This is a song for the broken girl
The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world
You are
Hear me when I say
You’re not the worthless they made you feel
There is a love they can never steal away
You don’t have to stay the broken girl
– Broken Girl, Matthew West

---

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Hardy Home: Living Room

Elizabeth was crying again as she finished telling her grandmother about Friday, about the final time Lucky had hurt her. Audrey was in tears, too, her voice trembling as she hugged Elizabeth. The two of them rocked back and forth on the sofa.

“I’m so sorry, darling, that I didn’t see it. That I didn’t make you feel safe enough to tell me—” Audrey drew back and wiped tears from Elizabeth’s face. “I love you so very much, and all I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. But you haven’t been. I blamed you, and I had no right—”

“No, Gram, you did the same thing to me that I did to myself—”

“But I know better. I saw you after the kidnapping.” Audrey pressed her lips together, tried to get herself under control. “I saw the way you broke down—and I kept going. I kept blaming Jason. But it’s never been his fault. It’s mine. And Jason is right. I saw Lucky last night. I should have seen the signs.”

“I should have had more courage and faith in myself. I knew I wasn’t in love with Lucky weeks ago. I don’t know when it changed—” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “Gram, I had an affair with Jason. I knew it. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself. And I let my guilt over that blind me to what was happening in my marriage. I couldn’t see that Lucky’s anger was dangerous, I didn’t see that he taking drugs—and I didn’t just put myself in that situation, I let it happen to Cameron—”

“I put myself back into a marriage with a man that nearly destroyed me,” Audrey told her. “You know that. I could say times were different — and they were. The judge wouldn’t give me custody of Tommy unless I stayed with his father. And, of course, in the state of New York—” She sighed.

“A husband couldn’t rape his wife,” Elizabeth said with a sour taste in her throat. “I know. It was never that bad with Lucky, and part of me wants to say it never would have been, but I also—”

She swiped tears from her cheeks. “I never thought it would be like that with Lucky at all. I kept thinking we could have the magic back. I never once stopped to ask myself if I even wanted it.”

“I’m sorry, darling. But you’ve left him now, and I won’t ever let you change your mind.” Audrey hesitated. “And…this…affair with Jason…is it—well, is it still—”

“When I went back to Lucky, Jason and I stopped seeing each other. I promise. I ran into him last week on the docks by accident. We weren’t sleeping together. It was just…a few kisses. A few conversations we shouldn’t have had. But it was enough, and I should have listened to my heart.”

Elizabeth waited a moment, but Audrey didn’t say anything, so she continued. “But yes. Now it’s…something. I’ve told Jason that I want to take it slow. I want to end my marriage, I want to take a breath and give myself space. But I don’t want either of us to ignore how we felt. How we feel. I don’t want to miss my chance again. He loves Cameron, Gram.”

“Does he love you?” Audrey asked carefully.

“I—”

Elizabeth’s answer was cut off as there was a harsh knock on the door. Elizabeth frowned and went to the door to look through the peephole. She grimaced, stepping away. “Go away, Lucky!”

“Let me in! Now! You’re my wife, and I’ll be damned if you’re going to keep humiliating me—” Lucky hit the door, kicking it so hard that it shook in the frame.

“Lucky Spencer, you leave this property right now, or I will call the police,” Audrey shouted back.

“Open this goddamn door, Elizabeth, or I will break it down!”

Her heart pounding, Elizabeth fumbled for her phone. “I’m calling Jason—he can send a guard or—”

“I’m calling 911 right now!” Audrey shouted as she grabbed the landline. She went to the window where she could see Lucky on her doorstep. She held up the phone, so he could watch her dial. “Get off my property!”

“This isn’t over, Elizabeth!” Lucky slammed his fist against the door again but finally stalked away.

Elizabeth closed her eyes, took a deep breath. “Gram—”

“Darling—”

“Don’t call 911. Call Mac Scorpio. Robin was right. I need to report him. Because this isn’t over.”

And while Audrey was calling Mac, Elizabeth made two phone calls of her own. One to Emily, to ask her to come over, and the other to Justus to make an appointment for the next day.

She was done hiding.

Kelly’s: Diner

Jason opened the door and found his tech guy sitting with one of the guards at one of the back tables. Jason hurried over to sit by Stan. “Were you able to find it?”

“Yep.” Stan sipped his iced tea then nodded to Marco, who drew out two plastic bags of jewelry. “Everything Lucky Spencer pawned since March. I just told the owner you were an interested party, and he couldn’t give them to me fast enough.”

Jason took the bags and frowned at the first bag—a man’s wedding ring. “He pawned his wedding ring?”

Stan leaned forward. “Oh. Yeah. Guy said Lucky pawned it in March, and never reclaimed it. Came in yesterday around nine, looking all wild-eyed—typical addict crap—and pawned the rest of it.” He looked at Jason. “That’s what you wanted, right? You didn’t care about the television, right?”

“Yeah, I just wanted the jewelry.” Jason exhaled slowly, then shoved the bags into his pocket. “What do we owe the owner? Did you tell him we’d make it worth his while, or did you just threaten him?”

“Turns out your name is apparently enough to make the guy crap in his pants,” Marco said with a grin. “Probably could have cleaned him out of the diamonds if I’d been interested.”

“Thanks. Keep this to yourself, okay?”

“We’re protecting a cop?” Stan asked with some confusion. “Isn’t he Elizabeth’s husband? I mean, maybe I’m overstepping, but wouldn’t it be easier for you if he got in trouble—”

“We’re protecting the woman who owns the jewelry,” Jason said flatly. He got to his feet. “Thanks for doing this so quickly.”

Stan accepted his danger and sat back with a shrug. “No problem. We got a break — it was at the second store we contacted.”

Jason left them then, intent on heading to Carly’s house to pick up Cameron. He wanted to keep moving, to keep focusing on what was next—

Because if he stopped, he’d have to think about the fact that he’d seen the bruises on Elizabeth, had seen her that last night with a cut on her face, with an injured shoulder—

And had never once questioned if Lucky was hurting her. Not even after Sonny had suggested it might be possible. And hadn’t Jason told himself then that she’d never confide in him about it—

How could he blame the rest of the world for not seeing it? He hadn’t. And now he’d have to live with the guilt.

He shoved open the door to Kelly’s and ran straight into Robin. “Sorry—”

“Oh, hey, I was hoping to run into you.” She frowned. “You look upset.” She tipped her head to the side, squinted her eyes. “Have you been back to the penthouse?”

“Uh, yeah.” He let the door to Kelly’s close behind him. “I know—” Jason shook his head. “I know. Elizabeth told me. And she told me you knew.”

“She told you what?” Robin asked slowly, drawing out the words with a suspicious furrowing of her brows.

“Robin.” Jason just sighed. “I know what she’s been through. And that you were there for her. That you encouraged her to tell me. Thank you. I’m glad she had someone.”

“Okay.” Robin folded her arms. “A lot of good it did her — she wouldn’t listen to me back when it happened. I wanted her to leave then. I thought about telling you.”

“You should have,” Jason said flatly. “Someone should have told me—”

“Or maybe you should have seen it—” Robin scowled. “I mean, it was right in front of your face. Patrick and I both saw it—” She pursed her lips. “But I should have told you. I knew if you knew—if Emily knew—she might not have gone back. But—” She shrugged a shoulder. “Water under the bridge. She told you. She left. And now—” She bit her lip. “She did the hard part.”

She arched a brow. “Now comes the dangerous part. Most women in an abusive relationship are hurt worse after they leave. Does she have a guard?”

Jason scowled. “No.” Damn it. And he’d seen Lucky the night before. He knew exactly how angry he could get. He pulled out his phone. “I’ll send Cody over. I promised her I’d get Cameron and bring him home.” He started out of the courtyard.

“Tell her I have those pictures,” Robin called after him. “She’ll need them when she calls my uncle.”

He turned back to her for a minute. “Okay. Thanks. For being there.”

“I like Elizabeth, too, Jason. And I want her happy. She’s been through enough.”

That was something they could agree on. So Jason left, leaving Cody a voice mail to head over to the Hardy house in case Lucky showed up.

Hardy House: Living Room

Mac arrived just after Emily did, and the police commissioner was in a rotten mood. Elizabeth understood that—he’d lost a police officer the night before, and she knew Maxie must be traumatized. It was only out of respect for Audrey and her grandfather that Mac had even taken Audrey’s call and come over as quickly as he had.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” Mac snapped as Audrey closed the door behind him. “What’s this about?”

“You will not take that tone with me, Mac Scorpio,” Audrey snapped.

Emily looked back and forth between Elizabeth’s grandmother and Mac before meeting Elizabeth’s tired and puffy eyes. “What’s going on? What’s happened since last night?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’d like to know. I’ve been trying to find you for nearly twenty-four hours,” Mac retorted. “You fled the scene of a crime—you’re lucky I don’t have an arrest warrant—”

Elizabeth arched a brow. “You mean, I fled a place where a maniac was shooting at people? Yeah, I can see why that would be suspicious. You can’t get an arrest warrant for that. If you could make those charges stick, Jason would still be at the PCPD.”

“Don’t get me started on that—”

“You’re here because I need to file charges against Lucky,” Elizabeth said. Emily’s head snapped up, and she stared at Elizabeth, startled. “For assault.”

“Assault,” Mac repeated, slowly. He tensed with the air of a man who knew what was coming but was hoping like hell he was wrong. “Against who?”

“Me.” Elizabeth folded her arms tightly. “On four separate occasions, Lucky assaulted me, the last being Friday night.”

Mac cleared his throat. He scrubbed a hand over his face, then sighed. “Okay, uh, let’s just—let’s just start from the beginning. What happened?”

So Elizabeth told him. She told him in the same detail as she had Jason, but this time she was able to keep herself together. Some of the details were new for Audrey, who was weeping again. Emily put an arm around Audrey’s shoulder, her own face pale, her expression frozen like granite.

“And then Lucky left the apartment,” Elizabeth finished finally. “I got up, looked at myself in the mirror, took a call from Emily, and then left. I didn’t see Lucky again until last night when he came to Greystone and tried to get on the grounds to make me leave.”

Mac frowned, squinting. “You—You saw Lucky last night—when—”

“Before Jason and Sonny were arrested,” Elizabeth told him. “He knew where I was and knew I was there because I wanted to be.”

“Which is a very different story than he told either of us at the station last night,” Audrey reminded Mac.

“Yeah, I caught that,” Mac muttered. “Your grandmother said you’d seen him today—”

“Yeah, about a half hour ago, when he came to Gram’s door and threatened to break it down.”

Mac closed his notebook and stared down at it for a long moment. “He’s been under a little pressure,” he said, but it was clear from his tone even he didn’t believe that.

“You should have him drug tested,” Elizabeth said. “Because I’m pretty sure he pawned my jewelry to pay off his drug dealer. I think he started buying oxycontin on the street because he was always taking pills, and Patrick cut him off months ago.”

“You’re accusing him of taking drugs, too?” Mac said. “Look, I can—I can believe the rest of it, but do you have proof of this? I know this has been a rough time for you, and maybe you want to make sure Lucky can’t see your son—”

“Don’t you dare,” Emily said in a tightly controlled voice. “Because if you’re about to accuse her of lying, I will call my grandfather and make sure he calls the mayor. I am done watching you and the rest of the PCPD treat Elizabeth like this.”

“I didn’t even get a chance—” Mac looked at Elizabeth. “I believe you,” he repeated. “I don’t know about the drugs, but I don’t think you’d accuse him of the abuse if it weren’t true. I know that Lucky’s been under a lot of pressure from the job, and the injuries didn’t help. That doesn’t excuse it, but it means I believe you.”

“But?” Elizabeth prompted. “Because I can hear you saying it.”

“But it would be your word against his without evidence. The incidents that caused injury were from a month ago, and you didn’t report it—”

“Robin took pictures,” Elizabeth said. “They’re dated. Before Manny kidnapped me that night. So hopefully, you’d believe her.”

“I…” Mac pursed his lips. “I would, yes.”

“And Patrick has seen Lucky screaming at me. He’s a witness to the anger.”

“Elizabeth—”

“But you’re not going to do anything. Even with the pictures.”

“I’m going to file the report,” Mac told her. “And I’ll interview Robin and Patrick. I’ll get the pictures. I’ll take it to the DA, but Alexis probably won’t look at the case because she’s related to Lucky’s brother. And I don’t know that another DA would file charges.”

“Why?” Audrey demanded. “My granddaughter is a credible witness with proof!”

“Because of Jason,” Elizabeth said with a sinking feeling. Mac looked away. “For the same reason no one believed me about Manny. No one believed me that I hadn’t been kidnapped because of Jason. Because people will blame me for it. There are members of your department who think I got what I deserved when Manny kidnapped me. And they’ll think that I deserved what Lucky did.”

“I’m not one of them—”

“But that’s what will happen.”

Mac sighed. “Look, you did the right thing. You got out. And I’ll put together a report. There will be a paper trail. I’ll talk to Lucky about leaving you alone. And I’ll encourage him to get counseling. And a drug test. Elizabeth—”

“This is bullshit,” Emily said flatly. “I can’t believe you’re not going to do more—”

“There’s nothing else he can do,” Elizabeth said with a sad sigh. “Because he’s right. The DA’s office will never take this case. Even if it were Alexis. Because Lucky would never plead guilty. And a jury would never convict him. They’d just—they’d see the same thing everyone else does. A cop’s wife who had an affair with a criminal and ended his career. And got what she deserved for it.”

Mac, at least, had the decency to look ashamed as he nodded. “I think that might be the outcome, yeah. I’m sorry, Elizabeth. I work in the system, I can’t always make it do the right thing.”

“Especially when you agree.”

Audrey’s voice was carefully controlled as Mac looked at her. Elizabeth blinked at her in surprise, but her grandmother kept her eyes on the commissioner.

“You could push the DA. You could remind them that Jason has never once been convicted of a single thing. You could also remind them that he is, nominally, a Quartermaine. But you’re giving up. Because you think if my granddaughter had not been around Jason Morgan, none of this would have happened.”

Mac hesitated. “I wouldn’t go that far, but I think we’re forgetting that a good cop is dead because he was standing too close to Jason Morgan—”

“He’s dead because he came over to scream at me for being a whore and was standing too close to me,” Elizabeth said flatly. “Because Lucky’s drug dealer was sending him a message about paying his bills. You might believe me about some of it, but you clearly have your own narrative.”

“Elizabeth—”

“You can go. Thanks for coming. Let me know when the report is ready, so I can ask Justus to get a copy for my divorce petition.”

“I’m sorry,” Mac repeated, but he left.

“I cannot believe—” Emily took a deep breath, then dragged her hands through her hair. “Are you okay?” she asked, looking at Elizabeth. “I’m so sorry. I should have seen it—”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I didn’t want you to see it—” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out while I was telling Mac—I didn’t know how fast he’d get here—”

“You don’t have to apologize to me.” Emily took her hands in hers. “You didn’t tell me because I think a part of you was scared I might tell you the same thing I’m sure Luke did. That this isn’t Lucky, that the Lucky we know and love would never do this to you. That’s what he told you to make you stay, right? He told you had to fight for the boy who we used to know.”

“Em—”

“Because that’s the crap I used to say to you all the time. Never again,” Emily declared with a shake of her hand. “Because the boy I knew wouldn’t do that. The man he is today? I believe it. He doesn’t get one more minute of my time. You and Cameron are who matter to me.” She embraced Elizabeth tightly. “Let the Spencers worry about Lucky. He’s their problem. He never has to be yours again.”

Jake’s: Upstairs Hallway

Sam shoved open her door and frowned when she saw Alexis waiting in the hallway. “How did you know—”

“You said you were leaving, so I had someone find out which flight you were on. And I took a chance you’d be staying at Jake’s because it’s under the radar.” Alexis looked down at the duffel bad in Sam’s hand. “You have to leave today? Now?”

“There’s nothing here for me,” Sam said with a shrug. “What’s the point? What are you doing here?”

“I’m here because there’s something I need to say before you walk away forever.” Alexis waited, but Sam didn’t drop the bag or offer to let her in. “Fine. We’ll do this it this way. I understand you were disappointed to learn I was your biological mother—”

Sam snorted. “Disappointed isn’t the word—”

“And being connected by blood doesn’t mean anything. I’m a Cassadine. We spend a lot of time running from our blood relatives.” Alexis folded her arms. “Sometimes, we get to choose our family, Sam, but I understand that right now, you don’t have a lot of interest in choosing me.”

“No, I don’t. Can I go now—”

“But you’re not just turning me away,” Alexis continued. “You’re walking away from Kristina and Molly. I know how close you were to your brother. How fiercely devoted you were to him.”

“Don’t talk to me about Danny—” Her throat tightened. “How dare you—”

“My girls could use an older sister who loves like that.” Alexis stepped to the side. “You can go, Sam. Knowing you’re alive, that you’re in the world—that gives me peace. For so long, you were a devastating memory. I blamed myself for a long time for not being stronger, for not finding a way to keep you. I thought you’d died because I was weak.”

Sam just stared at her biological mother as Alexis took a bracing breath. “But you’re alive, Sam. And that’s enough for me. I can make it enough.”

“I’m going to go now.” Sam started down the hallway, but she heard Alexis following her. When they reached the empty bar downstairs—it hadn’t yet opened up for the night rush—Sam turned to her. “I don’t need you. I don’t need your kids. I don’t need a family. I’m fine on my own.”

“If you ever change your mind,” Alexis said, “I’ll be here.”

“I won’t.”

And then Sam left.

Hardy House: Front Porch

Emily stayed for a little while longer, but then she had to get back to the hospital. About an hour after she’d left, there was another knock at the door.

Audrey had gone upstairs to start putting together a list of people to call in case Elizabeth decided she wanted to go war against the PCPD and force charges to be filed.

Elizabeth didn’t think she was going to go that far, but she appreciated how much support her grandmother had offered her since she’d come home. She knew Audrey wasn’t totally sold on Jason, but she was willing to lay down her guard and give him a chance.

She hoped it was Jason at her doorstep, bringing Cameron back to her—and when she opened the door to find her grinning son, smiling sunnily at her from Jason’s arms, Elizabeth couldn’t help but grin back.

“Hi, Mommy. Jason bringed me home.” He leaned forward to hug her, and Jason transferred Cameron into her arms. “Love you, Mommy.”

“I love you, too, Cam.” She closed her eyes and hugged him tightly. “Did you have fun with Aunt Carly and Morgan?”

“We eated lots of sugar. All the candy. Morgan says it’s cuz his daddy says no fun, and his mommy says too much fun.” He grinned at her, flashing his baby teeth. “Then Jason comed, and said I get to go home to Gram. He said my toys be here later.”

“Cody is bringing over Cameron’s things,” Jason told her. “The toys and clothes at least. I figured you’d want them.” He hesitated. “I can go—”

“No, no—wait—” She pressed a kiss to Cameron’s cheek. “Guess what? Gram is upstairs in her room, and I think she needs a great, big Cam hug.”

“I go do that. I love my Gram.” Cameron waved, then started for the stairs. She and Jason watched he gradually climbed the staircase, carefully holding onto the railing as he lifted his tiny legs onto the next step.

He waved again from the top of the stairs, then disappeared down the hall. Elizabeth smiled after him, then looked back at Jason. “Let’s talk outside. “It’s a nice day, and I’m tired of being inside.”

Jason nodded. “Uh, when Cody gets back, I asked him to hang out—”

“I was going to ask you about that,” she said as she leaned against the wall of her house. “Because Lucky showed up here, and I just—I don’t want to deal with it. I’d rather someone stopped him before he got that close again. I don’t want my grandmother or Cameron to have to worry.”

“You won’t have to worry about him anymore.” Jason paused. “I have something for you—” He reached into his jacket and drew out two plastic bags. “I thought about leaving these with the pawnshops because I didn’t know if you’d want to report them stolen, but—”

“You found my jewelry.” Pleased, Elizabeth took the bags. “I thought about filing charges of theft, but—we’ll get into that—” She hesitated, looking at the bag with just the wedding ring. “Well, at least he didn’t just pawn my stuff—”

“He pawned it in March.”

Elizabeth blinked at Jason, then looked back at the bag, with the pawn slip attached. “March 27,” she murmured. “Less than two weeks after Patrick cut him off, he was already out of money for the drugs. I know you said it had been that long, but I guess—” She shook her head. “You know what makes me sad about this? I mean, more than the rest of it. What really gets me?”

“What?”

She met his eyes. “I never noticed his wedding ring was gone. All those weeks—and I never noticed.” She opened the door slightly and tossed both bags on a table just inside the door, then closed the door again. “I’ll give it to Luke or Bobbie. They can give it to him. It’s not my problem.”

Jason nodded. “How did, uh, how did your grandmother take it?”

“She was upset. You know she felt bad for how hard she’d been on me. And then when Lucky showed up, she wanted to call Mac. So I agreed. I called Emily, too. They both came over.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “I filed a report, but Mac doesn’t think the DA’s office will press charges. Even with the pictures Robin took.”

“Because Lucky’s a cop,” Jason said. “And—”

“And the department still thinks I’m the whore that ruined his career,” Elizabeth finished. “Yeah, pretty much. Mac believes me, he said, but he’s not willing to push for it either. So…” She shrugged. “I did what I could. And Emily is—she’s taking my side. Which I’m not sure I one hundred percent expected. I made an appointment with Justus to file for divorce.”

“Good.” Jason nodded. “And Santiago Escobar will not be a problem,” he told her. “Don’t worry about that.”

“I figured.” She smiled up at him. “You know how hard as this day has been, I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I told you, that I told Emily and my grandmother—that I stopped hiding.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t see it—” Jason shook his head. “I should have—”

“We were both swimming in guilt, Jason,” she said softly. “I realize now part of me thought I deserved it. Because maybe he was right. Maybe if I had loved him better or at all—it wouldn’t have been that way.”

“Elizabeth—”

“I know that’s not true—that I didn’t deserve it. But that’s why I could hide it. Because to you, it looked like guilt for what we were doing. You felt it, too. For what you were doing to Sam.” She bit her lip. “I’m not proud of what we did, Jason. But I don’t know if we could have stopped it. We should have.”

“I—” He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I guess we should have.”

“I don’t want to live my life in the dark like that again.” She met his eyes. “I know you’re okay with taking it slow. I need it. I need this time and space. But I also need you. And I’m not sure how we make that work.”

“We’ll figure it out,” he told her. Then he tipped his head to the side. “I love you.”

Elizabeth blinked. “I—” Her chest tightened as tears stung her eyes. God, she hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted to hear him say it. Even if she knew it was probably true—

She really had needed to hear him say it. At least once.

“Jason—” Her voice faltered, and she looked down.

He shook his head. “I didn’t say it so you’d say it back. I just—I didn’t want you to think that it needed to be a secret. It’s not something you have to pry out of me. I know I don’t…that I don’t always tell you what I should.”

“I begged you once to ask me,” she murmured. Elizabeth lifted her eyes to meet his. “And I wanted you to do that. I wanted it to be your move. I didn’t want to be brave. It seemed easier if it was a question. But you were right. If you had to ask me, then I wasn’t ready to offer it.”

Elizabeth fisted her hand in his shirt and drew him in for a long, slow kiss — right on her front porch where anyone driving past could see them. “I love you, too,” she murmured when he pulled back. “I know whatever happens next might be hard, but I just—I don’t want us to throw it away again.”

“We won’t.” He kissed her again. “I promise.”

“Stay for dinner,” she said. “Cameron will want pizza and his Spiderman movie. And I want my grandmother to see you with him.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

She smiled at him as she pushed open the door and they went inside. She stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Hey, Cameron, Gram—we’re going to order pizza for dinner! Jason’s staying—”

“YAY!” came her son’s excited shout. She heard his footsteps as he ran down the hallway and started to hurry down the steps. Audrey came to the top of the stairs just as Jason met Cameron halfway, both obviously worried Cameron might fall.

Audrey smiled as Cameron threw himself into Jason’s arms. “We watch Biderman?” Cameron demanded. “Get sausage pizza?”

“Yeah, but you have to sing the song for me again. I forgot how it goes,” Jason said as they came to the bottom of the stairs.

“Biderman, Biderman, Biderman. Does what Biders can! Look out! Biderman!” Cameron sang loudly as Elizabeth caught her grandmother’s sparkling eyes as Audrey fought a smile.

Then Elizabeth laughed, watching her son sing happily with his new best friend, excited to watch his favorite movie for the hundredth time.

She couldn’t think of a better way to end the day.

THE END

One day she will tell you that she has had enough
It’s coming round again
Do you feel like a man
When you push her around?
Do you feel better now, as she falls to the ground?
Well I’ll tell you my friend, one day this world’s got to end
As your lies crumble down, a new life she has found
– Facedown, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

---

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Courtland Street: Alley

Jason parked his bike a block away from the area where he knew Santiago Escobar dealt drugs and did most of his business. He didn’t want the engine to give him away.

The night before, when Lucky had shown up at the gatehouse, there had been a light in his eyes, a weird energy in the way he carried himself—Jason had wondered at the source but hadn’t let the thought really take control. He didn’t have time to worry about Lucky Spencer, not with Elizabeth looking more done with him than ever before.

She’d walked away from Spencer last night without blinking, and he’d planned to follow her lead. Until he’d seen Lucky at the PCPD the night before—until this morning when Elizabeth’s jewelry was missing. The valuable pieces that might bring some decent cash at a pawnshop.

The cop buying drugs from the Escobars, a problem with a customer, stolen jewelry—it all added up, and Jason didn’t know how any of them had missed it. He’d avoided Lucky, and he knew Elizabeth felt guilty—

But it was clear to him that Lucky had become addicted to something in the last few months which meant Elizabeth had been the target last night—and Beaudry, the victim of a ricochet by a young, immature idiot who didn’t know better.

Santiago Escobar had his back to the street, dealing with a customer when Jason reached the entrance to the alley. The greasy man buying from Santiago paled when he realized who was standing behind his dealer.

“Uh, never mind—” He spun and took off down the alley, tripping and falling into a pile of trash.

“What the hell—” Santiago started to call after him, but his words were choked out as Jason grabbed him by the shoulders, threw him up against the brick wall of the building. He pressed his forearm against the dealer’s neck, watching as Santiago’s eyes bulged slightly.

“Morgan—what—”

“Didn’t your uncle tell you we were interested in you?” Jason shook his head. “Because I am. Do you know who was at the park yesterday?”

“Listen—it was a misunderstanding—a customer—”

“Who’s the customer?” Jason increased the pressure slightly, and Santiago gasped. “Who?”

“Uncle Matty told me not—”

“You think you can take a shot at me and walk away—”

“It wasn’t you—it was—”

“You shot at Elizabeth, didn’t you?” Jason demanded. “Because Lucky Spencer wasn’t paying his bills?” When Santiago gulped, Jason knew he’d been right. He released the dealer suddenly, letting him drop onto the filthy concrete ground.

Santiago was on all fours, gasping for air. “I didn’t know—”

“You’re too stupid to live,” Jason said, nearly as insulted as he was furious. He grabbed Santiago by the hair and threw him back against the wall. “You didn’t know who Elizabeth Webber is? You don’t pay attention to the news?”

“Her name is Spencer, dude—” Santiago wheezed as Jason slammed his fist into the asshole’s gut. “Oh, shit, shit. Shit. She was there with you?” His eyes bulged in horror. “Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, oh, shit,” Jason repeated. Without breaking a sweat, he threw Santiago against the other brick building. He slumped, falling to the ground. “You touch her or her kid—you even breathe in her direction, I’ll make you sorry you were ever born.”

“It was a mistake,” Santiago blubbered. Blood was seeping from a deep gash on his forehead. “A mistake—”

“You sent two shooters to a crowded park full of kids and innocent people so you could shoot at a customer’s wife because he owed you money?” Jason crouched down to look at the nearly incoherent drug dealer. “The only reason you’re not already dead is because your uncle said he’d deal with you.”

“B-But—”

“You stay away from Kelly’s. The high school—Luke’s—” Jason stood up and looked around the alley. “You see this alley? This is yours. You don’t leave again. You or anyone else. This is the only warning you get.”

“You—” Santiago rolled over onto his side, coughing. “Sonny would never go against my uncle—”

Jason kicked him hard—Santiago fell onto his back, moaning. “This isn’t about your uncle or Sonny. This is about you.” Jason knelt one more time. “Don’t make me regret leaving you alive.”

When Santiago just nodded, finally out of his bravado, Jason took a deep breath. “Now tell me about Lucky Spencer.”

Greystone Manor: Living Room

Sonny frowned when Jason walked back into the room three hours after he’d left. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Jason took a deep breath and looked at him. “I know what happened yesterday. Mateo swore it wasn’t about us. It wasn’t, but Elizabeth was the target. He just didn’t know who she was.”

“How can you be so sure?” Sonny wandered over the minibar, then winced. It was barely two in the afternoon. Without pouring the bourbon, he turned back to his partner. “Where have you been?”

“I took Elizabeth to the apartment to pack a few things, and when we got there—” Jason swallowed hard, remembering the destruction of Cameron’s bedroom, of the broken pieces of plastic that had once been the toddler’s prized toys. “It looked like Lucky had gone on a rampage. Things were torn up everywhere.”

Sonny winced. “Oh, man—”

“And Elizabeth realized her jewelry was missing. Jewelry that was there on Thursday. Before the shooting.”

Sonny furrowed his brow, but Jason could see his point was getting through to the other man. “What kind of pieces?”

“Elizabeth said they were relatively valuable. Not insanely expensive, but not cheap. A few things passed from her family. Something that might interest a pawnshop.”

“The cop we thought might be undercover,” Sonny said slowly, “was a cop making a legit buy. A cop who might want something to relieve the pain.” He exhaled slowly. “Damn it.”

“I went to Courtland Street,” Jason said flatly. “And I found Santiago Escobar. He confirmed it. Lucky Spencer’s been buying from him since March. At first, it was just oxycontin. But in the last month, he’s been buying heroin—”

“Christ—”

“On credit,” Jason finished. “When Lucky refused to pay on Friday, Santiago told his boys to send him a message. They were supposed to shoot at Elizabeth to make it clear to Lucky they could get to his family. Beaudry—it was a ricochet or something—”

He shook his head. “Lucky stole her jewelry and pawned it along with anything else he could find in the apartment. Their television was missing, too. Elizabeth didn’t realize it when we were, but I went back to the apartment to check. He made good with the Escobars today. Because he knew that the Escobars had shot up the park and why.”

“Oh, man—this is—” Sonny sat in the armchair. “They really are dumb as hell—” He stared at Jason. “That’s why Lucky was looking for Elizabeth last night. Why he was so desperate for her to come with him. He knew they were shooting at her.”

“The Escobars aren’t like you, Sonny. They’re not even like Moreno or Sorel. Or they weren’t. Mateo’s always been happy as long as you let him run his product in his territory. But Santiago is greedy, and he didn’t even think twice about going after a cop’s family. That’s a special kind of stupid.”

“So Elizabeth was, again, the target for something that had nothing to do with us.”

“Yeah.” Jason exhaled. And he’d nearly walked away from her again, thinking she might be safer without him. “I put Stan on the pawnshops — I want to get her things back. But I have to tell her, Sonny.”

“She didn’t know about the drugs? She never said anything?”

“No, but—” Jason hesitated. “She never got into the details of what was wrong with Lucky. I thought it was mostly about me, but maybe—maybe it wasn’t.” He shook his head. “I don’t think she knew.”

Sonny sighed. “You should go tell Elizabeth. She needs to get that divorce filed immediately and make it known to the world she’s not to blame for that idiot husband. Man, Lucky was such a great kid. I don’t know what the hell happened to him.” He grimaced. “And I’ll talk to Mateo again. We need to put a lid on this before the PCPD makes trouble for us all.”

Jason shook his head—it wasn’t the action he wanted Sonny to take, but he hadn’t expected much anyway. He’d have to keep a closer eye on the Escobars himself and step up if Sonny wouldn’t.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Elizabeth sighed as she wrote down the name of the fifth broken toy from the box she’d had one of the guards bring up from storage. She wanted to get Cameron’s things replaced as soon as possible—she didn’t want him to even know they were missing.

She turned over the Spiderman figure—one of four Cameron owned—and searched in the box until she found the missing leg. It had been broken into two pieces—

This had been deliberate. Lucky to have smashed it with his heel. Some of the pieces had been so obliterated, they were still shards of plastic in the carpet back at the apartment.

She’d save this toy, save these broken pieces as a reminder of why she could never—ever—go back.

Elizabeth turned at the sound of the key in the lock and managed a half-smile for Jason as he returned, tossing his keys onto the table. “Hey.” She got to her feet and folded her arms. “I was just thinking about dinner. I haven’t eaten since—” She stopped at the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

Jason scratched his brow, then looked at the broken toys she’d been sorting through. “Let’s—let’s sit for a minute.”

“No, Jason. Tell me what’s wrong.” She crossed the room to him and put a hand on his forearm. “What happened?” She turned his hand over to look at his knuckles. The skin was broken slightly, and a bruise was forming. “Jason?”

“I know what happened to your jewelry,” Jason said after a long moment. He stripped off his jacket and tossed it on the sofa behind them. “Lucky pawned it to pay off Santiago Escobar.”

“Pay off—” Elizabeth closed her eyes. “You said he was a drug dealer. Patrick refused to write him a new prescription for his pain pills a few months ago,” she said in a soft voice. “I know Lucky struggled with that. I thought he’d figured it out—Patrick said he’d stopped screaming at him for a new script. He just…found someone else to give him the pills.”

“Yeah, I talked to Escobar. Lucky started going to him in March. And then…last month, he started buying heroin regularly. It’s a stronger high—Lucky probably had built a tolerance—”

Elizabeth shook her head. “You don’t—” Her mind spun for a moment. “You don’t have to explain. I get it. He’s been on drugs. For months.” She hadn’t even thought—hadn’t even considered—

“Yeah.”

Elizabeth turned away from him and dragged her hands through her hair. “Oh, man. I didn’t—I knew he was in pain. I knew he was angry all the time. But I was just—I was so wrapped up in my own guilt about what was happening with you, and then Manny—I didn’t see it—didn’t carry it to the logical conclusion.” She turned back. “He pawned my jewelry to pay them off. Which meant he owed them money. That’s what yesterday was about?”

“It was just supposed to be a warning to Lucky,” Jason said. “It looks like Beaudry really was an accident. Lucky paid up this morning.”

“Oh, my God—” She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. “Oh, my God. I let my son live in a home with a man high on drugs—I left Cameron alone with him—That day—at the hospital—he drove Cameron there—”

“Elizabeth—”

“There were probably drugs in the apartment. What if Cameron had gotten his hands on them—”

“He didn’t.” Jason reached for her hands and pulled them away from her face, forcing her to look at him. “Hey. He didn’t. He’s safe. You left, and Cameron is safe. We can go get him if you need to see for yourself—”

“I just—”

Elizabeth collapsed onto the sofa, feeling like she’d been punched in the gut. “I went back to him. I—” Her lip trembled. “You don’t even know the half of it, Jason. You don’t know how bad it was. And I went back because I thought I could save him. I thought if I could just be patient—but he was doing drugs—heroin. He was on heroin. And—”

Jason sat next to her and picked up the broken Spiderman. He stared at it for a long moment before looking back at her. “How bad was it?” he asked softly.

She clasped her hands into her lap. “The first time was the day Cameron got sick. You remember? You went into the store, and you bought him that Pedialyte because he couldn’t eat.”

“I remember.”

“You wouldn’t let me pay you back, and I—I—it was name brand. I wouldn’t have bought it. We can’t afford that. When Lucky came home, and he realized you had bought it—he was angry. I hadn’t seen him that angry since—”

Since the brainwashing. Since he’d attacked Jason with a knife.

Elizabeth swallowed hard and looked at Jason. His face hadn’t changed, although she was sure he knew where this conversation was going. “He was screaming at me about taking favors from you, and then he started to dump it out—and I was so tired—I even—Cameron needed that, Jason. He needed it. And I just—I tried to st-stop him.”

She didn’t even realize she was tapping her foot so hard her knee was bouncing until Jason put a hand over her clasped hands, the weight of his arm keeping her leg down. “I think it really was an accident the first time. He pushed me away from him—and I just—I went flying. I guess—I don’t weigh a lot.” She sighed. “Maybe I need to think it was an accident.”

“The bruise on your face,” Jason said slowly.

“I hit the door frame of the kitchen.” Tears slid down her cheeks. “He was so upset. I told him to leave, but he was crying, and he said he was sorry—and I just—I thought—it was an accident.”

He swallowed hard. “You said it was the first time.”

“The next night. We—we were fighting.”

“Because I was there—” Jason closed his eyes, shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry—”

“No, don’t be—I knew I should make you leave. I knew he would be angry if you were still there, but Cameron—he just fell in love with you, Jason. And he was so happy—” Elizabeth dipped her head. “He grabbed me that day. Left bruises.”

“The next day, you left him. That Thursday before you were kidnapped.” Jason straightened. “You had a cut on your face. And you looked like your shoulder was hurt.” He shook his head, disgusted.

“Lucky found out Cameron was with Morgan. He—he said he was going to the Brownstone, and I thought maybe he was going after my son, so I had to stop him—and it was just—he shoved me, and I hit the table, fell over, and the lamp broke—I—”

She wept bitterly now, sobs spilling from deep inside—because just recounting it out loud, saying it like this—

How could she ever have gone back—how could she have forgotten—

Jason drew her close, put an arm around her shoulder, pressed his lips to her forehead. “Hey. Hey—”

“I went back. I felt so guilty—that’s why Lucky—Manny saw the bruises. He kidnapped Lucky because he hurt me—how fucked up is that, Jason? And Manny was telling him about you on my speed dial, and Lucky was looking at me—and I was so scared—because I thought if Manny let him go—”

She drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “But I went back. I went back. Because Luke asked me to. He just—he asked me to fight for the boy. Again. And I didn’t want to, but I thought—well, Lucky never gave up on me—”

“Damn it, Elizabeth—” Jason muttered under his breath. “Do you really think this is the same thing?”

“No, of course not.” Elizabeth swiped at her cheeks, trying to get herself under control. “No. I know it’s not. But I think—God, I think I needed to go back, Jason. I need to stop making excuses. I thought if I could love him enough, if I could be a good wife, I could save him. But it’s not my job to save Lucky. And I don’t want to. I don’t think he can be saved.”

She sighed. “I went back because I thought maybe it was a crazy couple of days. Because Lucky had never ever hurt me like that before, and I really thought if he could acknowledge it, get counseling, it was something that we could get past. I don’t know if I really thought I was staying forever when Luke asked—he only asked me to stay for a little while. Until Lucky was out of the hospital and had recovered.”

“He didn’t have any right to—”

“He knew that, Jason.” She shook her head as Jason scowled. “I’m not making excuses for him. Luke told me he hated himself for asking. He’s Lucky’s father. You know what it is to love a child. Is there anything you wouldn’t do for Michael?”

“If Michael were an abusive asshole who took his anger out on someone who loved him, I wouldn’t be asking the woman to go back,” Jason said. He got to his feet. “I’d be kicking the shit out of Michael and asking who the hell raised him—” He took a quick, sharp breath. “I’m sorry. You don’t need this from me.”

“I went back because I thought there was still a chance I could help him. And if I hadn’t done it, Jason, I might have lived for the rest of my life thinking there might be a chance.” Elizabeth stood up as well, hugging her arms around her torso. “There’s not. I know that now. I know it with every breath in my body. I knew it before that last day on Friday. I was already done. I just didn’t get the chance to tell him before—”

“Did he—” Jason fisted his hands at his side.

“He grabbed me from behind the way Tom Baker did, and then threw me against the wall,” Elizabeth said in a flat tone. “And I sat there, and I just—I just wanted it to be over. He left. Blaming me. Because he knew I didn’t love him. And—man—for a few minutes there, I thought, ‘This is my fault’—”

“No—”

“Because I went back to him knowing I didn’t love him. I wanted my vows to mean something, but I forgot the most important one. To love and to cherish. I don’t love him, and he didn’t cherish me. Because the vows—it doesn’t matter if I was keeping any of those promises—we both had to keep them. And we didn’t.”

She felt stronger now, more at peace with this now. “I wasn’t going to tell you, Jason. I was going to let you think we’d fought over you and me at the docks, about anger management—but yesterday—you tried to push me away again because you wanted me to be safe.”

Jason just looked at her, anguish in his eyes. “I didn’t know—” His voice was rough, pained.

“I’m tired of being safe. Of taking the easy way out. Of lying to myself. I don’t love Lucky. And I don’t want to be safe. I want to be happy, and I was last night with you. Yesterday at the carnival, when you were on that silly roller coaster with boys—I just—”

She smiled at him. “I saw our future. I saw what I thought I might want if we didn’t run away again. And that’s what I want. You make me feel safe and happy.”

“I was happy, too,” he said in a low voice. “Because—” He shook his head. “No. Not yet.” Jason took a deep breath. “You want to take this slow, and that’s what I want for you. Since we know the reason behind the shooting, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want—”

“I do want to stay,” Elizabeth said softly. “But that’s why I should go. Because the next time I spend the night in your arms, Jason, I want it to because I’m ready for it to be a permanent step.”

She sighed. “I should go home. Because you’re not the only person who deserves to hear this from me. I need to tell my grandmother. And Emily. Robin thinks I should tell her uncle—to make a report—”

“Robin knows?” Jason frowned. “What—”

“She and Patrick saw the bruises, and she convinced me to take pictures the day I was kidnapped. So she has those if I file a report.” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “And I think I should. Because Robin said something else. I did the hard part — I left. But now I have to make it count. I should call Justus and make it permanent.” She sighed. “And yeah, I should call Mac. Not just about the abuse. If Lucky’s on drugs, I’m not the only person who should know that.”

Hardy House: Living Room

Audrey must have heard the car pull up in the driveway or seen them through the window, because she was already on her feet, in the middle of the living room with a scowl fixed on her face.

“Gram—”

“I cannot believe you’re still with him,” Audrey said flatly. “Where’s Cameron? Is he still with Sonny Corinthos?”

“No, he’s with Carly and Morgan,” Elizabeth said, already feeling exhausted. “Gram—”

“I don’t know what’s going on here. One second, you’re married to Lucky, and now you’re spending the night with Jason Morgan—” Audrey looked at Jason. “You should leave, Mr. Morgan—”

“I should,” Jason agreed, touching Elizabeth’s elbow. “I don’t want to make this any harder than it already is—”

“No—don’t—” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “Not yet.”

“Elizabeth—” Audrey began.

“Do you remember when I told you Manny Ruiz kidnapped me because he was obsessed with me? That it had nothing to do with Jason and you decided that wasn’t true? Just like the PCPD, you ignored that.”

“I—” Audrey hesitated. The certainty, the righteousness, faded from her face. “Elizabeth—”

“The shooters at the carnival were there for me. To shoot at me. Not to kill me, but to send a message to someone that they could get to me at any time or place.”

And she could see the minute it was starting to click for her grandmother because, of course, Elizabeth wasn’t referring to Jason—why would Jason still be there?

Audrey’s hands fell to her side. “Send a message to who?”

“You saw him last night, Mrs. Hardy,” Jason offered, his voice quiet, respectful. “You know something is wrong with Lucky. You told Mac you knew Elizabeth was safe where she was. You didn’t help him.”

Audrey touched her throat, took a deep breath. “I have to admit—there was something in his eyes that I didn’t like. Something in the way—” She looked at Elizabeth. “Oh. Oh. It is the same.”

“Gram—”

“Just like Tom.” Color slid from her grandmother’s cheek, the angry red flush paling into a stark white. “Oh, Elizabeth.” She strode forward. “Are you all right?”

“I am now.” Elizabeth took Audrey’s hand in hers. “Because I left. I wasn’t going to tell anyone, but last night—” She looked at Jason, who looked a bit mystified at Audrey’s turn around. “Last night, I realized that pretending it didn’t happen is the wrong thing to do. I need to face it. I need to tell the people who matter to me.”

Audrey touched her face, then looked at Jason again, with a gentler expression. “I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions—”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Hardy—”

“It’s not,” Elizabeth said fiercely. “I love you, Gram. But Jason is part of my life. He loves Cameron. He loves my little boy more than Lucky ever has. I’m not—it’s not like I’m running out to divorce Lucky so I can move in with Jason. But he’s important to me. And he’s important to Cameron. I need to know if that’s something you can deal with.”

“Well, I suppose that since I’ve suggested you stay with Ric Lansing and Lucky Spencer, my ability to judge a person’s character is lacking,” Audrey said finally. She looked at Jason. “I can accept that.”

Jason’s phone buzzed. When he saw Stan’s name on the voice mail list, he sighed. “I have to go take this. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. Can you go get Cameron for me? I want him home with me, and with Gram.”

“I’ll be back in a little while.” He nodded to Audrey, then left.

“Darling, do you want to talk about it?” Audrey asked.

“No, but I need to,” Elizabeth said with a sigh as she followed her grandmother to the sofa. And then told her everything.