All of this takes place after Chapter Nineteen and goes through until Jason’s memorial service — the time when Liz believed Jason was dead. I moved the timeline of everything up — Jason was “dead” from early September on, rather than waiting a few weeks with him being missing. I’m only posting the scenes that were cut. Some of Liz’s grieving made into the final draft.
Friday, September 6, 2002
Kelly’s: Diner
“You think Jason is going to take Carly’s side after all?” Courtney asked as she joined Elizabeth behind the counter. They were winding down the dinner rush—a rush that had lasted, for some reason, until nearly ten that night. The diner was filled with dock workers she’d never seen before and who had lingered.
“Courtney—” Elizabeth bit her lip. “I don’t know why Jason canceled the appointment. Didn’t he tell AJ he would explain everything later?”
“Yeah, but…sorry.” Courtney started another pot of coffee. “Sorry, I know you’re over all this Carly crap.”
“It’s not that. It’s—” she shrugged. “I’m going to trust that Jason has this under control. Besides, he’ll be here around midnight and he’ll tell me what’s going on.” She turned to include Gia in the conversation. “And…it looks like you’ll be living alone in the near future.”
“Jason asked you to move in with him?” Gia asked with raised brows. “We’ve forgiven him enough for this?”
“We’re going to discuss it. It’s a good step, Gia. And I’m excited. We’re not putting our lives on hold for Carly’s bullshit. We’re…we’re going to move forward.” Elizabeth’s smile bloomed into a full-fledged grin. “It’s the first time in almost two weeks I’ve felt…good about all of this. So whatever Jason has planned, Courtney, I’m not worried. I trust him.”
“Well, if you’re confident, then I am, too,” Courtney said with a nod. “Okay. Let’s talk about you and Jason living together. Because that is good news and I want to enjoy it.”
Kelly’s: Courtyard
Sonny stepped up to the door of the diner, peered through the glass windows, took in the scene, and then let his hand fall from the handle.
“Sir—” Benny put a hand on his shoulder. “You want me…to go in? Pull her aside? If she sees your face, she’s gonna know something’s wrong—”
“No.” Sonny cleared his throat. Forced the words out. “No. I—I, ah, I can do this, Benny. I can—” He looked at his business manager. “It should be me.”
Kelly’s: Dining Room
Elizabeth checked her watch before rolling her eyes at Gia. “How can you possibly be failing your class already? It’s been five minutes since the semester started.” She snapped her fingers as Gia ignored her question and concentrated on the newscast blaring from the television they kept behind the counter.
Courtney grimaced as the bell over the door rang. “If that’s another customer—”
But it wasn’t.
Elizabeth frowned as Sonny strode in, Benny Abrams behind him. Both men were a bit…more sober than usual. Were they looking for Jason?
“Hey, Sonny. Coffee?” she asked, moving towards the carafe.
They stopped in the middle of the room. And just looked at her. Sonny’s eyes dark. Worried.
“Elizabeth…” Gia murmured, as she straightened. “Hey. Let’s—” She stopped as a breaking news alert banner slid across the newscast. “Oh, God.”
“Sonny.” Elizabeth walked around the counter to meet Sonny halfway. She wouldn’t jump to conclusions, even as everything inside her started to scream. “What’s going on?”
“Elizabeth,” Sonny started. Then he stopped. Swallowed.
“Are—are you looking for Jason? He’s not—he’s at the warehouse—” Her eyes darted between the two men.
And behind them, she heard Gia swear. Heard glass shatter behind her.
“Jason is supposed to pick me up.”
Behind Sonny, Bobbie rushed in, Carly on her heels. “Sonny—” Bobbie said, throwing a hand up at Carly who began to speak.
Their faces were ravaged with tears.
“Jason is picking me up,” Elizabeth continued, but she already felt…outside of this. She was speaking, but she didn’t know how she was forming the words. “We’re going to move in together.”
“Elizabeth—”
Gia and Courtney stepped up behind her. She could feel them behind her, their warmth seeping into her. She was cold. Why she was so cold?
“There—” Sonny’s voice broke. “He was shot.”
Shot. Elizabeth could deal with that. “He’s at the hospital. I’ll—Gia, can you get my purse—”
“Elizabeth—”
“Sonny,” Carly managed, but Sonny turned and sent her a dirty look which shut Carly up.
Later…later Gia would relate these details to her, but at the moment…Elizabeth just stared straight ahead.
Because this wasn’t happening. Not again. Oh, God. Not Again. “No,” she said firmly. “He’s at the hospital. Is he in surgery?”
Sonny dipped his head, looked down for a moment. Took a deep breath. “He didn’t make it to the hospital, Elizabeth. They called me—”
“We heard it on the news, baby,” Bobbie said now, stepping forward. Stepping past Sonny. “It’s—real—”
“No.” Elizabeth shook her head. “No. No, no, no.” This was all a dream. Wasn’t it? Was it real? How was any of this happening?
She felt Gia’s arm around her shoulder. “Liz,” her roommate began. “Let’s—”
“I don’t believe it,” Elizabeth managed. Started forward. “I have to see him. I have—I don’t believe—”
Sonny took her shoulders, gripping them with his hands. “It’s not—he wouldn’t want you to—” His voice broke again. “The shot was to his—”
Elizabeth moaned. Swayed. She dipped again, but this time, Gia and Courtney got her to a chair.
“Sir,” Benny said, softly. “Sir, maybe this isn’t—”
Carly was sobbing across the diner, but Elizabeth couldn’t hear anything. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
Sonny knelt in front of her again. Had she gone back in time? Dimly, she felt her hair. It was still short. Not long. It wasn’t 1999.
The smell of smoke wasn’t choking her throat. There were no flames flickering in the distance.
So it must be today. How could it be today? How could any of this—
“Elizabeth, do you want a ride home?” His eyes were wet, his voice rusted. “What do you need?”
Need. What did she need? Did she need anything? She needed Jason.
Oh, God. Again. It was happening again.
“I’ll take care of it,” Gia said softly. “I’ll get her home—”
“If she needs anything—”
“I’ll close,” Courtney said to Bobbie, her voice thick. “But I need to get to—”
“Call Don. And Penny. You should both be—” Bobbie pressed a fist to her mouth. “You should both be with family. They’ll have seen the news—”
“Bobbie—” Sonny stood. Touched Bobbie’s elbow. “What can I do—”
“You’ve done enough,” Bobbie said shortly, dismissing him. “I’m sure you have other things you need to be doing.”
She, along with Gia, pulled Elizabeth to her feet, and Elizabeth followed. She couldn’t—she couldn’t breathe.
“Carly—” Bobbie looked at her weeping daughter.
“I’ll—” Carly swallowed. “I’ll find my own way home. Mama—”
But Bobbie and Gia were already through the door, Benny holding the door open to them as they gently guided Elizabeth out the door.
Sonny watched them go, his heart heavy. He hadn’t wanted any of this, but—he looked at Carly. Hatred mingled with disgust. “You got your revenge,” he said in a low voice. “You said you’d make him pay for taking your son.”
“You’re lying,” Carly said, brokenly. “He wasn’t supposed to—”
“Things don’t always go the way we plan, do they?” Sonny demanded. “Get away from me, Carly. You and I are done.”
Yacht: Study
Jason Morgan was dead.
If Roscoe’s men could be believed, Morgan had showed up the meeting at the warehouse, had taken two bullets to the head, and had died on scene. He had never made it to the hospital.
“I heard from some of my guys at Kelly’s,” Roscoe told Alcazar. “Just like you said, I put them there to see what happened if Morgan’s girlfriend heard on the news.”
Zander blinked at him. Elizabeth. He hadn’t…he hadn’t really thought about what it would mean for Jason to be dead.
He wanted him dead. Had rejoiced at the idea.
But Elizabeth’s best friend was Emily. And Emily, God, she would be crushed. She was like a dream now, a sweet dream that felt so far away.
If only Morgan hadn’t come back. If he had just stayed away.
“Did she hear?” Alcazar asked. He eyed Zander a moment. “Smith? Are you with us?” He tilted his head. “Second thoughts?”
“No. I just—it’s hard to believe.” Zander swallowed hard. “You’re sure? What happened at Kelly’s?”
“Corinthos came to tell her personally. Told her at Kelly’s. My guys said she was destroyed. If she was acting—” Roscoe shrugged. “She should be getting an Academy Award.”
“Corinthos told her?” Alcazar asked, leaning forward. “He went right to her?” He looked at Zander. “What did you say the relationship was like? My intel says they’re close, but—”
“If he’s the one that told her—and she’s not acting for the public—” Zander hesitated. “It’s hard for me to accept that Morgan or Corinthos would put her through that. She’s not my favorite person for a lot of reasons, but she’s been through some real shit in her life that they both know about. She was raped as a teenager, her boyfriend died in a fire—came back. I just—it’s not the kind of men they are.”
“You don’t think they’d lie to her about business? If they faked Morgan’s death?” Alcazar asked.
“What fake?” Roscoe demanded. “My men said that they put two bullets in him—”
“From a distance, they put two bullets into a man who looked like Jason Morgan,” Alcazar cut in with some irritation. “The news is reporting it as Jason Morgan. Without an autopsy, without reports from the PCPD, I am not going to take any chances.” He looked back to Zander. “You know this organization. What do you think?”
“I don’t know,” Zander admitted. “I wouldn’t think they’d put Elizabeth through a public display like that, so maybe she is in on it. You’ll have to watch her. She’s good at putting a mask on.” He scratched his forehead. “I’m not saying Corinthos wouldn’t ever lie to her. He’s an asshole. But I’m saying…it’s not in Morgan’s nature.”
“He’s supposed to be a stone-cold killer,” Roscoe muttered, “and we’re saying he’s too soft to lie to his girlfriend—”
“There are some lines a man won’t cross,” Alcazar murmured. “Everything I’ve learned about Jason Morgan tells me he’s a loyal man. A protective one. I agree with you, Smith. I find it difficult to believe he would lie to the woman he loves. Not about his own death.”
“When can we set up the hit on Sonny?” Roscoe demanded. “We’ve gotten rid of Morgan. He’s next. And when they’re both gone, the organization will be in chaos—”
“Patience.” Alcazar held up a hand. “We’ve already been delayed by your impatience once, Roscoe. I don’t intend to be thwarted again.” His dark eyes flashed. “Do you understand me?”
“What are we waiting for?” Roscoe shot back. “What’s gonna convince you?”
“We’ll watch the girlfriend. Morgan has been in her pocket almost since the moment he returned to Port Charles. If he is alive, he may not be able to hold himself back from contacting her. And she may not be able to put on an act twenty-four hours a day. We’ll watch her. I want men at Kelly’s during every shift. She may not be there, but those who work there love her. They’ll know. Watch her home.”
He looked to Zander. “The sister will be coming home for a funeral, won’t she?”
God. He wasn’t going to have to…face Emily after being part of her brother’s death, was he? But he’d signed up for this. “Probably. She’s close to him. Close to Elizabeth. Can’t imagine she won’t at least fly in.”
“We may need you to talk to her. Or talk to the girlfriend one on one. We’ll see how it goes. We’re waiting. If we move now…it will defeat the purpose and we will have used Carly Corinthos for nothing. She did her part. He showed up.”
Roscoe muttered something under his breath as he stormed out. Zander hung back to look at Alcazar. “You say you want to destroy Sonny Corinthos.”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Zander asked. “Most people would use your resources to actually go after him, but you’ve sat back and let Roscoe and Nico go to town. You know Corinthos is looking at Nico’s records by now. Morgan will have put him on it. The crap I pulled probably put a spotlight on his crew. The drug trafficking is heavier than I can remember it.”
“My reasons for destroying Sonny Corinthos are my own.” Alcazar sat back in his chair. “You need not concern yourself with them. If you are unhappy with how things are proceeding, you are free to return to your employment with the Ruiz organization.”
Zander hesitated, then nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll wait to hear from you.”
Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room
Sonny sipped his bourbon, his hands trembling as he set the tumbler back on the mini bar. Behind him, he heard the door open and Max announce Benny Abrams had arrived.
“Benny.” Sonny turned. “What’s…what’s the word?”
“Well, it’s all over the news,” Benny said as Max closed the door. “Fucking vultures at WKPC didn’t wait more than five minutes before they headed to the Brownstone. Practically shoving cameras in Elizabeth’s face—”
“Benny.” Sonny hesitated. “They got inside okay, though?”
“Yeah, um, Bobbie got her inside. I called Bobbie, asked if she wanted any of our guys to keep the street clear. Asked about Elizabeth.”
“How—” he cleared his throat. Forced the words out. “How’s she doing?”
“Bobbie said she was doing as well as could be expected. She left her with Gia. Declined our offer to help.” Benny hesitated. “Sir, I work for you. I take orders from you, but—”
“I’m not…this isn’t how I planned it,” he murmured.
“It didn’t need—it didn’t need to be so public, Sonny. We could have taken her aside. Arranged for her to get home privately—”
“Benny—what’s going on with the guys? What’s happening on the street?”
“About what you expect. Grief. Turmoil. Worry. They think this is an escalation of problems we’ve been having. Some…confusion as to why Jason went to a warehouse by himself.” Benny sighed. “Oh, and…” He reached into his pocket. “The burner cell you wanted.”
“Thanks.” Sonny took it from him. Checked the time. “Cutting it close, aren’t you?”
“Isn’t that the story of the day?” his manager muttered as the phone vibrated in Sonny’s hand.
Sonny took a deep breath, flipped it open. “Hey.”
“Hey. Did it—” Jason’s voice was rough. “I saw some of the coverage from the safe house. They—the reporters are all over her. She looked upset. Did you get to her in time?”
“Ah, yeah. I got to her before she saw the reports.” Sonny looked at Benny, who just grimaced. “Everything went according to plan. Benny says there’s no doubts on the street. And…we just gotta lay low. I know you hate this plan, Jason. It’s just—it’s the only thing we had available to us with short notice.”
“Yeah, I just hate that my sister is going to have to—my grandmother. And Bobbie. Elizabeth is going to hate lying to all of them.” Jason paused. “I want to see her.”
“It’s not safe—”
“I didn’t get a chance to talk to her first, and this is a lot to ask. I just want—I want to see her, Sonny. Make it happen.”
“I will,” Sonny promised. “As soon as I can. But we gotta play it safe. No point in lying to everyone only to screw it up. Elizabeth is tough. She’ll get through this.”
“Okay.”
Sonny hung up the phone and stared at it. “How long do you think I have before he isn’t asking but demanding to see Elizabeth?”
“If the reports keep looping that footage of her going into the Brownstone or they film her going into any memorial service—” Benny pressed his lips together. “You didn’t lie to him, Sonny. But none of this is okay.”
“Benny, don’t—” Sonny closed his eyes. “I didn’t lie to him before either. I didn’t…intend to lie at all. But I got to Kelly’s, and it was full of dock workers. Men I damn well knew work for Mickey Roscoe. He put them there because of Elizabeth. They’re watching her. And her grief is going to convince them—”
“The logic makes sense, but Jason is not going to care about any of that. Sonny—”
“Benny, it’s done. Now let’s make it worth it.”
And with that, the disgruntled business manager left, and Sonny poured himself another drink.
Jason scowled as he glared at his phone. “Damn it, Elizabeth, answer the phone,” he muttered. “I won’t do it if she doesn’t know, Sonny.”
“People are going to be watching her—Roscoe isn’t working alone—”
Jason shook his head sharply. “You’re insane if you think I’d agree to do this and lie—
Sonny sighed and paced the length of the room. “I don’t like this anymore than you do, but she’d understand. She knows what you do—”
“She knows—” Jason bit off the words as he dialed the phone again. “I’m telling her, Sonny. Or this isn’t happening—she must have left her phone at home. Or at Jake’s. She never remembers to grab it from the charger. I’ll have to go to Kelly’s—”
Sonny snagged his friend’s elbow as he started out of the room. “There isn’t time. We need to nail down the details. We have an hour to get a hold of the guy at the hospital, to fake the scene, to arrange for paramedics—we have more important—”
Jason shrugged off Sonny’s grip, his eyes flashing. “If you think I am going to fake my death and not tell Elizabeth, Sonny—”
“I don’t like it any more than you do, but this is the way we do things. Elizabeth damn well knows you can’t tell her what’s going on—”
“That’s bullshit, Sonny. You know there’s no one we can trust more than Elizabeth. After what she’s been through for us—after hiding me in her studio twice, lying to everyone then—”
“That was a small lie, damn it, Jason. She was half in love with you back then, and it was easy to pretend that you were sleeping together. I don’t think she can pull this off—”
Jason’s hands clenched in fists at his side. “I am not for one second letting her think that I am dead—Sonny, either I tell her what’s going on or no one is showing up at this meeting. It’s not negotiable.”
“Jason—”
“If it were Brenda, would you put her through this?” Jason demanded. “You—” He paused. Swallowed. “You knew before I could admit it to myself. You know what she is to me. If I did this to her, if I put her through it, that’s it. She’ll never forgive me.”
Sonny waited a moment. “I think…I think you’re overreacting. She’ll be angry—”
“And even if she did forgive me, she’d never trust me again. And she’d be right not to. I love her, Sonny. And I’m not letting her think I’m dead. You can agree to get on board with this or you can go to hell and fix this bullshit on your own.”
Sonny looked away, took a deep breath, and accepted the inevitable. “All right. All right. But you can’t go to Kelly’s. As far as Roscoe is concerned, Carly did her part. We have to assume we’re being watched her. If either of us leave, we’ll be followed. You go to Kelly’s, pull Elizabeth aside, it’ll look suspicious—”
“I’ll call—”
“No—” Sonny stopped Jason as he pulled out his cell phone again. “I’ll take care of it. I’ll go to Kelly’s. I’ll tell her before the media picks it up. Make it look like a notification—”
“No.” Jason shook his head. “That’s too risky.”
“I’ll look better this way. I’ll go to her after I’ve been notified. I’m your emergency contact. I’ll be called as soon as it goes into motion. I’ll get to her before the media is notified, I’ll pull her aside to give the news. It’ll make it look better.”
Jason hesitated. Doubt was in his eyes as he spoke, “Sonny—”
“Look, I get it—” Sonny pressed a hand to his chest. “You want her in on it. I made my argument. But you made it clear. Let’s do it in way that makes it look real. If she hears before I get there, it’ll be by minutes. She’ll understand if we tell her as soon as possible. Can—can we please settle the details—”
“Sonny.” Jason paused. “I’m trusting you.”
Sonny lifted the bourbon to his throat and swallowed it on gulp. Jason was right. If Jason lied to her, Elizabeth would never forgive him. So…Sonny had been the one to lie.
He just hoped like hell it was worth it.
Elizabeth & Gia’s Apartment: Living Room
Gia pulled open her door and grimaced. “Marcus, don’t take this the wrong way, but yours is, like, literally the last face I want to see right now.”
Detective Marcus Taggert sighed and nodded. “I get that, Gia. But I gotta talk to her. I figure better me than someone else—and don’t look at me that way. I’m not a monster.”
“That remains to be seen.” Gia stepped back to let her brother in. “You step out of line, and I am going to sue the shit out of the PCPD. I got friends. We know people—”
“Gia—” Elizabeth said from the table, where she sat in one of the chairs, her legs drawn up under her chin. “I know he has to talk to me. Detective,” she said with a tired sigh. “I get it. Let’s just get it over with.”
“I’m watching you,” Gia muttered as Taggert took a seat across from Elizabeth and drew out a small notepad and pencil.
“You know, she used to be my sister,” he said with a half-smile. “I’d ask how you’re doing, but that’s a stupid question.”
“I’m…not okay,” Elizabeth admitted. “But I’m…breathing. That’s good enough for now.” She let her legs drop to the floor and leaned forward, ignoring the cold toast and coffee Gia had tried to feed her. “Go ahead and ask me what you need to.”
“All right. Let’s start with the easy stuff. When was the last time you talked to Jason?” he asked.
“Yesterday, just before eleven. I was working a double yesterday, twelve to twelve. But I wanted to come in early and do some paperwork.” Elizabeth sighed, rubbed her forehead. “So Jason dropped me off. He was going to the warehouse. It’s the end of the fiscal year—” Her voice broke. “I’m sorry. We just—we were talking about the end of the year, about the books for the warehouse. He asked me if I wanted him to check Kelly’s things. To m-make sure I hadn’t messed up the math. He likes to tease me about—” She pressed her lips together. “Anyway. That’s the last time I talked to him.”
Taggert hesitated. “We pulled his cell phone records, Elizabeth. He made a series of phone calls to you yesterday afternoon. You—you didn’t talk to him—?”
Elizabeth sat up straight. “What? He called—”
But Gia was already standing up, looking inside Elizabeth’s purse for her phone. “It’s not in here—”
“I—” Elizabeth pressed a fist to her mouth for a moment. Oh, God. She could have talked to him one more time and she’d missed it. “I’m really bad at remembering to grab it sometimes. It’s…it’s probably—I left it at Jason’s.”
“Okay, okay. It’s not a big deal, Liz. We just…we want to nail down his movements. One of his calls connected—he must have left a voicemail. Um—”
“You want to listen to it when I get my phone.” Elizabeth closed her eyes. “God. Yeah, okay. Um, I can get it today, right? Did—did you need his room—”
“No, we did a quick look last night, but we know from experience Morgan wouldn’t have kept anything there. Especially—”
“Since I spent so much time there.” She twisted her fingers together. “What else?”
“Did…were you aware of any issues Jason has been having lately? Anything in particularly bothering him?”
She managed a half smile. “Other than Carly? I don’t know. Jason’s—he’s kind of a silent partner with Sonny right now. I think he was helping them audit some books, do background checks on some employees at the warehouse or something. He wasn’t—he wasn’t really planning on moving back to Port Charles. That’s why…that’s why he was still at Jake’s.”
“Okay.” Taggert made a note. “Could…could Carly be in trouble? Could it have something to do with…what happened?”
“I don’t—” Elizabeth bit her lip. “I don’t know. I can’t see how, but you know…it’s Carly.” She rubbed her eyes. “Taggert, can I ask you something?”
“Yeah.”
“Sonny—Sonny, he said I shouldn’t…go to see him. I mean, that—it would be better—”
“Elizabeth,” Gia murmured. “Maybe he’s right—”
Taggert help up a hand to wave off his sister. “Listen. You know I’ve never been a fan of Morgan and Corinthos.” He ignored his sister’s snort. “But he’s right. I didn’t—I didn’t see him for myself, but I saw the photos from the scene.” He tilted his head. “Morgan was a lot of things, Elizabeth, but I know he cared about you. He wouldn’t want that to be your last memory.”
“Oh, God.” Elizabeth covered her face, trying to swallow the bubble of sobs tearing at her throat. “God. I can’t—I can’t breathe—”
Gia moved to sit directly next to her roommate and put an arm around her. “It’s…it’s not okay, but you know, you just—you just get it out.” She flashed an irritated look at her brother. “You need anything else, Marcus?”
“No.” Taggert shook his head. “For what it’s worth, Elizabeth, this—this is not what I wanted. I never wanted to see you like this again. I am so goddamn sorry.”
“I—” Elizabeth struggled to get herself together. To keep it together. She had to think about the details. Had to get through the next five seconds. The next minute. One step in front of the other. “I—thank you. For your kindness. Um, if Gia will take me to Jake’s—I’ll—I’ll get my phone. A-And I’ll let you know about the voicemail.”
“Thanks, Liz. Let me know if I can do anything.”
When her brother had left, Gia said, “We don’t have to do anything today, Liz. We can just sit inside and ignore the world. Or maybe you want to go scream—I just—I don’t know if—”
“I have to—” Elizabeth laced her fingers together to keep them from trembling. “I’m not going to ignore it. Not like last time. I can’t—I can’t just stop either—”
“It’s been twelve hours, girl. You can take a breath—”
“If I take a breath, then it’s real. And I just—” Her voice shook. “I have to…I have to know. He called me. And I didn’t have my phone. I just—I want to know what he said. Please, Gia.”
“All right. Let me go tell Bobbie we’re going.”
Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room
Benny tossed the Port Charles Sun and the Port Charles Herald on the dining table in front of Sonny. “Is that real enough for you?”
Sonny scowled as he took in the headlines. Corinthos Enforcer Murdered! With grainy photos of Elizabeth inside of Kelly’s, Sonny standing with her. And that was the respectable Herald. The tabloid Sun had photos from Elizabeth going into the Brownstone as well as photos of Elizabeth being all but carried out of the diner by Gia and Bobbie.
“How the hell are they always there?” Sonny muttered as he set aside his coffee to pick up on the Herald. Vultures.
“I’m keeping the papers from Jason. He sees this now, especially this one in front of Kelly’s—he’s not going to believe she knows—”
“Benny, you got something to say?” Sonny said, irritated. Like this was how he wanted any of this to go? “We went over this. Someone wants to take Jason out, we need to see why. This was the best plan under the circumstances. I’m not saying it doesn’t suck in about eight different ways, but after the warehouse, after faking Carly’s death, who’s to say someone else isn’t next? Jason wouldn’t want someone to come after Elizabeth—”
“You better practice your excuses because when Jason gets a hold of these? When he finds out you told her in the middle of Kelly’s and put her on display—Sonny—” Benny hesitated. “I get all the reasons you did it. And yeah, you were right. Roscoe has men outside of the Brownstone. They’re gonna follow her. Keep an eye on her. She’s the key. But that’s not gonna matter to Jason—”
“He’s going to be pissed at me.” Sonny shrugged as if it didn’t bother him. It did. Nothing about this plan made him feel good. He could tell himself it was to protect everyone, but damn it—it was. They didn’t have to like the way Sonny did business, but they had to respect it.
He was the goddamn boss in this town, not Jason. And he was getting tired of people acting like he needed to be scared—
Sonny dipped his head. “More than that, he’s going to be hurt. Because he trusted me, and I lied to him. I know it, Benny. But whoever planned this ambush went to a lot of trouble. And they wouldn’t have stopped. I was afraid they’d go for Elizabeth or Michael next. That they’d figure out exactly how to break Jason.”
“You’re right. Losing Elizabeth would break Jason. I’ve watched that boy for years, Sonny. And she is the best thing to happen to him since Michael.” Benny took the newspapers back, tucked them into his briefcase. “He forgave you for Carly—”
“Does everyone know about that?” Sonny asked with a mutter, though of course they did. Like Elizabeth said, everyone could do the math. Carly was pregnant before Jason left.
“Because Carly didn’t mean nearly as much as Elizabeth Webber.” Benny waited. “Have you talked to her since last night?”
“Gia Campbell said she isn’t talking to anyone. I offered to go over, but she said there was enough press and media. We get rid of them yet?”
“I sent a guy over this morning but Taggert had already threatened them with an injunction and trespass. They’re keeping their distance.”
Sonny nodded. Waited a moment. “Jason might forgive me, but she won’t. Will she?”
Benny hesitated. “Somehow, I doubt it. But you had to know that before you lied.”
“Yeah.” He picked up his coffee and stared down at the dark liquid “Yeah, I knew that. But I was hoping I was wrong.”
Monday, September 9, 2002
Elizabeth & Gia’s Apartment: Living Room
Elizabeth sighed before she opened the door to find a solemn Sonny Corinthos standing on her landing. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He glanced towards the stairwell, to the third floor where Taggert’s apartment was located. “You mind if we come in?”
“Oh.” She blinked at Max behind him and then stepped back. “Sorry. Yeah. Come on in.”
They both entered the apartment, and Elizabeth closed the door behind them. She took a deep breath before turning to face them. “Hey,” she said again. “I-I know I haven’t returned any of your calls. I-I’m—”
Sonny shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize, Elizabeth. We’re all…managing the best we can.” He frowned, looking around. “Are you by yourself?”
“Oh. Yeah. Gia had classes today.” Elizabeth went to the dining table and closed the textbook she’d been attempting to read. “She offered to skip, but we’re…we’re graduating in December, so…”
“I’d forgotten you’d be back to school.” Sonny waited. “Are you—are you—still attending classes?”
“Oh. No. Not this week, but…” Elizabeth closed her eyes. Tried to gather her thoughts. She kept drifting. Kept losing her focus. “I’m going to try to go back next week. To give myself something to do.”
“Good, good. Keeping yourself busy—that’s a good idea.” He cleared his throat. “I…I feel like asking if you’re okay…or need anything…I don’t know. It’s the thing to ask but it feels—”
“I’m breathing.” She sat at the table, picked up the highlighter she’d been using and twirled it between her fingers. “I…I have to go to the mansion later today. Emily’s flying in this week for the funeral—” She stopped. “I, ah, anyway. I’m managing, Sonny.”
“Good.”
She hesitated. “How are you doing?” Elizabeth asked softly. “I mean, I guess you and I are—we were the closest. I—I should have asked—”
“I’m the same,” Sonny cut in, with a dismissive hand. “Managing. Focusing on anything that takes my mind off of it.”
“And—And Max,” Elizabeth looked at Sonny’s guard. “I-I know all the guys—Jason thought a lot of you guys. I mean—I don’t have to tell you that. I guess I just—we all lost—” And then her bravado failed.
“We’re doing the best we can, Ms. Webber,” Max said, kindly. “You let us know if we can do anything for you. If you need a ride somewhere—you want to avoid the press—” He looked at Sonny, who nodded. “I’ll get you Francis’ number. He runs the security—”
“I liked Francis,” Elizabeth murmured with a half-smile. “He’s the one who guarded me a few years ago, right?”
“Right.” Sonny rubbed his jaw. “Anyway. I just—you let me know if I can do anything for you, Elizabeth. I just—I hate all of this.”
“Yeah, that makes two of us.”
When they had both left, Elizabeth turned back to her textbook and opened it. And pretended to read another page.
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room
Sonny scrubbed his hands over his face after tossing the burner cell phone aside. Across the table, Benny just clucked his tongue and continued making notes.
“Don’t start.”
“He’s only going to keep asking to see her, Sonny.” Benny slid that morning’s newspaper across the table. “They ran the same photo on the news, and Jason is watching. She looks devastated. She is devastated,” he corrected.
“He doesn’t suspect I—” Sonny muttered. “These goddamn vultures taking pictures of her every time she leaves the house. What good does it do? He thinks it’s the lying. He’s worried she’s lying to everyone and he didn’t even get to explain it to her.”
“We’re not going to have the same argument,” Benny told him. “Because the damage has been done and telling her the truth now isn’t going to change anything. If you had told her in those first twenty-four hours, maybe. But we’re burying him tomorrow, Sonny. Or we’re burying an empty casket.”
“I’m gonna—” Sonny exhaled slowly. “The shock of it is over, you know? The funeral will take off some of the heat. We already know it’s working. You said the guys are reporting that the drug trade is more obvious in the clubs. I don’t know if Nico is just taking advantage of the situation or he’s in on it, but he’s not waiting around.”
“I don’t like this plan,” Benny said with the same shake of his head that Sonny had seen a million times in the last five days. “There’s no target. No goal. It’s a fishing expedition, and what if there’s nothing to know? How long are we gonna put his family through it—” He bit off those words. “How long is Jason going to pretend to be dead, Sonny? What’s the magical event that’s gonna make this worth it?”
“To be honest,” Sonny said slowly, “I didn’t think it’d last this long. I thought—I thought maybe they’d think Jason’s death would make things chaotic. That they’d go for a kill shot or something those first few days. But I guess we underestimated them.”
“If either of you morons had come to me,” Benny muttered, “I could have told you it was a stupid idea. But you were both so goddamn worried about Carly.”
Sonny scowled at him. “What the—”
“There was no point in actually showing up to the damn meeting. Carly was supposed to give Jason the information. She could have easily told them Jason was too pissed at her to listen. To go. But you didn’t want to put her in danger—”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Sonny shot back. “And it worked. Everyone thinks Jason is dead. They’ll lay low until the funeral, but they’ll come after us—”
“How? And how are we gonna know it’s the right guys and not someone trying to take advantage of Jason’s absence?” Benny got to his feet. “You went through with this plan on a hope and a prayer, Sonny. And I’ve sat back, letting it happen because it’s my job. But you are going to tell that girl the truth or I will—”
“I’m taking her to see him tomorrow after the memorial,” Sonny interrupted. “Jason made it clear today. He’s not going to wait to talk to her. I either bring her to him or he’ll contact her himself. So…I have to do it. Because if he reaches out, she might be too upset to let him explain. I did this. I lied. I put her through this. She needs to know that’s the truth.”
“You’re clinging to that as if it’s going to be black and white.” Benny gathered his paperwork. “I pray that you’re right, Sonny. I hope that we do get our answers. But this wasn’t the way to do it. And you know that.” He tilted his head. “That’s why you didn’t let him go to her at Kelly’s. He wasn’t thinking it through, but you were. If he left, if he had time to think about this plan, he might not have done it.”
Sonny hissed. “What the hell is your problem, Benny? You work for me, not for Jason. I give the orders. Not him. I told him this was the plan and he was damn well going to do it. This son of a bitch faked Carly’s death to get at me, tried to take out my lieutenant. They’re coming after me. Who would be next if they didn’t get Jason, Benny? Elizabeth? Michael? Someone who isn’t part of this? No more collateral damage. We get to the bottom of this now.”
He stopped, took a breath. “Jason’s going to be angry at me, but he’ll see this was the only way. And it’s only been a few days. She grieved Lucky for a year—”
“I have paperwork to deal with at the warehouse, Sonny.” He rose to his feet. “Days, months, years. What does it matter? Grief is grief. You still grieve for Lily. For Brenda. Has time dulled it? Who told you Brenda was dead?”
Sonny blinked at him. “What?”
“Jason went to the island, didn’t he?” Benny continued. “He told you Brenda was dead. If he came home tomorrow, and told you she was alive, that he had helped her fake her death, that you or Jax were supposed to be told. Would it matter? Do you think Jax would forgive Brenda? Would you?”
Sonny pressed his lips together. “It’s different. Since when do you give a damn about Elizabeth Webber—”
“When did you stop?”
And when Sonny didn’t answer, Benny picked up his briefcase and left.
