Please don’t shout
Oh no
I stopped listening
I’m not listening
No, I’m not listening
Can’t you hear me?
I’m not listening
– Please Don’t Shout, Billie Myers

---

Monday, December 4, 2006

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

 Elizabeth pursed her lips and studied her husband before looking back down at the child-sized motor bike he had had delivered that morning. “Jason. Where are we going to hide this until Christmas?”

Jason opened his mouth, then frowned. “I—I didn’t think that part through, I guess. I just…I saw Cam’s eyes when he saw the stupid convertible Morgan has and I thought he’d want one—”

A smile tugged at Elizabeth’s lips as she knelt and picked up another box, this one much lighter. “And this one?”

“A helmet. He might—” Jason scowled at her, but his eyes were amused. “You’re laughing at me.”

“No, no. I wouldn’t dream of it.” The generosity of his gestures—the way he had fallen in love with her son and his penchant for anything fast or on wheels—if Elizabeth wasn’t already head over heels, this would have done it. “Do you think one of the guys would take it to Sonny’s? I’m sure he’d hide it for us.”

“Yeah, I’ll call Nico.” Jason passed her as he headed for the desk. “Have you thought about what we talked about on Thanksgiving?”

“The island?” Elizabeth asked. She bit her lip. “I like the idea, don’t get me wrong, and Cam would love to have Christmas on the island with Carly, Jax, and the boys. I’d also pay good money to see Sonny and Jax celebrating together.”

“But?” Jason prompted, picking up the receiver.

“But,” Elizabeth continued, “Cam has his Christmas traditions, too, and he’s been asking about Gram. He hasn’t seen her since we got married, and I know—that’s her fault, not ours. But we go to the hospital party, and Gram comes over during the day. We drink egg nog, and he falls asleep in her lap.” Elizabeth set the box down, twisting her fingers together. “I guess if I say let’s change it, let’s go away for the holidays—it’s admitting that Cam doesn’t have that anymore.”

“I guess.” Jason left a message for the guard to make the pickup and turned to her. “Did you want to call Audrey? Ask her?”

“I was thinking about it,” Elizabeth admitted. “I don’t know. I mean, we should go. Cam loves the beach. It’s warm. It makes sense to go.” She leaned against the arm of the sofa. “Robin, Lainey, Kelly, and I are having lunch before the holidays because Lainey’s going home to Buffalo, and Kelly’s flying to Key West for a few days.”

“Then I should call Carly?” Jason asked, frowning in confusion.

“Can we just…hold off a few days in making a decision?” she asked. “We’ll probably go. I just want to be sure—”

“Of course.” He took her hand, drew her closer to brush his mouth against hers. She fisted her other hand in his shirt, and he contemplated taking another hour this morning to go upstairs.

Then Cody knocked.

Jason pulled away and turned to the door. “Yeah, Cody? You can open it.”

“Ms. Miller’s here.”

Cody pushed the door all the way open to admit the redhead who breezed past the guard with an apprehensive smile. “Jason, Elizabeth. Sonny said you were home this morning.” With a cheerful tone that sounded flat, even false, Diane continued, “Marriage must be agreeing with you. You always seem to be here when I call.”

“Diane.” Jason moved away from Elizabeth, reaching for his coffee on the desk. “What brings you by?”

“Ah, well, my visit is twofold really.” Diane set her bag on the desk and drew out some paperwork. “Elizabeth, your ex has hired a lawyer—or his brother has. He wants to settle custody.”

“Custody?” Elizabeth blinked. “I thought—” She flushed. “When the Herald printed that article a few weeks ago—”

“Ah, the one that gleefully announced your pregnancy and speculated as to paternity?” Diane pursed her lips. “Yes, I rather thought he’d get the message myself. Your divorce papers stated custody would be determined later, so…Lucky’s attempting to determine it.”

“He can’t have Cameron,” Jason said. “He never adopted him. There’s no standing.”

Elizabeth blinked at Jason’s abrupt dismissal, but directed her attention back to Diane. “What should we do?”

“Well, a copy of the paternity test will do for this unborn child, but Cameron may be a bit trickier.” Diane slid on her reading glasses. “The lawyer acknowledges that while Lucky did not formally adopt Cameron, he has acted as his father since the child was roughly ten months old. Cameron considers him a father?”

“I suppose, but—” Elizabeth cleared her throat. “Diane—”

“And as there is no biological father or anyone else with a legal claim, there’s a case here. Lucky has shared in the raising, he’d like to continue.” Diane handed Elizabeth a copy.  “I’m not saying he’ll win. I’m just saying he’s not without precedent.”

Elizabeth scowled. “He’s just doing this because he’s angry with me. The police found drugs in the apartment. He has an addiction—when did he get out of rehab?”

“Last week, apparently. He’s staying with his brother and he’s been encouraged to keep his distance from you.”

“What’s our next move?” Jason took the paperwork from Elizabeth to look it over. “The paternity test, but what about Cameron?”

“Oh, well, we’re going to have a court date set by the court. Probably after Christmas.” Diane drew off her glasses. “You did hear that part about anyone else with a legal claim, yes? I’d look into finding someone with a legal claim.”

Elizabeth frowned at her, but the redhead steamed ahead. “Now, as to the other purpose for this visit—the mayor has appointed a special prosecutor vis á vis you and Sonny,” she told Jason. “He’s tapped Scott Baldwin.”

“Baldwin? He was run out of town in disgrace.” Jason’s scowl only deepened. “What the hell?”

“Well, none of the DAs since Ric—Durant and Alexis to be exact—filed charges. Scott’s record is clean, and he’s the only one who’s a glutton for punishment, I suppose.” Diane pursed her lips. “Elizabeth, this is a good thing for you. Ric despised Jason. Scott’s target is Sonny. You’re probably not a blip on his radar at the moment.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t feel all that comforting,” Elizabeth replied, “but if you feel good about it, that’s fine.”

“Well, that might be too strong,” Diane admitted. “I can’t promise he won’t turn his eyes on you, but as he lacks the personal connection, he might see what the rest of us do—these charges are insane. I’ll have more of a feel for him once he’s been on the job a bit longer.”

She made her goodbyes and exited, leaving her clients somewhat speechless.

“I can’t believe that bastard is coming after Cameron,” Jason muttered, looking over the paperwork again. “What did Diane mean about legal claim?”

Elizabeth sighed and pulled the paperwork from his hands. “She means you. You’re his stepfather at the moment.” She hesitated. “And I think she’s hinting we should talk about a more permanent legal claim regarding Cameron.”

“Adoption?” Jason asked, surprised. He blinked. “Are—are you sure that’s what she meant?”

“I guess it’s something we’ll have to talk about.” Elizabeth glanced at her watch. “I’m meeting Robin for lunch, so I’ll pick up Cam. Will you be home for dinner?”

“Ah.” Jason blinked again. “I don’t know. Maybe not dinner. But I’ll be home to put Cameron to bed.” He offered her a smile. “We’re on the last chapter in the first Harry Potter, and Cam wants to catch up to Jax and Morgan.”

“Okay.” Eager to be away from this moment and Jason’s stunned reaction to the idea of adopting Cameron, she kissed him on the cheek and darted out the door.

Metro Court: Restaurant

 “I think you’re reading too much into this.” Robin set her menu aside and reached for her tea. “You know Jason loves Cameron. You know Cameron loves Jason. I’m sure he’ll agree—”

“I’m not sure how I feel about it,” Elizabeth interrupted. They paused to give the waiter their lunch order before continuing. “I mean, they are good together. And Cam has all these new ideas about how a dad should act because he’s with Jax and Morgan, and you know how amazing Jax is with Carly’s boys.”

“Jax has been eager to be a father for a long time.” Robin pursed her lips. “And Carly is much less annoying now.”

“But Jax reads to Morgan, so Cam wants Jason to read to him. Cam wants to play soccer with Jason in the spring, because Jax is signing Morgan up and is thinking of being a coach.”

“I would love to see Jason as a peewee coach,” Robin said, grinning. “That is a fantastic visual. Elizabeth—”

“And Jason never protests. He brings home toys for Cam all the time. All Cam has to do is mention something he likes, and it gets delivered within a day or two.” Elizabeth chewed on her lip. “Robin, my family life is perfect. My husband is amazing, he’s incredible with my son. We’re excited about having a new child—do you understand how terrifying this is?”

“Oh, yeah.” Robin nodded. “When things are perfect, that’s when they fall apart.” She leaned forward. “Can you picture Jason looking at you and saying, no, no, I don’t want Cameron, I don’t want to adopt him?”

“No.” Elizabeth sighed. “No. But—”

“But nothing. You’re actually jealous, that’s what it is.” When Elizabeth just blinked at her, Robin shrugged. “You have two children, who are about to be tied forever to Jason, without any equivocations. You know that Jason isn’t going to walk away from Cam or the baby. And you want that kind of reassurance.” She reached for a bread stick. “You and Jason got married for a specific reason. But neither of you have ever treated the marriage like that. You had a beautiful ceremony with a romantic honeymoon, then you came home and started a life together.”

“I want him to love me,” Elizabeth murmured. “I want him to love me as much as I love him. But that seems like a lot to ask at this point. He’s been so good to me—”

“Maybe,” Robin said, “he’s having the same thoughts.  Jason just doesn’t reach out for what he wants anymore.”

“I know what you’re going to suggest.” Elizabeth thanked the server as they set her salad in front of her. When Robin had her food as well, she continued, “You’re going to suggest I talk to him.”

Robin waited a moment. “No. I don’t think either of you are ready for a conversation like that.  Neither of you is going anywhere. Maybe…maybe you just let this happen.”

“That sounds like something I can do,” Elizabeth replied with a wry smile.

“Though it sounds like you’re on board with Jason adopting Cameron.” Robin arched a brow. “No hesitation there?”

“None. If it’s something that keeps Lucky out of Cam’s life, then great. But more importantly, it would be great for Cam. Jason’s so good to him. He’s already been so much more there than Lucky ever was.” Elizabeth paused. “I want Cam to have what this baby is going to have. He deserves it.”

“He really does.” Robin sighed, a bit wistfully. “How fast do you think Patrick would run if I told him I wanted a baby?”

“Ah.” Elizabeth blinked. “Do—are you guys going in that direction?”

“Not really.” Robin lifted a shoulder. “But I’ve seen him with Cameron. And I want that with him. Am I insane?”

“No, he’s amazing. You know I love him.” Elizabeth hesitated. “But if you brought up babies right now? He’d feel sorry about it later, but he’d run so fast, he’d vaporize. A few more months, you might be able to say something without completely spooking him.”

“Well, I guess that’s the price you pay for falling for a playboy.” Robin wrinkled her nose. “You have to wait for the boy to grow up a bit.”

Greystone Manor: Living Room

 Sonny sighed and sank onto the sofa. “It really never ends, does it?”

Jason leaned against Sonny’s desk and nodded. “Diane’s not wrong in thinking the risk to Elizabeth is minimal at this point, but still—”

“Trying to flip her against you was the last tactic by these bastards, so I’m not convinced they’re not going to have Scott pick it back up.” Sonny stood, pacing to the window. He turned around. “The cops traced the stash of pills from their apartment to Elizabeth’s floor to GH. That’s not easy. Ric spearheaded it, but the cops have it in their teeth now. You can’t tell me someone who works down there isn’t pissed about Elizabeth shacking up with you.”

“I don’t know how Scott can go forward with that. It’s the only evidence against her, and with Elizabeth having divorced and remarried, there’s no reason for her to risk her career for him.”

“Don’t underestimate the boys in blue. They hate me. They hate you. And they’re not entirely fond of Elizabeth.” Sonny rubbed his chin. “But odds are Scott will come after me first. And I don’t think anyone is going to make that jump. No one is going to try to flip Elizabeth on me.”

“I told Bernie and Stan to make sure our accounts are squeaky clean,” Jason told Sonny, “and I put the word out to the Families that the authorities are looking into us a bit more closely for the time being, so we’re changing some things around. Zacchara bitched, but that’s not news.”

“Yeah, make sure there’s nothing to see if they do look.” Sonny waited a moment. “You said Diane had news about Lucky?”

“Nothing much to worry about.” But Jason slid his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor. “It’s not related to this.”

Just Lucky forcing Elizabeth to say out loud what most of the goddamn world had already figured out last month. He was making her admit the baby’s paternity in open court to embarrass her. Humiliate her. Jackass.

“If it’s about Elizabeth and the kids, I’m concerned.” Sonny stepped forward. “You need to be home more? The new system is working—”

“No, it’s…” Jason hesitated. “You know Elizabeth couldn’t put anything in the divorce papers about custody—not if we wanted it to be uncontested. So Diane just put a clause in there that any custody issues would be settled at a later date. It’s a boilerplate clause, but Lucky’s forcing the issue.”

“He doesn’t read the papers?” Sonny poured himself a glass of water, offered the pitcher to Jason who shook his head. “I’m thinking of buying the Herald and firing everyone. Maybe leaving a monkey in charge. Can’t do much worse.”

“Elizabeth asked me not to read the articles about it.” Jason looked away, still remembering the day he’d come home from a meeting to find her crying on the sofa. She’d begged him not to read it, and he’d promised her. If it had been worse than the articles regarding their marriage, then it was for the best he be in the dark.

Though Sonny’s idea was starting to sound good.

“He’s forcing a hearing,” Jason said. “Diane seems to think it’ll be enough to send over the results of the test, but I know better. He wants to drag her through the mud. He’ll want another test, put her on the stand and cross-examine her.” He paused. “And that’s just the baby. Diane says he’s going for custody of Cameron.”

“I guess there’s a point there. He’s raised Cameron since he was a baby.” Sonny sipped his water. “Cam talk about him much?”

“Not really. He asked me once or twice where he was. Elizabeth and I decided we would tell him Lucky was going away for a while because he wasn’t feeling well.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “We were hoping, with Cam being four and Lucky not usually being around, it would just…stop being an issue.”

“What does Diane think about Elizabeth’s chances? Did Lucky adopt Cam?”

“No.” Jason shifted. “But since Cam doesn’t have anyone else, the court might give him visitation.” He waited a moment. “Diane hinted I might—that maybe I should do something about it. Or at least, that’s what Elizabeth says.”

“Adoption?” Sonny asked. He paused. “Why not?  Keeps it simple. Does Elizabeth have any objections?”

“I don’t know.” Jason recalled her quick exit a few hours ago. “She was meeting Robin for lunch so we didn’t really talk about it.”

“Listen. I don’t know much about what’s—” Sonny hesitated. “I know the reasons this started, but I doubt you guys have some sort of calendar with a divorce date circled. It’s not like you and Brenda.”

“No, but—” Jason shifted again, uncomfortable. How could he explain the way things had changed since that night at Vista Point when they’d first broached the topic?

They had a life together, a routine. They had divided caring for Cameron—he’d gone to his first doctor’s appointment the month before, and they were finding out the gender later this month. She’d picked out a room for a nursery and was going to have it cleaned out in a few months. They shared a room—shared a bed.

They were married. She was his wife. And Jason didn’t see that changing at any point in the future. Or wanting it to.

“And I’m not asking for details,” Sonny continued. “I do think that it might be a good idea to consider something more permanent for Cameron. If it weren’t for the baby, you could ease away one day, play the role of close friend, honorary uncle. But Cameron is going to have a front row seat for you and Elizabeth playing Mommy and Daddy.”

“No, I—” Jason paused. “I get the reasons why—”

“But you have to want it,” Sonny continued. “It can’t be so Lucky stays away, or because it just makes sense, or even because it looks good on paper for Elizabeth’s charges.” He paused. “At some point, Jason, you’re going to have to think about why you and Elizabeth are married, because I’m telling you—she already is.”

And then, mercifully, Sonny dropped the subject entirely and they moved on to other concerns—shipments, accounts, and events on the island.

Jason wasn’t ready to examine his relationship with Elizabeth too closely yet. If he did, he might have to admit to himself that he wanted to be married to Elizabeth, to be Cameron’s father.

He wasn’t ready for that. Not quite yet.

Port Charles Municipal Building: Scott Baldwin’s Office

Scott Baldwin took in the austere interior of the office he had been assigned upon his return to the district attorney’s office. While the mayor had acquiesced to Alexis’s request that Ric take over her duties as district attorney, Ric Lansing was on thin ice and everyone knew it. Having his office disqualified from pursuing charges against Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan had been devastating.

Scott had made mistakes during his first tenure, but he wouldn’t make them again. There would be no rush to judgment, no quick charges. He would do this right.

And he already had the inklings of a brilliant idea.

Mac pursed his lips as he set files on an empty table to the left of Scott’s desk. “You don’t have access to any of Lansing’s files do you?”

“Nope.” Scott picked one the files up at leisure. “I just know his court docket. He was working on paperwork for a grand jury intending to investigate Jason Morgan on RICO charges.  Then he was disqualified from any case regarding Corinthos and Morgan—” Scott glanced up with a gleam in his eye. “As well as Jason Morgan’s brand-new wife, Elizabeth. I don’t have to have Ric’s notes to realize he was trying to flip the wife. She tried to avoid it with a hasty divorce and remarriage.”

“She had her reasons for divorcing Lucky,” Mac admitted. “I’m sure you’re familiar with some of them.”

“I am.” And Scott’s tone evened out. “As well as the rumors that Lucky was having an affair with your daughter. I’m sorry, Mac.”

Mac’s lips thinned as he pressed them together. “He took advantage of her after Jesse was killed—”

“I’m sure that’s true.” And Scott knew the pain of a father whose daughter had fallen victim to an older man who damn well should have known better. Sonny hadn’t given a damn about Karen.

“Are you going to attack spousal privilege?” Mac asked.

“Nah. No point. I don’t have Ric’s knowledge of Morgan and his wife, and I’m not allowed to have them. I don’t need them.” Scott glanced at a file from the summer. “But I like the idea of using the wife.”

Mac hesitated. “I may not agree with Elizabeth’s decisions or her choices, but—”

“She made her choice, Mac.” Scott lifted a shoulder. “She’s in this up to her eyebrows.” He lifted a report. “For example, I took a glance at a few things before I came in today. A file containing bank records and other things pertaining to Alexis’s investigation went missing last summer.”

“Sam McCall was blamed and fired,” Mac said. “You don’t think it was her?”

“Not likely, no.” Scott took out a single sheet of paper. “The sign in list for that day has Elizabeth Spencer, there to check up on her husband. Did anyone ever question her?”

Mac narrowed his eyes and reached for the sign in sheet. “Alexis did, informally, but—” He muttered under his breath. “She stole the file?”

“I can’t prove it.” Scott leaned forward. “Not yet. But if I could, I could take these drug charges and spin them into a larger narrative. She didn’t steal those drugs to make Lucky happy, but to keep him drugged. So he wouldn’t discover her actual affair. And I have proof of that affair—she’s carrying Morgan’s kid.”

Mac reached for his phone. “Should we bring her in?”

“No, that’s what we would have done in the old days.” Scott took a seat behind his desk. “When I meet with Elizabeth Morgan and her husband, I’m going to make them an offer they can’t refuse—not unless they want Baby Morgan born behind bars.”

“How are you getting around spousal privilege?” Mac asked. “I—”

“You leave that to me, Mac. This is a new era in Port Charles.” Scott leaned back, a broad smile on his face. “And I’m going to be in charge.”

The human heart is a scary part in fact
‘Cause I could break you and you could break me back
Though my head says just forget it
You’ll get hurt and you’ll regret it
Ask me now and I won’t hesitate
– Hesitate, Steve Moakler

---

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

 Against Elizabeth’s better judgment, she allowed the front desk to send Nikolas upstairs when they called. Lucky wasn’t allowed past the front doors, but Nikolas had treated her fairly so far.

And maybe she could convince Nikolas to get Lucky to drop his pursuit of Cameron and avoid the court hearing where she would have to admit to that night with Jason. She did not want to be cross-examined about her relationship with him. Not at the moment.

And honestly, not ever.

She and Jason had gingerly discussed Diane’s visit, but had reached no specific conclusion, only that any decision would be life-changing and required some more thought.

Cody opened the door, his expression skeptical. “Nikolas Cassadine. If you’re sure.”

Behind Cody, Nikolas merely rolled his eyes. Elizabeth gestured him forward. “We’ll be fine, Cody. Thanks.”

When the door was closed, Nikolas lifted his brow. “Some security there.”

“He doesn’t like people coming to my home in order to harass me.” Elizabeth sat on the sofa and gestured for Nikolas to take a seat as well. “I’m sorry, I know we haven’t spoken since that day at the rehab. I thought you might be angry with me.”

“Not angry,” Nikolas said after a moment as he considered his words. “Sad.”

She frowned, tilting her head. “Because of my choices?”

“Because you didn’t feel you could confide in me.” He leaned forward. “I know your issues with Emily at the moment, that you feel as though she’s taking Lucky’s side, and maybe she is to a certain extent.  I also know that you need to do right by you, and by your children. The divorce was a good idea.” His gaze flickered around the room. “I just—I don’t know about any of this.”

Some of the tension eased from her chest as she realized Nikolas had an open mind. “There were a lot of reasons why I did this,” Elizabeth said.

“I’m assuming Ric was one of them.” Nikolas rose and crossed to a shelf where a framed photo of her wedding sat. Jason and Elizabeth stood next to each other, each with smiles. Robin and Sonny on either side. It sat next to another photo from the ceremony itself—from their kiss at the end.

Sonny had given her the wedding photos at Thanksgiving, suggesting with a sly smile that putting some on display would be good in case the PCPD ever came knocking.

They both knew it was just an excuse. Her wedding had been beautiful, and she wanted to remember those moments with her friends, with the man she loved.

“I won’t say it wasn’t a factor,” Elizabeth murmured. She pressed her hand against the slight swell of her abdomen. Four months along, and only just beginning to show. “But you know it wasn’t all.”

“I read the papers,” Nikolas said. “And I’m not stupid.” He looked back at her. “You always turned to Jason in moments of crisis, in grief. In sorrow. It was this summer, when you found out about Maxie.”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen,” Elizabeth admitted, “but I’m not sorry.”

“I told Lucky that filing for custody was a bad idea.” Nikolas faced her, setting the photo down. “That the papers were probably right. And that it would be better for everyone if you and Jason raised Cameron with the new baby. Lucky should have a fresh start, and I worry that some of this might be triggers.” He hesitated. “I’m not blaming you, just—”

“You’re just stating the facts.” Elizabeth nodded. “I get it, Nikolas. I really do. I can see how this might be a setback, and I hope it isn’t. I don’t love him anymore, but I don’t wish Lucky ill. I just don’t want him near my children.”

“But Lucky worried that Cameron would remember him, and wonder why Lucky didn’t want him. He didn’t want him to have the same doubts Lulu has.” Nikolas paused. “Lulu loves Luke, but there’s no doubt that he hasn’t known what to do about her. She was our mother’s pride and joy. And she fears he didn’t want her so much as he wanted whatever our mother wanted.”

“I suppose.” Elizabeth shifted. “But it’s not enough of a reason to allow Lucky to be in Cam’s life. Not after what he put us through.”

“I suggested as much to Lucky, but you know how he can be.” Nikolas sighed. “So I’m hoping you and Jason can figure out how to stop a court hearing.” He sat in the arm chair. “Insisting on one is Lucky’s petty idea of revenge. He wants to put you on the stand and make you admit you wanted Jason, that it was always him. That there was some sort of affair.”

“He wants to humiliate me,” she murmured. “Jason and I surmised as much. I’m not much interested in it either, but I don’t know if we can make it stop. A paternity test for the baby seems straightforward, but Lucky would have to let go of visitation for Cameron on his own.”

“Jason should adopt Cameron,” Nikolas said bluntly. “The only reason a judge would even entertain giving Lucky any custodial rights is that Cameron doesn’t have a second parent with legal standing. It’s patriarchal nonsense, but I’m afraid with your history of divorce, a judge might think keeping at least one stable father in Cam’s life by force is the best bet. I don’t agree, but—”

“Jason and I are considering it,” Elizabeth interjected, bristling at the accusation but understanding Nikolas’s motives. “It’s not something you can just decide over lunch. You know how serious Jason takes these kinds of things. He’d be making a lifetime commitment to Cam. I mean, I’m not saying we plan to divorce—” She stopped. “I don’t know how that would stop a hearing.”

“If you and Jason filed the paperwork before the hearing is set,” Nikolas told her, “I’d have a better shot convincing Lucky to drop the suit. He has a slim chance now. It disappears entirely if Cam has a legal father who lives in the home full-time.”

He stood. “I know we may not be close going forward,” he told her. “But you know that I love you, and if you never need anything, all you have to do is ask.”

Her eyes burned with tears as she stood and accepted his hug. “Thank you, Nikolas. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that from you.”

Greystone Manor: Living Room

Diane scowled at Sonny and Jason. “I cannot believe the two of you asked to meet with me when you damn well know I cannot discuss Elizabeth’s custody arrangements with either of you.” She huffed. “Does attorney client privilege not mean anything to anyone anymore?”

Sonny frowned. “I just wanted to make sure Elizabeth has everything she needs and you know she won’t tell me—”

“And I want Lucky to go away,” Jason said bluntly. He crossed his arms. “They’re not just Elizabeth’s arrangements. Cameron—” He hesitated. “Diane. I’m serious.”

“Then ask your wife,” Diane retorted. “You live in the same home, I presume. She knows the status.” But she paused, remembering who she was talking to.

Men. Insufferable jackasses.

“I responded to Spencer’s attorney this morning,” Diane said. “I sent a copy of the paternity, offering to have another test performed after the birth of the child if his client was so inclined. There isn’t much I can do regarding Cameron Webber. Legally, it’s a gray area. Stepparents rarely have legal standing, but courts look kindly on petitions by former stepparents because they want to preserve the stability of the child.”

“Stability.” Sonny snorted and moved away, to pour himself a tumbler of water. Too early for bourbon, Diane thought sourly.

“I laughed at the notion in the response,” Diane told them. “Cameron has the stability of two parents at the moment.” She studied Jason. “Though I’ve told you already how to improve the situation.”

“I wanted to talk to Cameron about it,” Jason admitted. “He considers Lucky his father. I’m his mother’s husband. I’m his friend. But I don’t know how he’d feel if those roles changed.”

And responses like that were the reason Diane couldn’t stay mad at him. Adorable bastard. “Well, then you need to have that conversation with him. The sooner you file paperwork, the sooner I can scare the crap out of Spencer. If Elizabeth walks into that court and presents a normal nuclear family with Mom, Dad, child, and baby, the judge is going to laugh Lucky out of court. You might be an alleged criminal, but he’s an actual drug addict.”

She looked at them. “Now, if we can put away the reality show nonsense, I’ve been digging into Scott Baldwin. My sources in the DA’s office tell me he’s working on something, but he’s keeping it close to the vest.”

“Against us or Elizabeth?” Jason asked.

“Hard to say. He’s not working with the PCPD so much as he and Mac have their heads together. The problem with Scott Baldwin is he’s a good lawyer. A damn good lawyer,” Diane said. When Sonny rolled his eyes, she scowled. “Don’t underestimate him. He made some mistakes and that deal with Ric Lansing was beyond the pale, but it doesn’t change anything.  If Scott puts his head down, and doesn’t rush into anything, he’s a formidable foe.”

She turned her attention to Jason. “If he comes after Elizabeth on these drug charges, it’ll be because he knows he can break privilege. Because he knows a judge won’t toss him out. He doesn’t have Ric’s notes, but he has a brain. He knows they were trying to flip her. Which means she probably knows something.”

Sonny’s expression had shifted into trepidation. “Do you think they’re working out a way to flip her on me?”

“It’s possible,” Diane allowed. “I don’t see how they could do it at the moment. Elizabeth’s involvement comes through Jason, and they’re protected by privilege. They can’t break that. They can’t challenge it.” She looked at Jason. “You two have done a good job of being married, by the way. And the fact she’s knocked up by you makes it almost impossible for a court to say you’re faking.”

Jason scowled. “Don’t talk about her that way—”

“Exactly my point.” Diane jabbed a finger at him. “This is not a case of you and Brenda Barrett managing not to murder one another long enough to avoid jail.  There’s history with you and Elizabeth. So I’m not overtly worried about Scott breaking marital privilege.”

“But?” Sonny prompted.

“I don’t know,” Diane admitted. “There’s something about this that doesn’t feel good to me.” She paused. “What if…” And hell. “What if Scott uses these drug charges to flip Jason?”

Sonny frowned in confusion, but Jason’s eyes narrowed. He understand Diane’s point exactly. “Can he do that?” Jason demanded.

“Do what?” Sonny demanded. “How could he flip Jason? Jason’s not involved in this—”

“No,” Diane allowed. “But he might be invested in not letting the mother of his children go to jail.” She pursed her lips. “Technically, it borders on illegal. It’s one thing to flip one defendant against another, but a third party not facing charges? It would violate the Ethics Code.”

“But you think he could do it.”

“I think Scott wants Sonny’s head on a platter,” Diane said. “We tied his hands when it came to using Elizabeth against Jason. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Scott was trying anyway.”

“It’s too risky.” Sonny dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “The drug charges are weak—you said so yourself. All of this happened to keep Elizabeth out of the grand jury. None of us were seriously worried about the charges.”

“No,” Diane allowed. “And I’m still not.” She was quiet for a moment, her mind racing. She couldn’t stand not knowing what Scott Baldwin was planning. It would be too risky for Scott’s career to go after Elizabeth in order to scare the shit out of Jason, but just maybe… “Thanks to Ric,” she said slowly, “Scott Baldwin can surmise that Elizabeth knows something about Jason’s criminal activities. Would it be so much of a stretch to think she knows something about yours?”

“But she doesn’t—” Sonny began, but then he faltered. “Does she?”

“I don’t know,” Jason said. “I’ve never—I’ve never considered it. She’s…seen a lot,” he admitted. “But most of it is related to me.”

“But maybe not,” Sonny said with a sigh. “She and I were in contact while you were out of town. I put a guard on her. I can’t guess what she might have seen and not spoken about.” He smiled, almost sadly. “Her loyalty has never been in question, though I didn’t always remember that.”

“So which is it?” Jason demanded. “Is he going to try to flip me or Elizabeth?”

“I don’t know,” Diane said. “But he’s up to something, and you’ll have to be ready.” She reached for her briefcase. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

As she left the estate, she wondered which tactic Scott would take and how her clients would respond. Would Elizabeth go to trial on her own charges to refuse to testify against Sonny?

Would Jason flip on Sonny to protect Elizabeth?

No matter how it shook out, Diane was going to have to drop one of her clients. Their interests were about to conflict, and she could hardly to tell one to sell the other down the road.

It would be interesting to see how it would turn out.

Morgan Penthouse: Cameron’s Room

Jason finished the last words in the chapter they were reading and set the closed book on the night stand. “Can we talk for second before we go on to the next chapter?”

Cameron, still sitting cross-legged in his race car pajamas on his new race car bed, nodded. “Uh huh. What about?”

“Um.” Jason hesitated. He hadn’t cleared this conversation with Elizabeth first, and now he thought maybe he should.  He wanted to protect Cameron from Lucky Spencer to be sure, but mostly, he just wanted Cameron to be his.

“You know your mother and I are married,” he began, shifting on the bed. “And you’re going to have a brother or sister soon.”

“Yup.” Cameron nodded. “I’m gonna be awesome at it.”

“I know you are, buddy.” Jason ruffled his dark hair with a smile. “And you know—the baby is—I’m going to be the baby’s daddy.”

Cameron frowned a bit, but nodded. “Okay. Right. Because you’re married and married people have babies.”

Because that explanation was simpler than the truth, Jason nodded. “Your mom and I—we were thinking about you. And we—I—wondered if you…” How did a man ask a four-year-old if he wanted a new father?

“Does that make you my new daddy?” Cameron asked, with a skeptical eye. “I have a daddy, right? I think. I don’t see him much.” He looked down, “Mommy said he was real sick and wouldn’t come around no more.”

“That’s—that’s true,” Jason allowed. “Would—would you mind if we signed some papers that said I was your dad? You—” His throat was tight. “You wouldn’t have to call me Dad. I mean, you could if you wanted to—” He was close to babbling. Damn it, he should have had Elizabeth here for this.

“Do you want to be my dad?” Cameron asked. “Do people change daddies a lot?” He frowned. “Am I going to have another one someday?”

“No,” Jason said firmly. “If we sign these papers, if we make this decision, Cam, I promise you, we won’t ever change again.”

Cameron wrinkled his nose, his expression almost identical to Elizabeth’s in that moment. “And you wouldn’t stop being around? I like playing cars and reading books.” He shrugged. “My first daddy didn’t. Mommy said he was always working.”

“I would always be around,” Jason told him. And he was going to keep that promise. His responsibilities with Sonny had shifted once the paternity test results came back. He would be a father. And nothing was more important to him. “Just like Mommy is.”

“Could I call you Daddy?” Cameron asked. “I mean,” he said, with wide eyes, “the new baby might not know what to call you if I didn’t—”

“Nothing would make me happier,” Jason told him. “What do you think?”

Cameron climbed into his lap and wrapped his arms around Jason’s neck, hugging him. “Okay. I’ll sign papers, too.” He leaned back, and smiled broadly. “Daddy.”

Jason’s chest tightened as he gripped Cameron’s head and pressed a kiss to the top. “I love you, Cameron.”

“I love you, too.” Cameron’s grin slid into a smirk. “Can I have a real race car like Morgan?”

Jason laughed. “We’ll see what happens at Christmas.”

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

 Elizabeth twisted at her vanity table, the brush in her hand falling to the ground. “You asked Cameron?”

Jason drew on a pair of sweat pants, balling up his jeans and shirt to toss in the hamper. “Yeah. I mean, I guess we should have talked about it together with him or talked about what we were going to say to him, I’m sorry—”

“I’m not…” Elizabeth rose, his old blue t-shirt falling halfway down her thighs. “I just—I wasn’t thinking about asking him.” Tears glittered in her eyes. “I should have. It should be his decision. You always seem to know exactly how to handle him.”

Jason shrugged. “It just—it seemed right. He had a father. If he didn’t want me, then we’d figure out another way to deal with things. But—” He looked at her. “Why did you think we hadn’t made a decision?”

“I—” Elizabeth hesitated. “I suppose I thought you were thinking it over. It’s not an easy decision to take on another man’s son—”

“I’ve never considered Cameron in that light,” Jason cut in. “He’s your son. Not Lucky’s. Not Zander’s. You’ve raised him. I love him, you know that. And it was easy for me.” He paused. “I just didn’t—I didn’t know if you’d want it.”

“To give my son an amazing father?” Elizabeth blinked. “Jason, I told you—from the moment I found out I was pregnant, all I could pray for was you to be the father. I saw you with Michael. I see you now with Cameron.” She stepped towards him. “I wanted to give you a child. Why would I hesitate to give you Cameron?”

“I—” Jason faltered. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I mean…” he exhaled slowly. “It’s one thing for us to be having this baby together…” He gestured towards her in the space that remained between them. “That’s a situation that existed before everything else, and exists regardless of it. But—” He paused and swallowed. “But to be married, to adopt your other child—it’s—it’s saying something.” He looked at her, his eyes soft. Open. Even vulnerable. “About where we’re going. And what we want our future to be like.”

Elizabeth closed the distance between them, sliding her arms around his waist. “I want my future to be with you,” she told him. “And I want my children to be yours.”

When he kissed her, closing his mouth over hers, almost devouring her, his hands in her hair—she knew that while neither of them had said the actual words, they’d made promises here every bit as important as the ones they had made the day they married.

A week later, Scott Baldwin called Diane to discuss a plea agreement in advance of filing charges against Elizabeth for theft of narcotics, drug possession, and obstruction of justice.

You’re always on display
For everyone to watch and learn from
Don’t you know by now
You can’t turn back
Because this road is all you’ll ever have
– Fences, Paramore

---

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Port Charles Municipal Building: Scott Baldwin’s Office

 Scott was standing by a conference table stacked with paperwork and files as his secretary opened his office door and presented an unhappy trio of guests. Diane Miller strode in first with an annoyed expression drawn on her impatient features.

Jason and Elizabeth Morgan were expressionless, stoic, and even blank as they filed in behind her and took the seats Scott offered them.  He was surprised at the poker face Morgan’s wife managed, but all those years of exposure to criminal elements had clearly rubbed off.

He had practiced for this moment, rehearsed this presentation—he was as ready as a man could be for the biggest moment in his career. This meeting would kick off his attack.

He was going to nail Sonny Corinthos to the wall, and the couple in front of him was the key.

“Would you like anything to drink?” Scott asked once the trio was seated, Diane adjacent at the head of the table while the Morgans sat next to one another directly across from him. “Mrs. Morgan?”

“No, thank you.” Diane sniffed. “My clients are here to get to the bottom of your scurrilous and potentially inflammatory threats. They do not intend to make any statements at this time.”

“No problem.” Scott sat and reached for his legal pad. “I’m prepared to do all the talking.” He picked up his pen with one hand and reached for the stack of paperwork with the other.

“While I was unable to confer with DA Lansing regarding current cases pending against Sonny Corinthos or Jason Morgan, I did have access to his court docket. When I saw that he had specifically been barred from dealing with Elizabeth Morgan, I asked the PCPD to provide me with any piece of paper in their archives featuring Elizabeth Webber Lansing Spencer Morgan’s name.” Scott shot Morgan’s wife a smile. “A lot of names for such a young woman.”

He cheered when he saw a muscle twitch in Morgan’s face. Ha! It wasn’t much but it was something.

“I was surprised to see so much.” Scott patted the pile. “But some of it we can discard.” He reached for the first one and set it down. “Your name as a witness involving a drive by shooting at Luke’s in which Nikolas Cassadine was injured, another as a witness to a fire in a garage owned by Morgan…obviously, these aren’t pertinent.”

“Mr. Baldwin,” Diane began.

“But here’s where your history starts to get interesting, Mrs. Morgan.” Scott reached for another report. “A bomb was found in your studio building. Morgan knew about it and saved your life.” He tilted his head. “You were dating back then according to the rumor mill.” He tapped a line. “The officer on the scene refers to you as Morgan’s girlfriend.”

“My clients are not commenting—”

“No need.” Scott reached for another report. “Both questioned when Emily Quartermaine was kidnapped by Zander Smith. Mrs. Morgan is again a witness to another fire involving Morgan—the warehouse fire in 2001.” Scott placed each report down as he enumerated them. “A report to Lieutenant Taggart stating Elizabeth Webber was kidnapped. You and Taggart worked closely to get her back according to the reports. She was rescued, though a bit ill from exposure to gas.”

And then Morgan’s wife glanced at her husband, surprise in her eyes.  Should he be enjoying this so much?

“The warehouse explodes again. You’re both on scene, just a month later, when Zander Smith accidentally shoots Mrs. Morgan.” Scott arched a brow. “Not the last time your name appears with him, is it, Morgan?”

“Baldwin,” Diane cut in, her tone much less impatient. “We don’t have all the time in the world.”

“I’m previewing my opening statement, Counselor,” Scott said, not taking his eyes from Jason Morgan. “Mrs. Morgan gives a statement about her ex-husband taking Carly Corinthos hostage, though we’re unfortunately unable to corroborate it. And then…” Scott slid another paper on top of the growing stack.

“Morgan gives a statement that disgraced former officer Andrew Capelli admits to hitting Zander Smith in the head after the Port Charles Hotel burns to the ground. Zander Smith’s murder case is closed—though your statement appears to superfluous since he escaped and was killed in a hail of gunfire.”

“What does that have to do with my clients?” Diane admitted.

“I’m just getting started, Ms. Miller. This will go faster if you don’t interrupt.” Scott held up another report. “The two of you are questioned in relation to the murder of Mary Bishop, but then you both seem to disappear from the files for a bit. Until this year.” He held up a photograph of Jason and Carly standing with a police officer. “Recognize this, Morgan?”

He tossed it across the table. “From this last February.”

Morgan barely glanced at it before glancing at Diane. “No,” he said shortly.

“I have it on video as well. You and Carly are demanding access to the building because you have the antidote to that terrible virus.” Scott leaned forward. “You’re not asking to speak to Patrick Drake, who was nominally in charge. Or Robert Scorpio, head of the medical team and quarantine. Do you know who you ask for? Nurse Elizabeth Webber.” He smirked. “Couldn’t quite remember her married name, could you?”

“Baldwin—”

“The two of you really seem to be back in each other’s lives after that point,” Scott continued, ignoring Diane’s annoyed interjection. “You saved her life when she was kidnapped by Manny Ruiz. She came to visit you while you were in lockup. Then you were both arrested for an illegal surgery.”

The stack of papers in front of him was nearly an inch and a half thick by the time Scott placed this last report on top. “Do you know why I took you down this walk on memory lane?”

“My clients are not making a statement—”

“Because it’s part of my larger narrative. When I tell a jury the charges against sweet and compassionate Elizabeth Morgan, I don’t want them seeing the town sweetheart they all know,” Scott continued. “Granddaughter of Steve and Audrey Hardy, hard-working nurse. I want them to see the woman who has been steeped in the criminal element of this town since she was old enough to drive.”

Again Morgan’s muscle twitched, but the two of them remained poker face, even if Elizabeth’s face drained of color.

“Lansing had the wrong theory of the crime,” Scott continued. “You didn’t steal those drugs to help your husband. You stole them to drug your husband so he wouldn’t discover your affair.”

At that, Morgan stood up. “We’re leaving,” he told Diane.

“If you walk out now,” Scott told Elizabeth Morgan, “I’ll have Detective Rodriguez slap handcuffs on you now. I’ve already drawn up the arrest warrant. I just have to execute it.”

“Jason.” Diane nodded, but Morgan didn’t resume his seat. He shoved the chair away from the table and moved to stand behind his wife. “Baldwin, you spoke of a plea agreement but I still don’t see a shred of proof—”

“Because I haven’t finished,” Scott said, offering her a pleasant smile. He took the stack of paperwork and put it to one side. Then he slid a paper across the table to Elizabeth. “Do you know what that is?”

“I—” Elizabeth swallowed and handed it to her lawyer. “A sign in sheet of some kind.”

“It’s for the PCPD.” Diane narrowed her eyes. “What game are you playing?”

“Do you know what happened on this date?” Scott asked. “Alexis Davis had served a subpoena on Jason Morgan’s financial records, but a crucial part of the file disappeared from the squad room.” He tapped the sheet. “Right during the window Elizabeth Spencer signed in to speak with her husband—who was not on the scene.” He set down a few still photographs. “I have you standing near Alexis and Sam, where you could likely overhear them discussing the case. You stole that file and you destroyed it.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened and she looked again to her lawyer. “Diane—”

“Baldwin,” Diane began but some of her bluster had dissipated. “What—”

“Look at this stack of reports.” Scott patted it. “Morgan rescued you over and over again. You’re telling me you didn’t take this opportunity to do the same for him?”

“I—” Elizabeth closed her mouth when Jason’s hand dropped down on her shoulder.

“This interview is over—” Diane began, but then stopped when Scott held up the arrest warrant. “Put your goddamn cards on the table, Baldwin,” she snapped.

“I’m about to, but I want Mrs. Morgan to understand the stakes.” He looked back at the pale woman in front of him, her blue eyes filled with fear, with shock, with worry.  “Lucky Spencer asked Cruz Rodriguez, a fellow officer, to follow you. He knew you were having an affair with someone. Rodriguez saw you going into a hotel with Patrick Drake, and reported that to Lucky.”

“I wasn’t—” Elizabeth’s voice was faint. “I was working.”

“I know,” Scott told her, ignoring the faint curl of shame in his chest. He knew he was going after a woman who’d led a difficult life, but he told himself that if this worked she’d be free of all of this.

He was helping her, even if she didn’t see it.

“And Rodriguez knew that, too,” he said, a bit more kindly. “He bribed staff to tell him. He knew when he told Lucky about the hotel that it wasn’t true. But he’d seen you going into Morgan’s penthouse by then. And he’s worked in Port Charles long enough to know a bit of the history. He has signed an affidavit claiming to have followed you on several more occasions when you met up with Jason Morgan, going to his penthouse and staying for several hours at a time.”

“Even if it were true, it’s hardly a crime,” Diane said, leaning forward. “I’ll object to any mention of such things—”

“It’s part of my narrative,” Scott repeated. “Elizabeth knew her husband was having her followed—Lucky Spencer confronted her about the hotel. I’m confident he’ll give us a statement to that effect—she was aware Lucky suspected her of having an affair, but knew he had the wrong man.”

When Diane said nothing this time, Scott knew he had won. The lawyer had connected the dots. “And she drugged him to keep him none the wiser.”

“No—” Elizabeth started to protest, but when Diane cut her a scathing glance, she closed her mouth.

“You weren’t ready to leave your husband—maybe Morgan hadn’t given you the go ahead. Why leave a sure thing for something that might not pan out?” Scott shrugged. “You played it smart, Mrs. Morgan. You waited until you knew Lucky could be painted as the bad guy, but you still didn’t leave him. Not until you discovered you were pregnant. Jason Morgan had to pay attention then.”

There was murder in Morgan’s eyes as he listened to Scott paint the picture of Elizabeth as a grasping, greedy woman who had set out to trap him. “Diane—”

“You, again, cannot prove any of this—” Diane said.

“Can’t I?” Scott raised his brows. “Elizabeth is pregnant with his child. I’m sure her medical records will reflect she knew about the pregnancy before Lucky Spencer went to rehab, before the marriage to Morgan. I can tie her to the drugs found in her apartment, I can tie her to the theft of the files last summer. I have means, I have opportunity, and I’ve told you the motive.” He looked to Diane. “Do you really think I can’t convince a jury?”

Diane exhaled slowly and looked at her clients for a long moment before she focused on him. “You mentioned a plea agreement. Let’s just…” She spread her hands out. “Let’s just entertain it for a moment.”

“I don’t want Elizabeth Morgan in jail,” Scott said. “Justice isn’t served that way. And I can’t have her testify against her husband or even his business partner.” At that, Diane’s eyes narrowed. “I thought about trying to leverage her against Sonny, but you could always waive that pesky privilege in my face. Anything she might know might be due to it. Fair enough. But that doesn’t stop me from leveraging her against Jason in another way.”

“I don’t—” Elizabeth licked her lips, flicking her eyes to Diane, then to Morgan who had resumed his seat at those words. “I don’t understand.”

“Do I have to explain marital privilege to you?” Diane demanded.

“I want Jason Morgan to testify against Sonny Corinthos,” Scott told them. “If he cooperates, we can talk about making the rest of this go away.”

“How many ethical violations are you trying to break?” Diane demanded. “You can’t involve a third party—”

“Prosecutorial discretion.” Scott blinked. “Maybe I don’t think these crimes are so important after all. I mean, I don’t have to prosecute her.  I could be busy with other cases. More important ones.” He flashed a smile. “It might be on the edge, Ms. Miller, but you and I both know I’m not outright violating anything.”

Diane scowled as she leaned forward. “Are you telling me that unless Jason Morgan testifies against his business partner, you’ll prosecute his wife? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“I’m saying,” Scott said slowly, locking eyes with Jason Morgan, “I have both cases in front of me. It’s up to Mr. Morgan which one I look at first.”

Game. Set. Match.

Kelly’s: Diner

 Emily knew when to throw in the towel, and that moment had arrived. Lucky was seething over the response his lawyer had given him, with the copy of the paternity test and Jason’s petition to adopt Cameron.

She had been on Lucky’s side from the start because she knew what it was like to blow up your life with drugs. She knew the importance of family standing behind you when you emerged from rehab, knew that support was essential.

In all these years, she had never relapsed, and she was determined Lucky wouldn’t either.

He had stood by her, how could she do any less?

But she knew Nikolas was judging her. Knew she had lost her brother in this mess.

Had lost Elizabeth.

“Lucky,” she said, softly. “You said you were concerned about Cameron. That he wouldn’t feel loved if you didn’t try. And I understood that. But now we know he’ll be okay. You know my brother will be an amazing father—”

“But—” Lucky looked at her. “If I don’t have Cameron, if I don’t have the baby, what do I have?” He set the letter down. “I loved them. I love them,” he corrected.

“I know.” Emily hesitated. “I don’t like the way Elizabeth lied to you and deceived you into the divorce, but maybe it was for the best.” She reached for his hand. “You still have me and Nikolas. Lulu. Your grandmother. You’re not alone.”

“I wanted Cameron to know I loved him,” Lucky said. “I don’t want him to think I threw him away…” He looked away. “But Elizabeth thinks that.”

“No.” Emily shook her head. “No, she doesn’t—”

“I had him and it wasn’t enough to stay away from the drugs.” Lucky stared at his hands. “I saw you go through it, Em. How could I do it to my own family? I can’t stop thinking about how I wrecked it. I know Elizabeth was already—I know now I lost her once your brother was back in the picture, but I didn’t know that then. Maybe I could have saved my marriage. But I destroyed it, and I destroyed my family for what?” His mouth twisted as he crumpled the letter in his fist. “I don’t even know anymore.”

“Lucky—”

“I told my lawyer to drop the custody suit,” he said after a long moment. “He told me with these developments I wouldn’t win and I’d just waste my time and my money. He said I should focus on my recovery.” He exhaled slowly. “I went to a meeting after. And I’m going to another one tonight.”

“Good.” Emily nodded. “That’s for the best—”

“And I guess I’ll just go to a meeting every time I wish I were floating away from it all.” Lucky took his lawyer’s letter and tossed it in the busboy’s bin at the next table. “I hope your brother takes care of them. They deserved better than me.”

Greystone Manor: Living Room

 “How is Elizabeth taking it?” Sonny asked quietly after Jason had discussed the meeting with him.

“She went to Robin and Patrick’s. She’s—she’s devastated.” Jason sat on the sofa, his head in his hands. “I never—I never thought about the file she destroyed. I—I thought if they had any evidence against her, they would have come for her already.”

“What does Diane say about the chances?” Sonny asked. “She didn’t think the charges would be an issue—”

“When it was just Elizabeth risking her career because Lucky wanted her to steal the pills, no, Diane wasn’t worried. She said no jury in her right mind would believe it.” Jason clasped his hands between his knees and looked at Sonny. “But Scott’s not going with that narrative.”

“What’s the other narrative?” Sonny frowned.

“He’d gone through Elizabeth’s records from the station. Every time her name appeared in report—every time it was even remotely related to me or you.” His mouth twisted as he remembered. “He’s using our history to suggest we were having an affair, that she drugged Lucky to keep him from learning about it until she could leave him. That she stole those files to protect me the way I’ve always protected her.”

He waited a moment. “And I could see it in my head—the way he’d pictured it. A jury isn’t going to understand how it happened. They’re not—” Jason rose, restless. “An officer was tailing her last summer—trying to prove an affair to Lucky. She used to come to the penthouse, stressed about Lucky. Worried he was getting addicted. Wanting my advice. A jury won’t believe that’s all we were doing.”

“Not with you getting married only months later.” Sonny shook his head. “Did Scott say what he wanted you to flip on me for? Any specific case?”

“I get the feeling he’d like anything I can prove,” Jason muttered. “We have time to think about it. Diane is—she’s going to look at the case files. He gave her copies of the reports, of the evidence. He wants her to know how strong the case is.”

“I thought Diane said it would be career suicide to go after you like this?” Sonny demanded. “Can’t we file a grievance?”

“Diane was hoping he’d tip his hand, show his vendetta against you.” Jason paced to the window, looked out over the grounds. “But he was smart. He phrased it as a matter of priority. If he were busy prosecuting you, he wouldn’t have time for petty offenses.” Jason looked at him. “Diane is going to put together a trial strategy.”

“If—” Sonny hesitated. “If she went to trial—”

“If she were convicted,” Jason said, “she’s looking at ten years. And no judge is going to be lenient on my wife.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “We just—we have to get the charges dismissed. That’s all. Diane will get us out of it—”

But Sonny doubted it. Jason had panic etched into his normally stoic features. And if it came down to letting Elizabeth go to trial and possibly to jail or testifying against him…

Sonny had a good idea what his chances were.

“Jason, if we need to talk about you testifying—”

“It’s not going to come to that. Elizabeth told me not to even think about it. She said we’d find another way.”

But Jason didn’t meet his eyes.

Patrick’s Apartment: Living Room

 “I don’t understand.” Patrick scowled. “Jason has a get out of jail free card for you, and for some reason, Sonny Corinthos isn’t cooling his heels in jail already?”

“It’s not that simple,” Robin told him, with a shove to the shoulder.  But she looked skeptical as she turned back to Elizabeth. “What does Diane think?”

Elizabeth rubbed her arms, feeling chilled through her thin sweater. “She came back to the penthouse to talk strategy with us.” She looked at Patrick and Robin as they loomed over her, their faces wearing identical expressions of confusion and concern. “Scott gave us a week. She wants to go over his reports to determine how a trial might go.”

“Trial?” Patrick demanded. “This is insanity. Sonny Corinthos is an actual criminal. You are his actual pregnant wife. Why isn’t this simple?”

“I told Jason it wasn’t even on the table.” Elizabeth rose to her feet. “Maybe if it were just the drug charges—I mean, those are insane. I never would have stolen from the hospital—” She dipped her head. “But the file—”

Robin held up her hand. “Stop there. If you say what I think you’re going to, Patrick and I will have to perjure ourselves in court. I mean, I’ll do it,” she added quickly when Patrick just scrubbed his hands over his face with a groan. “But I’d prefer not to.”

“I’m sorry.” Elizabeth closed her eyes. “I just—Diane can make this go away. She’s an amazing attorney. She’ll make this go away, and Jason won’t have to make this decision. I don’t want him to make it. I couldn’t live with myself, and I told him that.”

“So what?” Patrick countered. “He should do it anyway—”

“We’re waiting to see what Diane says.” Elizabeth licked her lips. “I just—I left. I told him I needed some space, and I knew he had to talk to Sonny.”

“Robin, maybe it’s because I’m new, but I don’t get it,” Patrick said to his girlfriend. “She can walk away clean. The drug charges are bullshit and the others—” He looked to Elizabeth. “It was a moment of insanity, whatever it was. They can’t seriously mean to put you in jail.”

“Scott Baldwin has wanted Sonny Corinthos for ages,” Robin murmured. “Looks like he might get the chance.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “Not because of me. I won’t be the reason—” She took a deep breath. “Diane will make this go away. I have faith in her.”

The alternative was too terrifying to consider.

Help me out here
All my words are falling short
And there’s so much I want to say
Want to tell you just how good it feels
When you look at me that way
When you look at me that way
– Please Forgive Me, David Gray

---

Friday, December 15, 2006

Greystone Manor: Living Room

 When Max showed Diane in that morning, Sonny had a feeling he knew what the conversation would entail.  Diane had made a mint representing both Jason and Sonny because their interests had always been intertwined.

Until now.

“Sonny.” Diane hesitated, setting her briefcase on the desk. “I suppose Jason has been by, has mentioned our meeting with Scott Baldwin a few days ago.”

“It came up.” Sonny poured himself a glass of water, but he really wanted bourbon. Just when the situation had begun to feel resolved, damn lawyers had to come around. “You look a bit more nervous now. The charges are as bullshit now as they were before—”

“Not…” Diane exhaled slowly. “Not quite. I don’t want to admit it to Jason and Elizabeth but…” She lifted her hands. “I’m not a miracle worker, Sonny. Scott previewed his opening argument. Give him another few weeks, even months—and it will be rock solid. I can poke some holes in it, but Elizabeth is no longer the sympathetic nurse beaten down by the system. She’s the woman who left her cop husband for a mobster—”

“Damn it, Diane—”

“And Scott has prepared a theory of the case that allows him to introduce every alleged criminal activity Elizabeth has ever been involved with as long as he can show Jason’s involvement. The bomb in her studio, the fire at the warehouse, her kidnapping, the explosion at the warehouse, both times Manny Ruiz went after her—” Diane pressed a hand to her forehead. “And those are just the major points—Scott can call in character witnesses to show her connection to Jason—and there’s a plethora of cops who’d be happy to do it—”

“How is any of that relevant to the drug charges?” Sonny demanded. “Can you get it—whatever, suppressed?”

“It’s relevant because Elizabeth will now be charged with obstruction of justice—” Diane huffed. “Didn’t Jason tell you? Scott added a charge—for stealing and destroying police files relating to Jason—Scott can tie her to that in a much more solid manner. The drug charges are now just window dressing. He’s going to claim she’ll do anything to protect Jason, and he’ll use their history to prove it.”

Sonny blinked, then looked away. Because of course, it was true. And he wouldn’t ask if Elizabeth had committed this new crime—

He already knew she had.

“You don’t want to go to trial,” Sonny said finally. He looked at her. “You’re going to tell Jason to sandbag me. And you’re here to dump me as a client.”

Diane hesitated. “To be quite honest, Sonny, Jason retained me this summer after Justus Ward…” She pursed her lips. “Jason retained me while he was in charge. I don’t…exactly…officially represent you.”

“Ah.” Sonny nodded. “Fair enough. You’re just here to make sure I have my own counsel so I’m covered—”

“Jason hasn’t made—” Diane closed her mouth. “Sonny, you must appreciate the difficulty Jason is facing—”

“I do.” Sonny turned. “I get it. I know exactly what Elizabeth means to him. I set up their damn wedding didn’t I? I was the best man. They have a family. Of course he’s going to pick her. I want him to do that.” He turned away. “It’s the right thing to do. I don’t have to be happy about it though, do I?”

Diane waited a moment. “Sonny, I can give you the names of some very good attorneys—”

“Thanks, Diane.” Sonny looked at her. “But you don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

She waited another moment before leaving.

He’d told her the truth. He fully expected Jason to testify against him in the end. He knew his friend would agonize over it, that Elizabeth would try to find another way, but it wouldn’t matter. Jason would choose, as he should, the woman who had always stood by him.

And Sonny would have to live with it.

General Hospital: Examining Room

 “A boy?” Elizabeth repeated, squeezing Jason’s hand as an ultrasound technician explained the image on the monitor to them. “Really?”

“Did you want a girl?” Kelly asked over the tech’s shoulder. She flashed a wicked smile. “You can always try again.”

Elizabeth flushed, but shook her head. “No, no, I guess…” She looked at Jason, who was squinting at the screen. “I didn’t know what to hope for beyond a healthy baby.”

“Cam asked for a brother,” Jason said idly. “To boss around. Then he wants a sister so she’ll have two older brothers.” He blinked at that, as if realizing what he’d insinuated. “So, ah,” he coughed. “He’ll be excited.”

“As for healthy…” The tech looked at them. “He looks good. The right length, heart beat is strong.” She looked at Kelly. “What do you think, Kel?”

“Everything looks fantastic.” Kelly nodded. “Your blood tests are great, your blood pressure is so much better—right in the levels we want to see at this point. Everything is on track for a safe and happy delivery around May 6.” Her grin flashed again. “Now that we have more accurate information, we’ve moved your due date up a bit.”

“I’m so glad.” Elizabeth winced as the tech cleaned the gel from her abdomen and then sat up, using Jason’s hands to climb down from the examining table. “I was so tired for most of November, but my energy is back.” Her pregnancy had been the only aspect of her life to run smoothly.

“We’ll see you again next month.” Kelly tapped the tech. “Haddie, make sure they’ve got prints and a video so they can share with friends, okay?”

“Will do.”

After the tech had printed the picture from the ultrasound and Elizabeth had tucked the video in her large tote, they left the maternity wing and headed for the elevators. As they approached the nurse’s station, Elizabeth’s steps slowed.

Her grandmother stood by the counter, speaking with Bobbie Spencer and another nurse. Audrey looked at her for a long moment, then her eyes moved to Jason. Her expression somber, she murmured something to Bobbie, then turned her back and walked away, disappearing around the corner.

Elizabeth drew in a shaky breath. Nearly two months after that difficult day in her living room, it was clear her grandmother hadn’t changed her mind. She felt Jason’s hand at her back.

“Elizabeth—”

“You should—” She swallowed hard. “You should call Carly. Tell her we’ll go to the island for Christmas.”

Might as well have one more vacation, one more holiday before it all blew up in their faces.

“Okay,” Jason said slowly. They moved in front of the elevators, and he pressed the button. “Did you want to grab something to eat? We don’t have to pick Cam up for a few more hours—”

“Maybe something from Kelly’s—” But Elizabeth stopped as someone came around the corner. Emily looked at both of them, pursed her lips, but said nothing. “Emily,” Elizabeth said softly. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Emily shifted. She looked down at the photo in Elizabeth’s hands. “I—I guess you had an appointment.”

“Yeah.” She held out the print, but Emily didn’t take it. “We’re—we’re having a boy.”

“Oh.” Emily looked at Jason, then back at Elizabeth. “And I guess every thing’s going okay?”

“They’re fine.” Elizabeth drew her hand back.

“Well.” Emily rocked back on her heels. “I guess I’ll see you around.” She tucked her chart back under her arm and then continued down the hall.

The elevator door finally slid open, and Jason gently propelled Elizabeth forward. “You okay?” he asked, as the doors closed.

“Um. Yeah.” She took a deep breath. “Just…a weird…couple of moments.” She looked at him. “Let’s get some lunch at Kelly’s.”

Metro Court: Restaurant

 Carly ended the phone call from Jason and lounged against the bar and looked over the lunch crowd. Elizabeth had finally given in to their experimental family Christmas celebration on the island, which she knew would send Morgan into fits of happiness. Carly wasn’t entirely sold on Elizabeth sticking around forever, but Cam—he could stay.

She saw Alexis and Sam sitting at a table and smirked. She might not be completely wild about Elizabeth, but she couldn’t deny she was happy to see the backside of Sam McCall for once and for all.

Alexis stood and walked away, probably towards the bathroom. Carly perked up. She hadn’t had fun in ages.  Not since the duct tape.

“Well, well….” Carly sauntered up to Sam’s table and took one of the empty seats. “I hope you’re enjoying your meal.”

Sam narrowed her eyes. “What do you want? Come to bar me from the restaurant?”

“Oh, no, no…whatever momentary enjoyment it might give me to kick you out…” Carly leaned forward. “I prefer to keep my friends close, and my enemies even closer.”

“We weren’t enemies last year,” Sam snarled. “You’re such a hypocritical bitch, you know that? A year ago, you and I were fighting to save Jason’s life, and now, you’re cozying up to Elizabeth Webber. You hate her.”

Carly rolled her eyes. “I don’t give a damn about either of you, to tell the truth. I’m not loyal to anyone. Except Jason. And where Jason goes, I go. He wanted you, I put up with it. Now he wants her. I’m putting up with it.”

“I can’t stand you,” Sam hissed. “You’re supposed to be his friend, but you don’t even care. She trapped him. He won’t leave her now. She’s pregnant with his kid, and he feels sorry for her.”

“Oh.” Carly pursed her lips. “I get it. You think she took advantage of him. I bet she wrestled him to the ground and practically violated him in order to conceive that baby.” Sam’s scowl deepened. “Oh, maybe she cried woes me, woes me, I need someone strong to help me with my baby.” Carly fluttered her eyelashes. “Someone strong and wealthy,” she continued in a breathy voice.

“You’re such a bitch—”

“The problem, Sam, is that you’re pissed that Elizabeth plays the game better than you. Because you conned Jason into sticking around for your kid and hooked into his money, you think she must have as well.”

“Jason loved me,” Sam shot back.

“He probably did,” Carly responded. “And maybe you eventually stopped seeing him as a bank account. You’re the only one who can know that for sure, Sam. The thing is, people think that just because you love one another, that means something. Like every time you love someone, it’s forever.”

She tilted her head. “It’s not. You were a moment. A phase he went through. He thought he wanted someone strong, who could go toe to toe in his business. He doesn’t. There’s a reason you were engaged all those months and never got married.”

“Shut up, Carly. You’re not any better than I am,” Sam snarled.

“I don’t know about that,” Carly responded. “But I know you. I do,” she insisted when Sam just rolled her eyes. “I was you. You know your little summer indiscretion?”

Sam’s cheeks flushed as she cast her eyes to the empty hallway leading the bathrooms. “Shut up, Carly.”

“I slept with my stepfather once, too.” Carly leaned back in her chair, but pitched her voice a bit lower. “And I did it for the same reasons you did. I did it to destroy my mother because I blamed her for everything that was wrong in my life.”

“That’s not how it happened—”

“And maybe I could even understand that,” Carly continued, ignoring Sam’s protestations. “Alexis did her part to convince Jason to walk away from you. But you didn’t stop at trying to destroy her. You decided to punish Jason for leaving you.”

“I did not—”

“Yeah, you did. I told you, Sam, I know you. We’re alike. We do whatever we can to survive, and we don’t particularly care about collateral damage. Alexis took something from you, so you decided to take something from her. But that wasn’t enough. You went to Jason and you told him what happened, didn’t you? If it was a mistake, then why not just sweep it under the rug?”

“I wanted to be honest with him.” But Sam’s voice had lost some of the righteousness.

“And I’m sure he thinks you hated it, that you did it to punish yourself.” Carly smirked. “But revenge doesn’t work if no one knows, Sam. If Alexis wasn’t sick, how did you plan on letting her find out? Maybe you were going to let Ric seduce you again, and maybe the next time, you were going to let Alexis catch you in the act.” She smirked. “Until Jason told you about Elizabeth and you realized you had just given him the excuse he’d always wanted to be with her.”

“We’re not talking about this anymore.”

“Doesn’t really matter to me.” Carly rose. “But here’s a little something I’ll do for you. For old time’s sake.” She leaned down. “Jason told you he saw you, didn’t he? That he looked in those windows and walked away?”

“Shut up—”

“Sonny told me the part Jason left out.” She lowered her mouth until her lips all but brushed Sam’s ear as they both watched Alexis emerge from the bathroom. “Alexis saw, too. She’s known all along.”

Sam looked up sharply, her face drained of color as Alexis joined them at the table. “Carly,” Alexis said with a warning in her voice. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, just torturing Sam with tales of the happy newlyweds,” Carly said flashing a bright smile at Sam’s pale face. “How’s Ric taking that setback at work? Must suck to know your husband has pretty much lost your job at the DA’s office and that Scotty Baldwin is ready to swoop in.”

“Carly—”

“Lunch is on me, ladies. We need to stick together, you know.” Carly was practically giddy. “As the women Sonny’s knocked up, I mean. See you around!”

She offered a little wave and headed for the elevators.

She had the best life.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

 Lunch had been relatively quiet, and Jason knew it had been ridiculous to think they could avoid talking about the elephant in the room, even for a day. They were both tense, waiting for Diane to call.

Elizabeth entered the penthouse in front of him, and set her bag down on the desk as she drew out the ultrasound photo of their son. Their son. The baby had been real to him, so much more than abstract, and yet—looking at him on the screen—knowing they were having a boy—it made it worse.

How could he let her go to trial? The drug charges were nonsense and they both knew it. And it was his fault she’d tried to protect him by destroying that police file. If not for him, Elizabeth wouldn’t be in danger. Ric Lansing wouldn’t be looking at him, Scott Baldwin wouldn’t know she existed.

Jason knew Diane was a good lawyer, but she’d looked worried when they’d discussed a trial. And if Elizabeth were convicted, it would be too late to make any deal.

But how did he turn Sonny in? How did he let go of the loyalty that had been drummed in him for the better of the decade? He’d been accused of being more loyal to Sonny than himself, and part of Jason had always believed it to be true.

Maybe it was, but it didn’t mean he could let Elizabeth pay the price for his choices in life.

“I want to call Diane.” Elizabeth turned to face him. “I want to talk to her. Today.”

“She said—” Jason hesitated. “She said she would call us when she was ready.” When she’d found a miracle.

“Not about—” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Not about that. I want to make sure you have guardianship of Cameron.”

Jason frowned, sliding his hands in his pockets. “We started the adoption papers, Elizabeth. It’ll take a few months, maybe even six. But—”

“I want to make sure the boys can’t be separated.” Her fingers tightened around the photo, crinkling the edges slightly. “If I’m convicted—”

“You’re not going to be—”

“I don’t want my grandmother or Lucky coming after Cameron because the adoption isn’t final,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “I need to be sure Cameron will be okay.”

“Elizabeth…” He took the photo from her before she twisted it beyond recognition. “I told you. You’re not going to jail. I won’t let you.”

“Jason, just—please. Let’s draw up the guardianship papers, okay?” He was a little taken back to see the tears swimming in her eyes. “Cameron loves you so much, and if I can’t be here, you need to be—”

He wanted to shake her, to make her stop talking about something that just wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t going to spend a day in jail, not a minute. It was never going to get that far.

The PCPD had never been able to pin a damn thing on either him or Sonny. They were not going to start with his wife.

He exhaled slowly. “Elizabeth—”

“We can’t pretend this isn’t happening,” she cut in. “They’re not trying to dump some imaginary drug charges on me, Jason. They’re going after me for something we both know I did.” Her mouth was pressed into thin lines. “And I’d do it again. You did it for me.”

“What?” He shook his head. “Elizabeth—”

“You lied to the police about Zander. You put yourself at risk to protect me.” She lifted her chin. “And I destroyed that file to protect you. I’m not sorry I did it, I’m just sorry I got caught.”

Hell. He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Elizabeth,” he said for the third time.

“I have to do what’s right for my children.” She set her hand over the swell of her belly. “Our children. They should be with you.”

“They’re going to be with both of us—”

“Jason—”

“But I’ll call Diane.” Jason reached for the phone, because he wanted to make some of the tension disappear. If she knew Cameron was safe, then maybe she could trust him to make this go away.

“Thank you.” Her shoulders slumped. “I’m just—I’m scared, Jason. If Diane had a way to get out of this, don’t you think she would have called us already?”

Yes, but there was no way in hell Jason was going to answer that question.

“You’re not going to jail,” Jason said. He could promise her that, because it wasn’t a possibility. Their sons were going to grow up with their mother.

No matter what he had to sacrifice to make that happen.

You spend your days alone
Still hoping for the truth, oh
But all you hear are lies
But no one else is going
To tell you what to do now
No one else is going
To help you hold the line
– Something to Believe in, Parachute

---

Monday, December 18, 2006

Port Charles Municipal Building: Scott Baldwin’s Office

When his secretary showed Diane Miller in first thing that morning, Scott knew he’d won.

Oh, she wouldn’t admit it. She would still put up a fight. There would be skirmishes. She might try to force this as far as a preliminary hearing, try to call his bluff.

But she’d taken a week to review the evidence, and then asked for a meeting without her clients.

He’d won, and they both knew it. He had Elizabeth Morgan dead to rights, which meant he had Jason Morgan right where he wanted him.

Scott Baldwin loved his job.

“Scott.” Diane took a seat at the conference table. “I hope you’re doing well. Christmas is coming fast.”

“It is,” he nodded. “My daughter came home from college.” He sighed at the thought of the beautiful girl he had left at home. His beautiful Serena. “I’m not sure how she got to be old enough to be in college, but time sure does fly.”

“Hmmm…” Diane pursed her lips. “I reviewed your case files. You were…quite thorough. I don’t believe I’ve seen a special prosecutor be quite so thorough before.”

“Well, Diane—may I call you Diane?” Scott asked. When she just glared at him, he continued. “I want you to be prepared. To have your resources in order, so to speak.”

“You didn’t mention some of the more…prominent pieces of evidence during our meeting last week.” She rested her hands on the tale, laying them flat. “The, ah, security footage…I feel as though that should have come up.”

“Would you believe General Hospital keeps security footage for six months?” Scott told her, with his eyes wide. “When I saw Alexis’s notes that she had informally asked Elizabeth about the file by the nurse’s station, I knew exactly what to look for and where.” He leaned back in his chair. “Have you mentioned the footage to your clients?”

“Not…” She hesitated. “Not yet, actually. I, ah—”

“It’ll be convincing in a courtroom,” Scott said. “And the camera is at a great angle, don’t you think? You can see Elizabeth from the back as Alexis steps up. They speak briefly. And then Alexis walks away. Then Elizabeth takes out a file and starts feeding it into a shredder. You can’t quite see what’s being shredded, but it’s a thick manila file. Quite similar to the PCPD files.”

“Scott…” Diane leaned forward. “I’d like to discuss a plea agreement. I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement—”

“No.” Scott was careful to keep his tone pleasant. “There’s no point, Diane.  I only plea down when I’m not convinced of a conviction. I put that video along with the other evidence—after I prove Elizabeth Morgan will do anything to protect her husband—I put all of that in front of a jury, and they’ll convict her in a heartbeat.”

“Be that as it may,” Diane murmured, “she’s a young mother. Expecting another child. I should think probation—”

“She’ll do hard time. I intend to ask for the maximum.” When the redhead merely scowled, Scott shrugged. “And I’ll get it. That judge is going to take one look at Elizabeth Morgan and he’ll see through her town sweetheart persona to who she really is. She broke the law, Diane. She did it, and you and I both know she’d do it again. Look at the things she’s already done to protect Jason Morgan. Do you think she blinked at this? Do you think she wouldn’t do more in the future? That judge is going to give her ten years. She’s going to lose her freedom.”

“How can you be so cold?” Diane demanded. “She’s pregnant—”

“I’m not doing anything to her.” Scott arched a brow. “She committed a crime, Diane. You and I both know she’s guilty. I’m giving her a chance to avoid jail, because I don’t think she’s a hardened criminal. I think she’s a woman who fell in love with a man who treats her relatively well, and after her last two husbands, I don’t blame her. That doesn’t mean she gets a free pass. She’s guilty,” he repeated, “but you’re all acting like I’m the bad guy because she’s a nice girl.”

“Baldwin—”

“I’m not the bad guy,” he repeated. “She broke the law. I’m trying to give her a break. You need to make the facts of life clear to your clients, Diane. Because unless Jason Morgan figures out a third option, I’m putting someone he cares about in jail. I’m just leaving the choice to him. That’s downright generous.”

Diane rose to her feet. “You’re a regular saint,” she drawled, but her voice had lost some of its anger. She left the office without another word or backward glance.

It would be easier for her to be self-righteous if not for the security footage that proved the case. Scott could arrest Elizabeth today and have her convicted by spring.

But he wasn’t the villain here. He wasn’t the man who had married the woman and brought her into the line of the fire. He wasn’t the schmuck who thought he was a character in a Godfather movie.

He was an officer of the court trying to bring criminals to justice. He just believed Sonny Corinthos was the more dangerous criminal.  He didn’t want Elizabeth Morgan in jail, but he’d settle for her if it that’s what it took for Jason Morgan to see the truth. Sonny Corinthos didn’t give a damn about anyone but himself.

And it would be Scott’s pleasure to prove it to the world.

Kelly’s: Courtyard

 Elizabeth waved goodbye to Robin and Patrick as she exited the restaurant, Cody on her heels. They turned out of the archway and walked toward the parking lot.

Having lunch with two of her favorite people in the world had bolstered her spirits. Robin and Patrick seemed convinced Diane would find a loophole. “She’s amazing,” Robin had said. “Didn’t she wipe the floor with Ric?”

And they’d talked about the baby and names, though Patrick had been more uncomfortable by that part of the conversation, darting looks at Robin that looked downright terrified. He’d joked about wanting the baby named for him, but Elizabeth knew he’d seen the baby fever in Robin’s eyes. Poor bastard.

But now that she was away from her friends and their bright spirits, she felt the doldrums beginning to settle around her again. If Diane could have found that magical legal strategy, surely she would have found it already, wouldn’t she?

Cody stopped in front of their SUV, and pulled open the door. Just as Elizabeth set her purse on the seat, she saw Emily’s car pull up. She paused for a moment, hoping the brunette would engage her in civil conversation again. She had mostly given up on regaining their close friendship, but this was Jason’s sister, and that meant something to her.

“Hey.” Emily closed the door. “I—I was hoping I’d see you around.” She flicked her eyes at Cody, but when it was clear he wouldn’t leave the two of them alone, Emily approached. “I don’t know if you’d heard, but Lucky decided to drop the custody suit.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth blinked. “No, ah, I guess Diane hasn’t heard yet.” She gripped the car door. “Not that I’m not relieved, but why?”

Emily hesitated. “He went for custody of Cameron because he was angry with you,” she admitted. “And because he thought he owed it to Cameron to stick around, to make it up to him. But once the paternity results for the baby came back…” She lifted a shoulder. “The chances were slim to none to begin with, and I told Lucky that Jason would take care of Cameron.”

“Oh. Good.” Elizabeth shifted. “I never—I never meant to hurt Lucky. Or for any of this to happen, Emily. It just—everything got away from me a bit. I’m not sorry it’s turned out this way,” she added quickly. “It’s just…I wouldn’t have picked the way it happened.”

“I get it. I’ve done my share of hurting people when I should have been able to let go. Everything that happened with Zander was a huge mess, and maybe it soured things for me with Nikolas.” Emily looked away. “Hard to know for sure.”

“Well.”

“I just wanted to support Lucky the way he did when I had a drug problem in high school,” Emily added. “Maybe I didn’t do it right, and I know I pushed you aside. I’m sorry about that, Liz. But you know, he never blinked. He never pretended he didn’t know me. He stood by me. I thought…I thought I owed him.” Her cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry.”

And the apology meant a lot to her, even if it meant things would never be the same. She even understood Emily’s point of view. What had she sacrificed because she’d felt as though she owed Lucky for his support back then? How many relationships had she wrecked in pursuit of that support?

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more honest with you,” Elizabeth said. “You shouldn’t have found out about Jason and me through newspapers and gossip. I just—I hope you’ll be involved with Cameron and the baby.”

“I’m sure I will.” Emily took a step backwards. “I should go. I’m meeting my mother for lunch. I’ll see you around.”

When Emily had disappeared into the courtyard, Elizabeth finally climbed in the car, relieved that Jason would be able to end his cold war with his sister. If the worst happened, if she ended up in jail, she wanted to know Jason could count on Emily.

She had to start preparing for the worst, even as she tried to hope for the best.

Diane’s Office

Jason scrawled his name across the bottom of the page. “And the guardianship agreement should go into effect by the end of the month?” he asked, sliding the paperwork back across her desk.

His lawyer nodded, taking it from him. “You’ll be his legal guardian by January, and if all goes well, his legal father by June.” Diane slid it inside a folder and set it aside on the desk. “Jason, you know…the week Scott Baldwin gave you—that’s up tomorrow.”

“I know.” Jason exhaled slowly. “Did you go through the files? Is there something—” He stopped speaking when Diane gently shook her head. “You’re not finished?”

“Jason…” Diane pursed her lips, a pen in her hands. “There were a few things Scott didn’t tell us last week, things that change the complexion of this case.”

He shook his head. “Diane, I don’t care about any of that. I want this to go away—”

“Jason,” Diane said his name again, her tone more gently. “Scott has her destroying the file on hospital security footage.”

He sat back, his shoulders slumping. “That’s not possible—”

“You can’t see the file very clearly, but she talks to Alexis, then shreds a brown folder that looks like a PCPD file. And it is after the file disappears, on a day when she is signed in at the time the file goes missing. Jason, I am an excellent attorney, but I am not a miracle worker.”

He shoved away from the table, his chair flying back. “There’s a technicality then. Some dirt on Baldwin—”

“If I take this to trial,” Diane cut in as if he hadn’t spoken, “I will lose. A jury is going to listen to Baldwin prove all the ways Elizabeth has been connected to you over the years, and then use your marriage, the existence of your child, the fact you saved Elizabeth’s life—he’ll tell them all of that and then he’ll show them that footage. And that’s the end of it. I cannot make this evidence go away.”

He shook his head. “Diane—”

“And Scott Baldwin intends to ask for the maximum. She’ll serve eight to ten years, and I can tell you the parole board isn’t going look kindly on a woman who helped an alleged mobster get away with crimes. She’ll serve every minute of those eight years. By the time she comes home, her sons will be half-grown.”

His chest was tight, and Jason shook his head again. “No, that’s not going to happen.”

“It will if you don’t take the deal Baldwin put on the table,” Diane said softly. “Jason, I’m sorry, but the only way to keep her out of jail now is…you’re going to have to testify against Sonny.”

In the back of his head, he’d known she would come to that conclusion. And yet, somehow, he’d ignored that possibility. He’d never been in true jeopardy before, beyond the murder charges after Luis Alcazar had gone off the balcony at the Port Charles Hotel.

His lawyers had always kept him out of jail, had always swooped in on some technicality.

But the one time Jason depended on a lawyer, the one time he needed the system to work for him and not against him—he’d lost.

“Testifying against Sonny isn’t an option,” Jason said roughly. “Not just…not just because of who Sonny is, and my friendship with him. If I testify against him, if I turn against him, my life isn’t worth anything. I’ll be a traitor. People will come after me. They might come after my family.”

“There’s always witness protection,” Diane reminded him. “Jason—”

“And take Elizabeth and Cameron away from everyone they know, from their lives. Do you want to tell Carly and her kids they can’t be in my life anymore?”  He couldn’t imagine life without his best friend.  “Diane, I can’t do it.”

Diane looked away. Her normally bright, crackling, laughing eyes were somber. “I truly am sorry, Jason, but Baldwin hasn’t left us with many options.” She sighed. “Maybe I’m too pessimistic about a trial. I suppose I can try to spin it. Come up with an alternate theory as to why Elizabeth is shredding files that look so similar.” She met his eyes. “But I’d be lying to you if I felt confident. I am your lawyer, Jason. I am Elizabeth’s lawyer, and I’m supposed to give you the best advice I can.”

“And that’s to turn in Sonny?” Jason demanded.

Troubled, Diane waited a moment. “I hadn’t thought of the implications of you turning on Sonny,” she admitted. “Perhaps, Jason, we might consider asking Elizabeth to plead guilty and let the sentence be up to the judge. He may only give her five years if she cooperates—”

“She doesn’t spend a day in jail,” he cut in roughly. “Not a single moment. She belongs with the boys. She did this to protect me—”

“And she got caught.” Diane rose to her feet. “I am sympathetic, Jason, but throwing ourselves on the mercy of the court may be the safest bet. Or you can roll the dice with turning Sonny in and hoping that the people around you know the choices you were faced with. Both options are difficult. So pick your poison.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face and exhaled slowly. “I’ll turn myself in, then.”

Diane straightened. “Jason—”

“He wants a high profile criminal, doesn’t he?” Jason asked. “I’ll confess to whatever he wants from me. Racketeering. Manny Ruiz, Moreno, Roscoe. I don’t care. Tell him he’s got a deal if he wants me.”

“Jason—” Diane put her hands up. “That’s insanity—”

“I’m not letting Elizabeth go to jail and I can’t risk my family’s safety by testifying against Sonny.” Jason nodded toward the landline on her desk. “Set up a meeting—”

“Jason, he doesn’t want you—” Diane bit off her words. “It won’t work. If that were an option, don’t you think Scott would have suggested it?  Jason, whatever he charges you with—it would put you in jail for decades! If you won’t testify against Sonny, then Elizabeth serving five years is your best bet.”

“No—”

“Stop being so goddamn stubborn, Jason Morgan!” She fisted her hands at her side. “You think Elizabeth would let you go to jail for twenty-five years? Think of what you’d be walking away from—not just her, not just Cameron. But this baby would never even know you.” Diane stepped around her desk. “Jason, I cannot, in good conscience, be part of any deal that puts one client away for decades when the other could serve a handful of years.”

“Diane—”

“Your gallantry is very sweet,” Diane continued, “but you can’t give up your life to save hers. If Elizabeth didn’t want you to testify against Sonny, then why the hell would she want you to go to jail?”

He looked away. Elizabeth would be upset if he sacrificed himself rather than allow her to go to jail. But she’d be safe. She and the boys would never want for anything, and he knew he could count on Sonny and Carly to take care of her, look out for the boys.

“Elizabeth isn’t going to jail,” Jason told her. “Tell Scott I want to meet with him.”

“I’m not going to do that.” Diane lifted her chin. “You can fire me, but I’m not going to let you commit suicide. Jason, there’s no guarantee you would even survive a prison sentence. If something happened to you in there, what do you think that would do to Elizabeth?”

When he could think of nothing to rebut that point, Diane sighed. “Let me take another look at the files. I may come up with a trial strategy I feel better about. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. I have the rest of today and tomorrow. And maybe if we call Scott’s bluff, and force him to put her on trial, he’ll blink. I don’t like any of our options.”

Jason nodded, but he’d already made up his mind. It was going to have to be him.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

 It was Jason’s turn to pick Morgan and Cameron up from preschool—and host his nephew overnight with Cameron at the penthouse. He’d wanted to turn Carly down when she had suggested it because he thought he and Elizabeth needed a break, but Cameron had been so excited, and it was probably best they keep the next few weeks as routine as possible.

So he drove home in his SUV with two rambunctious boys strapped into booster seats in the backseat, both tossing questions at him, laughing at each other—

If his meeting with Scott the next day went as he expected, he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise to Cameron. He wouldn’t see the bright-eyed little boy with the messy curls grow up. He might see Cameron and the baby once a month if Elizabeth brought them to visit, but he didn’t want that. He didn’t want Elizabeth and the boys to wait for him.

Diane was right—if Scott took his deal, he wouldn’t be satisfied with a five or ten year sentence. Jason would go to prison for the rest of his life, and he would have to forfeit a future with Elizabeth that might have included another child, the little sister Cameron was chattering about to Morgan. Maybe she would marry again and have that little girl with someone else.

The image of that was almost too painful to bear and he’d had to dip his head and take a deep breath when it had occurred to him in the elevator.

Turning himself in to Baldwin was the right thing to do, even it would be the most difficult thing he’d ever done his life.

Elizabeth had plastered a smile on her face when the boys came in from school, though he could see it wasn’t completely genuine. The boys both ran to her—Morgan was excited to see his Aunt Liz, and the boys were both over the moon that Aunt Liz said they could have Christmas on the island together after all.

Would he be able to do that? Would Scott have him arrested then? Would he give Jason a few days to wrap up things? He couldn’t tell Diane—she would refuse to represent him until it was a fait accompli, he knew that. And Elizabeth would probably have Sonny lock Jason up somewhere if she knew what he was planning.

Elizabeth tilted her head at him as she sent the boys into the kitchen where their snack waited. “Hey. Did you sign the guardianship papers?”

“Oh. Yeah, she said it’ll go through by the end of the month.” He continued to stare at her—would he even be able to see his child? Would she agree to bring the baby to the jail after he was born?

Did Jason want either of his children to make the journey to whatever facility Scott sent him?

“Jason?” Elizabeth asked. She stepped forward, pressing her hands to his chest. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

He gave himself a mental shake. If this was his last night at home with his wife, with his son, then he wasn’t going to waste it thinking of all the ways it would change tomorrow.  “I’m fine, just some hiccups at work.” He kissed her, cupping her jaw in his hand. There was so much he’d never said to her, so much he’d felt but never admitted.

And now, Jason didn’t see the point. If he was going to spend the rest of his life in prison, he didn’t want Elizabeth to feel obligated to stay with him because he loved her, because of the kids. If she never knew, she would feel better when she inevitably left him and moved on. She wouldn’t feel as guilty.

“Did Diane have any ideas about…you know?” Elizabeth asked when he drew away, furrowing her brows. “We have to give Scott an answer on Wednesday.”

And for the first time since the day he met her, Jason looked into Elizabeth’s eyes and lied to her. “She has some ideas she think might work. She wanted to review it, but she looked optimistic.”

Elizabeth smiled then, the first signs of happiness in days filling her expression. “Oh. Oh, that’s great. I’m so relieved.” She kissed him. “Maybe this will be over for real this time. I just want to get on with our lives.”

“Mom!” Cameron called from the kitchen. “You gotta pour the juice—”

“So do I,” he murmured as she headed for the kitchen. Jason took a deep breath and followed. He didn’t want to miss a minute.

Nothin’ goes as planned
Everything will break
People say goodbye
In their own special way
All that you rely on
And all that you can fake
Will leave you in the morning
But find you in the day
– In My Veins, Andrew Belle

---

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Elm Street Pier

 When Jason saw Sam sitting on the bench by the waterfront, he nearly backtracked and took another route to the street. He had been successfully able to avoid his ex-girlfriend for nearly two months—since he’d sent her out of the penthouse with Carly.

Sam rose to her feet when she saw him coming. “I thought I might be able to catch you if I waited here long enough.” Her expression was pained as she continued, “I didn’t think you’d want me stopping by the penthouse.”

He didn’t respond to that—there was nothing he could say. He didn’t want her in the penthouse. “What’s up?” he asked after a moment.

“My mother knows about Ric,” Sam said flatly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jason looked away, remembering that night as Alexis had struggled to catch her breath but had been unable to hide the shock, the pain in her expression. “She said she’d handle it. I guess she has.”

Sam huffed. “You told Sonny she knew. Can you guess who he told?”

Jason winced. Carly being in possession of that knowledge was a ticking time bomb. “I’m sorry if Carly told Alexis, but that’s her problem—”

“Carly told me,” Sam cut in. She slid her hands into the pockets of her coat. “And I decided that I wasn’t going to let her have the satisfaction of holding that over me. So I told Alexis.”

“Okay.” Jason blinked. “I don’t know what you want, Sam—”

“I want to know why you sandbagged me with this. I had a right to know she already knew—” Sam stopped. “And I want to know how you can live with yourself with what you’ve done.”

“What I’ve done?” Jason repeated. “Sam, you slept with your mother’s husband. That’s not my fault. Alexis had the right to deal with it the way she needed to—”

“The way you dealt with it?” Sam demanded. “You jumped on the first excuse you could and crawled into bed with Elizabeth. What kind of person does that make you?” She smirked. “But I guess she got the last laugh. She managed to knock herself up. Maybe if I had done that, you wouldn’t have left me.”

Jason exhaled slowly and looked away. He felt guilty for the way he’d walked away from Sam, but not as much as he had once. He’d walked away for a good reason, but he’d changed his mind. Sam’s actions had prevented their reconciliation, not his.

And God help him, he was grateful. He would rather have had the horror of finding her with Ric a thousand times if it meant he’d be with Elizabeth today.

“I don’t know what you want,” Jason repeated. “I’m sorry if you’re having trouble at home, Sam, but it has nothing to do with me—”

“How could you promise to love me and then turn around and marry her?” Sam demanded as he started to walk past her. “I thought it was just to get at Ric—I thought he was up to something, but it’s not just that, is it? What the hell was I, Jason? A rebound? A stand-in? Someone to keep the bed warm until Elizabeth came back around?”

He shook his head. She would never understand. “Sam, I don’t owe you any explanations. We were broken up. I—” He hesitated. “I moved on. You should do the same.”

“I can’t believe you can stand there and act like things weren’t completely different a year ago. Six months ago.” She jabbed a finger in his direction, her eyes burning into his. “She was married to another man five minutes ago. What makes you think she’s going to stick around this time?”

“Sam—” He shook his head. “I’m going now—”

“You think your little happy life is going to last forever?” Sam called after him as he walked up the stairs. “I hope she leaves you the way you walked out on me. With no warning, no damn good reason. I hope she crushes your heart when she goes. Then maybe you’ll understand what you’ve done to me.”

He turned at the top of the stairs for one last look at a woman with whom he’d spent the better part of two years, had planned a life and family with. She was glaring at him, her breaths sending little puffs into the chilly winter air.

He didn’t have the space to feel sorry for her anymore. He was going to Baldwin’s office to confess to whatever would keep Elizabeth out of jail. There just wasn’t room for a woman who had once meant so much to him. He reached down for something, some emotion he could offer her in recompense.

And found nothing. He felt nothing for this woman, only relief he hadn’t married her after all.

“Goodbye, Sam.” He turned and walked away, not bothering to wait for her response.

Municipal Building: Scott Baldwin’s Office

Scott frowned when Jason Morgan came in his office sans representation and closed the door behind him. This…this had not been the plan.

“Morgan.” Scott rose from his desk, and gestured for the younger man to take a seat. Morgan shook his head, indicating he would stand. “Is Ms. Miller parking the car?”

“She’s not coming,” Morgan said blandly. “She refused to represent me if I came here today, so I’ll waive my right to an attorney.”

At those words, Scott sank into his chair. No one had ever heard those words from Jason Morgan, and the fact that he was saying them at all—this could not bode well for Scott’s plans.

“Ah. Okay. Have you decided what you’d like to do, then?” Scott asked. He took a deep breath. He needed to be in control. “Which charges should I file tomorrow morning?”

Morgan stared at him, his expression as blank as it had ever been. “Whatever you want to charge me with, I’ll confess to it.”

Hell. Scott stood again. “What?”

“That’s what I want you to do,” Morgan said. “I want you to pick any of the thousand things the PCPD has tried to stick on me, and I’ll confess to it. I’ll go to jail, but you have to leave Elizabeth alone.”

And despite Scott’s best effort, he felt a grudging respect for this man who wanted to remain loyal to his wife as well as his friend and had picked the option of self-sacrifice.

To walk in here and tell Scott he would confess to anything—knowing Scott could put him jail for the rest of his life—it took a measure of gravitas that he had not credited Morgan with.

“You don’t think you’re being overdramatic?” Scott asked, arching a brow. “I might ask for the maximum for Elizabeth, and maybe I’d get it, but it’s more likely she’d serve no more than five years. That’s better than whatever you or Corinthos could face.”

“Testifying against Sonny isn’t an option,” Morgan said, firmly. “I wouldn’t survive long enough to give the testimony.”

Ah. Well, that was a wrinkle Scott hadn’t quite considered, but he doubted Morgan would be in serious danger if he testified. And it was a risk Scott was willing to take. “We could always arrange protective custody, even witness protection.”

“You get me, Baldwin. I’m not testifying against Sonny, and you’re not putting Elizabeth in jail.”

Scott hesitated, and considered taking the deal. Without Jason Morgan to bolster his organization, Corinthos would follow in a matter of years, maybe even less. Morgan’s wife and children would likely be well-cared for if his assets weren’t frozen.

But Jason Morgan wasn’t Sonny Corinthos.

“I don’t want you,” Scott said after a long moment of silence. “If I wanted you, that would have been the deal. I want Sonny Corinthos. And if I have to prosecute your wife to make you understand that, I’ll do it.”

Morgan’s face faded in color, just a little. “You won’t take a confession from me?”

“I’ll tell you why.” Scott leaned forward. “If not for Sonny Corinthos, you and Elizabeth would not be in this mess. She did what she did to protect you. I get it. I even understand it to a certain extent. I’ve seen a little of the difficulties she’s faced in life. I’m sure she panicked when she stole that file, didn’t quite think it through. She’s not a master criminal, that’s for sure. She’s in this mess because she loves you. And you’re here to sacrifice yourself because you love her, too.”

“I told you—”

“If not for Sonny Corinthos, Jason, you’d be a different person. In a different line of work. Where your wife would not have had to protect you by lying to the police and committing crimes.” Scott leaned back in his chair. “I knew you before your accident—a little bit. But I also knew your family. And I know the challenges you faced after your accident.”

“I’m not interested in what you think—”

“You maybe didn’t have much of a career parking cars and working in construction, but you had a future. You didn’t give a damn about it then, but you do now, don’t you?” Scott raised his brows. “You know I’m right. Sonny Corinthos took advantage of you, Morgan. He took a kid who didn’t care about tomorrow, and he removed any chance of you ever changing your mind. You can never walk away from this business, and that’s because of Sonny Corinthos. Do you think I want to put a pregnant mother on trial?”

“But you will,” Morgan stated, his voice cold. “You think I give a damn what you think about me?”

“I know you don’t.” Scott stood. “I’m not the bad guy in this, Morgan. You, your wife, your lawyer—you all seem to want to paint me that way. I get it. Ric Lansing was a piece of dirt. I don’t think I’ll go ahead with the drug charges because, while they may fit my narrative, they don’t fit Elizabeth as a person. So when I take Elizabeth to court, we all know I’ll be prosecuting her for something she did. Your attorney has told you about the security footage. You know the evidence.  That’s my job, Morgan. To go after people who break the law. Your wife did that.”

To this, Morgan said nothing, but he didn’t leave either.

“If you’re truly concerned about the safety of your family, of yourself,” Scott continued, “I’m willing to work with you. Maybe you don’t have to testify. Maybe you cooperate and give us information so we can pursue independent charges. I don’t want any harm to come to your family. I have kids—” He hesitated then, thinking of Karen. Of the life she would never have.

“I don’t want you on a silver platter, Morgan, though maybe I’m crazy for turning that down. I don’t want your wife. I want Sonny. Putting him in jail will make the bigger difference. I’ll use whatever I have at my disposal in order to put him there, including Elizabeth. I’m not the bad guy, Morgan.”

“And that’s your final answer?” Morgan asked after a long moment. “You’re refusing to take me into custody. You’ll continue to go after Elizabeth unless I cooperate with you?”

“I will prosecute a criminal,” Scott said. “I told you, it’s up to you how I proceed at this point. I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow.”

Looking a bit stunned, Jason Morgan left his office, and Scott wondered if he’d made the right decision. Had he lost a chance here? But he still didn’t see a way for Morgan to get out of this without turning on someone.

And Scott still had his money on Morgan sacrificing his boss to save his wife.

Outside the office, a paralegal saw Jason Morgan striding down the hall, his face set in annoyance. He picked up the phone to call Diane Miller, wondering if she knew her client was meeting with the special prosecutor—without his attorney.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

“I think Patrick is convinced I want to have a baby next month,” Robin complained as she tucked her feet underneath her and faced Elizabeth on the sofa. “He keeps sending me these panicked looks.”

Elizabeth laughed, sipping her tea. “Did you tell him to relax?”

“Hey, I’m just relieved he hasn’t headed for the hills yet,” Robin replied. She sighed. “He’s great, but he’s a jackass.”  Her expression sobered. “Any word from Diane?”

“No, but Jason said she’d call today.” Elizabeth hesitated. “He said she was optimistic yesterday, so that’s good. I’ll go to trial if Diane feels comfortable.” She shifted a bit, moving her hand to the small of her back. “I made sure Jason had guardianship of Cameron in case something happens before the adoption goes through.” She bit her lip. “And I drew up paperwork stating you would be guardian if something happened to Jason and me.”

“Me?” Robin repeated. “Why? What about—” She swallowed. “Carly? Or Sonny?”

“We talked about both of them, and I hope they’d be a part of the boys’ lives, but if something—Robin, in the worst case scenario and my children were left without the both of us, I’d like it if they were with someone who knew both their parents and liked them. Carly puts up with me because Jason told her to, and she likes Cam. It’s not the same.”

“Oh. I’m—” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I’m honored. Of course, not that it would ever happen, but if I were needed, I would step up.” Robin squeezed Elizabeth’s hand. “It’s not going to be necessary.”

Cody knocked and pushed open the door. “Ah, Ms. Miller is on her way up,” he told them. “Should I just let her right in?”

“Um, sure…” Elizabeth unfolded her legs and stood, hearing Robin do the same. “Should I call Jason to tell him? I’m surprised she didn’t call and make sure we were together.”

“Maybe it’s good news and she didn’t want to wait,” Robin suggested.

They heard Diane the moment she stepped off the elevator. “Where is he?” her voice boomed as she pushed past Cody and swept into the room. “Jason Morgan, you come out here right now before I tear this place apart!”

Elizabeth blinked, stepping forward. “Diane! What’s going on? Jason’s at work—”

“The hell he is!” Diane growled, planting her hands at her hips. “I told him I wouldn’t set up a meeting, and the stupid fool went to Scott Baldwin without me! How am I supposed to do my job unless he lets me?”

“Why would Jason go to Scott without you?” Elizabeth asked, her heart pounding. “Diane—”

“Jason doesn’t breathe without a lawyer at the PCPD,” Robin chimed in. “There’s no way—”

“My source in the DA’s office reported Jason talked to Scott Baldwin for twenty minutes, then stormed out. So thank God, Baldwin didn’t take the deal—”

“Deal?” Elizabeth demanded. “Diane, what the hell is going on?”

“Your husband wanted to be the sacrificial lamb,” Diane replied. If it were possible, her eyes would have shot darts. “He offered himself to Scott Baldwin on a silver platter. Wanted to have Baldwin charge him with anything he wanted as long as he left you alone.”

Stunned, Elizabeth dropped onto the sofa. “What?”

“No way, Jason wouldn’t—” Robin hesitated. “Baldwin turned him down?”

“He did not leave the office looking like a man who had won the day,” Diane replied. She narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t know what he was up to?”

“Do you think I would have let him out the door?” Elizabeth demanded, though she was feeling a bit dizzy. Jason had tried to sacrifice his own freedom in order to save her and Sonny. Oh, God. And it hadn’t worked. Where was he? “I thought you were feeling optimistic. Jason said—” She closed her eyes. “He lied to me.”

“To throw you off the scent,” Robin said. “Oh, God, Elizabeth—” She looked to Diane. “Then you don’t feel good?”

“I’m still working on something, but honestly, Elizabeth, no.” Diane pursed her lips. “I don’t feel quite optimistic. That does not mean I’ve given up.” She lifted her chin. “You tell your husband I don’t appreciate martyrs. He needs to let me do the job I’ve been paid to do. You tell him that!”

And with that, she swept of the penthouse, slamming the door behind her.

“Elizabeth—”

“He’s at Sonny’s, isn’t he?” Elizabeth lifted her eyes to Robin’s. “He went to Scott Baldwin, and Baldwin turned him down. Because he wants Sonny, not Jason. So Jason’s going to give him Sonny.”

“I don’t know.” Robin sat next to her. “But it looks like it—Elizabeth, I’m sure Sonny has a plan. He knew about this last week. And he had to know that if Jason were forced to choose, he’d pick you.”

“He can’t. I can’t let him do this.” She pressed a trembling hand to her mouth. “This is my fault—”

“Well, it’s a little bit Jason and Sonny’s fault, don’t you think?” Robin asked. “They knew what they were getting into—”

“And they’d still be getting away with it if it weren’t for me,” she said. She looked to Robin. “I have to turn myself in.”

“What?” Robin demanded. “No, no, no. That—Diane will flay you.”

“It’s the only way.” Elizabeth rose to her feet. “Then Jason won’t have do this. He can’t. I can’t let him.”

“Elizabeth, just wait a second—”

Elizabeth reached for her purse, and dragged her coat out of the closet. “Robin, I have to do this. This is my fault, and I have to fix it.”

“Let’s just talk to Sonny and Jason. Let’s let Diane do her job!” Robin pleaded.

“Cody,” Elizabeth said pulling the door open. “I need to go to the PCPD.”

“Cody, don’t!” Robin ordered, grabbing her own coat. “Elizabeth, just—just don’t—”

“Did Jason or Sonny get arrested?” Cody asked, confusion in his eyes. “Mrs. Morgan—”

“Cody, you either take me to the PCPD or I’ll drive myself.” She lifted her chin. “And you know I’ll do it.”

“Mrs. Morgan, don’t make me do this—”

“Then I’ll go by myself.” Elizabeth swept past him, and pushed the button for the elevator.

“Stop her!” Robin hissed to Cody, pulling out her cell phone.

“How?” the guard demanded. “Should I tackle her—” Cody jumped forward to make the elevator before they closed.

“Hell, Jason and Sonny are going to kill me,” Robin muttered as she pressed Jason’s number in her speed dial.

Greystone Manor: Living Room

“I’m sorry, Sonny,” Jason said after a long moment of silence. “I’ve tried every way out of this, but short of disappearing and taking Elizabeth and Cam with me, there’s nothing.”

Sonny nodded, but he hadn’t said much since Jason had announced his decision. “And that would just turn you all into fugitives. It’s no way for the boys to grow up.” He rubbed his chin. “Baldwin wouldn’t let you confess?”

“I thought about forcing his hand,” Jason said. “Just—going to the PCPD and confessing to Mac, but there’s no guarantee Scott wouldn’t continue going after Elizabeth. I can’t—” He dipped his head, looking at the ground. “I can’t let her go to jail. Not for this.”

“Of course not.” Sonny paused. “Jase, I’m not angry. I’m annoyed that Baldwin boxed us in so neatly, but I guess once he realized he knew your Achilles heel, he couldn’t resist exploiting it.” He waited. “Ah, what kind of evidence were you thinking of turning over?”

“I don’t know,” Jason began, but his phone rang. He pulled it out and frowned at seeing Robin’s name. “It’s Robin. She’s with Elizabeth—” He answered it. “Robin?”

“Go to the PCPD, you have to go right now!” Robin’s panicked voice all but screamed out of his receiver.

“Robin? What? What’s going on?”

“Diane told Elizabeth you tried to turn yourself in! Elizabeth went to the PCPD to confess. You have to stop her! I tried, but I couldn’t—Jason—”

“I’m on my way.” Jason hit the end button and just stared at it for heartbeat. “Elizabeth found out what I tried to do.”

“Oh, hell.” Sonny was already moving towards the door. “Max, we need the goddamn car!” He turned to Jason. “We should have seen this coming. She went all noble on us.”

“I can’t—” Jason swallowed. “She can’t—I can’t—”

Sonny nodded as he pushed his friend towards the door. “I get it, Jason. We’ll stop it. You’ll turn me in. It’s fine. Let’s just go stop Elizabeth from doing the right thing. And call your goddamn lawyer!”

Steady hands just take the wheel
Every glance is killing me
Time to make one last appeal
For the life I live
– Stop and Stare, OneRepublic

---

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

PCPD: Interrogation Room

 Scott glared at Elizabeth and the recorder she’d brought with her after a brief pit stop. “I’m not taking your confession.”

Elizabeth turned her eyes to Mac, who looked a bit stunned at it all. “Then I’ll give it to Mac. And if he won’t take it, I’ll send it to the Port Charles Herald.”

“Scott…” Mac took a seat. “Maybe we should hear her out—”

“Damn it—” But Scott nodded. “Fine.”

“Before I start, I wanted to say something off the record.” She looked to Mac. “I could have told the world months ago that your daughter stole those pills from the hospital. You know that. I could have broadcast it—Lucky offered to.”

Mac’s face lost a bit of his pallor. “I—”

“The records would have matched—Maxie was a candy striper, and since she was having the affair, it would have made more sense for her to do it, to keep him interested.” Elizabeth tilted her head. “I never intended to do that, Mac. Because it didn’t serve any purpose except to wreck her life further, and I think Maxie’s had enough tragedy.”

Mac exhaled slowly. “Then why are you—”

“Because I intend to confess only to stealing and destroying that file,” Elizabeth said. “I won’t confess to the drug charges, but I didn’t want the reason on record.” She pressed a button. She was taking a serious gamble here, and this tape would either sink her or save her.

“When we met in your office last week, Mr. Baldwin,” Elizabeth began, “you took us on a trip down memory lane. You intended to use all of those previous incidents as proof I would do anything to protect my husband. You accused me of taking that file from the PCPD and destroying it. I did it. No one else knew, but I did it. I shredded it at the hospital, and went on with my life.”

“Why are you doing this?” Scott demanded. “Why are you letting Morgan protect his boss?”

“He doesn’t know I’m here,” Elizabeth said. “And I waive my right to an attorney. Neither one of them would approve of me being here. In fact…”

They paused because there was a commotion outside in the squad room. Mac stood and peered out the blinds. “Well, the cavalry has arrived,” he said dryly. “Jason and Sonny are here, my niece just barreled in after them with Diane. I guess we need to have Diane in here—”

“I don’t want to talk to any of them until I’ve finished my statement,” Elizabeth said. “Please go and tell them that.” She lifted her chin and looked at Scott. “There’s still a few things Mr. Baldwin and I need to sort out.”

Scott scowled, but nodded to Mac. “Let Diane know she’s waived her right to an attorney,” he muttered.

Mac pulled open the door and just managed to keep the crowd from rushing him. He pulled the door shut but not before Elizabeth met Jason’s anguished eyes.

“You’d rather send yourself to jail than an actual criminal,” Scott said, annoyed. “How does this even make sense?”

“Because you almost won, and I couldn’t let it happen.” Elizabeth smiled at him. She felt no panic, no anxiety. She knew Jason would be upset with her, but she was at peace with this decision.

She couldn’t let him pay for her mistakes.

“Jason tried to offer himself and you wouldn’t have it, so I know he was going to turn on Sonny.” She folded her hands in front of her. “And I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake—”

“I’ve been in love with Jason almost since the day I first met him—the first time I really talked him and knew him to be more than my best friend’s brother and Lucky’s former employer. If you won, if he testified against Sonny, then maybe our life could go on. We’re married, and it’s a good marriage. He’s adopting my son, we’re having another child together. Maybe we could still be happy.”

“That’s all I’m trying to offer you, Elizabeth,” Scott told her. “A chance to keep your family together—”

“But one day, Jason would wake up,” she said softly, “and he would look at me, and he would resent me. And everything we built together would always be tainted.”

“Elizabeth—”

“Maybe if it had just been the drug charges, I could have lived with it,” Elizabeth said. “Those were a lie, and I think you know that. I think Ric knew it, too. But he wanted to use me. The way you’re using me. If it had been just the trumped up charges, maybe I could have seen it the way you do.” She tilted her head. “But I stole that file. And I got caught. I can’t let Jason or anyone else pay for my crime.”

“Elizabeth—”

“I’m not confessing just because it’s the right thing to do,” she continued, “I’m doing it because I can’t let my marriage be poisoned. If it’s going to fall apart, it’ll be because we don’t love each other enough to stay together. Not because he sent his best friend to prison because of me. You understand that, don’t you? I love him too much to let him do this.”

Scott scrubbed his hands over his face. “Hell. You’re really doing this. You’re really sitting in front of me with a tape recorder and confessing to charges that will put you away for at least five years, if not ten.” He looked at her. “How can you have a moral compass and still be with Jason Morgan?”

“Because, as I’m sure you’d understand, Mr. Baldwin, love doesn’t require rational thought and reasonable explanations. It just is. I love him, and I can’t let you ruin that.” She hesitated. “And I’m sorry that this ruins your plans. I know you really think you were offering me a good deal, that you were trying to do something nice. I am guilty, and you didn’t have to offer a get out of jail free card.”

She lifted her wrists towards him. “I’m ready to be booked.” And then lifted her chin in silent defiance.

Scott sighed, leaned over and pressed the stop button. “Put your hands down, Elizabeth. I’m not arresting you.” He handed her the tape.

Elizabeth accepted it, confused. “I don’t—I don’t understand.”

“I don’t want you,” he said. “But now I can’t force Jason Morgan to turn over his friend because you had to go and do the right thing.” Disgusted, he stood. “You’re right. I’m using you, and I tried to use charges I damn well knew weren’t true. I wasn’t going to charge the drugs, but I thought about it.” He turned away. “I want Sonny Corinthos behind bars, but I want to be able to look myself in the mirror while I do it.”

“Mr. Baldwin—” Elizabeth stood.

“And if I took your confession and put you in jail, if I put Jason Morgan in jail for trying to protect you—what kind of man would that make me? I’d be nothing more than what people see. I’d be a bully who cared more about results than justice.”

Her heart began to pound. “You’re going to let me go?”

“I am.” Scott turned back and met her eyes. “And you’ll give that tape to your lawyer, so if anyone ever comes after you for this, we’ll have to explain why we declined to press charges after you confessed.”

“But…” She frowned. “I don’t—”

“I don’t want you,” Scott repeated. “And there’s no justice in prosecuting you. So you can go.”

He pulled open the squad door and gestured for her to go in front of her. “Before your husband rips down the walls—”

Elizabeth blinked but went out, dismayed to see Jason and Sonny standing with Diane and Robin, all four of them looking angry, scared, and seriously annoyed.

“Scott?” Mac said, coming forward, his hand at his belt for a pair of handcuffs. “Are we taking her to Booking?”

“I demand to know what’s going on!” Diane cut in.

“Mrs. Morgan is free to go,” Scott announced. The room crashed into silence. “She’s cooperated fully with our investigation and I’m satisfied that she’s been cleared of all charges.” He cleared his throat and looked at her. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Morgan. Have a nice holiday.”

He sent a dark look at Sonny Corinthos before ambling out of the room. Mac blinked, then hurried after Scott, ostensibly to demand answers.

“We should go,” Elizabeth said to Jason. “I’ll—I’ll explain in the car.”

No one said anything until they had made it to the parking lot, where a cluster of cars was haphazardly parked. “Elizabeth,” Sonny began, but she cut him off.

“Diane, you’ll want to keep this in my case file.” Elizabeth handed her the tape. “A bit of insurance policy if Scott ever changes his mind.”

The redhead took the tape, but pursed her lips. “I don’t know how you did it, but I’m going to demand answers at some point.” She slid into her car. “And I may seriously consider resigning after this debacle. I don’t know why I’m being paid if you’re not going to actually heed my advice.”

“We’ll catch up later,” Robin said. She hugged Elizabeth, then looked to Jason. “You just remember you tried to do the same thing before you get all huffy with her.”

“Goodbye, Robin,” Jason said blandly. “Cody—” He looked her guard. “I’m sure Elizabeth left you no choice, but if you could follow us back to the penthouse?”

“Sure thing.”

“Jason—” Sonny began.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Jason told him. He looked at her. “Elizabeth and I have a few things to talk about.” His tone was almost empty, but a muscle was twitching in his cheek. She was in trouble.

She sniffed as she climbed into the SUV. He had some nerve being angry with her, when Robin was right—he’d tried the exact same thing only her plan had worked. And she’d tell him as much as soon as they got home.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

“Are you going to say anything?” Elizabeth asked. She drew off her coat and draped it over the back of the armchair. “Jason?”

He stood in front of the fireplace, staring straight ahead. He hadn’t spoken to her in the car, in the parking garage, or the elevator ride. When he still said nothing, Elizabeth started towards him. “Jason,” she said again.

This time he turned, but his face—it was unreadable. “Why did Baldwin let you go?” he asked, his tone even, even subdued. “Did you confess?”

“Yes.” Elizabeth twisted her fingers in front of her. “Not to the drugs—I told Mac before I started taping that I suspected Maxie had been involved but I didn’t want to put it on the record. But I told Scott I stole the file and that I destroyed it.” She hesitated. “I thought he might—he might turn away my confession, like he did to you. I thought he wanted Sonny more than he wanted me.”

Jason’s face was still set in that frustratingly blank expression. “And if he hadn’t?”

“Then I guess I would be cooling my heels in a jail cell.” Elizabeth sighed. “I know you’re angry with me—”

“I don’t—” He shook his head. “Angry isn’t the word.” He moved past her, toward the pool table. “Do you have any idea what you risked? You would have gone to jail, Elizabeth. For five, maybe more, years.”

“I know.” She followed him. “What about what you risked?” she challenged. “If Scott had taken you up on your confession, how long did you think he’d put you away for?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Jason shook his head swiftly. “It’s not the same.”

“He might have put you away for decades! Decades,” she repeated, her heart pounding. “The boys would have grown up without you. Is that what you were prepared for? To only see them once a month when I brought them to see you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jason said again. “You would have been with them—”

“Why isn’t what I did the same?” she cut in. “I wanted to protect you—”

“Because I’m the criminal!” he exploded finally, flattening his hand against his chest. “Not you! I’m the one who goes to jail! If you think I would have let Baldwin put you in a cell—”

“I committed a crime, too,” Elizabeth said softly. “Only I didn’t get away with mine.” She reached out to touch his arm but he slid away from her. “Jason, I couldn’t let you testify against Sonny.”

“I don’t—” Jason dipped his head. “I don’t know if I would have.”

“Don’t lie to me.” When he shook his head, she scowled. “You lied to me yesterday. You told me Diane felt optimistic, that she could make this go away, but that’s only because you were going to do it instead. Jesus, Jason, what did you think I would do when I found out?”

“I—” Jason looked away. “I don’t know. I hadn’t—I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“I would have been devastated.” She fisted her hands at her side. “I would have blamed myself. I would have hated myself for being the reason the boys didn’t have you, for being the reason everything we’ve built fell apart—”

“I would have been in jail for something I did,” he insisted. “Elizabeth, you’re only at risk because of me. Because of what I do—”

“What kind of life would we have if you were in jail for then next twenty-five years?” she cut in. “How could you think we’d survive—” Her throat closed, and she couldn’t continue. “Would you have divorced me?”

“I didn’t think that far ahead—” His eyes darted away. “Elizabeth—”

She closed her eyes, the tears building up behind her eyes. “Oh, God. You would have. You would have seen it as the right thing to do. You would have gone to jail for the rest of your natural life and divorced me.”

“He didn’t want my confession any more than he wanted yours, so why does it matter?” Jason asked. “Elizabeth, it’s not that I’m not glad you found a way out of this—”

“It matters,” she bit out. “Because I want to know what our future means to you, and if it means so little that you would have tossed it away—rather than me spending time in jail for a few years and moving past it—you wanted the option where you went away for decades and would have let me go.”

“No, that’s not—” He reached for her, but now she was the one to step back. “That’s not what I would—I wouldn’t want you to wait. It wouldn’t have been fair—”

“The legal troubles are over now.” She started to tug the rings from her finger, but her hands were slightly swollen from her pregnancy. “There’s no reason for any of this—do you think Scott Baldwin would even care if we got divorced—”

“Wait a second—” Jason’s hands closed over hers, preventing her from removing the rings. “I don’t want a divorce—Damn it, Elizabeth. I’m the one that’s supposed to be angry here—”

“Why?” Elizabeth retorted, yanking her hands back. “Because I stopped it myself? Because I fixed my own problems?” Her heart was pounding so fast, so loudly, she could almost hear it in her ears. “Do you think I was going to let Scott Baldwin use me to hurt you? To hurt your best friend? Why are you the only one who gets to risk their freedom? You would have walked away from me, from Cameron, from our child, so that you could be the one to save the day—”

“It wasn’t about saving the day!” He spread his hands at his sides, his face flushed with anger. “You destroyed that file for me! They came after you because of me—” He cut himself off and closed his eyes. “Elizabeth,” he said after a long moment. He opened his eyes and looked at her, his expression not quite so irritated. “The thought of being away from you and the boys—I hated it. All I want to do is come home to you. To be with Cameron, to see my son be born. But more than that, I wanted to make sure you could be with them.” He swallowed. “I love you. And I’m sorry, but I’m never going to want you hurt.”

Her vision dimmed for just a moment, and Elizabeth found it difficult to speak. “Could—” She cleared her throat. “Could you repeat that?”

His eyes were soft as his hand came up to tuck her hair behind her ears. “I love you. I’m sorry for not trusting you, for going to see Baldwin without telling you. I had to try.”

“I couldn’t let you turn against Sonny,” she whispered, as a tear slid down her cheek. “Not for something I did. It would have poisoned us. You would have looked at me one day, and saw everything you sacrificed for me, and you would have resented me—” She raised her hand, pressed her fingers to his lips when he opened his mouth. “Don’t say you wouldn’t have. I couldn’t risk it. I love you, too, and I just—I couldn’t bear losing you.”

Some of the tension bled from his shoulders as he exhaled slowly. He took her hand in his, kissed her fingers before drawing her against him. “This is our life,” Jason told her, “and we’re in this together. No more divide and conquer. I love you,” he repeated. “And I love Cameron and this baby. You just—you risked it all today. I—” He shook his head. “I was terrified, standing in the squad room, afraid Baldwin would bring you out in cuffs.”

“I’m sorry.” Elizabeth could feel his breath against her temple. “But I was terrified, too. When Diane told me you’d offered yourself, when I realized you were prepared to sacrifice Sonny, I could barely breathe.”

He looked down at her hand and straightened her rings. “I don’t want a divorce,” Jason told her, raising his eyes to meet hers. “Not today, tomorrow, next year. Not ever. I want our family.”

She laughed a little as he kissed her, his taste mingling with the salt in her tears. “Well…” Elizabeth murmured when he released her. “I guess Sonny knew what he was doing when he planned our wedding. Because, other than today, and I’m sure the births of my children—that was the best day of my life.” She slid her fingers through his hair. “Do you remember Robin’s reading that day?”

“Something about finding the right wrong person?” Jason asked, with a touch of amusement in his eyes. “Yeah. Why?”

“I didn’t know what I was looking for,” she continued. “Until everything in the life I thought I wanted fell apart. And I came to you. And you opened the door to me.” She tightened her arms around his neck. “I wouldn’t change a single moment.”

“Neither would I.” He dipped his head and kissed her again. “How much time do we have before we have to pick Cameron up from Carly’s?” he murmured against her lips.

“Oh…” Elizabeth smiled and tilted her head. “I think there’s enough time for that.”

When you love someone
Your heartbeat beats so loud
When you love someone
Your feet can’t feel the ground
– Love Someone, Jason  Mraz

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Wednesday, May 8, 2007

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

“He’s perfect,” Elizabeth murmured as she leaned down to kiss her newborn son’s head again. “Isn’t he the most beautiful baby you’ve ever seen?” She looked at Jason, her eyes dazzled.

He looked a bit like Edward—wrinkly and angry, his red face screwed up in a wail as their son seemed to protest the whole concept of childbirth.  Jason didn’t think he could love anyone more.

Except Elizabeth, who looked exhausted from hours of labor, her eyes red, her skin still shining from the sweat and exertion. Somehow, she still looked as beautiful as she had the day he married her. Maybe even more.

“Is Carly on her way with Cameron?” Elizabeth asked, drawing his attention back to the present. “I want him to meet his new brother.”

Jason brushed a kiss on his son’s bald head. “She was picking the boys up from school and bringing them right over.” He perched on the edge of the bed. “I can’t believe he’s finally here.”

“I can’t believe how far we’ve come,” she murmured. She adjusted the baby slightly. “A year ago, we were at the PCPD, handcuffed together and waiting for our lawyers. And now, today…” She loosened one of her hands and reached for him. He rubbed his hands over her rings, a familiar habit he’d picked up in the last six months.

“Today, we have our son.” Jason leaned forward and kissed her. “Do you want to finish filling out the paperwork?”

“What’s left?” Elizabeth asked as he drew back and reached for the clipboard. “Do I have to sign?”

“You do,” Jason confirmed, picking up the pen. “Just his name and ours.”

She frowned. “But we decided on his name months ago. Did you change your mind?”

“No.” Jason scrawled in his signature and handed her the pen. She awkwardly added hers. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t change your mind. It took us three months to decide—”

“Just because I changed my mind six times before we settled doesn’t mean I’m fickle. It’s his name.” Elizabeth sniffed and looked at their son. “Daddy thinks I’m flighty. I just wanted to make sure we didn’t saddle you with a name you’ll hate for the rest of your life.”

“I think we’re safe,” Jason said dryly as he wrote in their choice. Jacob Martin Morgan. “There, done.”

“It’s a good name,” Elizabeth said. “Jake. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before or that we went through so many choices. Kevin, Nathan. David. I don’t like any of those names now.”

She’d loved them each for nearly a week, but once she’d settled on Jake in March, she seemed to feel good about it. Jason didn’t really care one way or another. It was just a name. People didn’t rise or fall based on their names.

She looked at him, her eyes sparkling. “Jason, how long do you want wait before we try for a girl?”

He blinked, then laughed because of course she was kidding. They’d just gotten through this pregnancy. They still had a newborn to contend with. She couldn’t possibly be planning more children already.

But then Elizabeth smiled at him, and Jason began to think a year wouldn’t be too long. Cameron wanted a little sister, after all.

“I love you,” he told her, kissing her again. “Let’s make sure Cameron likes this one before we bring home another baby.”

“I love you, too.” She sighed happily, looking back at their son. She looked back at him. “Do you think life could get better than this?”

“I don’t see how,” Jason replied, smoothing her hair back. “But I guess we could try.”

Elizabeth laughed at him. “Yeah, I guess we can try. Though, what’s better than perfect?”

THE END

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So that’s it, folks. I really love this story and I’ll tell you why. It’s the first idea I had returning to writing in Winter 2014 that wasn’t a rewrite or revisioning of a story I was already working on before 2008.

I also tried to do a few things with this — I tried to make Scott Baldwin a sympathetic character. I have my own fondness for him as a character, as someone I grew up with, as a legacy character who never gets the respect he deserves. He wasn’t always the jackass we see today. I hope you guys, by the end, could sympathize with Scott’s position.

I have some bonus material coming up — I had a lot of different ideas for this story, some of which didn’t work once the story got under way — this story as originally 24 chapters, but there’s honestly not enough story there once you get to the heart of the matter.

I hope you guys like, and please, leave me even a brief note if you’d read this story of the last eight months. Love you guys!

<3

LissieLove