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Chapter 113

~Paris~

"But I didn't do anything," Lucky protested loudly as he stood in a holding room and glared at the other men across from him. "I'm a cop in America; you can't hold me."

"You were found with drugs," the Parisian cop sneered at him. "Not for recreational use; you could only be looking to distribute. We have gotten word about an American drug ring new in the area. It appears we have caught our first break.

"And as for you being a cop," the man said, his sneer becoming more pronounced. "We ran your fingerprints. Lucas Lorenzo Spencer, Junior...an ex-cop from New York state. You were dismissed from your police force for improper procedures. You have a...juvenile record; it appears you have escalated your criminal dealings now that you are no longer masquerading as a cop."

"I am not a drug courier," he snapped. "I don't know how those drugs got there. I was on my way to the airport when I was run off the road. Whoever did that set me up."

The cop looked at him disdainfully and Lucky didn't like it. Didn't like being looked at like he was criminal scum. He had looked at others like that; that wasn't him.

"Oh," the man said, stroking his closely trimmed beard. "I believe you were going to the airport, and you probably fell asleep."

"Or crashed because you were high," his previously silent partner spoke for the first time. "Because your vehicle certainly crashed. However, there was no evidence of another car. No paint, no broken lights or glass as would occur in a collision with another car. The trajectory of your car indicates you simply went off the road."

"That's impossible," he insisted angrily. "There was a car...it forced me off the road. It was afternoon when I was driving."

"A driver passing by spotted your car and called it in. It was night," the cop retorted.

"Then I was drugged...held...something," he told them. "Someone set me up."

"We shall find if you were drugged," the cop confirmed. "And I think we shall discover you simply sampled a little of your merchandise."

The door opened and someone entered, spoke to the silent detective in rapid French that Lucky couldn't understand and then handed over a folder. The detective read it, swore in his native tongue and then flipped back to the beginning. Then he handed it to his partner who read through it and then turned a look on Lucky so disgusted that the younger man stepped back.

"What?" he demanded.

"You said you were in Paris with your father to visit your mother in L'Institut de Santé."

"Yes," he nodded eagerly. "I told you that. I told you to find my father and he would tell you the truth."

"Your father is Lucas Lorenzo Spencer?" the quiet detective asked.

"Yes," Lucky bit out impatiently. "Senior; I'm Junior."

"Your father has quite the criminal record of his own," the bearded detective said. He glanced at the folder in his hand. "Illegal contraband charges of his own."

"Cuban cigars," he scoffed. "We're not drug runners."

Suddenly he sighed as he understood. The folder, the other cop coming in; his father had been arrested. "What did he do?" he asked. "What was he arrested for? That's what that is...right?"

"Your father wasn't arrested," the lead cop said. "He was found. Dead. In your hotel room. You were fleeing. Did you double-cross him? Think you didn't need him anymore? Wanted all the money for yourself?"

Lucky's eyes widened and he said. "Dead? He...he's dead? And you...you think I killed him?"

"I don't know," the quiet cop said. "Why don't you tell us?"

~Corinthos-Morgan Warehouse~

Sonny sat behind his desk, the men in his organization seated in front of him. He may be here, and he may be sitting in his chair, but everyone knew who was really in charge. Jason was still making the decisions and keeping the organization running; Sonny was just here to get reacquainted with all that was happening. He was also beginning slowly to see whether he was truly better and could withstand the pressures and stress he would face.

"The shipment was unloaded last night without incident," Bernie said, reading from a file in his hand. "It's been sorted and stored. Here is the shipment schedule."

He handed it to Jason who looked it over, nodded his agreement and then passed it to Sonny. "It looks good. Were the problems with the truck drivers worked out? The union was talking about renegotiating their contract early."

"That's been resolved," Max stated definitively. "Someone looking to get himself elected as the new union president started trying to get some supporters by claiming they could, and should, receive better working conditions."

Disgust soured Sonny's mouth. Greedy, grasping people; always trying to get more.

"I talked to him and the union president," Max continued. "Pointed out that they receive better pay at Corinthos-Morgan shipping than they'd get at any other warehouse. I said I'd bring their concerns to Mr. Morgan and Mr. C., but that it was too soon to be talking renegotiation. If there continued to be problems then we would have to reconsider our contract with them and may have to look elsewhere when we it came time to have a new one in place.

Sonny raised his brows and smirked, "Well done."

"I merely followed Jason's lead," the acting second said. "The union president assured me there wouldn't be any further problems and that there would be no more delays. So you make the schedule, the drivers will be there."

"Good," Jason nodded. "Thank you. Anything new with Zacharra and the Jacks brothers?"

"Jerry's in Milan," Bernie said. "Jax is here in Port Charles."

"Zacharra's daughter is in Milan," Jason said. "Her uncle has an organization there."

"He does," Max nodded. "I...uh, I contacted my pops."

"Maximus Giambetti?" Sonny questioned, looking over at Jason with raised eyebrows.

"Max and I talked about it a couple of days ago; I thought it might be good to have someone in the area. I had him see if his dad might help us out," the acting boss said.

"Better than facing Anthony Zacharra on our own," Sonny agreed. "Max's father is fair; if we have to make a formal alliance, I trust him."

Max didn't seem bothered by the conversation, the discussion about his father without including him. He merely said, "My pop's contacted some of the other families around him. He's gained some supporters; those who have never liked the way Rudy Tenaglia has done business and know about Anthony Zacharra's reputation. My father said he'd go to Milan as an emissary if you wanted him to. Just call him."

Sonny looked at Jason and the men silently communicated before giving a slight nod. Jason looked over at Max and said, "After this meeting. Sonny and I will talk, then we'll call him. Stick around."

"Of course," the Italian agreed.

"Is there anything else?" Jason asked the men in the room.

"I have an update on Lucky Spencer," Max stated.

"Lucky?" Sonny asked, his brows down in confusion at not knowing what the men were talking about. "What happened? I thought Luke took him to Paris to get him away so he didn't do something stupid."

"He did," his friend answered. "He knew Lucky was causing too many problems and I wasn't going to put up with him trying to use Elizabeth in some way or come after us even though he's no longer a cop."

With a shake of his head Jason said, "I know you promised Luke you wouldn't involve his family or deal with them-"

"Not anymore," the older man declared. "Spencer's taken advantage of that, and Lucky was a loose cannon. If he was causing problems in Paris..."

"Jerry talked to him," the acting boss said. "And then Lucky was suddenly on his way to the airport."

"Diversion," Sonny immediately said. "Lucky comes back, causes problems for Elizabeth and you, you're distracted and Zacharra and the Jacks make their move. So what happened?"

"Some of our men prevented Lucky from making it to the airport," Max told them. "Made it look like he was a drug mule and tipped it off to the police."

The acting second took a breath and said, "Then our guys discovered something. Luke Spencer was dead in the bathroom of the café he and Lucky were at and where Jerry was seen talking to Lucky."

"You think Jerry killed Luke?" Jason asked, shifting as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

"Most likely," the other man answered. "So they took advantage of the situation. Luke's body was discovered by Paris police in his and Lucky's hotel room; they now think he and Lucky were running drugs together and Junior eliminated him to get a bigger cut."

He spread his arms out in an innocent shrug and said, "He's not being held on suspicion of murder and drug charges. Lucky's demanded to see someone from the consulate, but he's in trouble. Nikolas is hiding in Greece and it's doubtful he'll help because he doesn't want Sonny to get him if he leaves his little compound. Lucky's grandmother won't be much help; Laura's in an institute and our contact in the Justice Department will make sure the IRS investigates Spencer's tax records and seizes his assets to pay the back taxes they're going to find and Lucky won't be able to mount a decent defense."

"He goes to prison?" Sonny asked.

Max nodded. "No death penalty; just life in prison for the American running drugs through the country and murdered his father in greed."

"I don't want to have to kill him if it can be avoided," Jason said. "He's caused problems for us, but he was never threatening the business. If he'd made it back here and came near Elizabeth...then maybe it would have been different. For now...let him rot in a French prison. We can always make arrangements for him later if we have to. We have enough to worry about right now."

"I agree," Sonny told them. "Lucky's out of the way. We need to focus on Zacharra because he's the bigger threat. He's more deadly...especially with Trevor Lansing in his camp."

He looked at Bernie and asked, "You've been looking into that?"

"Zacharra hasn't been seen in years," the older man answered. "Lansing's been passing along orders, attending meetings supposedly on Zacharra's request, but there are many who feel he's running things. And there are many who aren't happy with it."

Jason nodded thoughtfully and then said, "Then we should see what the people in Italy are saying."

"Thank you, Bernie," Sonny said as he stood. "Max, give us a few minutes and then we'll call your father."

The other men left and Sonny turned to Jason once the door was closed. "Well...what do you think?"

~Jason's Penthouse~

"Here," Elizabeth said as she walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray. Cameron toddled slowly after her until he grew tired of his newly discovered walking abilities and dropped down on his hands and knees to crawl. "I brought some coffee. Please, have a seat."

The red-headed lawyer waited until she rounded the couch before she seated herself. "Thank you, but it wasn't necessary."

"Nonsense," Elizabeth smiled with a shake of her head. "You agreed to come over here, the least I can do is make coffee."

She handed a cup to Jason's lawyer and then picked up Cameron and reached for the bottle of milk she'd brought. Once she had Cameron settled on her lap and helped him bring the bottle to her mouth, she reached for her own coffee. Diane took a sip and then took some papers out of her attaché case.

"I've been searching the real estate listings," she began. "Going over them and the list of specifications Jason gave me. He wants it protected and secure, but he wants you and your son to be comfortable. These will meet the safety requirements he would like, Mr. Giambetti assures me of that, so now I wanted to give you the listings so you could take a look at them. If you like any and want to see them, we might even be able to see some today. But I knew you'd want to look them over, so I printed out as many pictures as were listed and some details about the neighborhoods."

Elizabeth put her cup down and took the papers from the other woman. Cameron wiggled off her lap, much more interested in crawling than in drinking his milk. She flipped through the papers, inwardly choking over the prices listed and finding it hard to focus on the pictures and details of the houses because of the cost. She would be happy with a small, little house, but she knew that there were certain things Jason wanted that meant it wouldn't be a small house.

"Thank you, Diane," she said. "I'll have to look through them, and show them to Jason. It's hard to know just by looking at the papers."

She looked sheepishly at the other woman and confessed, "I don't want a mansion. I want a house that's comfortable and feels like a home. I want Jason to have space for his pool table and weight room...and Cameron to have room to grow up in."

"And Jason wants you to have a studio," Diane stated with a smile. "Plus a yard for your son and any future children. Believe me," she chuckled, "I didn't put in any mansions. These homes have room for what you want, but hopefully will not overwhelm you."

"I'm being silly, aren't I?" Elizabeth asked.

The lawyer smiled kindly. "Not at all. Jason has money, but simple tastes. You compliment him well because you have simple tastes. Just don't worry about the price and instead, pick the place that feels the most comfortable. That you can see your family in."

Relaxing slightly she looked at the papers again and felt a little better. Diane picked up her attaché case and patted Elizabeth's hand. "I'll let you go through these. Any time you want to go look at one, just call me."

"Thank you," she said as she stood and held her hand out. "I really appreciate you coming over. And we'll call you if there's anything we want to look at."

"It was my pleasure," the redhead said. "Just let me know what you decide."

Once the lawyer was gone, Elizabeth picked up Cameron and took the book out of his mouth that he was chewing on. "Another tooth?" she asked the drooling boy. "Is that why you don't want to eat? Let's go get some teething medicine and then maybe you'll be more comfortable."

After getting the medicine, they came back downstairs and headed for the toys by the couch. Cameron picked up a plastic train and immediately started chewing on it. She put the books up so that he didn't chew on them and looked over when there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" she called out.

Ray opened the door and said, "Miss McCall to see you."

She smiled at the man and said, "Let her come in."

Sam walked in with Sophie and Cam barely looked up from his toy to notice the new arrivals, even when Sam set the little girl beside him.

"How are you?" the other woman asked as she sat down beside Elizabeth on the couch. "Your knee seems better, but I haven't seen you since Cam's party."

"It's better," she answered. "Steven took out the stitches the other day and it's really feeling better. How have you been? I heard Sonny took you out on a date."

Sam shrugged and said, "It was...weird. Going out on a date when we have a baby together. People were looking at us when we walked in and were eating. But then, we sat together after the restaurant closed and we drank coffee and just talked and that...that was comfortable and...nice."

"Give it some time," Elizabeth suggested. "When Jason and I began talking again last year, it was awkward at first, but then it got better.'

"And now, you're planning your wedding," her friend smiled. She tipped her head in question and asked, "Have you settled on a date yet?"

"We have," she nodded. "Next month. Diane's getting the license for us. Jason talked to Father Coates."

"Are you going to get married at Queen of Angels?" Sam asked, her eyebrows lifted.

"We are," she answered with a nod. "We talked about it, discussed other locations...even talked about eloping. We don't want anything fancy, but we don't want to tell our children we got married in the penthouse. I think the church is pretty and I know Jason goes every Sunday. So we're going to get married there."

"And the rest?" her friend asked.

Elizabeth ran her fingers over the seam of her pants and laughed. "There are advantages to Jason and Sonny's connections. I said what kind of flowers I liked, and Jason sent a guard off this morning to a florist. I'm supposed to get samples tomorrow."

"Wow," the other woman said. "So food?"

"Catered by the No Name," she said. "We're supposed to get menu options later today. They're also going to recommend a baker if we need it. So I just have to find a dress for me."

She smiled, her lips twisting towards the side and asked, "So, want to go shopping this week? We could find something for you as well...if you'll agree to be my maid of honor. I talked to my brother and he'll give me away, Cam needs a little outfit…Morgan and Sophie too. We're just inviting a few people so it doesn't need to be fancy."

"And Sonny will be Jason's best man," Sam surmised.

With a nod she confirmed. "A few business people if Sonny and Jason think they need to come, but mostly our close friends and a few family members."

Her friend looked at her and then asked softly, "Will your grandmother come?"

Elizabeth sighed and looked over towards Cameron who was ignoring Sophie who was lying on her stomach reaching for a toy while he chewed on his train. "I don't know," she said. "She came to Cam's party, but I don't know if she'll see me come to marry Jason. I'll send her an invitation, but I won't expect her support. She's made it perfectly clear how she feels about Jason and my involvement with him."

"No support is almost worst than no family," the other woman stated, looking down at her lap.

"I've grown used to it with my family," she answered. Not to gain pity, but simply because it had been so common that she was mostly numb to the disappointment. "It's why Jason is now my family. I won't force him to accept Monica and Alan, but I think he's seeing the difference between them and my grandmother."

She shook her head and said, "We're family, and that's what Jason and I are focusing on. This is for us and our future. For our children to know about."

"Then if there's anything I can do to help," Sam offered. "Just let me know."

Pointing at the papers on the table she asked, "Is that stuff for the wedding? Do you want to go through it?"

"Those are actually home listings Diane brought over today," Elizabeth said, reaching for them. "I hadn't really looked at them yet. Want to help me figure out which ones are even worth mentioning to Jason?"

Her friend smiled and nodded. "Sure. It's always fun to do a little window shopping. But now we're searching for the doors and walls to go with them."

Chapter 114

~Milan~

Jerry had just stepped out of the shower when his phone rang. Knotting a towel around his waist he grabbed the ringing device off the dresser and pushed the button. "Yeah?"

"What happened?" Jax demanded.

"Jax?" he questioned, swiping some water off his face that dripped from his hair. "What are you going on about?"

"Lucky Spencer won't be coming back to Port Charles to help distract Morgan," his brother informed him darkly. "He was arrested in Paris on drug trafficking charges. Then his father was found murdered in their hotel room and those charges were added. It's all anyone can talk about here because it's all over the news."

"His father..." Jerry began.

"His father what?" Jax demanded. "You sound surprised about Luke. Because you know he died somewhere else?"

"Yes," he answered bluntly. "I don't know how he got to the hotel."

"Really?" his brother asked snidely. "Someone's been following you or Spencer. Or maybe even both of you. I wonder who that could possibly be."

"Jason Morgan doesn't know what's happening," Jerry insisted. "He's a brain-damaged fool who had managed to keep the organization running by luck."

"You underestimate him," Jax chided his older brother. "He's smarter. Smarter than Sonny. Without him, Sonny would have fallen long ago. I told you this, Jerry, but you seem to believe others and refuse to think that Claudia Zacharra's uncle and her father might not actually overpower Jason Morgan."

"Look, little brother," he tried to placate his angry sibling. "Jason Morgan is not the boogey man. He's human. He might have stopped Lucky Spencer from coming back to the United States and framed him, but that's because he sent someone to watch Spencer. He doesn't know about me."

"He knows his shipments have been attacked," Jax said pointedly. "He's got smart people; they probably traced it back to Zacharra. Maybe even you."

"You worry too much, Jax," he said. "We're fine. So Lucky Spencer didn't work out. We'll still make our move against Morgan and Corinthos and we'll bring them down."

"We need to move up the timeline," his brother insisted. "Strike now before they fortify their defenses."

"Don't worry so much, little brother," Jerry said, now somewhat impatiently. "Even if they might suspect the Zacharras, it's doubtful they know about his daughter, and especially don't know about our involvement. I'll talk to Claudia and her uncle, but we can't go rushing things too much. If we don't have everything in place we'll end up like the rest of the stupid people who go against Corinthos. We will strike him hard with everything and he will crumble."

"Jerry."

"No, Jax," he snapped, no longer going to placate his brother's worries or tolerate his challenges. "Enough. Stick to your preparations there. I will talk to Claudia. But don't do something that would give your involvement away."

Then he hung up and reached for his clothes. He needed to go see Claudia and somehow he doubted that this talk would be as enjoyable as their one last night.

~Corinthos-Morgan Warehouse~

"Thank you, Mr. Giambetti," Sonny smiled charmingly, even though the man on the other end of the line couldn't see it. "We appreciate your willingness to help."

He fell silent as he listened to Max's father and nodded along with whatever was said. Then he said, "Yes, yes. We have truly valued all that Max has done for us. He was invaluable to Jason when I had to attend to family matters out of town. We are reevaluating his position in the organization because of the exceptional work he did; he is capable of being so much more than just a guard stationed at the door."

Max did his best not to blush or squirm as he listened to Sonny. He didn't know what his father was saying, but he knew Sonny wasn't speaking insincere praise just to flatter the other man. Maximus Giambetti was smart and knew when he was receiving empty words; plus Sonny's tone was sincere and thoughtful. Hazarding a glance at Jason, Max saw the other man looked resolute and in agreement with all that was being said.

"And we're glad to have your other son, Milo, with us as well," Sonny continued on. "He saved Jason Morgan's life and that loyalty will never be forgotten."

Max's father spoke again and a pleased smile crossed over the boss's face. "Thank you very much, Mr. Giambetti."

He paused briefly and then nodded. "Maximus. We look forward to hearing from you when you have information."

Then he hung up the phone and leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the desk. He looked every inch the boss he was before and Max wondered if Jason felt this was a good sign, like he did. Sonny's therapy really seemed to be working. He was calm and level-headed here and listening instead of flying into rages because they didn't know everything immediately. He was exhibiting greater patience than he had in nearly all the time Max had known him.

"Maximus will help," Sonny said, speaking mostly to Jason. "He says we're family because Max and Milo work for us. He's never liked Tenaglia, and there are several associates in Italy who feel the same. They will stand by Maximus and make it clear that if Tenaglia goes against me, he goes against all of them."

"What did he say about Jerry Jacks?" Jason asked.

"He said that if his people see him, they'll grab him," the boss answered. "Get your Spinelli guy to send some images of James Craig, Jerry Jacks, whatever other aliases and disguises he uses to him."

"I can do that," Max offered. "I know the contact to send it to."

"Thank you, Max," the older man said.

"You're welcome," he said. "And...and thank you for what you said about me and Milo. Hopefully it...hopefully it'll make Pops happy."

"I didn't say it just to flatter your father," Sonny shook his head. "It's the truth."

Jason nodded in agreement. "You aren't going back to being a guard. Not unless that's what you want. And when Milo's recuperated...I want him to be the lead on my family's detail."

Max swallowed and said, "I...I think he would be honored. And-and so will I...to be in whatever position you want me to be in."

Sonny gave him a smile and a nod and vowed, "We'll talk later. For now..."

"I'll talk to Spinelli," he finished. "Get that information over to my dad's people in Italy."

~General Hospital~

Alan stepped out of the boardroom and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. Today's meeting had been…dramatic to say the least. With the Cassadines leaving town suddenly and the rumored financial problems of the family, there had been concerns among the board members over the future of the hospital and its solvency. Today they discovered that Nikolas Cassadine had apparently quietly put his shares up for sale and when that was discovered, there had been chaos.

The normal suspects who would have clamored for the shares for power, prestige and politics had been caught unaware when Steven Webber and Audrey Hardy walked in and declared that they had purchased the shares for mere pennies on the dollar. In one last remembrance of his friendship with Elizabeth Webber, Nikolas had offered the shares to her family who helped found the hospital.

Alan's father had been incensed and Jax no less pleased. Alan personally was glad to be rid of the Cassadines and was happy Sonny Corinthos hadn't ended up with more stock. He was surprised, though, that Elizabeth hadn't been offered the shares, but apparently Nikolas' kind feelings of her aid towards him after his accident only extended so far. Her association with Jason - and therefore Sonny - was too much for him to give her the stock.

"Well," Monica said softly as she joined him, "that was an interesting meeting."

He didn't respond as his father and sister left just then, arguing with Jax over something. As they made their way down the corridor, he nodded, "Yes. And interesting that Steven holds more shares than Audrey. She didn't look entirely happy about that."

"But she's happy the Hardys and Webbers once again have prominence at General Hospital," his wife stated. He couldn't tell from the tone of her voice how she felt about that, and honestly, he wasn't sure how he felt. The nurse had played things rather reserved in her intentions for the future and people weren't sure what that would bring.

"I cannot believe you," Audrey sniped at Steven as the pair exited the boardroom. "Nikolas approached us. If he'd wanted Elizabeth to own stock, he would have contacted her. With the money Emily left her, she could have bought all the stock."

"She's a Webber," the young doctor stated simply. "She's here in Port Charles and has been connected to the hospital for many years. She should have stock and be involved in the future of the hospital."

"Then by that account," Audrey countered as she and Steven stopped. They apparently did not see Alan and Monica and the couple kept quiet so as to not draw attention to themselves. "Sarah should have stock as well. She's a Webber, and she actually worked here."

"Then sell Sarah some of yours or leave it to her in your will," her grandson said. "She's working elsewhere and certainly hasn't been back since she left in the middle of her internship. The stock is mine and I choose to sell part of it to Elizabeth."

He huffed as he shook his head. "You just are determined to be unhappy, aren't you? You refuse to accept that she loves Jason and she will marry him. I wonder if you still think Lucky was the better choice for her, given what we're hearing from Paris."

Audrey blanched slightly and Alan had to admit he was curious himself what she would say. Would she acknowledge Lucky's crimes, or try to excuse them?

"You were quick to overlook Luke Spencer and his past, or even Lucky's," Steven pressed. "The Cassadine threat, or the times Elizabeth was in danger because of them...or even Lucky himself. Or what about Ric, Gram? Let's face it, the good men you've pushed at her haven't been that great."

"Then you must know someone," she pleaded with the younger man and Alan frowned.

"Even if I did, and I do, I wouldn't try to set Elizabeth up," Steven said in disgust. "She is engaged to the man she loves. I've accepted that. I may not like Jason's profession, but there is no denying that she's happy with him and he loves her beyond anything."

He turned to stalk away and stopped short when he saw Alan and Monica standing there. "Doctors Quartermaine. I..."

"Doctor Webber," Alan said kindly. "It is nice to have you join us on the board."

He looked beyond the younger man to his colleague. "Hello, Audrey."

"Alan," she said tightly. "Monica."

"Interesting discussion you were having," Monica said, apparently not intending to pretend they hadn't overheard the pair. "Sorry you didn't make sure the hallway was empty before disparaging our son. Good day, Nurse Hardy."

She turned and walked away and Audrey paled slightly while Steven closed his eyes and shook his head. Alan stepped towards the younger man and said, "We look forward to working with you, Steven."

Looking over at Audrey he said, "Nurse Hardy, perhaps we could meet later to discuss the nurse training program? I'd like to discuss the new group of nurses coming in."

"O-of course," she nodded.

Then he gave a curt nod of his head and walked away in search of his wife.

Steven turned to look at his grandmother after Alan walked away and was pleased to see she looked a little uncomfortable. When he glared at her she lifted her chin, even if she didn't look him in the eye.

"Why do you do this?" he asked.

"I want Elizabeth safe," she said unapologetically. "Being with Jason Morgan is not safe."

"So you insult him at the hospital where his parents work?" he questioned. "You are so determined to have your way that you refuse to look at anyone else's wants. Elizabeth is not going to give up Jason. But you will lose."

"You think I'll lose my job?" she asked, mildly concerned at the thought.

He shook his head. "I don't think Alan is that petty. He knows you're a good nurse. But you will lose Elizabeth. I thought maybe you'd reconsider your behavior after you came to Cameron's party, but I see you haven't."

Letting out a heavy sigh he paused before finally saying with a heavy heart, "I'm sure Elizabeth will send you an invitation to her wedding; because that is the kind of person she is; I'm sure she'll also send one to our parents. But do my sister a favor, Gram...don't come."

His grandmother gasped. "What? Steven-"

"I'm sick of watching her tear herself up every time she reaches out to you and you treat her like she's a disappointment. She got enough of that from our parents and I'm tired of watching you do the same thing. It will be her wedding day and she should be happy; not having to deal with you and your disapproving looks."

"Won't I hurt her more by refusing to come?" she asked.

"Get sick," he told her. "Call me; I'll make your excuses. She might feel bad you're sick, but she'll enjoy your wedding day. Because I will lie so convincingly that she'll never think that you're deliberately staying away."

She looked shocked he would suggest it, but Steven was tired of her hurting his sister. "Elizabeth will probably never ask you to stay away," he said, "even if a part of her might feel that way. So I'm telling you, spare her your judgment and disappointment and just stay home."

Then he turned and said, "I need to get going. I'll talk to you later."

~Jason's Penthouse~

Jason stepped into the penthouse and quietly set his keys on the desk. This was Cameron's normal naptime and Elizabeth would tell him that he didn't need to go out of his way to be quiet, but he couldn't help it. He looked around downstairs, but Elizabeth wasn't in the kitchen or her studio. Heading upstairs, he looked in Cameron's room and saw the little boy on his stomach with his knees underneath him. He smiled at the butt in the air position the little boy had taken to sleeping in and resisted the urge to cover him with a blanket. His son would be warm enough, and he didn't want to disturb Cam's nap by trying to get the blanket out from underneath him.

Closing the door he crossed the hall and opened the door to the master bedroom. Elizabeth was sitting on the bed with papers and magazines spread out around her. She looked up at him with a smile when he stepped inside. "Hey there. I heard you check on Cam...I was surprised you left as soon as you did."

"I didn't want to disturb him," he shrugged as he toed off his boots and approached the bed. "He was doing that butt in the air thing."

She chuckled and moved some of the papers around her so he could sit. "I love that pose." Gesturing she said, "Diane came by."

He picked up some of the papers and glanced at them. "Did you see anything that interested you?"

"These three," she said, handing the listings to him. "You can look at the others, but I didn't like some of the features."

"Then we'll tell Diane we want to see these ones," he said as he set the papers on the nightstand with a brief glance. "If we don't like one, we'll look at the others. What's the other papers?"

"Sam and I were looking at pictures of dresses," she said. "We set up an appointment for later in the week. Then I got the menu options."

"Can I help you with anything?" he asked as she gathered up the papers.

His fiancée shook her head. "No, but I'll let you know. Mostly I feel like even I'm not doing that much."

A slightly embarrassed smile crossed her face as she said, "Sonny's been married so often that people know what they're doing. I don't have a vision that will devastate me if I don't have it. I want to be married to you. I want it to be pretty. So I'm happy with the choices."

"Good," he said as he shifted to sit against the headboard and draw her into his arms. "I don't want you to stress about this."

"I'm not," Elizabeth told him sincerely. "I'm looking forward to it. I've done the big over-the-top planning. This isn't that."

She let out a breath as she wrapped her arms around his waist and curled into his side. "I've seen the news today. About Lucky's arrest."

He stiffened slightly, but answered, "Yeah."

"Lucky...has done a lot of things in his life," she said evenly. "But drugs? Killing Luke?"

They both were quiet and Jason didn't know what to say. He knew Elizabeth didn't love Lucky. He knew she'd been hurt by him and they weren't on friendly terms anymore. But that didn't mean she didn't care about him because of the past they had together.

"What was he planning?" she asked, her voice sounding slightly fearful. "What was he planning that made you set him up like that?"

Jason was stunned at her question and couldn't speak.

"I know he was following me before Luke took him to Paris," she continued. "He was planning to come back wasn't he, and you stopped him."

"There was a man," he began slowly. "James Craig. He's behind many of the problems we've had; working with other people to..."

"To go after you," she said.

"Yes. And he was seen talking to Lucky in Paris," he said.

"And then suddenly Lucky was going to come home," Elizabeth said, her voice tinted with understanding. "You needed to stop him before he became a problem."

"Yes," he answered simply.

She was quiet for a moment and then said, "Okay. Whatever is happening, you didn't need Lucky in the mix. He's out of the way and that's...all I need to know."

Her arms tightened around him and she pressed a kiss to his side. "Thank you for answering the questions I know I shouldn't have asked. I appreciate it."

"I understand you needed to ask them," Jason told her softly, brushing his hand over her arm.

"I got a call from my brother," she said, changing the subject. "He wants to come by tomorrow before his shift. Nikolas sold Steven and my gram his shares in the hospital and Steven wants to sell me part of the ones he bought."

Jason shifted to peer down at the top of her head. "What?"

"I know," she answered, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "I don't understand it all, but he said he'd explain tomorrow. Could you imagine?"

"What?"

"Me sitting on the Board of Directors for General Hospital?" she asked with a nervous laugh. "What would I do?"

"Be caring and compassionate and think of the patients," he told her immediately, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just like you do each time you take care of me or Cam."

Chapter 115

~Milan~

Rudy Tenaglia entered his office and firmly shut the door behind him. Claudia was driving him to drink, not that he really needed an excuse, and he locked the door to keep her out. James Craig had come to him with a seemingly good business proposition and the Italian had certainly been interested. While Rudy wasn't terribly eager to work with his former brother-in-law again, not after the way Anthony had treated Rudy's sister, but with Craig as the middleman he was willing to take the chance.

The problem was Craig wasn't just ruthless, he could handle ruthless, it was that it bordered on a lethal bent that rivaled Anthony's. However, unlike his ex-brother-in-law, Craig wasn't insane. He was mad with power and a lethal disregard or whatever exactly drove him. Claudia, more like her father than either wanted to admit, refused to see that Craig wasn't really interested in partnering with them, so much was using them.

Therefore, Rudy needed to come up with a way to get ahead of Craig. He was not going to get caught between this ruthless stranger that Claudia was enamored with and Anthony who would turn on him in a heartbeat. He was not going to die foolishly; he was going to come up with his own plan.

"Good evening, Mr. Tenaglia."

Rudy spun around, drawing his gun and aiming it at the man sitting on the couch in the shadows. He had his own gun out, but it wasn't aimed at Rudy. Turning on the lamp at his desk, he saw the large man and swallowed.

"Mr. Giambetti."

He stood, his gun at his side and said, "Mr. Tenaglia. I apologize for arriving unannounced, but I wanted to keep this meeting between us."

"For what purpose?" Rudy asked, doing his best to keep his voice even.

"Your niece introduced you to a man named James Craig," Maximus Giambetti stated. "You, and your niece's father, are working together with him in a move against Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan."

"What interest is it of yours?" he asked.

"My sons work for Mr. Corinthos and Mr. Morgan," Maximus stated. "My oldest boy is his newest lieutenant. That makes Mr. Corinthos and Mr. Morgan family. My family."

He gave a shrug and as the beefy shoulders dropped he glared and Rudy fought the sudden urge to step behind his desk. "So when I heard that they were facing a threat from James Craig and that you and Anthony Zacharra were partnered with him...well, naturally I didn't like it.

"As I said, Corinthos and Morgan are family," he continued on, his voice falsely pleasant for the threat underlying his words. "Their enemies are my enemies. They have come into my alliance and anyone who goes against them will find himself facing not just me, but Ricci and Moretti and... Shall I go on?"

The smaller man shook his head. "No, Mr. Giambetti. I-I didn't know your sons worked for Corinthos and Morgan. Craig said Port Charles was unstable and the territories were ripe for the plucking."

"Then you didn't do your research," Giambetti said. "Because you're wrong on all accounts. Including not knowing who really is sharing your niece's bed."

"Do not speak of Claudia that way," he said even though he figured Maximus was right. She was like her mother and wanted to get her slice of the pie any way she could.

"My apologies," Maximus said. "However, if she insists upon being a part of this affair, then she will be treated as everyone else."

"You've chosen your side," Rudy stated.

"I have," the other man said. "I suggest you figure out which side you will choose. I'll give you twelve hours and if I haven't heard from you at the end of them, we will know your choice and act accordingly."

He turned for the door and said, "Have a good day, Mr. Tenaglia."

Then the man left and Rudy found he couldn't care to summon his guards to track him down. Maximus Giambetti didn't have to give him a warning and that much time to consider it. He'd have to be a fool to go alone with Craig now. Giambetti and several other powerful families were siding with Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan; they would fight him, Craig and Anthony. While Rudy had thought to make a profit with a cut of American market, he wasn't a fool.

Anthony was unlikely to back away from the deal with Craig; it was because the man was insane. And if he was actually running things, a point neither Rudy nor Claudia was actually sure of anymore, he wouldn't back down. He refused to ever back down, even if that meant doom. Well, his ex-brother-in-law could die, but he would prefer to stay alive and run the territory he already had.

He knew what he was going to do; he just had to deal with the two people he didn't want to. Opening the door and seeing his guard now back in place, he ordered, "Tell my niece I want to see her immediately. And Mr. Craig, if he is here as well."

Turning, he went back to his desk and waited. Claudia was too eager for this venture; she wouldn't delay coming after being summoned. Sure enough, he heard her stilettos tapping along the tile hallway as she approached.

"Uncle Rudy," she said, putting a sultry note into her voice and her walk as she entered. Probably for the benefit of the man behind her. "Paulie said you wanted to see us."

He looked at Mr. Craig as the door was closed and said, "You've said that you have information about Port Charles that gives us an advantage to take down a weak organization."

"I've said that," the other man answered while inclining his head.

"Then why am I being told by Maximus Giambetti that he and several other families will go against me if I go against Sonny Corinthos? Giambetti's son is a lieutenant for the man and they know that you're here in my house and what you're planning."

There was the briefest flicker of surprise - or fear? - across Craig's face before he plastered on a charming smile. Rudy stood up and said, "You've lied to me, Mr. Craig. If that is your real name. I won't go against Corinthos because that would mean going against Giambetti and several other powerful families. I know a losing fight when I see one."

"Uncle Rudy," Claudia implored him. "This has to be a misunderstanding."

"It's not," he declared succinctly. "We aren't doing this. In the morning, you should go, Mr. Craig."

"No," his niece shook her head fiercely.

"Yes," Rudy said, looking at her with finality in his voice. "Our business with him is over. And Claudia?"

She looked at him defiantly and arched her brow.

"If you go with him," he said, "then I can't offer you a place in my home or my protection any longer."

~Sam's Apartment~

"Are you ready, little one?" Sonny asked as he picked up Sophia and brought her close to nuzzle her neck.

"Here," Sam said as she walked back into the room. She held out a small, floppy-eared rabbit. "It's suddenly become her must-have toy for sleeping."

"Okay," he said, reaching out. His fingers brushed against her deliberately and he gave her a grin and a wink. "Then we better make sure we don't lose this. Anything else?"

She shook her head. Sonny had diapers, toys, clothes and blankets at his place so they didn't have to send a diaper bag back and forth all the time when Sophia went to his place. It made it easier on all of them and it was clear Sonny wanted their daughter to feel comfortable and a part of his home. But the little bunny was a new love that needed to go with her.

"Alright," he said. "Then I think we're all set. Ready to go, Sophie? Ready to go see Morgan?"

He looked up at Sam and said, "Have fun."

"I will," she nodded with a smile. "We're going to taste some cake and hopefully find Elizabeth's dress."

"If you get a chance," he said, "maybe you could look at a dress for yourself."

"I am going to look for a dress," she told him.

With a shake of his head he clarified, "Not for the wedding. There's a concert in New York City coming up, someone you mentioned you liked. I thought you might like to go."

Sam smiled, touched that he'd remembered a comment she'd made and was thinking of her, trying to do things that she liked. "Yeah, I-I'll think about it. Are you going to tell me who it is?"

He gave her a dimpled smile and said, "I have to have a few surprises, don't I?"

"I thought you might say that," she said, a smile of her own curling her lip. She really wasn't upset; she was actually excited by the prospect and the obvious effort he was putting into trying to build a relationship with her.

He gave Sophie a little bounce and said, "Then have a nice time. I know I don't have to tell you to keep in sight of the guards, but I'm going to say it anyways."

"I will," she promised him, placing her hand on his arm.

There was a soft knock on the door and Sam said, "Must be Elizabeth. I should go."

"Alright. Well, let's go, Sophie. Give Mommy a kiss," Sonny said as she grabbed her purse.

Looking at Sophia, Sam leaned in and kissed her daughter's cheek. Then she rose on her toes and kissed Sonny's. "Have fun yourself."

"Applesauce, a bottle and a nap," he smiled. "It'll be great."

Sam opened the door and saw Elizabeth and her friends. Her friend looked surprised and regretful but smiled and said, "Hi, Sonny. Ready to go, Sam, or do you need a moment?"

"I'm ready," she said, waving good-bye to Sonny and their little girl. "Let's go."

As they stepped onto the elevator Elizabeth said, "I'm sorry."

"It was probably for the best," she shook her head. "It was getting a little...intense and space is good."

"Good intense, or bad intense?" her friend asked, lifting her brow.

"Good," Sam answered. "But it doesn't make it easy. So, space is good."

Elizabeth laughed. "Then you'll get some space today. What with cake testing, dress shopping, and if we have time...maybe going by a house."

She looked over sharply at the other woman at the almost causal way her friend tossed it out and then smirked. "Did you and Jason find a house?"

"Well, we finally got a chance to look at some and the last one we looked at yesterday...it was getting late and we didn't get a good look at it from the outside. It looked nice inside...we liked it the best of the ones we saw. So I want to go by and look at it when we can actually see it."

"Oh," Sam said excitedly. "I'd definitely like to look at it with you. You should have come by earlier; then we could have gone by before going to the bakery."

The other woman shook her head. "After being out so much yesterday I wanted to spend some time with Cameron before I had to take off again today. I figured you'd like to enjoy your morning with Sophie."

Sam couldn't deny that she'd enjoyed playing with her daughter this morning. She'd even enjoyed her confusing encounter with Sonny. She would have missed it if she'd had to hurry.

"Well, then let's hope we have good luck finding a dress so we don't have to spend all day there," she said. "Because I definitely want to look at the house."

~Sonny's Penthouse~

The guard knocked on the door and then opened it to let Max in. Sonny and Jason looked up from where they sat with the children on the floor playing with them. The newest lieutenant looked apologetic as he stepped inside.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But my father called. He heard from Tagliani and he needs to talk to you."

Jason looked at Sonny and stood, and then their boss stood as well and called, "Leticia."

The nanny stepped out of the kitchen where she had insisted on cleaning up after lunch so the fathers could spend time with their children. "Yes, Mr. Corinthos?"

"We need to go across to Jason's penthouse for a little while," he said.

"Of course," she answered immediately. "I'll watch the children."

"Thank you, Leticia," Jason told her, looking down at Cam who was pulling a truck closer to him that Morgan had abandoned playing with. "If you need any help, we can have Chris come in."

"If I need help I'll ask him," she said. "But it's naptime soon, so I think we'll be okay. But I'll ask Chris if I need him."

"Okay," he nodded, then turned for the door where Sonny and Max were waiting. They crossed the hall to his penthouse and went inside.

He stayed quiet to give Sonny the opportunity to take charge. They had spoken over the past few days and they were ready to begin moving back into their normal rolls. Sonny was doing well in his therapy and thinking business issues through. He talked with Jason and asked his opinion, but was feeling confident to make decisions and issues commands.

Jason was feeling confident about the changes. Sonny was not impulsive and reckless, but he was decisive. He wasn't timid or afraid to act, but he wasn't volatile and quick-tempered. While it had only been a few days, Jason was feeling optimistic that things would work out. They were able to discuss the situation with Anthony Zacharra and the Jacks brothers without him becoming over-the-top or demanding.

"Did your father give any indication what Tagliani said?" Sonny asked Max after asking the lieutenant to call his father.

"Not really," Max shook his head as he dialed. "But he didn't sound angry or annoyed. So either he learned to hide his tells, or it's good news."

"Let's hope it's the last one," Sonny said to Jason as the phone rang. "We could use a break."

"Giambetti." Max's father's voice filled the air, slightly disembodied over the speakerphone.

"Mr. Giambetti, it's Sonny Corinthos. Max said you called."

"Ah, yes, Sonny." The man's voice sounded pleasant and Max tentatively smiled. "I spoke with Rudy Tagliani. Last night I paid him a visit and explained the situation to him. I told him it would not be in his best interest to go against you and gave him twelve hours to tell me his decision."

He paused for a moment and Sonny prompted, "Yes?"

"He called me this morning and said he told Mr. Craig he was out of the deal. He won't go against you."

Jason let out a silent breath while his boss looked relieved. "Did he say how Mr. Craig reacted?" he asked.

"Craig seemed to take it in stride," Maximus said. "Wasn't happy, but accepted the decision and packed his bags. I had men watching the house; they saw Mr. Craig leave and they followed him to the airport. He didn't leave right away, but Claudia Zacharra joined him when he did."

"Zacharra's daughter?" Sonny clarified.

"Yes," the older man answered. "And she does not look happy. They are on a flight to Montreal."

Jason motioned Max over and spoke quietly so he didn't interrupt the other conversation. "Get men to Montreal. Set up the surveillance on Jax. And have we got people watching Zacharra?"

"I'll get right on it," Max promised. "But getting people to watch Zacharra is difficult. I'll explain after I call."

Jason nodded his acceptance and then returned his attention back to Sonny's call while Max stepped into the kitchen to make his. Sonny was leaning forward, his hands braced on the desk while he spoke.

"We appreciate this very much, Maximus," he said, his tone indicating he was wrapping up the phone call. "If there is ever anything we can do to help you, don't hesitate to call."

"I appreciate you giving my boys a place," the older man said. "I'll let you know if I hear anything new on this end. If we can help with Zacharra, just ask. I've heard about him and none of it is good."

"Thank you, Mr. Giambetti," Sonny nodded. "We'll be in touch; please let us know if you hear anything."

"I will," the man answered them. "Good-bye."

Sonny pressed the button to end the call and then looked at Jason. "While Tagliani decided not to get involved, that didn't stop Jerry Jacks and that doesn't mean Zacharra, and Trevor Lansing, won't still back him."

"If Lansing really is running the Zacharra organization," the younger man said, "then he may keep backing Jerry because he's going against you. With Ric's death and your past with him..."

"He'll want to take us down," his boss said. "What's Max doing?"

"Getting men on Jax and sending people to Montreal," he answered.

Max walked out of the kitchen at that point. "It's done. We've put more men on Jax's rotation so we don't lose him. And by the time Jerry and Claudia Zacharra land in Montreal we'll have people there. We can try to get more people watching Anthony Zacharra, but that's more difficult. His house is rather isolated and any cars in the area stand out. He has frequent guard patrols, so our guys can't get too close. We've staked out Lansing's place, but he stays at Zacharra's half the time."

Sonny sighed and then said. "Then we need to grab Jerry Jacks before he gets to Zacharra. The old man and Lansing are too unpredictable and I don't want to have to worry about them and the Jacks brothers."

Jason crossed his arms over his chest and suggested, "What if we used their past problems to our advantage? Jerry and his father had some RICO charges and Jax pleaded no contest. We could have Spinelli do some digging-"

"Or even some fabricating," Max interrupted.

"But because we know Craig is Jerry Jacks, we could use their violations to our advantage. We have contacts, we get them the information; suddenly the IRS and federal government are all over them."

He rubbed his chin as he thought and then said, "Grab Jerry and Claudia and hold them. It may take a couple of days, but I want them to out of the way while we get everything in place. Then if Claudia Zacharra is arrested with James Craig, our Jerry Jacks, then that causes problems for Anthony Zacharra as well."

Jason nodded; it was a good plan. "I'll call our guys and get a place set up to hold them."

"I'll talk to Spinelli," Max said.

"Good," Sonny nodded. "Good. If this works out, we can prevent a major war and get things taken care of before Jason's wedding."

His friend looked at him and said, "We could also use a little peace after everything that's happened recently. And you and Elizabeth deserve some time away after the wedding."

Chapter 116

~Spinelli's Apartment~

Milo watched in amazement as Spinelli rolled his computer chair between different monitors and keyboards and frantically typed. He didn't know exactly how the hacker was going to do it, but the man was working on the assignment Max had given him. He was going to highlight the fact that James Craig was Jerry Jacks, which would be bad news for the Jacks family. All their illegal activities, and their connection and conspiracy with the Zacharras would be very bad given their previous RICO troubles.

The young guard didn't understand everything the geek was doing, or how it would all come together, but he trusted Spinelli. The young man had come through for the organization already and Milo was confident he would do it again. Even if Milo had no idea how the other guy did it.

"Are you stuck, Brave Defender?"

Milo looked at Spinelli's back, frowning because the man was still was typing and working. "What?"

"I hear no keyboard sounds," he said, spinning briefly to face the guard on the couch before spinning back to the computer monitors. "Are you stuck on level two again?"

"No," he shook his head. "I'm just watching you. How do you keep track of what each computer is doing?"

Spinelli paused and half-turned, then shrugged. "I just do. How do you handle facing someone shooting at you? When I was in the safe house, in that shoot out...I felt frozen with fear. But you rush in and face it, even taking a bullet."

The Italian thought for a moment and then said, "I don't know. I guess growing up, I learned about guns, and Max took me shooting. Then I worked with other men and...it's not that I'm not nervous sometimes...being shot isn't good. But I just do it."

"Just like I do this," the other man said. "I don't really think about it. I just do-"

He was cut off by the sudden beeping that came from another computer. "What's going on?" Milo asked, twisting to look at the computer and twinging his wound. "Spinelli...what's going on?"

"This is the computer I have researching the Zacharras and Trevor Lansing," the computer expert said as he rolled over to the unit. He tapped a few keys as he leaned forward and murmured, "Let's see what it found."

As he began reading, he sat up straight, then quickly leaned over to the next computer and typed. Then he reached for his phone and pressed a button. Milo set the laptop he'd been playing a game on aside and got up, walking over to the younger man.

"Maximum Ride," Spinelli said rapidly, "You need to come here right away. I've just gotten a breakthrough on the research on Trevor Lansing."

Milo peered over the other man's shoulder and his eyes widened as he read. Whatever his brother said had the computer hacker suddenly scurrying for a flash drive and dragging the mouse around. "Right away," Spinelli said. "Milo's with me; we'll be there as soon as we can."

Then he hung up and said, "As soon as I get this information transferred we need to get upstairs."

He used a thumb drive and then apparently decided to go the extra step by transferring the information to his laptop as well. Once the process was complete the two men left and went to the elevator. Milo sighed as they stepped on.

"I can't wait to be cleared to go back to work," he said. "I feel useless just sitting around, watching other people working. I play games and I'm not even very good."

"Not true," Spinelli shook his head. "You keep me company and I, for one, like it. Soon enough you'll be back protecting people and making sure everyone is safe and I'll just be sitting in front of my computers all day."

The two men looked at each other and Milo said, "Grass looks greener elsewhere, but we like what we do and we're good at it. So we need to stop thinking we're not doing anything important."

"Right," the hacker nodded as the elevator arrived on the top floor.

As they stepped out, the guard said, "And we don't need to repeat this conversation."

"Right," the younger man agreed again as they stopped in front of Jason's penthouse. "just between us."

~Jason's Penthouse~

Jason opened the door when he heard the knock and let Spinelli and Milo in. He stepped into the hallway and nodded at the guard by Sonny's penthouse and then returned to his apartment. The computer tech was pulling out a power cord and looking around.

"What do you need?" Jason asked as he closed the door.

"I just want to have a power cord ready in case we need it," the young man said. "I don't anticipate the battery dying. I am most diligent in charging-"

"By the fireplace," Jason told him, cutting him off. The kid had a tendency to ramble and Jason wanted to get this meeting done.

Sonny opened the door and stepped in and the enforcer walked over and asked softly, "Is everything okay?"

His friend nodded. "Morgan was having a hard time letting me go so soon after he woke up from his nap. I read him a story, helped him get a snack and then he was ready to play with Cam. I see Spinelli and Milo are here...where's Max?"

"In the kitchen on the phone," he answered. "Got a call from our man in Montreal."

The older man glanced down at his watch. "The plane already touched down?"

"No," he shook his head. "It's close, though."

Sonny shrugged, knowing there was no point speculating. They'd find out what the call was about soon enough. "Then we'll see what Max says."

"There we are," Spinelli said, drawing the two men's attention over to the seating area. Milo was looking over the kid's shoulder and they read intently. Jason wondered what the tech guy had found, but knew they would have to wait until Max was off the phone.

"He looks squirrely, but he seems to know his stuff," Sonny said as an aside to Jason.

"Yeah-"

"Are we all here?" Max asked as he walked into the room

"Yeah," Jason said. "What did the men say?"

"The house is set up," the lieutenant said. "They've got men in place for a plan to grab Jerry Jacks and Claudia Zacharra without drawing attention to them."

"Okay," the mob boss nodded. "Let us know what happens. Spinelli, what did you find?"

The young man gulped and shifted nervously, running his hands through his already messy hair. "I found some information on Trevor Lansing. I know that the wise men in this room have suspected Anthony Zacharra is not really in control, but that the lawyer is running things."

"Right," Jason agreed. "But we need proof."

"And we have it now," the computer tech said. "I have been running a program that checks known flight plans and passenger manifests filed and activity at Crimson Point. There was a 911 call regarding Anthony Zacharra placed by a caller claiming to be his son; paramedics responded and he was taken to a hospital. This was while Trevor Lansing was in Chicago when he claimed Anthony Zacharra had traveled with him, but became ill and had to stay at the hotel so Lansing went to the meeting by himself. He left the meeting early after receiving a phone call, and then suddenly a personal physician arrived at Mr. Zacharra's hospital, took over his case, transferred him out and then the records...fuzzed."

"Fuzzed," Sonny asked.

"Sonny, they said it wasn't Anthony Zacharra in the hospital, just an employee. Everything was changed, everybody said it wasn't him, and the son fled," Milo took over the narrative.

Jason raised his brows. "Fled?"

"We've heard Lansing doesn't get along with the son, Johnny Zacharra," Max answered. "He took off, but men went after him and brought him home once Lansing flew back. He wasn't seen outside the house for several weeks after that."

"So Lansing claims he and Zacharra were in Chicago, but the son calls 911 and claims his father is ill," the enforcer summarized. "Then they claim it wasn't Zacharra, just an employee."

Spinelli pressed a few buttons and said, "I've got his 911 call. He doesn't sound like he's calling about an employee."

Then with just one push, a disembodied voice filled the air. Frantic, panicked, he sounded desperate. And he repeatedly said My father. Jason shared a look with Sonny and they both shook their heads. There was no way the kid mistook an employee for his father. When the call ended, the mobsters all looked at each other and knew; Anthony Zacharra had been in Crimson Point when Trevor Lansing claimed he was in Chicago.

"What was the diagnosis?" Sonny asked.

"Of the employee?" the computer expert asked, complete with air quotes. When the Cuban nodded, he answered, "Minor cardiac episode."

"I'd guess a stroke," Milo said, speaking up. "The descriptions the kid used...definitely not some minor cardiac episode."

"I agree with the Brave Defender," Spinelli nodded vigorously. "I've done a little further digging and it now makes sense...some of the things I found. There were transfers from Zacharra shell accounts to one that is separate and belongs solely to Trevor Lansing. The only purchases this shell has made has been medical equipment."

"For Zacharra?" Jason questioned.

"It's been delivered to Crimson Point, but only in the middle of the night."

"What do you wanna bet that the guard detail is bare minimum those nights and the only ones on duty are ones more loyal to Lansing than Zacharra?" their boss speculated.

"Probably," Jason agreed. "It's how we got you onto the island for treatment."

Sonny paused for a moment, then asked, "When was this call?"

"Almost a year ago," Spinelli answered.

"And when was the last time Zacharra was seen?"

"'Bout six months before that," Max told them.

"So Lansing's been running the Zacharra Organization for a year-and-a-half," the boss said. He looked at Spinelli and said, "Good work, kid."

"Thank you, Mister Sir," he replied with a little nervous bow of his head.

"So he's been passing on orders in Zacharra's name and nobody knows," Jason stated with a shake of his head. He couldn't help glancing at Sonny, because that was what he'd done when his boss had become ill.

"It's different," Sonny said softly so that only the enforcer could hear.

When he frowned at his friend, the older man continued, "You didn't hide my condition to get power for yourself... Zacharra's got a kid who could run things, or say he's acting in his father's stead. Lansing is claiming Zacharra's traveling with him, while you said I had to deal with a family situation so I gave you the right to run things. With our history it made sense; you ran things for over a year when I went down to the island after leaving Brenda."

"Zacharra doesn't share power," Max spoke up. "There have been rumors of fights between him and Lansing before this. There are even rumors he's threatened his own son. He's not going to just sit back for over a year and let his lawyer run things."

"Unless he's incapacitated," his brother said with a shrug.

"But is he truly ill or being kept that way?" Sonny wondered.

"And why hasn't the kid done anything?" Max wondered. "Doesn't care? Working with Lansing? Or is Lansing doing something to him as well?"

Jason looked at Spinelli, but the younger man was already closing his laptop and grabbing the power cord. "I'm already on it," he said. "But I need my set-up to run multiple searches."

"Thank you," the enforcer said. After the computer tech left he looked at the other men. "So what do we do with this information?"

~Montreal Airport~

Jerry was not a happy man as he stepped out of Immigration and had to wait. He had not expected, nor wanted, Claudia to come with him, but he hadn't been able to persuade her to stay behind in Italy. With her traveling with him he couldn't call Jax and explain fully what happened in Milan; he could only hope the text he'd sent while in the bathroom alerted his brother to what was going on.

Sonny Corinthos somehow knew Tagliani was talking to Jerry and sent a message to the Italian. Jerry didn't know what it entailed, but Tagliani backed out of the deal and claimed he wouldn't go against Corinthos. That left Claudia's old man and the ruthless lawyer Anthony had doing the negotiations. Lansing wasn't going to be happy with Claudia tagging along; he'd told Jerry he wasn't pleased to hear the younger man had been talking with Claudia, and didn't want her involved any further in the deal. Jerry was finding that was difficult to do, because the woman didn't take orders well.

"Finally," Claudia said as she approached him. "I detest going through customs with all the riff-raff. I prefer flying a private plane and having Customs and Immigration come to us, or at least allow us to come through the private hanger."

"Well, your uncle wasn't inclined to let us use his plane," Jerry said in annoyance. "I thought it best to leave town sooner, rather than later. And beggars can't be choosers, darling."

"You should have a private jet," she told him as they walked towards the exit. He had pointedly ignored her looks for him to take her luggage. "Or someone else you know who would let you use theirs as a favor."

"Sometimes it's best to travel like the peasants to stay under the radar," he told her bitingly. "However, there will be a car and a driver for us. And a hotel suite we can stay at."

He was going to have to figure out some way to leave her behind. If he took her money and credit cards and left her stranded then maybe she wouldn't be able to follow him. Then he could talk to Jax and meet with Trevor Lansing without the extra weight and all her emotional baggage.

As they walked towards the sliding glass doors, Claudia huffing under her breath about having to drag her own suitcases, he saw a man holding a sign bearing the name Craig. He moved towards the suited chauffer and watched the driver straighten as he realized someone was purposefully heading his way. "Mr.Craig?" he asked.

"Yes," Jerry nodded as Claudia stopped behind him.

"And a guest," the driver said congenially and professionally, completely unruffled by the extra person. "May I help you with your bags, ma'am?"

"Yes," she said impatiently, shoving a bag at him. Then she glared at Jerry and said, "Nice to know that at least some people are still gentlemen."

"I'm not your Sherpa, love," he smiled falsely. "Especially not when you bring your entire wardrobe with you. Now, be a good girl and follow the man."

"This way please," the driver said over his shoulder.

They stepped outside and the tall man turned towards the right. He stopped at a limousine and opened the trunk. The driver deposited the bags he was carrying and then moved to open the back door for Claudia who was waiting rather impatiently. Jerry rolled his eyes and put his luggage in the trunk; he wasn't so ridiculous as to expect the driver to do it all, especially since Claudia had left the rest of her bags for him. The driver was waiting by the door and held it open while Mr. Craig entered.

"The wet bar is fully stocked," he informed the Australian. "If you're hungry and don't want to wait until we arrive at the hotel, please let me know. I am here to ensure your comfort and convenience...we can stop somewhere."

He looked at Claudia and then up at the driver. "We'll let you know; for now, please just drive to the hotel."

"Okay," he answered and shut the door. Jerry heard some sounds at the back of the car and knew it was the man placing the last of the luggage in the trunk. Then it closed and the front of the car dipped a few seconds later and a door closed. The car started and they began to move.

"Finally," Claudia said and reached for the bottle of champagne chilling in the wet bar. She pulled off the foil covering and then worked at the metal tines holding the cork in bottle.

"This must be his first job," she sniped with a shake of her head. "So green. At least the company has supplied a very nice vintage of champagne."

"He wasn't expecting an Italian clotheshorse," Jerry said as the cork popped out and she filled a glass and handed it to him while reaching for another. He took it and swallowed a sip out of boredom, not thirst. He was stuck with her so he might as well take a drink to make it tolerable.

"I had no guarantee my uncle would send my stuff," she told him, taking a deep drink from her glass. "I needed to take as much as I could this time."

He pretended to sympathize with her as he reached for the bottle. If she was planning to drink her frustrations away, then he would keep her well supplied. If she was drunk, she might be easier to leave behind.

"I know my father won't be happy, but I'm not being shoved out of this plan," she told him, taking another drink.

Jerry took a small drink to keep from having to say anything, not that she really required him too. He looked out the window, hoping they would arrive at the hotel soon. He frowned because while they had left the airport, they didn't seem to heading downtown where the hotel was. "What?" he mumbled. "Where are we going?"

"What?" Claudia asked, reaching for the bottle of champagne. They hit a bump as she was pouring and quickly moved her hand to avoid the bubbly liquid as it sloshed over the side of the glass.

"We're not heading towards the hotel," he said, looking around and frowning as he tried to focus on the scenes out the window. The glass was tinted, though, but that shouldn't be why everything was so dark and getting fuzzy.

The drink slipped out of Claudia's hand and he looked over to seen her slump against the seat. "What the..." he murmured, trailing off as things felt heavy and disjointed.

"The champagne," he murmured and leaned over to press the intercom button. But he heard nothing and the divider didn't budge when he pressed that button.

They were drugged, they were trapped and Jerry knew he was losing consciousness, while he tried to reach for his phone but couldn't get his hand in his pocket. They'd walked right into a trap and Jerry wondered how Morgan had known. Perhaps the other man wasn't as clueless as Jerry thought.

Chapter 117

~Home For Sale~

"This is beautiful," Sam said as she walked up beside Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was looking beyond the slightly overrun yard - that could easily be cleaned up - to the house. It looked structurally sound, and beautiful. It wasn't monstrous, or ostentatious, but she could see why Jason liked it. It had clean lines, good sightlines, and it was set back far enough from the street to be easy to add safety features without becoming an eyesore to the neighborhood.

A car approached and the guards immediately were alert. Elizabeth and Sam moved towards the back door of the limo and were ready to get inside if needed.

"Ms. Webber," the man said as he opened his car door. "George Durfey, the listing agent."

She nodded as she recognized him and to let the guards know the man was who he said he was. "Mr. Durfey."

He smiled as he approached her. "Ms. Miller said you might be coming here today. I thought I'd drive out in case you did. I could call Ms. Miller if you'd like and have her join us, or open the house if you wanted to look at it again on your own."

"Would you?" Elizabeth asked, raising her eyebrows in delight. "I would like to see the inside again if I could. I mostly wanted to see the outside today in the light and see what the neighborhood looked like during the day."

"Of course, of course," the agent nodded as he walked towards the gate at the driveway and unlocked it. "You were here later in the day; it's always good to see a home again in different lights and times of day."

"It's a nice yard," Sam said as they walked towards the front door. "Of course, you'll be using the back yard more."

"True," Elizabeth agreed as they stepped onto the porch. Even if Cam wouldn't play out here, and they wouldn't sit on the porch due to safety reasons, she was envisioning making the front of the house pretty and inviting. She was thinking of the plants she would add to the front yard to bring color and interest. She didn't want the neighbors to think they were going to hide inside and never come out, even if that's what they might end up doing.

As they stepped into the house she let out a breath at all the warm lighting that came through the windows. Even with the upgrades to bulletproof glass and coverings to ensure their privacy, it wouldn't detract from the natural beauty. Each room they went through increased her love for the house. There was room in the basement for Jason's weight room and pool table, a room for an art studio on the main floor and plenty of room upstairs if they had more children.

Looking out at the backyard she smiled over at Sam. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a great house," her friend said. "It's big enough for you guys to do what you want, but it feels like a house. I can see you guys having dinner at the table, reading books on the sofa, and playing downstairs with Cameron."

"Out here we're thinking of a pool," the young mother said. "And plenty of grass and a play area."

"I think you've decided," Sam said. "You're already thinking of how you want to decorate and upgrade it. You want this house."

She looked over her shoulder at the agent who was nearby, but giving them space so he didn't appear too eager and pressuring them. Lowering her voice she said, "I do. I really, really do. I can see us living here."

"Then I guess when we get back you know what you and Jason will be doing," the other woman said. "Signing the offer papers, and then hopefully the closing papers soon after that."

"Yeah," she nodded, with a smile, feeling both excited and apprehensive. This was such a huge step, but she was ready to take it with Jason.

"Ms.Webber?"

She turned and smiled at the realtor as he approached. "Mr. Durfey, thank you so much for meeting us here today and letting me look around again. I really appreciate it."

"My pleasure," he said. "I hope you were helped by coming here again."

"I was," she told him. "I'm going to talk with my fiancé, but I think we'll be in touch with you soon."

When he lifted his brow in surprise and question she said, "This is the one I like, but we need to talk about it. However, I feel really good about it."

"Then I'll wait for your call," he said as they turned to make their way out of the house.

Elizabeth smiled as they went. She was anxious to talk to Jason, and hopefully Diane would be able to put together the papers for them to sign. She wanted this house and would be nervous until the deal was finished.

~Sam's Apartment~

She smiled as they walked into the apartment, but Sonny got the feeling that it wasn't really genuine. He closed the door softly behind them as watched as Sam crossed the room and sat down on the couch. She brought Sophia up to hug her and nuzzle her face against their daughter.

"I missed you, little one," she said, propping her feet on the coffee table so her knees were raised. She sat Sophia on her lap so their little girl's back rested against her raised legs and faced her mother.

"Did you have fun with your dad and brother?" she asked with a bright, animated smile. "Did you play with Morgan and Cam?"

Their daughter and gurgled up at her and it brought a smile to Sonny's face as he sat down beside her. He was a bit surprised when she leaned against him, but was happy. They were making progress in their relationship, but were still taking it slow.

"Thank you for making dinner tonight," she said, continuing to play with Sophie. "It was delicious."

"You're welcome," he replied, bringing his hand up to brush over her hair. "I didn't think Elizabeth wanted to try to make something, and there was no reason for you to eat alone. It was nice for everyone to be together."

"It was," she agreed on a sigh, leaning against him more. "And if they buy that house, our chances to get together will decrease."

"Do you think they will buy it?" he asked.

"Elizabeth called Jason from the limo," she told him, tickling Sophia's belly lightly. "She told him she loved it and wanted it. He called Diane before we even got back and while we were at your penthouse, she brought the papers over and they submitted their offer."

"Is that what they were saying when they came over?" he asked, scratching his cheek. "The timer went off and I didn't catch everything."

Sam let out a wistful sigh and nodded. "Yeah."

"You'll miss her," he surmised. Then he admitted, "I'll miss them, too. It's convenient to have Jason across the hall, but I know they want Cameron to have a yard to play in. I know how they feel; sometimes I think Morgan was happier on the island when he could go outside whenever he wanted without it having to be a major production. It was one of the reasons I thought about buying a house for us."

"That," she said, tilting her head to the side and offering him just the slightest of a teasing smirk, "and you wanted us all together because you thought it would be easier."

"That's true," he agreed. "But having you move onto the same floor will help. There will be more room for Sophie to play as she learns to crawl."

"Stairs to block," she pointed out. "More doorways to gate. But it will be nice. If I can think of it as mine and not just think I'm house sitting for Jason and Elizabeth."

"Maybe if you help her decorate her new house and then put your stamp on the penthouse it will help," he suggested. Then he chuckled as Sophie yawned and brought her fist up awkwardly to rub her eye. "I think she's getting tired. Let me go make her bottle and then you can feed her."

"Should we put on our jammies?" Sam asked their daughter who once again smacked her eye. "Get ready for bed while Daddy gets your bottle?"

Sonny stood and then helped her stand up. He brushed a kiss across her cheek, smiling to himself when she blushed at the unexpected action. He liked keeping her on her toes while letting her know that he cared for her and he wanted her to know he was serious about dating her.

"I'll get the bottle and her lovey and then meet you in her room," he said. "Then maybe we can sit and talk and you can tell me about your dress."

She gave him a smile and a nod and then walked towards the hall. Sonny watched her go, admiring the sway of her hips and then turned for the kitchen. They were becoming more comfortable around one another and he was glad. He was making progress in a lot of areas and he was feeling like he could handle it instead of fearing he would lose control under the pressure. He hoped that when Sam moved up to the penthouse level that they would make even more progress. And maybe one day they would be ready to buy a house and start their life together like Jason and Elizabeth.

~Jason's Penthouse~

Steven nodded to the guard as he stepped off the elevator and he smiled briefly in recognition before turning to knock. "Miss Webber," the man said by way of announcement. "Doctor Webber is here."

"Let him in," her pleased voice carried out into the hall.

"Steven," she smiled brightly when he stepped in. She was bouncing Cam on her hip and she tickled the little boy as she said, "Hey, Cam...look, Uncle Steven's here."

"Hey, buddy," he smiled as he walked over to them. He reached for his nephew, taking him into his arms and said, "Boy, you get bigger every time I see you."

"Did you get a chance to eat at the hospital?" she asked. "Sonny sent us home with lots of leftovers. The man cooks to feed an army."

"I ate," he told her. "And not something from the cafeteria. Now what is this little guy still doing up?"

Looking down at Cam he asked, "Are you giving your mom trouble?"

Lifting his hand to brush it against his nephew's forehead he continued, "Are you not feeling well?"

"I read him a story and we were cuddling. Jason was going to put him down but had to go downstairs for a minute." His sister sat down and he sat beside her, cuddling Cam to his chest. "He should be back soon."

"Well, I certainly don't mind the chance to see him, or hold him," the uncle said. "I haven't seen him since his birthday party."

They talked for a little while and Cam quieted down, relaxing against him. They talked about her wedding plans and he heard about the house they were looking to buy and had just put an offer in on. He was glad that she was so obviously happy and it was equally clear Jason adored her, so Steven worked to put aside his dislike of the man's profession. He would never approve or truly be comfortable with his soon-to-be brother-in-law's profession, but he wasn't going to hurt his sister by being difficult.

The door opened behind him and Steven knew immediately that it was Jason. Not because he was the only one the guards would let walk in unannounced, but by the look of pure adoration and love that washed over Elizabeth's face the moment she saw him. There was no denying the connection his sister had with Jason.

"Hey," she greeted her fiancé as he approached. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Looking at Steven he said, "Looks like Cam fell asleep. Let me take him so you two can talk."

Steven shifted the little boy and handed him carefully to Jason, then watched as father and son went upstairs. "You've got a great family, Lizbits," he smiled at his sister. "I won't pretend to like what he does, but I will never say he doesn't love you or Cam. He will never use you for some plot of revenge like Ric did and he'll never hurt you like he or Lucky did."

She shifted slightly uncomfortably and he decided to change the subject. "So, I'm sure you have questions about the stock."

"Yeah," Elizabeth arched a brow at him. "What happened there? How did Nikolas sell you his stock?"

"I guess he decided to cut all ties to Port Charles after he and Alexis left," the doctor said. "I know what you said about them leaving with Sonny's daughter, so when the lawyer contacted me and Grams I got in touch with someone I worked with at the FBI."

He didn't tell her that their grandmother hadn't wanted to contact law enforcement. That she hadn't blamed Alexis for fleeing with her daughter.

"Nikolas never left his island during the process so they couldn't do anything," he said with a hint of regret.

"You tried," his sister told him. "You didn't have to do that. So he contacted you and Gram instead of the Quartermaines..."

"Maybe because of his past with your friend Emily," he shrugged, slightly uncomfortable. "And even though you were his friend and didn't push him when he didn't remember, you ended up with Jason."

"Who is friends with Sonny who wants to see his daughter but Nikolas' aunt wants to keep her away from him," she filled in. "And so therefore even though we were friends and I didn't support Emily's plots and schemes, I'm now in the enemy's camp."

Steven nodded slowly. "I think that may be the case. I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

She immediately shook her head. "No. It's not your fault. And I'm not upset because I won't regret my relationship with Jason."

"In any event," he continued on, "when Nikolas offered to sell the stock, we went for it. Gram wanted it because Grandpa helped found the hospital. And I wanted it for that as well, but also because I wanted to focus on the patients again and not just be looking out for the bottom line."

"But why not just keep the stock and have more so than you have a bigger voice to fight for that?" his sister asked.

"Because you are a Hardy-Webber too, you're living in Port Charles and you deserve to have a spot on the board just as much as I or Grams does," he told her, leaning back against the couch. "I'm not doing this to get you to vote with me or side with me. I know you were wondering what you would do now that you're not working for L&B anymore; looking for some purpose - as if you needed something more than being a wife or a mother. The board doesn't meet that often, and you might be a little busy at first catching up, but then after that you'll have plenty of time to be with Cam, Jason and focus on your painting."

She looked at him with surprise and then blew out a breath. "It sounds like you've given this thought."

"You're a Webber," he told her. "I think it's the right thing. You can leave the stock to your children if they want it. I would love if we could have Webbers on the board well into the future. But that will be for them to decide. For now...if you want the stock, we could have the current generation of Webbers."

"What about Sarah?" his sister wondered with a lift of her brow.

"Gram asked the same thing," he said. "But she only brought it up when I intended to see you half the stock I bought. She didn't wonder about that before I mentioned my plans."

Elizabeth pinched her lips together and looked down. Steven let out a breath and rubbed his hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry, Lizbits."

"If I wasn't with Jason she probably wouldn't object," she sighed. She shook her head and said, "So if I take this, am I going to spend every meeting fighting with her or be faced with her silent, icy disapproval?"

"I don't know," Steven told her honestly with a shake of his head. "I keep thinking that she'll come around, that she can't keep acting like this and she'll remember that the most important thing is family. And then..."

"And then she proves she's as stubborn as the rest of us," she finished in sad resignation.

"I just don't know," she shook her head. "I could buy the stock with the money Emily left me. It wouldn't touch Cam's trust or even wipe me out...I just don't know."

"Think about it, Lizbits," he told her, taking her hand. "Don't let her stop you if you really are interested. This is your life and you've chosen to live it how you want; what makes you happy. Don't let her scare you away from something you really want. You've chosen to live your life with Jason because that's what you wanted. So do the same here."

He stood and pulled her up to give her a hug and kiss on her cheek. Then he pulled back and smiled. "That's all I'm going to say. Except for this; your son is adorable and I'm glad for the way Jason treats you and I can't wait to see you on your wedding day."

Steven let himself out and knew that she would talk to Jason before deciding. He wanted to work with his sister because he wanted to continue the relationship they were rebuilding. But ultimately, he wanted her to be happy and comfortable. So he would wait to hear from her and hope for the best.

Chapter 118

~Safe House in Canada~

Jerry was thoroughly annoyed at the accommodations; mostly because Claudia was not gagged. For all her brash persona and claims that she could do the job just like any man, she had not stopped complaining since they'd been grabbed. He was ready to strangle her, just to shut her up. He was that frustrated, and his hands were the only weapons available to him. The room they were being held in had been stripped bare, they didn't even have blankets or pillows, and there was nothing he could use against her. Which also meant there was nothing to use against their captors.

Jerry would have snapped a neck without hesitation, but the guards never got close enough for him to pounce on. When food was brought in, one man held a gun on him and Claudia and kept them across the room. Claudia would never attack first; she kept expecting him to solve their problem.

"How long are they going to keep us here?" she demanded as she sat down beside him, her thigh rubbing against him.

He shoved her away. "Put it away, Love. And take a seat somewhere else in this spacious room."

She huffed and slid a few inches away. "Fine. I merely thought we could find a way to pass the time."

"Not for all the tea in China," he said flatly. "This isn't the time or place. This is serious."

"These men?" she questioned, almost disbelievingly. "They most likely work for Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos and while they might have gotten the jump on us that doesn't mean they're invincible. That's just a myth. You told my uncle Corinthos was a joke and Morgan wouldn't have the tactical mind to stop us because he's brain damaged."

"I was trying to get your uncle's help and resources," he sneered. "Of course I would say something like that."

"We're coming to see my father on information that you lied about?!" she shrieked, looking angrily at him.

"If it's any consolation," Jerry told her condescendingly, "I doubt we'll make it to your father. So you don't have to worry about Daddy Dearest getting angry with you."

"You don't think that they'll kill us," she scoffed, trying to sound brave. "The reason everyone goes after them is because they're weak."

"But they're still there," he told her, tipping his head thoughtfully. "They haven't been pushed out yet. And the reason people go after them is because they have good shipping lanes that everyone wants."

"That still doesn't mean they'll kill us," Claudia insisted. "What excuse would they come up with that wouldn't start a war with my father?"

"You father isn't running things," he pointed out snidely. "Everyone knows that. And that Trevor Lansing won't go to war over you."

She flushed hot with indignation but he kept going. If she got angry enough with him she might just shut up and then he could concentrate.

"As for why they'd kill us," he scoffed at her, "they've got plenty of reasons. We've stolen a ship and their product and have been encroaching on their territory. You would kill a man for less. So why would they do any different?"

"Because they're weak," she insisted with a scowl. "They're stupid."

"Yet they got us," he said. So maybe Jax was right and Jerry had underestimated the mobsters. He believed that Lucky Spencer had been the one who Morgan's men were watching, and that was how they'd spotted him, but perhaps he had been under surveillance as well.

"This is your fault," Claudia spat at him. "You had to insist on certain things being in place, and then my uncle kicked us out. We should have struck sooner before they caught onto us."

In a flash Jerry was on his knees beside her, his hands wrapped around her neck and squeezing. "Shut up," he hissed. "All you've done is whine and I've had it! You were an eager participant and you wanted this just as much as I did. Don't go acting like an innocent victim now."

Claudia's eyes bulged as he squeezed and her fingers scrambled over the backs of his hands as she tried to fight back and break free. "Stop," she rasped out, bringing up her knee in a feeble attempt to strike him. But she couldn't get enough force and he easily deflected the blow as he continued to squeeze, feeling the bones in her neck grind and flex. Because now he was really angry.

~Spinelli's Apartment~

"Oh, my..."

Spinelli's hand froze and he quickly turned his head to look fully at the screen he'd been watching out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, my..."

He quickly rolled in front of the computer and tapped a few keys. The computer hacker sent the feed over to another computer and rewound the recording. They had been recording Jerry and Claudia around the clock in case they divulged anything when the guards weren't there. The camera was small and inconspicuous and they'd hoped that the longer the pair was held that they'd start talking amongst themselves.

He watched horrified at the real time feed while flicking his eyes to the images going in reverse, trying to find where it all began. While his eyes darted back and forth, he reached for his phone and let his fingers dial a memorized number. As the other phone rang, he stopped the rewinding process and paused the screen.

"Hello?"

"Maximum Ride," he breathed out anxiously. "You need to get over here right away."

"Spinelli, what's wrong?" Max asked.

"Things happened in Canada," he answered and his eyes widened as Jerry moved away from Claudia. He had never seen someone killed by bare hands before and it was horrifying to watch in grainy black and white.

"Spinelli?"

Max's voice jolted him back and he said, "I think the Dastardly Craig just killed Claudia Zacharra."

The answer was immediate. "I'll be right there."

Spinelli hung up and stared at the computer screen. Jerry Jacks stretched out on the ground, resting his head on his hands clasped behind him. He didn't seem bothered at all that he was in a room with a woman he'd just murdered. In fact, Spinelli wouldn't be surprised to see him fall asleep.

~Diane's Office

Elizabeth smiled at the receptionist who brought in a tray with glasses of ice water and sat it on the coffee table in front of the leather sofa she was seated on. Diane walked over and put a file down on the metal and glass table and then set down.

"Thank you for meeting me today," she told the lawyer.

"Elizabeth," the older woman said with smile. "I am here in Port Charles because Jason hired me. He is my first priority. Any other clients I may have gained since coming here, unless I am in court, are preceded by him and those he declares important. You are about to become his wife; that means when you call, I'm available. But if it eases your mind, I didn't have any meetings today. Just some paperwork I was preparing."

The young mother sighed because she felt as if Diane understood her already. She did feel better that Diane hadn't cancelled someone else. "Thank you," she smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Now," the red-head smoothly said. "You asked me to help you purchase some stock from your brother."

"Yes," Elizabeth nodded. She and Jason had discussed things last night and she'd decided to go for it.

She was nervous and scared, not sure of what she was doing, but she felt good about her decision. It was a way to honor her grandfather.

"I spoke with your brother's attorney," Diane continued. "And you spoke with your brother?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "We agreed on a price, so I guess I just need to arrange payment?"

"It's pretty straight forward," Diane assured her. "And Bernie can handle the financial side. You're going to use the money left to you by Emily Quartermaine?"

When she nodded, the lawyer bobbed her head once decisively. "Since she left you money separate from the trust she set up for Cameron and any future children you have, the money is yours to use as you want. And it doesn't exceed the amount you have so you're good."

"That's good," the young mother said. "It's just such a huge thing and I want to make sure everything was in order."

"It is," the older woman said with assurance. "And it's good I knew about this before I finished your prenup."

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the document she felt was unnecessary. It made her uncomfortable; even though Jason told her he just wanted to ensure her protection. He also wanted to make sure she was provided for and if he wrote it down in another document besides his will, it wouldn't be doubted.

"Jason isn't anticipating a divorce," the lawyer said kindly, "and watching the two of you together, I don't either. But he wants to be prepared for any contingency. And he wants to make sure that the Quartermaines don't try to get your stock now. He is relinquishing any claim to the stock he could have as your husband. It will go to your children and only to them. He doesn't want the Quartermaines to harass you."

"I'm prepared for it," she shrugged, with a bit of a smile. "They'll no doubt think I'll be part of their voting block - well, at least Edward probably will."

And her grandmother would either openly disapprove or barely acknowledge her. She was prepared for it, but she was doing this for her grandfather and her future family with Jason. So she was not going to let herself be intimidated by anyone. And she was prepared for Edward to try to use this to his advantage to get Jason back to the family, or dangle ELQ stock to them as well.

"Then you just need to sign these documents," Diane indicated as she picked up the folder. "And Bernie will take care of the funds transfer. I'll call you when everything is finalized."

"Thank you, Diane," Elizabeth smiled as she reached for her purse.

"There is one more thing," the lawyer smiled and stood to get another file from her desk. "I just got word from the county recorder's office. The house is all yours."

The young woman's eyes widened as she reached for the keys the other woman was holding out to her. "That was fast."

The older woman's lips twitched and she said, "Cash transactions help. Not to mention Jason and Sonny's connections. The point is, it is all yours now."

Elizabeth smiled widely as she clutched the keys in her hand and said, "Thank you so much, Diane. Thank you."

~Crimson Point~

"What do you mean you have no idea where they are?" Trevor Lansing hissed into his phone as he paced his office. A few years ago he had been able to convince Anthony to let him have his own office at the house so that Trevor could make his many calls and not disturb the older man in his study. It allowed him more privacy to take care of things without Anthony knowing, or suspecting, what the lawyer was doing.

"You were supposed to watch them after they landed," he growled at the negligent guard. "I want to talk to Mr. Craig but I don't need that whore Claudia involved. If she shows up here with him she'll insist on talking to her father. If that happens, then I can't make arrangements first with Craig."

The guard made vague evasions, but Trevor angrily cut him off. "I don't want your pathetic excuses; I want you to find them! Then you bring Craig here so I can talk to him, but keep Claudia away. I'll deal with her later."

"Deal with her about what?" Anthony asked as he walked through the door. "What's going on with Claudia?"

"Do it," he hissed, then ended the call to the guard. Plastering on a calm smile he turned to face Anthony and smoothly said, "I'll take care of it, Anthony."

"What has she done now?" the mob boss demanded, his voice rising.

"She left Italy," he answered, giving part of the truth. "Rudy wouldn't give all the details, but said he had to kick her out. She got into some trouble with a guy named Craig. They might be coming here, but I wanted to talk to him first, find out what was happening first and then I could tell you what was happening."

"She in trouble with a boy?!" Anthony yelled, sounding incensed. "Knocked up, no doubt. She's always been a tramp like her mother."

"Now, Anthony, we do know what's going on," Trevor said, even though he did everything he could with the sound of his voice to encourage Anthony in his crazy and misguided thoughts. If he distracted the old man with thoughts of Claudia's promiscuity and immorality, then Trevor could track down James Craig and organize an attack on Sonny Corinthos' territory.

The thought that Adella's worthless child could have risen to such major territory galled Trevor. This was the whelp that pushed his beloved Adella down the stairs nearly killing Richard before he was even born. He should have been cast off and left to rot, ending up in jail when he got older; as a bad seed, that's undoubtedly where he would have gone. Instead, Adella had chosen the boy and coddled him, which was Trevor had taken him from her after his son was born.

"I want her found," Anthony bellowed, bringing Trevor back from his angry thoughts that demanded retribution. "I want her found and brought to me. I have a thing or two to stay to my tramp of a daughter. How dare she shame me like this!"

The lawyer held up his hands in a calming manner and said, "Anthony...Anthony, I know you're upset. Maybe we're wrong and there's another reason Claudia left Milan. Let me find her and talk to her, then I'll tell you what's going on."

"You bring her to me first," the mobster commanded, then he spun on his heel and stormed out of the office. Trevor rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He would find Claudia first and then he'd deal with Anthony.

The phone rang and picked it up, annoyed at the interruption. "What?"

"Sir," a guard said hesitantly. "Johnny just took off."

He cursed and knocked the stapler off the desk. "Find him!" he commanded. "Find him now."

They didn't need this. They didn't need this right now; not when Anthony was acting unstable and volatile and Claudia was causing problems. They needed to find Johnny and get this contained. There was too much going on to let it all fall apart now.

~Spinelli's Apartment~

Jason looked at the screen and watched as Jerry Jacks strangled Claudia Zacharra over a petty argument about guilt. The man was cruel and not bothered at all by strangling a woman simply because she blamed him for getting caught. He wondered if that's how the man acted in Paris after killing Luke and enticing Lucky to go back to Port Charles.

"Cold," Max shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. "If there was food in the room, he'd go over and sit down to eat, but only after properly placing his napkin in his lap and making sure he uses the proper fork."

"You okay?" Jason asked Spinelli who wasn't in front of the computers like he normally was.

The younger man jerkily nodded his head, "I've viewed the pictures enough."

"It's not easy to watch someone die," he said sympathetically while Sonny asked for the recording to be rewound so they could listen to the argument again where they discussed their activities. Jason didn't need to see it again and he wanted to make sure the younger man was alright. He lived in a world of games with unrealistic violence and while he'd been targeted, he'd never faced the lifestyle that the other men in the room had.

"I will be fine," the younger man said with a shake of his shoulders. "You just tell me what assistance you require of the Jackal."

"You did a good job," Jason told him sincerely. "You monitored things, you let us know as soon you saw something and you get us information quickly. It doesn't make you less than these men because you didn't like watching someone else die. These men can't do what you do; you don't need to judge yourself against them. I need you to do what you do, not what they do."

"Jason."

He looked over at Sonny who motioned him to come over. Nodding at Spinelli, he then walked over to his boss. "What do you want to do about this?" he asked as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Kill Jerry, stage it to look like an accident," the older man said simply. Gesturing to the monitor he said, "You heard him. He's gone after my shipments, he's threatening my business which always puts my family in danger, he's bringing trouble our way in the form of Anthony Zacharra and Trevor Lansing and he killed Luke Spencer. He just turned on one of his partners and killed her which makes him unstable. I don't want to take a chance with this guy. If I release him, he comes after me; if I hold him too long the chance of him escaping increases."

"And then he just comes after you anyway," Jason said. "And he and Jax aren't going to give to give up."

"That's right," his friend nodded. "I'm not going to give this guy the chance to come after me. So I'm taking him out."

"How do you want it done?" he asked.

"You and Max make it look like an accident," he ordered. "You got rid of Ric in a very creative way that hasn't been traced back to us. I need you to do that again."

Jason nodded his acceptance and then Sonny sighed. "I'm sorry to take you away from Elizabeth and Cameron, but I need this done right."

"It will be okay," he said. "She'll understand."

She may not like it, but he knew she wouldn't complain; she would do her best to support him. His friend nodded and said, "I want this done, but take care of your family."

"I will," Jason answered. "But what do we do about Jax? He was involved in this with his brother; they were plotting together. He's after us and if he thinks we killed his brother will he just give up?"

Sonny smiled, just one of his mouth curling up malevolently. "Then I think I'll have a talk with him. Let him know I know everything...and then I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."

Chapter 119

~Crimson Point~

"Where is he?!"

Trevor looked up when Anthony stormed into his office, his face mottled with rage. The lawyer couldn't help hoping that one day his intense anger would give the old man a fatal stroke.

"Anthony," he said smoothly, brushing his hand over his tie. "Johnny just stepped out. You know how he is. Nice day like this; you can't keep the boy inside."

"That's what you said last night. And yesterday. And then this morning," the man said angrily. "I told you I was looking for him; I told you to keep him here; now I find out he's taken off again?"

"He's a kid," Trevor tried to placate his long-time boss. "You know how he is; I told him you were looking for him."

"Where did he say he was going?" Anthony asked, walking towards the desk.

The lawyer shook his head. "He didn't say. Most of the time I think he just wants to drive."

"You're lying!" the mob boss shrieked, grabbing a glass and throwing it at Trevor. The surprised man managed to get an arm up to deflect the heavy object aimed at his head. Anthony was following right behind and started an attack on Trevor.

"You're lying, you snake," he yelled. "You're lying to me! Johnny hasn't been home since two days ago. I had to torture it out of a guard. He seemed to think he shouldn't tell me where my son is. He said he was acting on your orders as if you have the power to run anything."

For a crazy old man he was strong and he landed several good blows on Trevor who fought back. But when Anthony pulled a gun from his pocket, the lawyer knew he had to get the upper hand soon. Reaching behind him on the desk, his fingers brushed over the ballpoint pen he'd been using earlier. He swung up and stabbed Anthony in the neck, then took advantage of the shock to follow up with a swing of the brass paperweight.

Anthony crumpled to the floor and Trevor leaned back against his desk, breathing heavily. He couldn't afford to kill Anthony; Claudia would oust the lawyer before he could get Johnny on his side. Until he took care of the troublemaking woman he couldn't take the old man out completely. But he could incapacitate him and keep him out of the way. Unprovoked attacks weren't new, and the doctor Trevor would call would keep his mouth shut. As would the guards; he would make sure of that.

Straightening, Trevor reached for the phone and called the organization's doctor. Then he called the head guard to his office and glared at the man.

"What is happening around here?" he demanded angrily. "Why hasn't Johnny been found? You've had nearly two days to find him; you know that when he's gone Anthony gets volatile. How come you can't find him?"

"He's not using his credit cards or debit cards," the guard stated defensively. "We found his car on the side of the road, but there's no trace of him."

"Well he can't have disappeared into thin air," Trevor hissed. "Someone had to have seen him. Get his picture out there, but be discreet. And find Claudia! Her plane landed two days ago; you should have found her by now."

"W-We're looking," the guard stammered out.

"I don't want anymore excuses," he growled, stepping over Anthony's prone body. "Find them now. And take care of this. Get the doc, clean this up and then go deal with the guard Anthony killed."

"Mr. Lansing."

He looked over at the new guard who had the audacity to step into the room and snapped, "What?!"

"Sir, Alex just called from the gate. State troopers are here wanting to talk to Mr. Zacharra," he said quickly. "They say it has to deal with Miss Zacharra."

Trevor swore and looked over at Anthony where the guard was tending his boss. He said, "Mr. Zacahrra is not feeling well and isn't able to meet them. So I'll meet them. Find out what they're here for."

"Okay," the man nodded and quickly left.

Trevor straightened his tie and looked down at his hands. He needed to clean up a bit before he met the troopers. He didn't need them to be suspicious over his appearance. He just needed them to tell him about Claudia so he could figure out how to do damage control with Anthony. On so many different levels.

~Niagra Falls, NY~

Max leaned his forearms on the railing and looked down at the water rushing over the edge and crashing below. The power was amazing and sometimes Max thought the shops and the businesses and destination was a little cheesy, but there was simply no denying the sheer magnitude and grandeur of the sight. There was a reason so many people came to see the falls.

"Hey," Jason said as he joined the lieutenant. "You ready? Plane's fueled and ready to go."

He nodded and turned. "So what did you buy?"

The enforcer was quiet as they walked towards the rental car. Max raised his brows and shook his head.

"Come on, Jason," he laughed as they climbed into the car. "You come up with a cover for why we came here, but you won't tell me what it is. Don't you think I should know in case I'm asked any questions?"

"It's a gift for Elizabeth," the other man admitted.

"A wedding gift?" he asked. "Why buy something in Niagra Falls? Why not just say you were looking for places for your honeymoon?"

"Because I won't bring Elizabeth to the falls for our honeymoon," the older man shook his head. "She wants to see Italy; it's her dream."

"It's a nice place," Max agreed. "Milo and I have gone to visit our pops there. But it's a long trip; what are you going to do about Cameron? You're going to want to spend some time there to really see everything; neither of you is going to want to leave him for very long."

"No," his friend and boss agreed, his voice almost wistful. "I'm not even sure when we can leave for our honeymoon given everything that's going on, but when we do...we'll probably bring Cam with us. Elizabeth won't want to leave him long, but I want her to have her dream. She's talked about it for years and I want to take her."

"It's good of you," the younger man said. "It's clear how much you love her. So you're not going to honeymoon here, then what did buy?"

The other man shook his head with a slight smile. "You're great at the job and I don't worry about you letting something slip. But you're putty around women; you can't keep anything from them. They ask you a question, they bat their eyes at you and you tell them everything they want to hear. Car-Carly used to do that, and I've seen the way you look at Diane."

"I'm sorry," the lieutenant immediately said. "I'll be more professional. I don't want to cause anymore problems for the organization."

"You aren't," Jason told him. "I don't have a problem if you pursue a relationship with her, as long as you're discrete and think you can keep things quiet that you should."

Max nodded silently and looked out the window. He didn't know how Ms. Miller might feel, but he was interested in her. He'd been holding back because he hadn't wanted to cross any lines and anger Sonny or Jason.

Clearing his throat softly he said, "I'm also sorry about Mrs. C. I-I didn't mean to cause any problems."

The other man shook his head. "She was brash; she pushed and she worked people. It's who she was; we knew it. I'm not saying that's what Elizabeth would do, or that you'd tell her. I just want to keep this to myself.

"If anyone gets suspicious about us being near the border around the time Jerry Jacks and Claudia Zacharra were found in a fatal car wreck that burned them so badly it will take dental records to ID them..." The enforcer looked over at him neutrally, "Then you simply say you went with me to get a surprise for Elizabeth for the new house. You came along to make her think this was a business trip, but you hung out at the falls."

"And I've got the receipts to prove it," Max said innocently.

"Exactly," Jason said as he turned the car into the private hanger.

"And nobody knows we were in Canada most of the time," the lieutenant stated. "And we aren't going to have to worry about Craig or Claudia Zacharra anymore."

"No," the older man agreed with a shake of his head as they got out of the car. "But that doesn't mean this is over. Anthony Zacharra is too unpredictable and who knows how he's going to react to any of this. Add in Trevor Lansing's past with Sonny and it's too unstable. It's why I'm not going on my honeymoon yet."

The younger man sighed as they climbed onto the airplane. "Miss Webber shouldn't have to wait forever," he ventured. "There's always going to be a threat."

"Not at this level," Jason shook his head. "I'm not worried as much about Jax; we know him and I believe you guys can handle anything he might try. "He's corporate; he's not a killer. His brother was doing the dirty work; now that Jerry's dead, who knows what he'll do. But Zacharra and Lansing..."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Too much unknown."

Jason was too conscientious to leave during a time like that; he would feel like he was abandoning them. But for his sake, and especially Ms. Webber's, Max hoped things ended soon. They could all do with some quiet in the organization.

"Well," he said, "let's get back to Port Charles. Maybe Spinelli's been able to unearth something on Zacharra and his people."

"I want his focus on Lansing and Zacharra," his boss ordered. "They'll find out soon about Claudia...I want to know what happens when they do."

"Already ahead of you, Jason," Max stated. "I've got men watching Jax and Spinelli's working on Zacharra."

"Good," the now anxious fiancé said. "Then let's go home. We've been gone long enough."

~Jax's Office Building~

Jax stared out the window looking over Port Charles, his back to his desk. His secretary had orders not to disturb him or put any calls through. He couldn't deal with anyone today and couldn't do any work, but he was too dazed to do anything except stare unseeingly out the window.

Jerry was dead; a car accident on his way down from Canada with Claudia Zacharra. They'd been found the day before and it was only after tracing the car back to the rental agency and getting Jerry and Claudia's names off the contract did the police have any clue who the two badly burned bodies were. They rushed dental records and confirmed identification. His brother was dead and Jax didn't believe it was due to a car accident.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you can't go in there," his assistant said insistently, causing Jax to turn around. She was trying to keep Sonny Corinthos out of the office, but the mobster already had the door open and was pushing his way in. "Mr. Jacks, I'm sorry; I tried to stop him."

"It's okay, Roberta," he told her with a shake of his head. "Please call security. Mr. Corinthos won't be here long."

"I wouldn't be sure of that," Sonny said as he unbuttoned his suit coat and sat down in a visitor's chair across from him. "We have a few things to discuss."

"Like how you killed my brother?" Jax asked after ensuring the door had been closed by his secretary.

"Your brother is dead?" the mobster frowned in mock-innocence. "Why would you think that I killed him?"

He leaned forward and glared, "Unless you're admitting that you and your brother were coming after me. James Craig, Mr. Brosnan, your brother...were apparently the same man. Your brother was involved in things that were in direct violation of his probation. And you were up to your eyeballs with him; which is in direct violation of your no contest plea. You and your brother came after my business; you had shell companies, made illegal moves and attacks on my shipments and companies and were making business partnerships with those under investigation in regards to RICO violations. Your plans were unraveled, Jax, and that doesn't bode well for you."

He leaned back in his chair and smirked. "The information has been given to the Feds and the PCPD. What happens after that is up to them."

"And you're completely innocent in all this, right?" Jax challenged. "Your life is pure as snow?"

"I never claimed it was," the other man shook his head.

The blond scoffed. "You deny who you are all the time. You lied to Brenda; you lie to this town if you ever go to trial. You act like a magnanimous coffee importer when you're just a thug."

"And so that gives you an excuse to come after me?" Sonny asked. "Attack my business, go after my product and endanger my family? You have lied about your involvement and interest in Courtney; you, who have chastised me about my treatment of women. You're degrading her simply in an effort to get to me...to rile me up, to target the woman I thought was my sister until a few months ago. How is that noble?"

"Does it bother you?" he asked, lifting his brow. "That I'm toying with Courtney? Using her as a pawn, not being honest with her?"

"She doesn't deserve that," the mobster said sanctimoniously, as if he was someone to talk. "I may not agree with her actions lately, but she doesn't deserve what you're doing."

"And Brenda didn't deserve what you did, Carly didn't deserve your abuse and Sam didn't deserve you willingly tossing her and your baby away so you didn't mess up your precious little family," the Australian sneered.

"If that's how you want to justify it to yourself," Sonny shook his head, "then whatever, man. But know this; you're going to be arrested, your company and assets will be seized and you're going to jail."

He stood and buttoned his suit coat. Then he placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward, his eyes narrowing and said, "Whenever you get out of jail, if you get out of jail, don't ever come back to Port Charles. You will be persona non grata, and decidedly not welcome here."

Then he straightened and turned, leaving Jax without another word. He opened the door, not even bothering to close it behind him, and walked towards the elevator. Before he reached it, the doors slid and several men in cheap suits stepped off and Jax felt his pulse stutter and then begin to race. The men were obviously FBI agents and as Sonny stepped onto the waiting elevator, he smirked and gave a little wave as the doors slid closed.

"Mr. Jacks?" one of the men said as he held up his badge. "I'm Agent Cavenaugh. We have some questions for you."

~Jason's Penthouse~

Elizabeth smiled to herself as she smoothed the tablecloth and straightened a knife. Jason had called and said the plane had arrived and he would be home soon. Dinner would be done by the time he arrived and then they could share a quiet evening together.

She was just checking the oven when she heard the front door open. Quickly closing the appliance door she turned and hurried back to the front room. Jason was standing at his desk, his bag on the floor beside him and he was looking around at the room.

"Hey," she smiled at him and he turned to look at her, smiling in response. "You're here earlier than I thought. You must have already left the airport when you called."

"Did that mess up your plans?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly. "Obviously you've planned something."

She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him, rising on her toes to kiss him. "You didn't mess up anything," she told her fiancé. "Dinner will just take a few more minutes."

He put his arms around her waist, drawing her in close, and asked, "Where's Cam?"

"At Sam's," she answered. "I hope you're not upset; I wanted to have dinner with just you tonight."

Jason brushed her hair off her forehead and said, "No. No, I missed you while I was gone and I won't complain about spending a quiet dinner with you."

They walked into the kitchen when the timer rang and Elizabeth took the pan out of the oven. Jason looked down at the foil packet on the cutting board and she explained. "Roasted potatoes and steak. Sam helped me before she took Cam. I was nervous because it was the first time I did a steak, but I guess I have learned a thing or two."

Pressing a kiss against her lips tenderly, he smiled as he said, "You've graduated from heating up soup to cooking a steak."

"I love you," she told him as she looked up at him. "And I like being able to cook and not have everything be take out."

"I know," he replied, his finger lightly tracing her jaw. "I remember last year when you moved in downstairs...you said you learned to cook more because you had Cam now and you wanted to be a good mom."

"And now I have you," Elizabeth said with feeling, stepping closer and lightly touching her fingertips to his chest. "And I want to show you how much I love you."

"You do," he told her, his voice dropping. "Every morning I wake up beside you and you smile, even as you're squinting and fighting waking up, and I know that's for me. I know you love me. And I love you."

She kissed him again, winding her arms around his neck. When she stepped back, she licked her lips and said, "We should eat before the food gets cold."

He nodded as he swallowed thickly, and they silently worked to carry the food to the table. As they sat down she knew that they might make it through dinner, but the mousse she'd made for dessert would probably end up being a midnight snack. Or possibly even their breakfast.

Chapter 120

~Courtney's Foundation~

When Courtney stepped off the elevator, her secretary looked at her desperately, but the ringing of the phone prevented her from speaking.

"Good morning, Matthews' Foundation," the older woman said pleasantly. "Please hold."

"A lot of calls?" Courtney asked, even though she already suspected.

"Lots," the harried other woman stated. "Reporters wanting questions and interviews. Social workers with concerns. Other foundation board members. Cops with questions."

Letting out a breath she said, "No comment to all the reporters. I will answer any questions the police or FBI have. As for any social workers, do your best to assure them. Please call the foundation lawyer and ask him to come as soon as possible. Anything else...just take a message or say no comment."

Then she walked into her office and closed the door behind her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the solid wood, letting out a heavy breath. This day was going to be bad, but it may turn out worse than she first thought when she opened up her newspaper this morning and read the headline about Jax.

She couldn't believe he had been arrested for RICO violations. She'd heard there had been problems in the past with his brother and father and he'd been tainted by association. While it would be so easy to say that this arrest was just because his brother had gotten mixed up in something and Jax was merely being punished as well. But Courtney didn't believe that.

Jax had cooled on his interest in her the minute he found out she wasn't actually Sonny's sister. He was leaving town a lot, and he'd been distracted when he did see her. It was easy to believe the news and the facts that had been laid out. His brother was found dead and the initial investigation linked him to attacks on Sonny. And he was linked directly to Jax. Accounts, e-mails, text messages...all between the brothers about their plans. It would be hard for Jax to say he had no idea what his brother was up to.

And now she was under heavy scrutiny. The calls from this morning would only bet the beginning. The reporters outside her loft and the foundation would only become more numerous. The potential legal troubles, since Jax was on her foundation board and their personal involvement was known...well, Courtney had no idea what she was facing. Which was why she'd call her lawyer.

She'd had to overcome the stigma of being Sonny Corinthos' sister and Jason Morgan's ex-wife, and some people would never overlook it. Even when it was revealed that she wasn't Sonny's sister, people had still looked at her with disgust and contempt. Now to have her one of her most visible board members arrested for fraud, RICO charges and there was an investigation mentioned regarding attempted murder charges, it was going to be bad . It added a level of irony that Jax's actions were against Sonny.

As Courtney listened to the phone ring, she couldn't help thinking that it was...perversely twisted that Jax was being charged for crimes because he went after Sonny. While she knew of the animosity between them, it was so convenient that Sonny was still standing and he'd just taken down his biggest and fiercest rival. It seemed almost too convenient that this was all discovered after Jax's brother died with the daughter of another mob boss.

Knowing her brother and ex-husband, she wouldn't put it past them to have been involved in Jax's downfall. Sonny would be delighted over the other man going to jail, and he had people who could create any amount of evidence to suit his needs. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she began to truly wonder. Would the man she'd once called brother have fabricated all this simply to get rid of his rival? She couldn't discount the suspicion because he had hung A.J. on a meat hook and poured vodka down his throat until her first ex-husband signed away his rights to Michael.

Standing, she grabbed her jacket and purse and left her office. Since her foundation was going to take a major hit, she felt she had a right to know what he'd done. While he probably wanted to get Jax out of the way, the fact that it would put a black mark on her and her foundation was probably just a bonus to Sonny. And that really pissed her off.

~Morgan House~

"Are you sure you have time for this?" Elizabeth asked as Jason stopped the car and turned off the engine.

He looked over at her and asked, "Why wouldn't I?"

She lifted her brow and looked at him as he unbuckled Cam and got their son out of his seat. "I've seen the news," she said. "Jax was arrested yesterday, his brother was found dead in an accident along with the daughter of an alleged mobster from Crimson Point. I'm not eavesdropping, but I've heard that name spoken between you guys recently. So I would understand if there were things you needed to take care of right now."

Situating Cam on his hip, Jason smiled at her. "Unless the police have questions, and there's really no reason why they should...there's nothing that I have to do with it. So we are free to look at the house."

"The men were quick," his fiancée said as they approached the front door. "I can't believe they replaced all the windows already."

"The benefits of owning a construction company," he replied as she put the key into the new lock. There was a soft beep when the door opened and she moved to the new security keypad and punched in the code.

"Well it certainly is helpful," she agreed with a nervous laugh. She still wasn't used to the speed of the men working for them, men who worked quickly and efficiently because that's what they were paid to do. They could assign as many men as possible to complete the job when they wanted instead of having to wait on a standard size crew working eight hour days to complete it. Elizabeth was used to standard work, not the way his men worked; so it still made her uncomfortable to have all the windows replaced and a security system installed in just a few days.

"Come on," he coaxed her. "Let's look through the house. With the windows in, you can see what the natural light will be like and you can make paint choices."

"It's all so much," she laughed with a shake of her head. "This is my first time decorating a whole house. I either rented so I couldn't paint, and when Ric and I bought our house..."

She paused and Jason touched her back lightly just to keep her in the moment so she didn't get lost in the memories of what Ric had done to her and her fights with the man. Elizabeth let out a breath and continued. "He hired a decorator. He wanted to pamper me, he said, but I really picked out very little and it didn't really reflect me. I...I realize he probably didn't want me poking around and finding the panic room."

Letting out a breath she then said, "The thought of all these choices...it's exciting. I really get to choose. But it's also a little daunting."

Pulling her close, he pressed a kiss to her temple and breathed against her hair, "You'll do great; I know it. Now," he put down Cam and gave her a light smack on her bottom, "stop stalling. Go on."

She gave him a mock glare, but then set down Cam's diaper bag which he reached for to pull out some toys for the little boy. She kept the bag that held paint chips, and even a few paint samples she'd chosen to try. Jason played with their son and offered his opinion when she asked, but most of the time he just watched her. For all her declarations that she wasn't sure, or she felt overwhelmed, she actually did know what she wanted. His fiancée had an artistic vision for this house; he'd seen it when they first came here and each time she talked about it afterwards.

They went through all of the downstairs and while they weren't ready to order the paint for every room quite yet, they were close. And there were orders to give the foreman. As they walked out of the room she'd chosen for her studio, she was writing down the pale yellow color she'd picked for the walls so that her art pieces would be the feature of the room instead of the walls; she looked at him and asked if they should go to the basement next or upstairs.

"Upstairs," Jason answered. "Let's pick colors for the bedrooms."

"Okay," she agreed with a bright smile. "I've been thinking about Cam's room; I want to leave one wall for a mural. I don't know what to do for our room, though."

She turned to look at him over her shoulder as they climbed the stairs, narrowing her eyes as she playfully admonished him, "So I want your opinion, Jason. Don't just tell me to pick what I want."

Stopping at the top of the landing, she turned to look at him, smiling when he stopped on the stair just below hers and pressed a kiss to her lips. She took Cameron from his arms and said, "This is our room; I want to make you comfortable and happy, too."

He gave her just the hint of a smile, and then steered her away from the master suite. "Let's look at Cam's room first since you have an idea for there."

"Okay," she agreed, beaming as she looked down at their son and bounced him happily on her hip. "Want to see your room, Cam?"

Following behind her, Jason couldn't help smiling at her delight when they discovered the toys he'd had placed in the room they'd chosen to be the nursery. "I thought he might want something to play with when we were up here. He got to run around downstairs, but here we'll have to close the door since we aren't baby proofed yet, especially on the stairs."

"You continue to amaze me," she said softly, tenderly. Then she firmed her shoulders and nodded her head. "All right. You two play; I'm going to paint a few samples on the wall. Then we can look at our bedroom while they dry."

While Elizabeth pulled out her supplies, Jason took the little boy and walked over the toys on the side of the room. They sat down on the floor and he smiled when Cam reached for the cars and began spinning the wheels.

"Ca," he said, dropping the r while proudly holding up the vehicle.

"Yes, car" the father smiled at the little boy while they pushed cars around. He ran them down his legs and around Cam while Elizabeth painted the different shades on the wall.

She put the lid back on the small jar and put the small brush in the plastic bag with the other used paint brushes and declared, "Done. Now they just need to dry and then I can see which one I like best."

"All right; come on, Cam," he said as he stood, lifting the little boy with him. "Let's go with Mommy."

As they walked into the hall he said, "Before we go in, you need to close your eyes."

She stopped in front of the closed door and looked at him, her brows drawn together in confusion. "What?"

"You said you wanted my input on how to make it our room," he replied as walked closer to her. He brought his arm up around her shoulder and lifted the corner of his mouth. "Well, I found something and I bought it. I don't care about the color on the wall or the drapes."

"Turn the knob," he instructed her, then covered her eyes and gently guided her into the room. Then he positioned her where he wanted and continued, "I just want it to go well with this."

He took his hand away and watched as she blinked her eyes. Then a soft gasp escaped and she covered her mouth. "Jason...it-it's beautiful."

She walked towards the piece of furniture slowly and he followed behind her. Reaching out, she lightly brushed her fingers over the footboard on her way to the headboard. She leaned forward to look at it and ran her fingertips over the pattern carved into the wood.

"It's so beautiful," she repeated as she looked at him. "Where did you find it?"

"That trip to Canada I took," he told her. "I've been searching for antiques since we talked about decorating. I took Max just to make it look like a business trip."

Elizabeth shook her head with a smile. "You still amaze me, Jason. Serious coffee importer who searches for antique beds simply because I mentioned I didn't like the look of any of the beds in the store we went to."

Then she arched her brow pointedly. "I also didn't see a need to buy a new bed. The one we have is just fine."

"I didn't want just fine," he told her. "I wanted a new start for us."

Not to bring over the bed that Carly had picked out to decorate his house with and that he'd had for years. While he didn't think about the other women when he was with Elizabeth, and didn't believe she did either, Jason didn't want to keep the bed. This was a new house, the start of their new lives together after they were married. And when she'd talked about wanting a wood bed, but an antique, he began searching. Because he really didn't care about their furniture, but he knew that she wanted it. And that made it important to him.

"Thank you," she said, wrapping her arms around him and drawing his head down so she could press her lips to his. He pulled her close, molding her to his length as he angled his head to deepen the kiss.

Cameron's happy gurgle by their feet pierced through his growing desire and he pulled back to let out a breath before he tucked her under his chin while hugging her close. There was a reason he'd agreed to bring Cam today and hadn't bought a mattress yet for the bed. When he made love to her in this bed, in this house, she would be his wife. He wanted that...and so he would wait. And agree to any paint color she chose.

~Sonny's Penthouse~

"Sir." Sonny looked up when Paul stepped into the room. "The front desk called. Miss Matthews wants to see you."

He let out a sigh, but nodded. "Let her come up."

Glancing at the stairs, he hoped Morgan stayed asleep for a while longer, but knew Leticia would take care of him if he woke up. He'd been expecting this visit; he just hoped she didn't get too angry during it. He expected Courtney to defend Jax; to not think the Australian could actually be guilty. He just didn't know how volatile she would get doing so.

When the guard knocked on the door to let Courtney in, he looked at Paul and said, "Ask the kid to make a copy of the meeting between Mr. Craig and his brother."

"Of course, Mr. Corinthos," he nodded before closing the door.

Sonny turned to look at the woman he once believed was his sister. "Courtney. What brings you here?"

"Let's not pretend we don't know why I'm here," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "Jax was arrested on RICO violations. His brother was found dead. There's talk that they're behind some of your recent troubles."

She looked at him pointedly and said, "It's very convenient that you've been having troubles, and suddenly Jax is arrested and his brother is dead. Very convenient."

"So you think I set them up," he stated flatly. "After all, I'm a thug. I'm scum. And so I would, of course, kill one innocent man and set another innocent man up to go to prison. It's a win-win situation for me, after all. Right?"

"You have to admit, it does work out rather well for you," the blonde said.

"How quickly you forget," Sonny said with a shake of his head. "You were fine with me protecting you, with Jason protecting you. You liked going around with my power behind you. Then you suddenly changed.

"I'm not judging you," he stated, tipping his head to the side. "People change. Things that they once disliked, now they like, and vice versa. Things they once participated in...they no longer do. It's natural; people change. But my problem with you, Courtney, is that you now look down your nose on those of you once claimed to love and who loved you. And you think that I would do something just to hurt you."

"Then tell me what's going on," she pleaded with him as if she expected him to immediately comply. "You know what's happening; things the media aren't going to divulge."

"So now I'm supposed to tell you my business? To justify things to you?" he asked, lifting his brows while crossing his arms over his chest. "Would anything I say actually convince you that Jax committed the crimes he's accused of? Or would you always think I was making excuses? Lying to you? Would I always be wrong?"

Courtney shrugged. "I don't know, Sonny. You lie; it's the very nature of your lifestyle. You smile and charm and you lie to everyone and try to make them think you're good and innocent."

Narrowing his eyes, he asked in a cool voice. "So why should I tell you anything? You've got your mind made up. I'm a liar; so of course I'm going to lie about Jax."

Tipping his head to the side Sonny asked, "Or are you afraid I'll actually be able to prove what he's accused of?"

"I have no doubt you'd fabricate some paper trail," she stated bluntly, mimicking his stance by crossing her arms over her chest.

He nodded and said, "Because I'm a liar. Yeah. Well, then I don't think we've got anything else to say. Go talk to Jax. Commiserate over how he was unfairly accused. Go support him. Help him get a lawyer; proclaim his innocence to anyone who will listen. Tell them I'm the villain."

There was a knock the door and Paul stepped in with a small hand-held recorder. "Here, Mr. Corinthos."

"What's that?" she asked, looking curiously, and uneasily, at the device in his hand.

"Something I think you should listen to before you talk to Jax," he said with a careless shrug. Perhaps he was setting her up for a fall, and perhaps he should feel bad about it, but her words and her arrogance tempered his guilt.

He pressed play and Jax's voice filled the room. His plans with his brother were laid out and it was plain he was actively plotting against Sonny. Intending to bring the mobster down as payback for the years they'd rivaled each other over Brenda and business. Courtney shook her head slowly as she listened, her disbelief clear. Then he could see the pain hit her when the brothers began discussing her.

"Th-that's enough," she said while the two men on the recording laughed after a particularly disparaging remark about her sexual relationship with Jax. As Sonny pressed stop she demanded, "Did that make you feel good?"

"No," he shook his head. "They were disgusting and out of line. But do you believe me now when I tell you that Jax got caught and he's actually guilty of the charges?"

"You did all this to prove a point?" she asked, her voice high with pain and anger.

The older man lifted his brows. "Would you have believed me otherwise?"

When she looked down and then away he said, "Yeah, that's what I thought. So that is the reason Jax was arrested. I didn't have to fabricate evidence. Now...is there anything else, Courtney?"

"No," she said softly with a shake of her head. "I-I need to go."

He watched her go and then walked over to the terrace door, letting out a sigh as he gazed outside. He doubted he'd see her again. She would be too embarrassed to face him now. With Jax out of the way, Sonny could turn his focus to Anthony Zacharra and Trevor Lansing. Those two men were violent and unpredictable and he wasn't going to rest easy until the threat they posed to him and his family and friends was neutralized.

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