Previous Page   Next Page

Chapter 25

~Wyndamere~

Alexis cocked a curious eyebrow at the butler who showed her into the study where Nikolas was waiting for her. She hadn't met the servant before, but her questions over the eccentric new man were pushed back because she was more curious about the sudden call from her nephew. For him to request her to come to Spoon Island, to not push her away in anger still over her lying to him, but to actually reach out to her surprised her.

Nikolas stood as she walked into the room as Alfred announced, "Miss Alexis Davis."

"Thank you," her nephew said, dismissing the butler. Turning to her he gave her a grateful look, "Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome," she nodded. "I was surprised to hear from you. Is everything alright? You said you needed my advice."

"Would you like to have some coffee or tea?" he asked, gesturing to the couch and the silver service set already on the coffee table in front of it.

"Thank you," she accepted his touch of civility.

He may not remember who he was, but he apparently hadn't lost the manners Stefan had worked so hard to instill in him. She seated herself on the couch and waited for her nephew to fix her a cup of tea. She sipped it slowly while he fixed his own drink and was silent as she waited for him to speak. He would get around to telling her why he called her; she just needed to wait no matter how much she was dying to pepper him with questions. Despite the memory loss, some things remained the same. His manners, and his habit of fixing the perfect cup of coffee and taking two sips before getting down to business. Finally, he placed his cup in his saucer, rested it on his knee and leaned back. "Have you seen the news recently? About Carly Corinthos?"

"Yes," she nodded, carefully setting her drink on the table.

"Did you know her?" he asked neutrally, giving away nothing in his voice.

"I did," Alexis replied, hoping to keep her bitterness masked.

Nikolas said nothing, but stood and walked over to his desk. "They've arrested Sage Alcazar for the murder."

"Yes, I saw that." She could still remember being shot at by the teen and wondered if she should have pressed charges back then instead of letting her guilt over killing Luis Alcazar get to her.

"She's Lorenzo Alcazar's niece?" he asked.

Again she confirmed what she imagined he already knew. "Yes."

He fell silent, seeming to be thinking deeply. Alexis stood and approached him after a few minutes. "Nikolas? Why all the questions? Have...have you..."

"No," he shook his head, placing his cup and saucer on the desk behind him. "I haven't remembered who they are, at least not before my accident. Lorenzo Alcazar knew who I was but he helped Mary Bishop. He was going to use my injury to try to take over Cassadine holdings."

"I know."

"That's why I called you. I need your help."

"My help?" she asked in confusion. "With what?"

"Going after Alcazar's holdings while he's distracted."

He said it so calmly, so emotionlessly that she was reminded of her brother. Pausing a moment to form her words carefully, she asked, "You want to raid his companies?"

"Yes," Nikolas stated succinctly.

"May I ask why?"

"He was going to raid mine," he said, emotion creeping into his voice. "What more of a reason do I need?"

Alexis couldn't help the sad sigh that whispered past her lips. "So this is about revenge?"

"Not just revenge," he shook his head. "Our family has not completely regained its financial footing. I've discovered that from going over the ledgers and speaking to my accountant. This would be a sound business move."

She arched a brow. "I'm not sure it's ever really a sound business move to raid the companies of mobsters."

"I'm doing what I've been taught," he informed her as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What you've been taught?" she echoed quietly. "Nikolas?"

"I do not know who taught me," he shook his head and her heart saddened. "All I know is that I have been trained to do this; I have been raised to do this and I will do this. I am asking for your help."

Alexis turned and pinched the bridge of her nose and she blew out a breath. "You should know," she said cautiously, "that Lorenzo Alcazar is not a man to be trifled with."

"Neither am I."

He sounded so much like Stefan that it worried and saddened her. "There are circumstances I don't know if you're aware of."

Studying her for a moment he crossed the room and resumed his seat on the sofa before looking up at her and asking, "Such as?"

"When she first came to town, Sage Alcazar tried to shoot me."

"She what?" he demanded, leaning forward.

"I killed her father, Luis," Alexis sighed, sitting down in a chair. "I...he was a menace. He fought with me one night and left me in the snow in premature labor. Kristina nearly died and then spent months in the hospital. I went a little crazy in my grief and killed him. Even though I faked a split personality, I did know what I was doing. Sage came to town looking for revenge."

Her nephew said nothing and she leaned back in chair, but she remained stiff. "Starting something with Lorenzo could antagonize him greatly because of the history of our families."

"But he will be focused on his niece and the threat from Sonny Corinthos," Nikolas pointed out. "It's the perfect time to go in after his holdings."

Looking away and fiddling with the glasses in her hands Alexis contemplated her thoughts for a moment. "There are things...that you don't know, that you never knew before your accident. It is the reason that I wish you wouldn't go after Alcazar. Things will be tense between him and Sonny, and things could escalate quickly because Sonny is unpredictable and his wife was just murdered."

Standing, she walked over to his desk and looked down at the pictures of Lulu and Kristina on the polished walnut surface. "Kristina's father is not Ned Ashton, it's Sonny. He doesn't know, and I have done everything in my power to keep it that way. If you go after Lorenzo Alcazar, that brings our family closer to Sonny Corinthos; closer than I want or am comfortable with."

"Alexis," Nikolas breathed out, his surprise clear.

"I don't want Kristina near Sonny because I want her safe," she said, turning towards him to plead for him to reconsider. "So I am asking you to please rethink this, Nikolas."

"I would protect her, and you," he told her, rising and coming towards her. "But if he's as unpredictable as you say, then maybe he and Alcazar will take each other down."

Sighing, she leaned against the desk, resting her bottom on the edge. "Sonny Corinthos is like a cockroach; nothing seems to take him down."

Slipping his hands into his pockets her nephew dipped his head to meet her worried eyes. "I understand your concerns, and I'll take them into consideration. I will let you know before I do anything."

Twisting her lips into a wry expression, she knew that was the best concession she was going to get and so she let out a labored breath. "I suppose that's all I can ask; thank you."

~L&B Records~

Elizabeth walked into the brightly lit lobby and looked around as memories came back to her. Back when she used to work here Emily was dating Juan but having troubles, they were all sneaking around hiding Dead Ted until Elizabeth finally told Jason what was going on, Zander kidnapped Emily, Gia was blackmailing them, Lucky was brainwashed and Chloe was alive. Now, Chloe and Zoe were dead, Juan and Gia were gone, Lucky was no longer under the Cassadines' control, but Elizabeth and Lucky were long over, and Emily... Frowning, Elizabeth was saddened most by what had changed with Emily and between the two of them. Back then she never would have believed they would be on the outs and Emily would be accusing her like she was. Accusing her of trying to steal Emily's boyfriend away.

"Elizabeth?"

She turned and flashed a bright smile at the older man, hoping to cover her embarrassment over not hearing him approach and catching her off-guard. "Hi, Ned."

"Are you okay?" he asked with a raised brow. Apparently her smile had overshot the mark a bit.

Her grin now turned a bit sheepish. "Yeah. I was just thinking about when I used to work here."

Ned's already sober mien saddened further and he dropped his head slightly. "Chloe was one of a kind and I'll always miss her."

"Me too," Elizabeth said before continuing softly. "For a moment I expected her to come bubbling out of the back going on about her latest sketch."

They were both silent for a moment and then Ned shifted, "Lois is in the studio."

"Right," she nodded and followed behind him.

The studio in the back of the building was quiet and dimly lit when they arrived. As Ned joined his ex-wife after directing Elizabeth to a chair, she noticed a tense worriedness, or even weariness, settle over them. The few times she had seen Lois before leaving to have Cameron, Elizabeth was always struck by the vibrant, showy nature of the other woman. In a simple t-shirt and jeans, Lois now appeared much more subdued.

"Thank you for coming," she said with a small, genuine smile. "I don't know if we've ever formally met."

Elizabeth accepted the outstretched hand and said, "Probably not. It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Curello."

"Oh, call me Lois," she said with a wave of her manicured hand. "I hope you'll forgive me if I get right down to business. Ned and I both want to get back to Brook. She's with her friends, but under the circumstances we're anxious to be with her."

Elizabeth frowned, not completely understanding, but saying, "If it's not a good time for your family we can reschedule."

Ned looked over at his ex, then back to Elizabeth. "No, we do need to go over this. What Lois means...I know that you helped Emily with...some things so I know you'll understand that what I say next needs to be kept quiet. Brook was one of the people who discovered Carly and saw Sage leaving the park."

She sat back as she processed what Emily's cousin had just told her. His daughter had found Carly Corinthos' dead body and had seen Lorenzo Alcazar's niece leave the scene. Elizabeth still remembered the problems Jason and Sonny had had with Luis that summer she was together with Jason and the memory of his cold, lethal voice as he spoke with Roy could still give her shivers. She also remembered all of the problems Ric had with Lorenzo and she could understand why the two parents were worried and anxious to get back to their daughter.

"I understand," she told him, then turned to look at Lois questioningly.

"Thank you," Lois smiled fleetingly, then settled down to business. "I know Ned spoke to you a little about the job, right?"

"A little," Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "He said you needed a graphic artist to design covers, posters, business logos and things like that."

"Right," Lois confirmed. "Ned said you're an artist and I've seen some of your work."

Smiling a bit she shook her head. "Thank you, but I've never done any graphic art. I was actually looking into possibly taking some courses at the PC Institute."

"It would take a year or more to get a degree," Lois shook her head, "and possibly even longer because you have a little boy. I know you don't have a degree, but you have talent and I'm willing to work with you and help you out. I've been in the business and have ideas, just not the talent. You have the talent. I'm offering you a job now, money you can have for your family instead of spending it on school.

Elizabeth folded her hands on her lap as she mulled over Lois' words. The record executive didn't care that she didn't have a degree; she seemed willing to work with her and even help her learn. Elizabeth would have a job now, instead of later, allowing her to earn money to support herself and Cameron and not have to rely on the charity of her grandmother. When she first began thinking of getting a job this was better than anything she could have envisioned for herself.

"It's a very good offer," she said finally, still testing the words in her head. "I would just need to line up someone to watch Cameron."

"You could do most of your work from home," Lois said quickly with a smile that was a little too bright, a little too eager. "If that works better for you."

"It would," she hedged. "Forgive me for saying this, but you seem to be making this easy for me. Almost a little too easy."

Ned sighed and leaned forward. "You're talented, Elizabeth, that's why Jax recommended you to Lois and I agreed. But we are a little eager to hire you because of Sage."

She frowned, not quite making the connection between the accused murderer and herself. Ned must have seen it and he continued. "We were in the process of trying to develop her career. We'd now like to distance ourselves from the connection and start a new look for the company. We have some of our top artists who have agreed to make some special releases, generate some good P.R. for us. You would be working on those releases as well as a new logo for the company. We'd like to get started on those projects quickly."

Elizabeth nodded, now seeing the connection, as well as another. But Ned would probably never mention it. "I can also help out by being a Webber, right?"

Lois looked over at Ned, who then tactfully said, "It's a bonus. But it is not our only reason, Elizabeth. You really do have a lot of talent."

She believed him because he had always treated her fairly and kind in the past and she told him that. Lois pounced on that with the subtlety of an elephant lumbering through the jungle and asked if that meant Elizabeth would take the job. Nodding, she said she was sure she could figure out childcare for her son, especially with the fact that her grandmother wasn't charging her rent, and she told Ned and Lois she would gladly accept the position they were offering her.

~Courthouse~

Ric stood on the steps of the courthouse facing the reporters and agreed to answer just a few questions as the close of the impromptu press conference. It didn't matter that they all knew his office was responsible for the tip they got that the District Attorney would be at the courthouse to personally handle the arraignment and bail hearing for Sage Alcazar. He wanted them there and the press were happy to oblige.

Holding up his hands to quiet the reporters' shouted questions he nodded his head. "In answer to your inquiries, yes, today Sage Alcazar was arraigned, charged with First Degree Murder. She will be tried in criminal court as required by the law."

"Did she receive bail?"

Turning slightly toward the shouted question Ric gave an appropriately neutral face. "No. The judge felt that she posed a flight risk, but it was also a move for her safety given the identity of the victim."

"Do the police expect retaliation from Mr. Corinthos?"

"His wife is dead," he stated unnecessarily, but he wanted to talk about Sonny. He knew that his brother would be watching this press conference, whether live or taped by one of his minions, and it would rankle him to be talked about by the D.A. Pride would demand that Sonny retaliate, either against Sage or more likely against her uncle. Given that Carly was dead, Ric expected Sonny to act impulsively, and he was hoping his brother would screw up. "All I will say is the police are investigating Ms. Alcazar...as well as keeping a casual eye on Mr. Corinthos."

"What about the rumors that you intend to seek the death penalty?"

Ric suppressed a grin; his people had done a superb job with their leaks. Frowning with a touch of surprise he looked over at the senior anchorman who was out in the field today. "I'm not sure where you've heard that but there's been no serious discussion regarding the death penalty."

"But are you considering it?" an overeager pretty face hopeful to catch a scoop that would propel her to at least the weekend anchor desk queried.

"That is something that has to be discussed," Ric said slowly, acting like he was formulating his response as he thought and pondered the question; almost as if for the first time. "But I can assure you that the death penalty is not something we would consider lightly...in any case we try. The accused is a sixteen-year-old girl and even though New York statute requires she be charged as an adult we are cognizant of her age. Just as we are aware of the fact that she arranged to meet with the victim and showed up to that meeting with a weapon."

Let the people at home think about that. Sage didn't just grab whatever was handy in the middle of a fight; she brought a gun with her. He had a fine balancing act to perform here. He needed to appear tough on crime, but also sensitive to the fact that she was a girl and only 16. He didn't want to appear over-eager or anxious for revenge, nor did he want to appear too soft. He didn't want to alienate the crime and justice proponents, but he also didn't want to lose the parent vote. He needed a wide base of support in the upcoming special election.

This case would be fresh in people's minds as they went to the polls in the fast-approaching election. He didn't want to lose this job, so he needed to tread carefully. Today was only the first piece of a carefully planned and mapped out agenda.

~Alcazar Penthouse~

Lorenzo turned off the evening news and angrily stood from the plush, Italian leather couch. The big story tonight was the press conference Ric Lansing had regarding Sage, and the talk, however seemingly innocuous, regarding the death penalty. Lansing claimed he hadn't decided, that he had to give it careful thought, but Lorenzo suspected differently. This was, after all, the same man who kidnapped Carly and then later contemplated killing his wife Elizabeth in order to keep that secret. Shy away from killing a 16 year old girl? He didn't know if Lansing had enough scruples to be bothered.

While his love for Carly and Sage was tearing Lorenzo with indecision about leaving his niece in jail, he would not sit back and let her be sentenced to death. He would do everything in his power, but maybe stopping just short of breaking her out of jail. Yet, he wouldn't completely dismiss that notion if it became absolutely necessary to save her life. First, he would have a talk with D.A. Lansing, reminding him of his past indiscretions the other man would probably prefer not be exposed to the voters.

Lorenzo also wondered if Jason Morgan would help out. He had never killed Faith Roscoe despite her repeated attacks on Courtney Matthews. Maybe the other man wouldn't agree with a 16 year old girl being put to death. He knew better than to even bother trying to talk to Corinthos, but maybe he could reach Morgan.

Chapter 26

~Corinthos Penthouse~

A brisk knock on the door was followed immediately by Max quietly stepping inside to announce, "Sam is here."

Sonny nodded wearily; he had been expecting her to come. He was only surprised that she had waited this long; that she hadn't come right away. He knew it wasn't fair to Sam that he felt this annoyed, but he couldn't deny the emotion. She hadn't been pushing him, and she had accepted when he asked her to stay away from the funeral and the following day so he could talk with Michael. His son was still sullen and angry and Sonny was trying all he could to stay patient and understanding with him.

He could remember how frightened he had felt the first time Deke had hit his mother. The anger, the rage, the yelling, the sound of flesh hitting flesh, the screams, the crying and then the horrifying sight of the blood and the bruises. Even though Michael had only seen the aftermath, it had impacted him and made him leery of Sonny. Not wanting to be like his stepfather, Sonny hadn't acted like nothing had happened and he didn't force Michael to be around him when it was clear the young boy wanted to stay away. But he was anxious to re-establish his relationship with Michael because of Courtney's misguided threats, and also because A.J. had arrived back in town. Sonny had no doubt that he and the Quartermaines would be making a play for Michael in the near future.

"Sonny?"

He gave a small smile and moved towards Sam, pushing his thoughts away and focusing on her. The baby was continuing to grow, her stomach expanding more all the time and he could see the glow she carried along with their child. It did give him some peace in this ever-increasing time of pressure and stress.

"How are you this morning?" he asked as he directed her towards the couch and then went to pour her a glass of juice.

"I'm fine," she smiled at him as she caressed her stomach. "Both of us are fine. "How are you, Sonny?"

He looked away, but then directed his gaze back to her when he felt her soft hand gently rest on his leg. Her eyes were searching and he felt had had to pull back, distance himself in order to protect himself. Looking down, he picked up her hand intending to remove it, but instead he found himself holding it, stretching out her fingers under his, focusing on the contrast in size and color.

"Sonny?" she asked, her voice holding a small measure of concern.

"I'm fine," he told her. "Things are going to work out, I'm sure."

"Is Michael still angry and pushing you away?"

He nodded, and then with great effort forced himself to release her hand, placing it in her lap.

"I'm sorry, Sonny," she said. "I wish I could help you."

"I know." That's all she wanted, he knew that. She wanted to help him, and she also wanted to be with him. Sam didn't say it, he could see she was trying not to push him, but he could see it in her eyes, the way she held herself back. And that was why had to do this. He couldn't allow this to progress too quickly, and most of all he couldn't allow himself to escape in her, to fall into what she was offering simply because he desired comfort. There were things he needed to face. "But Michael is really upset by this and I need to focus on helping him right now."

She swallowed and sighed, looking down so quickly he could only suspect he'd seen moisture form in her eyes. "And right now I'm the reason his parents fought; of course he doesn't want to see me. So does this mean I'll be staying at the safe house?"

"No," Sonny shook his head. He knew she didn't want to stay there, possibly for the remainder of her pregnancy, and he'd been thinking about it.

She tilted her head to the side and eyed him skeptically. "Do you want me to move back in with Jason? I think living across the hall from Michael won't make him happy."

"It wouldn't. But I wasn't going to suggest Jason, not just because of Michael. It wouldn't be fair for Jason, for you, or me. This is my child; I told Carly because I wanted to take responsibility for you and our child, do what I should have done from the beginning. I will take care of you and our daughter, Sam. So whatever kind of house you want, I'll get it for you. Some place for you and the baby, some place where maybe all of us can be a family together some day when Michael and I work things out. But it's what you want, Sam. I want my family to be happy."

Her lips thinned slightly and he knew this probably wasn't what she really wanted. He knew she wanted it all; him, their daughter, living together in love and maybe one day marriage. But he couldn't give that to her, not now. It didn't matter to him that he and Carly had probably been on their way to another divorce because he wouldn't give into her demands about Sam. They had fought, he...he had hit her and events had spiraled out of control until her death was the result. He couldn't just ignore that, turn his back on all that they had shared and all that had happened, and start a new life immediately with Sam. He had to think about Michael and Morgan, he had to figure out a way to be there for all his children. So he was simply going to have to do the best he could and hope he figured it all out.

"Alright," Sam finally said, resignation coloring her tone slightly. "I...I'll look at houses for me."

He nodded and stood to call his realtor.

~Ric's Apartment~

Ric sighed in blissful appreciation as he leaned back on his butter soft leather couch with a snifter of brandy in his hand. The latest buzz from his press conference on the courthouse steps was actually better than he'd thought. He'd expected the calls, e-mails and letters his office had received about how could he even think about such a depraved thing of putting a 16 year old girl to death? Those had been expected and his interns had read them, tallied them, and noted them for any prominent names, passing along those messages for him to read personally. There hadn't been many notable outraged people.

His interns had also read, tallied and noted the response that had been favorable to his testing of the waters. A surprising amount of people had supported the idea of the death penalty. Calls for law and order and follow the law had been bandied about as well as show them they can't get away with murder just because of their age, or gender. If he did in fact decide to go with the death penalty, or at least hold the threat of it over Sage and Lorenzo's heads, maybe he wouldn't have a complete public backlash.

Closing the file in his lap he swallowed the rest of the brandy and placed the empty glass on the coffee table. He stood and switched off the reading lamp on the table beside him, then crossed the room to make sure the front door was locked. Extinguishing the remaining lights, he walked back across the darkened room by memory and started down the hall for his bedroom. Reaching the room, he sighed when the light switch clicked, but the room remained dark. He hated burned out lights, but he'd deal with it tomorrow. As he tossed his robe over the end of the bed, he suddenly spun around when the light of the bathroom came on.

"Lansing." Lorenzo Alcazar stood casually against the side of the room, impeccably dressed as always but his eyes as cold as flint.

Suppressing a shiver, Ric tried to stand and brave as if he wasn't standing in his pajamas in front of a mobster. "What do you want?"

"To have a little chat," the man said as he stepped forward, brushing off a piece of lint and straightening his cuffs. "That was an interesting press conference you held the other day."

Ric said nothing, merely shrugged his shoulders a fraction. Lorenzo clearly came here to talk about Sage and he had something specific to say, but Ric wasn't going to beg to find out. He was going to make the arms dealer do the talking.

"You mentioned the death penalty regarding Sage," Alcazar said with deceptive calmness. "I want to know if you're serious."

Letting out a measured breath and hoping for an ease he didn't feel he replied, "I haven't decided."

Lorenzo regarded him for a moment. "I don't believe you, but in the event you are telling the truth then let me say this. You got your D.A.'s job, even after kidnapping Carly Corinthos when she was pregnant. You remember, Ric, don't you? You chained her to a wall in your house, planned on stealing her child. I wonder how that would play out with the special election coming up. I also wonder what people would say if they heard about what you did to your ex-wife."

"Elizabeth?" He blurted it out before thinking, but what could Lorenzo be talking about regarding Elizabeth?

"The night you took Carly, I found your beautiful wife unconscious on your couch. Quite undressed." Ric clenched his hands into fists; how dare Alcazar refer to Elizabeth being undressed. "She couldn't remember the details of that night, could she? Later, she ended up in the hospital because you put her there. Does she know about that? I wonder what she would say if she was told?"

"What do you want, Alcazar?"

"My niece never faces the death penalty. Or I take all of your secrets to the mayor, and the public. Somehow I doubt you'd keep this job you like so much."

Lorenzo crossed the room silently on the thick carpet and stood in front of Ric. "Think about it carefully, Lansing. All you have to do is say you decided against the death penalty."

Then he walked out of the bedroom and a moment later Ric heard the front door open and close. He sat down on the bed heavily as his legs felt weak and dropped his shoulders. Alcazar had fired a strong warning shot; he would protect his niece at any cost. Destroying Ric meant nothing to him. He knew he'd gotten off easy with the entire incident with Carly, but he didn't want it resurfacing again, bringing it back up into the collective memory of the town. Nor did he want anyone digging into his relationship with Elizabeth. It was a blow to him, but he quickly told himself to regroup. He would still prosecute Sage Alcazar, but maybe he'd just let the talk about the death penalty fade away. He had too much else to focus on and keep.

~Brownstone~

Bobbie stared ahead, her eyes focused on the picture of Carly that sat on the coffee table. Her daughter was so beautiful, so full of life, and it was so painful to think about all of that energy as gone. Whenever she thought about her daughter, or talked about her, it would forever be in the past. Her daughter was dead; gone out of her life.

Felicia sat down on the couch beside her and then set a tray of tea down on the table, careful not to bump the picture. Bobbie looked over and smiled gratefully as she blinked, clearing her glazed eyes. Her friend's sympathetic and concerned eyes met hers and Bobbie now blinked to clear away the tears that were always close to the surface.

"How are you doing?" Felicia asked as she reached out to cover Bobbie's hand.

With a weak shrug she replied, "I'm trying to process it all still. Just taking it one day at a time."

Felicia nodded. "Can Mac or I help you with anything?"

"No," she shook her head. "Audrey and a few other nurses have brought over some meals for us. Lucas has been spending time with Tony and...I know it's better for him. He and Carly never really got along and he's sad for me, but he's not really that affected by this. If Georgie or Maxie had been hurt he would have been bothered more."

She looked down at the cup of tea her friend had pressed into her hands, swirling the dark liquid slowly. "How are the girls doing? Is Mac still worried about Alcazar coming after them?"

"He's keeping police in front of the house, but I don't think he's as worried as he was at first. He's watching Alcazar, but he seems to think Lorenzo's working on other things. The girls, and Brooke, feel a little less nervous, but they're still staying close to home. They're over at the Quartermaines today."

"I wonder if Lucas will go," Bobbie mused almost wistfully. "He stayed at Tony's last night."

"He would stay if you asked him to," Felicia told her.

"I know," she sighed. "But I don't want him to feel uncomfortable or resent me. He accused me of caring more about Carly than him and always putting her first despite the bad way she treated us."

"I'm sorry, Bobbie," her friend touched her arm. "He probably just doesn't know what to do or say."

Bobbie thought that might be partly right, but Lucas also refused to sit around and cry over someone he didn't really consider a sister. It hurt Bobbie, even though she understood his anger and indifference. It helped to have a friend to talk, even if Felicia had her own issues with Carly.

"When are you going back to work?" Felicia asked.

"Next Monday," Bobbie sighed. "Alan offered me more time if I wanted it, but quite honestly I could use the distraction of work. This place is too big, too quiet, after having the boys here. I need to focus on something else for a while."

She had survived B.J. dying and she knew in time the pain of Carly's death would lessen from the acute pain it was right now. It would take time and she'd have bad days, and not-so-bad days. But it was time to start getting back into life and doing things instead of sitting around drowning in her misery.

~Jasons' Penthouse~

Jason closed the brown file folder Stan had dropped off late last night and rubbed his tired and gritty eyes. He'd stayed up late going over the latest information their fact-finder had unearthed on the connection between their problems in Puerto Rico and Kilkerry Imports. Finally around three in the morning he gave up trying to make his brain process why it all sounded familiar to him and went to bed. He'd hoped that after some sleep he'd have a fresh perspective in the morning.

But this morning Sonny had stopped by to tell him that he and Sam were meeting with a realtor to look at houses for Sam - they had apparently discussed this the day before - and he wouldn't be available to meet until later. He also mentioned that the guard watching Courtney said that she'd gone to her foundation, without Jax. This would be a good opportunity for Jason to talk to his ex-wife without the annoying Australian around getting in his face. So, Jason had put aside the folder and went to talk to Courtney about her veiled threat to Sonny regarding Michael and Morgan.

Jason had gone there to speak with her civilly, to see if maybe Sonny had been overreacting and taking things the wrong way with Courtney's comment. He hadn't been. Courtney truly was threatening to take Sonny's children away from. Despite saying she loved her brother and still cared for Jason as her ex-husband, she didn't want Michael or Morgan to end up like them. She wanted to save them, even if it meant taking them away from their father. She actually told Jason that she owed it to Carly to look out for the boys and that Carly would understand her actions.

Jason replied that she never truly knew Carly if Courtney thought that way. Carly would never support taking the boys away from Sonny because she hadn't supported the boys going to Hayes' Landing when she'd been in the hospital. His ex-wife had become indignant and said Jason wouldn't know what Carly would think because he'd turned his back on her and hadn't been speaking to her to her the last weeks of her life. Courtney had been talking to Carly and had heard the pain over Sonny's abuse and the resolution to file for divorce and custody of the boys. And because of that she wasn't going to let her friend down.

Knowing that Courtney would forever believe she was right and wanting the situation resolved, especially knowing that the Quartermaines would probably try something now that A.J. was in town, Jason had resorted to a threat. A part of him hated doing so because Courtney was his ex-wife and he should respect her because of that, but he realized she was nothing like the woman he first fell in love with and everything like the woman who had hit him over the head with a log to prevent him from doing his job. He told her that it would be wise for her to back off because her foundation couldn't help underprivileged children if it didn't exist. The county or the city could look more closely at her accreditations, her building could be condemned and she could find it nearly impossible to find another place to work out of. He told her to focus on other children and leave Michael and Morgan to their father. In the end, she reluctantly agreed.

Now Jason could focus on unearthing the truth behind Kilkerry imports. But he'd been staring at the report for hours coming no closer to the truth than he had last night and he needed to take a break. What he really needed was a ride, some time away to clear his head. He headed for his desk to put the file away and grab his keys when there was a knock on the door and Enzo opened it.

"Lorenzo Alcazar has asked to meet with you, Mr. Morgan."

Jason's eyes narrowed. What was Alcazar doing here? Especially since his niece had killed Carly. But to turn down the meeting could cause tension they really didn't need right now and since Sonny wasn't here he agreed.

"Let him in," he sighed with mild annoyance.

Alcazar walked in and Jason watched his demeanor, trying to get a hint of what this meeting would be about. He walked in confident, but not arrogant. He didn't look like he held all the cards and was here to lord it over them, but he wasn't here to beg pitifully either. Jason would always be wary when it came to Alcazar, especially right now with the man's niece in trouble, but he decided he would listen.

"Thank you for seeing me," Alcazar said in that practiced smooth tone of his that Jason never completely trusted.

"What do you want?" Jason asked. He had little patience right now and he wasn't going to do this time-wasting dance of words.

"Direct as always, Morgan," the other man chided with a shake of his head.

"You asked to see me," he replied, his voice tight. "You want something; so tell me. Or leave. Don't stand here wasting my time."

"Fine," the arms dealer said. "I came to speak to you about Sage."

Jason's eyes narrowed lethally. "What could you possibly have to ask about Carly's killer? And why would you even think I would agree to what you might say?"

"Because you and Corinthos have a code of honor," the other man said simply. "I won't deny that Sage is responsible for Carly's death; as you are aware she is sitting in jail instead of an extradition-free country. But she is a sixteen-year-old girl. You never eliminated Faith Roscoe, I'm asking for your assurance that you won't harm Sage."

Jason crossed his arms over his chest, breathing deep and hoping Lorenzo squirmed as the silence dragged on. Finally he said, "I don't know that Sonny intends to do. His wife was murdered; he's been focusing on his children."

"He hit his wife," Alcazar nearly spat out. "He's having a child with another woman, something that hurt Carly deeply. Sage was wrong, but she's a child who doesn't deserve to be hunted down by the mob. You could convince him of that."

Jason said nothing. He agreed that they shouldn't go after Sage Alcazar; there was no honor in that, but he wasn't going to tell that to Alcazar. He wanted to see the arms dealer sweat. Especially since the information that had been nagging at him in the Kilkerry file suddenly clicked in his brain. Kilkerry Imports, obviously a shell corporation, had been unraveled to ownership by Madeira LTD. That company's name had been in a file they'd put together on Luis Alcazar and the Alcazar's family government connections in the arms supply business.

Jason was looking at the owner of Kilkerry Imports and wondering why he hadn't seen it sooner. Alcazar was always trying to move in on Sonny's territory, and going through Puerto Rico while Sonny had been distracted by everything happening in Port Charles had probably seemed like the perfect opportunity. It had been a move they'd barely managed to block. But now Jason knew, and he'd tell Sonny and they'd plan their retaliation. Given this new information, Jason really couldn't say how his boss would react when he told him of Lorenzo's visit today. But he'd pass along Alcazar's request, as well as his own recommendation they not go after the girl. Not when they could go after the uncle and leave the girl alone and defenseless.

Chapter 27

~Quartermaine Terrace~

A.J. sat in the late August sun and sipped his ice tea - with just a dash of something to make it more palatable - and smiled with immense satisfaction. His wife Lydia was lounging not far from him, looking delectable in a bikini, by the pool. He was the picture of laziness and rich aloofness, and he intended to portray that façade to the hilt. Because it worked to his advantage, as well as driving his grandfather crazy. After years of being disparaged by the old man, he was going to relish this time.

Ever since he and Lydia had arrived over a week ago, due to Edward's summoning, he had been frustrating his parents and downright annoying the old goat. Already stinging from A.J. absconding with the Quartermaine fortune earlier in the year, his grandfather was a veritable bear to be around. He harangued A.J. about the money and the fact that A.J. flat out refused to discuss it, simply saying that it was his due after the numerous times Edward has frozen his assets or tricked him out of them, made his parents worry for his grandfather's blood pressure.

Edward was dissatisfied with everything. He disapproved of Lydia, a Russian gold-digger once married to the flop of a useless prince Cassadine - apparently he'd forgotten that Lydia was brought in to prop up the failing Cassadine estate, but most of all his grandfather disapproved of the fact that A.J. was doing nothing. At least as far as he was concerned. A.J. sat around the Quartermaine mansion doing nothing except lounging during the day, disappearing with his wife up to their room scandalously early in the evening, and worst of all, refusing to consult with Edward on how to go about getting Michael back.

His grandfather was terribly narrow-minded and believed that nobody, save himself, was capable of coming up with a working plan. When Edward had contacted him with the news of Carly's death, he had expected to bring A.J. home and control him. Edward wanted Michael; not to be raised by A.J., but by him. A.J. wasn't going to let that happen. He had no intentions of letting his son be raised by another person, he was going to do it himself from now on.

When his grandfather had contacted him, he had already been forming a plan to fight Carly and Sonny for custody of Michael. Carly's death seemed like the perfect time to implement it, as well as making the process a little easier. There was only one biological parent alive now, and he had something that would make the fight against the almighty Sonny Corinthos a little more leveled, and he didn't intend to let anybody know about it prematurely. Lydia knew, but that was because she was essential to his plan and he couldn't keep her in the dark if he wanted her support.

"Ah, I should have known." His grandfather's disgusted tone shattered the peaceful tranquility, but A.J. refused to react to it. It would simply anger the old man more. "When I didn't see you inside I thought maybe you were out working on getting my great-grandson back, but instead you're out here trying to give yourself skin cancer."

"Oh, no, Grandfather," Lydia drawled sweetly knowing that it angered Edward when she called him that. "A.J. and I made sure we were covered with sunscreen. He was especially attentive to my...back."

A.J. couldn't bite back his grin as the old goat nearly choked. He turned from gaping at her and returned to glowering at A.J. "You need to-"

"Grandfather," A.J. cut him off unapologetically. "As I have told you, every day in fact, I have implemented a plan for getting my son back where he belongs. Don't worry so much."

Edward gave up easy today and stalked away grumbling, ranting about ungrateful and lazy people. When he was sure he was out of sight, A.J. pulled his cell phone out of the cushions of the lounge chair and dialed a number. Lydia stood and walked over to him, looking quite fetching in her bikini and high heels, and kept watch for any of his family members.

"It's me," he said when his employee answered. "Have you finished my specifications yet?"

After a brief pause, he smiled and leaned back against the cushions and Lydia's delicate fingers which brushed over his bare shoulder. "Very good. I want the petition filed tomorrow."

He closed his phone and smiled up at his wife. "It's only a matter of time."

"Good," she returned his smile while moving her fingers to his hair and scraping her nails over his scalp. "I'm going to go inside and get a shower before dinner."

"I'll be up shortly; I can wash your back."

He watched her go, that extra little swish of her hips driving him wild, and then gathered his paper and his phone and was about to follow her when Emily walked outside and sullenly slumped down in a chair. He set his paper back down and watched his sister as she openly moped and huffed. He had noticed, ever since his return, that she was unhappy and it wasn't just because her fairytale prince didn't remember her. He had heard her muttering under her breath about not only her friend Elizabeth, but also about the Golden Boy. It was the latter development that intrigued him. Emily seemed upset with Jason, not taken by him completely as she usually was, and A.J. wondered if he could capitalize on that. It would be worth the disappointment to Lydia if he could talk to Emily, console her, sympathize with her, and most importantly work on getting her to his side.

~L&B Records~

Ned leaned back on the small couch and looked up at the acoustic tiles on the ceiling, his hands limp at his sides. Lois was finishing up some paperwork and he was content at the moment to wait for her. After a few minutes she came out and joined on the seat, her head thrown back against the cushions.

"I think she's going to work out."

"Elizabeth?" he asked. The younger woman had left only a short time ago. "Yeah, I think she might."

"She's nervous and her initial sketches weren't completely what we were looking for, but she has real talent. She just needs to gain some confidence, gain a little experience, but she seemed to understand the things I suggested. I think her next sketches will be more what we're looking for."

He nodded his agreement, not even conscious, or caring if she could see him. It had been a long string of days since the murder and he was feeling tired and worn. He was worried about Brook and her friends, he was worried about his business and he was concerned about his ex-wife for the frantic pace she was setting.

"Have you talked to Mac?" she asked.

"Not today," he said with a shake of his head. "They're still gathering evidence, doing lab tests, and helping the D.A. build his case. So far they've kept the girls' names out of the media, but the judge ordered them to release them to the defense. He instructed both sides that they're to remain out of the press, but the defense is entitled to know the names of the witnesses."

Lois sat up and stared at him in disbelief. "They're children. Lorenzo Alcazar is a criminal...how could they release their names? Aren't there laws that could protect them?"

Ned kept quiet on the fact that she didn't seem to mind the man was a criminal back when she was courting his money, but he also understood that everything changed when a person's child was involved in danger.

"Mac said he and Ric fought against it, but the judge is a real stickler for defendant rights so it doesn't cause a mistrial or an overturned sentence." His tone conveyed all the disdain he felt at such a thing, especially with Brook's potential safety involved. Too bad Edward's friend Judge Halloran hadn't received the case.

"I wonder if this will impact Felicia's decision," Lois mused.

"What decision?"

"I talked with her last night and told her we were thinking of sending Brookie to a private school in Connecticut to get her away from here because of the case, the publicity and especially for her safety. She said she hadn't talked with Mac about it, but she was thinking of sending the girls to Texas to stay with her grandmother."

"Dillon would hate that," he said with a wry smile.

"Your mother, however, would love it."

Ned could just imagine the reaction his various family members would have if Georgie Jones were to leave town, but he quickly refocused on his daughter's situation. With Sage Alcazar's lawyer being told the names of who had seen his client and called the police, Ned knew that Lorenzo Alcazar would know immediately. And that scared Ned. Because he remembered the ruthlessness of Luis who had kidnapped Georgie and Maxie and left Alexis in labor in the snow causing Kristina to nearly die. He didn't want his daughter in danger and he worried about her if she stayed in Port Charles.

Of course, he knew Brook would fight tooth and nail against such a suggestion as private school. She would hate the rigidity, the rules, the uniforms that came with such a place, but Ned really didn't care right now. He wanted her safe and placing her in boarding school, out of state, where they could have security guards looking out for her really appealed to him right now. Besides, he and Lois would be close enough for visits and Brook would be even closer to her grandparents in Bensonhurst.

Maybe it was time he and Lois looked into this idea a little bit more.

~Port Charles Park~

Nikolas told his driver to stop when he saw the wrought iron arches to the park and told the perplexed man to meet him on the other side of the green expanse. He wanted to stretch his legs and clear his head, and a stroll through the park as the heat of the afternoon began to give way to the evening's cooler air sounded like just the thing. Shedding his jacket and tie that he'd worn for the meeting with his accountant and lawyer, he left them in the car and crossed the sidewalk to the lanes of the park.

He knew that he'd told Alexis he'd think about things before making a move against Lorenzo Alcazar, and he had. And he'd decided to do it. Lorenzo Alcazar was going to exploit his amnesia and attempt to drain the already depleted Cassadine coffers. Well, Nikolas wasn't going to take such an attack lying down. Not striking back implied weakness and opened one up for further attacks. Plus, he was going to make Alcazar pay for what he'd done and the pain the man had inflicted on his family.

He would do everything he could to ensure Alexis and Kristina's safety. His aunt wanted to keep his cousin protected from Sonny Corinthos and if it seemed like he posed a threat to Kristina then he would whisk them both out of town and hide then on an unchartered island off Greece. He would not willingly put his family at risk, but he was not going to shy away from doing what his mind was screaming for him to do simply because of a possibility. Soon, Lorenzo Alcazar would pay for what he'd done.

As he turned for the path that would take him to the exit he saw Elizabeth walking on the sidewalk towards him and he smiled. Nikolas hadn't seen her in several days and he was hoping they'd be able to talk. He was in no hurry to return home to his large, stuffy house that he rambled around in alone. Talking to her always seemed to make him feel a little better after a day filled with worries and pressures. She wasn't asking him to remember or wanting him to be the way he was before; she was just a friend he could talk to.

"Hi, Elizabeth," he smiled warmly.

Her grin was bright and instant. "Nikolas. Hello."

"It's good to see you," he told her. "Were you on your way home, or do you have a few minutes to talk? I wouldn't want to keep you."

"I was on my way home," she admitted, "but I can talk for a little bit. My gram is watching Cameron and I know she wouldn't mind if I took a few minutes for a friend."

She glanced at him with a large grin as she surprised him with, "I was on my way home from work."

"Work?" he asked. "I didn't know you got a job."

Her smile and her rush of words made her excitement clear as she described her graphic artist job. Her face twisted into a grimace as she deprecatingly described her first attempts, and then her relief and gratitude showed when she said her bosses were very patient with her. It sounded like a very good job for her, she could earn money now instead of spending it on school, the hours were flexible and she could do a lot of her work from home. An ideal situation for her right now with Cameron being as young as he was. Nikolas was happy for his friend because he knew this had worried her. She had refused alimony from her ex-husband, something he didn't blame her for after meeting Ric that day he helped Elizabeth get her belongings from their place, and she was aware of the fact that she needed to find a way to support her and her son. Now she had.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," he was pleased for her. "I'm glad I ran into you today, I haven't seen you for several days and I missed talking with you. I believe it was before Carly Corinthos' funeral, right? You had mentioned you were probably going to go because you knew her mother."

Instantly her face sobered, and she shifted and looked away from him. He didn't know what had happened, but something was bothering her. He would guess that it had to do with the funeral because of the sudden change in her, and it was a change he had noticed before; usually in regards to something Emily had said or did. It seemed that the two women could not be in the same place without Emily picking a fight with Elizabeth.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

"Nothing," she said quickly as she shook her head.

"Too quick of a denial, Elizabeth," he chided gently, folding his arms over his chest. "Something happened with Emily. I-"

"It doesn't matter," she told him. "Emily is just having a hard time accepting things, and so she's lashing out. I don't really take it personally."

"Elizabeth," he tipped his head so he could look her in the eye. "She's doing this because of me and I want to know what she said to you."

Huffing out a frustrated breath, she shook her head and reluctantly said. "She's now accusing me of going after her brother Jason since Sam's baby isn't his. But," she drew out the word, "I'm also keeping you away from her in case it doesn't work out with Jason. That way I have a fall back option."

Nikolas frowned, angry that she was being blamed for something that was not her fault. He figured it was easier for Emily to blame someone else instead of accepting her actions were the cause of this. That she was the reason Nikolas didn't want to see her. After spending the time to make sure that Elizabeth was okay, and she was quick to reassure him she was even though he suspected she really wasn't, he walked her to her car and made sure she was on her way home. Watching the car disappear around a corner, he shook his head in frustration and a touch of anger. He was tired of Emily blaming Elizabeth and constantly attacking her. He was going to make sure that she knew exactly why they weren't together and why he was really beginning to not only not like her, but not wanting to ever see her again.

~Bridge~

The still night air was broken by the deep rumble of a Harley, and then silence once again reined as the sound was abruptly killed. Leaning forward on the handlebars, Jason took a deep breath and let it out harshly. His hands clenched the rubber grips tightly, and then he practically ripped his hands off them as he hastily climbed off the bike. He crossed the leaf strewn ground to the stone bridge and stood looking out over the gorge and tried to the let the peacefulness of the area calm him.

It had been a long day, and Jason just wanted a few moments to unwind, to center himself. After meeting with Courtney he hadn't expected to meet with Alcazar, and he certainly hadn't expected what that meeting had produced. He'd immediately called Stan to have him investigate and after several hours, the fact finder had confirmed what Jason had suspected. They had found the answer to the Kilkerry Imports shell; Lorenzo Alcazar was behind their troubles in Puerto Rico and in Port Charles.

The man had planned well and buried the truth behind a complicated set of shell corporations that they had a hard time cracking. And Alcazar had known he was the plague of Sonny's organization when he sauntered into Jason's penthouse to try to work out a deal for his niece. His niece who had killed Carly and ripped her away from Michael and Morgan. He had the nerve to do that, playing on their honor for a girl who was a murderer while at the same time trying to steal Sonny's territory. While Jason didn't think they should kill or harm a 16 year old girl, he didn't think she should be sent to some country club prison with barely a slap on her manicured hand. And he was very annoyed at Alcazar trying to work out a deal for her while stabbing them in back as words about honor spewed forth from his poisoned lips.

Jason wasn't able to discuss any of this with Sonny because his friend came home after an afternoon of looking for a house for Sam and told him he was going to spend the remainder of the evening with his boys. Jason understood that Sonny was trying to repair his relationship with Michael, it was why he declined the little boy's invitation to join them for dinner, because he knew it would hinder Sonny more than help, but Jason was angry that Sonny had completely shut down when he'd tried to talk to him. Sonny had told him that whatever it was could wait until the morning and wouldn't listen to anything Jason tried to say. While it wasn't that important and could wait, it didn't sit completely well with him that Sonny was that inflexible and unwilling to listen. They couldn't afford Sonny getting like this, which always seemed to preclude a descent into those dark places his mind went, right now and Jason could only hope that the signs were wrong and that Sonny was doing better in the morning.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the splash of headlights across the area and he turned instinctively towards the approaching car. He squinted and brought one hand up to shade his eyes while his other hand drifted towards his back in case he needed to grab the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants. The lights were extinguished and the engine turned off, but Jason didn't completely relax with the unknown arrival. Sure, very few people knew about this place, but that didn't mean someone hadn't followed him. But then the door opened and a petite woman stepped out and he became less tense, even before he heard her voice.

"Jason?"

"Elizabeth."

She walked towards him and her features became clearer and he could see she looked tired. But she gave him a genuine smile and he found himself returning it, the stress of the day lifting momentarily. "Hey," she said, "I didn't think I'd run into anyone out here tonight."

"I went for a ride to clear my head," he told her as he leaned back against the bridge. "It was a long day."

"I'm sorry," she replied to his clearly tired pronouncement. "Would...would you rather be alone?"

He immediately shook his head, "No. No, I...you aren't bothering me. I'm glad we ran into each other tonight."

"Me too," she said as she stepped forward and leaned her elbows on the stone wall. "I drove out here because I didn't want to run into anybody. But now...I'm glad that I'm here with you. Maybe I didn't want to be alone after all; maybe I just needed the right person with me."

He turned and met her deep gaze up at him and felt the power of it and nodded, softly saying, "Yeah. Maybe I did, too."

Chapter 28

~Bridge~

"So why did you want to be alone?"

Jason's voice jolted her out of her quiet fog and back to the bridge with the river tumbling below them. She blinked and then smoothed her hands over the stone and cement. "I just needed to clear my head; hope to gain some inspiration. I've spent the last three days sketching and today I found out that it's really hard to concentrate and do decent work with an infant going through a growth spurt."

She rolled her eyes, but still smiled. "He's not napping real well and by the time he falls asleep at night I'm too exhausted to work. I mean, Lois was kind enough not to say that they were awful...but I have so much to do if I want to keep this job."

He was facing her now, his hip leaning against the wall. "You got a job?"

Her eyes widened when she realized she hadn't seen him since she'd gotten her job at L&B. Nodding quickly she filled him in. "Ned and Lois offered me a job as a graphic artist for L&B. Jax suggested me, I guess. I mean, I have no experience as a graphic artist, but Lois said she could help me and the hours are flexible and I can work from home and best of all the pay is pretty good. Better than I hoped I would earn at this point. It's certainly better than going back to Kelly's or trying to go to school. But after today..."

"Lois isn't going to fire you," he told her.

"No," she agreed. "Anybody else would have, but she won't. She needs me too much."

"You have talent, Elizabeth. And you'll stop being so nervous and Cameron will get back on his schedule, and you'll do great."

She was grateful for the night's darkness to cover her blush. Jason always seemed to have so much faith in her, especially at these moments when she was plagued with doubts and insecurities. She knew she was pressuring herself too much; Lois didn't expect perfect immediately but Elizabeth didn't want to let her down. Not after she and Ned were giving Elizabeth a way to support her son.

"Thank you," she murmured to Jason. "I appreciate your support. But...that's not the only reason they need me. Lois was trying to start Sage Alcazar's singing career, and now they're doing damage control for their company. I'm a Hardy/Webber, so I'm an asset to their company. Kinda counterbalance the whole Alcazar bad press at the moment."

She shrugged when she felt his eyes on her. "They were honest about it, and I'm okay with it because it wasn't the only reason and I really do need a job. I just...I just thought you should know...because of the connections to Carly. In case anyone said anything."

Jason sighed and twisted, facing out over the edge of the bridge. "Thank you."

"How are you doing?" she asked softly, stepping closer to him and touching his arm gently.

"I...I miss her," he expelled. "Even though she drove me crazy sometimes and she never listened when I wanted her to...she..."

"She was your friend," she finished for him. "In the end, that's all that matters. Not the fights, not the hurt, not the anger. You were her friend and you loved her."

"Yeah," he admitted, his shoulders drooping.

"I miss Zander sometimes," she admitted after a few minutes of silence. "The man he could have been, and also because he was Cameron's father. Maybe...maybe if I hadn't tried so hard to shove him out of our lives..."

She gave up and shrugged. "It doesn't do any good, I know that. But one day I'll have to tell Cameron about Zander, and you'll talk to Michael and Morgan about Carly. Hopefully, we'll remember the good, the people who were our friends."

"Yeah," he said softly, his voice deep. He turned to slightly face her again and asked, "Speaking of friends, what's going on with you and Emily?"

~Quartermaine Living Room~

Emily couldn't suppress the smile she has as she approached the room; it had been on her face ever since Alice had come to her bedroom and told her Nikolas wanted to see her. She knew this day would come. She knew it. He would remember her and their love and would come back to her. She had prayed for this day, and it had happened. Nikolas had come to her. Looks like she won and Elizabeth lost; now Emily would just have to come up with a way to protect Jason from the scheming tramp. But first, she was going to see Nikolas and welcome him back.

She slowed, and then stopped at the door, smoothing her nervous hands over her tan summer shorts. Then she turned the handle and stepped inside. "Nikolas."

He was standing stiff and still in the middle of the room, his hands tucked into his suit pants. Turning at the sound of her voice, he faced her and she nearly staggered back at the cold anger and irritation on his face. Where was the love and the warmth? He didn't look happy to see her.

"Nikolas?"

"Emily." His voice was flat, almost distant. "I apologize for coming by so late, but I wanted to talk to you."

"No," she told him, "it's okay. It's never too late for you to come by. You...you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes," he nodded, still stiff, still distant and she could hardly stand it. "I spoke with Elizabeth today."

"Elizabeth?" she fairly spat. "What, did she come crying to you, tell you some sob story and ask you to come yell at me?"

Nikolas stopped her ranting with a look that would have made Stefan proud. A shiver went through her; it was the first time she really felt that he was different, that maybe her prince wasn't hiding just under the surface.

"Unlike you, Emily, Elizabeth doesn't scheme with me. I have told you this before, but you refuse to listen to me. I am sorry that you are hurting, I wish I could remember simply to spare you pain. But I cannot remember, and I grow tired of you constantly badgering me. Most of all, I am tired of you fighting with Elizabeth."

Elizabeth! It always came back to her. Jason was under her spell, Nikolas too. And she always half-expected, half-feared Lucky would take up her defense again.

"She is not the reason I am not with you and she is not keeping me as a back up while she tries to secure your brother as a father to her son. The only person responsible for your present misery is you. You lied, and you pushed, and you only ever thought of yourself in this situation because you are nothing more than selfish."

Emily swallowed raggedly and tears shattered on her cheeks. He stood cold and harsh like his uncle, nothing like the kind, warm prince that she loved. Was this how he would always be, even if he regained his memory? Had he become the Cassadine he'd always fought against? Could the Nikolas she knew ever be recovered, even if he one day got back his memories? Was it worth it to try to fight him, or was it better to cut her losses? Was Jason right, had she driven him away for good?

"So I am only going to say this once," he continued on. "Leave Elizabeth Webber alone; leave me alone. If you don't, I will have to take measures I am sure you will not like."

Then he stepped to the side and walked past her and out the door. She spun around, her tears flowing unchecked as her heart seemed to break all over again. She had pushed him away; she had destroyed them. Sinking down onto the couch she gasped for breath as she folded forward in pain. Nikolas was gone.

~Bridge~

Jason felt bad when Elizabeth immediately closed off and the relaxed atmosphere surrounding them turned tense and heavy. She turned away from him and tucked her hair behind her ear and seemingly resolved not to look at him. "Nothing's going on with me and Emily."

He frowned at her back wondering if she actually expected him to believe that. Gently he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her around. Tipping his head to the side he said, "Elizabeth, I know you two are fighting. I heard you several times. What I don't understand is why you're fighting about me."

She looked down at her feet, refusing to look at him. "It's not really about you; it's an extension of our fight about Nikolas. She thinks I'll use you; get a father for Cameron since Sam's baby is really Sonny's. She thinks I'll let you be a father to him for a time and then I'll take him away, I guess. Or maybe I'm just a selfish tramp who's stringing two guys along trying to get the richest father for my bastard son. I don't know, Jason."

Her words were becoming rushed and even though she was trying to downplay the event, he could hear the pain behind the words. He tried to speak, but she was on a nervous tear and her words were picking up force.

"I know she doesn't really mean them; she's hurt and scared about Nikolas and she's lashing out. It's been a hard year for her with her cancer and Nikolas and Zander and...I just have to remember that."

"It's okay to hurt or be angry," he told her softly as she paused to take a breath. "She's your friend and she should know you better than this. She shouldn't deliberately try to hurt you or say you would use your son."

"But she isn't," Elizabeth denied. "It's her fear."

He stepped closer to her and once again placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're a very good friend to keep making excuses for her."

She paused, stepped away and raked her hands through her hair, tipping her head back to sigh up at the sky. "They are excuses, aren't they? I just...I make them because I tell myself that the Emily I know is still there, that she's just acting this way because her life was turned upside down. If I let myself think that she's deliberately acting this way..."

Jason once again closed the distance, this time placing his hands on her upper arms. He knew what she meant; he didn't want to think that his sister who at times could be selfish but overall had a very genuine heart could have become what she was now. And yet, that's what seemed to be happening. It was hard for him to accept, and he knew it was as well for Elizabeth.

"I know," he told her. "She's your friend and you don't want to think, or accept, that she's changed."

She turned slightly, her arm leaning against his chest and he felt the weariness in her. "Do you remember that night we thought she was going...we thought we would lose her? I remember how happy and thankful I was when she got a second chance. I didn't lose her; I still had her in my life. Now it feels like I'm losing her all over again. Yet in ways it's worse because she's not dying, she just changed and we'll be reminded of that every time we see each other."

Letting out a sigh, she straightened and stepped away. "So your name might have come up, but this really isn't about you. It's just part of the larger problem."

"I'm sorry about that," he told her. "But I know you would never try to do that, what she's accusing you of. You wouldn't do that to me, or Nikolas, or anybody. Anyone who knows you would know that."

A small smile quirked the corner of Elizabeth's mouth, and gratitude graced her eyes. "Thank you, Jason."

He smiled slightly in reply, grateful to see that she wasn't as tense anymore. He hadn't wanted to ruin the time they had here, the peace they'd both been seeking, but he was glad that they'd spoken about it. He knew she was uncomfortable speaking against Emily, and despite what his sister thought, he knew Elizabeth would never try to turn him against her. But he didn't want her to feel like she couldn't speak to him. Elizabeth was his friend and he would be there for her, just like he would be there for Emily if she let him.

~Kelly's~

When Lucky opened the door and found Emily there, he was more than a little surprised. He hadn't seen her much since Carly's funeral because he'd been keeping himself busy. He'd been avoiding her and protecting himself. At the funeral he'd realized that Emily was playing him, still, and he'd pulled back. She was still all about Nikolas, she was blaming Elizabeth, and she had accompanied him to Carly's funeral not for him as she'd told him, but to confront Elizabeth.

So he wondered why she was here, now, tonight, looking like she'd been crying. Was it real or was it just another ploy? Was he going to get pulled back into her schemes and drama, or was he going to remain strong?

He should have known his resolve would crumble around Emily, and it did the moment she launched herself into his arms crying. "Lucky, it's over. Nikolas hates me; he was so cold and distant. I pushed him away. All I wanted was for him to remember me, to realize we were meant to be. But it's over."

"I'm sorry, Emily," he said, his voice gravelly as he held her. "How can I help you?"

"He hates me," she repeated through her sobs. "I lost him. And Elizabeth hates me, she won't have anything to do with me and I'm sure Jason won't either. I was horrible to them. Please don't turn me away; I can't lose another person."

"You won't lose me," he promised her, his hold on her tightening. "I'm always your friend, Emily."

She sobbed again and burrowed closer to him. "Thank you, Lucky. Thank you...thank you..."

"It's okay," he murmured. "Everything will be okay, Emily."

Gradually she calmed down and he stood there, rocking her back and forth. She wasn't playing him this time; her pain was too deep and too real. Her sobs segued into sniffles and he was only dimly aware of the dampness of his shirt. Emily gave a shuddering sigh and pulled back slightly; he let her go but noticed she didn't leave his arms completely."

"Thank you, Lucky," she smiled tremulously at him. "I don't know what I would have done without you tonight."

She smiled up at him, and then something in her eyes seemed to change. A change he couldn't quite identify, but it made his gut clench. It wasn't until she moved closer and stretched up onto her toes to brush her lips across his that he realized what was happening. He stood there stiff, and before he got carried away and did something stupid like respond, he pulled back.

"Emily," he shook his head, "this isn't right."

"You want me, Lucky," she whispered, inching forward like a cat. "I know you do. I've seen the looks you've been giving me."

She was right, he did want her, but he couldn't do this. While he would love to kiss her, to sleep with her, he knew it would ruin everything he hoped they could one day have. She was hurt and lashing out, he couldn't risk her regretting this.

"Em," he told her, "you're hurting over Nikolas."

"So here's your chance to have me. Get your brother's girlfriend."

"I won't use you to hurt Nikolas," he shook his head. "And...I won't let you use me."

That was one of the hardest statements he'd ever spoken in his life.

Emily looked down, and then her entire posture changed and she leaned into his chest, dissolving into tears again. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm sorry. You're right...I was going to use you and it was wrong."

Pulling back, she could barely meet his gaze and he knew she was planning to run. When she tried to run, he wouldn't let her go, even when she began to struggle in an almost frantic desperation. "Emily, shhh. It's okay. You're hurt, but it will be alright."

"I should go," she nearly pleaded with him, still trying to push away.

"I don't know that you should be alone right now," he told her. He was worried about her and didn't know that her family would understand or be able to help her. "Stay here. You can have the bed, we can talk or you can sleep. Just let me help you tonight, Emily."

"Thank you, Lucky," she whispered tearfully. "Thank you."

~Bridge~

Elizabeth sighed and leaned forward on her elbows, looking down into the dark before the bridge. "I should probably go. I want to put Cameron to bed and I have to work tomorrow, so I'll need some sleep myself."

Jason smiled as she babbled, and even though she said she should go she really didn't feel like leaving. It was calming being up here, and Jason helped create that feeling. He listened to her, he commiserated with her, and he helped her put aside everything for just a little while. It was hard thinking about walking away from that peace. Yet she knew she needed to get back; her gram had been generous in watching Cameron this afternoon and evening, but she needed to take care of her little boy. She couldn't hide up here forever.

"I should go, too," Jason agreed. He grinned as he said, "I'd offer you a ride, but I see you have a car."

"Yeah. Maybe," she glanced up at him, "maybe another time."

"Any time you want."

They started towards their vehicles and Elizabeth glanced out of the corner of her eye at him, noticing that he seemed to grow tense with each step they took. Jason walked her towards her car and she turned to look at him. "I know you're probably going to say you can't talk about it, but is everything alright? You always listen to me, let me return the favor."

"Thank you," he said, his voice low. "But you're right...I can't really talk about it. There's...a lot going on."

"Is it Sonny? Are he and the boys okay?"

He sighed and looked away and Elizabeth stepped to the side, closing the door to her car. If he wanted, or needed, to talk then she was going to show him that she was there for him. She wasn't going to be half inside her car, acting like she wanted to leave. She would give him her full attention.

"Sonny hit Carly," he told her on a heavy sigh. His statement stunned her, she couldn't believe Sonny had done something like that.

Jason went on to briefly tell her about Sonny and Carly's fight about Sam, the physical altercation and the events that led to Carly's death. She couldn't believe it, but now she understood the coldness between Jason and Sonny at Carly's funeral. He talked about Michael's distrust of his father and how Jason was having a hard time facing his friend. Elizabeth could tell it all weighed on him, as well as his guilt for not being there for Carly.

"If only I hadn't shut her out," he sighed. "She could have talked to me instead of turning to Alcazar."

"Jason," she told him softly, turning to face him on the hood of her car they'd ended up sitting on some time while he talked. "You can't do this to yourself. You're allowed to be angry at your friends sometimes; it just feels awful because you didn't make up with her. She was going to make a deal with Edward to exchange what she thought was your baby in return for his help in putting Sam in prison. How was she being a friend to you there? Did she really think you'd be happy with the mother of your child in prison? She wanted you exclusively for herself; she wanted Sam gone because Sonny had slept with her...you aren't awful for being mad at her for that."

When he sighed again and looked down she felt for him. "You probably think that if she had your phone number you could have prevented this. I used to think that if I hadn't asked Lucky to light the candles he would still be alive. Or if I hadn't pushed Zander so hard about Cameron that he wouldn't have ended up being shot. But it wasn't my fault, just like you aren't to blame for what happened to Carly. What happened to her was a tragedy, but I don't know that even you could have changed it. All you can do now is try to help your family get through it. And you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened."

Jason nodded slowly and dropped his head. "I tell myself..."

She brought her hand up to rest on his knee, wanting to comfort him. "It's hard not to blame yourself, but, Jason, you should know that it doesn't do any good to think like that. You'll get stuck and then you can't do what you need to do."

"I know," he breathed out slowly. "I just...I miss her. Even though she drove me crazy sometimes, I just can't believe she's not there. And I can't help thinking that if I'd done something different she'd still be here. But I know I can't change it, and I'm trying to let that guilt go."

"It's tough," she filled in for him. "But I know that you'll get through this. It never feels like it when it happens, but I know you'll make it."

He covered her hand and lightly squeezed it. "Thank you. And thank you for staying. I know you needed to get home, but it helped to talk."

Turning to look at her, his eyes held the depth of his gratitude. "Thank you for staying and talking with me, Elizabeth."

She embraced her friend; it impulsive, born from nothing more than just wanting to comfort the one person who had always made her feel better when it seemed that her world was falling apart around her. It felt right and she hoped it helped him; by the way his arms briefly rose to come around her, she felt that she had. "I'm glad I was here when you needed me."

"So am I."

Chapter 29

~Sonny's Penthouse~

"Michael, breakfast is ready."

Leticia looked up after setting Morgan at the table and offered, "I can go get him, sir."

Sonny smiled at her, but shook his head. Maybe it was foolish, but every morning he hoped that Michael would join them for breakfast. Sometimes he did, but only after much coaxing and cajoling, or being ordered down. When he did come down he was silent and sullen and the tension was thick and oppressive. Other days he refused to come down, no matter what, and out of guilt Sonny would send breakfast up to him. But every day he hoped that Michael would come down when he was called and so he kept Leticia from going up right away.

So his heart felt a little lighter when he heard footsteps in the hallways upstairs and then Michael appeared at the top of the steps. Sonny smiled as he watched his son come down and walk over to the table. The little boy wasn't running over with open arms, a barely constrained bundle of energy as he had in times past, but he had come to the table. More than that, he came downstairs, on his own. Maybe this was the start of a change for them.

"Morning," Michael said, softly, a bit flat towards Sonny.

"Good morning, Michael," he returned.

"Mornin', Morgan," the little boy said with much more love and enthusiasm.

Sonny kept his sigh of disappointment to himself. The fact that Michael had joined the family for breakfast without fuss was a major accomplishment. Hopefully it was a trend of things to come. But Sonny realistically expected that there would be setbacks, and he also knew it would take a while for Michael to feel completely comfortable. The rebuilding of their relationship wouldn't be instantaneous and he forced himself to do one of the hardest things for him - have patience.

Conversation was stilted over breakfast, but they were at least talking. Most of the conversation centered around Michael returning to school in just over a week and the supplies he wanted to go with Leticia to buy. His son and nanny carried most of the discussion with Sonny only making an occasional comment when he figured he wouldn't offend Michael. He didn't want to upset the balance of the morning, and he couldn't find the same enthusiasm Michael had about school beginning. He was anxious for his son about going off to school, fearing the comments students, teachers, and especially parents might say. He wanted to keep Michael at home, at the very least until the new year and hire a tutor to home school him.

But he knew Michael would reject the idea, his son wanted to go to school and see the few friends he had whose parents didn't object to their children playing with the son of the local mobster. After everything that had happened, he couldn't take that away from his son. So he ate his omelet and kept his desires to himself because guilt still held Sonny in its tight grip.

Everyone's head turned when the door opened and Jason stepped in. Michael immediately shot out of his seat and raced across the room to the arms of his uncle. Sonny suppressed his jealousy and wiped his mouth with his napkin before standing.

"Uncle Jason," Michael said in delight. "Do you want to join us for breakfast?"

"No, thank you, Michael," he shook his head. "I...I came to talk to your dad."

The boy's shoulders dropped and Sonny looked away as Jason looked at him, whether for explanation or derision he didn't know. Once again he was the cause of his son's disappointment and it was getting hard to bear.

"I tell you what," Jason's voice brought Sonny's attention back to the pair by the door. "I should be done by this afternoon, so I can do something with you then."

"Do you promise?" Michael pressed.

Sonny's friend sighed and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. "As much as I can; if I'm here we'll definitely do something."

That seemed to place the boy well enough and he nodded glumly. Leticia gathered Morgan from his high chair and held her hand out to Michael, intending to lead the boys upstairs. Sonny gave his son a tentative smile as he walked past and his heart fell when Michael didn't acknowledge it.

"We'll get ready to go shopping," Leticia told Sonny as they walked towards the stairs.

He nodded and looked over at Jason before replying, "We'll be at Jason's."

~Jason's Penthouse~

"I'm sorry about Michael," Jason apologized as they entered his house.

Sonny shrugged and waved a weary hand. "He came down for breakfast on his own, but I know everything isn't fixed. You're the person he feels more comfortable with."

Jason didn't know what to say in response to that. He felt for Michael who was angry and scared and missing his mother and he felt for Sonny who was clearly being eaten by guilt and in anguish for the breech between him and his son. Yet Jason was also angry at Sonny for what he'd done to Carly and for keeping it from him. It was a gulf between the two of them as well and Jason didn't know how to fix it. He wanted to make things better, but sometimes even he couldn't find the solution. And since he didn't know what to say to his friend except for the absolution he couldn't give, he ignored the problem and turned to the one they could do something about.

Gesturing to the files laid on his coffee table he said, "Stan unraveled the truth about Kilkerry Imports. He tied it to Madeira, Inc., which is one of the companies the Alcazar families uses for its arms sales with the government."

Sonny swore darkly and strode over to the couch. Sitting down he grabbed a folder and began to read. Jason sat down in his leather desk chair and leaned back, folding his hands in his lap. He was content to let Sonny read; he had spent hours last night reading over the information until he had it memorized.

After several long minutes Sonny flipped the file close and slapped it down on the wooden surface. "Alcazar," he spat out. "We should have seen it sooner."

Jason nodded quietly. "He turned our man in Puerto Rico; he was planning to move in on us here while we were distracted there. There's another thing. Alcazar stopped by yesterday."

"What?" Sonny exploded. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Because when I tried you blew me off claiming you were only focusing on Michael; everything else would have to wait," Jason shot back as he sprang out of his chair. "I tried again, told you it was important, and you refused to listen to me. Told me to wait until the morning, so I waited until the morning."

Sonny signed and looked away from Jason's challenging gaze. He didn't say anything, but Jason could read the acknowledgment of the truth. Jason had done what he was supposed to do, what he'd been ordered to. There was only so much Jason could do if Sonny was unwilling to listen. "Okay. So...so what did he want?"

"He wanted us not to go after Sage, because she's only a girl. He played on our honor."

"He used that word?" Sonny asked in disgust. "He was going after our territory, his niece kills Carly and he throws around words like honor? He has no honor!"

The older man turned and stalked away, his hand clenching into a fist he swung through the air. Jason was pretty sure that if they'd been across the hall that something would have been broken, most likely the mini bar. He let Sonny rage for a minute and then stepped forward so he could refocus his boss.

"What do you want to do about him?"

"We take him down," Sonny declared. "Now that we know the truth, we dismantle him. Raid his accounts; pick off the smaller shells and when he's distracted we go in for the kill."

He turned and smirked sardonically. "He's already distracted because of his niece; he won't take that long to crack. And when we take him down, his murdering niece will be isolated."

Jason frowned slightly at Sonny's statement. "What do you intend to do about Sage?"

"Oh, don't worry," the older man waved his hand through the air. "I'm not going to order that we kill her, or have her harassed in jail. But if we can take away her biggest protector then she'll be left subject to the natural whims of prison life. Seems very fitting for the person who killed my wife, who took my children's mother away from them. Oh, no, we won't go after her, but if something happens to her…then it happens."

Again, Jason frowned. He understood Sonny's anger over Carly's death and the desire for retribution, but Sage Alcazar was a teenaged girl. Something in Sonny's careless demeanor was unsettling. The almost flip way he conveyed he didn't care if something happened to the teen, almost as if he hoped something did, caused Jason to worry and he knew he'd have to watch his friend.

"I'll get Stan going on Alcazar's business," he told his boss. "He's going to need help, though. Benny had a brother down in Florida, his name is Bernie. I think we should contact him about coming to work for us; this is going to be more than Stan can handle on his own if we want it done fast."

"Yeah," Sonny nodded, raking his hand through his hair and dislodging the perfectly styled hair. "Yeah. Benny always spoke highly of his brother."

Taking a deep breath, Sonny calmed down and then he looked at Jason. "Did you meet with Courtney yesterday?"

"I did," Jason answered. "I...I convinced her to give up on going after the boys. I didn't want to, but I threatened her foundation."

He rubbed his hand over his forehead, the distaste from threatening his ex-wife still in his mouth. "I don't think Courtney's our problem. A.J.'s the one we should worry about. He came to town for one purpose."

"Michael."

Jason nodded. "We need to put people on him, find out exactly what he's up to so we can stop him before he causes problems."

~Kelly's: Upstairs~

Emily slipped her brush back into her purse and then tried to smooth the wrinkles out of her skirt. Lucky had graciously left the room when she woke up so she could tidy up without feeling awkward with him there. After all that she had done last night, he was still considerate of her. It was a friendship she wasn't sure she deserved.

"Come in," she called out softly to Lucky's gentle knock.

"Hey," he smiled as he walked in fresh from his shower and bearing two cups of coffee.

She sat down on the bed, grateful for the caffeine and drank deeply. Lucky picked up the blanket and pillow from his makeshift bed on the floor and tossed them into the corner before sitting down in the chair at the desk.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked after taking a sip.

She looked down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "A little embarrassed. I threw myself at your last night and when I wanted to leave you wouldn't let me. Now you're acting so kind and I wonder why you put up with me."

He crossed the room and sat down beside her, his brown eyes soft and sincere. "You're my friend, Em. And you've had a rough couple of months and I'm not going to abandon you. You had a bad night, and I don't hold it against you."

"Thank you, Lucky," she told him and leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt like they were kids again, but knew that this situation wasn't anything like their childhood escapades. "Last night you helped me out more than you know. Thank you, also, for having more sense than me and stopping me."

He chuckled and tried to move away, but she wouldn't let him. "It would have been a mistake because it would have ruined us. I would have been too embarrassed to face you, and I need your friendship right now. I need that more than I need revenge on Nikolas."

"I'll be here for you, Em." He was so in earnest that she wished she could feel for him what he felt towards her. She wished that she could forget about her prince.

Standing, she walked over to the desk, trailing her fingers over the pitted and scarred veneer.

"There are times I wish it could be different, Lucky," she admitted. For once she was truly honest and wasn't playing to manipulate him. "Sometimes having feelings for Nikolas has brought me nothing but pain. Sometimes I wish I could love you. Remember how it was just the two of us against the world, back before we knew about Nikolas or Elizabeth?"

She heard his slow footsteps on the carpet and then his voice came from the direction of the window. "I remember. Sometimes I wonder what would have become of us if they had never come to town. Would our friendship have grown into something more?"

"I wonder that, too," she admitted on a whisper. Turning to face him she gathered her courage. "I wonder what could become of us...now I know everyone, probably including you, will think it's too soon or I'm just trying to get revenge on Nikolas, but I think about it, Lucky."

"Emily." He sounded so tortured as he turned to face her, so vulnerable that she wanted to help him. To ease his soul's pain.

"Maybe it's time I stopped chasing after the fairytale and looked at what's in front of me." She crossed to stand in front of him and carefully, slowly, stretched out her hand to rest on his arm. "It may take a little while to fully give it up, but I'd like to try. I'd like to see if...if we could have a real relationship."

With painstaking tenderness he reached out and cupped the side of her face. "Do you mean that, Emily? Or is this just another ploy? I can't bear to be toyed with...not about this."

"I'm being honest, Lucky," she promised him. "Please just have some patience with me."

"I will," he promised as he tucked her hair behind her ear. "I will."

~Kelly's: Diner~

"Here you go, Elizabeth," Penny smiled as she put the plate down on the table. The waitress looked over at Cameron sitting in his stroller and her grin widened. "Wow, he's gotten so big."

Elizabeth looked over at her son and her heart swelled with love. "Yeah. It seems he changes every day."

"Order up, Penny."

Her former co-worker shrugged an 'I gotta go' and headed back to deal with the end of breakfast rush and left Elizabeth to her meal. She had come in this morning because she had to pick up some art supplies and there was little in the house for breakfast beside a few crumbs in the bottom of the cereal box. She told her gram she'd go shopping for that as well while she was out, but she needed something to get her through the morning and she just wasn't up for a steaming bowl of oatmeal like the nurse ate every morning.

Halfway through her short stack she heard a boarder coming down the stairs and she looked up on habit. She was surprised to see Emily and Lucky coming down together. Holding hands. She immediately wondered what scam Emily was pulling now, and she really hoped Lucky didn't get hurt in the process.

"I'll call you later," Emily told him as she paused by the door.

Lucky nodded and watched her go, then turned for the counter. After pouring himself a cup of coffee and asking Mike for steak and eggs, he turned back towards the dining room and paused when he saw Elizabeth watching him. She nodded when he pointed at the extra chair and waited for him to join her.

He smiled as he sat down. "Hey, Elizabeth. Hey, Cam. You're out early this morning."

"I have some errands to take care of so I can work while Cameron sleeps."

"Work?" he asked. "Did you find a job?"

She nodded. "At L&B. Ned and Lois asked me to be their graphic artist; she's willing to help me learn how to do it. And since an actual job is better than going to school, I'm trying hard not to disappoint them."

"I know you'll be great," he told her encouragingly. "You have a lot of talent, and Ned will help you."

"I hope so," she answered. Pushing at the last bits of pancake on her plate she looked at him. "How are you doing? I...I saw Emily come downstairs with you."

Lucky shifted slightly on his seat. "It's not exactly what it seems," he seemed quick to deflect her. "She was upset and came to me last night because she wanted to get back at Nikolas."

"What happened?" she asked. So far it was sounding exactly like it seemed, and while she would have never believed it of Emily, the person she was now, Elizabeth could believe the brunette would use Lucky to get revenge on Nikolas.

"He talked to her," her ex-boyfriend said. "Told her he was angry that she was going after you all the time, said that you weren't keeping him from Emily."

Elizabeth sighed and propped her elbow on the table, her forehead in her hand. "I didn't ask him to do that. I told him Emily was saying these things because she was angry, but that I knew she didn't really mean them. He didn't need to do this."

"My brother is noble in his defense of women and friends. And even though Emily meant well in her own way, he's very angry at her. She finally realized that," Lucky said, twisting a paper napkin between his fingers. "She realizes now that even if he one day remembers, they're over. It was hard for her to accept last night."

"So she turned to you for comfort," Elizabeth twisted her mouth around the word.

"Actually, I turned her down," he told her bluntly. "And she thanked me this morning, because it would have been a mistake. But we're going to see if we can build a relationship. A real one, not one built on manipulations. I know she's been toying with me."

She looked at him and knew that his every desire was right in front of him. He had fallen for Emily, and had fought against it because she loved Nikolas. Now, everything was shifting and he wanted it to go his way, was hopeful that it would. Elizabeth wanted things to work out, for Lucky's sake, but most of all she didn't want him to get hurt. She didn't want Emily to lead Lucky on and then leave him brokenhearted in the end. The woman Emily was now was very different from the girl she was afraid Lucky was remembering.

"Be careful please," she pleaded slightly with him. "For your sake, Lucky, I hope that this works. But...please just be careful."

For a moment she thought Lucky was going to argue with her, say that Emily could never hurt him, but instead he nodded. "I know. I'm not being blind just because I want her. But you didn't see her this morning, Elizabeth."

"No," she admitted. "I didn't. So I'll have to take your word for it. But it won't stop me from caring about you and even worrying."

He stood and tossed some money onto the table. Leaning over, he kissed her cheek and smiled. "You're a good friend, Elizabeth. Thank you."

Tweaking Cameron's nose, he smiled, "I'll see you two later. I have to get to work."

"Bye, Lucky," she laughed at the face he made at Cameron. She watched him go and then turned to get her son ready to leave. She wanted to get her errands done before he needed his nap and the art store opened soon. Stowing the diaper bag under the stroller she reached for the handle when she sensed someone approach her table.

"Hello, Elizabeth. Hi, Cameron."

She looked up and her face instantly hardened at the sight of her ex-husband. "What do you want, Ric?"

Chapter 30

~Kelly's~

"Hello, Cameron," Ric cooed, leaning towards the little boy in the stroller. Elizabeth's skin crawled and she pulled the stroller back, wanting her son closer to her. Ric frowned at the movement and looked up at her.

She stepped back, pulling her son with her; Ric was too close and she wanted Cameron away from him. "What do you want, Ric?'

"I just wanted to say hello to you and Cameron," he said, his tone placating and kind in that way of his. It really annoyed her now; now that she knew how calculating, manipulative and slimy he was. She just wanted to get away from him.

"Yeah, well, we have to go," she said, stepping back and pulling the stroller with her.

"What's your hurry?" he asked, his tone still sickly and cloying sweet in a way that now reviled her. "I thought maybe we could have breakfast."

"I already ate," she shook her head, away from the table now and turned towards the door.

He stepped in front of her, his smile indicating he clearly thought he could charm her. After all, she's fallen for it before, why wouldn't she fall for it again? Her features were neutral, but she was firm when she said, "I need to go, Ric."

"Let me get the door for you," he said magnanimously. He looked oh-so-gallant when he held the door for her and let her go outside. She'd hoped he would then turn to go back into the diner, but instead he followed her out into the courtyard.

"Elizabeth?"

"What?" she snapped, now that they were outside and wouldn't be a spectacle to the other diners.

He pretended to be confused and hurt and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. How had she ever believed him to be sincere? He was nothing but a first class predator and manipulator. Ric took a step towards her and she countered it, stepping back. "What's wrong?" he asked her. "I just wanted to say hi to you and Cameron. I can't believe how big he's getting."

"Ric, do us both a favor," she sneered at him. "Resist the urge to talk to me and my son."

"You know, he was almost my son, too," her ex-husband pointed out. "We were going to raise him together, we were married."

"Yeah, well at least I woke up before making that mistake," Elizabeth told him.

Now his confusion seemed a little more real. "Why...why would you say that? You used to think I was a better choice than Zander."

"Well, we all make mistakes," she shrugged. "Mine was getting involved with you and ever believing anything that came out of your mouth."

He took another step towards her and she countered once again, backing up into one of the tables. Fear licked up her spine and her hands tightened reflexively around the handle of the stroller while her palms immediately dampened. Shooting a nervous, almost panicked glance around, she told herself to calm down. It was just a table, she was outside and she wasn't trapped. It helped when Ric took a step back, genuine confusion mixed with concern on his face.

"Elizabeth?"

"I have to go," she immediately said, freeing herself from the trap of the table. "Just...just stay away from me, Ric."

She swallowed, her throat feeling thick and dry. "We're no longer married; we don't have any reason to interact. So please just leave me and my son alone."

Then she hurriedly left the diner's courtyard and headed straight for her car. She wanted the safety of four walls around her; her errands were nearly forgotten. With shaking hands Elizabeth unbuckled her son and put him in the car before stowing the stroller in the trunk. Then she climbed in and locked the door before her, grabbing a hold of the steering wheel as she leaned her head against it. She had to calm down before she either threw up or scared Cameron. Ric wasn't going to run after her and attack her in her car; she was okay now.

~Kelly's Courtyard~

Carl Iverson stepped around the corner and watched the temporary D.A. disappear back inside the diner. He walked over to the diner's front and looked in the large, picture windows; Ric Lansing was standing at the counter, already acting like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't just had a blow-out with his ex-wife. Elizabeth Webber, the two-time ex-wife of the D.A., seemed pretty determined to remain his ex this time.

Carl was a twenty year TV news reporter who had moved away from the nightly news desk to investigative reporting. Port Charles may not be a major media city, but with the presence of the mob it more than made up for its size. Every journalistic instinct in him was now telling him he had just stumbled onto a big story. Something was behind Ms. Webber's anger towards her ex-husband, something more besides the dissolution of their marriage.

With Lansing's personal ties to Sonny Corinthos and his big case at the moment being against Lorenzo Alcazar's niece for the murder of Corinthos' wife, it was a tangled and intriguing web. Elizabeth Webber had been married to Lansing at the time Carly Corinthos went missing and the D.A. was considered a suspect. There was something behind this confrontation, not just a woman wanting to avoid her ex-husband. There was something deeper in Webber's demeanor, and that made Carl very curious.

He hadn't agreed with the appointment of Ric Lansing to interim D.A., but his bosses hadn't okayed his desire to investigate the man at the time. Maybe with the special election getting closer and the Sage Alcazar case gaining momentum they'd give him the go ahead now. Especially when Iverson told them about today's encounter with Elizabeth Webber. And maybe the best place to start his investigation was with Ric Lansing's ex-wife.

~Courthouse~

Alexis walked out of Courtroom Number 2, tucking her papers into her attaché case and hurrying to catch the elevator. Judge Duarte always seemed to have it out for her and her clients and she spent twice as long arguing her motions before him than she did any other judge. And when she did win an argument on point, like she did today, he always seemed to rule grudgingly. As if it really chaffed him to agree.

"Hold the elevator," she implored as the silver doors began to close. Only a sliver was visible by the time she rushed up and she figured the person inside didn't hear her, or was rudely ignoring her. She blew out a frustrated breath, fluttering up her bangs, and then was surprised when the doors slid back open. A kind soul. "Oh, thank you."

When she stepped onto the elevator she sighed and mentally cursed her luck. She would have rather taken the stairs. Ric Lansing was the elevator's sole occupant. Yea for her. She reached over and pushed the button for the lobby, and then stared forward at the doors. It was only a couple of floors, she could ignore the man.

"Hello, Counselor."

She could hear him roll forward on the balls of his feet, could almost see the insufferable look on his face. The taunting little grin he always got whenever he saw her. So she was stupid a couple of times and kissed him. Dumb things happened to good people, and that's all Ric was. Alexis had wised up and stopped him from using her for whatever game he was playing.

He had gone from loving his wife and doing everything he could to ensure he would raise Zander's child with her, to one day not seeming to care. He'd been devastated when Elizabeth declared she was leaving and he tried to convince her to stay. Yet, while Elizabeth was off having the baby he had only weeks before been trying to strong-arm away from Zander he began chasing Alexis and kissing her. Once she thought about it, it just didn't make sense. Ric just had another agenda and she wasn't going to get sucked into it.

"Oh," he mocked her with disappointment. "Going to ignore me now?"

She softly cleared her throat and continued to stare straight ahead. Something had made Ric suddenly take an interest in her and she didn't know what that was. She feared it was because of Kristina and she was afraid to contemplate the ramifications of that. How could he have found out about Kristina and what was he planning to do with that information? The obvious answer was he planned to one-up Sonny, but she was not going to let him use her daughter.

So she was not going to play this game with Ric. She wasn't going to get into a verbal battle with him; not now, not in the future. Her daughter's life and safety was worth too much to take the chance of saying the wrong thing. If Ric did already know then there wasn't anything she could do about it. But if he only suspected, then she wasn't going to verbally spar with him and provoke him into digging deeper. It had been bad enough when Carly knew her secret and used it to taunt her and blackmail her. Alexis did not want to go through that all over again, especially with someone as determined, and demented, as Ric Lansing.

The elevator arrived at the desired floor and she waited for the doors to open. Instead, Ric reached out and pressed the doors closed button. "What's wrong, Alexis?" he taunted.

"Currently it's that I'm being held hostage by the D.A.," she told him levelly. "Why are you harassing me, Ric?"

She turned her head and peered at him over the top of her glasses. He leaned forward and smirked, "Harassing you? You wound me, counselor. I simply find you intriguing, beautiful and we seemed to be getting along before. What changed?"

Reaching out, she pushed his hand off the button and watched the doors slide open. Once she was in the lobby with people around her she turned to quell him with a look. "You went from fighting your divorce to chasing me, for starters. It's inconsistent and suspicious. In addition, your whole life is about Sonny Corinthos and some twisted desire for revenge against him. Now, I did have a momentary lapse of sanity and slept with him. That's not a secret, as lamentable as the action was."

She swallowed and kept going, hoping this gamble worked. "Whatever you're hoping to use me for, please just stop. I don't know any secrets or inside information on Sonny. I'm not going to join your crusade. I'm not some bitter, scorned woman you can sweet talk onto your side if that's what you're hoping. I'm not out for revenge on Sonny, I've moved on. I suggest you do the same and stop harassing me."

Then she turned on her heel and walked away. Maybe Ric was fishing, maybe there was something more, but she couldn't keep doing this. She would be careful, she would protect her little girl, she'd ask Nikolas for help if need but, but she was putting Ric Lansing on notice. In front of a lobby full of witnesses she told him to leave her alone. If he continued, she'd threaten a restraining order. That wouldn't be good for his special election, and hopefully that was more important to him than whatever he was doing to her.

~Sonny's Penthouse~

Sonny stared down at the papers in his left hand and then took a gulp from the glass in his right. Leticia had taken the boys over to see Bobbie and he desperately wanted to bring them home and then whisk them away to the island. But he didn't want to frighten them by overreacting or acting too quickly. Plus, Michael would fight it unless he told the boy everything and Sonny didn't want to explain what was happening. Not when he might be able to fix this.

But to fix it he needed Jason and Jason was not here. He wasn't answering his phone either. Sonny couldn't figure out where his enforcer was; how was he supposed to do things when Jason wasn't there when he was needed? What good was it to have employees at his command if nobody was there when he needed them? Jason was probably out joyriding on his motorcycle instead of doing his job.

So Sonny was forced to wait. With nothing else to do while he waited, Sonny worked his way through a bottle of scotch. And he stewed as he sat, cooling his heels for Jason to finally decide to show up.

He looked up when Max knocked, then stuck his head into the room. "Jason's back, Boss."

"Get him in here," Sonny growled. Then he stood and stalked across the room, yanking the door open.

"Jason," he yelled, stepping out into the hallway. The younger man looked up from talking to Max and his forehead furrowed. "Get in here, now. Didn't Max tell you I needed to talk to you?"

Jason looked over at Max and held up his hands, keeping the guard in place. He crossed the foyer over to Sonny and said softly, "He was just telling me."

"Where were you?" Sonny demanded as they walked back into the penthouse. "I've been calling you and your phone was off. I've been looking for you for hours."

"I...I was with Enzo; we broke into Alcazar's warehouse. I told you this morning Enzo and I were going to do that while Alcazar was meeting with his niece's lawyer. You approved this."

Sonny looked at his friend, casting his mind back to the morning. Had Jason talked to him about it? It wasn't something that Jason would do without talking to him first, especially if Enzo was involved. So Jason must have told him and he had simply forgotten. After all, he had been distracted after leaving the warehouse. Especially when he walked outside and was served with court papers.

"Sonny?"

He looked up and met Jason's confused and concerned gaze. "What's going on?" the younger man asked.

"I...I remember," he lied. "I just...got...I forgot for a moment. I got distracted."

"What happened?" Jason pressed, trying to bring Sonny back to focusing on the discussion.

"I got papers," Sonny spat angrily. "A.J. has filed for custody of Michael. He's contesting the adoption."

Walking over, he grabbed the papers bound in blue and thrust them at Jason. While the younger man read them, Sonny poured another drink and gulped it down, hoping he could quell the blinding fury rising up in him. He had to focus, he had to keep it together and now that Jason was here he could. Jason always had a level head about these things and he would have good suggestions. He also would talk Sonny back from the ledge of wanting to go over and strangle A.J. with his bare hands.

"I knew he came back for this," Jason growled. "He didn't show up right after Carly's death by coincidence. He came to get Michael."

"He won't get my son," Sonny fumed, pacing angrily around the room. "He signed away his rights; he can't contest the adoption."

Jason let out a breath and rubbed his hand over his mouth. "He...he must think that with Carly dead he has a better chance."

Snorting, he walked back over to the bar. "A chance? He has no chance. He signed away his rights!"

"Well he's contesting that," the younger man stated. "He must think he has something, something to challenge the adoption with. It's got to be something new or he would have done it before. What happened...I was gone then so what happened when he signed the waiver of his rights?"

"Zander helped me," he said shaking his head. He needed to clear it and focus. "I put him in a meat locker, said I'd leave him there if he didn't give up Michael."

"Zander was the only person to help?" Jason asked.

"Johnny," Sonny added with a negative shake of his head.

His friend took a breath, then rolled his neck and shoulders. "Both of them are dead, they can't testify. So it's your word against his. It sounds like he's grasping at straws."

Sonny raked a hand through his hair before unbuttoning the cuffs on his shirt. "He is...but it's something we just don't need now. Not with Alcazar making trouble and-"

"I know," Jason cut in. "He's just stirring things up because that's what A.J. does. This petition will get thrown out."

He bypassed the bar on his next circuit of the room, even though he desperately wanted a drink. Instead, he headed towards the balcony windows and stared out, his eyes feeling tired and gritty. "I will not fail Carly again," he vowed, his voice low and grave. "I failed her before; with Sam, with our fight and with...when I messed up and hit her. I caused this, sent her down the path that led to Sage and I will not fail her again."

"Sonny," Jason walked towards the table..

"You know she didn't want Michael with A.J."

"I do," the younger man acknowledged.

"I won't let her down," he declared. "I will not let her son grow up with A.J. Quartermaine as his father. You know what that family would do to Michael. I owe this to Carly and I won't fail her again."

"You won't," his friend told him. "Carly trusted you to take care of Michael and you will."

"I need your help," Sonny told him as he turned to face Jason. "I need you to help keep my son safe."

"I will," he vowed. "You know I will."

Slumping forward, he leaned against the chair in front of him, his hands gripping the back. "Thank you."

"Sonny?" Jason stepped forward, stopping on the other side of the table. "Are you okay?"

He straightened immediately and nodded. "Yeah. I'm just...with everything going on, I just...I don't want to frighten Michael or fail him."

"Look," the younger man said, "Michael will come around. And you'll take care of him. You...you're his father and you'll take care of him."

Sonny put his hands on his hips and looked down at the gleaming surface of the table top. He hoped that with Jason beside him and his friend's confidence that things would turn out okay. Because Sonny didn't have the feeling that it would; he didn't feel anything good would come from this situation at all.

Chapter 31

~Quartermaine Estate: Lake~

The last time they were here things had been so different. They had been carefree, for the most part, only mildly weighed down by Carly's injury and the news that Sonny, not Jason Morgan, was the father of Sam McCall's baby. Lucas had been able to almost put that drama aside and enjoy a day in the sun being with his cousins and friends and appreciating Brook in a bathing suit. After all, his sister was constantly flitting from one crisis to another, usually dragging their mom into her petty messes and Lucas knew she'd get through this and be on her way to the next one, and back by Sonny's side, in record time.

Except she hadn't. Carly was dead, shot by a girl who had caused problems in his circle of friends and hurt his cousin. Sage Alcazar had killed his sister, and turned everyone's lives upside down. His cousins and Brook had found the body, witnessed Sage flee the scene of the crime, and everyone was nervous and on edge, fearful of Sage's uncle. And now everything was changing.

Their last gathering here at the lake was joyful, full of playing around, food, music and romances hoping to bloom in the summer sun. Now, as summer was waning, the gathering felt like a wake. Nobody wanted to swim, even though the day was hot, there was no music and they only nibbled on the foot Alice brought out, not because they were hungry but because they felt like they had to do something and they didn't want to offend Cook.

The girls were leaving and this was their farewell party. The gathering after Carly's funeral had seemed more upbeat than this dirge.

Georgie and Dillon were cloistered off on a corner of the docks, trying to squeeze every ounce of togetherness they could from the time remaining. What normally would have been behavior ripe for the rest of them to tease the couple about was now overlooked. Nobody felt like teasing them, least of all Lucas. He was jealous of the understanding between Dillon and Georgie. Envious of their status as a couple, especially because he had been thwarted of his pursuit of reaching the same with Brook.

He had finally been ready to take a chance and tell her how he felt, asking her out on a date. With them starting their senior year of high school he hoped they could have some fun together, enjoy one another's company. Now they would never have that chance. He would be going to PC High, getting ready to graduate next year and Brook would be off to a private academy in Connecticut. Maxie and Georgie were taking off for Texas and soon it would be just him and Dillon. Alone. Without the girls they liked. Just another tragedy in the never-ending saga of Carly's death.

"Hey, Lucas," Maxie said. She was trying to cover the note of dejection in her voice but not doing a very good job. He knew this had to be hard on her. Yes, their mom was going with her and her sister to Texas, but he knew that his cousins didn't want to leave Port Charles. Their friends were here, high school was here, and Mac, the man they now looked up to as their father, was here.

He stood and told himself that he needed to stop sulking and make an effort for her and the others. "Hey, Maxie." He was awkward for a moment and then asked, "When do you and your mom leave?"

"In three days," she said. "Mac wanted to come with us to see us settled down there, but the mayor is riding his case and he can't get away."

"I'm sorry, Maxie," he wrapped his arm around his cousin's shoulder. He knew how much she loved Mac.

Maxie shot a look over his shoulder and then pushed at his chest. "Look, go talk to Brook."

He turned, looking over his shoulder at the dark haired girl, and then back to his cousin. She smiled impishly up at him, "You know you want, so go on. Go see if you can get her to smile. She really hates the thought of Connecticut."

Lucas hesitated for a moment and then left his cousin to approach the girl he had been hoping to connect with all summer. Brook looked up as his sandaled feet shuffled across the weathered planks approaching her. Her features were subdued; her attitude muted even though she was clearly sullen about being sent away. "Hey," he said softly, "you want to take a walk?"

She shrugged, but a shy smile flitted across her face briefly before she nodded in agreement. Boldly, he reached down and took her hand and then led her away from the gathering. When they were out of sight, and before he could lose his nerve, he bent down and kissed her.

"What?" she asked in confusion when he pulled back.

"I've wanted to do that all summer," he told her. "I'm just sorry I waited this long."

~Alcazar Penthouse~

Lorenzo slammed down the phone in anger and pushed his chair away from his desk. He had just been informed that one of his companies had been raided and dismantled, along with one of his accounts being drained of ten million dollars. The loss wasn't devastating, it was an annoyance; the company was minor and the money was pocket change. It was the fact that it was done at all that bothered him. That someone had come after him.

Somebody had waded through the intricate maze of paperwork and shell corporations to strike at him. The fact that the company was directly involved in the Kilkerry Imports chain that established his base here in Port Charles led him to believe that Sonny Corinthos was behind this. But how did he find out? Kilkerry Imports had been operating here for over a year and had been untouched. So why suddenly now?

Had Corinthos known all along and just hadn't done anything? That was typical behavior of the arrogant Latino, leave things alone and then suddenly act when angered and in danger of losing power and prestige. That was his M.O., he was reactive instead of proactive. Corinthos would constantly hold back, not reacting to threats except with a lot of posturing and bluster. It was the reason Ric Lansing was still alive, despite all the things the D.A. had done to the mobster's family.

So it didn't entirely surprise Lorenzo that now after his attempt at usurping Corinthos in Puerto Rico that the man was striking back. Combine that with the fact that Carly was dead, Sage stood accused and Morgan knew he was eager to protect his niece, it was a perfect time for Corinthos to act. He probably believed that he could do so with impunity now because Lorenzo wouldn't risk upsetting him and endanger Sage. And the thing was, Lorenzo wasn't going to strike back because he wouldn't risk upsetting the precarious balance. Sage's safety was too important.

He hated this. Corinthos had him by the short hairs and the thug from Bensonhurst knew it. It was typical of a weak coward and Lorenzo seethed that because of his concern for Sage, his desire to keep her safe, that he wouldn't be able to retaliate. He couldn't risk getting distracted or having the police come after him, so he had to sit back and take this attack. Corinthos probably thought he was a great man now, and it burned Lorenzo to not strike back.

Well, he may not be able to fight back as vigorously as he normally would have, but he would not stand by and just let Corinthos raid his companies and accounts. Plans were already in motion to safeguard his assets and holdings. If Corinthos was going to come after him he was going to have to work for it.

~Quartermaine Mansion~

Emily stepped inside her family's home and the smile that had been on her face all afternoon faltered and threatened to slip off. A.J. and Grandfather were arguing again. She paused and listened and it was as she guessed; they were arguing about Michael. She sighed and pushed her hair off her face, but when she saw Alice approaching her she forgot about her feuding relatives for a moment.

"Good evening, Miss Emily," Alice smiled.

Returning the maid's smile she replied, "It is a great evening, Alice."

"Someone's in a good mood," the older woman winked. "Would that have anything to do with the picnic basket you're holding?"

"It would," Emily admitted as she relinquished the basket to Alice's reaching hands. "Please tell Cook thank you for the lovely dinner she fixed. It was delicious and Lucky loved her strawberry torte."

"I'll tell her," Alice promised. "Did you enjoy your dinner with Mr. Spencer?"

"I did," she smiled brightly. Alice smiled again and then turned for the kitchen after telling Emily that there was mail for her on the table.

She tucked her keys into her purse and walked towards the table while ignoring the voice drifting out of the den. Instead, she let her mind drift back over her dinner with Lucky. She had surprised him when she called and asked if he wanted to join her for dinner; he hadn't entirely believed she would follow through so quickly on her resolve to focus on him and not Nikolas. He told her had to work and when he suggested another night she countered that she would bring him a picnic on his dinner break. Then she'd cheerfully shown up and they ate on the small patch of grass outside of the PCPD.

Some of his fellow officers had teased Lucky about the little woman bringing him dinner, but he had merely grinned and held her hand as they walked outside. Then they sat and talked about everything and nothing at all. They had been friends for a long time, but they hadn't spent much time together as adults focused on each other. They planned to take it slow and really get to know each other, not just accept their old memories. She wasn't going to make the same mistake she'd made before; she wasn't going to rush into something based on childhood remembrances.

The door to the den swung open, slamming against the wall, startling her and bringing her back to her family's home. Her grandfather stormed out, growling in frustration at A.J. and waving his hand angrily.

"Good evening, Grandfather," she smiled at him.

He looked over at her, his frown deeply etched on his face, and then he shook his head and stomped up the stairs. A.J. chuckled as he walked into the foyer, stopping near the doorway and leaning against it, smugly crossing his arms. Emily looked over at him and blew out a sad stream of breath.

"What are you two arguing about this time?"

"What else?" he shrugged unrepentantly. "Michael."

"I thought once you filed the papers he would lighten up a little," she said with a frown.

"He's angry because I won't divulge all my secrets," he smirked, tipping his head to the side.

Emily knew the argument well. A.J. claimed he had an ace in the hole, something that would guarantee he would get custody of Michael. Grandfather wanted to know why A.J. was so sure, but her brother refused to speak. He was certain, but he wasn't falling all over himself to get their grandfather's approval. He was playing this situation close to the vest, definitely using his own rules, no matter how much Grandfather bellowed. The family patriarch didn't like not knowing everything going on in his house and family, and A.J. took great pleasure in having something Grandfather didn't know. It made for a very tense family gathering, and her brother seemed to relish in it.

"Not going to ask?" he pressed, as he bounced on the balls of his feet. "Then you could tell Grandfather, and you could run off and tell Jason. I'm sure the Golden Boy's already asked you if you know anything."

"He hasn't," she said, trying not to sound bitter at the mere mention of Jason's name. "We haven't spoken much. He's...he's being snowed by Elizabeth Webber and he doesn't appreciate me trying to point it out. Besides, I'm not sure I would tell him even if I did know."

Frowning slightly, he placed his hand on her arm. He had dropped all his attitude and looked like the caring and concerned brother she knew he could be. "Em?"

"Why shouldn't you get to see your son?" she asked him. "You're not a horrible person. Yeah, you've messed up, but..."

She trailed off and took a deep breath. "Jason and Sonny aren't perfect. Why are their crimes excused and yours aren't? Why do they get to keep Michael, and you, his father, never get to see him?"

"Hey," he smiled slightly as he squeezed her arm. "It's nice to see you care, but don't worry; I'm confident I'll get Michael."

He kissed her cheek and told her, "I'm going to go check on Lydia, see if she wants to go out for dinner. We could use a break from this nuthouse."

She murmured a good-bye to him and watched A.J. go upstairs, then she wandered into the den and sat down in the overstuffed chair next to the fireplace. She'd meant what she told A.J., she didn't think it was fair that he didn't get to see Michael. While she loved Jason and was honored when he asked her to be Michael's godmother, she did feel bad for A.J. that he was never given a chance. Carly had done everything she could to sabotage him and then used Sonny to further her vendetta against him. Well, now she was dead, A.J. was married and maybe...maybe it was time for him to get to be with his son.

As his godmother maybe she could help return Michael to A.J. She could offer to testify on his behalf. After all, Sonny had Morgan and soon Jason would be a father to Elizabeth's son. It's not like they had to keep Michael just to punish A.J.

~Safe House~

As he approached the house, Jason nodded at the guard and then knocked on the door. Sam eagerly opened it and then her face fell when she saw it was him. He wasn't who she was hoping to see. He wasn't even in the door and already Jason wanted to leave. Suppressing a sigh, he stepped inside when she moved aside to let him in. He might as well get this done and over with and then he could get back to other things.

"Hi," she said, twisting her hands together. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Sonny asked me to stop by," he told her truthfully. He wouldn't be here otherwise. He liked Sam well enough, he'd moved her in with him and was going to help her raise her child, but right now there were other things he should be doing instead of Sonny's personal errands. He should be looking into A.J. personally instead of letting Stan do the initial research. But Sonny had insisted he do this thing with Sam and Jason was too afraid of setting off Sonny and breaking his focus too much so he agreed.

"Oh," she said, clearly unsure of what that meant for her. "Is..." she licked her lips. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded. "But A.J. has filed papers contesting Michael's adoption. He wants custody of Michael now that Carly's dead."

Her eyebrows rose. "Oh. He..."

"He won't be able to go with you tomorrow to sign the papers for the house you found and then discuss the security set-up he wants in place before you can move in."

"So we're rescheduling?" Sam asked.

"No," Jason shook his head. "Sonny wants me to go with you; I know what security measures will be needed and I can explain them to you."

Sam regarded him for a moment and then sighed and walked over to the table. She absently straightened the placemats and papers on the surface keeping her back to him. "You probably wish I had taken the money, don't you? Sometimes I think I should have taken it."

He frowned at her back. "What?"

"When you offered me money to leave town; stop seeing Sonny so I didn't ruin his marriage. If I had taken it, things would have been so different. Or maybe if I had just stayed in Texas."

"You came back to let Sonny be with his child," he stated with a shake of his head.

Turning to face him, she rested her bottom on the edge of the table and crossed her arms over her chest. "We could have worked out an arrangement. Because how is what's happening here, now, really any different than what it would have been that way?"

"You're closer," Jason told her. "He can see his child more often."

She laughed sadly and slowly shook her head. "We may be geographically closer, but emotionally, it's no different than if we were in Texas."

"Sonny needs to focus on Michael right now," he tried to gently make her see.

"I know that," she replied, her voice even sadder than before. "I know he does. He's trying to be there for Michael and Morgan, help them deal with their mother's death. He wouldn't do it any other way."

"If you know this, Sam, then why are you so unhappy?" Jason asked her. He didn't understand why she was saying one thing but didn't seem to mean it. Was it just for his benefit?

"Because," she paused and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Because my head knows it, but my heart...my heart is breaking. I don't understand why Sonny insisted on telling Carly my baby is his."

"He wanted to tell her the truth," he shrugged. It was more complicated than that, but Jason didn't want to get into it.

"Why?" she pressed. "It...it hurt her, it hurt Michael. You let everyone believe you were the father in order to protect the boys, and look what happened when the truth did come out. Everything blew up."

Boy, did it ever. Carly was dead, Michael was hurt, Sonny was trying to fix it, and A.J. was doing all he could to capitalize on the situation. Jason hadn't wanted this to happen, but Sonny had insisted. Mostly to punish Carly.

"So now," Sam continued on, "everyone knows the truth. And my baby and I are in a worse place for it."

"Sonny will provide for both of you," he shook his head in correction.

"Materially, yes," she agreed. "But he won't be there for us emotionally. Michael and Morgan will always come first; my daughter will be nothing more than an obligation or an afterthought. He's doing it already. He sent you, you're going with me tomorrow; he's nowhere around. He couldn't even be bothered to call."

Jason sighed. "He's busy with Michael."

"Too busy to pick up a phone?" When he stayed silent Sam merely nodded. "Yeah. How soon before he tries to pawn me and my baby off on you again?"

"That's not what he did," he protested. "He hated the thought of not being with his baby."

"But he's doing nothing now that everyone knows. You were going to be there for us, you were going to be in her life, help raise her, and now we're getting shoved off into a house with a guard on the door. Why did he do this, why did he tell the truth, if he didn't mean to be a real part of our lives?"

"What do you want from him, Sam?" Jason asked in exasperation.

"Selfishly, I wanted him to love me like I love him; to want to be with me as much as I want to be with him." Then she shrugged sadly. "Realistically, I just want him to be a real father, a presence for our daughter. Not just be a person who drops by once in a while, gives her too many presents at Christmas and on her birthday to make up for her absence and gives us money."

She crossed the room and sat down on the couch, her shoulders drooped sadly. "But I don't think I'm going to get what I want so I'll have to take what I can get. I'll see you tomorrow so we can go to the house. You did what Sonny wanted; you don't need to stay."

"I'll be here at ten," he told her, then stuffed his hand in his pocket to gets his keys.

He was going to have to talk to Sonny because it wasn't fair to Sam what he was doing. She wasn't really pushing, but Sonny was pushing her away. Maybe it was guilt over Carly and the boys, maybe it was something else. He had insisted he needed to tell Carly the truth; he needed to step up and be there for Sam. Sonny claimed that it wasn't right that he was letting Jason take care of his family. He needed to be a man about the situation. The only problem with talking to Sonny about Sam, Jason groaned in frustration as he climbed on his bike, was that he didn't want to increase Sonny's already huge sense of guilt and put stress on the mental stability of his friend.

Too many things were piling on Sonny right now and Jason was worried that one more thing could trigger one of Sonny's episodes. Yet, Jason wanted to give Sonny the opportunity to do right by Sam like he said he would and not just swoop in and cover for him. Keeping up appearances and stepping in for business was one thing, but he was getting tired of constantly having to fix Sonny's personal problems. He created these messes without any thought, much like Carly, and Jason was tired of being left cleaning them up.

Chapter 32

~Hardy House~

Nikolas stood on the front porch waiting for Elizabeth to answer the door and looked out at the neighborhood. Mrs. Hardy lived in a quiet section of town and he imagined that Elizabeth liked the friendly area to raise her son in. It was an area very different in feeling from the house he lived in; this was certainly more inviting and welcoming, not at all cold or sterile. It was one of the reasons he came here to talk to Elizabeth; he wanted to get out of his house for a while and be in a home.

He rang the doorbell again, belatedly worrying if he should have knocked in case Cameron was napping. Maybe that was why she wasn't answering the door. But his fears were allayed when Elizabeth opened the door smiling. Cameron was in her arms, his head resting on her shoulder. "Nikolas," she grinned brightly. "Come on in."

She pushed the door open and he followed her inside. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No," she assured him quickly. "I got quite a bit done this morning while Cameron napped. I was taking a break, anyways. I just need to take care of something real quick so could you watch Cameron for me?"

He blinked in surprise at her request, but she was already moving towards him, ready to hand him her son. After making sure Cameron was situated, she dashed towards the kitchen with an 'I'll be right back' tossed over her shoulder. Nikolas sat down on the couch, adjusting the little boy so that Cameron's back was leaning against his chest. He pressed his finger against the baby's hand, gazing at how small it was. It was amazing to think of being responsible for someone so tiny, but Elizabeth was doing it.

He admired her for it; for finding a job and not taking help from her ex-husband. Nikolas didn't remember Ric Lansing from before his accident, but every encounter he had now with the man reinforced the low impression and bad feeling he got about the D.A the day he went with Elizabeth to collect her things. And now after talking to his aunt, he definitely did not like the man. It was another reason he had come to see Elizabeth; to talk to her about her ex-husband.

"Thank you for watching him," Elizabeth said, coming back into the room, carrying a tray in her hands. "I was putting the laundry in the dryer when you rang the doorbell and I quick turned it on to rush out here and answer it. Then I remembered that there was a blouse of my grandmother's that needed to be hung up to air dry so I had to get it out, and that's easier to do without holding Cameron."

Nikolas stood as she stopped at the couch, setting the tray down on the coffee table in front of them. "I brought some iced tea and water. You used to drink iced tea before your accident, but I don't know if you still like it so I brought water as well."

"I still drink tea," he said, smiling at her mile a minute rambling. "Both iced and hot. Thank you."

"Do you want me to take him?" she asked as they sat down on the sofa. "I'm used to evading him reaching for my glass."

"I'm fine," he shook his head. "I'm not really thirsty at the moment. I haven't really held your son much."

She smiled at him, leaning back against the cushions and taking a sip of her drink. "So what brings you by? Not that you really need a reason or anything, it's nice to see another adult during the day."

"I wanted to talk to you," he admitted. "About Ric, actually."

Immediately she stilled, her hand falling in her lap before grasping the hem of her shirt tightly. "Ric?" she asked, doing an admirable job keeping the quiver from her voice but not completely succeeding. "What...what about him?"

His brows drew together in concern as Nikolas looked at her. "Are you alright, Elizabeth?"

"I'm fine," she clearly lied; plastering a smile on her face he knew was supposed to reassure him. It didn't. But just like the day he accompanied her to her old apartment, he didn't press her. This was something she obviously didn't want to talk about and he didn't know if he once could have pressed her, but their friendship now didn't have that level of comfort or trust.

"You don't trust your ex-husband or like him very much, do you?" he asked.

She looked away and was silent for so long that he believed she wouldn't answer. But then she softly said, "No, I don't. Why are you asking?"

"Alexis is having problems with him," he stated and Elizabeth's startled, almost fearful gaze, swung around to his. "I wanted to talk to you since she asked for my help."

Clearly uneasy, Elizabeth stood and paced away from the couch. "I don't know why. My marriage to Ric...what does that have to do with Alexis?"

"Why'd you divorce him?" Nikolas asked her.

Even though she was puzzled, or maybe it was bothered, by the question she said, "He's obsessed with his brother Sonny Corinthos."

Kristina's biological father.

"Our whole marriage, both of them, seemed to be about getting back at Sonny. He, I don't know if you're aware that he kidnapped Sonny's wife, Carly, when she was pregnant. He was going to take their baby and raise it with me."

Apparently Ric was obsessed with Sonny's children. Nikolas would have to speak to his aunt about that; find out if Ric could know about Kristina.

"I refused to be in a marriage like that," Elizabeth continued. "He was going to prove he was the better man by not caring that Cameron wasn't biologically his."

Her voice was full of hurt and bitterness now. "So I left, we got divorced and he started chasing Alexis around. I don't know why, unless it's because she used to be Sonny's lawyer."

Or unless Ric knew about Kristina. If he did, then he was definitely a threat to his aunt and cousin.

"But what can you do about him bothering Alexis?" she asked, curious.

"It is bordering on harassment," he clipped out, bothered by his train of thought, "and I can do plenty. I will protect my family however I need to. I've already begun retribution on someone who's gone after-"

He stopped when he realized what he was saying and clearly it was already too much based on Elizabeth's wide-eyed expression. "Ric Lansing strikes me as a man obsessed with power," he said, diverting the topic.

"Only second to his obsession with Sonny," she confirmed with a slow nod, regarding him a bit oddly still, but thankfully not pressing. "He wants to win this special election to show that he's better, and also to be in a position to take Sonny down."

"Then that's where he is vulnerable," Nikolas stated. "And that is how I can help my aunt."

~Corinthos Penthouse~

Sonny looked up from the file in his hand and stared at Bernie Abrams. It wasn't because he looked uncanningly like his brother Benny, it was because of the information his new employee had just delivered. The man was an incomparable fact-finder like his brother and Sonny believed that they'd made the right move in bringing him up from Miami to work for them. He would be a nice compliment to Stan; helping the younger man keep up with everything they were unearthing regarding Alcazar's organization.

"He didn't move the money himself?" Sonny asked, glancing back down at the file.

"No, Mr. Corinthos, I don't believe so." The older man was a little nervous, his voice a little reedy as he rushed on to explain. "Stan and I have spent the past several days mapping out Alcazar's account system. The money didn't show up in any known account and we've run the list of shell corporations seeing if a new account has been created. It doesn't appear that one has."

The door opened and Jason stepped inside. "Sorry I'm late. One of the shipments nearly disappeared coming out of Puerto Rico this morning and I was tracking it down."

Sonny leaned forward, "Did you find it?"

His second-in-command nodded, "The Ruiz family in Miami appears to be testing the waters. They said it was all a misunderstanding that it got rerouted to one of their warehouses. One of our men will be escorting it out tonight."

"Plenty of back-up?"

Jason nodded once again. That satisfied Sonny, but he turned to Bernie and said, "We're gong to need a current assessment on the Ruiz family, including anything you know from Miami."

"Of course, Mr. Corinthos," he bobbed his head.

Jason flicked his thumb towards the file in Sonny's hand and asked, "What did I miss?"

"Bernie and Stan believe someone else has raided a few of Alcazar's accounts," he said. Then to show the accountant his faith in him, he continued, "I agree with them. It seems odd for Alcazar to suddenly move funds in his hidden accounts."

"Unless he's planning something regarding his niece," Jason posited.

"There is an elevated level of electronic transmissions," Bernie conceded, "but it seems more scattered."

"Like general movement instead of localized activity?"

"Yes, sir," the accountant said. "No other accounts have been entirely drained, like this one."

"Then I agree with yours and Stan's assessment. Someone else is raiding his accounts," Sonny said, not happy with the prospect. "Find out who and why. I want our plans to proceed, but I want to know what we're facing in the other person."

"Yes, Mr. Corinthos," Bernie said. "Is there anything else you'd like us to look into?"

Sonny waived his hand through the air. "No, you can go."

"Thank you, sir," the older man replied, then gathered his belongings and left the penthouse.

Jason looked up from the file he was reading through after the door was closed. "He seems to be working well with Stan."

"Yeah," Sonny nodded. "It was becoming a bit much for Stan to do alone. He's so much like his brother…"

Jason nodded, then closed the file and tossed it on the couch beside him. He leaned his head back and rubbed a hand across his forehead. "Hopefully he can give us some insight into the Ruiz family. I don't like the sudden flare up; it's not what we need right now."

"It's never a good time," Sonny shook his head. "But definitely not now with A.J. causing problems."

The younger man looked down at his hands and nodded. "We should probably put extra security on everyone until we figure out what's going on."

He agreed, "Better safe..."

"Especially with Sam being pregnant and living by herself. It makes her a prime target."

"I thought you liked the security at the place she chose," he frowned at Jason.

"I did," he asserted. "I went out there with her; explained everything. But she's still isolated."

"There's no proof the Ruizes are actually planning anything here. They may have just seen the shipment as an easy picking."

"Maybe," Jason shrugged. "But you charge me with keeping your family safe."

"So what," he asked with a grin, "you want her to move back in with you to keep her safe?"

"If you want her to," his friend said neutrally. "It's whatever you want."

Sonny paused and frowned, "What are you getting at, man?"

"I will do whatever you want me to," Jason assured him, leaning forward on the couch. "But Sam's child is yours so you need to talk about this with her and you need to decide. I'm not going to tell you what to do."

"Jason..."

"Sam feels like you've pawned her off on me, that you'll help out, but only so much," Jason looked away, uncomfortable. "What was your first instinct? To move her in with me."

"Look, I know she probably wants to move in here, but it's not a good idea with Michael." Sonny stood and paced over to the wet bar, then clenched his hands into tight fists and turned away. "I don't know what she wants from me."

He did, but he just couldn't give it to her right now. He had to secure Michael, and then he could make things up to her. It would be before the baby was born and he could be there for her in the lasts months. Definitely for the birth.

"She wants you to be a father for your baby," Jason said, standing up and pacing away from the couch to the other side of the room. "But maybe instead of tucking her away out of sight in an out of the way house you could put her in one of the apartments downstairs. It would keep her safe and make her feel better."

Sighing, Sonny ran his hand over his face before clenching it again in a fist. "I'll think about it," he said. "I'll talk to her."

"What's the latest on A.J.?" Jason asked, switching gears and letting Sonny off the hook for now.

"We've heard nothing since we got the petition," he growled. "Jordan's working on our response, but A.J. has to feel he has something big to challenge the adoption and sue for custody."

Jason agreed. "So what does that-"

"I want you to look into this," Jason instructed. "Take the list Stan and Bernie put together of his accounts. You know him, you know what he does. He's just doing what he usually does, making a lot of noise and doing a lot of nothing but being a nuisance. Put a stop to him."

"Okay," Jason nodded his acceptance of his orders and turned for the door.

~Bridge~

This was becoming a habit. Any time he got a few free moments he would escape on his bike, and invariably he ended up here. It was peaceful, it was quiet and very few people knew about this place. It was somewhere he could get away from everybody, a place where he could think and clear his head.

After today he definitely needed it, but he had a feeling he would have less time for it in the future. He was going to be spending his time investigating A.J. and trying to find the weakness in his plan. He would do anything to keep his promise to Carly and protect her son from the exploitation of A.J. and the Quartermaines. But he also knew A.J. would be in his usual cocky, arrogant mode; taunting him and Sonny and Jason simply did not look forward to putting up with it.

As he turned onto the road leading to the bridge he was surprised to see a car already there. He recognized it immediately as Elizabeth's car and he wondered what had brought her here today. He parked beside the vehicle, but his brows furrowed when he didn't see her standing on the bridge. Climbing off his bike he looked around, wondering if she was on one of the trails, but then his gaze turned in the direction of the estate ruins and he started in that direction.

He eventually found her sitting on the ground, staring at the remains of a fountain, the statue of the girl he once told her about behind it off to the left. She had a sketchbook on her lap, but she wasn't sketching. Her hands were empty and she wasn't even moving; simply staring straight ahead. He approached slowly so he wouldn't scare her, but she didn't acknowledge her presence even when he stopped five feet away from her. The corners of his mouth turned down automatically at his dislike of her not paying attention to her surroundings.

"Elizabeth?"

"Hello, Jason," she replied, her voice flat, her gaze unwavering from the concrete before her. She didn't startle when he spoke, so maybe she hadn't been as unaware as he'd thought. "How are you?"

He closed the distance between them and then lowered himself to the ground so he wasn't towering over her. He was a bit surprised to find the page in her lap was blank, but marred with rippled dots. It took a moment to realize the page had gotten wet and then dried. When he looked up at her face he could see that her eyes were slightly pink and her mascara was smudged; she had been crying. Leaning forward he brushed back a piece of hair that had dried to her cheek, his fingers skimming lightly over her skin and asked, "Are you okay?"

She smiled wistfully, so mournful it made his chest tighten. "I'll be okay. I just needed to get away for a little bit."

She turned her head slightly to look at him which caused her face to slide over his fingers. He dropped his hand when he realized the hair was free and yet his fingers had remained. Elizabeth didn't seem bothered by the movement as she asked, "What brings you here?"

"The same," he answered.

"You're worried about Michael, aren't you?" she asked softly. "Do you think A.J. has a chance?"

"No," Jason immediately shook his head. "It's going to be a headache, but he won't get Michael. Sonny is his father."

"I think Emily's going to help A.J.," she said next. He looked at her in surprise, at the fact that she knew it and the implication it would mean for Emily to support A.J.

"How...why do you think that?"

"It was something she said today when she dropped by the house."

"She visited you?" That surprised him because of the way Emily had been feeling lately about Elizabeth.

She chuckled mirthlessly, looking away and breaking the eye contact they'd had since she turned her head. "Yeah. It was as much of a disaster as you're probably thinking. She came by, I guess, to tell me she was giving up on Nikolas because they had a big fight and he made it clear he didn't want anything to do with her, ever, and she was now going to try a relationship with Lucky."

He hadn't known about that and raised his brow. "She is?"

"Yeah, I heard about it from Lucky the morning after were up here talking. Anyways, I guess she wanted to tell me herself, but when she arrived Nikolas was visiting to ask me about Ric-"

"Ric?"

"Long story number two," she shook her head tiredly. Her shoulders dropped as her head rolled forward, her hair curtaining her face. He reached out, letting his hand brush over her shoulder in concern and she looked up at him, weariness etched into her features. "Nikolas was holding Cameron when Emily showed up so she of course claimed she was right all along and wondered if you had met Cameron yet and if I was stringing both of you along already. Seeing which one Cameron responded too better, which one seemed more eager to be a daddy."

Jason sighed and released her shoulder to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry..."

She waved his apology away. "You aren't responsible for her. Anyways, she ranted and yelled and in the middle of it she started in on you, then Sonny, and then she mentioned A.J. She asked why should everyone else get to be a parent except him and she didn't think it was fair. Well, she was going to help fix it."

Closing his eyes, he dropped his head forward. It did sound like Emily was planning to help A.J. He worried that if he tried to talk to her she wouldn't listen to him; she seemed determined to be angry with him.

"Thank you for letting me know," Jason told her. "Now Sonny's lawyer can be prepared."

"That's why I told you," Elizabeth replied. Her mouth twisted to the side before she bit her lip. "There's something else. I don't really know, but I'm worried because of what he said, how he said it."

He was confused, but Jason knew she would explain herself eventually, and she did. "Nikolas was asking me questions about Ric because I guess my ex is harassing Alexis. When I wondered what he could do about it he said he would do anything to protect his family, that he already was."

Jason looked over at her already thinking ahead to where Elizabeth might be going with this. She twisted her fingers together, then closed the sketchbook in her lap. "Because of his amnesia, the only person I can think he's protecting his family from is Lorenzo Alcazar. He knew who Nikolas was, that he wasn't Mary Bishop's husband and he was going to try to steal the Cassadine fortune. I'm afraid he's going after Alcazar."

He agreed, but he wondered, "What are you asking?"

"I'm concerned about him because he's my friend and I just...can you check and see if he's going after Alcazar? I'm not asking you to protect him or interfere; I'm not asking for any details you don't want to tell me. I just want to know so that I can talk to him because I don't want him to get in over his head here."

"What will you do?" he asked, furrowing his brows and wondering what she was getting into here. He didn't want her getting involved in something Cassadine might be doing against Alcazar.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "But I just...I hope I can help him if I know."

He didn't agree with her reasoning, but Jason knew that Elizabeth meant went and only wanted to help her friend. It was one of her most enduring, and endearing, features; she was loyal to her friends and would do anything to help them.

"I'll look into it," he said, not mentioning that it would be because they needed to know if it was Cassadine or someone else raiding Alcazar's accounts.

"Thank you," she said softly and looked down at the sketchbook that she curled her fingers around tightly. "I'll accept whatever information you can tell me."

Then she straightened her shoulders and looked up at the fountain. A wistful smile floated up, bubbling into her eyes and bursting forth into joy. "It's very beautiful here, so peaceful."

"It is," he agreed, shifting slightly closer to her and turning to look at the fountain. That was why he had come there today.

"I guess that's why you came here too," she ventured, looking over at him.

He nodded and her smile brightened. "I'm glad I ran into you again. It's nice to have someone to talk to after a day like today and I'm glad it was you. You always help me feel better."

"I'm glad I could help," he said, a small smile tugging at her lips. It was almost impossible to be somber when she was so genuinely happy. "But I didn't do anything."

"You always say that, but you always do," she laughed with a playful nudge to his shoulder with hers. Then Elizabeth tipped her head to the side, regarding him seriously as she asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"You already did," he told her. "Letting me know about Emily could help Michael."

The information about Nikolas could help as well, but he couldn't mention that.

"I'm glad," she said with a resolute nod. "I know he loves Sonny and the two of you want to take care of him. I...I guess Emily thinks A.J. deserves a chance, but...I don't know. I'm not taking sides; I just thought you should know everything."

"Thank you," Jason told her once more. "It was nice to run into you again."

"Maybe the next time we have a bad day we'll be lucky enough to run into each other again," she grinned a bit impishly as she gathered her things. He stood and then extended a hand to pull her up beside him.

"Thank you," she smiled brightly at him, and he was glad that she no longer looked as depressed as she did when he first arrived. It was nice to see an easy smile play around her lips, and helped him feel a little less weighed down.

"I'll walk you back," he told her and she merely laughed and shook her head, but she readily fell into step beside him as they headed back to their vehicles.

Continue On

Head Back to the Main Page