Port Charles Courthouse: Court Room

Jason’s mood turn another dark turn when he slid into a chair next to Sonny and Carly and saw Baldwin behind the prosecution’s table. Brenda, sitting behind them, leaned forward to touch his shoulder.

“Were you able to see her?” Sonny asked, twisting in his chair slightly. Carly, mercifully, stayed silent.

“No,” Jason muttered. “No visitors before they drove her over here.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. He hadn’t slept in two nights—not since Taggert had dragged Elizabeth out of their bedroom and put her in handcuffs.

“Sonny said Diane Miller is the best defense lawyer in the state,” Carly said. Jason frowned at her. “I mean, he’d only hire the best. This will be okay, Jase.”

Jason squinted at her. “Are you…trying to be nice?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yes, and it hurts, so don’t start with me.”

The lawyer in question strode into the room and went to the front of the room, setting her briefcase on the table before turning to the small group behind her.

Jason lurched to his feet. “Did you see her? Is she okay?” he demanded, pitching his low so that Baldwin, despite his straining, could not hear them.

“She’s managing,” the redhead said after a long pause. “When this is over, you take that girl on a nice vacation where she can get some sleep.”

Jason started to reply, but a door opened by the judge’s bench and a bailiff led Elizabeth into the courtroom and he swore under his breath when she looked over at them, focused on him. She’d changed into prison blues, the shirt practically swimming on her. Her hair hung limply down to her neck, and her skin—always pale—was nearly translucent with thick, dark purple circles digging grooves beneath her eyes.

“Jason,” she said softly as the bailiff unlocked the shackles at her ankles.

“Why the hell is she shackled head to toe?” Diane demanded off the bailiff. “She’s not a violent criminal—uncuff my client! Now!”

“Sorry, ma’am—” the bailiff slid his eyes to Baldwin who just lifted a brow. “I got my orders. Said this one is a flight risk—”

“Flight risk—” Sonny lunged to his feet. “How the hell—”

“It’s okay,” Elizabeth said faintly. She swallowed. “It’s just for a little while, isn’t it?” Her eyes found Jason’s. “Diane said they’ll set bail, and I’ll go home—” Her voice faltered. “So I can manage.”

Jason fisted his hands at his side, but he didn’t think getting himself arrested for pummeling a district attorney would help Elizabeth’s case. He glared at the bailiff, before looking back at Diane. “Whatever you have to do—get her out of here today.”

“I’ll do my best—” Diane turned as the bailiff hooked Elizabeth’s cuffs to the table, her lips thinning with distaste.

“Girl probably weighs a hundred pounds soaking weight,” Sonny muttered as he took his seat. “And they think she’ll overpower the damn cops—”

“They’re doing it to rattle Jason,” Brenda said quietly. Jason turned to the brunette. “You know it. Baldwin just wants you to feel guilty and do something stupid.” She looked at Scott who was deliberately not looking at them. “Don’t let him see you get upset. It’s what he wants.”

“Brenda’s right,” Carly said, “and it’s a measure of my love for you,” she told Jason who just blinked at her, “that I’m admitting that.”

The bailiff called the hearing to order and the judge stepped up to the bench to begin the hearing. Jason’s blood boiled as Scott laid out the evidence against Elizabeth — she’d been on the pier when Zander had been killed, she had motive —

“And Your Honor, Elizabeth Webber fled the jurisdiction immediately after the crime,” Scott began.

“Objection,” Diane said coolly, not even bothering to stand. She sounded nearly bored. “My client traveled to Las Vegas and returned to Port Charles within twenty-four hours. She was already in the jurisdiction when the PCPD questioned her. I find your characterization of her actions outrageous and spurious—”

“She went to Las Vegas in the middle of the night on a private flight that wasn’t scheduled,” Scott shot back. “And she only came back when she’d married the witness in her case—”

“I’m sorry, since when is Jason Morgan a witness to a murder he wasn’t in town for?” Diane said pleasantly. “You have the receipts. His plane took off almost twenty minutes before Zander Smith was shot—”

Scott opened his mouth, but the judge cut him off. “Neither one of you is earning any points here,” he said dryly, drawing both their attention. “You’ve made your case, D.A. Baldwin.” He looked at Diane. “How does your client plead?”

Diane nodded to Elizabeth. “Not guilty,” Elizabeth said quietly.

“All right. The court will reflect that and we’ll bound this over for trial.” The judge picked up a pen. “What’s the position on bail?”

“Since the defendant has married a man of considerable means with property in several countries without an extradition treaty,” Scott said, “we request that bail be denied.”

The judge looked at Diane. “I imagine you oppose that?”

“We do. My client has no criminal record and has ties to the community. She’s lived here since she was a teenager—”

“Which was practically last year,” Scott muttered.

“And her grandmother still lives here. In addition, her husband has ties to Port Charles. His parents are doctors at General Hospital, and the Quartermaines are prominent citizens. My client is the opposite of a flight risk.”

The judge studied Diane for a long moment, then focused on Jason in the audience with a furrowed brow. “Your client’s husband has refused all ties to the Quartermaines in the past, and Miss Webber might not have been convicted of any crimes, but I do see several arrests on her record. I am denying bail at this time—”

“What?”

“That’s crap!” Carly announced at the same time Sonny sputtered out his protest, but Jason couldn’t find the words. Elizabeth didn’t look at him, but her head bowed slightly.

“Your Honor, this is without merit—”

“Your client is accused of murdering an ex-lover. She fled the jurisdiction, then married a man who can get her out of the country before I finish my lunch,” the judge said dryly. “She gets no brownie points because she came back. You should have chosen your associates better, Miss Webber.” His voice hardened. “Or should I call you Mrs. Morgan?”

The judge banged the gavel as Diane was still sputtering in outrage. “Court is adjoined. Please return the defendant to lockup—”

“Wait—” Diane hissed. “Can my client have a minute with her husband—”

“So they can make plans for escape?” Scott said with a roll of his eyes.

“Oh, I am going to call my mother,” Carly told Scott. “You’re never getting her back after this—”

Scott made a face, but the judge nodded at Diane. “She can have a minute. One minute,” he added. He paused. “And bailiff, I think we can leave off the shackles. While she might be a flight risk, she’s unlikely to overpower you.”

The bailiff reluctantly uncuffed Elizabeth from the table, and she stood turning to Jason. “I’ll be okay,” she told him.

“I am going to appeal,” Diane said immediately. “This is clearly retribution—”

“I’ll come as soon as they let me,” Jason promised her. “As often as they—” He took her hands in his, wincing at the way they trembled slightly. “I’m going to make this go away.”

“I know you’ll try.” Elizabeth licked her lips and looked up at him. “I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t get me a ring after all.” Her voice was nearly inaudible as she continued. “It’s not like they wouldn’t have let me keep it in here.”

He leaned down to brush his lips against hers but the bailiff jerked her back. “None of that,” he snapped. “Time to go—”

“I’ll be okay,” Elizabeth promised him. “I can handle this.”

And then she was gone, dragged through the door and back to lockup.

“How long before the appeal?’ Jason demanded of Diane. “If you file it now—”

“It might take a few days.” Diane paused. “Maybe even a week. Mr. Morgan—”

“Get it done,” Jason snapped and stormed out of the court room.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason stripped off his suit jacket and tossed it on the sofa before turning back to glare at the trio that had followed him in. “Sonny, who do we know at the PCPD that will get us into lock up?”

“Jason,” Carly began, “she’ll be okay for a few days—”

“Carly, go home and call your mother,” Sonny told his wife and she frowned at him. “Make her yell at Baldwin. If Baldwin agrees to withdraw his opposition, the appeal won’t take as long.”

“But—”

“It’s something you can do for me,” Jason told her, and that seemed to convince the blonde who still looked unhappy as she left. To Sonny, he said, “Get me a way into lockup. If that appeal doesn’t go through—”

“This is my fault,” Brenda said, drawing both of their attention.

“Brenda—” Jason began.

“No, if I hadn’t had that insane idea to blackmail you into marrying me, you wouldn’t have been on the plane when Elizabeth needed you,” she insisted. “You would have been here—”

“It shouldn’t have mattered,” Jason said. “And it’s not your fault.” He focused on Sonny who seemed to know what was coming. “It’s yours.”

Sonny wrinkled his nose. “Look, it’s not like I knew Zander was dead—”

“She came to you because she’d been shot at, and you didn’t handle it. You didn’t make sure the pier was clear. You lied to her, dragged her across the country — and now the PCPD is using that to keep her locked up—”

“If I hadn’t dragged her across the country, you wouldn’t be married to her right now!” Sonny retorted. “How about a little gratitude?”

Before Jason could lunge for his friend’s throat, Brenda slid in front of her ex-fiancé and spread her arms wide. “You’ll only feel better for a hot minute if you pound his face in right now,” she told Jason. “You can yell at him later.”

“You dragged her across the country and you took away her guard,” Jason retorted. “Marco should have been with her. She never would have been on that pier if you’d thought about anyone other than yourself!”

“Hey, she wasn’t my girlfriend to take care of!” Sonny shot back. “You didn’t notice she didn’t have a guard for two weeks—how is that my fault?”

“Okay, so you’re going to go,” Brenda told Sonny. She opened the door and started to shove him through it. “Go get the guy at the PCPD while I keep Jason from murdering you on the spot—”

“I am sick and tired of being treated like I did something wrong,” Sonny said, shoving Brenda’s hands away from him. “You two were the insane ones, flying to Vegas to get married! I stopped it! And if I hadn’t brought Elizabeth—”

“You mean if you hadn’t lied to her about me being hurt? You used her — and why the hell do you care what Brenda and I do?” Jason demanded. “How is it any of your business? If you’d stayed here and protected Elizabeth, none of this would be happening! I’ve spent most of my life protecting your family and cleaning up your messes—”

“What the hell does that mean—”

“You refused to let me tell Elizabeth you were alive—you made me lie to her—”

“No, you were the one that lied to her. I told you to send her to the island so you—”

“You know,” Brenda said, almost conversationally as if the two men weren’t shouting at each other, “this might be the first time I’m glad you left me at the altar and you sent Jason to do it.”

That shut them both up. “What the hell—” Sonny began.

“You sent Jason to dump me, and I blamed him for a long time. But you’re just a coward, Sonny, when it really matters.” She turned to Jason. “He’s never going to admit he was wrong, so just drop it. Focus on what matters and that’s getting Elizabeth out of jail.”

She then looked back Sonny. “Get out and don’t bother coming back if you can’t be productive.”

Then Brenda shoved Sonny over the threshold and slammed the door. She exhaled in a huff. “He’ll never admit that the reason he came to Vegas to stop us was because he was jealous. He doesn’t want me, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have me. And he’ll never admit that he didn’t see Elizabeth as a person in that moment. He saw her as a tool to be used to get what he wanted. He knew you’d never go through with it if she was there to watch.”

Jason took a deep breath. “I already knew it was a mistake. At the altar. Before they showed up. I’m sorry, Brenda, but I was already going to stop it.”

“Good. It would have been wrong. Funny,” she added, “but wrong. And don’t let Sonny take credit. You and Elizabeth might have gotten married because you were in Vegas, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t make the decision. Maybe it was insane, but something good came out of it.”

“Good? Because of it, she’s trapped in jail—”

“No, she’s in jail because the PCPD refuse to believe you didn’t do this. You know that Scott probably thinks you’re lying about who was on which flight. He thinks you sent her ahead as an alibi for you, and then you came later. I don’t know this Zander guy, but I feel bad for anyone who cared about him. They don’t care who did this, not really.” Brenda took a deep breath. “Now, how do we get Elizabeth out of this?”

PCPD: Jail

Elizabeth had hoped that another woman would be sent to lockup so that she wouldn’t be alone on the cell block. There were no windows, no way to see the outside world. Just the cinder block and bars and artificial, fluorescent lighting that made her eyes hurt—

Elizabeth lay on the cot, staring at the ceiling, hoping that something would change—that Diane would perform miracles—she didn’t want Jason to think she couldn’t handle this—but she wasn’t sure if she could really get through another night without sleeping—

The lights flickered, then went turned off, plunging the area into inky darkness so thick Elizabeth couldn’t even see her own fingers.

“Hello?” she called. “The lights—”

Then she heard footsteps and the clanking of metal as her cell opened. “Please—what’s wrong with the lights—”

A hand clamped over Elizabeth’s mouth and then something pricked her arm. “What—” Her head felt whoozy—everything started to spin—

Then she remembered nothing else.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

“Did Diane say anything about when she expects the appeal to be heard?” Brenda asked as Jason shrugged into his leather jacket the next morning. “Will the PCPD let you see her today?”

“They better,” he muttered. He needed to look at her for longer than five minutes, to hold her hand, to touch her—to be sure she was okay. The phone on his desk rang. “Yeah? What—”

“I’m sorry, Jason, the DA and the Commissioner wouldn’t wait—they said they had a warrant—”

“Damn it,” Jason muttered. He slammed the phone down and picked it up to call Diane. “The cops are on their way up,” he told Brenda. “Probably to arrest me—”

“But—”

There was a harsh knock, almost pounding. Jason held out his phone. “Finish calling Diane,” he told Brenda, then went over to the door.

He barely had it open before Scott shoved his way in, followed by a more subdued Mac.

“Where the hell is she?” the district attorney spat out. “Where did you take her? I swear to God, Morgan, I will haunt you until the day you die—”

“What hell are you talking about?” Jason demanded as his blood began to pound in his ears. “Elizabeth’s at the PCPD—” he looked at Mac.

“When we did the count this morning,” the commissioner said, feeling slightly sick, “she was missing. Elizabeth is gone. And judging by the look on your face—” he sighed, “I’m guess she’s not on her way to Dubai.”

“How the hell do you just lose a prisoner?” Brenda demanded as Jason tried to absorb what Mac had just told him.

“He’s bluffing!” Scott declared to Mac. “You know it—”

Mac narrowed his eyes at the district attorney. “If he was bluffing,” the man began, “then why the hell is he here and not with her?”

“We drag him into the PCPD, he won’t be able to join her—we let him on the loose—” Scott continued.

“No one answered my damn question! How the hell does someone waltz into lockup and take a prisoner away?” Brenda stepped in front of Jason. “Until you give us some answers, you should get out—”

“Which brunette did you marry or is this one of those sister-wives things?” Scott snarled. Brenda hissed and started for the district attorney, but Jason grabbed her arm and dragged her back.

“She’s right,” Jason said flatly. “You locked my wife up without any damn evidence and now she’s missing. Go find her. I’ve got nothing else to say to you. Get out.”

“Let’s go before he changes his mind and lets Brenda loose—” Mac sent Brenda a surly look. “And she bites—”

“Damn right—”

As soon as the elevator doors had closed on the law enforcement officers, Jason and Brenda were across the hall, Jason not even letting Max announce them.

Carly, Sonny, and Michael were sitting at the table, eating, but Sonny surged to his feet as Jason and Brenda came in. “What’s going on?” he demanded. He looked to Carly who hurried to grab Michael and hand him off to Leticia. The nanny went upstairs.

“Elizabeth disappeared from lockup last night,” Jason said and now the words were really sinking in. There was only one person who’d go after her this way. He knew he hadn’t arranged for it—even he didn’t have the connections to get her out under the PCPD’s nose. Neither did Sonny.

That left one option.

“Damn it—” Sonny growled. “Do they think you did it?”

“Scott does,” Brenda said, “but Mac didn’t seem convinced. Sonny—Jason—” She looked at the enforcer. “Luis could have done this—”

“There’s no could have—he’s the only one—”

The landline across the room rang. The four of them looked at it for a minute before Jason stalked over to snatch up the receiver. “What?”

“Did you enjoy your visit from the DA and Commissioner?”

The cool, unaffected tone had Jason’s blood boiling but he knew how to handle this. He had to turn it off. He couldn’t do what he’d done this summer—when he’d lost his temper in a fit of rage and fear and killed the man who knew Elizabeth was in that crypt.

“Not really.”

“I didn’t think you would. Your wife is quite lovely, Mr. Morgan. And very smart. Did you know she didn’t even fight?”

His mouth was so dry he could barely force out the words. “Where is she?”

“Oh, she’s fine. Still alive anyway. I’m enjoying the sight. She looks like my Brenda, you know. All that lovely dark hair, big eyes—they’re the wrong color, but I could tolerate it. There’s not much to her, is there? Delicate. Fragile. Just my type.”

His knuckles ached as he tightened his fingers around the receiver. “I want proof of life.”

“You’re a cold one, aren’t you? That’s why I’m negotiating with you. Mr. Corinthos is more hot-headed—”

“Proof of life,” Jason cut in. “Or I hang up.” He waited, hearing the rustle, hearing something in the background, hushed tones.

Finally — “Jason?”

He closed his eyes. “Elizabeth. Are you all right?”

“Yes. He didn’t—he didn’t hurt me. They drugged me and I woke up wherever I am. Jason, he wants to trade—don’t do it—”

Her voice disappeared as Jason imagined someone yanking it away and Alcazar’s voice came over the line. “Brave girl, trying to ruin my surprise. But I’m sure you saw this coming. I thought about forcing Sonny to trade his wife, but I’m not so sure he wouldn’t leave the harpy with me for punishment and keep what’s mine. I want Brenda.”

“I don’t control her—”

“I didn’t say she had to be willing. You know how to get the job done. If you want your wife back, you’ll make the deal.” There was a pause. “You might need some time to think it over. I’ll call back in ten minutes.”

The line went dead and Jason slowly set it back down on the hook, trying to order his thoughts. He wanted to go to the yacht, kill everyone in sight until he found her and bring her home—but that clearly wasn’t an option.

“Jason?” Sonny asked. “You talked to her?”

“She’s alive. He wants a trade.”

“For me.” Brenda folded her arms tightly across her chest. Her cheeks were pale as she spoke, “He wants me.”

“Yes.” Jason met her eyes. “That’s not on the table, Brenda. Even if I wanted to, Elizabeth would never agree to it.”

Brenda took that in, then looked at Carly who had remained quiet, almost frozen. “It’d be an easy choice for you, huh?” she said, her tone light but laced with fear.

“No.” Carly’s eyes were direct. “No. It wouldn’t be.” She turned her attention to Jason. “What can I do?”

“Michael is probably scared,” Jason told her. “Go upstairs. Sit with him. If I think of something else—”

“Okay. Okay.” Carly dragged her hands through her hair, took another deep breath, and started for the stairs — but stopped at the knock on the door and the raised voices outside.

Max opened the door as Audrey Hardy pushed her way in.

“I just had a call from Mac Scorpio,” Elizabeth’s grandmother said, her voice hard and tight. “My granddaughter is missing. Either you sent her out of the country or one of your enemies kidnapped her. Which is it?”

“Mrs. Hardy,” Sonny began but Audrey silenced him with one hot glare.

“I was going to approve of this,” Audrey began, shaking a finger at Jason. “I had my reservations, but I didn’t want to fight with my granddaughter anymore. But I was right! You’ll be death of her—”

“Uh, weren’t you championing my idiot cousin like eight seconds ago?” Carly snapped, stepping between older woman and her friend. “Didn’t you give Elizabeth a lot of grief for leaving him at the altar? Didn’t Lucky almost get her killed like eight times because of Helena Cassadine?”

Audrey narrowed her eyes. “That’s different—”

“Yeah, because Helena is certifiably insane. But Elizabeth knew that. She’s a big girl who puts her panties on one leg at a time. She knows who Jason is. What he does. So why the hell do you respect her choices when she takes on super villains but not a guy who’d literally walk through fire for her?”

Audrey stared at Carly for a long moment before swallowing hard and meeting Jason’s eyes. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know, Mrs. Hardy,” Jason said honestly. “But I’m going to get her back. I promise you that.”

Alcazar’s Yacht

Elizabeth was getting tired of being kidnapped. The first time, she’d been dragged out of her studio kicking and screaming but this time she’d been drugged and hadn’t known what was going on. She couldn’t decide which was worse.

She really didn’t like the ropes and gag—but at least she was being held in a room with port-holes that received sunlight. It wasn’t dark.

“You have the strangest look on your face,” Luis Alcazar murmured as he sauntered across the room. He removed the gag from her mouth. “What’s going through that head of yours?”

“Honestly? Trying to decide which kidnapping I liked better.” Elizabeth rolled her shoulders. “The ropes are chafing my wrist,” she said, “but the last time, I was shoved in a crypt and held in the dark for days.”

“So I’m preferable?”

“I didn’t enjoy the drugging or waking up somewhere strange. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens when I get kidnapped a third time. I’ll need a tie breaker.”

“Fair enough.” The man lowered himself into a chair across from her. “You expect to be kidnapped again?”

“You never know in Port Charles.” Elizabeth waited a beat. “This isn’t going to work.”

“You’re going to tell me Morgan won’t sacrifice Brenda for you, and I know that.” Luis lifted an elegant shoulder in a dismissive shrug. “She’ll offer herself, and he’ll tell her no, and they’ll come up with another plan.”

“So why bother if it won’t work—” She stopped. “Because Jason won’t get near this boat without Brenda.”

“Once she’s on board, I have a chance. Right now, I don’t have many options.”

“But she doesn’t want you—you’re rich and you’re not hideous,” she admitted. “You could have almost anyone—”

“Could I have you?” Luis asked coolly. When she scowled at him. “I can have anyone I want. I want Brenda. She was perfectly happy for a long time—”

“Until she wasn’t. What are you going to do? Lock her up? Even if you win this time,” Elizabeth said, “she’ll just try to leave again. Are you going to spend the rest of your life chasing after her, kidnapping and killing to keep her?”

“If I have to.”

Elizabeth cleared her throat. “What if Jason refuses to bring Brenda to the boat?”

“Oh, he won’t. Excuse me, dear. I have a call to make.”

Luis slid the cell phone out of his jacket pocket. “Morgan? Hello. I just wanted to make the terms of my deal crystal clear. You either bring Brenda to the yacht tonight at eleven to make the trade or I’ll sail away with the beautiful Mrs. Morgan to keep me company on the dark, cold nights. You can ask Brenda how that might go.” His lips curled into a smile. “Yes, I thought you’d see it my way.”

He closed the phone and placed it back in his jacket as Elizabeth just stared at him. “Questions?”

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

“What are you going to do?”

Jason turned to Carly who hadn’t gone upstairs even after Audrey had gone. They’d only heard his side of the conversation, making the appointment.

“I don’t know yet, but if he doesn’t see you by eleven tonight—” he looked at Brenda whose dark eyes were somber, “he said he’d leave and keep Elizabeth to keep him company. The way you did.”

Brenda cleared her throat, stared down at the ground. “Okay. Okay. Well, we have to keep that from happening at all costs.”

“Brenda—” Sonny began, but Brenda jerked her head up to stare at her former lover.

“No. You don’t get to ask that question. No one gets to ask that question.”

“But—”

“She said no,” Carly said, surprising Sonny and Brenda. “Whatever she doesn’t want to talk about sounds like it’s bad enough we don’t want it for Elizabeth. Do you need the damned details, Sonny?”

“No. No, I’m sorry,” Sonny said, startled by his wife’s defense, but no more so than Brenda who stared at the blonde with wide eyes.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Carly muttered. “I’m a selfish, narcissistic bitch. There’s no rule that says I can’t occasionally be a good person when I feel like it.”

“Brenda—” Jason began.

“I’ll go with you,” Brenda said. “Because Luis doesn’t make idle threats. He’ll leave. And you’ll be chasing him for the rest of your life. It’s her or me.”

“No. It’s neither of you. You’ll go only because he won’t let me on the boat without you. But we’ll go in with a plan. You and Elizabeth, you’re both getting off that damn boat.”

It was only later that Brenda realized that Jason hadn’t said anything about making sure they all came home.

Elm Street Pier

Jason grabbed Brenda’s elbow, holding her back from stepping out onto Pier 52 and the launch that would take them out to Alcazar’s yacht, anchored just off shore. “Repeat the plan to me.”

“Do you think that I wasn’t listening the first eight times you made me do this?” Brenda demanded. “Do you think I’ll be stupid and—” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I know it’s not about that. It’s how you’re keeping your cool. Okay. We get on the boat. You demand that Elizabeth be allowed to send back to shore first and Luis will refuse. Then you’ll start negotiating which will distract him because he’ll be annoyed, and while he’s annoyed, Sonny’s men will be getting into position.”

“The second they take the shot,” Jason told her, “I’m going to grab Elizabeth. You go for the boat. Don’t think of anything. Just go.”

“I can do that. But I need you to make me a promise—no, don’t shake your head at me, Jason Morgan. Luis Alcazar is my problem. He came here because I wanted to go home and he wanted to make sure I didn’t have a home to come back to.”

“You are not responsible for his obsessions—”

“No. But he’s not your problem to fix. I came to you because I was desperate and because I knew I could count on you,” she confessed. “I only tried to blackmail you with Sonny and Carly because I was scared. But over the last couple of days, I remembered what I’d always tried to forget.”

Jason’s brows drew together in confusion. “What?”

“You looked miserable the day Sonny sent you to stop the wedding. And I forced you to tell me the truth in front of everyone. You tried to be kind. And I made it your fault. I blamed you because I couldn’t bring myself to admit the truth. Sonny didn’t love me enough to find a way out of it.”

“Brenda, that was a long time ago—”

“I know it, but it’s always been there between us. I resented you because it hurt too much to put the blame where it belonged. And because of that, I need you to know that if anyone isn’t coming home today, it’s me—”

“Brenda—”

“You and Elizabeth have a whole lifetime in front of you. I need you to promise me that you will get her out of this. I can survive Luis. He can’t break me, and I can live to fight another day. Elizabeth—he doesn’t care about her. So if it actually does come down to saving her or me, I want you to know that I expect you to get her home alive.”

“Brenda—”

“You don’t make promises you don’t try to keep. It’s something I’ve always respected about you. I’m not stepping foot on that yacht until you promise me.”

Alcazar’s Yacht: Upper Deck

“Ah, right on time.”

Elizabeth glowered at Alcazar as he watched the boat moving towards him with some satisfaction. She couldn’t do more than that since he’d gagged her and tied her hands together—he’d also lightly tied her legs together. She could shuffle along, but there’d be no running.

“Let’s see if your husband has some good sense,” Alcazar said. He grabbed her arm and dragged her forward.

Jason stepped on board first, sweeping a brief look over Elizabeth before turning back to reach out a hand to Brenda.

“Search him,” Luis said to one of the men standing nearby. “Confiscate any weapons.”

Jason’s glare could cut ice as he spread out his arms and allowed himself to be subjected to the pat down by the guards. “You think I’d take a chance with Elizabeth’s life on the line?”

“A man can’t be too sure.” Alcazar’s greedy eyes took in Brenda, his eyes lighting up with something dark and twisted that sent shivers down Elizabeth’s spine. “I know you think you have a way out of this, but I’m ready for anything you have planned.”

He looked at Elizabeth, lifting his dark brows. “You’ve been a lovely, charming companion. Even amusing. Did you know, Mr. Morgan—” He returned his gaze to Jason. “She thought perhaps this kidnapping was better than her last. She’s waiting on a third to decide for sure.”

Alcazar took Elizabeth by the arm and gently maneuvered her in front of him. Elizabeth wasn’t entirely sure what she expected—maybe he was attempting to start the trade with a sign of good faith?

But then Alcazar released her arm and she realized only in the second before it happened what he’d planned.

He had pushed her so that her back was against the railing, then reached into his suit jacket.

There was a scream, a shout, and then just the glint of the yacht’s light on the metal of the gun before the night exploded with the sound of fireworks and a hot slice of pain arrowed through her shoulder.

The force of the shot sent her reeling and then Alcazar shoved her over—

Elizabeth tried to scream as her body twisted and rolled before she hit the freezing dark waters of Lake Ontario, but her cries were muffled by the gag in her mouth. She tried to swim, tried to move her arms, but quickly the current of the lake dragged her under.

___

Brenda choked back a sob as Luis shoved Elizabeth, bound and gagged over the railing of the yacht. With little more than an apologetic glance at Brenda, Jason launched himself overboard after her.

Brenda rushed to the railing, a crazy thought of trying to go after them, trying to help—but that wouldn’t solve anything.

“I’m sure Morgan had a plan,” Luis murmured. “I knew you’d make it clear to them that allowing the sweet Elizabeth to disappear with me into the night would be a terrible future for her. At first,” he added. “I could have charmed her. Make her fall in love with me.”

“The way I did,” Brenda said softly. She could see nothing at all. No figures. No thrashing in the water. Elizabeth had probably already sank down, unable to keep herself afloat, and Jason would never come back without her.

“I do have a way about me,” Luis said. He turned away to one of the guards. “It’s time to go. Let’s leave while Corinthos and his men are distracted—”

“I thought I did love you,” Brenda said. “I thought I didn’t have anything else to live for, and you were kind. I didn’t want to have sex with you, but you made me feel like I owed it to you.” She turned to look at him. “And I guess you’re not a man who minds when the woman lays still beneath him like a corpse.”

His mouth twisted and he flicked his eyes to the guards. “Leave us,” he snarled. In less than a minute, they were alone on the deck.  “That’s not how it was—”

“You thought you had this all it planned out,” Brenda said, “but I know you, Luis. And I knew you’d find a way to separate me from Jason. I also knew that you never thought I was very smart. Or bright. Your mistake was assuming that everyone saw me that way.”

“Brenda—”

“I knew you wouldn’t have me searched.” Brenda reached beneath the bulky sweater she wore, drew out the gun Jason had given her, and leveled the barrel at him. Luis’s eyes bulged  and he put his hands up.

“Brenda—”

The bullet struck him between the eyes, his head exploding around him as his body hit the deck, already dead.

There were footsteps rushing towards her as the guards came towards her, but Brenda just pointed the gun at them. “He’s dead,” she snarled. “And now you’ll do exactly what I say or you’re next.”

Kelly’s: Kitchen

The next morning, Elizabeth breezed into the kitchen and flashed a bright smile at the cook who was busy with his morning prep. “Morning, DJ.” He saluted as she hung up her purse and went into the dining room to start the side work.

Courtney was already there, frowning at her smile as Elizabeth joined her and started making the coffee. “I thought you’d quit.”

“Why? Because I flaked my on shift yesterday?” Elizabeth shrugged, measuring the coffee. “I promised Penny I’d cover for her soon, and Mike said it was okay.”

“But—” Courtney edged away from her. “You…were mad at me the last time we talked.”

“I was,” Elizabeth said. She switched on the machine, then turned to fully face the other man. “But then I ran into Sonny, and he asked me to go to Vegas with him to see Jason.”

“Jason—” Courtney squinted. “Vegas? What—”

“And Jason and I talked about it, but it’s okay now. It’s easy to mistake a crush for something else,” Elizabeth said. “But I don’t have anything to worry about—”

“You don’t—”

“No, not since I moved back into the penthouse.” Elizabeth stared at her hand. “Jason and I decided to wait to get rings, but—”

“Rings? Penthouse—” Courtney held up her hands, her blue eyes wide. “Elizabeth, what the hell—”

“Jason and I got married in Vegas,” she explained patiently, enjoying the flash of anger in the other woman’s eyes as Courtney clenched her jaw.

“You—” Courtney cleared her throat. “You married Jason. Jason Morgan.”

“It was spontaneous, but—” Elizabeth went around the other woman to start unstacking the chairs. “But I’m glad you told me what you did. If you hadn’t, Jason and I might not have talked. At least not so soon. And once we’d sorted things out—well, we were in already in Vegas—”

“This is a joke, right? Or—or it’s business.” Courtney lifted her chin. “Taggert came in here yesterday, asking about you. Zander’s dead, didn’t you hear? Is that why Sonny took you to Vegas? Did you see Jason doing something?”

“No, believe it or not,” Elizabeth said softly, “Jason married me because he loves me. And I said yes because I love him.”

“No. No. I know what I felt, what he felt—”

“I’m sorry, Courtney,” Elizabeth said, attempting to keep her temper, “but you were wrong. And it would be best if you just forgot about it. You’re married—”

“This is a trick. You’re tricking the police, and you’re just trying to be mean to get back at me. You’re probably in the guest room again,” Courtney accused, her eyes flashing as she stormed out from the counter.

“No, Brenda’s in the guest room.” Elizabeth folded her arms. “I’m in Jason’s bed.” It might be small of her to enjoy this moment so much, but damn it—Courtney had pretended to be her friend.

Hurt flared in Courtney’s expression now as her lip trembled. “But he said—he told me—he told me it was over with you—”

“He thought it was. Now it’s not. Get over it.” Elizabeth walked away from her, and didn’t even flinch when she heard the bell over the door jingle as it swung open.

“Where did Barbie go?” DJ asked, leaning out from the kitchen. “We’re opening in ten.”

“She got some bad news,” Elizabeth said, returning to the counter to finish prepping for her shift. “I’ll take care of the morning rush.”

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

“You don’t have to worry, Carly already left for the club,” Sonny assured Jason as he handed him a cup of black coffee. “What did you find out? Can we get a line on Alcazar?”

“It might be easier than we thought,” Jason said, “since he’s in the hotel—”

They both turned at the sound of raised voices in the hall. Jason sat the coffee on the desk just as the door flew open and Max threw up his hands. He couldn’t stop the blonde who shoved her way in without tackling her.

“Sonny—” Courtney drew up short at the sight of Jason. She glared at him. “I hope you’re happy.”

Jason frowned, confused. “What—”

“If you’re here to tell me AJ dropped dead in the middle of the night,” Sonny said, “then, yes, I’m very happy—”

“I’m not talking to you,” Courtney snarled at her brother. “I’m talking to Jason.”

“Jason would also be happy with that news—”

“Sonny—” Jason said with a shake of his head. He looked back to Courtney. “I don’t know what’s going on—”

“What’s going on is that you lied to me,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “You told me that you and Elizabeth were over, that it never really started—”

Sonny pursed his lips as Jason just stared at the other woman, baffled. “Uh, what am I missing?” He looked at Max who was waving his arms. “Max—”

“So why the hell did you marry Elizabeth Webber two days after you kissed me?” Courtney demanded.

“You know,” Taggert said from the doorway where he’d just appeared around the corner from the elevator. Max dropped his head with a sigh. “The universe is really on my side these days.”

Jason exhaled slowly and ignored the detective because there was no point in giving him any attention. Taggert reminded him of Michael as a toddler — if you looked at him when he was throwing a tantrum, it just encouraged him to keep going.

Instead, he focused on Sonny’s sister and one of the reasons he’d decided to get on a plane and marry Brenda Barrett. “You,” he said, deliberately, “kissed me.”

Courtney narrowed her eyes. “That is—”

“What happened,” Jason finished, bluntly. “I’m sorry if you thought there was something more. There wasn’t. There isn’t.”

“Is this because I’m married?” Courtney demanded. “Because—”

“You know, this is really fun and everything,” Sonny said, throwing Jason a dirty look, “but maybe we get should see what Taggert wants—” He offered his sister another look of his own, and Courtney closed her mouth.

“Well, I came to get proof of Morgan’s alibi,” Taggert said, with a shrug. “I thought you might want to take care of this without lawyers. You give me the flight records that prove you took off before the gunshots were heard—”

“If you want paperwork, then you tell Baldwin to get a subpoena,” Sonny said, darkly. He stalked over to the desk and grabbed a business card off the desk. He shoved it at Taggert who took it, holding it between his thumb and index finger. “Our new lawyer. Diane Miller. Call her from now on. Don’t come back without a warrant—”

“You sure I can’t stay and watch?” Taggert asked with a smirk as Sonny slammed the door in his face, then turned to his sister and Jason.

“What the hell is going on?” Sonny demanded. “Is this why Elizabeth said the thing about the box cutter?”

“She told you?” Courtney said, her eyes widening. “And you didn’t do anything? Sonny, she threatened me!”

“To cut off your hair with a box cutter. Yeah, I got that. You’d live,” Sonny said, dryly, dismissing her as Courtney squawked in protest. “Jason—”

“Nothing is going on,” Jason said, gritting his teeth. Hadn’t he just said that? “And you had no right to tell Elizabeth it was—” he said, turning his irritation on the blonde. “What is wrong with you? I didn’t kiss you back. I didn’t call you, and I immediately put another guard on you. How did you not get the point?”

“I thought—” Courtney pursed her lips. “So everything that happened between us meant nothing to you.”

“What else happened?” Sonny demanded.

“Nothing,” Jason repeated. He didn’t often lose his temper, especially with women, but there was something about this whole thing that was really pissing him off. If Courtney hadn’t told Elizabeth anything, she wouldn’t have been upset enough to wander down to the pier. She wouldn’t be in danger or even involved with the PCPD’s case.

“That’s—”

“I’m leaving,” Jason decided. “I have more important things to deal with. I told you, Sonny, I’m done guarding your sister. You deal with this.” Then he left the penthouse, slamming the door behind him.

Sonny looked at his sister, shocked and open-mouthed at Jason’s hasty exit. “Well,” he said,  slightly uncomfortable, “I guess you got your answer.”

“But I don’t understand. How did I get it so wrong?” Courtney asked, tears stinging her eyes. “I really thought—”

“This definitely sounds like a conversation I want nothing to do with, so maybe you go home and think about why you’re so angry about Jason not returning your feelings, and leave me out of it,” Sonny suggested. He opened the door. “Here you go.”

“You’re a real bastard,” Courtney snarled as she stormed out.

“I can live with that,” Sonny called after her. Then he closed the door and leaned his head against the door. From now on, he was staying out of everything.

Kelly’s: Kitchen

“I can’t believe Courtney just ditched her shift like this,” Mike muttered as he dumped plates into the sink. “You know, bad enough you did it—”

Elizabeth winced. “Still really sorry—”

“But you’ve worked here forever,” Mike continued. “You’ve built a little credit, you know? She’s been here eight minutes. And she just left? No word on where she was going or why? I can’t just let this go because she’s my daughter—”

“I mean, she didn’t say,” Elizabeth replied, “but I have a pretty good idea she was heading over to see Sonny.”

“I thought she hated Michael,” Mike said, baffled. “Why would she—” He shook his head. “She and I are going to have to talk about this.”

“Well, you have a good time with that,” Elizabeth said, waltzing out of the kitchen and straight into her grandmother.

Audrey Hardy arched a brow. “Mrs. Morgan, I presume,” she said stiffly.

Elizabeth grimaced. “Well, I hadn’t really decided on that,” she muttered, then looked down at the ground. “Gram, I know you’re mad—”

“Mad is hardly the word I would use,” Audrey said slowly. “While I may not approve of the groom, I am very disappointed that you didn’t include me in any of this. I thought we’d come further than this, Elizabeth.”

“Wait, what—” Elizabeth snapped her head up, stared at her grandmother. “You’re…not mad?”

“As long as you assure me that it’s not what Scott told me,” Audrey said, drawing her brows together with worry. “You didn’t marry Jason to protect yourself or him from the PCPD.”

Elizabeth paused, then saw Jason come into Kelly’s behind her grandmother. She waved him over. Hesitantly, Jason approached the two of them.

“Mrs. Hardy,” Jason said with a nod. Elizabeth slid her hand in one of his. “Hello.”

“Jason,” Audrey said, before looking back at her granddaughter. “Elizabeth?”

“I married Jason because I love him,” Elizabeth said. She glanced up at Jason. “And he asked because he loves me.” His lips curved into a hesitant smile before she focused on her grandmother again. “I hope that’s something you can be okay with.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Brenda frowned as she stepped down off the bottom step and looked around the living room. “Uh, usually Jason is glued to your side,” she said as she sat next to Elizabeth on the sofa. “Where’d he go?”

“Across the hall,” Elizabeth said absently as she reached into the bowl of popcorn at her side, then furrowed her brow at the television screen in front of her. “Why?”

“I bet they’re discussing how to run my life,” Brenda muttered darkly. She flopped back against the back of the sofa. “What are you watching?”

“That 70s’ Show.”

“That’s still on? I remember it came on right before I died. I thought it was a really stupid idea for a show.” Brenda shrugged. “What’re you gonna do?”

Startled by her casual reference to her death, Elizabeth turned her attention fully to Brenda. “Uh, how are you, um, doing with all of this?”

“Being back from the dead? I could do without it.” Brenda bit her lip. “It’s weird,” she admitted, “because I knew everyone thought I was dead, but I guess I didn’t think about what it meant. I didn’t want to come back,” she told Elizabeth. “Because I’m going to die anyway.”

“But you could have had four years with your friends and family. And you still might have years, right?”

“I could,” Brenda said. “But my mother told me that her illness happened fast. And she—she actually did die in that accident.” She sighed. “If I had tried to come back sooner, obviously Luis wouldn’t have let me come. I didn’t know I was being held hostage until I tried to leave.” She was quiet for a moment. “I thought he loved me. That he was taking care of me.”

She picked at a loose thread on her black pants. “But that’s not love, you know. It’s obsession. I’m not a person to him, I’m just something he can own. A beautiful thing to put on a shelf. Going after Sonny and Jax because I loved them once—eliminating anyone who might be competition—”

“I’m glad you got away from that,” Elizabeth said. “Before it got worse.”

“Yeah. I mean, he was always kind to me, but that’s because I didn’t push him. Didn’t disagree. What if I had?” Brenda pressed her lips together. “I just wish this was over. I hate depending on Sonny and Jason for anything. After what they put me through—”

“But you knew they’d help. That’s why you came to them—”

“Old habits die hard. I really am sorry about asking Jason to marry me. Or blackmailing him into it,” Brenda added. “I didn’t know about you.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Elizabeth said. “And—” She made a face. “Neither does Jason. We weren’t dating. He could do what he wanted—even marry someone else—”

“Doesn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt. Sonny and I weren’t dating when he married Lily, and it nearly killed me anyway.” Brenda squinted at Elizabeth. “How did this happen anyway? I mean, you and Jason. I remember you from before, sort of. You were a baby though.”

“Sixteen,” Elizabeth muttered. “But yeah, it felt like it came out of nowhere. We connected after your accident. Robin had…well, Jason had lost custody of Michael and wasn’t handling it well. I thought Lucky was dead. And we just…I could talk to him and he’d just listen. It kind of grew from there.”

“That’s how it was with me and Sonny at first.” Brenda smiled faintly. “I was on the docks, with my suitcase, and there he was. And it just—pow. Like lightning. I messed it up, though. I didn’t trust him enough.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about the wire,” Elizabeth said and Brenda closed her eyes. “But he forgave you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think he ever trusted me again. Or maybe anyone else. I mean, look what he did to you. Dragged you across the country, making you feel terrified for Jason, and it was just so Jason didn’t marry me.” Brenda snorted. “Best day of my life was seeing you punch him. I wish I could have done that the day he abandoned me at the altar.” She closed her eyes. “Talk about humiliation. Standing there, so sure he was just late—”

“I remember.”

Brenda’s eyes flew open and she looked at Elizabeth, surprised. “You were there? What, with the Spencers?”

“No, I, uh, stole Ruby’s invitation,” Elizabeth admitted with a sheepish smile. “I’d seen your picture in magazines, and you were so glamorous. I just wanted to be part of it.”

Brenda laughed. “Oh, man, that’s amazing! I can’t believe this.” Her laughter tapered off into snorting giggles. “The guards probably didn’t know what to do with you.”

“No, they really didn’t. Lucky vouched for me, but man, he was irritated with me.” Elizabeth shrugged. “It was a terrible day. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well, I held it against Jason for a long time, but I think he was just doing the best he could. He didn’t want to leave me alone, and I took it out on him. I hated him,” Brenda murmured, “but he just took it. It seems unfair now, you know. By the time I saw Sonny again, I don’t think I was angry enough for him for what he’d done. He could have found another way to handle it.”

“Yeah, he could have actually said words to you, but it might have broken his brain to try it,” Elizabeth said. “What is it about men and refusing to just tell the truth? Open a vein? They’d rather be stupid.”

“Honestly.” Brenda wiggled her shoulders. “Who’s this Zander guy anyway? I don’t remember him. Why does the PCPD think you or Jason killed him?”

“Oh. God. Talk about humiliating mistakes.” Elizabeth dragged a hand through her hair. “He was Emily’s boyfriend for a while, and then he worked for Jason and Sonny. He did something stupid—I think he was talking to someone he shouldn’t be. Jason beat him up—which I knew—and when he got out of the hospital, I let him stay in my studio.”

Brenda blinked at her. “Uh, why?”

“Pride. I went to see him in the hospital because I felt bad. I knew Carly had hurt him—and Lucky and Nikolas showed up, telling me that I needed to get out, leave him alone—trying to boss me around, and I lost my head. Then Jason came over, told me I couldn’t help him—”

“Oh, yeah, that’ll do it.”

“Still, it was stupid beyond the speaking of it.” Elizabeth chewed on her bottom lip. “Jason and I were just—I don’t know, we weren’t saying the words. I think we both knew we were interested, but Carly and Sonny were always calling, and Zander was being stupid—then I got kidnapped—Zander ended up in the crypt with me—”

“Crypt—”

“Long story short, after we got out, I slept with Zander. And Jason—apparently, he—well, he saw it. I mean, he saw Zander at my place, and left.” Elizabeth stared at her hands, rubbing one finger over her bare ring finger. “And we’ve been doing dumb things ever since.”

“But you’re better now.”

“Sure. I mean, better than July.” Elizabeth flashed her a hesitant smile. “But I don’t know. We promised not to make the same mistakes, but we’re just going to make new ones.” She shook her head. “Jason almost marrying you isn’t even as bad as the worst thing I’ve ever done to him. And I sort of get why he did it.”

“Really? Because it feels like a fever dream to me,” Brenda told her. She shrugged. “So they think one of you murdered the competition.”

“It’s more likely Zander went to work for Alcazar and got killed because of it.” Elizabeth frowned. “You know, it’s strange how I can’t even—I don’t know. He was someone I sort of dated, and I haven’t even really thought about the fact that he’s dead. What kind of person does that make me?”

“Well, you were accused of killing him,” Brenda reminded her. “It kind of takes you out of the moment.”

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Jason frowned when he opened the door to find Elizabeth sitting up in bed, the lamp next to her switched on, as she thumbed through a magazine. “I didn’t think you’d still be up.”

“Oh, well you said you didn’t think you’d be too late.” Elizabeth set the magazine aside. “Thanks, by the way, for being nice to my grandmother earlier.”

“Well, she was being nice to you,” Jason said as he sat on the bed to pull off his boots. “I’ve always liked your grandmother.”

She snorted. “Okay. Well, the feeling isn’t always mutual, but still.”

Jason turned slightly on the bed so he was looking at her. “Courtney came over to the penthouse earlier this morning. I guess working with her didn’t go well.”

Elizabeth flushed. “Okay, so I definitely was getting back at her for—well, it’s not important. I’m sorry. Did she make a scene?”

“Depends on your definition of scene,” Jason admitted. “Taggert showed up—”

Elizabeth groaned and put her head in her hands. “Oh, no.”

“So he knows that Courtney kissed me a few days before Vegas—”

“This isn’t helping the whole we didn’t get married because of Zander,” she muttered. She flopped back on the bed, staring the ceiling. “The worst thing is that it’s the truth. We really didn’t get married because of that, but no one will ever believe us.”

“The PCPD probably isn’t going to let go of this yet.” Jason paused. “Are you sorry we didn’t go with Sonny’s plan?”

She sat up, frowning at him. “What? Where I go back to the studio and we pretend it didn’t happen? Are you sorry we didn’t do it?”

“I never thought the PCPD would go after you,” Jason told her. “I can prove where I was when it happened—”

“But I was on the pier and didn’t report it. They’re not going to believe me now.” She sighed. “Maybe Sonny was right,” she admitted. “If we could have kept this quiet—if I hadn’t come here after we got back, Carly wouldn’t have said anything—” She looked up, met his eyes. “Do you wish we’d gone back to the way things were?”

“I—” Jason hesitated. “No. Not—not like that. I want you here. I told you that. I just—I don’t know. I don’t want the PCPD coming after you.” He shook his head. “I’m the criminal, not you.”

“Well, I’ve been accessory to a few crimes,” Elizabeth reminded him. “Or at least an accessory after the fact, depending on how you look at it.” She drew a leg up, tucking her knee under her chin. “It just feels like there’s so much pressure now.”

He wanted to ask what she meant  but he already knew the answer. What had seemed like a crazy, heat of moment decision to prove he wasn’t lying about loving her had turned into this complicated mess with Elizabeth right in the cross hairs of a vindictive police department who weren’t above going after people he cared about.

Any chance they had of figuring out what exactly this was between them or if they should even be married had been twisted into being everyone else’s business. If Carly had just kept her damn mouth shut—

“I was thinking about what you asked me yesterday,” Elizabeth said, drawing his attention back to her. “About a ring. Um, I still mean what I said then, but I also think—” She sighed. “People are going to ask.”

“Right.” He managed a smile at her. “Let’s just make sure this goes away, and we’ll—we’ll figure everything out later. Okay?”

“Okay—”

Elizabeth blinked at the sound of someone—of Brenda’s sharp voice—just as the phone beside the night table began to ring. Jason got to his feet and went towards the door to deal with Brenda while Elizabeth reached for the phone.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Morgan, it’s Wally at the front desk—”

Elizabeth frowned as she heard footsteps on the steps and Jason disappeared down the hall. “Wally?”

“They told me I couldn’t call, but I wanted to warn you—”

“Where’s the warrant?” she heard Jason demand—and now there were other voices.

“Warn us about what?”

“The PCPD—”

“Get out of my way, Anger Boy, or you’re coming with her—”

The bedroom door swung open as Taggert stalked in, Capelli on his heels and Jason following after him, a piece of paper clenched in his hand. Brenda trailed after them.

“They’re on their way up—”

“Thanks,” Elizabeth said numbly. She set the phone back on the hook, then climbed out bed, tugging the shirt she wore to cover more of her thighs. “I’m guessing this isn’t a social call.”

“Elizabeth Webber, you’re under arrest for the murder of Zander Smith.” Taggert went behind her and roughly pulled her hands behind her back.

“Can’t she get dressed?” Brenda demanded.

“Brenda—”

“It’s okay.” Elizabeth took a deep breath, looked at Jason, his face red with suppressed fury. “I’m okay. You’ll get the lawyer down to the station, and I’ll be home by breakfast, right? Bring, um, pants, or something—”

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say—” Taggert began, wrapping an arm around her forearm and pulling her towards the door.

She winced at the grip, but bit her lip—if she made a sound that even resembled pain or discomfort, she was worried what Jason would do.

“You have the right to an attorney,” Taggert continued as he all but dragged her towards the stairs.  She looked back over her shoulders to find Capelli following them and Jason in the doorway of the bedroom.

“I’ll call Diane,” Jason told her. “And I’ll be right behind you.”

“Okay.” Then she closed her mouth, resolving not to open it again until she was in a room with her lawyer.

“Do you understand the rights I’ve just spoken to you?” Taggert demanded in the hallway by the penthouses. “With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

She locked eyes with him—this man who had always been so kind to her—and nodded. “Just one thing. I hope you rot in hell.”

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

By the time Brenda got across the hall to tell Sonny what had happened, he was already downstairs and on the phone with Diane. He waved Brenda in as he continued to speak. “Yeah, yeah, I don’t know anything, but get to the PCPD—okay—okay. Thanks.” He set the phone down on the receiver, then focused on Brenda. “What happened?”

“I was downstairs and they just came in—they had a warrant—” Brenda grimaced as Carly sauntered down the stairs, running her fingers through her hair and yawning. “They wouldn’t even let her get dressed—they dragged her out in cuffs—”

“What’s going on?” Carly asked, furrowing her brow. “Sonny—what was Wally calling about—”

“Elizabeth just got arrested for murder,” Sonny muttered. “Diane’s on her way—where’s Jason—”

“He grabbed some clothes for Elizabeth and was, like, ten seconds behind the cops.” Brenda folded her arms. “I thought you and Jason said this was under control—that she wasn’t in any danger—”

“Clearly I underestimated them,” Sonny said, his teeth clenched. “Look, just go across the hall. I’ve got it handled—”

“No, I’m going down to the PCPD—”

“Neither of us are going anywhere,” Sonny snapped. “Jason and Diane will handle this. We’ll just make things worse—” He turned to Carly who was opening her mouth. “That goes for you—”

“I was just offering to help Brenda find the door,” Carly said sweetly. Sonny rolled his eyes as Brenda scowled.

She yanked the door open and stormed out. She knew Sonny was right, that there was nothing she could do at the police department, but damn it—Brenda was tired of sitting back waiting for things to happen.

This was all happening because of her. She should be able to fix it.

PCPD: Interrogation Room

“Just tell me how Morgan managed it,” Taggert said, leaning in. “And I’ll get something for you to wear.”

“Lawyer,” Elizabeth said. She took a deep breath, trying to keep from shuddering. The room was freezing cold and she was wearing one of Jason’s t-shirts and a pair of panties. Her legs were bare from the mid-thigh to her toes—they hadn’t even let her grab shoes—

“Elizabeth—”

“Lawyer—”

“You and me, we go way back—”

“Let me spell it,” Elizabeth said, narrowing her eyes. “L-A-W—”

“Have it your way.” Taggert shoved away from the table and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. She closed her eyes and finally gave into the urge to shiver—her teeth chattering. They’d handcuffed her to the table so she couldn’t even rub her arms—

She could hear some sort of commotion in the squad room and raised voices—then the door opened again to reveal a woman with bright red hair cut in a stylish crop and an elegant suit. Behind her, Jason hovered—and she almost wept in relief to see the jeans over his arm with a pair of sneakers in his hands.

“You already searched the damn clothes!” the woman called over her shoulder. “Now shut up and let me meet with my client.” She turned to look at Elizabeth, then hissed. “Come get these cuffs off of her. Now—”

“Not with Morgan in the room—” Taggert began, but Mac moved past the detective with a roll of his eyes.

“You’re determined to get us sued, aren’t you?” Mac demanded as he slid a key into Elizabeth’s cuffs. “There. I’m sorry, Elizabeth. They should have let you get changed—”

“Oh, it’s going into the lawsuit I’m preparing. Leave us.”

Mac made a face, but then closed the door behind him. Jason came around the table to give Elizabeth the clothes as the lawyer set her briefcase on the table.

“Diane Miller,” the redhead said as Elizabeth shimmied into the jeans Jason had brought, then sat back down to pull on the socks and shoes. “You didn’t say anything did you?”

“Just the word lawyer. I said it in Spanish a few times,” Elizabeth said. “I started to spell it, too.”

“Oh, good. I like a smart client.” Diane flipped through her copy of the arrest warrant with a sigh. “All right, they have you in the area at the time of the murder with a history of knowing the victim. It’s flimsy, but the video of you fleeing the scene shortly after the gunshots will probably be enough to bind you over for a trial.”

“But you can get me out on bail, can’t you?” Elizabeth asked. “I mean—”

“They’ll set the bail pretty high,” Diane murmured. “And there’s a slight chance they’ll decide you’re a flight risk, so we’ll see.” She hesitated. “They might deny bail at the hearing in the morning. I’ll appeal — and most of the time, they overturn those decisions particularly when there’s no physical evidence, a clean record, and no danger to the community. But—” She slid her eyes to Jason.

“But I’m a problem,” he muttered.

“You are. I’m good at this, but Port Charles does not like you. Or your partner. And many of the judges in the criminal division would love a shot at you,” Diane told him. She glanced out the window. “Baldwin’s out there. I’m going to make sure he’s put this on the docket for the morning so you’ll only be here for the night. I’ll be back.”

When their lawyer had left and closed the door, Jason dragged his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry. I told you this wouldn’t happen—”

“I know.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “But I knew you didn’t believe that even when you said it. The PCPD is always looking for a way to get to you. Taggert still thinks you did this. He wanted me to tell him how you managed it even though he knows you couldn’t have.”

“I’m sorry.” Jason sat across from her. “I’ll make this go away. Somehow.”

“I know.” Elizabeth stared at her hands, then flexed her fingers. “I’ll be okay—”

“This is my fault,” he interrupted. “They’re coming after you because of me—”

“No, they’re coming after me because of me,” she told him. “You have an alibi, Jason. You did not do this. I’m the one that—” She took a deep breath. “I didn’t trust you. I didn’t listen to you. And I wasn’t paying attention. I was reckless, and I walked right out onto that pier. This is my fault. And the only reason they can hold me is motive. Because of what happened this summer.” Her voice faltered. “All of this—this is my fault, Jason. I put myself in this position, and I wish like hell I knew how to get out of it—”

“Elizabeth—”

“Yeah, they’re going to offer me a deal to testify against you or Sonny or something, but that doesn’t change the fact that if I had done a thousand things differently these last few months, I would not be here right now.”

“I could have done things differently, too,” he insisted. “We both made mistakes—”

“Not like me.” She closed her eyes. “You told me one lie. How many ways did I hurt you?”

“What I did—” He paused. “It wasn’t just one lie. It was weeks of lying to you. Don’t let me off the hook. I don’t deserve that. I lied to you, I didn’t trust you to keep Sonny’s secret, and then instead of trying to make you understand, instead of apologizing, I nearly married another woman.”

“You didn’t want to marry her,” Elizabeth said with half a smile. He reached across the table to take her hands in his.

“No, but I nearly did it anyway. I was standing at the altar, and I realized—” Jason waited for her to look up, to meet his eyes. “I realized that the only person I wanted to make promises to was you, and there was no way I could ever get you to listen to me if I came back to Port Charles with Brenda as my wife. I promise you, I was going to stop it before you and Sonny showed up.”

“Really?” Elizabeth asked. “I mean—”

“I hate that Sonny lied to you, I hate that you were hurt, but I’m glad you were there. That I could get you to listen. You deserve more than that stupid chapel,” he continued, “but I don’t regret any of it.”

“Me either.” She waited a beat. “I’ll be okay in here,” she promised him. “You and Sonny—you only hire the best. Even if she loses tomorrow—”

“She won’t—”

“But if she does,” Elizabeth continued, “I’ll be okay. I know you and Sonny will get me out.”

“Count on that,” he promised. He got to his feet and came around the table to pull her into his arms. She sank into his embrace, burying her face in his chest, his strength chasing the last bit of chill.

“I love you,” she said softly. Elizabeth tilted her head up to meet his eyes.

“I love you, too.” He leaned down and kissed her.

“Enough of that—”

They both jumped when the door opened and Taggert’s voice barked out the command. “Anger Boy, you’re done. She’s heading to booking and lock up.”

Elizabeth could feel Jason’s muscles tensing beneath her fingers. “I’ll be okay,” she reminded him. “And I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Let’s go,” Taggert said. He reached for Elizabeth’s arm. “Now—”

“You know, I used to respect you,” she snapped as she followed him into the squad room.

“Yeah, well, I used to think you were a good person,” he retorted. “I guess we’re both disappointed.”

Jason followed them out of the interrogation room, but wasn’t able to go any farther when Taggert took her into another room—to be fingerprinted and have her mugshot taken.

“I’ll get the fingerprints thrown out,” Diane murmured. “And the mugshot destroyed. There won’t be a record of this when we’re done.”

Jason gritted his teeth, then stalked out of the PCPD, irritated at the idea of Elizabeth spending the night in lock up. If Diane couldn’t get her out of here legally, Jason would get her out any other way he could.

She wasn’t going to spend a minute longer behind bars than necessary.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Brenda jumped off the sofa and Sonny turned away from the terrace window when Jason came in. “Is she okay?” the brunette asked. “I wanted to come down—”

“Better you stay away,” Jason muttered, dropping his keys on the table. He glared at Sonny. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see if there was anything I could do,” Sonny began. “Jason, we both knew there was a chance—”

“When she came to you after being shot at, why didn’t you take care of it?” Jason demanded.

“I did—I sent men down to the docks—”

“If she’d had Marco—if she’d had the guard I gave her, he never would have let her go down to that pier—” Jason growled. “He told you he was working on a job for me, but it didn’t matter to you, didn’t it?’

“Listen—” Sonny bristled. “If you hadn’t screwed up with her in the first place or just asked Marco—”

“Okay, okay—” Brenda stepped between them as Jason fisted his hands at his side. “This isn’t helping anyone. We need to focus because Luis is going to hear about this, and he’s going to know you’re distracted,” she told Jason. “Which means he’ll come after Sonny —and me. So while Diane is getting Elizabeth out—”

“Alcazar is your problem,” Jason told Sonny. “Take care of it yourself. Elizabeth is the only thing I’m worried about.”

“But—” Brenda began.

“I’ll take care of it,” Sonny said stiffly. “Make sure Elizabeth has what she needs.” He stalked out of the penthouse, slamming the door behind him.

Brenda wrinkled her nose, putting her hands on her hips. “Well, this was productive—”

“Go to bed,” Jason muttered as he went over to the sofa.

“What about you? You need some sleep, too—”

“Go to bed,” he repeated, turning back to face the other woman. “Please.”

“All right.” She hesitated. “Jason, you’ll get her out. I know you—”

“Brenda—”

“I’m going. Good night.”

Jason waited until he heard the door upstairs shut before he sank onto the sofa and put his head in his hands. Even if he could sleep tonight, he wasn’t going upstairs to sleep. Even after only a few nights, he knew that the room and the bed would feel empty without her.

PCPD: Jail

“Last chance,” Taggert said as he pulled the cell closed behind her and slid a key into the lock. Elizabeth looked around at the small space, with the cot in the corner. She was the only prisoner in this part of the jail tonight—the only woman in lockup.

She turned to face him. “Good night, Detective.”

He scowled, then stalked out. A few minutes later, the lights in the lockup went out — the cell was now pitch black.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and felt her way towards the cot. It wasn’t the crypt. It wasn’t the same. She was safe.

She found the cot, laid down, and curled up in a ball. It wasn’t the same, she reminded herself again. Jason was going to get her out. Just like he had before.

But she still didn’t sleep.

Sitting Room

With Elizabeth’s hand in his, Jason walked out of the bedroom and stopped in front of Sonny. “We need a new plan,” he said bluntly.

Sonny frowned, narrowing his eyes. “I thought we agreed—ow!” He glared at Brenda who whacked him in the stomach. “Will you stop hitting me? I already have a busted nose—” He sent Elizabeth an irritated look.

“You’ve deserved every smack,” Brenda retorted.

Sonny’s scowl only deepened when he turned back to Jason. “I thought you wanted her out of this—that you wanted the PCPD to lose the scent. As soon as they get over this—”

“We need a new plan,” Jason repeated. “Elizabeth is coming back to the penthouse. That’s not negotiable—” He glanced at her and the sight of her tremulous smile bolstered him. He focused on Sonny again. “She’s coming home with me, but I don’t—we don’t have to volunteer that we got married in Vegas.”

Sonny narrowed his eyes. “So how we do explain this whole—” He waved his finger in a circle indicating the room. “The two of you came to Vegas and didn’t get married? They’re never going to buy it—”

“They will,” Elizabeth said. “Because—” She sighed. “You’re right, Sonny. The second Taggert or Scott find out that Jason and I got married, they’re not going to believe it’s not related. But—” She met Jason’s eyes. “But if I tell them that I came to Vegas with Jason because he was on business for you so that we could get away from things in Port Charles, that’s not too far from the truth.”

“And the pier?” Sonny retorted. “You’re going to lie—”

“It’s not the first time,” Elizabeth reminded him caustically. “And I don’t even have to lie much. I was walking on the pier after work, heard gunshots, got scared, and ran. I went to see Jason, and you told me he was in Vegas. So I came here to see him. We’re coming back because he’s done and, well, there’s a warrant out for me.” She shrugged. “Some of that is even true.”

Sonny pressed his lips together. “It might work,” he admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck. “All right. We’ll try it. But, uh—” He looked at Jason. “Do you want to call Carly before we get back or wait until we get home?”

“Scared of a tiny blonde,” Brenda sighed. “You hate to see it.”

“After,” Jason definitively. “And she—” He winced, looked at Elizabeth. “We can’t tell her,” he said. “She’ll never keep it to herself.”

With a sigh, Elizabeth shrugged a shoulder. “She’s your friend, not mine. I mean, it’s not like I want to see her head explode.” When Brenda snorted, Elizabeth’s mouth twitched. “Okay, maybe a little.”

Port Charles: Limo

With the time difference, it was nearly nine at night by the time the limo pulled into Harborview Towers — Brenda had attempted to get a car to her cottage, but Sonny had vetoed it. Brenda had sulked and threatened to run away, and they’d bickered the entire drive home.

Elizabeth sat next to Jason, their hands still laced together. She stared at his fingers, wrapped around hers, still not sure how anything in the last twenty-four hours had really happened. Had she really been shot at on the pier? Dragged to Vegas —

Had she really married Jason?

She looked at Jason who was frowning at Sonny and Brenda across the car. “At some point,” she said softly, too softly for the bickering ex-couple to hear her. “We’re going to have to figure this out.”

Jason glanced at her, then nodded. “Yeah. I know.” He drew their hands into his lap, sliding his thumb over the back of her hand. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. Their eyes met. “For hurting you. Back at the hotel. When I agreed to the first plan.”

“You were trying to keep me safe,” Elizabeth said. She leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes drifting closed. “I’m used to it.”

“But I shouldn’t do it by making decisions for you. And I’m sorry,” he said again.

“I’m sorry, too,” she murmured. “For running. Won’t do that…” Her voice trailed off, and she slid into sleep.

Harborview Towers: Hallway

Unfortunately for Sonny, Carly was waiting for him in the hallway and her eyes nearly bulged out of her face when the elevators doors open, and Jason stepped out, cradling a sleeping Elizabeth and Brenda trailing after him.

“What the—”

Sonny grimaced, putting a hand up. “Just—just don’t. We’ll—”

“Don’t tell me—what is she doing here?” Carly hissed as Brenda unlocked Jason’s door and he carried Elizabeth in. “Damn it, Sonny — what the hell is going on—”

“Are you always like this?” Brenda asked. She folded her arms. “You know, I think I liked my life better when I never had to see you. When I died, you were locked up in the loony bin. Why did they let you out?”

Carly hissed and took a step forward. Sonny stepped between the two of them, holding his hands up as he faced Carly. “Carly—”

Jason stepped back out of the penthouse, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Carly, go home,” he said, flatly. “We’ll talk in the morning. Brenda is staying in my guest room because she’s not safe at the cottage—”

“Don’t tell me to go home—you don’t get to give me orders—”

“I do when I’ve barely slept in the last three days,” Jason cut in. He took a short breath. “Carly. I’m tired. You can yell at Sonny in your penthouse. Go do that. He deserves it.”

Sonny tossed his friend a beleaguered look, but clearly he hadn’t been forgiven for dragging Elizabeth across the country on a lie then asking them to pretend to be broken up for a few more weeks.

“Good night, Carly,” Jason said. He took Brenda’s elbow and swung her into the penthouse. For once, the brunette didn’t argue with him.

“And why is the muffin back!” Carly threw up her hands as she whirled around and stalked back into the penthouse. “I was so close to getting him to date Courtney—”

“You weren’t even remotely in the ball park,” Sonny said, exhausted. “I’m going to sleep—”

“Oh, hell no. You’re going to tell me where you disappeared to last night, how Brenda ended up there—why didn’t return my phone calls—” Carly broke off abruptly as Sonny walked past her and started up the stairs. “I’m not done talking to you—”

“I’ll start listening again in the morning.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason winced at the sight of Brenda’s bags next to the sofa, a harsh reminder of her visit the day before and how close he’d come to making such a terrible decision. “I’m going to bed,” he said, walking over to the sofa to pick up Elizabeth where he’d left her.

“She’s really out, huh?” Brenda asked conversationally as she walked up the stairs behind them, one of her bags over her shoulder. “You’d think she’d wake up with that harpy—”

“Brenda—” Jason turned at the top of the stairs. “Pick a room and leave me alone.”

“You know,” Brenda said, putting her hands on her hips. “You could be nicer to me. I did you a favor.” She nodded at the sleeping woman in his arms. “You think you’d be waking up to married to her tomorrow if I hadn’t started this—”

Jason started to reply, then nodded. “You’re right. In a way that is barely related to you, I—” He looked down at Elizabeth, who shifted a little in her sleep, burrowing her face deeper into his shoulder. “I have everything I want.”

Startled, Brenda just stared at him. “Wait. Really?”

“So tomorrow, when we’ve all had a chance to sleep, we’re going to figure out how to get you what you want,” Jason promised her. “So—pick a room.”

“All right.” She waited until he was nearly down the end of the hall. “I’m glad, Jase. That we didn’t go through with it. It would have been really stupid.”

“Yeah, it would have. Good night, Brenda.”

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Elizabeth moaned slightly as a beam of sunlight hit her eyes. She rolled over and buried her face in the soft pillow beneath her cheek. “Five more minutes,” she murmured. “I’ll go to school later.”

A light laugh broke through her hazy mind, and Elizabeth opened her eyes. She rolled over to find Jason leaning up on his elbow, laying stretched out next to her on his bed.

His bed.

She jackknifed into a sitting position, blinking around the room. “Wait. We’re—how long—” She cleared her throat, scrubbing her hands down her face. “I barely remember getting off the plane.”

“Yeah, you fell sleep not long after we left the airport,” Jason told her. He tipped his head to the side. “It’s almost eight.”

Elizabeth winced. “Oh, man, Mike is gonna kill me. I think I was supposed to open—” She hesitated. “Wait, what day is it?”

“Thursday,” Jason said. “I’m sure Mike will understand—”

“Yeah, but Penny won’t. She’s the only other waitress Mike trusts to open—” Elizabeth flopped back on the bed. “Oh well. We were supposed to open three hours ago, so I guess there’s no point in getting irritated. I’ll just have to make it up to her.” She bit her lip, and looked at him, all that gorgeous golden skin in the sunlight. She grinned. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he replied. He leaned down to kiss her lightly, just a brush of his mouth against hers. She sighed dreamily, tracing his cheekbone with her fingertips. “I need clothes,” she murmured.

“You left a few things here,” Jason said. He twirled a piece of her hair around his finger. “We’ll get your things from the studio.” He paused. “If you want.”

“There’s no point in me coming back here if I don’t have clothes.” Her smile deepened. “I mean, I guess we could stay naked the whole time, but I don’t think Sonny would appreciate it.”

“Hey, I have clothes,” Jason said with another grin. He leaned down to kiss her bare shoulders. “You can wear my shirts.”

“Hmm—the idea has merit but—” She sighed as his mouth trailed across her collarbone. “Do we have to get up?”

“No—” Jason began, then winced as something pounded below them. He let his forehead drop to her chest. “That’s the door.”

“We could ignore it,” Elizabeth suggested, helpfully. “I mean, the PCPD can’t just come in without a warrant, but—”

She frowned when she heard voices. “Jason — is that—”

With a scowl, Jason sat up. “Yeah, that’s Brenda and Carly.” He rubbed his cheek. “I told Carly I’d talk to her in the morning. I guess I should be relieved she didn’t come over at dawn.”

“It’s the little things,” Elizabeth said, forcing a smile. “Are my things still in the guest room? I didn’t know what I left—”

“Uh, a dress, I think. And some—” He scratched his neck. “Some jeans. They were in the laundry room,” he mumbled. “And they’re—” He nodded at the closet. “They’re in there.”

“In—” Elizabeth frowned at him. “In your closet? Why?”

“I—” Jason’s cheeks were a bit red as he took a deep breath. “I meant to give them to you, but then I—” He paused. “Then I thought you’d come back for them. And then—” He shook his head. “I cleaned out the guest room,” he muttered, “so that Brenda could use it. Before we went to Vegas.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth bit her lip, staring at the comforter. “She was going to stay in there—”

“She is—” Jason winced. “She’s there now or at least that’s where I think she ended up. You fell asleep in the car, I guess you didn’t hear—”

Elizabeth absorbed the fact that Jason had cleaned what little she’d left behind from the room where she’d slept so that he could park the woman he’d nearly married. And then that woman had slept there anyway last night.

She wasn’t really sure how she felt about it.

“Elizabeth—”

“It’s okay,” she said finally. “I have something I can wear,” she said. “I’ll get the jeans, and if Brenda’s here, maybe she can loan me a shirt. It’s too cold for the dress.” She pushed the comforter aside and slid out of bed. “I’ll get a shower while you go deal with Brenda and Carly.”

“Can’t I just stay up here?” Jason asked, with a wince. Her mood lightened and she leaned forward to kiss him.

“We’ll have plenty of time for showers,” she promised him. “But only if Carly and Brenda aren’t here.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason thought he should be relieved that Carly and Brenda hadn’t come to blows in the time they’d been alone downstairs. Brenda was lounging on the sofa, paging through a magazine as Carly glowered near the door.

“Uh, when I said the morning,” Jason told Carly, “I mean I would come to see you when I was ready—”

“You went to Vegas,” Carly said, jabbing a finger in his chest. “And I saw that bitch’s luggage—why the hell did you take her to Vegas, Jase? And don’t give me the bullshit story Sonny’s trying to feed me. You and Brenda went there first. Sonny and Elizabeth followed. How dumb do you think I am?”

“Don’t answer that,” Jason said to Brenda, not even turning around. He heard Brenda grumbling in the background. “In fact — can you loan Elizabeth something to wear until we get her things?”

“I wanna watch the show,” Brenda complained, but she crossed over to a suitcase, and unzipped it.

“Jason,” Carly began but Jason turned back to her, irritated beyond belief. How many times had he been alone with Elizabeth when Carly had called—

“It’s none of your business why I was in Vegas,” Jason said shortly. “All you need to know is Elizabeth is living here. Don’t make that face—”

“Jason—”

“And don’t start. I’ve got enough problems without you adding to them.”

“Hey, you wanna get dirty with the muffin—” Carly held up her hands. “Listen, we all need to make mistakes. But you know the PCPD came by yesterday looking for her. Zander—” She hesitated. “Zander’s dead, Jase. And they think Elizabeth knows something.”

“I know that—”

“So please tell me,” Carly began, “that you didn’t do anything stupid—”

The front door opened behind them as Sonny came in, and Jason winced as he saw Taggert and Scott right behind him.

“—like marry Elizabeth in Vegas—”  Carly’s words were spoken nearly at the same time the men walked in and Sonny just closed his eyes. Carly turned at the intrusion, saw Sonny’s face and the men with him. “Oh, damn it, Jason!” she swore.

“That’s an excellent question, Anger Boy,” Taggert drawled as he leaned against the door frame. “Care to answer it?”

He needed to change the locks on the penthouse. If he’d had another set of locks, he’d still be upstairs with Elizabeth where everything made sense. Instead, Jason was standing in his living room, glaring at a stricken Carly while Baldwin and Taggert awaited his answer to Carly’s question.

Why the hell had Sonny—

“Well?” Baldwin demanded, shoving the detective aside. “You marry the witness against you, Morgan, or what? Is that why Elizabeth didn’t show up for work today? You dragged her to Vegas?”

“If you have any questions for me, you can talk to my lawyer,” Jason said flatly. “And I don’t have one right now, so unless you’re arresting me—”

“Oh, we’re not here for you, Anger Boy,” Taggert sneered. “We got a material witness order for Elizabeth so we’re bringing her in—”

“What’s the criminal proceeding?” Brenda asked as she joined Jason’s side. “I thought you could only get them if there was a pending proceeding and you wanted to make sure she was available. So what’s the case? Who’s the bad guy?”

“Brenda,” Taggert said with an impatient sigh, “this doesn’t concern you—”

“Unless—” Scott gestured at the set of suitcases by the stairs that Brenda had been pawing through. “Unless Mrs. Corinthos here is wrong and the blushing bridal brunette is not Elizabeth Webber. Maybe we got the wrong idea—”

“What’s going on?”

Jason kept his expression blank as they all turned towards the staircase and Elizabeth stepped off the bottom stair. She’d taken the shower, so her hair was damp, already curling at the ends, and she’d put on the purple summer dress she’d left behind. She’d probably gotten impatient waiting for Brenda.

“So you are here,” Scott said, narrowing his eyes, looking at the luggage, then Brenda, then Elizabeth again. “You know polygamy ain’t legal in New York.”

“Polygamy?” she repeated.

“Carly here let your good news slip,” Scott continued, “but we were debating the actual identity of the bride since Brenda looks like she’s all moved in. Or maybe you’re just a really understanding type of wife. I mean, you practically look alike—”

“Elizabeth, we got an order to bring you down to the PCPD,” Taggert interrupted as Elizabeth just stared at the DA with wide eyes. “So—”

“Am I under arrest?” She folded her arms. “Because I need to call a lawyer—”

“No, we got questions and we want to make sure you answer them—”

“I don’t understand. How do you get a material witness order if you don’t even know the witness has any material?” Carly demanded. “You haven’t talked to her—”

“Carly,” Sonny hissed. “You’ve done enough.”

Elizabeth bit her lip, looked at Jason hesitantly, and he knew she was regretting the decision to come downstairs. He hated this. Hated her being in the middle of all of this, and hated even more than it was his friend that tipped Baldwin and Taggert off about their marriage. They hadn’t even really figured any of it out yet, and now—

“Where have you been for the last forty-eight hours?” Taggert asked. “You didn’t show up for work, and night before last, you were seen running from Pier 52 after gunshots were fired. You didn’t call to report them—”

“It’s Port Charles,” Elizabeth said, walking forward, glancing at Brenda who was next to Jason. The older brunette stepped back, but Elizabeth remained several feet from him, and he just wanted to reach out, take her hand, pull her close to him and make them stop asking questions. “Someone is always shooting at someone.”

Taggert lifted his brows. “I went to see you at your studio when we got the footage. It was almost three in the morning. You weren’t there—”

“No, I wasn’t. I flew to Las Vegas that night with Sonny.” Elizabeth twisted a silver ring on her right hand. “Jason was already there, and we were meeting him.”

“You closed at Kelly’s at midnight. You went to Vegas after that?” Taggert said. “What the hell is in Vegas?”

“We have a hotel on the Strip,” Sonny interjected. “The Cosmopolitan. We checked in around five AM Vegas time. You can call the hotel.” He flashed a dimpled smile. “We just got back last night—”

“Short trip,” Scott said. He focused on Elizabeth. “Marriages are public record, Elizabeth. All I gotta do is call the registrar in Vegas—”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said, making a face. “We got married that night when I got to Vegas. I’m sorry if I didn’t send you an invitation, but you know, you’re not exactly high on my list, Mr. Baldwin.” She flicked her eyes over Taggert’s. “You either, for that matter. ”

“You got shot at on the pier,” Taggert said slowly, “then ran to Harborview Towers, hopped a plane with Sonny, and got married to Jason. I’m supposed to think it’s a coincidence that Zander Smith showed up dead the same day?”

“I can’t tell you what to think,” Elizabeth told him. “All I can tell you is that getting married to Jason had absolutely nothing to do with Zander or what happened on the pier.” She met Taggert’s gaze head on, and Jason knew that she’d phrased the response deliberately so that every word was the truth.

“Wait—” Scott held up a hand. “Morgan was already in Vegas?” His head snapped to Jason who just stared at him blandly. “When did you get there?”

“You can talk to my lawyer,” Jason said. “Elizabeth already told you. Our marriage doesn’t have anything to do with what happened in Port Charles.”

“I doubt that. We can subpoena flight records,” Scott reminded him. “Passenger lists. Car rentals. If you were in Vegas at the time of death—” He shrugged. “Then we can let this go.” He glanced at Elizabeth. “Unless Miss Webber—I’m sorry—Mrs. Morgan—” he said with such venom that Elizabeth nearly flinched. “Unless Mrs. Morgan wants to tell us what the hell she was doing on Pier 52 after midnight? Maybe getting rid of an old boyfriend to clear the way—”

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped as Jason clenched his jaw. “Lawyer,” he repeated. “Get out.”

“Is that it, Elizabeth? Wanted to make sure Smith couldn’t mess up a good thing? Got tired of playing them off one on another—”

Elizabeth put an arm out just Jason started to step forward, blocking him from committing assault. “If you expect me to answer any other questions,” she said, icily, “then you should get an arrest warrant. Do I need to call my lawyer?”

“Do you have a lawyer?” Taggert asked with interest. He gestured at Jason and Sonny. “Their lawyer quit after her sister got blown up because of them—”

“I’ll get a lawyer within the hour,” she retorted. “And I’ll press charges for violating my constitutional rights and for trespassing. We’ve told you to leave. Twice.”

“We’ll be in touch.”

Scott closed the door behind him as Elizabeth let her head drop down, her shoulders slumping. Jason looked at Sonny, who nodded.

“Carly,” he began.

“Wait—” The blonde frowned as her husband took her arm. “No, we need to fix this—why the hell did you get married? What is going on?”

“We’re going home,” Sonny told her, “so you can do all the yelling I ignored last night.”  When they were gone, Jason turned to Brenda who put her hands up.

“I already told you I wanted to be anywhere else,” she reminded him.

“I need to get my things from the studio,” Elizabeth said to Jason. She tucked her hair behind her ears. “I can do that on my own if you can get a guard—”

“No.” He shook his head, then went over the closet to get his jacket and tossed her the one she’d worn in Vegas. “No, I want to get that done.” Jason looked at Brenda. “Don’t go anywhere. We still need to figure this out.”

“Always nice to be an item on the list,” Brenda said with a roll of her eyes, but Jason was already ignoring her and steering Elizabeth towards the door.

Studio

They didn’t talk on the ride over—Jason took her on the bike with a guard following in one of their SUVs so she’d have a way to get her things to the penthouse. The guard waited downstairs while she led him upstairs, unlocking the door and shoving it open.

She’d only been gone a few days, but already the studio felt like another lifetime. Elizabeth sat on the arm of the sofa and looked at Jason. “Do you think they’re really going to come after me for this?”

“No,” Jason said, but he didn’t sound nearly as sure as she’d hope he would. “No,” he repeated. “They wanted to piss me off, make me mad enough to give them something. Taggert still thinks I did this—”

“I don’t know, Scott sounded like he was halfway to a motive for me,” Elizabeth admitted. She stared down at her chipped nail polish. “I mean, you think he couldn’t sell it to a jury?”

“Elizabeth—”

“Imagine me, some kind of femme fatale,” she said, trying hard to force a smile on her face. “Got a rich lover on the hook, but I gotta make the last guy get out of the picture—”

“Hey—” Jason pulled Elizabeth up to her feet and into his arms. She pressed her face against his leather jacket. “We both know that’s not what happened.”

“No, it’s actually worse,” she admitted. Elizabeth tipped her head back to look at him. “And you said it yourself. Zander made himself your enemy, and I—I didn’t do what I should have. He didn’t matter to me. Not really. We weren’t even friends, and I only—” She sighed, sliding one of her fingers down the smooth material of his jacket. “I just went to see him in the hospital, and then Lucky was there, telling me what I couldn’t do—I wasn’t going to ask Zander to stay until that happened—”

“And then I came over and told you the same thing,” Jason said, with a slight wince. “I’m sorry—”

“It still doesn’t change what I did later.” Elizabeth stepped back, that false smile still on her face. “Maybe it was partly just being scared of being alone. Of not trusting that you and I were going to go anywhere. I don’t know.”

“You made a mistake—”

“And you forgave me because that’s what you do.” Elizabeth bit her lip as she picked up the suitcase she’d brought home from the penthouse two weeks earlier and flipped it open. “And I just run away. Isn’t that what you said?”

Jason came up behind her, drawing her against his chest, wrapping an arm around her waist. “That night—in Vegas—I didn’t mean it—I was just—I was angry,” he admitted. “At you, at Sonny, myself for letting it get so crazy—”

“You meant it.” Elizabeth turned. “You’re right. You forgive me, and I just go on to the next terrible thing. And the one time that you mess up, I didn’t even—” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have let you explain. Or just accepted it and forgiven you like you do for me.”

“Elizabeth—”

“Let’s just get this stuff and go. I didn’t even really unpack from when I moved out,” she told him. “You have so much to do, to worry about—”

“It can wait,” Jason insisted. He gently pressed her shoulder so that she faced him again. He traced his fingertips down her jawline, waiting for her to meet his eyes. “I know there’s a lot going on,” he began. “And we’re not—we’re not okay yet. You and me. We can’t fix everything with screaming at each other on the street and getting married five minutes later.”

She dipped her gaze down, her chest tightening. “I know,” she said in a painful whisper. “I wish we could just pretend the rest of it isn’t there.”

“Sometimes we will,” he told her, tipping her chin up again until she looked at him. “And sometimes we won’t. Right now, I just want us to promise each other something. I don’t want you to run away again when you get scared.”

“And I don’t want you to let me go because you think I’m better off.” Elizabeth gripped the sides of his jacket, leaned up to press her lips against his. “You were right,” she whispered against his mouth.

“When?” he replied, his breath hot against her cheek as his lips traced a line to the pulse point in her neck.

“Sonny told you were hurt, and I would have gone to the ends of the Earth to get to you,” she said softly. He drew back, their eyes holding. “I do love you.”

“I love you, too. I just wish I hadn’t shouted it at you the first time I said it,” Jason said with regret in his eyes.

“I’m glad you did,” Elizabeth said. “It was actually—” She bit her lip, then grinned at him, a more genuine one that she could feel down to the tips of her toes. “Once I got past the whole being screamed at part, I think it was kind of hot.”

He laughed, leaned his forehead against hers, tugging her closer. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Elizabeth pressed her mouth to his collarbone. “So let’s get my stuff, go home and deal with Brenda so we can be alone.”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

The last thing Jason wanted to see when he opened the door to the penthouse an hour later was people sitting on the sofa. He knew Brenda would be lurking, but why the hell were Sonny and Benny with her—

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose as she walked in behind him, setting a duffel bag on the desk. Jason put down her suitcases—he’d been strangely relieved when she hadn’t just put things back into the single bag she’d brought with her in September. The majority of her clothes were now in his penthouse.

And Brenda’s luggage was still at the base of the stairs, a glaring reminder of how close he’d come to ruining everything.

“I’ll go upstairs,” Elizabeth began, but Brenda shook her head.

“Oh, no, if this trio of morons is going to be deciding how the hell to save my life, I am not going to be the only woman in the room.” Brenda sprang up. “Look, I know we got off the wrong foot when I almost married your husband—”

Jason scowled at her, but Brenda kept going, “But in a very strange way, I’m like a fairy godmother, you know? Because if I hadn’t dragged him to Vegas, Sonny wouldn’t have dragged you there either, and now I’d be married to him.”

Elizabeth squinted. “Wasn’t that the plan?”

“Yes, and I think we can all agree marrying this—” Brenda flicked her eyes at him, frowning. “Well, some people like him but it would have been a terrible mistake. Tell her, Jason—”

“Huge mistake,” Jason muttered.

“Elizabeth, maybe you should go upstairs—” Sonny said. “Brenda’s just upset with the plan we came up with—”

“Upset?” Brenda whirled around, her dark eyes flashing dangerously. “Upset? Listen, Don Corleone, just because one time in my life, I was dumb enough—” Her hands were shaking, Jason noticed, and reluctantly he looked at Elizabeth.

“This is going to sound really insane, and I am so sorry,” he began.

“But Brenda could use someone in the room without testosterone,” Elizabeth finished. Her smile was thin, but he didn’t think it was disappointed. “I understand. Brenda—”

The other woman turned back to her. “They want to send me away. Lock me up, just like Luis. I can’t lose my life again—”

“I don’t want to lock you up,” Sonny said. “I would never do that to you.” He exhaled slowly. “I suggested the island,” he told Jason. “With guards to keep Alcazar from finding her—”

“But why can’t we talk about options that keep me in Port Charles? I don’t—” Brenda closed her eyes. “I just want some control,” she said after a moment. “It’s been four years, Sonny. And I wasn’t allowed to do anything. I couldn’t contact my friends. My family. I don’t know how much time I have left before—”

“I don’t understand,” Elizabeth said, “and maybe I’m not allowed to ask this, but, um, can’t you just…” She made a wave with her hands, looking at Jason. “You know.”

Jason paused. “That’s on the table, too,” he said.

“We’ve talked about this,” Sonny said, with a warning look. “He’s protected by the government—you wanna bring down more heat?”

“You got any other ideas?” Jason demanded. “Brenda shouldn’t be so desperate to get her life back that she suggested marrying me for protection.”

“Well, that, and your sparkling personality,” the woman in question muttered.

“I thought it was about your—” Sonny hesitated. “I thought you wanted someone to take care of you at the end,” he said finally as Benny looked away.

“I can do that with a power of attorney,” Brenda said. “It’s a side benefit. But I thought I might have a better chance of surviving if Jason was standing in front of me. I never said it made sense, Sonny. I said I was desperate.” As an afterthought, she shrugged to Jason. “No offense.”

“Then—”

“If the man Elizabeth overheard on the pier was someone watching Brenda, Alcazar isn’t giving up,” Jason said. “He’s not going to let Brenda go. It doesn’t matter where she goes, where we send her—”

“Sonny—” Brenda turned her attention on her former fiancé. “If I thought I could get away with it, if there was any other way—I’d do it myself. I just want to live again.”

Sonny held her eyes for a long time, then nodded. “All right,” he said finally. “But that’s where the two of you are out of it,” he said to her, before looking at Elizabeth.

“Don’t wanna be in it in the first place,” Elizabeth grumbled, “but Alcazar keeps shooting at me.”

Sonny and Benny left then with plans for Jason to head over to the warehouse later that evening to work. Brenda went up to her room, waiting for Jason to deliver her luggage.

Elizabeth followed her, busying herself with her own unpacking, still not entirely sure how she’d gone from listening to Courtney tell her about her future romance with Jason to married to him and back in the penthouse.

A smile flitted on her lips as she closed a drawer in the bureau. She couldn’t wait to go to work the next morning. She and Courtney were working the opening shift.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone tonight,” Jason said. He closed the bedroom door behind him, looking at her with a hesitant expression. “And I don’t know if I can call to tell you.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t—” He sat next to her, drew her hand into his lap, playing with her fingers. “That I wasn’t around when you were here last. Every time I looked at you—” Their eyes met. “I was lying to you. And I hated it.”

“I know you can’t tell me everything,” she said. “And I don’t want to know. But I also need to know when you can’t say something. Like right now—I would have been worried if you left and didn’t come back tonight. I’ll still worry,” she added, “but not the same way.”

“It’s been a while since where I was mattered to someone,” he admitted. “I’ll do better this time.”

“I’ll do better, too,” she assured him. “I wasn’t fair before, and I’m sorry.” Elizabeth frowned as he reached for her left hand, his fingers sliding over her ring finger.

“Do you want a ring?” he asked after a long moment. “I can get one.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together, considering the question. She should say yes. They were married. It was real and within a few days, everyone would know. Everyone would look at her hand and ask questions.

“I don’t know,” she said finally. “I know—I’m not sorry that we did it—that you dragged me into the chapel to win an argument—” Elizabeth smiled when he winced. “And it’s not like I’m telling you that I want undo it. I’m here. And I want to make this work. I just—”

She waited, trying to find the right words, hoping she wasn’t hurting him by being honest. He didn’t look upset—only curious. He tipped his head, encouraging her to finish.

“We got married on a whim,” she said. “We didn’t plan it. That’s not—it’s not how I want to make promises to you, Jason. You know? So, no, right now, I don’t want a ring.” She leaned forward to kiss him lightly, hoping it could take the sting out of her words.

His hand, strong and warm, touched her neck, his long fingers tilting her chin to the side to deepen the kiss. “You deserve more than Vegas,” Jason murmured.

“We both do, but I’m still glad we did it.” Elizabeth’s eyes drifted close as his mouth moved down her jaw. “Did you lock the door?”

“Yes,” Jason confirmed.

“Then if you don’t know when you’ll be home—” Elizabeth scooted back on the bed towards the headboard and grinned at him. “We should make the most of it.”