was nothing in the hotel room; he traveled under Brosnan, so that's all the documents he had," Richie took up the narrative. "But I saw something interesting when I was leaving."

"What?" Jason asked, clearly intrigued.

"Perhaps we should deal with Stan first," Max suggested. They had no idea what was going to happen to the man, but they should no longer discuss business in front of him. Even if he wasn't long for the world.

Jason nodded, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the computer tech. "Why? You were there when we were going after the hacker and Ric. You were completely with us as we were protecting the organization. Then you end up here; taking money from someone, hiding accounts and lying to us."

Stan shook his head. "You're a great guy, Jason, but it's Sonny's who's the problem. He walks all over us, and then puts us all in danger by making stupid and reckless choices. We're all left scrambling and wondering if we're going to fall to an enemy or get scooped up by the cops by the careless trail he leaves behind."

The traitor pointed at Jason and said, "The men feel safe with you. They trust you because you're efficient and you're smart, and you watch out for the men. They would follow you to the end of the world because they know you have their back as much as they have yours."

With an angry shake of his head and an accusatory glare he charged Jason of his own failings. "But your problem, Jason, and why you won't have complete loyalty is because everyone knows you're blind to Sonny. You will always defer to him and you'll always turn the business back over to him. You say it's because you don't want the power, or the stress, but the real reason is because you're a coward."

Milo gasped from the side of the room, having stayed out of the conversation up to this point. Max shared some of his brother's shock; coward was a word hardly ever associated with Jason Morgan. The man in question stood emotionless and let the traitor rail, trying to excuse away his actions. It was a natural reaction of Jason, but Max found it more powerful than all the screaming of betrayal Sonny would do at this time.

"You're too afraid to tell Sonny the truth that everyone has seen. Sonny is too unstable to be in control anymore. I don't care if he went into treatment; he shouldn't be in charge. But you'll hand everything back over to him, run around cleaning up his messes, smoothing things over and trying to protect everyone, including him, from Sonny. Then you'll feel like you have to step in again, force Sonny to get his act together and give everything back again.

Stan looked at Jason in disgust and said, "You enable him just as much as you enabled Carly in her schemes. The men would support you completely if only you'd tell Sonny to stay on his island and that you're taking over. But you won't do that. So I took the task."

Jason's eyes narrowed and he clenched his hands, "What did you do?"

"Mr. Craig is a man who helps with problems. He's fixing this problem."

"That might make sense if you were paying him, but money was coming from him to you," the angry boss challenged. "He contacted you and you run off to meet him. He's not just solving a problem for you. You're helping him and I want to know why you paid you."

"I gave him information on Sonny and his business that would help him eliminate a problem," Stan shrugged unapologetically. "He also needed some personal information. He said he had another client who needed some stuff on Sonny. Sonny will be eliminated soon and if you don't step up, then you'll be taken out, too."

"Milo," Jason bit out in a harsh voice.

"Y-yes, Mr. Morgan?" Max's brother stammered, looking as if he was about to fall over.

"You and Adam get Stan out of here," he growled. "Take him to a safehouse and you can keep him unconscious for al I care."

As the two guards came to get Stan, Jason turned to Max and ordered, "Call the guards on the island. Tell them to get Sonny and the others on a plane out of there immediately."

Max looked at the other man with wide eyes. "Get them off the island? Are you sure?"

"He said Sonny would be eliminated soon."

Realization hit Max and he said, "The island. Stan knows where the island is."

When Jason nodded soberly the guard said, "I'll call right away."

As Max went off to make the call, Jason turned to Richie and asked, "What did you see as you were leaving Craig's room?"

The guard pulled out more pictures and handed them to Jason. "He met Jasper Jacks."

"Jax?" he asked, shocked at the words. Flipping through the pictures he saw the two men hug, then talk together animatedly.

"I wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying," Richie apologized. "I didn't want Jax to see me and recognize me as one of your men. I got some pictures, signaled Mike to keep tailing Craig and then I went to meet Max."

"That's okay," Jason told him. "There was a guard in place."

Letting out a troubled sigh he then said, "We need to figure out who this Craig guy really is and how Jax knows him. Stan said he was giving information to Craig for someone else."

"You think it's for Jax?" Max wondered, closing his phone.

"With a shake of his head he said, "I don't know. But Jax has never liked Sonny, and has competed against business interests. But he's also dating Courtney and she was over here a while back yelling about being Morgan's godmother and that maybe she should look out for Morgan's interests against Sonny."

When Max rolled his eyes in disgust, Jason closed his own eyes wearily. He thought his ex-wife had let things drop, realizing she wasn't Sonny's sister and the men wouldn't give her deference just because of it. While she'd hinted about using her organization to go after Morgan, Jason thought he'd made it clear it would be in her best interest not to pursue it. Now he wondered if she had merely found another way to try by using Jax's resources.

Looking at Richie he said, "Go down to Spinelli's Get him up and get him searching on this. Try and find Jax's connection to James Craig and have him search for Craig using the picture."

"You got it," the guard nodded. He reached for his phone as he gathered up the pictures. "I'll give him a call to get a head start on waking the guy up."

When he opened the door, he stepped back in surprise and stammered, "Bernie, Miss-Miss Miller."

The accountant and the new lawyer walked in and Richie stepped out, closing the door behind him after taking a questioning look over his shoulder. Jason frowned, wondering what had brought the two of them here at three in the morning. "What's going on?"

The lawyer, who even at this hour was impeccably dressed said, "I just received a rather odd phone call. Mr. Abrams filled me in on cases and recent legal issues for you and the as-yet-unmet Mr. Corinthos so I was aware of Sage Alcazar killing Mrs. Corinthos and then being sprung out of jail by her uncle. I just received information that Sage Alcazar was brought into a medical facility in a country conveniently that has an extradition treaty with the United States. The information on the young woman, when they ran her name, said she was wanted on murder charges so she is now in police custody."

Jason shook his head in stunned surprise. They hadn't liked it, but they figured Sage and her uncle had disappeared for good. With all the problems with Manny and Sonny getting sick, Jason just really hadn't focused on finding the teen. They weren't going to kill her, and they knew Alcazar would always try to protect her.

"What happened to Alcazar?" he asked. Surely the man would not just let his niece be taken.

"I don't know," the lawyer shook her head. "Perhaps Mr. Abrams knows. He said he was on his way to speak to you as well."

Jason raised a brow in question at the fact-finder and the older man cleared his throat. "Ms. Miller is correct. I received a call as well. Alcazar was found dead; shot between the eyes."

"Well," Diane raised her eyebrows. "I suppose that explains how his niece was taken."

"Yeah," he answered, sharing a suspicious look with Bernie. "But not the answer of who did it."

"I'll ask around," he said and Jason knew he would be discreet about it.

"Is it necessary?" Diane asked. "Can't you just be...content that Miss Alcazar will be returned to jail and stand trial and you will no longer have to worry about Lorenzo Alcazar?"

"Unless someone tries to frame me," Jason shook his head.

"Should I prepare for the possibility that the PCPD will come question you?" Diane asked.

"I wouldn't put anything past the police" Bernie said. "Especially since I just got a heads-up that Lucky Spencer is making some unofficial contacts with the IRS and FBI."

"RICO?" the lawyer asked in disgust.

"Capone got caught on tax evasion," the older man stated.

Diane looked at Jason pointed and said, "I think we need to preemptively strike at Detective Spencer and alert his superiors to his investigation."

It appeared Luke wasn't effective with his son and Jason was not going to be bound by loyalty to the past. He nodded and said, "Take care of it today. I want it over."

"I'll get a warehouse guy to say he's heard Lucky asking questions and has seen him with Thompson," Max assured him. "Although if Mr. C. comes back, then everyone will see you didn't kill him."

Jason shook his head. "I don't know that he's well enough to talk to anyone. We had to get him off the island, but I don't know what we're going to do about his treatments."

"Mr. Corinthos is coming back?" Bernie asked.

He filled in Bernie and Diane about Stan, James Craig and the threat to Sonny. They talked about options and strategies, but knew that they would also have to wait and see how things played out with Sonny's health and what information Spinelli could find. When Jason headed back to his penthouse several hours later, it was still dark, but he knew it wouldn't be for long. It would be just a matter of waiting for the sun to rise and waiting for whatever happened next.

~Jason's Penthouse~

Elizabeth was heading back to her room after feeding Cam his early morning bottle and putting him back to bed for some more sleep, when she heard the door downstairs close. She paused to see if Jason would come upstairs or if perhaps she should head to their room if he needed to talk to his employees. Instead, she heard nothing but silence and wondered what had happened across the hall. Maybe Jason had come in while she was in Cam's room and she had only heard him leaving to return back to the war room.

But then she heard the refrigerator door close and she headed down the stairs. As she reached the middle landing, she saw Jason across the living room. He took a drink from his beer bottle and then set it on the mantle. With a heavy sigh he rubbed his temples and then around to the back of his neck.

"Jason?" she asked softly as she came down the rest of the stairs. "I was coming back from feeding Cam when I heard the door. Is everything okay?"

When he shook his head she asked, "Do you want to be alone?"

"No," he answered immediately, holding his hand out to her. "No. It's just...it feels like so much fell apart tonight."

"Do you want to talk?" she asked. "Or do you want to do something else?"

He closed his eyes and she could see the tension and pressure weighing on him. She just wanted to help him any way she could, even if she just rubbed his neck to alleviate the headache she was sure he was suffering from. What he needed was more sleep, but she wondered if he could allow himself to relax long enough to do so. Or if things would be quiet long enough for him to rest.

"Come on," she encouraged him, as she took his hand. She was curious, even a little worried, about what had called him away, but she muted her questions. He needed to relax while he could and satisfying her curiosity would not be relaxing. She would find all soon enough all that was happening.

Sitting down on the couch, she hoped that he would allow her to help. If he slept, she wouldn't mind. If he was just quiet and relaxed, that was fine too. Pulling him back to rest against her, she wrapped her arms around him and felt the tension radiating off him. She kept her breathing relaxed and even and hoped that soon it would transfer to him. At least he wasn't fighting her, and she accepted it as the beginning. The rest would come, and she would be there to make sure he took care of himself like he took care of everyone else.

Chapter 93

~PCPD~

Mac Scorpio was not a stupid man. Despite what people may think about him and his department he knew that things were not black and white. While he was offended by the number of times Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan were never convicted or released after their arrests, he knew that they weren't the worst criminals this town could be subjected to. Recent visitors like the Alcazars and Ruizes were examples of just how bad the mob could be all the time.

He also knew that a badge did not equal a good man. Cops could become obsessed with taking down the criminals and they would do anything to achieve that goal. They would break the law, plant evidence, not follow procedures or even become vigilantes and perform street justice. There was no excuse for becoming like the people they were fighting against.

That was why Mac had kept on an eye on Lucky Spencer when he'd been pulled off cases involving Jason. He knew that given the personal history of the two men, not just their professional interactions, that there was no way this detective would back down just because he was told to. Add into that the men's history over Elizabeth's Webber and the recent stress of Emily Quartermaine's death and he knew the men were tinderboxes ready to blow.

Spencer was up to something; Mac could feel it in his bones. He just hadn't figured out what exactly his detective was up to. He was keeping an eye on him, but without proof that the cop was doing something illegal he couldn't have his other cops investigate him. It would kill morale among the good cops and someone might alert Lucky he was being watched.

Mac just worried the young man would give Morgan the perfect opportunity, or excuse, to take the cop out. It was well-documented, thanks to Morgan's lawyer and the lawsuits she filed, that Lucky was taking this grudge personally. He was not acting professionally and if something happened to Spencer it would be a rather easy argument to say that Morgan was only defending himself from a rogue cop.

It was not something Mac wanted to deal with and he could only hope he got ahead of his detective. Otherwise, he was going to have a public relations nightmare and the already shaky credibility of the PCPD would erode even more.

"Mac?"

He looked up when Cruz popped his head in the office and sat up, "Yeah?"

"There's a call you're gonna want to take," the detective said. "It's about Sage Alcazar."

He peered at the other man, and then reached for the phone. Sage Alcazar had disappeared months ago, being sprung from the jail thanks to her uncle's government connections. Though they searched for her, Mac knew that the trail went cold the moment she left. Alcazar wasn't going to go anywhere with an extradition treaty. He was going to hide his niece away and the police, the FBI and Sonny and Jason could search forever, but they wouldn't find her. To have new evidence now was a huge surprise.

"Mac Scorpio," he said, after punching the blinking button on his phone. "Who's this?"

~Private Airport~

Jason was waiting inside the hangar when the plane arrived. The guard had swept the building and the surrounding area. They weren't going to take any chances with this James Craig guy out there. Max and Milo were working over Stan trying to get information from him, but they hadn't gotten anything from him yet. Spinelli was doing all he could to find the one piece of information that would crack this open for them.

When the plane stopped and the door opened, Jason bounded up the stairs and into the cabin. Thankfully, Morgan and Sophia were asleep, but the adults were all awake and looking at him with questions.

"What's going on?" Sonny demanded. "We were told to get off the island but the guards wouldn't say anything."

"Stan met with an unknown, and we felt you were in danger," Jason answered him. He didn't want to discuss anything else in front of Sam and Leticia.

Sonny seemed to understand and he nodded before asking, "Where are we going to go?"

"Harborview's the safest," he said. "The safe houses could be compromised and they're too out of the way and hard to protect."

"The best place is the Towers," Sonny agreed. "They should go to my penthouse. It's bigger and they can all be together. Keep it like it was on the island. That way it's not as disruptive to them. If it's alright with Sam I'll stay at her place."

Jason didn't know if that was best for Sonny. Sam's apartment was smaller than the penthouse and it could affect him. But he'd agree to it for now because he wanted to get everyone off the plane and to safety.

"Is that okay?" he asked Sam. When she nodded, he looked at the guards and said, "Then get the women and the kids into the limo and get them to Harborview."

Once everyone else was off the plane, Jason sat down and looked at his friend. "How are you doing?"

"I was looking forward to having a day or two without someone asking me questions and trying to shrink my head," he said with a self-deprecating grin and laugh. "And then when the guards came and grabbed us all, I wasn't so much worried about the island being compromised or my business...I was worried about my family. I wanted everyone to be safe, to not be hurt. I couldn't bear to lose someone else again."

He shook his head as he said, "It wasn't the wild out of control panic that I had before. It was because I loved and cared for these people. It was my job to protect them and I was determined not to let them down."

Jason felt a soft breath go out of him, feeling encouraged by Sonny's words. His friend sound more controlled, more focused than he had in a long time. Jason knew it would be too soon to declare Sonny cured, but he felt that maybe the older man really was getting better.

"You bring a separate car?" the mob boss asked. When Jason nodded, he said, "Then we should get back to the Towers. You can fill me in on what's happening."

"It may take more than the trip," he shook his head as they stood and moved to exit the plane. "Quite a bit's happened since we talked on the island. Lorenzo Alcazar was found dead and his niece was dropped in a country with an extradition to the U.S. Helena is now mad at Alexis and coming after her; we are now protecting Kristina at hers and Nikolas' request. Lucky Spencer is convinced that I killed you and is investigating on his own; we're about to alert the PCPD on our first stop to taking him down. And," he let out a breath, "Stan has been discovered as a mole and he's been getting paid by someone named James Craig, which is an alias, and giving him information in exchange for Craig getting rid of you."

They stopped by the limo waiting inside the closed hangar and Sonny gaped at him, "That's quite a bit of information. I think you need to fill in a few details along the way."

"Yeah," he nodded. They climbed inside the limo and it slowly pulled out of the structure. "It's been busy."

"Always understating things," his friends chuckled dryly. "Now fill me in."

~PCPD~

"Lorenzo Alcazar is dead," Mac told his assembled officers. Looking up from the fax papers in his hands he continued, "Someone alerted local authorities and his death was merely logged in. It was only when Sage Alcazar was brought into a medical facility in a country that has an extradition treaty and they were alerted to her fugitive status that the police realized a murder in a different country may not be as mysterious and senseless after all but actually have a motive."

"He was killed so she could be grabbed?" Cruz asked.

"No doubt by Morgan," Lucky huffed in disgust. "He wants her to pay for killing Carly."

"If he wanted her to pay wouldn't he have just killed her when he found her?" Cruz disputed. "He is in the mob after all."

"My client has never been convicted of anything, not even a parking ticket," an impeccably dressed red-head stated as she walked into the station with a middle-aged man behind her. Diane Miller was proving herself just as formidable and tenacious as any of the other lawyers that defended Sonny and Jason. She was also taking up the gauntlet that Jordan had thrown down. She was not going to put up with any perceived harassment from the department.

"What exactly has my client allegedly done now?" she asked. "Who has he supposedly killed?"

"Lorenzo Alcazar was found and his niece is now in custody awaiting return to the U.S.," Lucky sneered. "Awfully convenient for her to be all alone now so she can be tried."

"So you believe that Mr. Morgan killed Mr. Alcazar?" she wondered.

"He can no longer protect Sage," the detective stated definitively.

"And then he delivered her to another country so she could be brought here and stand trial?" she pressed.

"Maybe he couldn't bring himself to kill a teenage girl," Lucky hedged.

"But according to you he's killed his best friend," the lawyer raised her brows, her tone incredulous. "So why not a sixteen-year-old girl?"

"What?" Mac questioned.

"We'll come back to that," she shook her head. "Mr. Morgan has not been out of the country."

"He hired someone," the younger officer declared.

"I see," Ms. Miller nodded thoughtfully. "You seemed to have a lot of...theories when it comes to my client. Like your belief that Mr. Morgan killed Mr. Corinthos. That is what you believe, right, and have been investigating despite being taken off any cases pertaining to Jason Morgan?"

Mac looked at the lawyer and then over at his detective. He immediately knew from the defiant look on Lucky's face that this was not just some lawyer blowing smoke. Letting a heavy sigh he asked, "What's going on, Spencer?"

"Nothing," he denied poorly.

"Really?" Ms. Miller inquired acidly. "Then I suppose that Mr. Nelson here didn't observe you meeting with a man named Al Thompson and hear you asking questions about Mr. Morgan killing Sonny Corinthos? And I suppose that the surveillance footage from Mr. Morgan's property that actually shows you meeting with Mr. Thompson is...faulty?"

"Fabricated," Lucky declared.

Diane Miller reached into her attaché case and pulled out a flash drive. "A copy of the surveillance. When Mr. Morgan's employees found it and told me about it, I took it, and put it into a safe at my office along with a notarized letter stating my procedures. Your lab may review it if you are interested in doing so."

Then looking directly at Mac, she said, "But even if you should be inclined to disbelieve Mr. Nelson because he is Mr. Morgan's employee, or because another employee found the surveillance video, I hope you would not discount Elizabeth Webber's statement or Officer Spencer's own aunt."

"Elizabeth and Bobbie?" Mac questioned.

"Ms. Webber told Mr. Spencer she had been down to Mr. Corinthos' island and had seen him. Your officer here made it quite clear he thought Ms. Webber was lying and that Mr. Corinthos was dead because Mr. Morgan killed him."

"So you've been investigating on your own," the police commissioned shook his head in disgust. "You were taken off all cases involving Jason Morgan; your grudge against him is becoming as bad as Taggart's and is making this city vulnerable to costly lawsuits. This city will go bankrupt paying criminals to atone for the corruption and incompetence of the police."

"Alleged criminals," Morgan's lawyer corrected. "My client is an innocent man who has been harassed continually by this department. You may be assured that we will be calling for an investigation and very possibly Officer Spencer's badge. Now, would you like to ask Mr. Nelson what he saw and review the tape, or shall we add you to the list of department members to go after as well?"

"Cruz," Mac called out to the detective, not looking away from Ms. Miller's piercing gaze, "take Detective Spencer to Interrogation Room One. Ms. Miller, Mr. Nelson will you please come with me to Room Two?"

"You can't be serious," Lucky burst out angrily. "You're seriously going to believe what Morgan's mouthpiece says?"

"After your recent behavior, I have to investigate this," the commissioner stated forcefully. "If there's truth to what Ms. Miller says then she won't have to ask for your badge because I'll do it myself. Go with Cruz."

Then leveling a glare at the shorter detective he commanded, "He does not leave this building. If you think you're just helping him out, then I will have your badge as well."

Turning to Morgan's lawyer and the dockworker, he gestured to a room. "Let's go."

~Sam's Apartment~

It had been a while since he'd been here. Back when he'd moved Sam in here, he couldn't understand why she had insisted living on her own instead of with him. She was the mother of his child, they were a family now. Why should she and his daughter live below him when he had a large penthouse where there would be plenty of space for everybody?

His therapy had helped him see that Sam hadn't asked for an apartment of her own simply as a ploy. He thought she was playing him, wanting to be more than just Sophia's mother or even his girlfriend. However, as Dr. Firth helped him find clarity in his own life, he gained some perspective on Sam. While his doctor hadn't trusted Sam, Sonny truly believed in her statements. She wasn't playing him, Sonny had seen enough cons and had seen them from Sam herself, but she was sincere now. She loved him and she was willing to possibly lose him by not tricking him.

While Dr. Firth had been wrong about Sam's current motivation and actions, she had been right when she said Sonny needed to focus on himself right now. While he didn't want to be alone and the heady rush of a relationship and all the pleasures that could be had from it was appealing, he knew it would ultimately be detrimental. He enjoyed being around Sam and talking to her about more than just their daughter; he just knew it would not be smart to go for more right now.

That was why it wasn't a good idea for them to all stay together now that they were back in Port Charles. While there was a part of him that said that as the mob boss he should be the one to reside in the penthouse, he knew it was just selfish to think that way. While Sam and Sophie had stayed with Morgan and Leticia on the island, they had become accustomed to each other. He didn't think Sam was trying to trying to replace Carly in Morgan's life, but his son did like her. Sonny had learned that in his time with the little boy. He thought it would help them adjust to their sudden departure from their island home where they had been for months.

So Sonny knew that they needed the bigger space of the penthouse, which meant that he was living on a floor below everybody else. It may not be the penthouse, but the ceilings were still high and the apartment was big. Hopefully he would not feel claustrophobic while he was staying here, even if he would have to deal with the distracted feelings that were already threatening him over the fact that he would be sleeping in Sam's bed.

Perhaps they should get one of the other apartments on this floor furnished so that he didn't impinge on Sam's space, or his sanity. The doctor Jason had arranged for would be staying in Elizabeth's old apartment since they didn't want her staying at Sam's. But the new doctor wouldn't arrive for a day or two and his guards had more important things to do than buy furniture for him. He would just have to deal with his feelings for a couple of days.

There was too much going on and he'd already been gone for so long. The new doctor may tell him not to get involved in the business yet, or she may even want him away from Port Charles. So he wanted to do what he could in case it all ended again. It was not that he planned to override Jason or take care of everything again, but he wanted to get involved. He wanted to know about things as they were happening instead of finding out about them afterwards. He only hoped he was strong enough for it.

~Wyndamere~

She was not pleased that some incompetent employee had been indiscreet and alerted her grandson to her intentions. The hapless man had been dealt with and would never foil her plans again, but now she no longer had the element of surprise. She had worked on a plan that would eliminate Alexis and her worthless brat, but that had been planned for the house Nikolas had secured for his aunt and cousin.

Now Helena had to come back to Port Charles to deal with the problem herself. Alexis should have never been left alive, but her husband had swooped in and rescued his brats before she could finish them off as she had their mother. While the youngest one was now dead, Helena had never gone after Alexis. It was fun to torment her husband's weak child, plus her own son Stefan proved he was weak and pathetic as he would step in and try to save his sister.

However, she had really been stopped by Nikolas. Her grandson had a soft spot for his aunt and Helena knew that if she went after Alexis he would rebel against her completely. Nikolas, though, no longer remembered his past, and Helena believed it was time to strike. Especially since Alexis had dared to believe that she could use Cassadine family resources for herself.

It was time Alexis was eliminated and Nikolas understood his true heritage and what was expected of him. Helena had no illusions that Alexis had taken advantage of the amnesiac to get her and her daughter sent away. So if Nikolas had taken her from her hideaway, then it was only natural that they would return to Wyndemere. Despite knowing about the tunnels, they would foolishly assume they were safest there.

That would be their ultimate downfall. Alexis and her child would die, and Helena would finally be able to bring her darling Nikolas into the realization of his full potential. It was just a matter of finding the right room and then her problems would be solved tonight.

Chapter 94

~Jason's Penthouse~

"Okay, Cam," Elizabeth said softly as they walked down the stairs and then into the kitchen. She hoped that if she remained calm and quiet this morning, then Cameron would as well. And if he didn't squeal and babble excitedly, then hopefully Jason would stay asleep longer.

With the return of everyone from the island, Jason had been busy getting them settled in, updating Sonny, dealing with the plan Diane was handling in regards to Lucky, as well as something Max was helping Jason deal with. She didn't know all the details, but she knew it had something to do with Stan and the danger the computer man had put them all in. Jason had come home very late last night, and while she was glad he was home, the morning had come far too early.

But Elizabeth had quickly scrambled from the bed when she heard Cameron's cry float through the monitor. She didn't want Jason to wake up until he did it on his own or until one of the men called and needed him to wake up. They would be apologetic for disturbing him, and Elizabeth could only hope that they didn't call too soon. Even Jason needed some sleep sometimes.

"What should we have for breakfast this morning?" she smiled at her son. She walked over to the highchair and set him in it. After the tray was on, she picked up the bright, yellow box that always elicited a squeal from her son. "Should we start with some Cheerios while I scramble an egg for you?"

Cameron laughed and clapped his hands, then began grabbing fistfuls of the cereal from the tray after she poured them out. Once he was occupied, she pulled the eggs out from the refrigerator and quickly mixed up several in a bowl while a skillet warmed on the stove. She might as well make some for herself. Just as she was about to pour the eggs into the pan, she heard Cam let out a loud squeal. As much as her heart fluttered at the sound because she knew that was his call reserved for Jason, she was also disappointed he hadn't slept longer. Despite his claims that he didn't need a lot of sleep, she knew that there were times he needed to listen to his body's pleas for more rest.

"Hi, Cam," she heard Jason greet her son.

Once the eggs were in the pan, she placed the bowl in the sink and then washed her hands. As she turned around to dry them, she froze at the sight before her. Jason had only put on a pair of sweatpants before coming downstairs. He was absolutely gorgeous and she had to remember that her son was in the kitchen and wanting his breakfast.

"Hi," Jason smiled at her as he came closer. "Good morning."

He lowered his mouth to cover hers, giving her a brief but intense kiss. She panted for breath when it ended and leaned against his chest as he reached around her and scraped the eggs off the bottom of the pan so they could scramble and not burn.

"I can do that," she whispered against him.

"I got it," he murmured against her hair, not releasing her from the circle of his arms. She lifted her arms and brought them around his waist.

"Don't get me wrong," she smiled against his skin, placing the lightest of kisses on it before continuing, "this is a wonderful way to spend the morning. But I was hoping you would sleep longer. You came in so late and you've been doing so much. I just wanted you to get some rest."

"I'm fine," he assured her. She couldn't step back to look up at him or she'd back into the stove, but she wanted to look up at him dubiously letting him know she wasn't truly convinced. "I wanted to spend the morning with my family before I had to go deal with everyone and everything else today.

Her eyes brimmed with tears and she whispered her lips over his heart as she breathed out, "Oh, Jason."

"Does he get all this?" he asked and she craned her neck back as she blinked at him.

"What?"

"All the eggs?" Jason questioned.

"No," she shook her head, pressing against him to move so she could turn. "I was making some for myself as well.

Quickly she took the pan and scooped some eggs into a shallow bowl, breaking them apart and blowing on them to cool them down. She walked over to Cam and placed the bowl on his tray and brushed her hand over his curls. She stayed nearby to make sure he didn't burn himself, and also to allow herself to think. Her breath caught in her throat as Jason walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You are," he told her, his cheek resting against her temple. "I think of you and Cameron as my family. I love you and you are everything to me."

She turned in his arms and looked up at him, her eyes once again full of tears. "I love you, too."

"There are things I want to discuss with you," he told her. "Things about you and Cameron, but I know we don't have time for them right now. But I wasn't going to sleep when I could be spending time with the two of you. I know there are things I need to do, but I will not give up time with my family to take care of Sonny's and the business. I won't."

"But you need sleep, Jason," she told him. "Even you need to take care of yourself and you've been doing so much lately; getting in late, leaving early. What Cam and I want is for you to be healthy."

He smiled at her tenderly and gave a slight chuckle. "Always wanting to take care of me."

"Because I love you," she told him fiercely, her heart bursting with all she felt for him.

"I know," he nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear. His voice dipped as he replied, "I love you; that's why I got up."

Jason looked over her shoulder at Cam and asked, "Any chance he'll go back to sleep when he finishes his breakfast?"

Letting out a sigh, Elizabeth shook her head sadly, "Probably not. He slept through the night and I knew when I went in to get him that he wasn't gong to be content with a bottle. He's probably going to want to play now."

"Then we'll play with him," he declared. "I want to be with you, Elizabeth; however I can."

She blushed against his chest. She'd had her period and missed being with him. Now that she was finally able to do more than be in his arms, things had turned crazy and their time together was going to be sparse. Elizabeth knew, though, that Jason would do all he could to spend time with her and Cameron. He was already doing that by getting up when he could have been sleeping.

"Now," he grinned down at her. "Why don't you get Cam cleaned up while I fix you some breakfast?"

He shrugged and gave her an apologetic smile. "Your eggs got cold. I kinda interrupted your planned breakfast."

Pressing a kiss to his chest and hearing a slight rumble from his throat, she looked up at Jason coyly. "I certainly didn't mind the interruption. You can interrupt me any time."

His arms tightened around her and there was a deeper rumble in his throat this time. "I'm probably going to have to leave before his morning nap," he said regretfully. "I'll do all I can to get home before three in the morning."

Elizabeth smiled up at him and then kissed him, pressing to him tightly. His hand tangled in her hair, dislodging the loose ponytail she'd pulled it back into this morning when she got up. Cameron's squeal behind her brought them back to the moment and made them remember where they were.

"Clean him up," he told her huskily. "I'll get breakfast."

She nodded and leaned against Cam's highchair after Jason released her. She could definitely get used to more mornings like this.

~Luke's Club~

"Cowboy?"

Lucky froze for a moment, then slammed the heavy door shut before unfurling himself. Once standing, he turned around to face his father, a heavy glare etched on his face. "What do you want?"

His father raised a brow and countered, "Shouldn't I be asking you that? I come in here and find you raiding the safe."

"I need some money," he said unapologetically. "Since you often steal from others, I figured why not help myself to a little of your ill-gotten gain."

"What's going on?" the older man asked.

"Why do you care?" he scoffed. "There's been a change of plans and I need some money."

The younger man stepped around the desk and walked towards the door, but his father refused to move out of the way. "Lucky, what's happening? You took quite a bit of cash; that's not just walking around change. You planning on being gone for a while? What about your job?"

Letting out a bitter laugh, the younger man asked, "What job? You no longer have to suffer the indignity of having a cop for a son. And no, before you think I'm just a chip off the old block and I quit, I can't give you that happy thought. I was fired."

His father looked at him in surprise. "You were fired? What happened?"

"Jason Morgan happened," the ex-cop spit out. "His lawyer brought in someone who claims to have overheard me asking questions and someone doctored up video footage of me down on the docks talking to someone with a grudge against Morgan and Corinthos. Then Elizabeth completely turned on me by telling Mac about some questions I'd asked her. Combined with my own aunt throwing me under the bus and Mac took my badge and gun."

"Barbara Jean?" the older man shook his head. "My sister wouldn't turn on blood."

"You believe that if you want," Lucky said in disgust. "She still has more ties to Carly and those worthless mobsters she always defended. Bobbie backed up Elizabeth's claims and with Morgan's lawyer threatening to sue the city for harassment Mac said I was done."

His father was silent and Lucky shook his head. "Don't worry, you can stop thinking of something to say that sounds halfway sympathetic. You're not sorry I'm not a cop anymore and I wouldn't believe you if you said it. And you're probably just itching to say you told me not to go after Jason so I got what I deserved."

"I didn't say that," the older man stated firmly.

"You don't have to," Lucky said bitterly. "I know you're not going to support me on anything I do."

"What are you going to do?" his father wondered.

"Don't worry about it," he scoffed, trying to push past the impediment before him. "You did a great job focusing on yourself for years; keep it up. Don't start acting like you care or that you're going to be paternal now. Just go drown yourself in the closest booze bottle, smoke a stogie and pat yourself on the back that you tried with this little conversation. Now get out of my way."

"Not if you're going to go after Jason Morgan," the old man shook his head in a false show of concern. "You're going to go after him and he's not going to let you walk away from this, Lucky."

Pulling out the gun he'd liberated from his father's safe, Lucky brandished it and said, "Don't worry; I'm protected."

Then he tucked the gun back into his waistband and this time wasn't gentle as he pushed past his old man. He didn't care what the former bar owner yelled at him as he walked away, and he didn't care if his father called his former partner and warned him about Lucky's intentions. Lucky had things he needed to do and he wasn't going to waste anymore time here.

~Corinthos-Morgan Warehouse~

It was so much easier when they worked at Sonny's penthouse, but Max had known it wouldn't last forever. They all wanted their boss to get better and return home, so they hadn't gotten too comfortable there. Bu it was convenient to be close to the man in command so that time wasn't wasted traveling to a meeting when they needed to go over something.

Max had understood, and even agreed, with Jason's instructions that business was not to be done at their homes. Mrs. C. would eavesdrop on conversations or walk into the middle of a meeting all the time. Michael picked up on too much because Sonny talked about the business around the house. Jason had wanted to avoid that, but he also didn't want his family to feel marginalized and shunted aside in their home.

The guard had known that with Sonny's eventual return they would need a designated office at Harborview. He'd checked out several apartments and had even thought of converting Miss Webber's old place into it since there was already furniture there and it didn't seem likely she'd be moving back any time soon. If he'd posed the suggestion to Jason, he was pretty sure the acting boss would approve it. Jason seemed to want to have a specific place for business, instead of his penthouse, especially now that Elizabeth and her son were in his life.

However, now that Sonny was back, the idea would ultimately have to be passed by him, and Max didn't know what the boss would say. Sonny liked to have things his way and maybe he would eventually come around to the suggestion, but he often resisted change in the beginning. Would he agree with Max, now that he'd let Sam and their daughter stay in the penthouse and he was in her place? Or would he feel that he'd given up enough already and he wasn't going to give up any more? He wasn't going to go somewhere else to discuss business when he was already at some place.

Maybe if he suggested it to Jason first and let him broach it to Sonny they'd have success. Jason had actually spent time with the boss and knew his temperament better; Max just didn't know him well enough to try. But he did know that he didn't like having to be down at the warehouse and travel to the Towers constantly whenever something came up. If they had a designated office at the building, they would be that much closer, and ultimately that would be a good thing for everybody involved.

The ringing on the phone startled him from his musings and he grabbed it quickly. "Yeah."

As the person on the other end of the line talked, Max sighed and slumped his massive shoulders. "Yeah, got it. Thanks."

He punched a button to end the call and then dialed Jason's number. When the enforcer/acting boss answered, he said regretfully, "Sorry to bother you so early, Jason, but I just got a call from Nikolas. We need to meet right away."

"Come over," his boss sighed heavily. "Let's meet with Sonny."

"Okay," the guard agreed.

He was almost out the door when the phone rang again.

~Sam's Apartment~

Jason was waiting outside when Max exited the elevator. While he'd called Sonny to say that they would be down, he wanted to meet with the guard first to get an idea of what they would be facing. Cameron had started to look tired and Jason began to have visions of going back to bed with Elizabeth, but Max's call had ended that. If Cassadine was calling them, then he doubted it was good news.

"What's up?" he demanded before Max could even say anything.

"It's not good," the other man answered succinctly. "It appears Helena is in town and coming after Alexis and Kristina. Then I got a call from Luke Spencer; I sent a man out to look for Lucky 'cause it's not good."

Jason scrubbed his hands over his face. "Okay. Tell us what happened, but if I signal you to stop-"

"Then I stop and tell you the rest later," the guard said in perfect understanding. He paused and then asked, "Do you think it'll be a problem?"

"I don't know," she shook his head. "The therapy seems to have helped, but it's hard to say what he'll be like each day. And with leaving the island and his doctor coming in today..."

When he trailed off and shrugged, Max nodded. "Then I guess all we can do is hope for a good day today."

"Yeah," Jason agreed as he turned and walked over to knock on the door. Then he opened it and stepped inside.

Sonny was waiting for them and Jason was relieved to see that the older man did not look agitated or upset. They all sat down and Jason nodded over at Max.

"We heard from our guy at the station that Spencer was fired," Max began.

"Yeah," Sonny nodded. "The new lawyer you hired seemed to know her stuff. I wouldn't have used the cops to help out..."

"After getting rid of Manny and his brother and Ric's death that we were being questioned about, plus knowing there was another mole besides Jordan, I didn't want to take on another fight," Jason answered. "Especially not a cop. Lucky's stupid and I wanted it documented that it was him coming after us; that he was out of control."

"Well," Max sighed, "he is. Luke called me to let us know he caught Lucky at the club this morning taking money and a gun. He's angry and he's determined to make you pay, Jason. He claims all the evidence was planted and he's coming after you."

"Luke called and let us know?" Sonny asked in surprise.

"He knows Jason will defend himself and won't let Lucky go with just a warning," the guard and acting enforcer stated. "Luke doesn't want his kid to die and he's tried to get Lucky out of town but the boy won't go."

"Luke needs to try harder," Sonny stated.

"So what does he want us to do?" Jason demanded. "It sounds like he doesn't want us to spare him. He wasn't asking for that, was he?"

Max shook his head. "I honestly think he was warning us. He says Lucky's out of control and dangerous."

With a shake of his head Jason declared, "It may sound like that, but Luke Spencer is all about him and his family. He probably wants us to grab Lucky and then turn him over to his old man. No," he stated firmly. "Spencer's not a cop anymore and if he comes after us then he'll be treated like anybody else. He'll be dead."

"Jason," Sonny cut in softly. "Look, I know there's a long history between you and Lucky and I know you don't like him. You can't take this personally. You can't make this about the two of you and Elizabeth."

"I'm not," he shook his head insistently. "He's not a cop anymore and he's coming after us. He's been talking to someone who's got an ax to grind against us. That makes him just like anyone else and he'll be dealt with accordingly."

"I sent a guy out to look for him," Max said. "I figured we should know where he's at and be prepared rather than caught off guard."

Jason nodded, "Good. And I want more guards on Elizabeth and Cam if they go out. I don't want Lucky trying to use them to get to me."

"I'll let the guards know and her principal will call if she needs to go somewhere," the guard agreed instantly.

"Good," Sonny agreed. "Now, what about Kristina? What happened to my daughter?"

"Kristina is safe," Max was quick to assure. "I called the guards assigned to her and Alexis and they said there was nobody around them; nothing suspicious at Alexis' house. I let them know Helena was spotted last night in Port Charles and they needed to be alert."

"What did Nikolas say?" Jason asked.

"Helena showed up last night at Wyndemere," the acting enforcer began. "She was searching the house and one of the servants came across her in one of the outer wings. Maid was scared out of her wits and quit, but let Nikolas know what she saw."

"She was searching the place for Alexis and Kristina," Sonny stated.

"She thought Nikolas would protect her and keep her out on the island," Jason nodded. "She didn't count on Alexis being anywhere else."

"I don't want Kristina or Alexis out there where Helena can get them," his friend insisted. "I want her somewhere safe. Wyndamere has too many tunnels; she needs to be here or at a safe house."

Jason raised his brow, thinking that could be an interesting blended family event. He also knew Alexis wouldn't go for it. Not right away. Helena would have to get too close, almost get them before she admitted she should trust Sonny and him and accept their help. It had been a big struggle to simply get her to accept the guards.

"I can talk to her," he said cautiously, "but don't be surprised if she doesn't agree. She didn't want the guards; I really don't think she's going to move somewhere safe. If we press her, she's just as liable to take off again."

"Maybe I should talk to her," Sonny said.

"No," Max refuted before Jason could.

At his friend's angry, raised brow over being told what to do by a guard, Jason quickly said, "He's right. Everyone thinks you're out of town. You need to talk to a doctor, Sonny. You're doing better, but are you ready to face all the questions from the police that you know they'll have once they hear you're back? It won't matter that you didn't know anything because you were gone; they'll haul you down just because they can. That's what'll happen if they know you're here. And the chances of them finding out increase with each new person who knows that fact."

He let out a breath and hoped the older man would truly listen and understand. "You can't talk to Alexis or anybody because nobody can know you're back, yet. You have to stay hidden and let us deal with things like we have been."

Chapter 95

~Alexis' House~

The last thing Alexis expected when she opened the door was to find Jason Morgan standing next to Nikolas. It was enough that she had his men surrounding her house; she did not want him stopping by. However, she knew that she wasn't being fair. Jason didn't have to agree to Nikolas' request; she had been clear in her disdain for him and Sonny and she had lied to everyone about Kristina. He could have decided she deserved whatever she got in regards to Helena, but Alexis knew Jason wasn't punitive like that. Most of all, he would never endanger a child; especially Sonny's daughter.

So despite her reluctance and clear indication that she did not like the guards around, he had ordered his men to do everything they could to protect her and Kristina. Her house had been upgraded with prime security features. The men were on constant patrol, but they weren't intrusive. They were polite, even when Alexis was so coolly polite she was almost uncivil. They did their best to not scare her daughter, while not appearing overly friendly against her wishes or not paying attention to their safety.

It was just that with Jason showing up at her house and the guards' presence, she feared Kristina would become used to the mob. If her daughter felt comfortable around everyone, then she wouldn't be bothered if Sonny wanted to visit her. How could Alexis object to Kristina's father being around when Sonny's associates were present and the little girl was comfortable with them?

"Nikolas, Jason, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Sorry we did not call," her nephew began as she reluctantly stepped back to let them in. "Jason was not sure when he could arrive. We needed to talk to you."

She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side. "I figured as much; or why else would you be here?"

"Helena was at Wyndemere last night," Nikolas stated bluntly and she recoiled back slightly. "She was searching the rooms for you."

Alexis wanted to deny it because the old woman had left her alone for so long, but she knew that Helena would try to kill her. She would want to kill Kristina despite the fact that she was just a little girl. Helena was evil and she was vicious and murderous and Alexis should not have forgotten that. She had been so focused on hiding from Sonny and keeping control and order that she had forgotten that her stepmother thrived on her own style of chaos.

"A maid encountered her," her nephew continued. "Helena had a knife, she was angry, and she wanted to know where you were."

Panic filled her as she looked over at Jason.

He leaned forward and said, "My men saw no sign of her last night. When we got the call from Nikolas we sent them out to search the area; there was no sign of any disturbance on the ground or indication that someone might have been watching your house."

She let out a breath, but then realized it might have been premature when he said, "But she now must realize you're not at Wyndemere and she'll come searching. She'll check your house and she'll see the guards. My men know she's in town and that she's looking for you. They'll be alert; I'm going to rotate extra men through the detail; I will do everything I can to protect you and your daughter but I won't play games with her."

She nodded, knowing that he wouldn't mess around with Helena. It was exactly what she'd told Nikolas. Jason was not Luke Spencer who would toy with the old bat; he eliminated problems as a routine part of his job and Helena was a problem because she was threatening his boss' daughter.

"Thank you, Jason," she told him. "I know you don't really like this."

"I'm protecting Sonny's daughter," he stated, confirming her thoughts. "That's all that matters."

He stood and said, "I need to go. I just wanted to assure you we will do everything to protect Kristina."

With a nod to give her understanding, she watched him go without another word. Then she turned to look at her nephew. He returned her gaze curiously and then asked, "Do you understand now?"

"Helena is not going to give up and I need someone who is equally ruthless to stop her," she replied. "Yes, I understand now. It still doesn't mean I like it."

"You don't have to," Nikolas responded. "You just need to stop fighting Jason because he is not your enemy."

"I know." Letting out a breath she asked, "Would you like to stay for lunch, or do you need to go?"

He smiled, now looking relaxed and said, "Lunch sounds delightful. It will be nice to see Kristina."

~Safe House~

Stan had not had a pleasant time in his confinement, and Jason found that he really didn't care. The man had put the entire organization, and every man with them, at risk due to his greed and selfishness for wanting things his way. While many of the things Stan had said against Sonny were true, that didn't excuse the traitor's actions. Sonny had put the organization and the men at risk because of his erratic behavior, but Jason now understood the illness that had caused it.

Hopefully with the therapy and the medication Sonny was now getting, he would behave more predictably. He would be able to handle the pressures and demands of the business without falling apart completely. It was what Jason wanted for Sonny and for him.

Because Stan was also right about Jason. He did not want to run the organization; he didn't want all the responsibilities and pressure that came with being in charge of everything. He liked being in an advisory position, but not always having to take care of it all. And when, if, Sonny got better and was able to once again run the business, then Jason would step back.

But Jason was not going to let Sonny have complete control unless the other man could truly handle it. Jason didn't want to jeopardize his friend's recovery and health, and giving him back the heady rush of power too soon would overwhelm him and more than likely set him back. Plus, Jason couldn't put the men in the organization at risk again. They couldn't be put in danger due to the instability that inherently accompanied the power shifts. He wanted Port Charles and the business to be as safe and peaceful as they could make it.

In order for that to be possible, Jason needed information on James Craig. Spinelli was tirelessly doing all he could to find information on the man based on facial recognition software as well as researching any possible connection between the mysterious Craig and Jax. If they couldn't figure it out soon, then Jason was willing to contemplate asking Jax about the man. The only worry was that Craig might be watching the Australian and would then know that Jason had discovered the connection. Would Craig go to ground and they would then lose their best connection?

He was reluctant to tip the man off they were trying to keep from killing them, and so he was hesitant to go to Jax unless it was a last resort. They were following the businessman, hoping to be present in case the two men met again, but that could be a long shot. So Jason was going to his next best available source of information. Stan was going to tell him everything he knew, no matter what it took. Jason might have been delayed in questioning Stan due to Sonny's arrival, but the end result would be the same. Stan would pay, but not until Jason deemed it time.

Stepping into the room the traitor was being held in, he faced Stan's defiant visage. "Well, well," the other man taunted. "Look who finally came. Did you finally get a hold of Sonny and get your instructions? Now you're ready to come deal with me? Or maybe you can't reach him and it's taken you this long to figure out what to do next."

The only sound in the room was cartilage crunching when Jason punched the other man and sent the chair toppling back under the force. The back of Stan's head snapped against the floor, but Jason showed no mercy. Grabbing him by the hair, the enforcer pulled the traitor and his back upright. Stan shook his head, doing his best not to show pain or weakness, but Jason saw it. Along with defiance.

Using his grasp to pull the other man's head back, Jason bent low until he was just inches away from the other man's face. "You know what's going to happen to you, so you probably don't care if you answer my questions."

Stan spit, hitting Jason directly in the face and said, "You're right. It won't change anything."

"You're wrong," he countered. "It will. You know what I do; you know what I'm capable of. You also know that I won't let up until I get my answers. Do you really think you can be strong and resist my actions? I'll make you hurt, but I won't let you pass out. I will keep at you until I get my answers. So if you answer, and answer truthfully, it will make a difference."

Small beads of sweat had broken out on the other man's head and he'd paled while Jason talked. The enforcer tightened his grip on Stan's hair and said, "So tell me everything about James Craig that you know."

~Jason's Penthouse~

When Elizabeth opened the door, she had expected to see Sam standing on the other side. Because the guards had not called up from the lobby to let her know she had a visitor, she knew the person who knocked was someone in the building. Jason and many of the guards had left, and the rest would know that he wasn't here so they wouldn't stop by looking for him and they did not just drop off packages or papers for whenever he got back. Jason had instituted new rules; those things were given directly to him or they were held onto until such time as Jason was available.

So if she had a visitor, it would be Sam who had just arrived from the island and probably just wanted to say hello. Instead, Elizabeth was surprised to see, it was Sonny waiting outside the door.

"Sonny," she greeted him brightly, trying to cover her initial surprise. "Hello. Did you need something?"

She shook her head and said, "I'm sorry. Come in, come in. It's good to see you again."

"You don't have to be nervous, Elizabeth," he smiled at her as he stepped inside. "I know you probably weren't expecting to see me."

"No," she agreed as they moved towards the couch. "But I'm glad to see you're looking well. I worried about you when Jason told me what was happening and it was hard on him knowing you weren't doing well."

He looked at her for a moment, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he tilted his head to the side. She felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny and looked down as she clasped her hands together. She wanted to squirm, but bought against the desire. Swallowing nervously she asked, "Do...would you like something to drink?"

"Relax," he smiled at her, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. "I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable. I...it's just a little strange. When I...left, you were living in an apartment downstairs because Manny had come after you. I know you and Jason were friends again...you've been friends for years and there's always been something underneath the surface. But now you're living with him, he took you and your son to the island and it's obvious both of you care very much for each other. Maybe you've finally admitted what I saw years ago...that you're in love."

He let out a sigh and said, "It's obvious life went on and a lot of things changed while I was gone. But this...you and Jason...in many ways it's an echo of the past. You two are back where you were heading so many years ago. Yet I know you're different because of everything that's happened."

"Yeah," she softly agreed. She wasn't quite sure where Sonny was going with all this, and it was strange to be having this conversation with him. In many ways it felt like the talks they used to have, back before Courtney came to town and Jason returned and so many things fell apart for so many of them.

"I'm happy for you guys," he told her. "I don't know if I caused problems for you two, but I'm sorry if I did. I wasn't very supportive of Jason in anything and I turned my back on you, not respecting our own history together."

"Sonny," she said, her voice slightly shaky. "You don't have to-"

"I do," he insisted. "I don't know if it was the illness or just because I was selfish and focused only on myself. But I do need to say I'm sorry for how I acted and for what happened to you because of my actions. We'll hopefully be seeing more of each other now, and I want to not just ignore everything that happened and pretend it doesn't exist."

She reached out and touched his arm and he stopped talking. "Sonny," she told him, "it's okay. I forgive you. You don't need to beat yourself up about this. The past is the past and I don't see the reason to keep dredging it up. Nobody is blameless and nobody is completely at fault. We all made mistakes. Jason and I just want to go forward, and I think we should just do the same."

He smiled wryly. "You're very kind, but I appreciate it. I want to focus on getting better; I want to be a good father to my kids, to be a good friend and to look after the business and the men who work for me."

"That's all I want for you, too, Sonny," she told him. "I want you to be healthy for you, and I know Jason feels the same."

"I know," he nodded. "I was mad at first at Jason for sending me down to the island and getting me a doctor, but now I understand. I always called it my dark places and thought I could just force my way through them. Jason would help and cover for me, but he knew that this time was more than he could handle."

"It was very hard for him to do this," Elizabeth said softly. "He wrestled with it and it weighed on him."

"I know," he let out a heavy breath. "It was tough for him to do."

Sonny tilted his head to the side and then said, "I'm glad he had you, Elizabeth. Jason is a strong man, and he's able to deal with a lot of things, but he needs someone there for him. I know you do that for him. You don't want things from him; you want to help him as much as he wants to help others. You help give him a place to come to and relax, to let things go.

"I know," he said, his voice deep with feeling. "I know how important it is to have someone be your sanctuary. To have a place separate from the business. You and your son give him that, and I'm glad that he has that. I know that because of your history that this is...this is important to Jason, and..."

"I know," Elizabeth nodded when he trailed off, trying to search for the words. "I know how important this is to him; it's how I feel as well. I don't know what the future will hold for us, but I'm not going to give him up easily."

"You have to know what's important to you and what you will fight for," he agreed.

They fell silent for a moment and Elizabeth tried not to shift uncomfortably as she began to review the conversation and realize just how strange it truly had been. Once they had talked like this; they had almost been friends, but it had changed. Whether it could all be blamed on Sonny's illness or whether it was due to Sonny's selfishness and disregard for those he just didn't care about as she had believed, Elizabeth really didn't know. It was too much to think about right now, but as they sat in silence it was all she could think of.

"Listen," Sonny sighed. "I know you're probably uncomfortable and I...I should go. I-I wanted to ask you something, but...but I don't want you to think that I said what I did just to get you to help me."

Once she might have thought that, but she could see that Sonny was being sincere today. He was uncomfortable as well and they might struggle a bit in the future, but for now Elizabeth was willing to extend a little forgiveness and give him the benefit of the doubt.

"What did you need?" she asked him, keeping her tone light.

"I was going to ask you to help me fix up a place to stay," he answered, surprising her.

With a slight frown she said, "I thought Jason said you were staying at Sam's apartment."

"I think I should have my own place," he shook his head. "I think it would be better for me and..."

"And your treatments," Elizabeth said, hoping she understood his mood.

"Right," he nodded. "Many of...most of the apartments on that floor are empty and unfurnished. The guards are on the floor below whenever they need to stay. Yours and Sam's are the only apartments we ever furnished on that floor. The new doctor's taking your old place and she should; she shouldn't be in Sam's."

"Right," she now agreed. "So you need a place. And you want me to order the furniture."

"The guards are busy," Sonny stated. "And they don't need to do this."

He looked slightly chagrined as he said, "Nobody's supposed to know I'm back, and you're not the kind of person who would use the guards to do your shopping."

Elizabeth blushed slightly, but he was right. "Alright," she agreed. "What do you want me to get?"

He told her he just wanted something simple; he wasn't looking to be there long. He liked the colors in his penthouse, but she didn't have to follow that. It may look odd if she bought stuff he would buy instead of something that would seem natural for her and Jason. Elizabeth knew he would claim to be able to make do with anything, but she also knew he should be comfortable. He would respond better to treatments and get along better with everyone if he were relaxed.

"Okay," she told the older man. "I can do that for you. I'll try and get it done quickly for you."

"Let Bernie help you with the store accounts," he told her. "I'm paying for it, even if you set it up in your name. He'll also be able to...help get quick delivery."

She couldn't even hide her grin at his statement and she laughed as she said, "Okay."

"Then I'll go," he told her and stood. Turning to her he said, "I know that you're working for Ned and Lois, so I don't want you to not get that stuff done working on this."

"It's a little slow at the moment," she shook her head. "So I should have time."

He looked at her, gratitude sincere in his eyes and said, "Thank you, Elizabeth. For everything today."

"You're welcome, Sonny," she replied as she stood as well.

He said goodbye and then left the penthouse. For a long time afterwards, she merely stared at the door, pondering the strange conversation. It was only when she heard babbles coming through the monitor indicating that Cameron was awake that she finally roused herself. Climbing the stairs, she entered her little boy's room and smiled at him as he bounced on his knees and babbled at her.

"Hi there, sweetheart," she cooed at him. "Did you have a good nap?"

He gurgled back at her and they talked as Elizabeth changed him and brought him downstairs. Once she found a snack for Cameron, she looked at him and sighed, "It's been a strange day, huh, Cam? Hopefully Jason will get things taken care of and be able to come back soon. I think I definitely prefer this morning to the odd conversation I just had."

"What happened?"

She turned and saw Jason in the doorway of the kitchen, frowning in concern. With a smile and a shake of her head she assured him, "Nothing's wrong. Sonny was here and we talked and it...it wasn't bad, just a little odd. But can we talk about it later? I didn't think you'd be back so soon and I'd rather spend time with you and Cam. Especially since I have a meeting in the morning with Ned and Lois and then I'll need to take care of something that Sonny asked my help on."

When he continued to look at her questioningly she answered, "He would rather stay in a different apartment than in Sam's. So he asked for me to order some furniture for him since nobody's supposed to know he's back and he doesn't want to use the guards on this since they're busy and it would look odd as well. I agreed because despite this meeting tomorrow things are slow at work right now and I can help out."

He looked relieved and nodded his agreement. "Thank you for helping him. And I agree, that's as much as I want to talk about it right now. I have to be gone tonight; Sonny's new doctor is arriving and I've got to meet with Diane and Bernie."

Holding out her hand and inviting him to join her and Cam instead of lingering in the doorway, she smiled at him as he crossed the room. He smiled as he came to stand beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. After kissing her he asked, "What do you want to do?"

"I don't care," she shook her head. "I'll be happy with whatever time we have together. I know you're busy, so I'm just glad when we get some to be us."

When he started to speak she shook her head and placed her finger on his lips. "I'm not complaining, Jason. I'm demonstrating that I don't care what we do. What's important to me is that I'm with you."

The look he gave her filled her with such love and tenderness and she smiled when he kissed her finger. "I know you're not complaining and I appreciate it. I've got several hours before my meetings so let's go. Get Cameron's diaper bag and come with me."

She didn't know what Jason was up to; he didn't often get mysterious like this, but she was willing to play along. Especially if she was going to be able to spend several hours with him with hopefully little chance of interruption.

Chapter 96

~Sonny's Penthouse~

"Dada!"

Sam smiled when Sonny walked into the room and then bent down to catch the little boy running him. Standing, while holding onto the excited toddler, he smiled while giving his son a huge hug. Once he had a hold of the squirming bundle, he walked towards Sam, smiling at Sophia who was in her mother's arms.

"Hi," Sam said softly. "I wasn't sure if we'd see you today. I figured you'd have a lot of things you needed to do."

"There was some stuff Jason needed to fill me in on," he told her, brushing his hand over Sophie's dark hair that was filling in. "But I'm letting him handle most of it. Nobody knows we're back, so it makes sense that he's out there handling everything."

He let out a breath and then admitted, "Plus, I...I don't know if I'm ready for it all yet."

She knew it was a huge thing he just confided because he did not like to show weakness. If he was sharing this with her, she knew he was including her in his life. But she also worried that maybe the whole trip had been too much for him to handle.

"Sonny," she said softly, trying not to sound pitying or untrusting.

Her daughter's father shook his head, "So I'm going to let Jason handle things for now. I'm going to meet with my new doctor tomorrow and continue to get better."

"I'm glad," she smiled at him. "Morgan's much happier now that he sees you more, and he'll be even happier when the doctor thinks you're well enough to live with him again. Leticia is a good nanny and she's helped him during all this upheaval, but he needs his father."

He looked over and smiled at the little boy in his arms, giving him a little bounce. "I've missed him; I've missed all of you. Sophia may be a bit young..."

"She's gotten to know you," Sam told him quickly. "She enjoys when she sees you, and she'll come to understand that you're her daddy. Hopefully it won't be too hard on her - or Morgan - when we go back to our apartment. Hopefully she'll understand that she gets to see you frequently."

"I don't want you to leave," he told her, his voice low and fervent as he reached out to touch Sophie's back.

With a shake of her head she said, "It's more important that you be healthy. It may not be good for us to live together. You need to talk to your doctor about it...and maybe the doctor should even talk to Morgan. I've just told him that Sophie and I are staying with him while you're getting better. But we have our own house."

Sonny frowned as he asked, "Don't you think it will hurt him if you and his sister leave? He's lost so many people in his life already; how is going to feel to have you leave?"

"We'll just be downstairs," she told him. "We'll see him every day if it helps. But we need to do what's best for you and him. Which is why you need to talk to your doctor."

"I hate you living downstairs," he growled fiercely. His body quivered, even as he tried not to show it too much and scare Morgan who was poking at Sonny's ear. "It makes it seems like you're inferior and Sophia doesn't deserve to be with me like Morgan."

Gently, Sam reached out and touched his arm. She hoped he would calm down and not become overly agitated. He sighed and closed his eyes, and then let out a breath while forcing his shoulders to relax. When he opened his eyes, he smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied softly. "Sonny, right now things are very unsettled, and while I know you want to figure everything out and have it all organized and sorted out...it's not really possible at the moment. You need to focus on getting better and working with your doctor. Talk to her and figure out what's best to do. That's all I want for you, Sonny."

She hoped that Sonny was feeling better quickly and that the doctor agreed that it wasn't in his interest for Sam to live here any longer. She loved him and it was her fantasy for them to be together as a family and for Sonny to love her back. But she knew that it was just a fantasy. Sonny cared for her because she was his daughter's mother and maybe because he remembered the time they'd spent together. However, Sam didn't want a relationship just based on sex or physical remembrances, and she didn't want to jeopardize Sonny's recovery.

She also didn't want to hurt Morgan. She wasn't his mother and she didn't want to confuse him, despite coming to care for him. He was Sonny's child and looked so much like his father, but Sam wouldn't let herself forget that he was also Carly's son and the woman had only died last year. She was trying hard not to find some angle that she could work to her advantage; which was why she needed distance from Sonny's penthouse. She needed her apartment so she remembered how things really were.

What she really needed was someone she could talk to; someone who wouldn't judge her or look down their nose at her. She didn't want to put Jason or Elizabeth in the middle of this, and this wasn't something she could talk to Leticia about since she'd worked for Carly and Sonny was still her boss. Maybe what she needed was a doctor to talk to as well. Her own doctor so that Sonny's wasn't put in a conflict of interest.

Maybe Jason would find a doctor for her...she could only hope.

"Sam?"

She gave her head a shake and focused back on Sonny was looking at her curiously. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Nodding and hoping he wouldn't worry about her, she tried to assure him. "I'm fine."

"You're sure?" he pressed.

"Yes," Sam insisted.

He looked as if he didn't entirely believe her, but he wasn't going to keep pressing. Instead, he brightened and offered, "Why don't I make dinner for us? I'm not sure when the doctor will be here exactly, but I can at least fix something for you to eat."

"You don't have to," she shook her head, not sure she wanted to have such a domestic moment with him.

"I want to," he insisted and then smiled down at Morgan. "You want some rice, Morgan?"

The little boy nodded eagerly and Sonny laughed as they walked towards the kitchen. Sam let out a sigh and hugged Sophia close to her. "I hope I can get through this, Sophie, and not do something stupid. I don't want to do that to any of us, but it's hard sometimes to not want everything fixed right away. Why exactly did I pick now to go noble?"

~Alexis' House~

Helena did not like to be wrong. She was used to ordering things her way, and more importantly getting things her way. What she wanted was Alexis and her brat dead. The girl's presence had always been a blight in Helena's life and her well-thought and highly desired plans. Mikkos has cheated on her, insulting her by having offspring with another woman and then insisting they bring the eldest into their home when Helena had failed in her plan to eliminate the usurpers to her children.

Once she had resigned herself to the unfortunate presence of Mikkos' child, she let go of her desire to kill Alexis. It was so much more enjoyable to cow the child, to berate and beat down the worthless flesh. No matter how old Natasha grew, she could still be reduced to an insecure, quivering and frightened girl who cowered in the face of Helena's barbs and taunts.

There were times that Helena toyed with her stepdaughter and made her think that she would finish Alexis off, but it had been more about the game and the psychological terror she could inflict on the younger woman. This time was different, though. Helena was no longer playing. She was going to kill the impudent woman and the offspring she dared let be sired by the local, ignorant mobster. It apparently had made her bold and made her think she could use Cassadine resources that Stefan had foolishly alerted her to. Helena meant to show Natasha just how wrong she truly was.

Or maybe it was Nikolas' injuries that made Alexis think she could manage the family resources. Well, Helena was not going to stand for it. She was tired of Alexis and her hypocritical actions and her continued blight on the family name. And now to disgrace the noble blood of Mikkos by shamelessly adding the common thug to the mix...it would not go unchallenged.

Helena had believed that Nikolas would keep his aunt at Wyndemere once they returned to Port Charles. She could come in, bypassing cursory security and eliminate the worthless and undesired peasants. However, that had not happened. She hadn't found Alexis cowering in the dark and dispatched her; instead, she'd alerted Nikolas to her presence by some maid's unfortunate spotting of her.

Now, Helena had to come to this pathetic little house and hope that Alexis had not come up with some plan of protection thinking she could defeat her stepmother. While Alexis was insignificant, she could be troublesome. If not for Katherine Belle finding that loose parapet railing first, Helena herself might have been injured or killed. Of course, Natasha had been working with Luke Spencer at the time - a fact less likely now since he was mourning Lasha's catatonia - but still...it would not do to be foolhardy and rush in blindly.

With a select group of loyal men who were there to protect her and aid her in her quest, Helena observed Alexis' house. And did not like what she saw. Armed men patrolled the grounds; sentries obviously meant to protect the occupants of the house. They were alert and clearly waiting for something. They were waiting for her.

Troublesome was her realization that these were not men secured by Nikolas. She knew none of them and she knew everyone at her grandson's disposal. While they could be private guards, she did not believe so. They did not have the air of hired help merely being rented for the occasion, and she had received no alert of Nikolas procuring such an expenditure. No, these men looked professional and serious and moved with practice and ease around the structure.

The realization came to her that the true father of Alexis' child had such men at his disposal. Sonny Corinthos was a man who ran a criminal empire with many men working for him. While he might be out of town according to Helena's sources, his brain-damaged thug would no doubt assign guards to protect the child of his boss.

This was a complication Helena had not counted on. She had not planned on having to get past the mob. After Alexis had lied to Sonny Corinthos and then fled from him with their child, the Cassadine matriarch had expected the man to turn his back on Natasha. Especially since he now had a new child with someone much more equal to him in social class. But apparently he was as territorial and possessive of his offspring as her late husband was, and would forgive even in the face of huge betrayal.

It appeared that the men were heightened and on alert, probably because of that pesky maid from Wyndemere. Well, this would delay things, but it would not stop Helena from her ultimate goal. She would eliminate Alexis and get her revenge on the child she'd been forced to accept as the ultimate insult.

Turning to one of her men she ordered, "I want to know schedules, numbers of guards and your suggestions for the quickest and most efficient way to dispatch her."

"Of course, madam," the man assured her with a reverent and respectful bow of his head.

Now all Helena had to do was find an appropriate place to conceal herself until she could move her plan forward.

~Jason's Penthouse~

Once again, it was late when Jason arrived home. Not as late as last night, but he knew that Elizabeth would probably already be asleep. He'd hoped to see her before that, but that was also why he's spent as much with her when he could today. He just wanted things to settle down so that he could relax and not have to run around having to handle so many things.

He'd thought that taking care of Manny would have given them a respite. Now, instead, they were dealing with an unknown threat intent on killing them who had gotten inside information and was - according to Stan - also working on behalf of someone else. While Stan had been dealt with for his betrayal, he had given up little information before his death; despite Jason's attempts. For all that Stan had shared with James Craig, he had learned very little about the man in return. It was not a good sign for them.

Add to that having to guard Alexis and Kristina from Helena and feeling like he'd been set up by Nikolas to kill the man's grandmother. Jason would do all he could to protect Sonny's child, but he didn't like the feeling that he was being used. Then to have to add in Sonny now being back, but not completely recovered brought a whole new stress. He knew he needed to remain in control, but also knew Sonny wouldn't allow him to completely shut the Hispanic out. Would he focus on his health, or would he try to wrest control back and force Jason to have to send Sonny away again?

Letting out a sigh and putting his keys down on the desk, he headed into the kitchen. If he wasn't home for dinner, Elizabeth always left something for him. If he didn't at least eat something, then she worried about him. But she also knew that he wouldn't want something heavy or large. Once he'd finished the baked chicken she'd left on a covered plate and put the dishes into the dishwasher, he walked out in the living room and stopped short.

"Elizabeth," he breathed out.

She was wearing a short satin nightgown, the black and the cream contrasting against her skin. She normally didn't wear something like this, and every time she did it was certain with the intent to stir his blood. He was surprised to see her up at this time, although he certainly was not about to tell her to go back to bed.

"I thought I heard you come in," she smiled at him.

"You should be asleep," he told her.

"I wanted to spend time with you," she told him, echoing his words from this morning. "When Cam went to bed, I did as well. That way I could spend time with you, whenever you got home."

The corner of his mouth turned up and he stepped towards her. He brought his hand up, his palm sliding across her waist to rest on her back. Lowering his mouth to cover hers, he drew her close, reveling in the feel of having time with her without it being interrupted by others.

When he pulled back, she licked her lips and looked up at him, her hair shimmering in the moonlight filtering into the room. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, lowering his head again.

He'd talk to her later about Sonny's new doctor and how she seemed like a good fit for his friend. Of course, it was too soon to know for certain, but she hadn't been intimidated by her patient, nor had she been too overbearing and condescending. Sonny had not acted like he didn't want her there, but instead seemed willing to listen to what she had to say. Jason could only hope that it all did work out.

It was a little strange for him to know that the doctor would be staying at Elizabeth's old apartment. While she now lived with him and he would do all he could to ensure she never left, he had a fond place for the apartment downstairs. It was there, having Elizabeth close and where he could talk to her and visit her, that he'd realized he'd fallen in love with her again. He'd known that once they finally stepped over the line and gave into the passion that had always been there between them that there would be no pretending or going back. He didn't want someone else living there, just as he would want to keep someone from ever using the studio. But he knew it was more important that Elizabeth was here with him now and he would definitely show her that.

Reaching down, he slid his arm under her leg and lifted her, pulling her close to his chest as he continued to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her nails scraping his scalp and eliciting a growl from deep in his throat.

"I love you," he told her, his voice deep and husky. He paused to look at her, wanting her to know for certain how he truly felt. "I never want you to feel that I don't or that I'm taking you for granted."

Her eyes were wide and her look serious as she placed a hand on his cheek. "I know you love me. I love you, too. I don't feel neglected at all, but I see you making time for me and Cameron and I feel it. Please don't think that I need you to do things to prove to me how you feel about me; I know it."

"But I want to show you," he told her. "Because you and Cameron are the most important people to me. It's not my job or Sonny's family; it's you, it's my family."

He felt her breath catch, just as it had this morning. He wasn't just dating her or living with her and her son, he wanted a family with her. He wanted everyone to know how he felt about her.

When Diane told him about the visit to the police station and mentioned Elizabeth's encounter with Lucky at Kelly's, Jason was angered on her behalf about the comments the lawyer had overheard. The cops hadn't wanted to believe their fellow-cop had gone vigilante, but they'd forced to accept it. While they had never known Elizabeth to lie, there was a certain derision in their voice and they'd referred to Elizabeth as Jason's mistress. There was a base, and prurient, meaning to the word and he didn't think she would care what anyone said - after all, she'd let everyone believe they were lovers back when she was only eighteen and protecting him after he'd been shot. Jason, however, cared. He didn't want anyone to ever look at her and talk derisively about her or think they could talk down about her simply based on a word.

He knew that his contemplations were not just to prevent people from talking; people would always talk about her relationship with him. But if he could, he would keep people from thinking he didn't care about or her or didn't respect her. She was the most important person to him and he loved her and her son. One day he wanted to marry Elizabeth and adopt Cam.

He would tell her all of that and ask her when he had more than just a few spare minutes cobbled together. Tonight he was going to love her and spend as much time as he could with her before the inevitable phone call came and forced him away. A marriage proposal deserved better; Elizabeth deserved better. Tonight he would give her all he could and hope that he could get things cleared up soon. Because now that he knew what he wanted, he would not wait forever. He only hoped he could give Elizabeth all that he wanted to give her and all that she deserved.

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