July 21, 2003

Carly Corinthos sighed and shifted in her position in the pew. Her husband patted her knee. “Relax,” Sonny murmured in her ear. “The ceremony will be starting soon.”

“Relax,” Carly muttered. “Relax, he tells me. Our best friend is getting married, I look like a house and your sister is miserable. I’m supposed to relax under these conditions?”

“Carly, you know this is the best way to get this done,” Sonny murmured. “Even Courtney agreed.”

“I know it was the best way but that doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Carly grumbled.

Across the church, on the bride’s side, Lucky Spencer was fidgeting. “This stupid,” he told his brother. “This is the dumbest thing she’s ever done.”

“Lucky, she’s getting married,” Nikolas Cassadine sighed. “She’s not committing murder.”

“She’s practically committing suicide,” Lucky hissed. “You know this is just going to kill her in the end.”

“He’s not going to let anything happen to her,” Nikolas replied, rubbing his temple. “He gave us his word.”

“I don’t mean physically,” Lucky shot back. “I mean emotionally, mentally–being in a marriage with someone who doesn’t love you, she deserves better.”

“You know I agree, but we’ve been over this Lucky. She’s doing this to protect her family. If there was another way to do this, she’d do it.”

“I know. But that doesn’t mean I’ve got to be happy about it,” Lucky replied. He twisted in his seat. “When is this going to start?”

In the bridal room, the young brunette stared forlornly into the wall-length mirror. She smoothed her hands over her hips, ironing out a small wrinkle in the silk strapless wedding gown she wore. She tugged at the bodice, trying to pull it higher.

“You look beautiful darlin’.”

Luke Spencer’s voice rang out behind her, causing the first hint of a smile to cross her face.

He came up behind her, looking at her reflection over her shoulder. “Just a vision, sweetheart. You’ve never looked more beautiful.” He tucked a chocolate curl that had fallen free from her French twist behind her ear.

“Tell me again, Luke,” she said softly. “Tell me that I’m doing the right thing.”

“You are,” Luke replied. “It’s not the choice I wanted you to take, but it’s the safest bet.” He smiled then. “I have something for you.”

“Luke…” she couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t have to–”

“Oh, I didn’t buy this,” Luke told her, pulling the long black velvet case from his pocket. “This is something Laura bought last summer. It was going to be her gift to you on your birthday, but–well, things were crazy.”

She turned and took it from him, flipping the lid. Inside was a long delicate silver necklace with a simple silver heart-shaped locket hanging from it. Her eyes misted over as she thought of the beautiful blonde woman who’d been like her own mother. “She bought this for me?”

“Laura adored you,” Luke told her, taking the box from her and unhooking the chain from it. He set the box aside and draped the necklace around her neck, fastening it. “She always thought of you as a daughter.”

She touched the locket with trembling fingers. “I don’t think I can do this, Luke,” she whispered. “I don’t think I can marry him and do this.”

“You can, darlin’,” Luke told her firmly. “Because you know it’s the best chance you have for you and your child to be safe without leaving town.”

Tears stung her sapphire eyes. “How can I exist in a marriage knowing every day that my husband doesn’t love me?”

“He loves you,” Luke replied, confidently. “He wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t.”

“If only it were so easy,” she sighed. “But you know it’s not.”

“I know.” Luke smoothed his hands over her shoulders. “But look at it this way. Lulu is dying to walk down that aisle and throw rose petals. Do you want to deprive her of that opportunity?”

She blinked back the tears, leaving them hanging in her thick dark eyelashes. “No,” she whispered. “No, I don’t.” She turned back to the mirror. “Luke, when this baby is born.if it’s a girl, I’m naming her Laura Audrey. I thought you should know.”

A lump formed in Luke’s throat as he thought of his angel. “She’d be honored, darlin’, just honored.”

“And if it’s a boy, Lucas.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Lucas Steven. Because you and Laura were the best parents a girl could ask for.”

“All right, darlin’, that’s enough sweet stuff,” Luke said. “You know you’ve always got me and Lucky. And the Cassadine brat if you need us.”

“I know.” She touched the locket once more before reaching for her bouquet of lilies. “I suppose we should get this over with, huh?”

“Let’s get this show on the road then.” Luke offered his arm and she took it.

Fifteen minutes later, Elizabeth Webber and Jason Morgan were married. There was little fanfare. Emily Quartermaine was the maid of honor, Michael Corinthos the ring bearer with Lesley Lu Spencer rounding out the wedding party as the flower girl. The ceremony was short and simple, each party reciting their vows as if reading out of a book.

Not once during the ceremony did they meet the other’s eyes. When the priest instructed the groom to kiss his bride, Jason bent quickly and brushed a kiss at the corner of her mouth, barely letting his skin touch hers.

Everyone in attendance knew the reasons the former friends were suddenly tying the knot. It nothing to do with love and everything to do with Elizabeth having been impregnated by Ric Lansing, who had been revealed as Faith Roscoe’s silent partner and had dropped out of sight. But not before issuing veiled threats to his former girlfriend and the baby she was carrying, of course.

Sonny Corinthos, fresh from a mental breakdown, had gained a new lease on life and committed himself to protecting Elizabeth at all costs. Ric Lansing had been revealed as his half-brother, therefore making Elizabeth’s child his potential niece or nephew.

He’d moved Elizabeth into the penthouse, but before long, she’d been grabbed on her way home from work. The men had released her almost immediately, telling Sonny that it was a warning that they could get the petite waitress at any time.

Sonny had enlisted Jason’s help and every plan they’d concocted had come up short. Short of one of them being on her at every time–there was nothing to do to that would ensure Elizabeth’s complete safety.

Surprisingly, it’d been Carly who’d come up with the current plan of action. She’d suggested it only in jest, but the more Sonny considered it, the more a marriage between Jason and Elizabeth made sense. Elizabeth, as his wife, would have the loyalty of the entire organization. She’d be entitled to the same benefits and protection as Carly. If there were any rumors of someone hired to do something, it’d make it back to Jason before anything took place. The networked worked like that, ironically. The same men that Sonny and Jason fought with day after day would be the same to protect them in the end. They didn’t like Ric Lansing any more than Sonny or Jason. Thought going through women like he had was weak. Elizabeth would be as safe as they could make her.

It’d taken more convincing on Courtney’s part than Elizabeth’s surprisingly. Elizabeth would have refused all help normally, but her pregnancy had changed her. Had made her aware that her pride meant next to nothing if her child did not live. She was now attached to this child, loved it more than anything.

Eventually, all parties had agreed and the date was set.

And now, they were married. For better or worse, they had married and were going to live together until Ric Lansing had been smoked out and taken care of.

After that, Elizabeth had told herself, the marriage would be annulled. She’d make sure Jason would not get attached to her child should it take that long, but she’d be part of Sonny’s life since this child was his relative as well.

All in all, it seemed simple and expedient. In theory.

In reality, nothing ever goes to plan and things were about to get complicated.

Carly sighed and rubbed her abdomen in slow circles. Being six months pregnant was uncomfortable in any circumstances, but adding to the stress she’d been under planning this farce of a wedding and all she wanted to do was sleep for the next month.

“I don’t see why we had to have a reception,” she complained, pushing her broccoli around her plate. “Everyone knows this is fake.”

Sonny sighed and stared across the room at the head table where Jason and Elizabeth were seated. Emily and Luke were on one side, Michael and Lulu on the other. Elizabeth was talking with Emily, but she looked positively miserable. And Jason seemed to be drinking more than usual.

“We had to invite the families, Carly,” Sonny reminded her. “As a sign of respect.”

“But they know it’s fake, too,” Carly pointed out. “Just face it, Sonny. You wanted this wedding. You wanted this reception. Hell, Jason and Elizabeth are the ones getting married and they haven’t even looked at each other the entire day.”

“Carly, I just want Elizabeth to be safe,” Sonny said quietly.

“Is it Elizabeth you want safe or her baby?” Carly asked pointedly.

—

Lucky twirled Summer again and brought her close. “Thanks for inviting me,” she said, smiling.

Lucky shrugged. “No problem. I needed some allies here.”

“She’s a beautiful bride,” Summer said, eying Elizabeth. “I feel so bad for her. Marrying someone just to keep your baby safe.”

“As much as I hate it, she’s doing the right thing,” Lucky admitted. “Being Jason’s wife will keep her safer than being his ex-girlfriend. I just hate this. I hate that Ric Lansing put the sparkle back in her eyes and then stole it right back. It makes me so angry.”

“They’ll find him,” Summer said, softly. “They’ll find him and then this will all be over. Elizabeth will get this marriage annulled and she’ll have her baby and things will be okay again.”

“You knowyou’re too optimistic to live in this town,” Lucky murmured.

“Possibly,” Summer allowed. “Nowgo ask the beautiful bride to dance while I take the little ring bearer out for a spin, okay? If we’re all going to pretend we’re at a wedding reception, we might as well make it look good.”

—-

If you wrote a book with a page for
Each memory
And put it in hardback for people to buy
The critics would laugh, yeah they’d call
It ridiculous
And sit around waiting for Porky to fly

Emily took Elizabeth’s vacated seat and eyed her brother and the three empty beer bottles. “Don’t you think you should slow down?” she asked softly.

Jason shrugged. “Why?”

Emily sighed and directed her eyes to the dance floor where Lucky was twirling Elizabeth around. She had a smile on her face but anyone could see she was pretending. “You two are making this more difficult than it has to be, you know that right?”

“Emily, don’t” Jason shook his head. “Don’t start.”

“You know I don’t like this anymore than the rest of you,” Emily said quietly. “Courtney is my friend, too. And I didn’t want to see her hurt. But Elizabeth is like my sister and watching the two of you make each other miserable is so painful.”

“It’s not easy for me either, Emily,” Jason replied, irritated. He lifted the beer bottle to his lips again and was startled when Emily took it from him. “Em”

“You two used to have so much fun together,” Emily said fervently. “It used to be that the only time she used to be alive and laugh and smile was when she was with you. And youshe used to make you just as happy. And the two of you were only friends at that point. Why is it so hard now?”

The truth is stranger than fiction
And I must believe what I see
But the truth is stranger than fiction to me

“Because we stopped being only friends,” Jason answered quietly. “We became more and I don’t think either one us are prepared to go back.”

“She’s trusting you to protect her,” Emily said quietly. “To protect her and protect her child. She trusts you Jason. I don’t think she ever stopped.”

“She trusts my ability to do my job,” Jason replied, bitterly. He took the bottle from his sister grasp and finished it with one long swallow. “And that’s where it ends.”

“You” Emily shook her head and studied her brother in surprise. “You still love her, don’t you?”

“Don’t Emily” Jason signaled to the waiter for another beer.

“You think that she doesn’t feel the same way?” Emily asked.

“Emily, stop it,” Jason replied. He flicked the top off and took a long swallow. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Emily sighed and moved back to her seat next to Luke. “How’s Morgan? Drunk as a skunk?” Luke asked, sipping his wine and making a nasty face. “I hate wine.”

“He’s on his way,” Emily reported sadly. “I don’t think either one of them realizes what’s going on.”

If they made a film of the book of the memory
With Bobby DeNiro and Demi De Moore
You’d sit in your seat with your popcorn
And chocolate
And wonder aloud at the point of it all

“What, that they’re still in love with one another?” Luke asked. He fished in his suit jacket for a flask. He twisted the top off and offered it to the brunette first. She shook her head.

“How do you know that?” Emily asked, intrigued.

Luke swallowed the liquor and returned the flask to its hiding place. “Hell, anyone who knows them knows it. Elizabeth is independent and she knows that she could come to me for protection. I’d get her out of town and no one would ever find her. And Morgan over there could probably think of a dozen ways to protect her and keep her in town without getting hitched. But neither of them went that route. They chose to take Sonny’s suggestion and get married. Why do that if there aren’t some feelings there?”

Emily smiled for the first time that day and leaned over to kiss Luke on the cheek fondly. “Dance with me, Luke. You just made my day.”

The truth is stranger than fiction
And I must believe what I see
But the truth is stranger than fiction to me

“Smile, gorgeous,” Lucky prompted, dipping the bride slightly. The movement caused a slight giggle from her. “This is your day and just because your husband doesn’t understand the concept of a smile, it doesn’t mean you can’t.”

Elizabeth sighed and peered up at Lucky through her lashes. “Husband. It sounds so strange when you say that.”

Lucky grimaced. “It does, doesn’t it?”

She rested her chin on his shoulder as they swayed to the music. “I can’t believe this is happening to me,” she murmured.

“Elizabeth, it’sit’s only temporary,” Lucky promised her. “It probably won’t take that long for Sonny and Jason to find Ric. Maybe a month at the most. The ink will be barely be dry on the wedding certificate before you file for the annulment. Hell, you won’t even have time to change your name.”

“I already filed those papers last week,” Elizabeth replied, mournfully. “As of the second I married, I am Elizabeth Imogene Morgan.” She pulled away a little. “Sonny thought it’d be a good idea for me to have the name as extra protection.” She sighed. “Normally, you know I’d spit in both their faces and tell them to go hell”

“I know. But this is best for the baby,” Lucky finished for her.

“The baby comes first.” Elizabeth closed her eyes. “Lucky, you have to promise me something.”

“Anything,” Lucky replied.

“If this lasts longer than we think” Elizabeth sighed. “If I get further into my pregnancy and it looks like Jasonmightbe getting attached to the idea of having a childtell me. I can’t do that to him.”

Lucky frowned and peered at her closely. “You still love him, don’t you?”

If it can happen it will happen it has
Happened already
If you don’t understand, no reason and
No rhyme
Don’t ask why

“Lucky” Elizabeth sighed. “I guess I never stopped. Promise me though.” She gripped his shoulder tightly. “Don’t let me let him get attached. It nearly killed him losing Michael. I won’t do it again.”

“I promise,” Lucky replied. He kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry. Whenever you need me, you know you can call me.”

“Now that sounds like some sappy love song from the eighties,” Elizabeth teased.

“There’s that beautiful smile,” Lucky grinned. He twirled her dramatically before enveloping her in a tight hug. “I love you, Elizabeth. You’re one of my very best friends.”

“I love you, too, Lucky,” Elizabeth replied. She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for coming today.”

“Babe, there’s no where else I’d rather be,” Lucky replied.

If someone had told you you’d be where
You are today
You’d of thought they were crazy and laughed
In their face
And I never thought I would long for the
Memory
I never thought I would get to this place

Luke stopped at Sonny’s table with Emily. “Corinthos, we got some things to work out,” he told the mobster.”

“Luke, does this have to happen today?” Emily asked softly.

“Why not?” Carly asked, irritated. “It’s like we were just at a real wedding or like we’re at a real wedding reception,” she sniped.

“Regardless, Carly,” Emily snapped. “We should at least pretend like we aren’t having this forced down our throats.”

“I believe that was a dig at me, huh?” Sonny said. “Emily, this was the best way”

“I dont feel like hearing it,” Emily replied. She looked at Luke. “Have your conversation. I’m going to go talk Zander into dancing.”

When Emily was gone, Luke pulled out a chair and sat. “Corinthos, we’ve had our bad times, but I’m trusting with a girl I love like a daughter. Give me your word that you’re protecting herand not just your niece or nephew over there.”

“Elizabeth is important to me,” Sonny told Luke seriously. He ignored Carly snort. “I know that I don’t always show it, but she’s been there for me when it counts and I’m going to do the same for her.”

“All right.” Luke nodded. “I know your sister agreed to this, but how does she really feel?”

“She hates it,” Carly jumped in. “She despises Elizabeth and thinks the marriage was really her idea.”

“I never did like Goldilocks,” Luke replied in irritation. “She’s about seven different kinds of stupid, ain’t she?”

“Watch it, Luke,” Sonny warned, ignoring the smirk on his wife’s face. “Courtney knows that this is the best idea. But to spare her feelings, we sent her to the island last week for the duration of the marriage. It’s the best thing. Besides, one of the terms of the deal with the families is that this marriage appear to be real. They don’t want Jason seeing anyone on the side.”

“If Morgan did that, he wouldn’t have to worry about your enemies,” Luke snarled. “I’d take him out myself. He better not be messing around on the side while he’s married to my Lizzie.”

“Jason’s not like that,” Carly jumped in and defended. “He has honor.”

“Right, so when he was in another fake marriage to Brenda and was seeing Courtney behind her back? Or when he was dating Liz last fall and was messing with Courtney?” Luke accused.

“Where the hell did you get that idea?” Sonny demanded.

Carly’s eyes flicked to the dance floor where Elizabeth and Lucky were dancing. “Oh my Godshe can’t possibly think Jason.”

“What’s going on?” Sonny asked her. “What?”

“Nothing, Sonny,” Carly murmured. “I’ll take care of it.” She looked at Luke. “Look, for reasons beyond my understanding, Jason has always cared about Elizabeth. He has never messed around behind her back and you have our word that he won’t during this marriage, okay?”

“Fine,” Luke replied. He stood. “I want to be kept apprised of the situation, is that understood?”

“We’ll see,” Sonny replied.

But
The truth is stranger than fiction
And I must believe what I see
But the truth is stranger than fiction to me
The truth is stranger than fiction to me

When the song drew to a close, Lucky escorted Elizabeth back to the head table and took Lulu for a spin on the dance floor.

Jason and Elizabeth sat in silence for a few moments. She picked at her food, he drank his fifth beer of the night.

“Elizabeth,” Jason finally said. “We can’t.we can’t act like this.”

She raised her dull eyes to him. “What?”

“We’re going to have to get alongfor the next few months at least,” Jason told her. “I don’t want it be in silence and feel like this.”

“I don’t either,” Elizabeth admitted softly. “But I don’t know what to say to you either.” She stared at her glass of ginger ale. “I don’t like feeling that way.”

He stood suddenly and held out his hand. “Come on.”

Elizabeth frowned. “What?”

“Dance with me,” Jason said. Her frown only deepened, registering the empty beer bottles scattered around his plate. He’d been drinking the entire reception and she suddenly wondered if he’d been drinking beforehand.

But stillshe wanted things to change. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet.

Emily saw her brother leading Elizabeth to the dance floor and tapped Zander’s shoulder, excitedly. “Look!”

“I guess Jason took his head out of his ass, huh?” Zander smirked. Emily rolled her eyes and drug him over to the DJ that she’d forced Sonny to hire. She whispered something to him.

The song playing abruptly ended and the DJ came over the speakers. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. The maid of honor has informed me that the lovely bride and her groom are ready for their dance. She’s requested something special just for her brother and best friend.”

Elizabeth tensed and looked at Emily across the dance floor. Emily gave her an encouraging smile.

Jason hadn’t moved since the DJ’s words either. He shifted and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I”

“We’d better dance,” Elizabeth said softly. “You wouldn’t want the families thinking that you hate me, would you?”

“No,” Jason replied. He took his hands out his pockets and slipped them around her still petite waist.

If youre not the one then why does my soul feel glad today?
If youre not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way?
If you are not mine then why does your heart return my call
If you are not mine would I have the strength to stand at all

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and they moved stiffly for a few minutes. Eventually and more than likely unconsciously, they fell into a rhythm and danced in silence.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest and he pulled her more tightly against him. If she concentrated hard enough, she could almost imagine this was a night in December nearly four years ago and that they were still friends.

I never know what the future brings
But I know you are here with me now
Well make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with

Emily sighed over Zander’s shoulders at the newlyweds. “They almost look happy, don’t they?”

Zander spun her so he could have a view of the couple. “Yeah,” he answered, frowning. “They do.”

“Is it wrong for me to wish this all has a happy ending?” Emily asked quietly. “All I want is for them both to be happy. What if that means they’re together and raising the baby together?”

“It’s not wrong to want them to be happy,” Zander said. “And if it turns out that this marriage works, then who does it really hurt?”

“Courtney,” Emily answered. “What about her?”

Zander shrugged. “She’s on the island. Why think about her at all?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Out of sight, out of mind?” Emily asked, indignantly.

“Where Courtney’s concerned?” Zander shrugged. “Pretty much. She was married to AJ for months and months. Gave up everything to be with him and he gave up everything to be with her. He goes out of town, and she hooks up with Jason or at least starts to develop feelings for him. The next thing you know, AJ’s moved out, Courtney and Jason are together. I wouldn’t put any faith in her ability to develop long lasting love.”

Emily sighed. “Maybe you’re right.”

I dont want to run away but I cant take it, I dont understand
If Im not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

Summer smiled. “Look at them. They almost look like they’re in love,” she told Nikolas.

Nikolas looked over her shoulder and scowled. “Not likely. Morgan can’t feel anything.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Summer replied. She shifted her position in his arms and rolled her eyes. “Look at her face. Look at how relaxed she is in his arms. Look how tightly he’s holding her. How can you tell me there’s nothing there?”

Nikolas eyed them for a few moments. “You might have a point,” he admitted grudgingly.

“You’re stubborn, you know that?” Summer said. “Stubborn as a jackass.”

“Cute,” Nikolas replied. “You know, I can see what Lucky sees in you. Such a charmer.”

“I only charm real men,” Summer teased.

If I dont need you then why am I crying on my bed?
If I dont need you then why does your name resound in my head?
If youre not for me then why does this distance maim my life?
If youre not for me then why do I dream of you as my wife?

“That should disturb me,” Sonny murmured. “Shouldn’t it?”

Carly glared at him. “You know what disturbs me? You haven’t ask me to dance. That disturbs me. What, am I too fat to dance with? Do you not think I’m beautiful anymore? You know, you made me this way”

“Carly, would you like to dance?” Sonny asked, smiling at his wife.

“Fine,” Carly huffed.

I dont know why youre so far away
But I know that this much is true
Well make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with
And I wish that you could be the one I die with
And I pray in youre the one I build my home with
I hope I love you all my life

“You know those things will kill you don’t you?” Lucky told his father, sitting next to him in Emily’s empty seat.

Luke shrugged and puffed on his cigar. “Yeah, well I’ve cheated death a few times. Might as well keeping on trying.”

“So, I saw the necklace,” Lucky said. “What’s in the locket?”

Luke sighed and studied Elizabeth and Jason. “Laura bought that locket while she was in Paris. Said something about it just spoke to her. She bought it for Elizabeth and planned to give it to her at the wedding.”

“Dad, what’s in the locket?” Lucky asked again, hoping to keep his father from thinking about his mother.

“I don’t know. She never told me,” Luke replied shrugging.

Lucky rolled his eyes. “You always have to make it difficult, don’t you?”

“I know you’re worried, Cowboy,” Luke said. “But she’s a strong girl and he’s not that big of an idiot. It’ll all work out in the end.”

I dont want to run away but I cant take it, I dont understand
If Im not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

Carly tapped Elizabeth on the shoulder, rousing them both from their dance. Elizabeth blinked and lifted her head from Jason’s chest. She seemed a little disoriented. “Carly?”

“Let’s switch partners,” she suggested. “I want to dance with my best friend.”

Jason reluctantly loosened his grip on Elizabeth’s waist and let her go. Carly stepped in and twirled Jason away.

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked at Sonny. He smiled and she moved into his arms for the rest of the dance.

“I know this is hard Elizabeth, but”

“Sonny, just do me a favor and spare me the apology and pep talk,” Elizabeth replied stiffly. “You got what you want. We’re married.”

“Elizabeth”

“Don’t make this more difficult than it already is.”

Cause I miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away
And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today
Cause I love you, whether its wrong or right
And though I cant be with you tonight
And know my heart is by your side

“Looks like I came along just at the right time,” Carly mused.

“What do you mean?” Jason asked, frowning. Carly rolled her eyes, watching as Jason’s gaze drifted to where Elizabeth and Sonny were dancing.

“Don’t do this to yourself, Jason,” Carly advised. “Don’t let her suck you back in. It would be so easy to do it, I know. But you can’t do it.”

“Carly”

“Trust me on this,” she said. “Be her friend, take care of her. That’s fine. She needs it now, even I can see it. But don’t fall back in love with her.”

“I can take care of myself,” Jason replied. He kissed Carly on the cheek. “But thank you anyway.”

They were silent the rest of the song, her words hanging between them. He knew she was only looking for him and doing what she thought was right. And Jason could even agree with her. To fall back in love with Elizabeth would be a mistake.

It would have been good sound adviceif he’d fallen out of love with her in the first place.

I dont want to run away but I cant take it, I dont understand
If Im not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am
Is there any way that I could stay in your arms

Songs: Fiction by Nik Kershaw
If You’re Not The One by Daniel Bedingfield

Elizabeth closed the door behind her and sighed, taking in the guest room of Jason’s penthouse. Her home, she corrected mentally. It was her home for the foreseeable future.

She’d moved her things into the same room she’d stayed in originally and if she closed her eyes, for a few minutes it would almost feel like the last ten months hadn’t happened. That maybe if she wished really hard, it would be that night in September again and she’d get a second chance.

But inevitably, she’d open her eyes and she’d come crashing back to reality. So what was the point of pretending for a moment?

She sighed again and crossed the room to the vanity table. As a wedding present, Carly had redecorated the bedroom in soft rose and beige colors. It was almost like the other woman was making an extra effort to be nice to her, but Elizabeth was willing to take what she could get. Any allies during this period of her life would be welcome.

She sat down and stared at her self for a few moments. Her makeup was faded but still intact for the most part, her hair was still done. She smiled. “Elizabeth Morgan,” she said softly, trying to get used to the sound of the name from her lips. The smile fell after a few moments.

It was ridiculous to try and pretend like any of this mattered. So she lived in his penthouse, had his name and now wore a gold wedding band. They were married in name only. There would be no romantic honeymoon, no silky lingerie…she closed her eyes, letting her imagination drift. They would have gone to Italy, rented a villa by the ocean. The room would have had a balcony overlooking the water with silk curtains. She could almost feel the wind on her skin and see the bed where he’d—

A soft knock startled out of her fantasy. She flushed and took a deep breath. If she allowed herself to think about things like that, she’d never survive this marriage.

She peered in the mirror and saw the door over her shoulder. “Come in,” she called.

Jason entered, his tux jacket long gone and his shirt undone a few buttons. Her mouth was suddenly dry. She licked her lips. “Jason.”

“Hey. I just” He shifted and leaned against the door frame. “I wanted to make sure you had everything you need.”

Not everything. She closed her eyes, forcing the idea out of her brain for good. “I’m fine,” Elizabeth answered. She reached up and started to unclip her hair, letting the curls fall around her neck. “You?”

He watched her take the pins out of her hair and set them on the vanity, her rich chocolate curls surrounding her face. She still wore the silk strapless gown and her lips were still painted a dark red. She was so beautiful

And she was speaking. He shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry—what did you say?”

“Never mind,” Elizabeth replied. She unclasped the locket from Luke and set it on the glass surface.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh…Sonny wanted to invite us over for brunch tomorrow. Emily’s supposed to come too.”

“That’s fine,” Elizabeth answered. She slipped her bracelet off and set it next to the necklace. She glanced down at her left hand with a small diamond engagement ring and a slim gold wedding band.

“Good night,” Jason said finally after an awkward silence.

“Good night,” she echoed.

He closed the door behind him and she let out an uneasy breath. Her eyes fell on the locket and she picked it up. She hadn’t opened it, hadn’t thought about it actually. She clicked it open.

Inside was a picture of Elizabeth taken the summer of the “Dead Ted” disaster. Her hair was worn short—she looked so much younger and happier. She couldn’t remember being happy all that much at that time, so she wondered when Laura had taken this.

The picture in the other side was of Jason. Her eyes widened at the sight—it was an old picture in which he had longer hair and he was young. Why would Laura…what would give the idea to put their pictures together in a locket?

A lump grew in throat and she wished she could call Laura and ask her, to talk to her. She stood and crossed to the nightstand where the phone was.

She dialed the familiar number and waited until his soothing voice came over the line. “Hello?”

“Luke, it’s Elizabeth,” she said softly, sinking onto the bed, the locket still in her hand. “The locket from Laura–”

“What about it darlin’?” Luke frowned. “You sound upset. Is everything all right?”

“Did she ever tell you what was in it?” Elizabeth asked softly.

“Not especially,” Luke replied. “She kind of fretted for a while about what to put in it, and then she told me one day she’d figured it out and that it was the perfect idea. But she didn’t tell me, told me I’d have to wait until the wedding.” Luke hesitated. “What was in it?”

“An old picture of me and an even older picture of Jason,” Elizabeth replied. “So you don’t know why?”

“Well, my angel was always perceptive. It’s possible she saw what was between you and Morgan and went from there. I can’t really help you, sweetheart.”

“I didn’t want to bring up Laura…but I just opened it and it just…” Elizabeth trailed off. “Luke, I can’t do this,” she breathed, the sound of tears in her voice. “I’m not strong enough.”

“Sure you are, Liz,” Luke replied, confidently. “You got that baby inside you. You’re strong enough for anything.”

“What if I’m not?” Elizabeth asked. “What if Ric finds me?” her voice almost fearful. “What would he do if he could get to me?”

“He can’t,” Luke assured her quickly. “Morgan and Corinthos have taken every security measure possible to ensure differently. They’ll protect you and if comes to anything else, I’ve got the resources to protect you.”

“Luke—”

“Elizabeth, get some rest. You’ll wear yourself out worrying about thing that will probably never happen.”

She chewed on her lip. “I’ll see you later, Luke. Thank you for everything.”

“Not a problem. Good night.”

She replaced the phone in the receiver and stared at the open locket again. She touched her still flat abdomen. “I won’t fail you,” she murmured. “I promise.”

---

Jason was waiting the next morning when Elizabeth came down the stairs. She was dressed in a gray tank top and a pair of jeans, her only jewelry were her rings and the locket. Her hair was thrown up in a careless ponytail. He became alarmed when he saw the pallor of her face.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded and grabbed her purse from the closet. “Morning sickness,” she murmured.

“Isn’t there anything you can do to avoid it?” Jason asked, curiously.

She shook her head, not wanting to share the details of her pregnancy with him. She’d already made her decisions. She would barely mention it, not let him to go any doctor’s appointments. She was refusing to let him be emotionally involved.

“We’d better be going,” she murmured as she slipped past him out the door.

---

“Good morning,” Carly chirped without looking up from her magazine. She sipped her orange juice. “How was the wedding night?”

“Knock it off,” Emily shot back. She smiled at Elizabeth and Jason. “Hey guys, Sonny’s still cooking.”

Elizabeth groaned as she slid into a seat next to Carly. “Do not even mention food,” she grumbled.

“Ah, morning sickness,” Carly murmured. “I know how that is. You know, Sonny made these really cool smoothies for the first few months. I got all the vitamins and stuff I needed and it was easier to keep down.”

“You think he’d give me the recipe?” Elizabeth asked curiously.

“Ha!” Carly replied. “I doubt it. But he’ll probably make you one whenever you want it.”

“Good. Because I don’t know how I’m supposed to survive this morning crap,” Elizabeth muttered. She poured herself some orange juice. “I’m not a morning person to begin with.”

“Who’s your obstetrician?” Carly asked curiously. The two women fell into a discussion about their doctors and different delivery methods while Emily leaned closer to her brother.

“How’s it going so far?” she asked.

He shrugged. “About the same as it’s been going for the past two months,” he answered.

“It’ll all work out,” Emily said, patting his arm. “I’ve got faith.”

“At least someone does.”

---

Elizabeth was curled up on the sofa in the penthouse reading a book about pregnancy when Jason entered later that day. He’d gotten some weird looks from some of the men at the warehouse and had asked one of the guards what it was about. Johnny told him that the men thought it was odd that a newly married man would be in work at all the day after he’d been married. Apparently, not everyone realized the marriage wasn’t real.

“Hey,” Jason greeted.

“Hey,” Elizabeth murmured, not looking up.

He stood awkwardly near the stairs for a few moments. “Uh, did you want to do something for dinner?” he asked.

“I’m not really hungry,” Elizabeth replied. She turned a page and began reading about the changes her body would be making this month.

“You should eat anyway,” Jason told her. “You’re—”

“—eating for two,” Elizabeth finished. “That’s what Sonny said when he was checking on me earlier.”

“Still” Jason eyed the doorway to the kitchen. “We’ve probably got some frozen dinners in there. I could heat them up,” he offered.

“That’s fine.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “Courtney called. She left the number of her hotel room. It’s over there,” she said, indicating the pad near the telephone. “She told me to tell you she’s having a great time, but wishes you were there. She misses and loves you.”

Jason winced. “Elizabeth—”

“I think I’ll go to bed after dinner,” she interrupted. “I’m tired.”

He exhaled slowly and waited a beat before heading for the kitchen. It was like pulling teeth trying to have a conversation with her. It had been since the day she’d come to Sonny for help in May. They’d just discovered Ric’s connection to Sonny and were discussing their options.

“He’s hell bent on destroying you,” Jason said again pointing out the obvious. “We’ve got to do something to neutralize him.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right.” Sonny sighed and shook his head. “But I just don’t feel right doing it to my own flesh and blood. My mother’s son. My brother, y’know?”

“I understand that, Sonny, but Ric has crossed the line far too many times. With Carly, with Courtney—” Jason shook his head. “We need to do something.”

There was a knock at the door then and Marco opened the door. “Elizabeth Webber to see you.”

Sonny frowned but waved her in. Elizabeth was pale and trembling when she entered. “Sonny, I know this is unexpected, but I really need to talk to you.”

“Sure, what’s up?” Sonny asked. “Are you okay?”

Elizabeth glanced at Jason nervously and licked her lips before saying. “It’s—it’s Ric. He—I—” Tears gathered at the corner of her big cerulean eyes. “I’m pregnant and when I went to tell him, he was on the phone. And II over heard him talking about taking you out and destroying you” She swallowed hard. “He saw me and he knew I’d overheard too much. He—” Elizabeth stopped suddenly.

“What happened, Elizabeth?” Sonny asked concerned. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her to the couch. “Did he do anything to you?”

“He just—he told me if I went to you, he’d kill me and the baby. But he told me that he’d take care of it anyway.” Her eyes searched his dark ones. “He scared me, Sonny. I can’t—he threatened my baby. I knew I had to come to you.”

“You came to the right place,” Sonny told her. “We’ll protect you. You have my word.”

And since that day, it’d been Sonny’s goal in life to protect his half-brother’s ex-girlfriend and her child. When Jason closed his eyes sometimes, he could still remember that haunted look in her eyes that day.

She was four months pregnant now and would be showing at any time. Against his better judgment, sometimes he thought what she’d look like. Her face would be fuller, her breasts heavier, her stomach rounded. She’d probably look more and more beautiful each day.

He knew it’d be all too easy to get involved in her pregnancy and become attached to her unborn child. This child, though half Ric Lansing’s, was part of Elizabeth and he knew he’d love the child.

But this marriage would be over one day and Elizabeth would take her child and leave. He’d lose another child. He couldn’t do that again, so he was going to force himself to stay aloof. Not ask any questions or make suggestions. He was going to make sure she was healthy and safe, and there his obligations ended.

He tossed the dinners into the oven and turned the heat on. He headed for the wall phone, intent on calling Courtney and asking her not to call the penthouse again during the day. She had his cell phone number, there was no reason to disturb Elizabeth.

He stopped halfway through dialing and hung up the phone. Defending Elizabeth to Courtney was the fastest way to screw this all up. He leaned against the kitchen counter and sighed, irritated. How did his life get this complicated so fast? A year ago, he’d been traveling in Europe, his only thoughts of home were Sonny, Carly, Michael and Elizabeth.

Now, he’d been married once to a woman he couldn’t stand, managed to alienate the woman he loved, and gotten involved with his boss’s sister. In his eyes, the only thing he’d done right lately was agree to marry Elizabeth. He’d keep her safe and healthy and love her from a distance. He could do it. He’d been doing it for years, why should now be any different?

He returned to the living room to tell Elizabeth that dinner was almost ready and saw her stretched out on the sofa, her book having fallen to the floor. She was sleeping soundly, her hand resting on her flat tummy.

He sighed and hooked his arms underneath her light body, lifting her into the air. She stirred only for a minute, long enough to tuck her head in the crook of his shoulder.

He set her on her bed and took off her sneakers, placing them at the foot of the bed. It was a warm night, so he left the sheets off. He kissed her forehead and before he knew it, he had his large tanned hand resting on her abdomen.

“I promise to always take care of you,” he said softly. “You and your mother.” He waited another moment to be sure Elizabeth didn’t stir again before he stood and left the room.

When the door clicked shut, Elizabeth opened her eyes and a single tear streaked down her cheek.

---

Meanwhile somewhere in Europe

Ric Lansing glared at the wedding announcement. “I don’t know what he thinks this is going to solve,” he snarled before tossing it aside.

Faith Roscoe laughed and sipped her wine. “He’s made some sort of deal with the families,” she replied. “No one is to support anything to do with you or I and in return, he’ll let them run some shipments through his territory. It’s actually rather smart having Jason marry the little twit—”

“Watch it, Faith,” Ric warned.

She rolled her eyes and leaned towards him, her blood red lips in a perfect pout. “Don’t tell me you still care about the girl? After all, you threatened to kill her and your unborn child should she run and tell anyone what she overheard.”

“You don’t understand,” Ric muttered. “She was never supposed to get involved. She wasn’t part of the plan.”

“You should have stayed as far away from her as possible,” Faith reminded him. “And now, you’ll probably have to get rid of her.” She sighed. “We should do it as soon as possible. Get it over with.”

“No,” Ric said sharply. “After the baby is born. We’ll take her.” He shoved a folder aside. “Her and the child. She’ll come to me and we’ll raise the baby together.”

Faith smirked. “You really think she’s going to come to you willingly? She went to Sonny to get away from you.”

“I’ll make her see it my way. I’ll make her understand that I never wanted to hurt her, that I was just angry because things had gotten out of control. She’ll understand, Faith.”

“Right,” Faith drawled. “So, we wait for five months to finish Sonny off just so you can have your precious princess?”

“We wait. We let Sonny think he’s got everything under control,” Ric replied. His brown eyes flashed in anger. “Don’t do anything stupid, like you did last month by grabbing Elizabeth. That just pissed Corinthos off more. Why do you think this marriage happened?”

“Fine. We let the little morons sit in peace,” Faith replied. “That doesn’t mean I’m happy about it, by the way. I hope you know that.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Ric muttered. He stood. “I need some fresh air.”

---

Emily dropped into a seat across from Lucky. “The photographer dropped off the wedding photos,” she told him, shoving the large manila envelope across the table.

“Why’d they give it to you?” Lucky asked, curiously.

She shrugged. “Because I ordered it. I thought one day, they might want a memento.” She opened the envelope and took out the package. “Here’s one of her walking down the aisle.”

He took it from her. “She looked almost happy,” he mused.

“I think part of her is happy,” Emily replied. “She’s married to Jason, who you and I both know she’s still in love with. Sonny and Jason would do anything to protect her. She’s got her friends and family looking out for her. The only thing that would complete it—”

“Would be Ric’s head on a silver platter and Jason loving her in return,” Lucky finished.

“If I get my way, she’ll get both,” Emily said fiercely.

Lucky raised an eyebrow. “How you going to accomplish that?”

Emily searched through the pictures, handing one to him. It was a picture of Elizabeth and Jason dancing. “Tell me he doesn’t love her,” she challenged.

Lucky studied the picture, the way Emily’s brother had his arms tight around his best friend’s face and his head dipped, his forehead resting in her hair. “Okay, I can’t say that he feels nothing for her.”

She put the pictures back and nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

It was the first time she’d smiled.

Barely three days after she married Jason, Elizabeth stood in front of her mirror, her hand over abdomen. She could feel the skin being drawn tightly and when she raised her t-shirt and stood sideways, she could see a slight bulge.

“Laura Audrey,” she murmured. She giggled. “Or are you Lucas Steven?”

She closed her eyes and tried to image her child. A little girl with her porcelain skin, her dark hair and when a fantasy image of her daughter’s eyes flashed through her brain, Elizabeth jerked her eyes open and was startled to see Jason in the mirror’s reflection. He was standing in the open doorway.

“I thought you were at the warehouse,” she said, letting her shirt fall back in place. She turned towards him.

“Johnny called. Something came up with his sister and he can’t take you to the doctor’s.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m taking you.”

Alarmed, she shook her head. “I’ll just ask Max or Francis,” she murmured. “It’s fine—”

“Max is out with Carly and Francis is in Puerto Rico.” Jason shrugged. “I’m already here anyway.”

She bit her lip. She was supposed to be having her first ultrasound today. Now would not be a good time for him to go to her prenatal appointment. She took a deep breath. He could just wait outside in the waiting room.

“Okay,” Elizabeth replied. “We’d better go then.”

---

They found themselves sitting in the obstetrician’s waiting room twenty minutes later. Elizabeth was flipping through some pamphlets while Jason sat next to her in silence.

He cleared his throat. “Have you thought about names?” he asked. He cursed under his breath when the question was out. So much for staying distanced from her and this baby.

Elizabeth shifted and clutched the locket in one of her hands. “Yeah. Actually, I—I’ve decided on Laura Audrey and Lucas Steven.”

Jason grimaced. “You’d name him after Luke?”

Elizabeth had to laugh at the look on Jason’s face. “Luke has been great to me,” she replied. “He’s been more of a father to me than my own.” She looked down. “I-my father actually called a few days ago. Seems he checked up on you and he wanted to congratulate me on landing such a wealthy husband.” She shook her head and sighed. “If he shows up, can you tell the guards to tell him to go hell?”

“Your father’s an ass,” Jason muttered.

“Elizabeth Morgan,” the receptionist called. “Dr. Banks will see you now.” Elizabeth stood while Jason remained seated. “Oh, your husband’s more than welcome to go in with you, Mrs. Morgan.”

Elizabeth took a deep breath. Mrs. Morgan. She wasn’t sure she’d never get used to hearing that.

She turned to Jason. He was staring at his feet, not looking at her at all. “I—”

“I’ll just wait out here,” he said quietly.

She shook her head. “No,” she told him. “Come in with me. I-I’m having an ultrasound and I don’t—” she hesitated. “I don’t want to do it alone.”

He was on his feet instantly. “Sure.”

“I’m such a schmuck,” she muttered under her breath.

---

“Good morning, Miss Webber,” Dr. Banks said, a large smile on her face. She indicated the seats in front of her desk. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s Morgan, now isn’t?”

Elizabeth flushed and sat down. “Yes, it is.” She waited for Jason to sit next to her. “Dr. Banks, this is my—” she glanced at him as she said it. “My husband, Jason. Jason, this is Dr. Banks.”

Jason nodded at the doctor, who smiled at him. “It’s always nice to see fathers involved in the prenatal care.”

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked away.

“Well, anyway, Mrs. Morgan,” the doctor continued. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” she admitted. “The morning sickness has been a little hard to handle. Not really fond of vomiting in the morning and in the afternoon.” She frowned. “Why do they call it morning sickness if it occurs more than just in the morning?”

Dr. Banks laughed. “Your queasiness will subside and your appetite will return within the next month.”

“That’s good to hear,” Elizabeth answered.

“Okay, so, are you two ready to see your baby?” she asked cheerfully as she stood. Elizabeth winced at the referral of Jason as the father but reassured herself that from now on she would make a more concentrated effort to keep Jason and her pregnancy separate.

Dr. Banks showed them to a small examining room and directed Elizabeth to lay on the table. Jason uncomfortably stood next to her as she got comfortable on the table.

The doctor wheeled the ultrasound over to Elizabeth and lifted her soft blue t-shirt. “Oh, look, you’re showing!”

Immediately Jason looked at his wife’s stomach and sure enough, there was a slight bulge. His hand twitched at his side but he forced himself to keep from feeling it. This was not his child and he couldn’t let himself think any differently.

“I noticed it this morning,” Elizabeth said. She moved her own hand over her abdomen. “Is it normal? I mean, am I showing enough?”

“You’re fine,” Dr. Banks assured her. “Once you begin showing, it goes so quickly. In a few weeks, you might start feel some fluttering, that’ll be your baby.” She smiled and reached for the clear gel to spread on her stomach. “This will be cold so be warned.”

Elizabeth jumped a little at the chilly sensation. She smiled nervously as the doctor began the ultrasound. “How does she look?”

Dr. Banks peered at the image on the screen. “Everything looks fine.” She moved slightly and looked to Jason. “I’m sorry, I was blocking your view, Mr. Morgan.”

Jason glanced at the screen and looked away. “I can’t really see it anyway.”

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked at the screen. She looked back at Jason and took his hand in hers. Schmuck, she told herself again as she directed his hand towards the screen. “That’s the heartbeat, right?” she asked Dr. Banks.

The doctor nodded. “Good strong and healthy heartbeat, Mrs. Morgan.” She smiled at the couple. “The head’s right there, two little arms and legs.” She watched as Elizabeth moved Jason’s hand according to her words.

“If the baby would turn a bit, we might be able to take a guess at whether you should be decorating in blue or pink.”

“You can tell this early?” Jason found himself asking curiously.

“Well, we wouldn’t know for absolute sure until the twentieth week,” Dr. Banks replied. “But I said we can take a guess.” She smiled at him. “I’m usually not wrong.”

“So, do I have a Laura or a Luke?” Elizabeth asked, her eyes sparkling. Dr. Banks frowned at the use of the single pronoun rather than the plural but shrugged it off. Until today, her patient had remained absolutely mum on the subject of the father and she’d be surprised to learn Elizabeth had married at all.

“Well.” Dr. Banks hesitated, peered at the screen for a few more moments. “Ah, there well, in my professional opinion, you’ve got yourselves a little girl.”

“A girl,” Elizabeth breathed. She looked at Jason, excitedly. “Did you hear that?”

“Now, I’m not positive,” Dr. Banks reminded her. “And I’ll want you to have another ultrasound next month. Don’t forget to schedule your amniocentesis in late September. But as of right now, Mrs. Morgan, you’ve got a perfectly healthy baby girl. Everything is developing nicely and on schedule. We’ll make another appointment for two weeks from now.”

Dr. Banks stood. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she told them as she left the room.

The image was frozen on the screen and Elizabeth could hardly stop staring at it. “That’s my baby,” she murmured. Her hand was still holding Jason’s and she clutched at it, excited. “Can you see her?” she asked. She used her free to hand to gesture towards the screen.

With Dr. Banks’ help, Jason had been able to make out some of the baby, but now that the image was just a still image, he was once again having trouble. “I could before, but she’s not moving.”

“That’s her head,” Elizabeth told him, pointing. She’d all but forgotten her resolve to keep Jason separate from the pregnancy. She was too excited. Until today, the baby had been an abstract idea in her mind, just morning sickness and some doctor’s appointments. Now, Laura Audrey—she frowned. Would her daughter be a Webber or a Morgan now that Elizabeth had changed her name?

“What else?” Jason asked, rousing Elizabeth from her thoughts.

She shook her head a little, trying to dispel her thoughts. “There’s her arms,” she continued. “And her legs.”

Her tone was considerably different from when she started, causing him to frown. “What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking about everything,” she murmured. “If—if we’re still—you know, married when Laura’s born—” she bit her lip and glanced up at him. “Since my last name is Morgan now, will her name be Morgan too?”

Jason exhaled slowly. He’d forgotten that Sonny had insisted Elizabeth change her name after the wedding. “Probably,” he told her. “But you can always change it afterward—”

She bit her lip and looked down, finally realizing she was still holding his hand. It was his left hand, the one with the wedding band. “She’s probably better off with your name, I mean. Safer and all.”

“Right,” Jason replied, quietly. “She’d have the same protection as any of my children would.”

Elizabeth glanced up at him. God, she wished he was the father. If only things were different. But maybe…maybe it wasn’t too late. “Jason, I—”

“I’m sorry it took so long,” Dr. Banks chirped. She took her seat again and used a towel to wipe Elizabeth’s abdomen. “Would you like a picture of the baby, to take home and show everyone?”

“Sure,” Elizabeth said, eagerly.

The doctor turned back to the machine and pressed a few buttons. “Next time, bring a videotape and we can record it.” She took the picture out of the printer and handed it to Elizabeth. “There you go.”

“Thanks, Dr. Banks.”

“Well, just make an appointment with Nicole out front and you’re free to go. It was good to meet you, Mr. Morgan. I hope you’ll return soon.” She smiled again. “I’ll see you in two weeks, Mrs. Morgan.”
Elizabeth was quiet when they entered the penthouse. She was cradling her ultrasound picture in her hands and had been staring at it since the moment the doctor had given it to her.

Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “Elizabeth, there’s something we need to talk about.”

She nodded absently. “I need to call Luke and tell him. He’ll be so excited. I want him to be Laura’s godfather. And Emily, oh, and Lucky.”

“Elizabeth.”

She glanced up at him. “Yeah?”

“About what the doctor said—”

She bit her lip. “Jason, it really meant a lot to me to have someone there with me today. It was the first time that I saw the baby…and I’m glad I wasn’t alone, but—”

“I mean about the decorating,” Jason hurried to interrupt, not wanting to hear her talk about not wanting him at her doctor’s appointments anymore. “Emily mentioned it the other day and I thought maybe the other guest room would work…for the nursery.”

She looked at him skeptically. “Jason, I—”

“I know we both don’t expect to still be…married when she’s born,” Jason cut in. “But it’s better to be prepared, right?”

“I guess so,” Elizabeth said slowly. “But I can’t afford—” She stopped. “And I’m not accepting anything else from you or Sonny. It just wouldn’t be right.”

He hesitated. “Would you consider it a gift from me…to Laura?”

How could she argue with that?

“Okay,” she agreed. “Jason, for what’s worth, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” she told him. “I know this hasn’t been easy, but it means a lot to me.”

Jason shrugged. “I’d so the same for anyone…” he gave her a tremulous smile. “Who mattered to me.”

“You matter to me, too,” she said softly. She tilted her face up a little to look at him. “You always have.”

He brushed her hair out of her eyes, letting his thumb linger on her cheekbone. “Elizabeth…”

He was going to kiss her, she could see it in his eyes. Her lips parted, she licked her lips in anticipation. She’d wanted this for so long

He ignored the ringing of the phone as he drew her closer to him. Just before their lips touched, the answering machine clicked on and Courtney’s voice filled the room.

“Jason, are you there? It’s me. You haven’t called me lately. What are you doing?”

Her face paled and she stepped away. “I need to go…call Emily,” she said softly.

“Wait a second—” he said, almost desperately.

“This—” she shook her head. “This would have been a mistake,” she said in a broken whisper. She turned and took the stairs two at a time, disappearing onto the second floor.

He stared after her for a moment before slamming his fist on the desk and swearing under his breath.

---

Emily wasn’t home. Neither was Luke, Lucky or even Zander. She needed someone to talk to. Now. Before she went back downstairs and faced Jason again.

She hugged her knees to her chest and took deep breaths, trying to calm her breathing. She couldn’t be putting herself through this. She had enough stress, just thinking about Ric and where he might be.

She picked the phone up again and dialed a different number.

“Hello?”

“Nikolas?” Elizabeth licked her lips and wrapped her hand around the locket. “It’s me.”

“Hey, Liz,” Nikolas replied. “Are you okay?”

“I” She could feel the lump in her throat forming. “God, Nikolas, I don’t even know if I can talk to you about this.”

Stung, Nikolas didn’t answer for a few moments. He’d been a rotten friend to her in the last year or so, and he’d been trying to make up for it. “Elizabeth, you know you can tell me anything.”

“I thought—I thought I was over this,” she whispered. The tears began streaking down her cheeks. “I thought I was passed it, that I could do this and it wouldn’t matter.”

“What wouldn’t matter?” Nikolas asked, encouragingly. He could do this. If she wanted to vent about Morgan, he could do it with an objective ear. She didn’t need someone to bemoan his many shortcomings. For better or worse, Elizabeth was married to him.

“How I feel” Elizabeth hesitated, remembering who she was talking to. “Nikolas—I”

“I promise I won’t do the lecture,” Nikolas said immediately. “I won’t say it if it’s not what you want to hear.”

“Nikolas, I love him,” she said quietly. “I love him more now I think. I wish—I wish that this baby was his. I wish it with every breath I take.”

Nikolas exhaled slowly. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I can just listen if you want.”

“We were at the ultrasound today. He wasn’t supposed to go but something came up and then I just told myself he could wait outside. But then the receptionist said your husband can come too—Nikolas, I didn’t want the first time I saw my baby to be myself. I’m always alone. I just wanted to feel different for once.” She stopped and took a deep shuddering breath. “And the doctor was pointing out the arms and legs and her little head and I found myself falling back into the pattern helping Jason to understand what we were seeing. And then the doctor told me I was having a girl and she left, and I—we almost kissed downstairs, Nikolas.”

Nikolas blinked, even though he couldn’t see her. He shifted the phone from one to ear to the other and sat up at his desk. “What?”

“We were downstairs and I was thanking him for everything and he said that he’d do the same for anyone who mattered to him, and God, Nikolas I was just so grateful that I still mattered, how pathetic is that? I told him that he still mattered and suddenly we were just standing so close I could feel his breath and we—he was leaning towards me, I was waiting—”

Nikolas took a deep breath and rubbed his eyebrows. “What happened?” he asked quietly.

“The answering machine clicked on,” she said bitterly. “It was Courtney.”

He inhaled sharply. “Oh.”

“I felt like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water in my face. I told him it would have been a mistake and I left. God, Nikolas, how stupid can I be?”

“You’re not stupid, Elizabeth,” Nikolas said firmly. He took a deep breath. He could do this. “You’re in love. And there’s nothing wrong with feeling that way.”

She was crying now, openly and hard. “I know, but why does it feel like I’m dying inside?”

“Because you’re in love and unfortunately real love is always going to hurt. That’s how you know it’s real.”

“So what am I supposed to do?” she asked softly.

“Wait out,” Nikolas advised. “Everything is weird right now. You just got married, and with the baby and Ricyou can’t deal with much more, Elizabeth. Just wait it out.”

“Nikolas, thanks—it means a lot that you were willing to listen about this,” she told him. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” Nikolas smiled suddenly. “Did you say you were having a girl?”

Elizabeth wiped her eyes. “Yeah. The doctor’s not positive but it looks that way. Why—why don’t we meet for lunch tomorrow? I’ll call Lucky and Emily. I’ll show you the ultrasound picture. It’ll be like old times.”

“Kelly’s, noon?” Nikolas suggested.

“Sounds perfect.” She managed a watery smile. “I’ll see you then.”

---

Jason was gone when Elizabeth went downstairs later. He left a hastily scribbled note on his desk for her. Elizabeth, had to go out on business. We need to talk.

She stared at it for a few moments, touched that he thought of leaving a note and then feeling stupid for feeling touched in the first place.

The door opened and she turned. “Sonny,” she said in a flat voice.

“Elizabeth—” Sonny hesitated. “Is Jason here?”

“You know he’s not here,” she remarked. She set the note back down and started digging through the drawer that Jason said she could put things in. She fished out her pregnancy journal and started flipping through it.

“You’re right,” Sonny replied. “I did know that. I need to speak with you.”

She arched an eyebrow. “What do you want this time Sonny? To marry Johnny for even extra protection?”

Sonny tried to smile but failed. “I know I’ve been asking for a lot—”

“I know, I know. You just want the baby to be safe,” Elizabeth muttered. She sighed. “And Sonny, I appreciate everything you’ve done. And what Jason’s done. It means a lot to me.”

“I’m glad,” Sonny said. “Because what I’m about to suggest could be the most important thing.”

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. “What?” she asked.

“I want you to let Jason adopt the baby,” Sonny said without any other preamble.

She stared at him for a moment and started to laugh. “You’re crazy right? Because I know you did not just suggest I let Jason adopt another man’s baby? Do you even remember what losing Michael did to him?” she demanded harshly.

Sonny sighed. “I know. I know what this could cost him in the long run. But your child needs more protection than we can give.”

Her heart skipped a beat and she licked her lips. “What do you mean?” she asked fearfully. She took a step toward him. “Have you heard about Ric? Has he been in contact?”

“We’ve heard some rumblings,” Sonny said quietly. “From our side. Some of them aren’t thrilled with protecting Ric Lansing’s child.”

Her face paled. “What.what does that mean?”

“It means that they don’t see this as your child, they will see this is as his child. And they don’t want to chance the child growing into another Ric Lansing.”

“They don’t want to chance it?” she cried. “What the hell is that? I thought you said that by marrying Jason, we would be safe!”

“I know, I know.” Sonny ran his hands through his hair. “This is killing me, Elizabeth. I promised you that I would protect you.”

She forced herself to calm down and take a deep breath. “Okay, just give it to me straight. Worst-case scenario. If I don’t let Jason adopt her, what could happen?”

“They would see the child as a threat. Boy or girl.” Sonny squeezed his eyes shut. “And it will be dealt with like all threats.”

“They would kill my innocent little girl because her father happens to be a monster?” Elizabeth demanded.

Sonny exhaled slowly. “Yeah. They would.”