And life is a road that I wanna keep going
Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey
I’ll be there when the world stops turning
I’ll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
– At the Beginning, Richard Marx, f. Donna Lewis

Warehouse

They could hear muffled voices as Jason, Sonny and several of their men drew closer to the back room in the small warehouse on Van Ness Street. There had been no one guarding the exits, and Jason thought that Freddy had been jerking them around until they’d heard sounds from the back of the building.

“Johnny and Louie are on the back exits,” Sonny murmured in his ear, his own gun drawn and pointed toward the ground. “Francis and Marco are covering the left side, Ricky and Oliver are on the other side. We’re going in from the front. We’ve got it as covered as it’s going to get.”

“I don’t like it, Sonny.” He shook his head. “It’s too quiet.”

He slowly eased the door open and stepped gingerly towards the back room. He watched as the men they’d stationed on either side crept towards them. They met in the middle of the room.

“It’s Elizabeth’s voice I hear,” Jason almost breathed. “But where are Faith and her men?”

“Cut her losses maybe,” Francis replied. “Makes life easier if she just abandoned them.”

Maybe, but he wasn’t counting her out.

As they drew closer to the room, the voices became more distinct and he knew how that Elizabeth was in there, with Ric. They stopped just before the closed door, Jason motioning them to hold their positions.

“I don’t care what you do to me,” Elizabeth’s low voice floated through. “You’ll never get near my daughter, so you can kill me—”

“Stop saying that,” Ric growled. “I would never hurt you, Elizabeth. I love you.”

“Well, I never loved you. You were just a way to pass the time.”

Jason closed his eyes and muttered under his breath. Why Elizabeth was taunting the psychopath, he couldn’t imagine.

“That’s not how it was between us and you know it. You loved me, Elizabeth. Now, Jason made you forget that. He talked you out of it, made you feel guilty for moving on—”

Elizabeth’s laughter cut Ric’s words off. “You need to believe that, don’t you? Is that what you’ve been telling yourself all these months I lied to everyone I know and love, telling them Jason and I slept together? I mean, you understand that I blew up my life with that lie and I would do it again if it meant I could have him and you’d be gone. I never loved you, Ric. Not even for a minute.”

Sonny rolled his eyes. “This would be funny if it weren’t so serious,” he breathed.

“That was his idea and I know it,” Ric snarled. “I saw your face, Elizabeth. You were just as surprised as I was. You were faithful to me—”

“Faithful.” She snorted. “That’s a funny word. Because you certainly weren’t. But that’s fair, Ric, because I emotionally cheated on you every time I saw Jason and wished you were anywhere else.”

“Damn it, Elizabeth—”

They heard Ric’s footsteps moving further into the room. Jason nodded to the four other men. “Now.”

Jason kicked open the door, the first to move in, and before Ric knew what was happening, the eight of them had him and Elizabeth surrounded, Johnny and Louie having burst in from the back.

Ric had drawn his gun as soon as the door came down, but rather than training it on Elizabeth they’d expected, he’d pointed it right at Jason. The two men stood there in a silent stand-off.

Sonny and Marco quickly loosened Elizabeth’s knots and she stood, almost swaying from the hours of being tied down. “Francis, take her—”

“No,” Elizabeth shook her head. “Not without—”

“Elizabeth, go with Sonny,” Jason said without sparing her a look. His finger was on the trigger and he was going to pull it as soon as she was in the clear. She might accept what he did for a living, but he wasn’t going to make her see it. “Please. He’ll take you home to Cady.”

“You think you’ve got me, don’t you?” Ric hissed. “You think you’ve got me right where you want me. You may have my daughter, Morgan, but I’m not letting you have Elizabeth.”

“Look around you, Ric,” Jason jeered. “I don’t see you with the upper hand.”

And he saw in Ric’s eyes that the other man did know it. That he was not leaving this room alive.

Which made him dangerous.

“Elizabeth,” Jason began. “I need you to go. Please.”

And this time, she started for the door.

“I love her,” Ric said quietly. “More than you ever will. You didn’t love her enough to go after her. She had to come to you. Do you think she doesn’t know that? That she doesn’t know she was the default, the second choice? She’ll realize it one day, Morgan, and when she knows that you never loved her the way she loves you, it’ll break her heart.”

And then Ric’s eyes shifted past Jason and he knew Elizabeth and Francis were near.

“I’m going to save her from that,” Ric said, his eyes bright and wild. “If I can’t have her, no one will.”

And then he moved and changed his target.

The room exploded in gunfire.

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

Carly Corinthos was going to come out of her skin. Two hours since Jason and Sonny had left the penthouse with a cadre of guards, leaving her here with Max and Rocco on the door.

The kids were asleep and it was past midnight, but Carly hadn’t even bothered trying to lay her head on the pillow.

She would not sleep until her husband, her best friend and…well…damn it, her Muffin were back in this building safe and sound. It was the only outcome she was going to accept and she would be damned if anything would come between her and her family.

“If they have so much as a scratch on them,” Carly muttered, turning back from the door to pace towards the mantel, “I will…well, I’ll do something. I’ll figure out something and I will do it, and the world will be sorry they messed with me and mine.”

The door creaked open.

Carly whirled and saw the exhausted form of her husband come through the door first. “S-Sonny…”

And then the Muffin, who was hobbling a little on Jason’s arm.

“Oh, thank God.” She flew at them, hugging and kissing Sonny before moving to Jason and then she threw her arms around Elizabeth.

“What happened?” she demanded, drawing back from the uncomfortable experience of hugging Elizabeth Webber. “You can’t call me, tell me you’re alive? Where is everyone else? What the hell—”

“Carly.” Sonny held up a hand, and watched as Jason helped Elizabeth to the sofa. “We…had to get back in case the cops showed up. There…was some gunfire and we didn’t want to be on the scene too long once we cleaned it up.”

“Where’s Cady?” Elizabeth demanded. Her eyes were bleary, her shoulders slumped. “Is she okay?”

“Fine,” Carly nodded. “I haven’t let her out of my sight all day. Well, out of mine, Michael or Leticia’s sight. And you know Michael takes cousin duties very seriously. We haven’t left this penthouse since we realized you were missing.”

And then Elizabeth straightened and turned to Jason, her fingers clutching at his shirt. “Cody. He was shot when Dominic grabbed me. Is she…”

“He was alive when we found him,” Sonny said. “Harry got him to the private clinic, and the report we got before we left for the warehouse was that he was expected to recover.”

She closed her eyes. “Okay. Okay. He was…he knew something was up when the elevator stopped, but Dominic said there was a security issue, and I followed him because I was scared someone had gotten to the penthouse, but Cody…Cody wanted me to stay back. I thought about just going by myself, but what if I was wrong…and someone was up here.”

“We haven’t found Dominic yet,” Sonny bit out. “But we will.” He rubbed his eyes and headed for a bourbon. “And Faith was gone by the time we got to the warehouse.”

“She was angry,” Elizabeth murmured. “She came into the room as Ric was explaining to me that we should be a family, that he loved me.”

Carly snorted. “After he used her for a year, I’m sure Faith loved that. I’m surprised she didn’t shoot him.” Then she frowned. “But she probably would have shot you, too.” She hesitated. “Did…where is Ric?”

“He tried to kill me,” Elizabeth said softly, and Carly pressed her fisted hand to her mouth. “He was surrounded, and he knew…he knew he wouldn’t make it out alive. I thought…” She closed her eyes and Jason gripped her knee, as if to remind her it was over. “I thought he was going to shoot Jason.”

“But if he was going to die, he wasn’t going to let anyone else have you.” Carly nodded. “What a prince. Was anyone hurt?”

“Francis took the shot for Elizabeth,” Sonny muttered, tossing back the entire tumbler of liquor, “but it only got him in the shoulder.” She saw him stare into the empty glass. “If it weren’t for him…”

“He was aiming for my face.” Elizabeth pressed her fingers to her cheek. “I taunted him. I shouldn’t have, but I thought he was going to kill me anyway with Faith gone. I wasn’t going to beg for my life.”

“I hope he’s rotting somewhere,” Carly snarled. “You know what? Rotting is too good for him. We’ll come up with something else. Maybe we can blow up what’s left—”

“Carly.” Sonny touched her shoulder and she sighed.

“Right. I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat. “Cady’s asleep, and I have enough bottles to get me through tomorrow morning. Why don’t you guys go home and get some rest?”

And as Jason led Elizabeth out the door and across the hall, she realized Jason hadn’t said a word the entire time.

Carly looked at Sonny and frowned. “Is he okay?”

“He made the kill shot,” Sonny said quietly. “And he did it in front of Elizabeth. I think…he just needs to come to terms with the fact that unlike Robin or Courtney, Elizabeth knows exactly what he does as an enforcer, and…she loves him anyway.”

“I should think so, since he was rescuing her.” Carly eyed Sonny, stepping towards him. “You okay? I know…today was difficult for you. You…lost both your siblings.” Her skin crawled knowing what Courtney had done, how she had brought danger into all their lives. If Carly ever saw the bitch again, she would beat her death with a shoe.

A stiletto, even.

“No, I didn’t.” Sonny rubbed his face. “I lost two people who were genetically related to me. Courtney’s gone. Or she will be once I’ve made the arrangements for her house arrest in Puerto Rico. Ric’s already buried.” He narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t hear that from me.”

She raised her hands as if to say she understood. “Still, Sonny…”

“I think it’s more that…” He hesitated. “Jason is like a brother to me. I picked him for my family, like I picked Stone once. And you know, I’ve always had a soft spot for Elizabeth. Since she…dropped to the ground the night Lucky Spencer was in that fire. I caught her, and I…” He looked up and swallowed hard. “I held her as she absorbed the news, I sat next to her until we could get someone to take her home. And then…she came to apologize to me.”

Carly tilted her head to the side. “Sonny…”

“Luke and Laura were blaming me and Jason…which they had a right to, honestly. It was an obvious leap, but Elizabeth had heard the arson report. The fire was caused by candles, and she’d talked to him on the phone, you know. Asked him to light one for her. So it was her fault, really, not mine, she said. And she was sorry people were blaming me.” He paused. “And you know what she did for Jason that winter. She saved his life, and if not for her, if not for the way he felt about her, Carly, he could have held on to the anger and betrayal for much longer.”

“Yeah,” Carly muttered. She folded her arms and looked away. “That’s why I hated her for so long, because I knew I had ruined everything, and there she was, practically perfect for him.” She snorted. “Wench.”

“She was there the night we lost our son, and she sat with me while I grieved. So when I say I didn’t lose anyone important today, Carly, that’s exactly what I mean. Jason has been my brother for so long, and Elizabeth has always felt like family. So, today, Carly, I saved the people who mattered.” He flicked his hand. “And discarded the ones who don’t.”

“I thought I should feel more upset about Courtney,” Carly said slowly. “Because at one point, I thought of her as my best friend, but you know what?” She shook her head. “I forgot what it meant to have a best friend. I hadn’t had one since Carly Roberts in Florida, you know. I wanted you to have your sister in your life, so I forced her to fit. I told myself she was my friend and that she was perfect for Jason, that we could all be one happy family. But she never fit.” She wrinkled her nose. “But Elizabeth did. And does. So I’m with you, Sonny. The people who mattered came home tonight.”

And now Sonny grinned. “You called her Elizabeth.”

“Don’t push it. I’ll never call her that to her face. Never. She’s the Muffin. Forever. Because she has a muffin face.” Carly sniffed. “Bite me, Sonny.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason said nothing when he sat on the sofa and Elizabeth climbed into his lap, curling up into his embrace. They sat there, listening to each other breathe, her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“I told you that you could trust your guards,” Jason said finally. “And one of them betrayed you.”

She sighed, her eyes still closed. “He betrayed you, too. There was no way we could have known. He was friendly with me, not like Cody, Francis or Marco, but I never expected him to be. The other three guarded me before, and they talked to me.” Her throat was thick. “Cody was my friend, you know. He was the first person to see Cady’s sonogram, and he tried so hard to protect me when he thought you were hurting me.”

“He’ll be all right.” Jason’s hand stroked her back. “He was lucky.”

“I wanted to help him, but I knew what he would want me to do. He’d want me to run, you’d want me to run, so I tried, but maybe I hesitated too long—”

“He would have caught you regardless.” Jason exhaled slowly. “I didn’t…I didn’t see what Ric was doing until it was too late, until he went for you. I always thought the threat was to Cady—”

“Why would we think otherwise?” Elizabeth raised her head and looked. “Jason, he told me he didn’t want to be separated from his child. And I didn’t think he was all that attached to me. I heard him with you and Sonny, with Faith. The way he talked about our relationship. I saw his face that first time on the docks when he realized I knew the truth—”

“But we should have realized something was up—he didn’t try that hard to get to you before Cady was born. We thought it was because you were so well-protected, but…he didn’t want to hurt you or the baby. He didn’t take any chances until after Cady was born.”

“Jason.” Elizabeth cradled his face in her hands. “It doesn’t matter anymore. He’s dead. And if you think I give a damn that you were the one that killed him, you’re still not giving me any credit. If I’d had a gun, I would have shot him myself. Jason…” When he looked away, she gripped his chin and turned him back towards her. “He tried to kill me. He aimed the gun at my face and I would be dead right now if not for you and Francis. As long as Ric was on this planet, he was a threat to me, to you, to our daughter. This is the world we live in, and I accept that.”

“I just…” He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling. “I never wanted you to see me like that.”

“I’ve always known who you were, Jason.” She hesitated. “The first time I saw you, it was at Brenda and Sonny’s non-wedding. I had to steal an invitation to get in, and Lucky still had to vouch for me because a man with a gun thought I might be a threat at the age of fifteen. I was in the club the night Nikolas was shot because he was standing next you. I remember how scared I was, because Lucky made me and Emily duck.”

He sighed but she wasn’t through. “Lucky worked as a courier for you until you quit. And I saw you twist Sorel’s arm behind him like it was nothing, because he talked to me. Jason, I have no illusions about you or your job.”

When his shoulders slumped, she thought he might finally have understood that there had never been a moment in their relationship, even when they’d been nothing more than people with mutual acquaintances, that she hadn’t known exactly who he was.

She slid her arms around his neck, letting her fingers play with the hair at his nape. “You know, Jason, I think I have a resolution for this problem we keep having.”

He frowned and looked at her, loosely wrapping his own arms around her waist. “What?”

“I think…” she began slowly, “we ought to sign some sort of contract that stipulates some sort of…punishment for breaking the terms.” She smiled, a little hesitantly. “Like…a prenuptial agreement.”

His fingers tightened at her hips for a second, and she saw in his eyes that he understood exactly what she was asking. “So…we’d agree on a certain amount of years,” he replied, his voice soft. “And if either of us reneged, there’d be…what…damages?”

“The worst kind,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to the corner of his jaw. “If I left, I’d forfeit something I can’t live without. And if you left, you’d forfeit something you can’t live without.” She swallowed hard. “Like…each other.”

“Hmmm…” His hands slid up from her waist to her torso, his long fingers wrapping around her back, his thumbs brushing under her breasts. “How many years would we…stipulate?”

“Oh…” She could feel tears clinging to her lashes, but these were not the kind of tears she’d cried over him once.

These were tears of joy, tears of disbelief.

“I thought we’d start with fifty years and include an option for more.” She brushed her lips over his, nibbling at his bottom lip until he opened his mouth, letting her control the kiss.

When she drew back, she rested her forehead against his. “Will you marry me, Elizabeth?” he asked.

Her lips curved into a smile. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Sunday, March 7, 2004

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Elizabeth stepped off the bottom stair, fastening her earring. “Jason’s meeting us at the church. He and Sonny wanted to go over the security one last time with Father Coates.”

Carly wrinkled her nose and peered at the boxes on the table. “How many of these are from the Quartermaines?”

“Only half of them.” Elizabeth smoothed her strapless white dress and then reached for the soft blue cardigan she was going to wear over it. “You know, Jason told me again last night he could pull some strings and get a marriage license for today. I told him no, because this is Morgan and Cady’s day, I wanted it be about their christening. It’s the third time he’s tried that.”

The blonde snorted as she peered at notes on the beautifully wrapped christening gifts. “Yeah, he’s worried I’m going to plan something ostentatious and completely against his style.”

Elizabeth frowned, stepping into the low kitten heels by the desk. “Jason doesn’t have a style.”

“Exactly.” Carly lifted a box and shook it a little. “And it’s not like you’d let me get away with anything he’d hate.” She set the box down and pointed at her. “It can be a small ceremony and reception, but damn it, you’re having a wedding where people are actually invited. I may not be the maid of honor—”

“Well, no,” Elizabeth allowed, but she arched an eyebrow. “Seeing as how you’re married, so you’d have to be the matron of honor.”

Carly paused and looked at her suspiciously. “Is this a trick? You’re friends with Emily again. There’s that nurse at the hospital. Why would you pick me?”

“Because,” Elizabeth said, joining her in the perusal of the gifts on the table. “I want someone to stand up with me who knows me and Jason, who supported us from the beginning and didn’t let us screw it up. That would be you, Carly.”

She scowled. “How is this our life, Muffin? A year ago, I would have cheerfully set you on fire, and now we’re decorating nurseries, being the godmother to each other’s kids, and now you want me be to be your matron of honor…” Her scowl deepened. “And I’m excited to say yes, I mean what the frick happened to me? I used to be hell on wheels, and now I’m this sappy bitch who…” She waved her hand. “Likes people.”

Elizabeth snorted, and examined a gift which had no note. “Calm down, Carly. I’m not particularly thrilled either, but you know, as you always tell me, we are where we are. Might as well suck it up and enjoy.” She grinned. “And you know it’ll drive Sonny and Jason crazy if we keep getting along. They’re both waiting for you to change your mind.”

“There is that,” Carly mused. “It keeps them on their toes. We have to stage some fights though. I don’t want them thinking we’re predictable.”

“That would take the spice out of life.” They both laughed as Elizabeth lifted the rather large box up.

“Who’s that from?”

“It’s not marked, but…” she frowned. “Francis said they swept all the gifts. No explosives or anything.” She hesitantly set it back on the table and began to unwrap it. When the paper was gone, there sat a large white box. She lifted the top and removed a bottle of champagne.

“Hey, that’s an expensive label.” Carly reached for the bottle, and Elizabeth handed it to her as she reached for a beautifully knitted white blanket. A note fell from the folds. Elizabeth leaned it down to pick it up and read the blood red words out loud.

Congratulations on the baby, Princess. I’m sure you and your fiancé are simply thrilled. Have a drink on me and don’t worry—I’ll see you soon.

Love,

Faith

THE END

---

Author’s Note

I want to thank everyone’s who read this story over the last month. Writing this convinced me that I could still write for the show, for Jason/Elizabeth in  way that writing Shadows didn’t. I wasn’t sure I had it in me to write long novels, anymore. Thanks for sticking by me through the angst and difficulties.

I’ve contemplated reposting the older version of Poisonous Dreams for people to see how far I took this version, but I’m not sure I want anyone to know how bad it used to be. I think that rewriting PD was the best decision I’ve made in my fanfiction career — this version is better written with a more solid plot and deeper characterizations, and writing the sequel, Burn in Heaven, will be easier when I get a chance to play with it a bit later this summer.

I also want to thank everyone who comes to this site, and keeps the stats up so much. I average between 500-1000 visitors a day, which I never expected when I started to move stories over. In fact, I wasn’t sure I would go back to writing when I started to move CG to this location. You guys made all the difference, and any writing I do from now on is always going to be dedicated you.

I hope you like my next efforts half as well 🙂

<3

Melissa (LissieLove)

---

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
– Fix You, Coldplay

Thursday, February 5, 2004

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

When Max told him Courtney was outside, Sonny sent Jason upstairs to sit with Cady. He thought Courtney might be more forthcoming without the glare of her ex-boyfriend.

In the hour between giving the order to have her brought here and her arrival, there was very little information. Freddy DiGarno had lit out of his apartment, probably having been warned by his cousin that his connection to the matter was going to be found. Dominic had disappeared. Stan and Spinelli had traced the SUV for half a mile before losing it.

And Elizabeth was now missing for almost five hours.

“Sonny?” Courtney entered the room, hesitantly. He looked at this woman whom genetics told him was his sister. He’d never felt particularly connected to her, but had done what he could to assist her as far as she would allow it. Duty and obligations told him that family should be cared for, but he’d never felt as though she were really part of his family.

And maybe she had sensed it, had sensed that Sonny felt far more fraternal towards the woman who had supplanted her. Elizabeth was now Carly’s closest confidante, though neither woman would have admitted that. Rather than becoming Morgan’s godmother as Carly and Courtney had once discussed, it was Elizabeth who would receive that honor. Emily had stopped talking to Courtney, turning back to Elizabeth. Even Jason had realized where his heart truly lay.

And Elizabeth had been more of a sister to him than the woman standing in front of him.

She looked at him, her eyes wide with confusion and apprehension. And he knew that Emily’s suspicions had been correct.

“Elizabeth was kidnapped a few hours ago,” Sonny said after a long moment.

Courtney blinked and stepped back. “But…why? Where’s the baby?” She looked around. “Is Jason’s daughter okay?”

“Why?” Sonny asked, wishing he could indulge in a Scotch or a bourbon. “Do you really care?”

“Of course…” Courtney swallowed. “Sonny, of course I care. We dated. He was good to me, until…” She shrugged. “But it’s water under the bridge. Why…why are you telling me this…?”

“You didn’t harass Elizabeth at Kelly’s earlier this week?” Sonny demanded. “You haven’t been nasty to her every single time you came across her from the moment Ric Lansing told you she was having Jason’s child?”

“I…tried to be okay with it,” she said softly. “Elizabeth will tell you that I was the only person who didn’t say anything to her. But…” She hesitated. “She started showing, you know. And I realized how true it all was. I think…maybe I could let myself forget. He wasn’t around her, and I thought if I played it cool, he’d remember why he’d left her and come back to me.”

“But it never happened.” Sonny gave in and poured water, just to have the weight of the glass in his hand. He’d allow Courtney to explain herself, if only to make the point that her actions were inexcusable. “Did it?”

“No.” Courtney looked at the floor. “She moved in with him. And I think they started seeing each other again, but I couldn’t be sure. It just…got to be too much, Sonny. She had trapped him. She knew how he felt about children, and she got pregnant on purpose—”

“He loved her long before you came in the picture, Courtney,” Sonny said, almost quietly, wishing he’d said something ages ago, hadn’t ever asked Jason to look after his sister. “Whatever else, I am sorry I couldn’t keep you from being hurt.”

“Well…” She shifted, uncomfortably. “Why…are you even bringing this up? Shouldn’t you be looking for her? Trying to figure out what happened?”

“And what,” Sonny said, slowly approaching her, “do you think I’m doing?”

Courtney’s eyes widened and she looked behind her, where Max was stationed almost as a sentinel. “S-Sonny, you can’t think I…” Her eyes widened. “What do you think I did?”

“I think that you manipulated Emily Quartermaine into talking about Elizabeth, hoping to get something that could be of use,” Sonny said. “And boy, you got something good. You found a hole in Elizabeth’s security.”

“No. I don’t…” But her eyes darted away.

“And you told someone. Someone who tried to kidnap her, while she was seven months pregnant.” He took another step towards her. “Who’d you tell, Courtney? Who did you tell?”

“Sonny, you just…you don’t understand.” Courtney licked her lips. “I just…I wanted her to go away. If she would go away, like she did after she left Jason—she left town for a few weeks, and Jason looked at me. He loved me. But she trapped him. I don’t know how she did it, but she was going to keep trapping him. It wasn’t even his kid, but she suckered him in. I had to stop it.”

Sonny closed his eyes. Another person trying to protect Jason from Elizabeth had put her in danger. Emily had tried to protect him, and had set Ric loose. And now Courtney had done the same.

All these people who thought a woman who measured barely more than five feet three inches and a hundred pounds soaking wet represented something dangerous to a lethal mob enforcer. If it wasn’t so horrible, it might almost be funny.

“You wanted her gone so Jason would look at you again,” Sonny said, his voice flat. “Don’t pretend anything else. You knew he loved her, and you could ignore it when he wasn’t acting on it. But he let you walk away and stayed with her.” He clenched his hand around the glass in his hand. “Who did you tell?”

“I didn’t want Elizabeth to be hurt,” Courtney said quickly. “But she was stealing my life, Sonny. She had Jason and Carly and she always had you. And then Emily, too. Even Bobbie keeps asking me to be a better waitress, to be more like Elizabeth.” A tear slid down her cheek, and she pressed a hand to her chest, much the way he often did. “Don’t you see, Sonny? Everyone had looked at me and found me wanting. I wasn’t their perfect, precious Elizabeth.”

“Such a shame,” Sonny snarled. “Who did you tell, Courtney?”

“So…when I was walking home from work one night…in August…” Courtney cleared her throat. “A woman approached me. I didn’t…recognize her at first, but I knew her voice. She stepped out from the shadows, and I saw it was Faith Roscoe.” She was twisting her fingers together. “I was going to run, but she told me not to worry.” And now her voice was bitter. “I wasn’t important enough to go after. I didn’t matter to anyone.”

Faith Roscoe had seen the bitter wound in Courtney’s soul and exploited it. Sonny closed his eyes, because he could have done more to avoid this. He knew that the fault ultimately lay with Courtney, but he could not ignore his role. “That wasn’t true—”

“Don’t placate me, Sonny,” Courtney hissed. “She was right. She told me I didn’t matter enough, that hurting me wouldn’t make a point, except to say she could. So she asked me if I wanted to matter.”

“And you did.” Sonny walked away from his sister, then, because here was the proof that they were related. They may look as different as night and day, but under the surface, he and his sister were the same. They wanted to matter. They saw something they wanted and went after it, damn the consequences.

“She told me she could get Elizabeth out of Jason’s life. That she knew the baby wasn’t his, that Elizabeth was lying to Ric. I knew it. He was with her because he felt sorry for her,” Courtney spat. “Because Ric went after her because of Jason. I knew he didn’t love her. So I thought I could get Elizabeth and the baby away from him, that he’d see the truth. He’d know Elizabeth was trying to trap him.”

He exhaled slowly and turned. “Courtney…he always knew Cady wasn’t his biological daughter. It was Jason’s idea to claim her, because he wanted to protect Elizabeth and the baby. Because he did love her.”

“No, no…” Courtney shook her head. “If he was just trying to protect Elizabeth, he would have told me. He wouldn’t have let me think he cheated on me. He could have told me—”

“He didn’t trust you,” Sonny interrupted. “He didn’t even tell Carly or me the truth right away. Only…you believed it. Because you knew, deep down, that he loved her. That he didn’t love you. So you justified it by telling yourself Jason was the victim. You justified turning Elizabeth over to a man who you knew was dangerous because you wanted Jason for yourself.”

“You’re not understanding.” Courtney took a step forward. “I told Faith I would help her, but I didn’t want Elizabeth to be hurt. I just wanted her gone. And Faith said she didn’t particularly care what happened to Elizabeth, but she doubted Ric would hurt her. Not until after the baby was here. And maybe not even then.”

“Did she seem annoyed by that?” Sonny asked. “As if it was more his plan than hers?”

“I…” Courtney hesitated. “I guess. She didn’t like Elizabeth, I don’t think. But no, I didn’t think she was happy about it. But it didn’t matter. Elizabeth would be away from Jason. And…that was enough for me. So she gave me a number.”

“Do you have it?”

“I…” Courtney nodded. “Yeah. It’s in my phone.” She lifted her purse and Max took it from her.

“And you called her about what Emily had told you.” His sister reluctantly nodded. Sonny frowned. “Anything else?”

Courtney paused. “I told her about the guard shifts. Who was on them, who I had seen her around. I didn’t remember everyone’s names, but Dominic guarded me a little bit when Jason couldn’t during the stalking. And I knew Francis, Marco. Cody.”

“What else?” Sonny pressed.

“I…didn’t know much else,” she admitted. “Elizabeth and I weren’t working together anymore. I said she was close with you and Carly. That she was on the outs with her best friend.” She shrugged. “I don’t know anything about this new kidnapping, Sonny. I mean, she contacted me around Christmas, and I told her the baby had been born, but I didn’t know anything else. Emily wasn’t talking to me, hadn’t really been since the kidnapping…” She nodded. “Emily realized that I was involved.”

“She protected you longer than she should have,” Sonny said, his back to his sister, unable to look her in the face. “Because she didn’t want to see it.”

“Sonny, I—”

He turned to her. “I didn’t want Jason here when we had this meeting because I wasn’t sure what would happen if he looked at you and realized you were responsible for what happened to the woman he loved, for putting his daughter in danger—”

“She’s not his daughter,” Courtney snarled.

“She’s his daughter in every way that actually matters,” Sonny said, almost patiently. “You know what happened the last time I told Jason he couldn’t deal with one of my half-siblings the way he wanted to. Ten months later, we’re still trying to find the sick bastard. So…I wasn’t sure what would happen when he came face to face with another sibling of mine who had betrayed his family.”

And now, for the first time, Courtney looked nervous. Her fingers played the strap of the purse Max had returned to her after fishing out her phone and taking it to Jason’s penthouse where Stan, Spinelli and Benny were working.

“Sonny…I didn’t want her to be hurt—”

“I’m not sure that’s going to matter if Jason doesn’t find her.” Sonny set the water on the mini bar. “Do you think he’s going to care that this time you weren’t personally involved? Do you know who kidnapped Elizabeth? Who shot her other guard? Who pressed chloroform to her mouth until she passed out and then dragged her away?” He paused. “Dominic. One of the guards whose name you turned over. He turned on Elizabeth, after eight months of protecting her. So, what do you think I should do to you Courtney?”

“I’m your…I’m your sister,” Courtney said, her voice trembling. “It…you can’t.”

“Can’t I?”

“No, you can’t.”

They both turned to see Jason step around the corner, clearly having been standing there for some time. As he stepped down the stairs, Courtney backed up until she was practically against the closed penthouse door. “J-Jason.”

He stopped near the sofa and just stared at his ex-girlfriend. “I started this,” he said slowly. “Because I began a relationship with you when I knew I didn’t care about you the way you wanted me to. I continued to let you believe we had a future, when the truth was I didn’t give a damn about the future anymore.”

Sonny watched his sister swallow, because it was one thing for other people to tell her these things, but even he felt a little sorry for the harsh truths Jason wasn’t holding back.

“I was already trying to figure out how to break it off without making things worse for you, for me…for Sonny.” Jason cast a glance toward him, but Sonny just shrugged. “I don’t know if I thought I could have a chance with Elizabeth again, but being with you wasn’t helping. It wasn’t making me miss or love her less. So I was looking for a way out.”

“And you found it,” Courtney said tightly. “Sonny told me you always knew the baby wasn’t yours.”

“Because I didn’t sleep with Elizabeth.” Jason hesitated, and apparently deciding to channel the Jason of old, he continued, “but if I thought I had the chance to, I might have.”

Courtney’s mouth tightened. “I’m sorry, what’s the point of this?”

“I didn’t tell you the truth about the baby,” Jason said, as if she hadn’t spoken. “But you should know Elizabeth wanted me to tell you. She knew you would be angry about it, that you might not forgive a lie, but I didn’t care. Because I think, even then, I knew I couldn’t trust you. There was no way I was potentially placing Elizabeth’s life and her child’s in your hands.”

Courtney lifted her chin. “Then you should have killed Ric when you had the chance and none of this would have happened.”

“I’m sorry for hurting you,” Jason said, again ignoring her. “But that’s where the guilt stops. Because I didn’t force you to continue holding onto the anger. I never gave you an indication once you broke up with me that I wanted to have anything to do with you. I didn’t lead you on after that. Elizabeth never did anything to you that you didn’t deserve. You crossed a line, Courtney, when you agreed to help Faith Roscoe. When you gave information that placed Elizabeth and my daughter in danger, when you turned over the names of the men guarding Elizabeth. If you were anyone else, I wouldn’t wait for Sonny to give me permission, you’d already be dead.”

The blonde swallowed. “S-Sonny…Mike would never forgive you.”

“Why should he have to know anything?” Sonny said, taunting her. “We can have you leave a message on his machine. You’re leaving town, you’ll be in touch. We can even send him letters that eventually fade away. You and Mike didn’t know each other for most of your life, who would be surprised if you fell out touch?”

A muscle leaped in Courtney’s throat and she swallowed. “I—”

“You wanted to play in this world, Courtney,” Jason said, his voice devoid of emotion. “You made that clear when you told Faith about the security hole, about Dominic.” His eyes hardened. “The birth of my daughter. You put yourself in this world, why are you surprised Sonny and I might treat you accordingly?”

And for a moment, Sonny believed Jason meant it. And if he did, then Sonny would let him. It was his fault this was happening. It was his family, his blood, that threatened everything that mattered the most to Jason.

“It’s up to you, Jase,” Sonny said. He looked at his friend to make sure he understood that he really meant it. “It’s your family in danger. It’s your fiancée missing.”

“F-fiancée?” Courtney blinked. “I…” She squared her shoulders. “Emily knows I’m involved. If I disappear, she’ll know.”

“I don’t think she’d argue about it,” Sonny retorted. “She came to us. Not the police. She knew what we would do.”

“Ending your life won’t bring me Elizabeth,” Jason said after a long moment. “It won’t tell me where she is, if Ric is hurting her. It would just make me feel better, and it’s not enough right now. So I’m going to do what Elizabeth would want.”

Courtney blanched, probably because the bitch knew what she would do if the situations were reversed.

“I’m going to let you live, but you’re going to go away, Courtney.” Jason stepped towards her, his hands fisted at his sides. “I think sending you to live in Puerto Rico with constant guards is almost too kind, but it’s what I can live with. Maybe after five years of living under constant guard, of never having the freedom of movement, you might understand…just a little…the kind of stress Elizabeth lived under while she was pregnant.” He stepped back. “Is that acceptable to you, Sonny?”

“Little nicer than I had anticipated,” Sonny said after a moment, “but it’s something I can live with, too.” He nodded to Max. “Please take Ms. Matthews to the apartment directly under us. Keep her under guard until I say differently.”

Warehouse

When Elizabeth finally opened her eyes, she tried to move. Her arms were twisted behind her, tied to a chair. She blinked, blearily, saw that her legs were also lashed to the bottom rungs. “W-What?”

“I’d like to untie you, Beautiful,” came the silky soft voice she’d only heard in her nightmares these last few months. Ric Lansing bled out of the shadows, stepping in front of her for the first time since that awful day on the docks when Jason had almost killed him.

“O-Okay…” Elizabeth cleared her throat, and coughed. It was too dry. “Why d-don’t you?”

He lifted a bottle of water from a nearby table and held it out to her. “You can see I haven’t removed the cap. It’s not drugged.” When she nodded, he twisted the cap off and then held it to her lips. At the brush of his skin against hers, she almost twisted away. Instead, she drank thirstily, wetting her throat.

“Why…”

“I can’t untie you,” he said. He stepped back and leaned against the table. “Because I’m not sure you won’t leave.”

She hesitated. “Why did you kidnap me?” she asked. “How…does this help you against Sonny?”

“I’m not as interested in Sonny anymore.” Ric shrugged. “Faith still wants to take him down, and I suppose if I can, I will. But you know…that’s all changed.” He stepped towards her, and she saw that smile on his face, the one that she’d once found so attractive.

She pressed her lips together, refusing to ask him why again.

“You changed it for me,” Ric told her. He crouched in front of her, and she felt nauseous at the soft look in his eyes. “When I found out you were pregnant…I was so angry that you were trying to take our child away from me. Like my father did with my mother. I scared you, and I shouldn’t have. I should have understood that you were upset, that you realized our relationship was less honest than you believed.”

“I just…I want to go home to my daughter,” Elizabeth said softly. “Let me go home to my daughter, Ric.”

“I never knew my mother,” Ric continued. “Because of Sonny. I wouldn’t take you away from our daughter, Elizabeth. I know what it’s like when a child grows up without both parents. I wouldn’t do that.”

Her chest was tight, because she was starting to understand. “Do you think…”

“It’s true that I initially targeted you because of Sonny and Jason,” Ric admitted, almost sheepishly. “And by now, you realize that I was having an affair with Faith while we were seeing one another.”

Her eyes were gritty and burning, but she couldn’t close them. Couldn’t let him think she was weak. That’s why he thought this would work. He believed her to be weak, that she might give in, let her daughter near him.

He could kill her for all she cared, her daughter was safe. Jason would raise her, he would protect her.

“I should have broken things off with you as soon as I realized Jason Morgan didn’t give a damn about you.” Ric stood and started to pace. “But I couldn’t. You…you’re so beautiful, Elizabeth. Inside and out. I wanted you to love me.”

“Sleeping with Faith Roscoe seems like an odd way to make that happen,” she bit out. “Or telling Jason and Sonny that screwing me was useless but oh, so much fun.”

“I…I had to keep face with them, Elizabeth. They couldn’t see what you mean to me.” He pressed a hand to his chest, and in her bleary vision, her exhaustion, she almost thought he looked like Sonny with the motion. “If they knew, they’d know they could use you against me.”

“Funny…” Her throat was thick. “You never thought that was Jason’s reason. You wanted me to believe he didn’t care about me then, and that he doesn’t care now.”

“He wanted our daughter, Elizabeth,” Ric said, still using that careful, charming tone. “I know how he feels about kids, and he saw you as a way to have a child. And bonus, he could get rid of me. Elizabeth, if he really loved you, he would have done something about it before you needed protection.”

“Do you think you can really convince me to leave Jason, to bring my daughter to you…so we can…” Elizabeth blinked, shook her head. “So we can raise her together? What…what can you possibly be thinking?”

“We could be a family. You, me…Adela.” Ric paused. “I want us to be a family.”

“Her name is not Adela. Her name is Cadence Audrey Caroline Morgan, and she is not your daughter. Not in any way that matters.” She struggled with the bonds around her wrists. “And I don’t care if you kill me, you will never come close to being in her life.”

His eyes narrowed, but he took a deep breath. “You’ve had a rough year, Elizabeth. I understand. That’s why we connected so well. I understood how hurt you were. I tried to show you that Jason won’t change. All those business problems, he was never home again. I know he never went to the doctor’s appointments, that he never took you out anywhere. He doesn’t love you the way I do. I would give you the finest things—”

“You don’t know a thing about me, Ric. You never did.” She shifted in her chair. “Jason will protect our daughter from you, and if you take him out, Sonny and Carly will protect her. And if by some impossible means you get past all of them, well then I hope you’re ready for Edward Quartermaine, because he’ll set the world on fire before he lets another great-grandchild out of his clutches. I will never let my child know you.”

“Our child,” Ric said, his teeth clenched. “She’s my daughter, Elizabeth. I named her for my mother—”

“We will never be a family,” Elizabeth snarled.

Faith Roscoe bled out of the shadows, a perturbed look on her face. “You know…I have had nearly enough of this.”

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

Seven hours.

Courtney had been taken to a secure location, but her information had offered them nothing substantial, only an explanation for October’s attempt. They’d lost the car with Elizabeth inside after almost a mile, but Jason knew Stan and Spinelli hadn’t given up on that angle. None of them knew anything about the location of Freddy or Dominic, no sign of Ric or Faith.

The only reason Jason hadn’t crawled completely out of his skin was that he now believed Elizabeth had been part of Ric’s plan all along. He thought…he might not hurt her. Not this soon. Maybe eventually after she made it clear his plans weren’t going to work. But not seven hours after finally getting his hands on her.

The door pushed open and Sonny strode in, Max dragging someone behind him. “Look who came straight to us,” his friend all but snarled. He yanked his coat off and tossed it on the sofa.

Jason shot to his feet. Freddy DiGarno, cousin to Dominic and the man on the inside at the warehouse. The man was short, stocky and brunette. His dark eyes were bulging as Max kept one clamped around his neck, never letting the man stand fully on his own weight.

“He came to us?” Jason said, his hands fisting at the sight of one of the men responsible for the last seven hours of his life. For the last ten months. “Is he stupid?”

“Not so much.” Sonny gave Max a signal, and the guard released Freddy. The other man collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. “He came to Benny. Hoping Benny might help him. Put in a good word.”

“Good word?” Jason growled. He strode forward, not entirely sure what he might do if he reached the piece of shit. “You worked with Faith Roscoe—”

“I just want to die quick!” Freddy scrambled to his feet and held his hands up in front of his face. “You was going to find me, I knew it. Dom left me high and dry. I don’t know nothin’ about disappearin’ and I tried to get out of town, but I saw the men near the highway ramp and the docks, and the airports, the train station, the bus depot. There’s no way out.”

“You got that right.” Jason took another step, but Sonny held up his hand.

“All in good time. Freddy here knows about a warehouse. And more importantly, he knows why Dominic picked today.”

Jason huffed. “I don’t care why today—I want the warehouse.” He advanced again and Freddy actually hid behind Max for protection. How had they allowed this miscreant into their organization in the first place…

“It seems Spinelli was on the right track with those numbered accounts,” Sonny said, and Jason knew he was trying to keep them both calm. To keep this situation under control. They had their break, now they had to take advantage of everything this man knew so that Ric and Faith couldn’t catch them unaware. “He not only found Freddy’s account, but he was getting pretty close to Dominic’s. And once you found both of them, he knew he’d lose his chance to grab Elizabeth.”

“So he contacted Ric or Faith to tell them to move up their plan.” Jason’s eyes snapped back to the traitor. “What was the original timeline? How much longer were they gonna wait?”

“I d-don’t know for sure,” Freddy replied. “Maybe a few more weeks, but Faith Roscoe was gettin’ impatient. Talkin’ about cuttin’ her losses, you know. And how much she hated the…” He swallowed hard. “She’s not real fond of your…um…well…she’s not fond of her.”

They’d been right. Faith had been playing along with the plan, but it had been drawn out too long and it was clear now to Faith that Ric was using her to get Elizabeth as well. A pissed off Faith Roscoe was not something either of them should underestimate. “So your covers were almost blown.” Jason nodded. “I want the warehouse address. How many men?”

“Maybe half a dozen,” Freddy all but whimpered. “Faith don’t have the resources to keep anyone around for long, and Lansing kept refusing to use his own money, it would draw attention.” He reeled off an address. “I just…I don’t wanna suffer.”

Sonny raised his eyebrows and looked at Jason. “Well, Jase, it’s your woman he helped to kidnap. Your daughter he placed in danger. You get to decide what happens to him. I’ll get the men together in the garage and work up a plan.” He left the penthouse, leaving Freddy alone with Max and Jason.

Part of him wanted to snap this man’s neck like twig right here and now, but every second spent dealing with him was one more Elizabeth was alone with Ric. He looked at the little dirtbag. “If you were Dominic, the man I entrusted with her safety for eight months, depended on to keep her safe…if you were the man who shot Cody, and drugged Elizabeth as she kicked and screamed to get away, then I’d make you suffer. Personally. For hours.”

He stepped closer, saw the man’s eyes nearly roll back in his head. “Maybe even days. But you’re nothing to Dominic, Ric or Faith. They left you holding the bag, and for that, I’m not going to do a thing.” He saw Max and Freddy jolt in surprise. He continued, “Not because you deserve mercy, but because I don’t want to waste any more time.”

He looked at Max. “Make him disappear. How and where is up to you.”

When Max had dragged the traitor out, Jason started up the stairs to check on his daughter before joining Sonny in the garage.

Warehouse

Ric stepped back and cleared his throat. “Faith…you were supposed to be arranging our exit.”

Elizabeth’s darted between the two co-conspirators, and her lips curved. “Oh, you mean Faith doesn’t know your master plan? About dragging me here to convince me we should be a family.” She clucked her tongue. “Not very up front of you, Ric, after everything Faith has done to help you.”

Ric blanched, but Faith smirked and raised one slim brow. “I completely agree, Princess. Not sporting at all.” Dismissing her then, Faith turned to look at her captor. “We had a plan once, Ric. You were going to go after the women. Gain their trust. You went after Morgan’s waif, but he didn’t seem to care. You got messy with Corinthos’ wife and the Families, but you told me you had an endgame that they’d never see coming.”

She picked her away across the room, her stiletto heels clicking across the cement floor as she drew closer to Ric. “You told me you wanted your child because it would screw with Corinthos and Morgan. Because they’d be distracted looking for the waif, and we could take them apart.”

“Faith,” Ric began, switching the charm to the blonde. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. He had just one shtick.

“But every time it didn’t work that way, I questioned you.” She planted her hands on her hips, the black coat, parting to reveal an equally black dress underneath. “I questioned whether you wanted to bring down Sonny, because all you could talk about was the little bastard you’d sired.” From an inside pocket of her coat, she withdrew a gun.

Elizabeth straightened in her chair, and now even Ric looked wary. “Listen, I know we’ve had some setbacks—”

“You used me, Ric.” Faith tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. “And I don’t like being used.” She tapped the blood red tip of a nail against the silver metal of the gun. “What should I do about that?”

Elizabeth remained silent, understanding that her future rested on what Faith did next. She could eliminate them both if she wanted to. Instead, Faith just smiled.

“I think…I’m going to take my men and leave,” she murmured. She stepped back but now trained the gun on Ric. “I’m going to leave you with your delicate little princess, because after all, you think you can convince her to leave that strapping Jason Morgan and bring her kid to you. Isn’t that why she’s here?” Faith’s eyes positively danced with amusement. “So you can use that legendary charm to sweep her off her feet again?”

Her eyes hardened. “You should know, Ric, your charm only works once. We believe you once. And then we never believe you again. Because once you see through that smile, you understand what’s beneath it…nothing at all.”

“Faith, you don’t understand what’s happening,” Ric began.

“I think it’s you who doesn’t understand. Goodbye, Ric.” Faith cast her eyes towards Elizabeth. “Good luck with your waif, but somehow, I just don’t see the two of you lasting.”

She waited one more second and then turned and left.

Ric turned his eyes back to Elizabeth, and in them, she saw the truth. Without Faith’s men to back him up, he didn’t have a prayer of going against Sonny and Jason.

Which meant she was a liability.

Corinthos Penthouse: Morgan’s Nursery

Carly had set Cady up in a portable crib in a corner of Morgan’s room. Jason stepped through the doorway and gently lifted his sleeping daughter into his arms. She fussed and made a few sounds, but he arranged her against his chest and pressed his cheek to her head.

“Sorry, Cady,” he murmured. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I wasn’t sure…” He swallowed. “I’m going to get your mother, and I promise you, if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to bring her home to you.”

Cady batted her fist against his t-shirt, and his chest tightened. “I might…not come home, though. But you should know that I love you. I loved you long before you were born, before I could admit it to anyone. You were always mine, no matter what anyone says.”

He breathed in her scent one last time, kissed her on the forehead and put her back in the crib.

I never thought I’d end up here
Never thought I’d be standing where I am
I guess I kinda thought it would be easier than this
I guess I was wrong now one more time
– Sick, Cycle Carousel, Lifehouse

Thursday, February 5, 2004

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Later, Jason would recognize that the general feeling of discomfort and wrongness felt different than the tension that had existed for the last ten months. But until Carly knocked on the door just past five, he didn’t associate the prickling in the back of his brain with anything serious.

After all, the threat was to Cady, and now that she’d been born, they reasoned Elizabeth herself was relatively safe with the usual cadre of double guards. So she had left that morning with Francis and Oliver, her morning guards, to sign some paperwork for the nursing program, see her grandmother and bring new photos of Cady to Monica. Her plans for the rest of the day were relatively loose, but he knew she was planning to grab coffee with Carly at some point before coming home to dinner with him and Cady.

And Cady was snug and safe in the penthouse, sleeping in the bassinet beside the desk where he looked through Spinelli’s newest reports on the casinos in Puerto Rico, the background checks for the guards working in the warehouse when the shipments were going wrong, and other security matters. There was nothing new from Ric, other than the Port Charles postmarked envelope from the day before, but Sonny had put all their men back into the search, confident that any business troubles were coming from Ric and Faith.

It was a day like many that had passed in the last two months, but later, Jason would blame himself for underestimating Ric Lansing.

Carly knocked and pushed open the door with a frown. “Jase, where’s Cody?” She stepped inside and glanced around.

Jason glanced up and returned her frown with one of her own. “He’s…with Elizabeth. She…” He pushed back from the desk and stood, instinctively checking on Cady before looking back at his best friend. “She was meeting you for coffee at Kelly’s.”

“Yeah.” Carly nodded. “And I waited at Kelly’s for a half hour. We were supposed to meet at four-thirty, after she had lunch with Audrey and Monica and finished her paperwork. I think there was even going to be a tour of the hospital or something. But…she never showed. I called her cell phone, but she didn’t answer. I called Nadine at the hospital—she left there around one-thirty.” She hesitated. “Jason…I would have called her guards, but…” she trailed off as Jason reached for his own phone.

Neither Cody nor Dominic answered their phones, and their shift ran from two until ten, at which point Marco and Ricky usually took over. The penthouse itself was guarded twenty-four hours a day. He remained calm because a hundred things could have happened that weren’t serious, but he could not think of one that would entail Elizabeth and her guards not showing up where they were supposed to while not answering their phones.

Next, he called Francis, who had responsibility for Elizabeth from six in the morning until two in the afternoon. Francis picked up on the first ring.

“Francis, do you and Oliver have Elizabeth?”

“Ah…no, Jase. We brought her to the Towers around two. She finished lunch. We met Cody and Dom in the parking garage. She was going to come upstairs, spend some time with Cady before meeting Carly.” Francis paused. “She should have been home hours ago.”

“I’ve been here all day. She never came in. I need…” Jason closed his eyes and forced himself to sound calmer than he felt. “I need you to get…everyone. Find her.” He set his phone on the desk, leaned against it and took a quick bracing breath.

“Jason…” Carly touched his shoulder. “You’ll find her. Maybe their car—”

“She came to the building three hours ago, Carly. She never made it up from the parking garage.” He straightened and reached for his phone, dialing Spinelli’s number.

“Spinelli, don’t talk, I don’t have time. I need you and Stan to get to the security room of the Towers. I want all the footage for the parking garage, the lobby and the penthouse elevators for the entire day, anything else you might think is relevant. Bring it to Sonny’s. And I need it immediately.” He hit end on that call and placed another one to the security room to let them know the techs were on their way.

“Carly, I need you to go to the kitchen, get the bottles Elizabeth prepared and then get whatever you think Cady need for a few hours. I need…” Focus. He just….he had to focus. “I need you to take her to your place, upstairs, with Morgan and Michael.”

“Right.” Carly nodded. “He took Elizabeth so he could draw your focus from Cady.”

“That’s probably the plan.” Jason nodded. “So I’m not letting it happen. I’m putting my daughter in the safest place in the building, and giving her care to you, because I know you’ll protect her.”

“Absolutely. Go to Sonny’s, Jason. I’ll pack Cady up and bring her over here. Rocco’s right outside, he won’t let anyone come near the penthouse until we get there.”

Jason nodded and numbly moved towards the door. He’d thought Elizabeth was safe now that she had delivered the baby—safe enough. They had all shifted their focus to protecting Cady.

And even though Elizabeth had had two guards at all times, had been in the building…she hadn’t been safe from the traitor in their organization—one of the men who had been protecting her for almost a year.

When he discovered who had taken her from her daughter, from him, there would be nowhere for the bastard to hide.

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Emily glanced up from a chart to find Nadine staring into space, her phone in her hand. “Hey…” She cleared her throat, as the two of them were struggling to get along for Elizabeth’s sake. She liked the other woman, she did—but it was just difficult to see past everything that had happened. “You look…upset.”

“I…” Nadine hesitated. “Carly called me a little while ago. She and Elizabeth were supposed to meet for coffee.”

And Emily froze, because she somehow knew what was coming next. “She’s missing, isn’t she?”

“Yeah.” Nadine swallowed. “At first, I just…I thought their wires got crossed. You know, Liz thought she’d be at the hospital longer today, but she finished everything this morning, and you know, she had lunch, so she went home to be with the baby and Jason. Maybe she just forgot about Carly. But I’ve been calling her. And calling her. And calling her. There’s no answer.”

Accustomed to the ramblings by this point, Emily waited for her to finish. “M-Maybe she…forgot her phone somewhere.” They shared a look, because neither of them thought was a logical possibility. Elizabeth was married to her cell phone, for security reasons and for her daughter.

“I just…” Nadine closed her eyes. “I called Jason, finally. Elizabeth gave me his number after…October, after the kidnapping, because she wanted me to get in touch with him if I thought…anyone was going to come after me for helping. So I called him.” The pupils of the nurse’s eyes were so dilated with fear that the blue had been nearly eclipsed by the black. “And Jason told me that she’s been missing since two. He hung up because…he’s doing other things.”

Emily closed her eyes and took a step back. After October, and the kidnapping, she had put all thoughts of Courtney out of her head. Courtney had been normal then, they’d shared meals and coffee and the blonde seemed to be slowly recovering. Until Cady was born. And the anger had seeped back in.

Had Courtney been angry because she’d thought she’d never have to see the baby? See Elizabeth again after that day?

I’m not going to sit around and wallow anymore. I’m going to start being true to myself again.

Had Emily read her words wrong? What did Courtney mean by being true to herself? Had…she meant something more? Had…she lured Emily into discussing Elizabeth, latching on a way to expose Elizabeth to danger?

“Emily…” Nadine leaned forward. “Do…do you know something?”

“I don’t want to,” Emily admitted. “I…think Jason’s ex-girlfriend…might have been involved with the kidnapping in October. Because…she and I had had a conversation several weeks earlier. I…was telling her I wanted to fix things, that I wanted to apologize, but with her health, I couldn’t…just go see her. And…I told her…” Her breathing became more rapid. “Nadine, I told Courtney that Elizabeth didn’t always have guards in the hospital. That they were on the exits near Kelly’s office, but not with her. Nadine, I didn’t…think…”

“Why would you?” Nadine said softly. “She was Elizabeth’s friend once. She was your friend. She’s Sonny’s sister, Carly’s friend. Why would you ever suspect her of doing something that might put Elizabeth in danger? I was with Elizabeth some of the times Courtney was nasty. I just thought she was bitter.” She took a deep breath. “But, yeah, Em, it sounds like she might…have maybe told someone else. I mean, who else would know that information except people who worked here? And who was paying attention to Elizabeth?”

“Except me, because I…” Emily felt dizzy. She’d done it again. She’d exposed her best friend in the world to danger. The love of her brother’s life was missing and it was Emily’s fault. “I did it again. Oh, my God. Nadine, I did it again.”

Nadine came out from behind the desk and gently led Emily over to the waiting area. “Sit for a second. We just…need to figure this out. What did you do again?”

“I told Ric Lansing Elizabeth was pregnant. I mean…not straight out, but I was hinting it pretty heavily.” Emily grabbed Nadine’s forearm. “Not to be vindictive. I thought…he was the father, and she didn’t tell me the things he’d done. I just…I wanted to help her. I thought…I knew better. I wanted to help her, Nadine. And instead, she couldn’t hide it from him. She had to…” And then Emily closed her mouth. Because she’d almost let the secret out.

Nadine smiled wryly. “She had to accept Jason’s help. Because Jason claiming the baby seemed like good sense at the time, but Ric told everyone and blew the situation up.” She placed her opposite hand on Emily’s and squeezed it. “Em, Elizabeth glossed over a lot of details this summer, and I figured it wouldn’t do her any good that I knew, but I…did. Of course, I did. It’s okay. I even believe you honestly thought you were helping.”

“I…” Emily swallowed. “I never would have put her in danger. Not for a second. No matter how angry I was, I loved her. And then I told Courtney how to get to her in the hospital.”

“Jason and his partner need to know if she had anything to do with it,” Nadine pointed out. “It may have been a coincidence but if it wasn’t, then they need to know. They’re looking for a traitor, that much was clear from things I overheard this summer. I’ll tell your resident that you had to go home, that you were ill. You need to go help find Elizabeth.”

“You’re right.” Emily nodded. “And…I’m glad Elizabeth had you. That she still has you. She really needed you, you know, because I was a selfish bitch.” She rose to her feet and Nadine followed suit.

“You were,” Nadine acknowledged. “But you’re not now. Go before someone catches you not being sick.”

 

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

The situation didn’t get better once they had the security footage. Stan and Spinelli had worked together to find the events as fast as possible—so within twenty minutes, they knew how someone had grabbed Elizabeth.

Jason watched as Francis, Oliver and Elizabeth greeted Cody and Dominic. There was some small talk, and then Francis and Oliver walked away, heading to the room they kept for shift changes for their guards to check out.

He watched Cody and Dominic escort Elizabeth to the elevator from the parking garage to the lobby, where they then transferred her to the lobby to get the second, private elevator that connected to the penthouse levels.

On the elevator footage, he watched as Dominic pressed the button, and Cody asked Elizabeth something. She laughed, but there was no audio. And then she and Cody frowned when the elevator stopped, because it took longer to rise all fifteen floors to the penthouse level, and it had been less than a minute.

Jason watched Cody say something, and then start to follow Dominic out into the hallway. Elizabeth hesitated inside the elevator, glanced at the buttons and he wished she had followed her instinct, had pressed the button for the penthouse.

Instead, she followed her guards. Cody had been her guard since April, had been her guard initially the September she lived with him. Dominic had guarded her since June, when they had doubled her guards. Both of the men had been there with her through her doctor’s appointments, through the kidnapping attempt, and with her when she brought Cady home from the hospital.

He did not blame her for thinking that these men who had already protected her through attempted kidnappings wouldn’t betray her now. Cody had been with her that night at Kelly’s, had looked Jason in the eye and offered him the gun if Jason wanted to end him for not protecting her better. Dominic had had a head wound that day at the hospital.

“Put in the hallway footage,” Jason said tightly. “Was it both of them? Just one?”

Spinelli clicked something on his computer, for once realizing that this was not the time to speak. Sonny stood next to Jason, his hand over his mouth.

They watched Elizabeth step out of the elevator, the doors sliding closed. Jason recognized the hallway as the fourth floor, one they kept empty for security reasons. She was frowning, asking something. Maybe if there was a security issue. Cody stood in front of her, separating her from Dominic. And Jason saw the way the man was tensed, his hand braced.

And he knew then that Dominic was the traitor.

Dominic was a shade quicker than Cody. He drew his gun, with its attached silencer, and shot the man twice, a bullet hitting the wall just inches from Elizabeth’s head. She screamed, and he watched as she hesitated. Had probably thought of going to Cody. But then she turned and moved towards the stairwell. Dominic caught her before she got there, and then he placed a hand over her mouth.

He watched the woman he loved, his daughter’s mother, struggle and kick against a man Jason told her was safe. But Dominic was holding something over her mouth. Chloroform again, maybe.

And for five excruciating minutes, he watched as Elizabeth’s struggles lessened, and when she slumped in Dominic’s arms, he pushed open the stairwell.

“How…” Sonny cleared his throat. “How did they get her out of the building?”

“He carried her down the stairs,” Stan reported. “And to a waiting car just outside the building. We’re tracing it now, but the car was reported stolen a few hours ago.”

“Cody.” Jason swallowed. “Did you get to Cody? Was he…”

Spinelli shook his head. “He was still alive.” For once the colorful tech was subdued. “He was crawling towards the elevators, we think, but passed out. We called to Doc Lowenstein, who took him to the clinic. We haven’t heard anything else. He lost a lot of blood.”

“What do we know so far?” Sonny demanded. “The men know that Dominic is to be brought to us alive, as soon as possible. Do we know anything else?”

Stan nodded and looked to Benny who had joined them. “Dominic’s cousin is Freddy DiGarno in the warehouse. He’s one of the men who’s been on several of the shipments that have gone missing. Not all of them, but enough. We haven’t found any concrete money trails yet, but Spinelli thought he might have a lead on some numbered accounts.”

He wanted to rip apart the town, search every building, alley, street…but he knew that they had to be smart about this. Had to be systematic. He only had one chance to get this right. Elizabeth would not have a second chance.

“Any unusual movements around town?” Jason asked. “Men being places they’re not usually at. Warehouses in use that weren’t before?”

“We try to keep a handle on that in general,” Benny offered. “We haven’t heard anything, but with the circumstances, we’ve spread the word. Anyone seen with Dominic or Freddy who don’t report it back to us, will be dealt with. Swiftly.”

Sonny nodded. “Get Zacchara on the phone. Tell him his lawyer’s son has just kidnapped…” He hesitated. “Jason, I can’t just tell them…”

“Tell them they’ve just kidnapped my fiancée,” Jason said. “It’s close enough.” Girlfriends didn’t rate, and that wasn’t the right word for what Elizabeth was to him. She was everything, a concept someone as ruthless as Anthony Zacchara did not understand.

“And the other Families, make sure they’re aware of it. We…don’t appreciate the lack of cooperation we’ve had in this matter,” Sonny said. “And it’ll be duly noted the next time they want to use my precious shipping lanes.” He took a deep breath. “Okay. Keep the men on the streets, everyone. Nothing else goes through until Elizabeth is found. No shipments, no collections from the bookies. Vega’s scheduled to move something through the territory tomorrow, let him know that’s off.”

Benny nodded and moved aside to make his phone calls.

“If Cody can wake up, and tell us what was said in those last minutes, it might give us something.” Sonny rubbed his forehead. “Ah…Stan, Spinelli. Try…to figure out if you can trace the route of the car. They’ll have dumped it, but if you can… check any cameras on the streets that saw it. It turned left leaving the alley. Start there. Maybe there was a GPS or something.”

The techs nodded and they both started whispering furiously to each other, making notations on a sheet of paper.

“We…” Sonny approached Jason. “We’re doing everything we can think of Jase. I know you want to be out there…” He pressed hand to his chest. “I-I do, too. But right here, we get all the information as soon as we know it.”

“I know.” Jason nodded. “I know that this is where I need to be. Elizabeth would want me to sticking close to Cady until I had something concrete to follow. And I have nothing. She was gone for three hours before I ever knew she was in danger.” He closed his eyes. “I told her she could trust Dominic, Sonny. How could he guard her for all these months and turn on her? Was the head wound in October just a goddamn cover? To keep us from suspecting him if it didn’t work?”

“Could be.” Sonny nodded. “I just…can’t see how Ric thinks this is going to work. Does he think we’ll trade Cady for Elizabeth? Does he really think we’re not going to protect Cady as well as search for her mother?” He shook his head. “I don’t know, this is just…this is just not what I thought.”

“Maybe he thinks he can convince Elizabeth to come to him willingly,” Jason said. “To bring Cady to him. She’d give her life first, but maybe…maybe he doesn’t know that.” He hesitated. “She was…different last year, Sonny. When they were seeing each other. She was vulnerable, almost meek. It took her months to get herself back. Does he think that’s who she is? Someone can be manipulated?”

“Maybe.” Sonny rubbed his chin. “Maybe he thinks you manipulated her. After all, you were the one who approached him on the docks, you came up with the lie. And the letter you got…it wasn’t addressed to her. It was addressed to you.” He frowned and reached for doctored certificate. “He didn’t cross Elizabeth’s name off.”

Jason hesitated. “You think…he wants her, too.”

“It’s interesting,” Sonny said. “He didn’t want to be separated from his child, but…you know…” He furrowed his brow. “He didn’t make an attempt to break things off with Elizabeth. Even after it was clear she wasn’t going to be useful. He kept her around. Even with Faith on the side, making threats. And after you and I found out about him, he still tried to keep her with him.”

“He might think he’s in love with her,” Jason forced out. “Which is why the attempts haven’t been more forceful. He never put the baby or Elizabeth in serious danger.”

“Nope.” Sonny tapped his finger on the desk. “So that’s his endgame. He thinks the woman he met last year is the real Elizabeth Webber, a woman who was hurt, maybe a little more gullible than she would normally be. A little too trusting. She probably swallowed some lies.”

“She…told me,” Jason said slowly, feeling uncomfortable, “that she overlooked some of the outright lies because he told her he cared about her, that he made time for her…” He looked away. “All the things I didn’t.”

“Exactly. But you and I know that Elizabeth Webber, when she’s got her sense of self about her, she’s a fighter. She doesn’t take any bullshit. She doesn’t swallow lines. But he doesn’t know that. He thinks this woman who had his child will come to him because he turns on the charm.” Sonny nodded. “It’s starting to come together. He knew what went wrong between the two of you.”

“So he came after the business,” Jason said. Because Sonny was right. Everything made sense now. The patience Ric had showed—wanting Cady to be born, because then he could be rougher with Elizabeth in the kidnapping, but not too rough. It would have been quicker to use physical force to knock her out, but they’d used a difficult chemical. “He came after the business hoping it would lead me to treat Elizabeth like I did the last time. Never coming home, never talking to her.”

“He’s not working with all the facts, only what he knows.” Sonny hesitated. “It makes sense for Ric. He’s going to try to charm her into being with him, into bringing Cady to him, because hey, what could you do if she wants to take her daughter and be with the biological father?” He shrugged. “But that doesn’t explain Faith.”

“Maybe Faith doesn’t know the plan. Or the motivations,” Jason pointed out. “She might be getting frustrated.”

“If she gets frustrated, I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It’s her resources that Ric’s using. If she just decides to cut her losses and go…” Sonny shrugged. “He’s on his own. But if she decides to raze the people involved to the ground…”

Max pushed the door open. “Boss, Emily Quartermaine is here and she says she might know something about Elizabeth.”

Emily barely waited for him to finish speaking before she rushed into the room. “I’m sorry, but Nadine told me she’s missing and I can’t live with myself if I don’t tell you what I think happened.”

“What is it, Em?” Jason asked. “Did you see something at the hospital?”

“No, but I think I know what happened in October, and maybe it’s related to this,” Emily said. “I…was having a conversation with someone about trying to apologize to Elizabeth. And we were just…talking about why I was angry, and how I didn’t think the guards would let me near her.” She swallowed. “So I said that I could probably do it at the hospital, because the guards are only the exits on the maternity floor. They don’t…follow her around.”

Jason stilled, because his sister looked so upset about this. He knew she wouldn’t have done it intentionally, but…he thought he might know who she had related this information to.

“Emily, who did you tell?” Sonny said, his voice so soft that Jason knew the other man was aware of what Emily would say before she could say it.

“Courtney,” Emily confessed. “And…that was the period when she seemed like she was getting over it. She seemed…to be moving on, but she told me something that maybe didn’t…mean what I thought I meant. She told me she wasn’t going to wallow it in it anymore. She was going to be true to herself. And then…she became angry again around the baby shower, but more so after Cady was born. And it’s worse than ever lately.” Her lip trembled, so she bit on it. “Jason, I am so sorry—”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Jason said. “It’s me. I set this in motion last year when I started dating Courtney, when I damn well knew I was still in love with Elizabeth. She was hurt, and vulnerable to Ric. None of this is your fault, Emily. It’s mine.” He looked to Sonny. “I…don’t know how it could have happened, how she could have given that information to anyone else, but it…”

“It fits,” Sonny said, with a deep sigh. He looked to Max. “Find my sister. Bring her to the penthouse whether she likes it or not.”

Is this a natural feeling or is it just me bleeding
All my thoughts and dreams in hope that you will be with me or
Is this a moment to remember or just a cold day in December, I wonder
If maybe, maybe I could be all you ever dreamed cause you are
– Anywhere But Here, SafetySuit

Tuesday, February 3, 2004

Kelly’s: Dining Room

“So, you told us you had something to announce.” Nadine dumped sugar in her coffee. “I’ve waited long enough, and I’m not waiting any longer.”

“Yes…well…” Elizabeth shifted in her seat and smiled at her grandmother. “I’ve been talking about it with Jason, and he…has told me a few times that I don’t need to go back to work if I don’t want to, and part of me…” She paused. “Part of me just wants to sit at home and watch her change.”

“You’ll go nuts in five days,” Emily predicted. “So, you’d go back to Kelly’s?”

“No.” Elizabeth cast her eyes around the diner that had been a second home to her since she’d moved to town, had once actually been her home. “No, I think…I’m ready to move on. It’s something I’ve been thinking about almost since I got pregnant, before Jason and I worked things out. I thought about getting my certification to teach, but I also…” She met her grandmother’s eyes. “I thought about going into the family business. Webbers usually end up as doctors, but…I decided to enroll in the nurse’s program.”

“Yes!” Nadine’s fist shot in the eye. “I was hoping that one would win.”

Emily wrinkled her nose. “You used to hate blood.” And then she tilted her head. “But, now that I think of it, that’s not been true for a while.”

“Yeah, well, I guess it’s something I grew out of.” Hard to be nervous at the sight of blood when she’d had to change Jason’s bandage once a day and he’d opened his wound more than once trying to recover to fast. “I’ve…had some experience in helping someone who was sick. I think I’d be good at it.”

“Well, I am certainly pleased,” Audrey said. “As long as you’re sure it’s what you want.”

“Well, like I said, Jason and I talked about it. I’m going to enroll now, but I’m too late for this starting class—which is fine with me since I want to stay home with Cady for at least six months, but Bobbie said I could start this summer, maybe. Or even the fall. I don’t have to commit right away, but I wanted to get the paperwork started.”

“It’ll be great working together,” Emily said, with a bright smile. She flashed another at Nadine—the two were still not all that friendly, but Elizabeth had hopes they’d warm up to one another.

Courtney approached them then, with her usual annoyed expression. Elizabeth thought she might be more annoyed that now she and Emily were friends again, the blonde’s casual friendship with Emily had faded. Another thing Courtney would probably claim Elizabeth had stolen from her.

“Are you guys done yet? I’d like a table who might leave me a decent tip.”

Elizabeth lifted her eyebrows at this, and opened her mouth to respond, but Audrey caught her first. “You know, Courtney, the service I have received the last few times I have been here has been appalling. I will be speaking to Bobbie about this.”

Courtney narrowed her eyes, slapped their check on the table and stalked away.

“Honestly.” Nadine rolled her eyes. “It’s been like…a year hasn’t it? I mean, is he that good in bed?” She flushed. “Sorry, Mrs. Hardy.” The older woman just smiled.

“She was doing better for a while,” Emily said hesitantly. “Or I thought she was.”

Later, as Nadine and Audrey had moved on to their cars, Emily followed Elizabeth to the SUV where Cody and Dominic were holding the door open

“I…think you should be careful around Courtney.”

Elizabeth blinked at her. “Why? She can’t be like this forever, you know. And I barely even see her most of the time. Em, she’s just bitter. I have Jason and she doesn’t. She thinks I stole him, that I stole Carly and Sonny, and probably you, but—”

“I know you didn’t.” Emily hesitated. “I don’t know. I just…it’s been ten months since she found out. She and Jason were only together a few months, barely that long in public. It’s just…not right for her still to be this angry. She seemed like she was coming to terms with it for a while, and now it’s like it’s happening all over again. I don’t want her to make trouble for you.”

“I appreciate it, but I just…” Elizabeth lifted her shoulders. “I just don’t know what trouble she could cause, honestly. Jason and I are better than we’ve ever been. We went through a lot of rough patches getting it right, but we have. I know he loves me, he knows I love him. We have our daughter. Life is practically perfect. I can’t think of anything Courtney could do to make that go away.”

“I guess you’re right.” Emily bit her lip. “I just…I worry. Maybe I’m overcompensating for what a bitch I was all of last year.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Elizabeth said softly. “You and I are going to be fine. We’re family, Emily. We always were, but even more so now.” She embraced her friend in a tight hug. “But thanks for looking out for me.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason pulled open the door at the knock, and frowned when he saw Carly. “Hey. Elizabeth is out—”

“Hey, do not assume I’m here to see the Muffin.” Carly jabbed at his chest. “I am your best friend. I merely tolerate her, you know. I can come see you.”

“Okay.” Jason waited. “Are you?”

She scowled. “No.” Then she lifted her chin and sniffed. “I’m here to see my goddaughter and niece.” She pushed past him and grinned when she saw the play mat set up on the floor, and Cady waving her hands at the dangling toys hanging over her. “Hey. You’re with Cady.”

“You know, we haven’t had the christening yet. She’s only your niece until then.” Jason shut the door.

“Semantics.” Carly waved her hand and leaned against the desk, watching Cady. “She’s trying to roll over.”

“Yeah. She’s been doing that for about a week.” They both watched the infant struggle to do so, and her face wrinkling up when she just couldn’t make it happen. “Elizabeth swears she’ll do it every day we set her up on this, but I keep telling her it’s probably going to be another month.”

“All mothers think their babies are the smartest.” Carly raised her eyebrows. “Morgan rolled over at two months, three weeks and five days. So, you know. He wins so far.”

Jason just shook his head. Trust Carly to make it a competition. “So…you came to see Cady.”

“I did.” Carly fidgeted. “And maybe…I came to see the Muffin. But I can ask you the same question that Sonny forbid me to ask either of you.”

Well, that couldn’t be anything good. He sighed and folded his arms across his chest. “Carly—”

“I just…I haven’t nagged you since you went to Puerto Rico, I figure I didn’t need to.” She shrugged and wandered over towards the sofa, her fingers trailing over the back. “After seeing you in the hospital room…”

“Carly.” Jason sighed. He hated when she brought this stuff up. Even though things were good now—even great—it didn’t meant he wanted to talk about it. So he just offered his stock answer that had worked in the past. “We’re…you know, working on it.”

Her head snapped up at that, and she narrowed her eyes. “What the hell does that mean?” she demanded.

“Carly, don’t use that tone—Cady can hear you—”

And then Jason found himself actually ducking the pillow she threw at him. “Carly—”

“What is wrong with the two of you?” she continued, almost hissing the words. “What’s left to work out? You bastards are ridiculous for each other, you’ve got this gorgeous baby, and you’re working on it? It’s been months—”

“Carly, I hate when you push.” Jason moved to pick Cady up and hold her while Carly delivered her tantrum.

“I don’t get it.” She shoved her hair out of her face, trying to keep her voice level. “I see you with Cady, I see you with Elizabeth, and it just looks right, so how can you keep messing this up?”

He grimaced. “We’re—”

And then he realized she was crying. He stopped talking.

“I just want you to be happy!” she sobbed. “I broke you, and I just want to make it better. This is all my fault, you know. I did this. I ruined you.”

“I…” He blinked and shook his head. “Carly—”

“If I hadn’t given you Michael, if I hadn’t made you take him while I ran off to find myself or ended up in the nuthouse, you wouldn’t have told Robin the truth, and she wouldn’t have been able to hurt you. And then she took him away, and I took him away all over again.” Her chest was heaving. “I gave you this little boy to love and then I made sure you could never keep him when I gave him the Quartermaines—”

“Carly,” Jason began, bracing his hand on Cady’s back. “It wasn’t—”

“You have been the best friend I’ve ever had and I’ve done nothing but take and take and take!” She jabbed a finger at him. “I cause you nothing but pain. I slept with your best friend. I called you a kidnapper. I gave your son to AJ, to Sonny. And now this is all my fault, because you can’t trust Elizabeth to stay, and it’s because I broke you.”

“You didn’t break me,” Jason said, feeling uncomfortable, because he could have avoided this scene if he’d just…told her the truth about his relationship with Elizabeth. He was beginning to see a pattern here—he would refuse to open up, and therefore the women in his life would draw their own conclusions.

“I did!” Carly nodded, swiping at her eyes. “Look what you’ve done for me, Jase! I have my beautiful boys, my beautiful home, I have Sonny. And you’re losing your chance at being a family because of me!”

“I…” He drew in a deep breath. “Carly, Elizabeth and I are going to be fine. I didn’t…want to get into this, but it’s going to be fine.”

Her breath shaky, Carly shook her head. “I thought that was true, but how can you still be working on it—”

“When I say that,’” Jason said slowly, hoping to keep her calm because so far Cady was holding her own, but he didn’t want her upset. “I mean that we’ve talked about a lot of things. She knows why I was pulling away, and I know why she wasn’t pushing.”

“O-Okay.” Carly hesitated. “But—”

“I’m not saying we’re not both still…” Jason looked away, discomforted. “Apprehensive about if we can really make it work on an everyday basis, but we’re both in this now. I told her I loved her, she said it back. We’ve talked about Cady, and how we want to raise her together. Carly, I’m sorry. I should have—I should have been clearer.”

Her mouth was pressed in a thin line, and she fisted a hand on her hip. “Why do you do this, Jase? Why can’t…” She huffed. “We’re supposed to be friends. But you never…tell me anything. You keep it all locked in, as if no one can help you. And then I go insane, because I just want to be there for you, and I apparently have to lose my damn mind for you to let me.”

“You’re right.” Jason nodded, accepting that as a truth. “And to make it up to you, I’ll tell you…just this once…that you were right. If I had listened to you months ago, if I had talked to you or to Sonny about what was going wrong, I could have made it easier for Elizabeth to talk to me. And we would have been in this place months ago.”

Carly blinked and held up a finger. “Um. You need to tell me that again. That part about me being right. And I’m going to need you to make a recording of that. Because Sonny isn’t going to believe me.”

“Carly—”

“And I want it on a T-shirt.”

“You’re pushing it now.”

Morgan Penthouse: Bedroom

Around two in the morning, Elizabeth rolled her and her hand found empty space. She pried her eyes open and found that Jason’s side of the bed was still warm, but empty nonetheless. He’d come in from the warehouse after she’d already fallen asleep for the night.

She sighed, but then heard rustling on the baby monitor. Cady was doing all right with sleeping through the night—Elizabeth fed her about midnight and then at five in the morning, but occasionally, she woke up anyway. Elizabeth slid out of bed and padded down the hall to the nursery where Jason was standing over Cady’s crib.

“Hey…is she awake?” Elizabeth rested her head against the doorframe.

“She was,” he replied softly. “But I just put her back in bed.” He stepped back from the crib and looked at her. “How was lunch?”

“Fine.” Elizabeth shrugged. “Emily and Nadine are still pretty frosty with one another, but I guess it’s too much to hope for that they would both get along right away. Nadine was around for too much of what happened.” She smiled. “Gram is over the moon about me and the nursing program.” She eyed him. “I told them I have some brief experience in caring for someone.”

“This is true.” She watched him adjust Cady’s blanket once more before joining her at the door. He gently pulled the nursery door closed, leaving them shrouded in the darkness of the hall. “And I managed to survive it, so I guess you’ll be fine.”

She laughed and punched him in the shoulder. “Cady was already with Carly when I got home. Was she good for you today? Did she roll over?”

“She was fine,” Jason said. “And no.” She could sense his hesitation. “Carly…had a weird meltdown today.”

“A meltdown?” Elizabeth blinked. She started for their bedroom and he followed her. “Is she okay?” She slid back under the comforter and waited for him to join her so she could curl up into his side. “What happened?”

“I don’t…I mean, yeah, I know what started it, but I guess I didn’t think…” She felt his chest rise rapidly as he drew in a deep breath. “She came over to nag you about…us, but decided I would do instead.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth rested her chin on his chest so she could peer into his eyes. “And you gave her some noncommittal answer that did nothing to tell her of any progress we’ve made since Cady was born, so therefore, she finally hit her limit.”

“Yeah.” His fingers trailed up down her back, sending tingles through the thin camisole she wore. “She…I didn’t know she thought…” He was quiet for a moment. “She thought she broke me.”

“Broke…you?” Elizabeth repeated. She sat up, confused. “Why? How?”

“Because…of Michael,” Jason said, his hand at her hip. “Because she gave him to me, which created the situation with Robin, then she went to the Quartermaines and she ended up with Sonny. I…I didn’t know she had that much guilt in her.”

“But still…” Elizabeth shook her head. “I mean, I get it, but you weren’t broken. You just…I hurt you so much, you know. And we didn’t trust each other. It had very little to do with Carly.”

“Well, not all of it,” Jason admitted. He cast his eyes away, and she knew how he hated to open up like this. “But maybe there’s an element of truth. It was harder for me to think you’d stay. Robin…said she could accept my job, but…”

“I remember you told me once that you never grew up in Robin’s eyes, but that you had in Sonny’s.” Elizabeth lowered herself back down next to him. “Well, I hope I’ve convinced you that all the reasons I didn’t stay before aren’t a factor now. I accept your job, I’m not trying to make things work with Lucky…and most important, I love you.” She sighed. “So what did you tell Carly?”

“I told her the truth. That you and I had talked. A lot. That we’re going to raise Cady, that we love each other. I thought…she deserved that after I made her cry.”

“Oh, good grief. Carly cried? I can’t even imagine that.”

“So I told her she was right—that if I had talked to you months ago, things would have been better. That cheered her up.”

Elizabeth giggled, appreciating the image of a dumbfounded Carly being told by Jason that she was right about a piece of advice. “I’m surprised she didn’t want that recorded.”

“I didn’t know she was holding that kind of guilt about…everything,” Jason confessed. “I wouldn’t…have let her think that if I knew. I…wish she and Sonny could have found each other any other way than trying to prove a point I didn’t need to know about the both of them, but…” he hesitated.

“But what?” Elizabeth pressed. She raised her head once more to find his eyes in the darkness.

“It hurt at first. I mean, it was painful and I didn’t want to see either of them. But I don’t know…by the time I left town, I had mostly let go of it.” His fingers slid through her hair. “I didn’t see it then, but I was already in love with you, and the rest of it didn’t matter anymore.”

Elizabeth grinned and stretched up to kiss him. “By the way,” she murmured. “Do you know what today is?”

“February 4,” he mumbled against her lips. Then he stopped and pulled away from her a bit. “Two months.”

“To the day.” She grinned. “And you know what Kelly said when I saw her two weeks ago.” She slid her hand down his chest and beneath the waist of his sweat pants. “So what do you say we finally celebrate everything good in our lives?”

Wednesday, February 4, 2004

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose as she stepped off the bottom stair with Cady in her hands. “They’re going to give her more needles today, Jason. I can’t stand it—”

“They’re for her own good,” Jason said simply. He lifted the baby carrier onto the desk. “And you know she won’t remember it. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Michael when he comes home from school.”

She huffed and bounced Cady a little in her arms. “Tell Daddy to stop mocking me.”

“She can’t roll over yet, so I doubt she’s telling me anything.”

Elizabeth sniffed. “Fine then.” She handed their daughter to him and then watched as he effortlessly slid her into the straps and then attached them. “How do you always do that without her crying? It’s because you’re taller and I’m a midget, isn’t? Somehow that’s how this works out.”

Jason just grinned and shook his head. “Where’s the diaper bag?”

“By the sofa.” Elizabeth reached inside her tote bag to make sure her first year baby journal was inside and the page on the two month doctor’s checkup was bookmarked. She didn’t want to miss a thing. “You cleared the entire day, didn’t you?”

“Unless there’s an emergency.” She glanced over to find him returning, Cady’s cotton candy pink diaper bag over his shoulder. Somehow, he made that work. “Why? Are we doing something later?”

“Yep. I’m going to let Carly spoil Cady for a few hours tonight.” Elizabeth put her journal away and set her purse down. “And then, you, Jason Morgan, are going to take me out.”

He hesitated, but couldn’t find the flaw in her argument—she was allowed to leave the penthouse with just him if they didn’t have Cady. With the baby, the guards went as well. “Okay. Did…” He shifted uncomfortably. “What, like the Grille?”

She burst into laughter, and shook her head. “God, no. You’d gnaw off your own foot in about five minutes. I’ll let Sonny and Carly guilt you into those dinners.” She poked him in the chest. “We’re having Eli’s here at the penthouse—without a baby to watch. And then, you’re taking me for a ride on the cliff road.”

“It’s amazing how often you manage to bring the bike back into it.”

There was a knock on the door, and Francis pushed it open. “Hey. I just wanted to bring up the mail. It’s been swept and everything.” He held out a small stack of envelopes. Elizabeth took it and started to go through with it. Credit card offers, mostly—a utility bill. She wrinkled her nose at her own credit card bill. She couldn’t wait to go back to work and have money of her own.

“Huh.” She picked out the manila envelope at the bottom of the table. “This…it’s from Lucky.”

Jason frowned. “He writes you a lot?”

“No…” She set the other envelopes on the desk, and turned it over in her hands. “We just had a web chat yesterday so he, Nikolas and Lulu could see Cady. He didn’t say anything…” Elizabeth peered at the handwriting. “It’s not his writing.”

Jason took the envelope from her, and examined it for himself. In her car seat, Cady fussed a little. “Do…you want to open it?”

“I mean…we might as well.” She watched him pull out two pieces of paper. “What is it?” she asked softly, when she saw the way he tensed. “Jason, what is it?”

He looked at the second sheet of paper, and his face darkened. Without a word, he handed her both papers. With shaking hands, she read the first one.

Nice try, Morgan, but blood is always thicker. Tell my daughter Daddy’s coming for her soon.

Her mind blanked, and she swayed. Jason reached out, and steadied her. “Elizabeth…”

She shook her head and tossed the note on the table, revealing the second part of the threat. It was Cady’s birth certificate which declared that at 7:05 PM on December 3, 2003, Cadence Audrey Caroline Morgan had been born to Elizabeth Webber and Jason Morgan. Cady and Jason’s names had lines drawn through them, and next to those spaces, someone had scrawled in replacements. Adela Grace Lansing and Richard Lansing.

“Jason….” She raised her eyes to him. “What…what does this mean? Is it…just a taunt? A direct threat? I don’t understand. It’s not as though he can show up to file for custody.” Her blood froze. “Jason…”

Jason exhaled slowly. “It’s not…out of the realm of possibility,” he admitted. “Ric…was never convicted of a crime. And right now, no one in law enforcement is looking for him. If he were to…file, it would be too high profile to do anything to him. Suspicion would be immediate.”

“No, no.” The birth certificate slipped from her numb fingers. “Jason…”

“Hey…” Jason reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. “First of all, I don’t…think that’s his plan. It’s too straightforward. Second, blood tests can be faked. Even court-ordered ones. And if that didn’t work, Elizabeth, I would put you and Cady on a plane to the nearest country without extradition laws.”

“Without you?” she demanded. “We won’t go without you.”

He hesitated. “We’ll deal with it if we have to, but I really don’t think we have to worry—”

“No.” Elizabeth shook her head. “Promise me you won’t send us away when we wouldn’t be able to come back without you.” She watched him dip his head and take a deep breath. “Jason. We promised each other we’d stay. Remember? So that means you can’t—” She was abruptly cut off when he drew to him and kissed her. Her lips were trembling, and she was sure he could taste the fear running through her at that moment, but when he pulled back, she felt a little better. “Jason.”

“I don’t know how I would make it work with Sonny,” he said after a moment, “but you’re right. You and Cady are my family. Where you go, I go. But I still don’t think he’ll go for that. It’s more likely he just wants us to know that he never believed any differently. That he’s always known I’m not the biological father.” He rested his forehead against her. “Sonny and I thought that might be the case, but now we know it’s true. So it means he has an endgame.”

“Then what is it?” she whispered. She looked at their daughter, still fussing in her car seat. “What is he planning?”

She could see the bewilderment in his eyes. “We…just…we don’t know.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes. “Cady’s going to be late for her appointment, and she needs her shots. So do you want me to go with the guards while—”

“No,” Jason said firmly. “We’ll go to her appointment. I’ll give these to Francis, and he’ll deliver them. Sonny and I can take care of it when we get back. I don’t want you taking the baby out without me.”

She nodded. “Okay. You’ve kept us safe so far, Jason, so I can’t doubt you.” She looked again at Cady who chose that moment to open her tiny mouth and wail at the injustice of being in the seat and not being able to do anything else. “It’s just…we have so much to lose…and I’m terrified.”