This story is set in 2002, beginning in late October. Elizabeth left the penthouse on October 8, the blonde who shall not be named kissed Jason on the 19 (around that date), and five days later, Jason married Brenda in Vegas. While Jason was juggling the blonde and Brenda, Elizabeth was hanging out with Lucky, dressing in leather, and springing Luke from a chain gang in the South. It was a strange time (but fun! It was great to see Elizabeth on a caper). In any case, this story keeps Elizabeth in Port Charles and begins after the blonde attacked Jason with her lips. (I’m sorry, I’m feeling salty.)

Written in 51 minutes. Had time to run a basic spellcheck, but didn’t read for typos.

---

October 2002

Kelly’s: Kitchen

Elizabeth Webber often wondered who she’d murdered in a previous life to deserve the existence she was currently living.

In fact, to deserve this specific moment — Elizabeth Imogene Webber must have been a vicious serial killer.

“I’m really sorry,” Courtney Quartermaine said with a wrinkle of her nose and a flash of sympathy in her baby blue eyes. She set down the tub of dirty dishes on the counter in the kitchen of Kelly’s. “It just happened.”

She’d decided that while closing the diner where they both worked and cleaning things up in the back, that it was time she opened her heart and was honest with Elizabeth. After all — Courtney didn’t want things to be awkward.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, turned away from the sink, and studied the other waitress, a woman she’d considered a friend. Not a close friend — but Courtney had been more than an acquaintance. A friendly face.

“Explain it to me again,” Elizabeth said coolly. She folded her arms, leaned against the counter. “Like I’m a five-year-old.”

Courtney winced. “I really—I think I covered it. I know you’re upset because you thought you were dating him—”

“Thought?” Elizabeth repeated, with a lift of her brows. Oh, man, was this chick lucky that the butcher block full of knives was across the kitchen. “I thought I was dating him? Yeah, you’re going to need to start at the beginning.”

Courtney bit her lip. “It was just—all that time we spent together, you know? I mean, you know how sweet he is—”

Might be worth making a leap for one of those knives after all.

“And with this stalking thing going on, I really needed to feel safe. Jason makes me feel safe—”

“So does a golden retriever,” Elizabeth bit out, even as she heard her own feelings, her own thoughts echoed back at her. “He was guarding you. Because Sonny wanted him to. You’re married.”

“I know. And that’s why it’s wrong. And why I really didn’t intend for anything to happen—”

Against her better judgment, Elizabeth’s heart began to beat faster, her pulse throbbing in her wrist. “But it did.”

“A few days ago. That’s why I had to tell you. Because I know you were upset after everything that happened,” Courtney said, widening her eyes. “But you have to see now — it’s obvious that Jason was just being nice—”

“Being nice to who?” Elizabeth asked, her voice flat. If Courtney had known her for long, she’d have heard the sound of a woman who was not in the damn mood.

“To you,” Courtney continued. “I mean, you were dating Zander for a while and he hated Zander, so maybe Jason just didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I mean, you know how much he hates hurting people.”

“No, tell me more how Jason Morgan hates to hurt people.” Elizabeth fluttered her lashes. “I’m dying to hear your analysis of the man who works for your brother and that you’ve known for ten minutes. This is fascinating.”

Courtney scowled. “I’m trying to be nice—”

“You’re not very good at it,” Elizabeth retorted, even as Courtney’s words sunk in. She had been sort of seeing Zander for a hot minute in early August, and she did know how much that had hurt Jason.

She’d thought they were past it. She’d thought he’d forgiven her—not that she needed to be forgiven as they weren’t dating.

But—had they been dating at all? Or was Courtney right? Was it all in her head?

“What happened a few days ago?” Elizabeth asked with a sigh. Might as well rip off the bandage and let the air hit the wound.

“He kissed me,” Courtney confessed, her voice small and a bit ashamed. “I don’t know what to do. I love my husband—”

“I am not the one—” Elizabeth put a hand up in front her, then curled it into a fist. “He kissed you. A few days ago,” she repeated.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth nodded. “Okay. Well, that’s—that’s just—” She cleared her throat. “Listen. Thank you. For telling me. Good luck with your marriage and your affair. I’ll finish cleaning up. Go home.”

“Oh, no, Elizabeth, let me—”

“Go home, Courtney,” Elizabeth snapped. She whirled around, a box cutter in her hand. “Or I swear to God, I am going to hold you down and cut your fucking blonde hair off!”

Courtney actually squealed, jumped back, hitting the counter in the kitchen. “Elizabeth—”

Elizabeth made a jabbing motion with the knife, and Courtney rushed out of the kitchen, barely stopping to grab her coat and purse before slamming the door behind her, the little bell above it jangling.

“I wonder if I would have done it,” Elizabeth muttered. She tossed the knife aside, put both hands on the counter, then closed her eyes.

He’d kissed her.

Logically, it shouldn’t hurt this way. It absolutely shouldn’t. Elizabeth had walked out of the penthouse, tossing some cruel and angry words at him in her wake—then shut him down the one time he’d come after to talk.

Elizabeth had needed more than twenty-four hours, but instead of just telling him like a grown up that she needed a minute, she’d lashed out and slashed at him.

“Okay. Okay.” She dragged her hands through her hair, took a deep breath. “Okay,” she repeated. “This is—this is good. This is good. I needed this. I needed to know. And now I know. He’s moving on.”

Elizabeth finished stacking the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, shoving it from her mind, desperate to stop thinking about it. To stop wondering exactly when she’d ruined everything — when she’d slept with Zander? When she’d asked him not to hurt Zander?

When she’d left the penthouse? Here, the next day, at Kelly’s?

When had Jason stopped caring—

And when had he started caring about Courtney—

Elizabeth exhaled slowly, looked around the diner. The tables were clear, the chairs neatly stacked. She was done. It was time to go home.

Home to an empty studio with crappy heating.

“You know,” Elizabeth said to no one at all—just a crazy idiot standing in the middle of an empty diner. “It would be nice just once to lose out to anyone other than a fucking blonde. Another dumb blonde.”

She dragged on her coat, looped her purse over her shoulder and left the diner, clocking the door behind her.

“A fucking blonde,” she muttered as she started towards the waterfront. The air was cold, but Elizabeth didn’t want to go home just yet. Maybe a walk on the docks would clear her mind.

Maybe she hadn’t been just a serial killer in a previous life, Elizabeth thought idly as she stepped down towards Elm Street Pier. Maybe she’d killed bunnies or something. Or puppies.

Yeah, a puppy killer definitely deserved her life.

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

Sonny Corinthos stifled a yawn as he snatched up the phone ringing off the hook in the living room. “Damn it, who the hell—What?” he demanded.

“Sonny—” His wife, Carly, rubbed her eyes from the stairs, as she stepped off the landing. “Tell them to call in the morning—”

Sonny cupped his hand over the phone for a minute, scowling at her. “Go upstairs, Carly. I need to handle this.”

Carly scowled, but he waited until he heard her stomping back up the stairs—then waited for the door to slam.

Sonny turned his attention back to the phone, took a deep breath. “Can you repeat that one more time, Francis? Who the hell is going to Vegas?”

Port Charles Airport: Hangar B

Jason Morgan did not believe in karma. Carly did—Carly believed in all kinds of spiritual crazy stuff. She’d always wanted to read him horoscope — apparently, Jason was a Virgo, whatever the hell that was.

And karma was Carly’s current favorite belief. “You get what you put into the world, Jase,” she’d told him a few months ago just after she’d married Sonny for what was probably the third time—but it might have been the fourth.

It was hard to tell sometimes.

If Carly was right—if you got what you put into the world—

Then Jason was getting exactly what he deserved.

“How much longer do we have to wait?” the brunette at his side snapped as she shifted from one foot to another. “I’m tired, and I just want this over with.”

“I told you. We have to wait until the pilot files the flight plan,” Jason said blandly. He rubbed the back of his neck, and looked towards the private jet. “You getting cold feet?”

Brenda Barrett snorted. “No. That’s not me. I don’t get cold feet. That’s you and your boss.” She folded her arms. “It’s freezing.”

“Then go inside.”

“Hey! You’re supposed to care about my well-being—”

“Not until the paperwork is signed,” he muttered.

“Look, if you’re having second thoughts,” Brenda said with huff, “then have them here. Before we get on a plane and haul our asses to Vegas—”

“I’m not—” Jason shook his head. He was way past second thoughts and onto fifth thoughts. “I’m trying to retrace my steps to figure out how exactly I ended up here. At midnight. With you.”

Brenda pursed her lips. “Well, it started with me coming to your penthouse and threatening to break up Sonny and Carly’s marriage—you really need to work on your priorities by the way. You’re sacrificing your happiness so Carly can be happy. I mean—don’t you have a life?”

“I used to,” Jason said. He rubbed the side of his face. He thought he had. But there wasn’t anything left for him. Not after the last few weeks. After the last few days. He’d just been minding his own business, standing in the rain, and then Courtney had just—

He had tried to be very nice about the whole thing—and she’d left immediately afterwards. Jason had gone to Sonny, told him very nicely that he had other things that needed to be done and Courtney needed an actual guard.

Sonny had looked at him suspiciously, but had agreed. And then Jason had found Brenda in his penthouse. Sitting on his sofa, looking at the yellow knitted blanket Elizabeth had left behind.

What was the point of worrying about his future? The only woman he was interested in wanted to set him on fire, and maybe if he weren’t single, Courtney Quartermaine would stay away from him. And Carly would be happy.

An unhappy Carly was a destroyer of worlds, which Jason knew all too well. No, this was for the best.

“Jason, I’m serious.” Brenda’s tone had shifted to something less bitchy, and more quiet. “You don’t remember this, but we were friends before your accident. And we were almost friends before you—” She cleared her throat and looked away.

Before he’d humiliated her at the altar for Sonny. “Brenda—”

“Do not do this if you’re having second thoughts. I wouldn’t really mess up Sonny’s marriage. Not on purpose,” she added. “I just—” Her voice sounded tight. “I don’t want to be alone when it gets bad. And I know Robin would take care of me. Or the Quartermaines. But they love me. I don’t want them to have to make decisions. I know why this is a good idea for me. But I need to know I’m not hurting you.”

Jason hesitated, looked away, towards the doorway of the hangar—towards the flickering lights of downtown Port Charles, where the waterfront lay beyond it. He wondered where Elizabeth was right now. Was she at her studio? Closing Kelly’s? Was she painting?

“Jason?”

Wherever she was, she’d left him. Again. And this time, Jason hadn’t seen any hint that she’d change her mind.

“You’re not hurting me, Brenda. And I want to help you,” Jason told her. Because that much, at least, wasn’t a lie. “Let me go check on the flight plan. See how much longer it’ll be.”

Pier 52

At some point, Elizabeth lost track of where she was walking — she’d only meant to walk along Elm Street Pier where it merged onto Bannister’s Wharf, but then she’d looked up and realized—

“Pier 52,” she muttered. The Corinthos-Morgan warehouse loomed at the end of the pier, construction cranes scattered around the parking lot as they worked to rebuild after the explosion in August.

Elizabeth idly touched her arm where a faint scar still rested. She’d thought of that night as a turning point. Standing outside the burning building, watching Jason and Zander fight—Zander with a gun—

The sound of the shot—the searing pain in her arm—

The way Jason had looked at her—asked her about Italy—she’d thought for a minute that she hadn’t broken everything between them.

But maybe Courtney was right. Maybe Elizabeth had finally burnt the final bridge with Zander, and Jason was just too kind to tell her. Had ignored her all those weeks in the penthouse, hoping she’d get the message.

No. No, that wasn’t fair. She sighed, and started to turn back, intending to head back up the pier, to Elm Street, and to her studio. It was stupid to be wandering out here this late in the dark, after midnight—

“What the hell were you thinking?”

The angry voices startled Elizabeth out of her maudlin wallowing, and she turned — but the voice wasn’t talking to her. Footsteps were getting closer, and without thinking, Elizabeth ducked behind a a pallet stacked with boxes and metal barrels.

“You had one job!” a man snarled—Elizabeth frowned—she knew that voice. Why did she know that voice?

“You were to keep your eyes on my property, and now she’s gone!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Alcazar—”

Oh….fuck. Elizabeth closed her eyes. Walked right into a scene between Luis Alcazar and a flunky.

What was worse than a puppy killer? Because surely—

A gunshot echoed in the night, and Elizabeth heard a thud and a cry — Then another shot—this one sounded closer — and the man’s cry stopped abruptly.

Elizabeth shoved a fist in her mouth, choking back the sound that wanted to leap from her throat. Oh, damn, damn, damn —

She started to inch backwards — she knew a back way to the waterfront, one that would take longer — but was hidden —

Just as Elizabeth was a few feet from safety, from freedom — she tripped over a nail jutting out from a board and hit the ground with a crash, her arm slapping against a building on the way down.

“Who’s there?” Alcazar demanded. “Who is that? Morgan?”

Elizabeth didn’t stop, didn’t even think. She leapt to her feet, turned, and ran for the shorter route to safety—even as Alcazar shot after her, bullets hitting the corrugated metal just inches from her head.

She only had one thought. One person who she knew she could trust.

She ran up the pier, up to Elm Street, then instead of taking the turn towards her studio, she turned towards the large building a few blocks away.

To Jason.

Written in 51 minutes. Time for basic spell check.

---

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

Sonny scowled into the phone, rubbed his forehead. “I’m not asking you to shoot the fucking plane out of the sky! Just keep them at the airport in Vegas as long as you can—” He glanced at the clock on the desk. It was a quarter after midnight. If they could hold Jason at the airport for just fifteen more minutes — Sonny could be in the air by one.

He’d be less than a half hour behind them —

Why the hell were Jason and Brenda going to Las Vegas? Who went to Vegas in the middle of the night with no word to the people in their lives?

Idiots. That’s who.

And there was only one reason to sneak away to Vegas without a word.

Sonny didn’t know which one of them he was going to kill first —

He yanked open the door to find Max standing there. “Call down to the garage,” he started, but then the elevator doors opened, and Elizabeth practically fell out of them as she turned the corner towards Jason’s penthouse —

“Elizabeth?” Sonny said, stepping out into the hallway. “He’s not there—”

Elizabeth whirled around to face him, her eyes wide, her pupils tiny pinpricks. “What? Why? Where—” She pressed a hand to her chest, took a deep breath. “I need—I need help.”

“I gathered that if you’re storming the penthouse at midnight,” Sonny said. He squinted. But maybe the universe was giving him a break. If Sonny couldn’t talk Jason and Brenda out of this madness—

Jason would never do this if Elizabeth was in the room.

“Max, call down to the garage,” he said, looking at the guard. “Get a limo ready. Elizabeth and I are heading to the airport.”

“Uh, okay, Boss. Do you need me to grab luggage—”

“No, I can get what I need on the ground,” Sonny said. He turned back to Elizabeth whose face was stark white. “You can tell me what happened on the way to the airport.”

“The airport?” Elizabeth shook her head. “What? Why? What’s going on—”

Sonny pressed the button for the elevator, then ushered her on board. “Jason’s in trouble and he needs you.”

“He—” Elizabeth stared at him, blankly as the doors closed. “What? Is he hurt? Did—” She swallowed. “Did he ask for me?”

Sonny didn’t even think. “Yes,” he said, because if he didn’t lie, she might not go with him.

And he needed to stop whatever was happening in Vegas.

“Oh,” Elizabeth said shakily. “I didn’t—okay. Okay, well, you should send someone down to Pier 52. There might be a body.”

Sonny closed his eyes. “What happened?” he asked.

Airplane: Jason & Brenda

Somewhere over the Midwest, as Jason took out his phone and adjusted the time zone to Vegas time, he saw that he had three missed calls from Sonny. He turned off the phone, looked at Brenda was curled up on a sofa on the other side of the plane. “Sonny called.”

Brenda frowned, looked at him. “Why? Is there a chance he knows—”

“No,” Jason said after a moment. But maybe someone at the airport had called about Jason taking the private jet. They should have flown commercial but Jason didn’t want their names showing up on a flight list.

The whole point of this was to make Brenda safe and he didn’t want Alcazar tracking her movements.

“So what have you been up to lately?” Brenda asked. She folded her arms, then unfolded them and laid them at her side.

“Nothing,” Jason said shortly.

“Friendly as ever,” she muttered. “I guess if you had a life you wouldn’t be marrying me.” She glared at him. “So no one other than Sonny is going to be mad about this?”

Jason hesitated. Oh, man, he really hadn’t thought that far ahead. What if he was wrong—what if he went back to Port Charles, legally married to another woman, and Elizabeth—

“Jason, if you’re having second thoughts—”

“No,” Jason said finally. “It’s too late.”

Airplane: Sonny & Elizabeth

Elizabeth looked at her watch, then twisted the band back and forth. “Where are we going?” she asked Sonny.

“Why were you down at Pier 52?” Sonny asked, once again declining to answer any of her questions. He’d thrown her into a limo, they’d boarded a jet waiting at the airport, and he’d spent the first hour of the flight in another room of the plane, on the phone with someone.

“I was just walking,” Elizabeth said. “I didn’t want to go home yet.” She rubbed the cheek. “I wasn’t paying attention—”

“Why didn’t you have a guard?” Sonny said with a growl. “Damn it. Don’t tell me Jason let you go back to the penthouse without a guard? You were living there for six weeks. You think Alcazar doesn’t know about you?”

Elizabeth stared him, then squinted. “I—I don’t—I didn’t—” She chewed on her lip. “I don’t know,” she said. “I had Marco when I was living there. He took me to Kelly’s and back.” But he hadn’t gone with her when she’d left.

“Just lucky Alcazar didn’t grab you before this for leverage,” Sonny muttered. “After all the crap Jason did to get you out that damn crypt, he probably would have sold me out to get you back.”

“I—” Elizabeth’s eyes bulged. “What are you talking about? I don’t—” She shook her head. “No. I don’t matter like that. Jason said I didn’t—” She looked away, out the window. “He said it wasn’t about me,” she said softly.

“Well, then you misunderstood,” Sonny bit out. “Clearly.”

If Jason was asking for her—then she must have. Just as that lifted her spirits for a moment, they plummeted. “How hurt is he, Sonny?” Elizabeth asked. She looked at him, met his eyes. “Was he shot? Is—is he going—is that we had to come in the middle of the night like this? Where are we going?”

“I’ll answer everything when we get there,” Sonny said. “Just—just trust me. Everything will be fine if everyone just trusts me.”

McCarran International Airport: Car Rentals

Brenda scowled, looked at her watch. “It’s two AM. How can there not be a single car available in all of Las Vegas?” she demanded.

Jason rubbed his eyes, looked at the woman he was going to marry shortly, and glared. “It might be two AM, but it’s six AM in Port Charles, which means I’ve been awake for forty-eight hours.”

“Well, that would be your problem, not mine. Get some sleep like a normal human,” she shot back. She looked at the clerk who snapped to attention when she slapped a hand on the counter. “I want a car. Now. I don’t care how old it is, how crappy—”

“Perhaps a taxi—”

Jason dragged his hands over his face. This was such a mistake. At every single step of this trip, they’d been delayed. First, the flight plan had taken forever, then they had had to circle the airport for twenty minutes before they were cleared to land—

And now—now they couldn’t even rent a car.

Jason hated being driven around. He hated taxis. Hated not knowing his driver. You couldn’t trust them—

He exhaled slowly, looked at the clerk. “I want a car. Now,” he said, in a flat tone. This time, the clerk swallowed and nodded.

“I can see if we can move another reservation around,” he said in a weak voice. He started furiously typing on his computer.

“Finally, using your powers for good,” Brenda said. She wrinkled her nose. “Can you come with me the next time I go shopping? I could use a discount since all my money was given to charity after I died—”

“Brenda—” Jason bit off the harsh words he’d been out to say. “Look, it’s the middle of the night. Do you want to check into a hotel and get a few hours of sleep—”

“No. Not yet. After.” Brenda stared ahead at the bland gray walls of the car rental department. “Let’s get this over with.” She flicked a glance at him, and he could see the nerves in her eyes.

It was one thing to suggest this in his penthouse in Port Charles. It was another to have actually flown across the country to Las Vegas and be literally one stop away from getting married.

Something that had made some sort of sense almost eight hours earlier —

“Al right,” Jason said. Probably for the best — if they stopped now, they might not go through with it at all.

Limo: Route 15

Elizabeth stared at out the dim windows at the blinking and glittering lights of the Las Vegas strip, her suspicions and worry mixing into a strange sense of dread. When she’d first seen the bright lights as they’d prepared to land, she’d looked at Sonny, demanding to know why they were in Vegas.

Why was Jason in Vegas?

But Sonny had just shrugged. “Business.” Which meant Elizabeth was supposed to shut up and let it go.

And she tried to. Reminded herself that she’d seen The Godfather—she knew that Vegas was a mob town underneath the glitz and glamor. It wasn’t a stretch that Sonny had business out here — that Jason would be doing something for him here.

But Sonny was acting strangely—irritated with Jason—irritated with Elizabeth—as if whatever Jason had done — it was pissing him off.

And if he was angry at Jason—why had he brought Elizabeth? If she hadn’t shown up at the penthouse at the same time he was leaving—

Would he have called or picked her up?

Then the limo pulled into a parking lot for a large building with a blinking light over top — A Chapel of Love — 24 Hour Weddings!

Elizabeth looked at Sonny. “I’m not going in there until you tell me what the hell is going on,” she said. She folded her arms. “You have dragged me across the country, refused to tell me if Jason is alive or dead—and now—now we’re in Vegas at one of these stupid wedding chapels—”

“Jason’s—he’s hiding. Okay?” Sonny snapped. He shoved the door open. “You know better. We have work with what we’ve got He got himself here, and now he needs us to get him somewhere safe.”

She bit her lip, and there was just enough truth in that statement that she slid across the leather seat and stepped out of the car. If she went inside, at least Sonny would be out of time — if she didn’t find out what the hell was going on after all this —

“Fine. But this is the last place I’m going. I want answers.”

“You’ll have them,” Sonny promised. “I’m doing this for all of us.”

“Sonny—”

“Let’s just go.”

A Chapel of Love: Main Chapel

This was stupid. This was the dumbest thing Jason had ever done, and he had done a lot of idiotic things since he’d woken up in the hospital six years earlier.

He was standing next to a woman that he barely even tolerated on a good day, preparing to legally marry her and take care of her until whatever disease was eating her brain killed her —

He was marrying another woman, and the longer he thought about it, the more Jason thought this was probably not the best way to convince Elizabeth that he was sorry about the lying. And maybe he should be doing that.

But this was a runaway train, and Jason turned to look at Brenda, to start their vows. Her face was pale as well.

They both knew this was stupid, but neither of them were going to admit it first.

“Are you ready for your vows?” The officiant asked Jason. He checked the paper. “Uh, Jason, do you promise to take Brenda to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish—”

This was insane—Jason opened his mouth to interrupt him, to stop this because there was no way in hell he was going to promise to do any of that —

But then the double doors at the end of the room were thrown open. Jason and Brenda both turned to look at the same time Sonny strode through the doors, his face florid with fury — but Jason didn’t see him. Barely registered his presence—

He only saw Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was just behind Sonny, her eyes taking in the room, the garish decorations, the empty pews—before finally looking at him. At the woman next to her.

—

Elizabeth stared at Jason, blinking rapidly because at some point, the nightmare would dissolve and she’d wake up.

Sonny had dragged her across the country to stop a wedding.

To stop Jason’s wedding.

Jason’s wedding to Brenda.

She tore her eyes away from Jason’s startled gaze to look at Sonny. “You son of bitch,” Elizabeth bit out. Sonny looked at her, frowning.

“Uh, that’s him, not me — he’s the one marrying—”

She didn’t let him finish. Instead, she curled her hand into a fist, tucking her thumb inside to protect it, and let it fly.

Sonny grunted, falling back, holding his hands over his nose, spurting blood.

Then Elizabeth spun on her heel and fled. She dimly heard someone—Jason—calling her name—

But she just ran.

—

“Damn it,” Sonny winced, barely even noticing as Jason ran past him after Elizabeth. He turned to Brenda who was sauntering down the aisle. She planted a hand on her hip and glared.

“Two questions,” she snarled. “One, who the hell was that? And two, why the hell do you only show up at my weddings when you’re trying to stop them?”

Written in 55 minutes. Time for a basic spell check but not typos.

YOU GUYS THIS PART IS WILD AND I CANT WAIT FOR YOU TO READ IT

---

Las Vegas, Nevada

The Chapel of Love: Parking Lot

Elizabeth might have had a head start, but Jason’s legs were longer and he did more running than she did — he caught up just as she passed the Fountains at the Bellagio, passing in front of her so he could stop her in her tracks.

Elizabeth scowled and nearly managed to adjust at the last minute to run past him, but he snagged her elbow and dragged her back.

“Would you just stop!” he snapped. He grimaced when he realized he was almost digging into her forearm with his fingers. He forced himself to gentle his hold and guide her back in front of him. “Just—just let me explain—”

“Explain?” Elizabeth yanked her arm away from him, cradling it against her chest, her eyes shadowed, almost hidden from him even as the bright lights of the Strip washed over them. “There’s nothing to explain! I am done humiliating myself—I’m getting a cab, I’m going back to Port Charles, and then I am never going to speak to either one of you again—”

“Why—” Jason hissed as she turned sharply and started towards the street. He should just let her go.

She was always walking away from him.

Never giving him a chance to explain.

Never believing him even when he did—

After nearly forty-eight hours without sleep, after hours spent in Brenda’s vexing company—Jason finally snapped.

“Why do you always do this?” he called after her, his tone scathing. “Why did you even come?”

Elizabeth halted, nearly six feet from him, her shoulders snapping straight. She turned slowly, lifting her chin, her fists clenched at her side.

“Are you really going to get mad at me right now? I—” She scowled, stalked back. Elizabeth jabbed a finger in chest, the tip of her index finger poking just below his collar bone. “You want to know why I came to Vegas? Why I showed up at your wedding to another woman like this is a bad romantic comedy?”

Jason narrowed his eyes. “Yeah—I want to know. If you’re not even going to let me explain—”

“I came,” she bit out with a depth of bitterness that he’d never heard from her before, “because Sonny told me you were hurt.”

Jason’s mouth closed. He stared at her. “What?”

“He told me that you were hurt. That you needed—” Elizabeth closed her eyes, squeezing them shut as if it could protect her. “You needed me. Worse. He told you’d asked for me.”

He was going to murder Sonny.

Slowly.

And he was going to enjoy it.

Jason drew in a sharp breath. “Elizabeth—”

“And like the clearly stupid girl that I am—” Elizabeth opened her eyes, tears spilling over her lashes, sliding down her cheeks. Her voice broke. “I didn’t argue. Not until we landed in Vegas, and I realized that none of it made sense. He brought me here because he wanted to stop you from getting married. And he knew if he’d told me the truth, I never would have gotten on the plane.”

“It’s not what it looks like—”

“Really?” Elizabeth sneered. “Because it looked like you were marrying Brenda Barrett. How is there any way to explain that? How many times do you have to lie to me before I finally get it—”

“I have never lied to you—” Jason wanted to drag the words back even as they flew out of his mouth. Once he could have claimed that.

“For someone who prides himself on honesty,” Elizabeth retorted, “you’re really racking up the lies—”

“I tried to tell you that there things I couldn’t tell you—”

“No!” She sliced her hand through the air, the word exploding out of her like a bullet. “No! That is absolutely not going to work. No! Here are the things you can’t tell me—things I would never ask — what did you do at work today? When will you be home? Where did you go?”

“I—”

“You do not get to lie to me about the death of your best friend!” Elizabeth shook her head. “No. No, I’m not doing this—” She turned away again.

“You’re the only one who gets to make mistakes?” Jason demanded as he followed her towards the street. “How many times have you lied to me?”

Her eyes widened, and she whirled back around. “I—”

“How many times have you done things that anyone else would find unforgivable?” he continued, the rage boiling in his chest. “You knew Zander had betrayed Sonny. That he was my enemy, Elizabeth, and what did you do?”

“I—”

“You took him into your home. You—” He broke off as Elizabeth stared at him. “You slept with him. You asked me to leave him alone—”

“I thought you—” She swallowed hard, her lip trembling. “I thought you forgave me—”

“Because that’s what I do. I forgive you. Because, damn it, I love you!”

The words hung between them as she closed her eyes and Jason winced. That was not—that not the way that should have happened.

“I don’t believe you,” Elizabeth said softly. She cleared her throat, opened her eyes to meet his. “Because someone who loves me wouldn’t do the things you’ve done—”

“Damn it—”

“You sat in your penthouse, you looked me in the eye, and you told me that you wanted to be with me. That you wanted to try—and you lied. And then you kissed Courtney—”

“What?”

“And you were just marrying another woman—” Elizabeth gestured wildly at the Chapel of Love a hundred yards behind them.

Jason clenched his jaw. “And you came across the country because you thought I was hurt. What does that say about you? You love me, too, Elizabeth—”

“No, I don’t—” she snapped. “Don’t tell me how I feel—”

“Then don’t tell me how I feel,” he threw back at her.

“How the hell am I supposed to believe you?” Elizabeth threw up her hands. “What have you done except lie to me for weeks—”

If he could just convince her—if they could just get past this minute—he could explain everything about Brenda—and he’d fix that crap about Courtney — but she looked ready to bolt at any minute—

She’d flown across the country with little more than Sonny’s word because she thought he needed her.

Well, he did. Even though he wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled. She was so damn stubborn—

“You want proof?” Jason scowled, his mind racing. He dragged a hand through his hair, stared at the wedding chapel for a long moment, then looked back at Elizabeth. “I can prove it.”

“I’d like to see you try—”

“Come with me,” Jason said, grabbing her hand, then all but dragged her back towards the chapel.

If she wanted proof—

He’d make her see that he wasn’t lying if it was the last thing he did.

Chapel of Love: Lobby

Sonny pressed the ice pack to his nose, wincing as he watched Brenda examine her nails. “Are you ever going to forgive me?” he asked.

“You’re going to have to be way more specific because your list of crimes is very long,” she said sweetly. She frowned. “This polish is chipped. I need my luggage. It’s in the car—”

“And what the hell are you doing in Vegas?” Sonny demanded, out of patience with her. “I came all the way here and all I’ve gotten so far is a busted nose—”

“That was a thing of beauty,” Brenda started to say, but then the double doors to the chapel opened and Jason stalked in, practically dragging Elizabeth after him.

Sonny thought Elizabeth had told Jason that instead of taking a minute to protect her after what had happened on the pier, Sonny had lied to her. He got to his feet, bracing himself to get another sock to the jaw—

But instead, Jason ignored Sonny and Brenda entirely and walked over to the front desk. “I need a new certificate,” he said, flatly.

Elizabeth’s face drained of color and Sonny saw her muscles bunch. If Jason hadn’t tightened his grip, she might have taken another run for it.

“Wait—what did he just say?” Brenda asked.

“Uh, Mr. Morgan—”

“A new marriage certificate,” Jason repeated. “Now.”

“Uh—” The clerk blinked rapidly, looked over at Sonny and Brenda, looked at Elizabeth. “Okay,” he said slowly. He set a fresh sheet of paper on the desk. “But it’ll cost you double. You were halfway through—”

“Put it on the card—”

“Jason,” Elizabeth hissed.

“Do you want proof or not?” Jason demanded, and Sonny raised his brows at the sharpness in his friend’s tone. He didn’t think Jason had ever spoken to her that way.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. “You think this is proof?” She jerked a thumb at Brenda. “Your last fiancée is right over there—”

“Oh, well, fiancée is a strong word,” Brenda said, wrinkling her nose.

“So is wife,” Elizabeth snarled, tossing a dirty look at her. “Stay out of it.”

“I like her,” Brenda decided.

“You could find out where they’re registered later,” Sonny muttered. What the hell was going on—

Jason was ignoring them all as he grabbed a pen and filled out the form, signing his name at the bottom. He shoved the pen at Elizabeth and slid the paper closer to her. “Well?”

Sonny was sure Elizabeth was going to stab Jason in the eye or something else violent from the way that she looked at him. But then she drew in a shaky breath, signed the form.

“Huh,” Brenda said with a nod. “Well, at least this won’t be a wasted trip.”

—

Elizabeth couldn’t quite decide exactly why she’d signed the form or how she’d ended up in front of the same officiant that had nearly married Jason and Brenda less than thirty minutes earlier.

She almost felt like she was floating above it all and had been since the moment Jason had bit out a declaration of love like he wanted to hit over the head with it.

He never got angry with her.

And when she’d asked for proof—

He’d gone to find a way to prove it.

So—

She married him.

When the officiant declared them husband and wife and told Jason he could kiss his bride, Elizabeth blinked, looked at Jason, wondering what he would do.

He gently pressed on her shoulder so that she was facing him, tipped her head back and kissed her, drawing her against him like he had that night in her studio. Tired of fighting it, tired of pretending, of being angry and sad — Elizabeth kissed him back, threading her fingers through his hair, dragging him closer to her, wishing she could just disappear into him.

She didn’t want to let go, didn’t want the moment to end, because then reality would hit — and he’d realize he’d made a mistake —

Elizabeth didn’t know if she could bear to see that in his eyes. If she never let him go—never opened her eyes —

But then there was a slight coughing from the front of the pew, and Jason drew back. Their eyes met as he slowly stepped back, sliding his hands down the length of her body until they rested at her waist.

She turned to look at Sonny and Brenda in the front row, blinking rapidly.

“Maybe we should go to the hotel,” Sonny said, getting to his feet.

Jason glanced behind them to see the officiant offering them a smile and a reminder to pick up the license out front. When he’d left the room, Jason looked at Sonny, his eyes hard. “Don’t ever lie to Elizabeth again. Especially not about me being hurt.”

Sonny winced, then he gasped in pain as Brenda whacked him hard in the ribs. “Damn it—” he grunted. “What the hell—”

“You dragged that poor girl all the way here and she thought he was hurt the whole time—I hope your nose heals crooked,” Brenda said. She whacked him one more time with the back of her hand.

“We’ll meet you at the hotel,” Jason told Sonny. “We’re taking the limo. You can drive there with Brenda.”

He took Elizabeth’s hand and led her out of the chapel.

Brenda scowled after him, planting her hands on her hips. “I think he thinks that’s a punishment. You’re lucky I didn’t marry you!” she called after them. “I would have made you miserable!”

She huffed, looked back at Sonny. “Well, let’s go. I need food and sleep. And a new plan because my best idea just walked out of the room married to someone else.”

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas: Owner’s Suite

Jason shoved the door open and waited for Elizabeth to walk in front of him. She had been silent during the short ride to the hotel that Sonny controlled in downtown Vegas, and Jason hadn’t known how to start the conversation.

Elizabeth walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the Strip, folding her arms across her chest. The sun was just beginning to rise in the west, peeking out over the horizon in the distance. Jason closed the door, took a deep breath. “Elizabeth—”

“If you’re sorry already,” she said softly, “can you just…wait to say it?” She looked at him. “Just a little longer.”

“I’m not sorry,” Jason said roughly. He crossed over to her. He reached out to touch her, but faltered, let his hand drop down. “I don’t really—I’m not sorry,” he repeated. “But I thought you might be.”

“I’m not really sure what I’m feeling,” Elizabeth admitted. “This is—” She laughed slightly, nerves making the sound shaky and fragile. “This is not exactly what I thought would happen last night when I left Kelly’s.”

“Me either,” Jason said. He framed her face in his hands, leaned his forehead against hers. “I missed you,” he murmured.

“I missed you, too.” She slid her arms around his waist and they stood there for a long moment, just letting the silence around them settle.

“Let’s get some sleep,” Jason suggested. “And we’ll—we’ll figure everything else out later.”

Written in 60 minutes.

---

Cosmopolitan Suite: Master Bedroom

Deciding to go to sleep had been the easy part — the location of said sleep was more complicated. Jason had walked Elizabeth into the large master bedroom with the palatial king-sized bed. He’d hesitated as they both looked at the bed — then he’d started to say something about leaving the other room in the suite for Brenda, and he’d take the sofa —

Elizabeth had nearly let him walk out, but at least second—she’d twisted her fingers in the cotton fabric of his shirt, holding him back.

He’d gone temporarily insane and now they were married — she still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around any of that — but maybe it was her turn to take a risk.

“I’m really tired,” she told him. Jason turned to her, drawing his brows together in a bewildered frown. “And that bed is huge. If you’re on the sofa when Brenda and Sonny get here, you won’t get any sleep at all.”

He searched her eyes. “Elizabeth—”

“Let’s just go to sleep. You look so tired, Jason, and that sofa isn’t big enough.” Her fingers still holding his shirt, she drew back over the threshold of the room. With her free hand, she pushed it lightly until it closed.

“I—”

“Like you said — neither of us expected this to be happening. I trust you.” At least in this she did.

Elizabeth gently pushed his leather jacket off his shoulders, and it hit the marble tile of the floor. “I think we can share the bed. We used to sleep in the studio, didn’t we?”

“Yeah.” Jason cleared his throat. He brushed his fingers against her jaw. “Yeah, okay.”

He’d given her his t-shirt to sleep in, and while she changed in the bathroom, he had pulled the light blocking curtains over the window. She knew he could sleep through anything, and had done it for her.

They climbed into the bed, on opposite sides. She’d stared at the ceiling for a long time once he’d switched off the lamp, listening to him breathe. She’d dreamed of this once. Not precisely this — in her dreams, he had always been holding her — just laying in the dark, listening to him breathe.

She’d done that in the studio during the few short weeks they’d shared that pace, and it had been calming then. Reassuring. He was alive, and she’d saved him the way he’d saved her.

Now, it was strange to listen to him breathing, listening to the way it slowed and relaxed as he slid into sleep, and she was still trying to understand exactly she’d ended up as Jason’s wife when she followed him into slumber.

—

Jason opened his eyes, blinking just once as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room. He took in the silk sheets beneath him, the top sheet covering — then turned his head slightly find out that he hadn’t hallucinated the last twelve hours.

Not that he’d ever been one for dreams or hallucinations. There had just been that one time — last year — when he’d picked up Elizabeth’s gloves and for a moment—she’d been in the room with him. Smiling at him.

Then she’d been gone, and Jason decided he was just fine not be able to picture things.

She was laying in the bed next to him, her face turned towards him, her body twisted on its side. He could only dimly make out her features as light seeped around the edges of the heavy blackout fabric covering the window.

He’d come to Vegas to marry Brenda Barrett, and instead —

Instead, Elizabeth had shown up and, in a fit of temper and insanity—he’d decided that marrying her would be proof that he loved her.

He exhaled slowly, turning his face to the ceiling. What had he been thinking? And why had she agreed?

He’d never really pictured himself getting married before. Robin had mentioned it a few times, and he’d always thought they’d get married one day because it was something she wanted. But that was a life time ago.

Do you want proof or not?

He flinched, hearing his own angry words echoing in his brain as Elizabeth had looked at him with wide, confused eyes when he’d demanded a new marriage certificate. He didn’t have any practice with marriage proposals, but that probably wasn’t a good one.

She’d married him anyway.

Jason turned back to her, only half-surprised to find her eyes open, staring back at him. “Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey,” she replied. She slowly sat up, the sheet pooling at her waist. His shirt was too big for her and listed to one side, baring her shoulder. “What time is it?”

“Just before eight,” Jason told her. He sat up, but neither of them made a move to leave the bed.

If they got of bed—if they faced the day—

This was real.

And he was almost sure that she’d take it back. That the craziness would have sunk in and she’d want to run away.

And he wasn’t sure if he’d blame her. He hadn’t proposed to her, had shoved the certificate at her—and married her in the chapel, with the same officiant where he’d nearly married another woman.

She should be running from the suite screaming.

Instead, Elizabeth rubbed the heel of her hand against her chest and looked at him. “You should sleep longer,” she told him. “You—you said you hadn’t slept in two days—three hours isn’t really enough—”

“I’m fine,” Jason said with a shake of his head. “But you worked yesterday—”

At the mention of her job, Elizabeth’s face dimmed and she looked away. “Yeah, I did. Um, I don’t—” She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down. “We said we’d figure it out when we woke up.” Elizabeth met his eyes again. “Any idea how to start that?”

“No.” And he felt a bit lighter when she laughed at him— a genuine laugh of amusement.

“Me, either.” She exhaled on a shorter laugh. “This is insane. I’ve never done anything as crazy as this, and I’ve faked my death.”

“Marrying me is crazier than taking poison?” Jason asked skeptically. “Should I be insulted?”

“Oh, that—” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “That was nothing compared to this. All I did was drink some wine. Nikolas and Sonny did everything else. Actually, it was a relief,” she admitted. “I woke up on the island and didn’t have to go home until it was over. This—” She gestured at the space between them. “This is definitely crazier.”

She still didn’t look sad or upset, so Jason decided not to take crazy as a bad thing. She wasn’t asking for an annulment. Or a divorce.

And she was still in bed.

Elizabeth bit her lip, looked at him, and he had a feeling if he could see her face in full light, her cheeks would be flaming red. “Do you wanna know something really weird?”

“What?” Jason slid closer. Just an inch. Well, maybe three inches.

“I really thought we’d both wake up, look at each other, and — I don’t know—we’d trip over each other to apologize. Or call it a mistake. Or, I don’t know, something. I thought I’d wake up and…regret it.”

Her soft confession took his breath away, and everything inside him tightened. “And you don’t?”

“Do you?”

He shook his head. He wasn’t going to let her deflect. Not again. “I asked you first.”

“No,” she said finally. “I’m—I’m not sure this was a good idea, but as insane as it sounds, I don’t really regret it either.”

“Me either.”

“Really?” Elizabeth tipped her head to the side. “Not even a little?”

“No.” Jason slid closer again, leaving less than a foot of space between them. He cupped her cheek with his hand, and she leaned into it. “Not even a little.”

“I do…I do kind of wish one thing had been different.” Elizabeth opened her eyes, met his. “I wish we hadn’t been so tired when we got back to the hotel.”

Jason lifted his brows as she pressed a hand against the one on her face, then kissed his palm. “Are you tired now?” he murmured.

Elizabeth grinned at him, and he felt his mouth curve up in response. She hadn’t smiled at him like that in a long time. “Not even a little bit.”

She was still smiling when he cupped the back of her neck and dragged her him, crushing his mouth against hers, not giving her a chance to change her mind.

She pressed herself against him, wrapping her legs around his waist as they rolled over on the bed, nipping each other’s lips, both struggling to take control. When her fingers slid beneath the fabric of his briefs, Jason grabbed her hands and pressed them back against the bed. She arched her brows. “No?”

“Not yet,” he said, leaning down to kiss her neck, trailing his mouth down her collarbone. He released her hands so his own could slide down her body, push his shirt higher on her hips—

“Not fair—” she moaned.

He started to laugh—

Then there was a knock on the door. “Jase? You up? We got stuff to go over—”

Jason felt Elizabeth tense beneath him, like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over her. “Elizabeth—”

She closed her eyes. “You should go,” she said, flatly. “It might be important.”

It might be. But it also might be bullshit. Like it had been nearly every time Sonny or Carly had called him last summer and dragged him away from her.

And if Jason got out of this bed right now—

Elizabeth would start regretting everything.

“I was going to say,” he said, “the door isn’t locked. And Sonny doesn’t know how to mind his own business. Don’t move.”

“Jason—”

“I mean it.” He kissed her, hard, tangling his hands in her hair, hoping she could taste his frustration, impatience, and desire. “Don’t move.”

“Not a muscle,” she managed as he rolled away from her.

—

On the other side of the door, Sonny was about to knock again when there was a CLICK sound. He stared at the door for a minute, frowning until he realized what he’d heard —

The bolt sliding home.

Locking the door.

“He—” Sonny turned to find Brenda, freshly showered and sipping a cup of a tea like she had a full eight hours of sleep and a morning at a spa rather than less than three hours of sleep.

Probably came from sleeping in a luxurious bed and not a crappy sofa. He rolled his neck. He’d be feeling this for weeks. He was not as young as he’d been once. “He locked it.”

“Yes, he did.” Brenda saluted him with the cup. “He just got married three hours ago, Sonny. Let the boy off the leash.”

Sonny scowled. “But—”

“You know, when they come up for air,” Brenda continued, ignoring him, “I’ve decided that I’m not even going to ask him to thank me.”

“Thank you—”

“I mean, yes, it was close,” she said, “but if I hadn’t dragged him to Vegas, he wouldn’t be knocking boots with his new wife. Whatever they were fighting about — seems like they’ve taken care of it.”

“I’m the reason she’s here,” Sonny said, irritated, stomping away from the door and all thoughts about what might be happening on the other side. “I get some credit.”

“Uh, I didn’t lie to him. You lied to her.” Brenda pointed at herself. “Winner.”

“Listen—”

It was nearly three hours—three hours—before the bedroom door unlocked, and Brenda was perusing the room service menu for lunch while Sonny was scowling at the list of voice mail messages from Carly who was not taking his silence kindly.

She was going to be seriously unhappy when they finally got home tonight.

Jason stepped out of the room, dressed again in the jeans and t-shirt he’d worn the night before. He walked over to the table where Brenda was sitting and sat down as if he hadn’t ignored Sonny for the last three hours —

A minute later, Elizabeth—flushed and avoiding everyone’s eyes—followed him out. She glanced at Jason for a minute, bit her lip, then sat down, reaching for a bottle of water from the basket in the middle of the table.

Sonny wanted to say something cutting and obnoxious, but since he’d just barely gotten away without being pummeled by Jason for his lies to Elizabeth — and both of them seemed in a good enough mood that he might end up being forgiven —

Well, he decided to just let it go.

“Uh, I woke up to a voice mail this morning,” Sonny said to them. “From our guy at the PCPD.”

Jason frowned, glanced at Brenda and Elizabeth as if confused why Sonny was saying anything in front of them. “Sonny—”

“We can go,” Elizabeth offered. “Um, maybe downstairs—”

“No, this is—” Sonny took a deep breath, met Elizabeth’s eyes. “The PCPD is looking for you. With a material witness order.”

“Material witness order?” Elizabeth shook her head as Jason scowled. “What’s that?”

“It’s faster than an arrest warrant,” Brenda said, almost cheerfully. “The cops want to haul you in, but warrants need evidence and judges and stuff like that. I’ve had a few of them.”

“Arrested—” Jason began as Elizabeth just wrinkled her nose.

“Oh, my God, don’t tell me she’s pressing charges.” With a roll of her eyes. “I didn’t get anywhere near her with the box cutter, and it’s not like I was really going to cut all her damn hair off.”

Jason broke off in mid sentence as he stared at her. “What?”

“I don’t even think the box cutter would have worked,” Elizabeth continued with a shrug. “And, in my defense, I told Courtney to shut up.”

Sonny hesitated. “Uh—”

“Courtney? The cheap blonde? No, I don’t think a box cutter would work—”

“Elizabeth,” Jason began.

“As interested as I am in why you threatened my sister with a knife,” Sonny said, slowly, drawing all their attention, “and believe me—we’ll circle back to that—the PCPD wants to talk to you about last night. On the pier.”

“Pier?” Jason repeated.

“I thought you said your guys didn’t find anything,” Elizabeth said, focusing on Sonny. “You said that before we were even in the air—”

“I know. But what was true at one in the morning—” Sonny shook his head. “It wasn’t true at five. They found a body.”

Elizabeth’s face paled. “A body—”

“And you were seen on security footage running from the pier,” he said with a wince. “Around the same time the gunshots were reported.”

“What the hell is going on—” Jason got to his feet, looking at Elizabeth. “Elizabeth—”

“There’s more, isn’t there?” Elizabeth slowly stood up, keeping her eyes on Sonny. “What’s the rest of it? The PCPD wouldn’t be coming after me with a material witness order otherwise.”

“The body was Zander Smith,” Sonny said with a sigh. “You were seen running from the scene of his murder. So, yeah, they kind of want to talk to you.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes. “Zander’s dead.”

“Yes.”

“And—” She opened her eyes, looked at Jason. “Oh, God.”

“What—” Then Sonny saw it hit Jason at the same time, his cheeks losing a bit of color. “They think I did it.”

“And that Elizabeth saw something.”

“Which means this, uh, marriage thing—” Sonny wrinkled his nose. “Which was impetuous and funny about an hour ago now looks like a cover-up.”

Written in 60 minutes. No time for spell check or typo check.

---

Cosmpolitan Suite: Sitting Room

“….this, uh, marriage thing…which was impetuous and funny about an hour ago now looks like a cover-up…”

Brenda Barrett prided herself on being observant. She didn’t care that most people thought she was self-absorbed to the point of narcissism because she knew the truth. She understood people.

And right know, she understood that Sonny Corinthos was a jackass who couldn’t read a room. The minute he’d called Jason and Elizabeth’s marriage impetuous and funny, Elizabeth Webber’s face drained of color, all life left her colors, and she stared down at her lap.

Five minutes earlier, this same woman had been sparkling with irritation, with amusement, even happiness—and now all of that emotion had blinked out of existence.

Because Sonny had called her marriage impetuous and funny—and Jason hadn’t said a word in response.

Men.

“But it’s not,” Brenda said, hoping to bring the conversation and give Jason an opportunity to speak up. But her ex-fiance (she was going to love calling him that for the rest of her life though she’d probably wait until Elizabeth thought it was funny because Brenda’s almost marriage was impetuous and funny—why couldn’t Sonny see there was a damn difference—idiot) was just frowning at Sonny.

“I don’t understand,” Jason said slowly. “What happened last night?” He looked at Elizabeth, his light brows drawn together in confusion. “How did—why were you on the pier?”

“I didn’t want to go home after work,” Elizabeth muttered, staring at hands like they had the answers to all of life’s questions. And Brenda wondered if Elizabeth’s reluctance to go home had anything to do with the beach blonde bimbo Barbie she’d threatened with the box cutter—

“But the pier—why the hell did Marco let you—”

Sonny frowned. “Marco wasn’t with her last night. He’s been guarding Courtney—”

“No, he isn’t,” Jason argued. “He’s been Elizabeth’s guard since the shooting at the hospital—” He looked at Elizabeth. “Where—”

“I—” Elizabeth finally looked up with a squint of her eyes, a little impatient. “Jason, I haven’t had a guard since I left the penthouse.”

Left the penthouse? Brenda filed that away for later. So much for no one being back in Port Charles who would mind if he got married.

“But—”

“I—” Sonny cleared his throat. “When you told me on the plane,” he said to Elizabeth a bit painfully, “that Marco had taken you to work while you were there, I didn’t—I didn’t make the connection—”

“What connection? I don’t—I don’t have a guard,” Elizabeth said. She looked back and forth between Jason and Sonny, and Brenda was surprised to see fury flash in Jason’s blue eyes—fury directed at Sonny.

She leaned back, crossed her legs, and smirked. “Oh, I see. Jason thought you had a guard this entire time, and it looks like Sonny reassigned him.” Brenda just lifted her brows when both men turned to scowl at her. “Or did I get it wrong?”

“When did you reassign Marco?” Jason bit out, shoving himself to his feet. “Didn’t he tell you—”

“He told me that—” Sonny winced, rubbing his temple. “He told he was working on something, but I—I told him I’d take care of it—I never—I forgot—”

“Damn it, Sonny—”

“Wait—” Elizabeth looked at Jason, her eyes wide. “You thought I had a guard this whole time?”

“Of course I did! You were living with me, Elizabeth! You think Alcazar didn’t know that? I didn’t—” Some of the anger drained out of him and he sat back down, his head in his hands. “I didn’t ask Marco. He’s not there to spy on you, so I figured—no report was good news. That you were okay.”

Brenda saw Elizabeth’s hand tremble as she lifted it, nearly reaching out to Jason, but it fell into her lap at the last minute. Oh, man, they were both idiots. “I think we’re getting off topic,” she murmured. “Elizabeth didn’t have a guard. Jason can smack Sonny around about it later—”

“Right,” Elizabeth said slowly, focusing on Brenda, then flicking a quick, confused glance at Jason who wasn’t looking at her. “Um, I was just gonna walk on Bannister’s Wharf, but I wasn’t paying attention—”

Jason muttered something under his breath Brenda couldn’t make out, but whatever it was had Elizabeth narrowing her eyes into slits. “I’d just been told something that made me feel very violent,” she said, her jaw clenched.

The boxcutter. Brenda nodded. “Fair enough. We’ve all been there.”

“I realized where I was, but before I could get out of there, I heard voices. I recognized Alcazar’s,” Elizabeth said, “because of that time I’d heard him at Kelly’s with Roy. He was angry with someone—I didn’t see either of them. I ducked behimd some boxes. Then—” Elizabeth rubbed her wrist, restless. “I heard a gunshot. Something dropped to the docks. I tried to get out of there without being heard, but I tripped—” She paused. “Alcazar thought it was you,” she murmured to Jason who looked at her. “And he shot at me. That’s why there’s footage of me running away from the pier.”

“Could it have been Zander you overheard with Alcazar?” Sonny asked.

“I—” Elizabeth bit her bottom lip. “Maybe. I didn’t hear the other guy. He wasn’t as loud—Alcazar was really angry—the guy had lost sight of his property—” Her face paled as she focused on Brenda. “And he said she’s gone. I think—”

“This would have been around the time you and Jason started this whole jaunt to Vegas,” Sonny said dryly. “So whoever Alcazar had watching you, Jason was able to lose him long enough for you to get to the airport.”

“But—if that was Zander—” Elizabeth sighed. “That means he got his memory back and went back to work for Alcazar. I just saw him two days ago,” she muttered. “He didn’t say anything about his memory being back—”

“Of course not. You’re more useful to him in the dark,” Sonny said. Elizabeth scowled at him as Jason winced.

“Yeah, that’s how you like your women,” Elizabeth retorted. “Out of the loop, walking around like idiots.”

“Elizabeth—” Jason began.

“It doesn’t matter. Look, can’t I just tell the PCPD what I saw?” Elizabeth asked.

“No, because you’re not credible,” Sonny said. “The PCPD knows you’d lie for Jason. You’ve done it before.”

“Funny you remember that now,” Elizabeth said, acid dripping from her words. Well, at least that cleared something up — Elizabeth had been left out of the whole Sonny not being dead secret, too, and she was still pissed about it.

“Sonny, can you just shut up?” Jason demanded. “You’re not helping—”

“What—”

“So if I can’t tell the PCPD what I saw,” Elizabeth said, cutting off Sonny’s bewildered reply, “what do I do?”

“Honestly?” Sonny shrugged, leaned back, and studied the two of them. “The best option for all of us is to pretend this Vegas trip never happened. Or at least that you never came here,” he told Elizabeth.

Elizabeth blinked at him. “Wait, what?”

“Sonny—”

“We go back to Port Charles,” Sonny said. “Liz goes back to her life, Jason goes back to his. Their breakup was well-known. People commented on it—”

“Oh, you are a lot dumber than you used to be,” Brenda breathed as Elizabeth closed her eyes and Jason winced.

“We can prove Jason was in Vegas,” Sonny continued ignoring her. “We can prove he was at the airport, and I’m betting—based on when you got to the Towers—that the plane had just taken off when the shots were fired.”

Sonny looked at Brenda. “You can alibi him, and I can give a statement about the flight taking off because I was tracking it, trying to charter another plane. I stalled you at the airport—”

“I knew something was off,” Brenda said.

“But Elizabeth, you just went home. And if Jason’s not a suspect, they’re not going to care about you,” he told her. “You guys lay low, just keep acting like you’ve been acting for the last few weeks, and this won’t be an issue.”

Except Elizabeth had come to Vegas, and Jason had practically marched her to the altar. Brenda watched Jason and Elizabeth absorb Sonny’s plan. “You mean,” she said, deciding to help them when Jason kept his mouth closed, “pretend they never got married.”

Or spent the morning locked in hotel’s master bedroom.

“Yes,” Sonny said. “I think it’s the best way to get Jason clear of this as quickly as possible. Then we can get back to focusing on Alcazar.”

Jason opened his mouth, looked at Elizabeth who was staring at her hands, then sighed. “It keeps you out of it, too,” he said softly.

Brenda closed her eyes. Absolute idiot.

“Okay.” Elizabeth’s lips trembled slightly, but she pressed them together, then nodded. “Okay, Sonny. You should—you should probably make sure I get separate transportation home from the airport or something. I can’t be dropped off in the limo or anything.”

“Right, I’ll call Benny—” Sonny got to his feet. “We’ll work out everything else—” He stopped when Elizabeth shoved away from the table and disappeared into the master bedroom. “On the plane,” he finished.

Jason exhaled slowly, looked at Sonny. “She came to you at the Towers after she was shot at—”

“She came to you,” Brenda corrected Jason quietly. She turned back to her other ex-fiance. “Didn’t she, Sonny? She was nearly killed, and came looking for Jason. And you patted her head, told her Jason was on the brink of death, loaded her on the plane because, obviously, you knew he’d never go through with marrying me if she was anywhere near it.”

Sonny slid his hands into his pockets. “You’re making it sound more calculated than it was—”

“No, I think I’ve got it right. And now, because you don’t want Jason to be distracted by someone else when he should be dealing with Luis, you want her to pretend that the last twelve hours didn’t happen. Which, in case you forgot, includes her getting married to Jason.”

“I—” Sonny looked at Jason. “You see it the way I do. She’s safer this way—”

“As safe as she was without the guard I assigned her,” Jason bit out. He got to his feet. “The only reason I’m doing this is because I don’t want the PCPD harassing her—”

“That isn’t your decision,” Brenda said bluntly. He turned his attention to her, frowning. “I don’t know the history, Jase, but Sonny seems to think Elizabeth has had run ins with the cops about you before. And she’s clearly still standing. I swear—” She took a deep breath. “I swear to God, if you leave her standing in the rain, I will never, ever forgive you.”

And with that, Brenda stalked into the other bedroom, slamming the door.

Sonny scowled after her. “What the hell crawled up her ass—” He turned when he heard another door, catching Jason just as he followed Elizabeth.

“How the hell did I end up as the bad guy?” Sonny muttered.

Master Bedroom

Jason closed the door behind him, Brenda’s words echoing in his head.

If you leave her standing in the rain… The way Sonny had left her, walking away over and over again, leaving Brenda to doubt how he felt about her—leaving her to wonder what she’d done wrong—

Jason was a literal man, but even he understood the metaphor Brenda had been trying to make.

Elizabeth was sitting on the bed, staring down at her hands. At her fingers. She was twisting a small silver ring she wore on her right hand, and he found himself wondering if they should have stopped somewhere so he could buy her a wedding ring.

It’d be something small, that wouldn’t get in the way when she painted or sketched—

“Are we leaving for the airport?” Elizabeth said, her voice empty. He knew that tone—he’d heard it before. When she’d talked about modeling and the dreams Lucky had wanted for them —

“I dont know,” Jason said. He glanced past her, at the bed and the sheets that were still all over the place. They’d spent hours in that bed earlier—he’d learned every inch of her body and he finally learned how she tasted when she laughed—

She didn’t even look like the same woman.

“I agreed to Sonny’s plan because I don’t want you in the middle of this,” Jason began. “But—”

“Same old story.” Elizabeth got to her feet and walked over to the window, yanking back the blackout curtain, sunlight streaming into the room. Jason blinked, stepped out of a direct beam. “Fine. Whatever.”

“Elizabeth—”

“When are we leaving?” Elizabeth interrupted. She folded her arms, lifting one of them so that her hand could rub her lips. “I’m tired, and I want to sleep on the way home.”

“But it’s not my decision to make,” Jason finished. “If we go back and tell everyone that we got married, the PCPD won’t care that I have an alibi. They’ll still think we got married because of what happened to Zander. Alcazar will come after you harder because he’ll know you came to us.”

“And Carly will make my life a living hell, my grandmother will be disappointed like she always is, and everyone will look at me, wondering what I was thinking,” Elizabeth said. “What’s your point?”

“My point is that since you’re the one that has to deal with all of that,” Jason said, “then you should be the one to decide if it’s what you want.”

Elizabeth frowned at him, then took a few steps forward, finally pulling herself out of the sunlight that had blocked her face from his view. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that it’s going to be harder for you this way, but if you don’t want to go with Sonny’s plan, we won’t.”

“If I want?” Elizabeth snorted. “You’ve never cared what I wanted—”

“That’s not true—”

“No, you’re right. You don’t care about it when it looks like I want you,” she said. “Because every single time I’ve given you the signal I want more, you run as fast as you can in the other direction.” She held up a finger. “And yeah, I’ve done it, too. But this is different. Because when I ran, it was because I was scared of getting hurt. When you run, it’s because you pretend the danger is too much for me.”

“I pretend—” Jason sighed, then dipped his head. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I know.”

“And I’m really tired, Jason. I can live with you pushing me away because I’ve hurt. I wouldn’t blame you. God knows, I’ve dragged you through the mud and run over you a few times—” Her voice faltered. “I deserve to be pushed away for that—”

“Hey—” He strode forward, took her hands in his, drawing them away from her waist. “No—”

“But when you tell me it’s too dangerous when Sonny gets to have a wife and you hang around with Carly and Michael and you nearly marry another woman, and kiss Courtney—” A tear spilled down her cheek. “It’s starts to feel like it’s me you don’t want—”

“I didn’t kiss Courtney—” He paused. “Is that what she told you?” When Elizabeth just wrinkled her nose, looked away. “Is that why you threatened her with a boxcutter?”

“No,” Elizabeth muttered. “I did that because she wouldn’t stop talking. I just wanted her to leave and to stop talking about how I’d been wrong, and how you’d fallen in love with her while you were guarding her—I just wanted her to shut up and go away—”

“She was wrong—she kissed me,” Jason told Elizabeth. “Half the reason I agreed to Brenda’s insane plan was to get Courtney stop—” He shook his head. “Never mind. That’s not—I don’t want you to get hurt. But if you’re willing to take that risk, then—”

“I’ve always been willing,” Elizabeth reminded him. “You’re the one that keeps changing his mind.”

“Then I’ll tell Sonny we need a new plan.” Jason grasped her chin in his fingers, lifting her eyes to meet his. “And you’ll come home with me. If that’s where you want to be.”

“Yes.” With her free hand, Elizabeth fisted her hand in his shirt. “Is that where you want me?”

“It’s where I always wanted you.” Jason cut off anything else she had to say with a kiss, and if Sonny hadn’t banged on the door a minute later, telling them the plane would be ready in fifteen minutes, they might have gone back to bed.

Written in 57 minutes. Time for a spellcheck but not rereading for a typo.

---

Cosmopolitan Hotel: Master Suite

With Elizabeth’s hand in his, Jason walked out of the bedroom and stopped in front of Sonny. “We need a new plan,” he said bluntly.

Sonny frowned, narrowing his eyes. “I thought we agreed—ow!” He glared at Brenda who whacked him in the stomach. “Will you stop hitting me? I already have a busted nose—” He sent Elizabeth an irritated look.

“You’ve deserved every hit,” Brenda retorted.

Sonny’s scowl only deepened when he turned back to Jason. “I thought you wanted her out of this—that you wanted the PCPD to lose the scent. As soon as they get over this—”

“We need a new plan,” Jason repeated. “Elizabeth is coming back to the penthouse. That’s not—” He glanced at her and the sight of her tremulous smile bolstered him. He focused on Sonny again. “She’s coming home with me, but I don’t—we don’t have to volunteer that we got married in Vegas.”

Sonny narrowed his eyes. “So how we do explain this whole—” He waved his finger in a circle indicating the room. “The two of you came to Vegas and didn’t get married? They’re never going to buy it—”

“They will,” Elizabeth said. “Because—” She sighed. “You’re right, Sonny. The second Taggert or Scott find out that Jason and I got married, they’re not going to believe it’s not related. But—” She met Jason’s eyes. “But if I tell them that I came to Vegas with Jason because he was on business for you so that we could get away from things in Port Charles, that’s not too far from the truth.”

“And the pier?” Sonny retorted. “You’re going to lie—”

“It’s not the first time,” Elizabeth reminded him caustically. “And I don’t even have to lie much. I was walking on the pier after work, heard gunshots, got scared, and ran. I went to see Jason, and you told me he was in Vegas. So I came here to see him. We’re coming back because he’s done and, well, there’s a warrant out for me.” She shrugged. “Some of that is even true.”

Sonny pressed his lips together. “It might work,” he admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck. “All right. We’ll try it. But, uh—” He looked at Jason. “Do you want to call Carly before we get back or wait until we get home?”

“Scared of a tiny blonde,” Brenda sighed. “You hate to see it.”

“After,” Jason definitively. “And she—” He winced, looked at Elizabeth. “We can’t tell her,” he said. “She’ll never keep it to herself.”

With a sigh, Elizabeth shrugged a shoulder. “She’s your friend, not mine. I mean, it’s not like I want to see her head explode.” When Brenda snorted, Elizabeth’s mouth twitched. “Okay, maybe a little.”

Port Charles: Limo

With the time difference, it was nearly nine at night by the time the limo pulled into Harborview Towers — Brenda had attempted to get a car to her cottage, but Sonny had vetoed it. Brenda had sulked and threatened to run away, and they’d bickered the entire drive home.

Elizabeth sat next to Jason, their hands still laced together. She stared at his fingers, wrapped around hers, still not sure how anything in the last twenty-four hours had really happened. Had she really been shot at on the pier? Dragged to Vegas —

Had she really married Jason?

She looked at Jason who was frowning at Sonny and Brenda across the car. “At some point,” she said softly, too softly for the bickering ex-couple to hear her. “We’re going to have to figure this out.”

Jason glanced at her, then nodded. “Yeah. I know.” He drew their hands into his lap, sliding his thumb over the back of her hand. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. Their eyes met. “For hurting you. Back at the hotel. When I agreed to the first plan.”

“You were trying to keep me safe,” Elizabeth said. She leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes drifting closed. “I’m used to it.”

“But I shouldn’t do it by making decisions for you. And I’m sorry,” he said again.

“I’m sorry, too,” she murmured. “For running. Won’t do that…” Her voice trailed off, and she slid into sleep.

Harborview Towers: Hallway

Unfortunately for Sonny, Carly was waiting for him in the hallway and her eyes nearly bulged out of her face when the elevators doors open, and Jason stepped out, cradling a sleeping Elizabeth and Brenda trailing after him.

“What the—”

Sonny grimaced, putting a hand up. “Just—just don’t. We’ll—”

“Don’t tell me—what is she doing here?” Carly hissed as Brenda unlocked Jason’s door and he carried Elizabeth in. “Damn it, Sonny — what the hell is going on—”

“Are you always like this?” Brenda asked. She folded her arms. “You know, I think I liked my life better when I never had to see you. When I died, you were locked up in the loony bin. Why did they let you out?”

Carly hissed and took a step forward. Sonny stepped between the two of them, holding his hands up as he faced Carly. “Carly—”

Jason stepped back out of the penthouse, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Carly, go home,” he said, flatly. “We’ll talk in the morning. Brenda is staying in my guest room because she’s not safe at the cottage—”

“Don’t tell me to go home—you don’t get to give me orders—”

“I do when I’ve barely slept in the last three days,” Jason cut in. He took a short breath. “Carly. I’m tired. You can yell at Sonny in your penthouse. Go do that. He deserves it.”

Sonny tossed his friend a beleaguered look, but clearly he hadn’t been forgiven for dragging Elizabeth across the country on a lie then asking them to pretend to be broken up for a few more weeks.

“Good night, Carly,” Jason said. He took Brenda’s elbow and swung her into the penthouse. For once, the brunette didn’t argue with him.

“And why is the muffin back!” Carly threw up her hands as she whirled around and stalked back into the penthouse. “I was so close to getting him to date Courtney—”

“You weren’t even remotely in the ball park,” Sonny said, exhausted. “I’m going to sleep—”

“Oh, hell no. You’re going to tell me where you disappeared to last night, how Brenda ended up there—why didn’t return my phone calls—” Carly broke off abruptly as Sonny walked past her and started up the stairs. “I’m not done talking to you—”

“I’ll start listening again in the morning.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason winced at the sight of Brenda’s bags next to the sofa, a harsh reminder of her visit the day before and how close he’d come to making such a terrible decision. “I’m going to bed,” he said, walking over to the sofa to pick up Elizabeth where he’d left her.

“She’s really out, huh?” Brenda asked conversationally as she walked up the stairs behind them, one of her bags over her shoulder. “You’d think she’d wake up with that harpy—”

“Brenda—” Jason turned at the top of the stairs. “Pick a room and leave me alone.”

“You know,” Brenda said, putting her hands on her hips. “You could be nicer to me. I did you a favor.” She nodded at the sleeping woman in his arms. “You think you’d be waking up to married to her tomorrow if I hadn’t started this—”

Jason started to reply, then nodded. “You’re right. In a way that is barely related to you, I—” He looked down at Elizabeth, who shifted a little in her sleep, burrowing her face deeper into his shoulder. “I have everything I want.”

Startled, Brenda just stared at him. “Wait. Really?”

“So tomorrow, when we’ve all had a chance to sleep, we’re going to figure out how to get you what you want,” Jason promised her. “So—pick a room.”

“All right.” She waited until he was nearly down the end of the hall. “I’m glad, Jase. That we didn’t go through with it. It would have been really stupid.”

“Yeah, it would have. Good night, Brenda.”

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Elizabeth moaned slightly as a beam of sunlight hit her eyes. She rolled over and buried her face in the soft pillow beneath her cheek. “Five more minutes,” she murmured. “I’ll go to school later.”

A light laugh broke through her hazy mind, and Elizabeth opened her eyes. She rolled over to find Jason leaning up on his elbow, laying stretched out next to her on his bed.

His bed.

She jackknifed into a sitting position, blinking around the room. “Wait. We’re—how long—” She cleared her throat, scrubbing her hands down her face. “I barely remember getting off the plane.”

“Yeah, you fell sleep not long after we left the airport,” Jason told her. He tipped his head to the side. “It’s almost eight.”

Elizabeth winced. “Oh, man, Mike is gonna kill me. I think I was supposed to open—” She hesitated. “Wait, what day is it?”

“Thursday,” Jason said. “I’m sure Mike will understand—”

“Yeah, but Penny won’t. She’s the only other waitress Mike trusts to open—” Elizabeth flopped back on the bed. “Oh well. We were supposed to open three hours ago, so I guess there’s no point in getting irritated. I’ll just have to make it up to her.” She bit her lip, and looked at him, all that gorgeous golden skin in the sunlight. She grinned. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he replied. He leaned down to kiss her lightly, just a brush of his mouth against hers. She sighed dreamily, tracing his cheekbone with her fingertips. “I need clothes,” she murmured.

“You left a few things here,” Jason said. He twirled a piece of her hair around his finger. “We’ll get your things from the studio.” He paused. “If you want.”

“There’s no point in me coming back here if I don’t have clothes.” Her smile deepened. “I mean, I guess we could stay naked the whole time, but I don’t think Sonny would appreciate it.”

“Hey, I have clothes,” Jason said with another grin. He leaned down to kiss her bare shoulders. “You can wear all my shirts.”

“Hmm—the idea has merit but—” She sighed as his mouth trailed across her collarbone. “Do we have to get up?”

“No—” Jason began, then winced as something pounded below them. He let his forehead drop to her chest. “That’s the door.”

“We could ignore it,” Elizabeth suggested, helpfully. “I mean, the PCPD can’t just come in without a warrant, but—”

She frowned when she heard voices. “Jason — is that—”

With a scowl, Jason sat up. “Yeah, that’s Brenda and Carly.” He rubbed his cheek. “I told Carly I’d talk to her in the morning. I guess I should be relieved she didn’t come over at dawn.”

“It’s the little things,” Elizabeth said, forcing a smile. “Are my things still in the guest room? I didn’t know what I left—”

“Uh, a dress, I think. And some—” He scratched his neck. “Some jeans. They were in the laundry room,” he mumbled. “And they’re—” He nodded at the closet. “They’re in there.”

“In—” Elizabeth frowned at him. “In your closet? Why?”

“I—” Jason’s cheeks were a bit red as he took a deep breath. “I meant to give them to you, but then I—” He paused. “Then I thought you’d come back for them. And then—” He shook his head. “I cleaned out the guest room,” he muttered, “so that Brenda could use it. Before we went to Vegas.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth bit her lip, staring at the comforter. “She was going to stay in there—”

“She is—” Jason winced. “She’s there now or at least that’s where I think she ended up. You fell asleep in the car, I guess you didn’t hear—”

Elizabeth absorbed the fact that Jason had cleaned what little she’d left behind from the room where she’d slept so that he could park the woman he’d nearly married. And then that woman had slept there anywhere last night.

She wasn’t really sure how she felt about it.

“Elizabeth—”

“It’s okay,” she said finally. “I have something I can wear,” she said. “I’ll get the jeans, and if Brenda’s here, maybe she can loan me a shirt. It’s too cold for the dress.” She pushed the comforter aside and slid out of bed. “I’ll get a shower while you go deal with Brenda and Carly.”

“Can’t I just stay up here?” Jason asked, with a wince. Her mood lightened and she leaned forward to kiss him.

“We’ll have plenty of time for showers,” she promised him. “But only if Carly and Brenda aren’t here.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason thought he should be relieved that Carly and Brenda hadn’t come to blows in the time they’d been alone downstairs. Brenda was lounging on the sofa, paging through a magazine as Carly glowered near the door.

“Uh, when I said the morning,” Jason told Carly, “I mean I would come to see when I was ready—”

“You went to Vegas,” Carly said, jabbing a finger in his chest. “And I saw that bitch’s luggage—why the hell did you take her to Vegas, Jase? And don’t give me the bullshit story Sonny’s trying to feed me. You and Brenda went there first. Sonny and Elizabeth followed. How dumb do you think I am?”

“Brenda, shut up,” Jason said, not even turning around. He heard Brenda grumbling in the background. “In fact — can you loan Elizabeth something to wear until we get to the studio to get her things?”

“I wanna watch the show,” Brenda complained, but she crossed over to a suitcase, and unzipped it.

“Jason,” Carly began but Jason turned back to her, irritated beyond belief. How many times had he been alone with Elizabeth when Carly had called—

“It’s none of your business why I was in Vegas,” Jason said shortly. “All you need to know is Elizabeth is living here. Don’t make that face—”

“Jason—”

“And don’t start. I’ve got enough problems without you adding to them.”

“Hey, you wanna get dirty with the muffin—” Carly held up her hands. “Listen, we all need to make mistakes. But you know the PCPD came by yesterday looking for her. Zander—” She hesitated. “Zander’s dead, Jase. And they think Elizabeth knows something.”

“I know that—”

“So please tell me,” Carly began, “that you didn’t do anything stupid—”

The front door opened behind them as Sonny came in, and Jason winced as he saw Taggert and Scott right behind him.

“—like marry Elizabeth in Vegas—” Carly’s words were spoken nearly at the same time the men walked in and Sonny just closed his eyes. Carly turned at the intrusion, saw Sonny’s face and the men with him. “Oh, damn it, Jason!” she swore.

“That’s an excellent question, Anger Boy,” Taggert drawled as he leaned against the door frame. “Care to answer it?”

Written in 57 minutes.

---

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

He needed to change the locks on the penthouse. If he’d had another set of locks, he’d still be upstairs with Elizabeth where everything made sense. Instead, Jason was standing in his living room, glaring at a stricken Carly while Baldwin and Taggert awaited his answer to Carly’s question.

Why the hell had Sonny—

“Well?” Baldwin demanded, shoving the detective aside. “You marry the witness against you, Morgan, or what? Is that why Elizabeth didn’t show up for work today? You dragged her to Vegas?”

“If you have any questions for me, you can talk to my lawyer,” Jason said flatly. “And I don’t have one right now, so unless you’re arresting me—”

“Oh, we’re not here for you, Anger Boy,” Taggert sneered. “We got a material witness order for Elizabeth so we’re bringing her in—”

“What’s the criminal proceeding?” Brenda asked as she joined Jason’s side. “I thought you could only get them if there was a pending proceeding and you wanted to make sure she was available. So what’s the case? Who’s the bad guy?”

“Brenda,” Taggert said with an impatient sigh, “this doesn’t concern you—”

“Unless—” Scott gestured at the set of suitcases by the stairs that Brenda had been pawing through. “Unless Mrs. Corinthos here is wrong and the blushing bridal brunette is not Elizabeth Webber. Maybe we got the wrong idea—”

“What’s going on?”

Jason kept his expression blank as they all turned towards the staircase and Elizabeth stepped off the bottom stair. She’d taken the shower, so her hair was damp, already curling at the ends, and she’d put on the purple summer dress she’d left behind. She’d probably gotten impatient waiting for Brenda to bring her a top.

“So you are here,” Scott said, narrowing his eyes, looking at the luggage, then Brenda, then Elizabeth again. “You know polygamy ain’t legal in New York.”

“Polygamy?” she repeated.

“Carly here let your good news slip,” Scott continued, “but we were debating the actual identity of the bride since Brenda looks like she’s all moved in. Or maybe you’re just a really understanding type of wife. I mean, you practically look alike—”

“Elizabeth, we got an order to bring you down to the PCPD,” Taggert interrupted as Elizabeth just stared at the DA with wide eyes. “So—”

“Am I under arrest?” She folded her arms. “Because I need to call a lawyer—”

“No, we got questions and we want to make sure you answer them—”

“I don’t understand. How do you get a material witness order if you don’t even know the witness has any material?” Carly demanded. “You haven’t talked to her—”

“Carly,” Sonny hissed. “You’ve done enough.”

Elizabeth bit her lip, looked at Jason hesitantly, and he knew she was regretting the decision to come downstairs. He hated this. Hated her being in the middle of all of this, and hated even more than it was his friend that tippd Baldwin and Taggert off about their marriage. They hadn’t even really figured any of it out yet, and now—

“Where have you been for the last forty-eight hours?” Taggert asked. “You didn’t show up for work, and night before last, you were seen running from Pier 52 after gunshots were fired. You didn’t call to report them—”

“It’s Port Charles,” Elizabeth said, walking forward, glancing at Brenda who was next to Jason. The older brunette stepped back, but Elizabeth remained several feet from him, and he just wanted to reach out, take her hand, pull her close to him and make them stop asking questions. “Someone is always shooting at someone.”

Taggert lifted his brows. “I went to see you at your studio when we got the footage. It was almost three in the morning. You weren’t there—”

“No, I wasn’t. I flew to Las Vegas that night with Sonny.” Elizabeth twisted a silver ring on her right hand. “Jason was already there, and we were meeting him.”

“You closed at Kelly’s at midnight. You went to Vegas after that?” Taggert said. “What the hell is in Vegas?”

“We have a hotel on the Strip,” Sonny interjected. “The Cosmopolitan. We checked in around five AM Vegas time. You can call the hotel.” He flashed a dimpled smile. “We just got back last night—”

“Short trip,” Scott said. He focused on Elizabeth. “Marriages are public record, Elizabeth. All I gotta do is call the registrar in Vegas—”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said, making a face. “We got married that night when I got to Vegas. I’m sorry if I didn’t send you an invitation, but you know, you’re not exactly high on my list, Mr. Baldwin.” She flicked her eyes over Taggert’s. “You either, for that matter. “

“You got shot at on the pier,” Taggert said slowly, “then ran to Harborview Towers, hopped a plan with Sonny, and got married to Jason, and I’m supposed to think it’s a coincidence that Zander Smith showed up dead the same day?”

“I can’t tell you what to think,” Elizabeth told him. “All I can tell you is that getting married to Jason had absolutely nothing to do with Zander or what happened on the pier.” She met Taggert’s gaze head on, and Jason knew that she’d phrased the response deliberately so that every word was the truth.

“Wait—” Scott held up a hand. “Morgan was already in Vegas?” His head snapped to Jason who just stared at him blandly. “When did you get there?”

“You can talk to my lawyer,” Jason said. “Elizabeth already told you. Our marriage doesn’t have anything to do with what happened in Port Charles.”

“I doubt that. We can subpoena flight records,” Scott reminded him. “Passenger lists. Car rentals. If you were in Vegas at the time of death—” He shrugged. “Then we can let this go.” He glanced at Elizabeth. “Unless Miss Webber—I’m sorry—Mrs. Morgan—” he said with such venom that Elizabeth nearly flinched. “Unless Mrs. Morgan wants to tell us what the hell she was doing on Pier 52 after midnight? Maybe getting rid of an old boyfriend to clear the way—”

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped as Jason clenched his jaw. “Lawyer,” he repeated. “Get out.”

“Is that it, Elizabeth? Wanted to make sure Smith couldn’t mess up a good thing? Got tired of playing them off one on another—”

Elizabeth put an arm out just Jason started to step forward, blocking him from commiting assault. “If you expect me to answer any other questions,” she said, icily, “then you should get an arrest warrant. Do I need to call my lawyer?”

“Do you have a lawyer?” Taggert asked with interest. He gestured at Jason and Sonny. “Their lawyer quit after her sister got blown up because of them—”

“I’ll get a lawyer within the hour,” she retorted. “And I’ll press charges for violating my constituational rights and for trespassing. We’ve told you to leave. Twice.”

“We’ll be in touch.”

Scott closed the door behind him as Elizabeth let her head drop down, her shoulders slumping. Jason looked at Sonny, who nodded.

“Carly,” he began.

“Wait—” The blonde frowned as her husband took her arm. “No, we need to fix this—why the hell did you get married? What is going on?”

“We’re going home,” Sonny told her, “so you can do all the yelling I ignored last night.” When they were gone, Jason turned to Brenda who put her hands up.

“I already told you I wanted to be anywhere else,” she reminded him.

“I need to get my things from the studio,” Elizabeth said to Jason. She tucked her hair behind her ears. “I can do that on my own if you can get a guard—”

“No.” He shook his head, then went over the closet to get his jacket and tossed her the one she’d worn in Vegas. “No, I want to get that done.” Jason looked at Brenda. “Don’t go anywhere. We still need to figure this out.”

“Always nice to be an item on the list,” Brenda said with a roll of her eyes, but Jason was already ignoring her and steering Elizabeth towards the door.

Studio

They didn’t talk on the ride over—Jason took her on the bike with a guard following in one of their SUVs so she’d have a way to get her things to the penthouse. The guard waited downstairs while she led him upstairs, unlocking the door and shoving it open.

She’d only been gone a few days, but already the studio felt like another lifetime. Elizabeth sat on the arm of the sofa and looked at Jason. “Do you think they’re really going to come after me for this?”

“No,” Jason said, but he didn’t sound nearly as sure as she’d hope he would. “No,” he repeated. “They wanted to piss me off, make me mad enough to give them something. Taggert still thinks I did this—”

“I don’t know, Scott sounded like he was halfway to a motive,” Elizabeth admitted. She stared down at her chipped nail polish. “I mean, you think he couldn’t sell it to a jury?”

“Elizabeth—”

“Imagine me, some kind of femme fatale,” she said, trying hard to force a smile on her face. “Got a rich lover on the hook, but I gotta make the last guy get out of the picture—”

“Hey—” Jason pulled Elizabeth up to her feet and into his arms. She pressed her face against his leather jacket. “We both know that’s not what happened.”

“No, it’s actually worse,” she admitted. Elizabeth tipped her head back to look at him. “And you said it yourself. Zander made himself your enemy, and I—I didn’t do what I should have. He didn’t matter to me. Not really. We weren’t even friends, and I only—” She sighed, sliding one of her fingers down the smooth material of his jacket. “I just went to see him in the hospital, and then Lucky was there, telling me what I couldn’t do—I wasn’t going to ask Zander to stay until that happened—”

“And then I came over and told you the same thing,” Jason said, with a slight wince. “I’m sorry—”

“It still doesn’t change what I did later.” Elizabeth stepped back, that false smile still on her face. “Maybe it was partly just being scared of being alone. Of not trusting that you and I were going to go anywhere. I don’t know.”

“You made a mistake—”

“And you forgave me because that’s what you do.” Elizabeth bit her lip as she picked up the suitcase she’d brought home from the penthouse two weeks earlier and flipped it open. “And I just run away. Isn’t that what you said?”

Jason came up behind her, drawing her against his chest, wrapping an arm around her waist. “That night—in Vegas—I didn’t mean it—I was just—I was angry,” he admitted. “At you, at Sonny, myself for letting it get so crazy—”

“You meant it.” Elizabeth turned. “You’re right. You forgive me, and I just go on to the next terrible thing. And the one time that you mess up, I didn’t even—” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have let you explain. Or just accepted it and forgiven you like you do for me.”

“Elizabeth—”

“Let’s just get this stuff and go. I didn’t even really unpack from when I moved out,” she told him. “You have so much to do, to worry about—”

“It can wait,” Jason insisted. He gently pressed her shoulder so that she faced him again. He traced his fingertips down her jawline, waiting for her to meet his eyes. “I know there’s a lot going on,” he began. “And we’re not—we’re not okay yet. You and me. We can’t fix everything with screaming at each other on the street and getting married five minutes later.”

She dipped her gaze down, her chest tightening. “I know,” she said in a painful whisper. “I wish we could just pretend the rest of it isn’t there.”

“Sometimes we will,” he told her, tipping her chin up again until she looked at him. “And sometimes we won’t. Right now, I just want us to promise each other something. I don’t want you to run away again when you get scared.”

“And I don’t want you to let me go because you think I’m better off.” Elizabeth gripped the sides of his jacket, leaned up to press her lips against his. “You were right,” she whispered against his mouth.

“When?” he replied, his breath hot against her cheek as his lips traced a line to the pulse point in her neck.

“Sonny told you were hurt, and I would have gone to the ends of the Earth to get to you,” she said softly. He drew back, their eyes holding. “I do love you.”

“I love you, too. I just wish I hadn’t shouted it at you the first time I said it,” Jason said with regret in his eyes.

“I’m glad you did,” Elizabeth said. “It was actually—” She bit her lip, then grinned at him, a more genuine one that she could feel down to the tips of her toes. “Once I got past the whole being screamed at part, I think it was kind of hot.”

He laughed, leaned his forehead against hers, tugging her closer. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Elizabeth pressed her mouth to his collarbone. “So let’s get my stuff, go home and deal with Brenda so we can be alone.”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

Written in 55 minutes.

---

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

The last thing Jason wanted to see when he opened the door to the penthouse an hour later was people sitting on the sofa. He knew Brenda would be lurking, but why the hell were Sonny and Benny with her—

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose as she walked in behind him, setting a duffel bag on the desk. Jason put down her suitcases—he’d been strangely relieved when she hadn’t just put things back into the single bag she’d brought with her in September. The majority of her clothes were now in his penthouse.

And Brenda’s luggage was still at the base of the stairs, a glaring reminder of how close he’d come to ruining everything.

“I’ll go upstairs,” Elizabeth began, but Brenda shook her head.

“Oh, no, if this trio of morons is going to be deciding how the hell to save my life, I am not going to be the only woman in the room.” Brenda sprang up. “Look, I know we got off the wrong foot when I almost married your husband—”

Jason scowled at her, but Brenda kept going, “But in a very strange way, I’m like a fairy godmother, you know? Because if I hadn’t dragged him to Vegas, Sonny wouldn’t have dragged you there either, and now I’d be married to him.”

Elizabeth squinted. “Wasn’t that the plan?”

“Yes, and I think we can all agree marrying this—” Brenda flicked her eyes at him, frowning. “Well, some people like him but it would have been a terrible mistake. Tell her, Jason—”

“Huge mistake,” Jason muttered.

“Elizabeth, maybe you should go upstairs—” Sonny said. “Brenda’s just upset with the plan we came up with—”

“Upset?” Brenda whirled around, her dark eyes flashing dangerously. “Upset? Listen, Don Corleone, just because one time in my life, I was dumb enough—” Her hands were shaking, Jason noticed, and reluctantly he looked at Elizabeth.

“This is going to sound really insane, and I am so sorry,” he began.

“But Brenda could use someone in the room without testosterone,” Elizabeth finished. Her smile was thin, but he didn’t think it was disappointed. “I understand. Brenda—”

The other woman turned back to her. “They want to send me away. Lock me up, just like Luis. I can’t lose my life again—”

“I don’t want to lock you up,” Sonny said. “I would never do that to you.” He exhaled slowly. “I suggested the island,” he told Jason. “With guards to keep Alcazar from finding her—”

“But why can’t we talk about options that keep me in Port Charles? I don’t—” Brenda closed her eyes. “I just want some control,” she said after a moment. “It’s been four years, Sonny. And I wasn’t allowed to do anything. I couldn’t contact my friends. My family. I don’t know how much time I have left before—”

“I don’t understand,” Elizabeth said, “and maybe I’m not allowed to ask this, but, um, can’t you just…” She made a wave with her hands, looking at Jason. “You know.”

Jason paused. “That’s on the table, too,” he said.

“We’ve talked about this,” Sonny said, with a warning look. “He’s protected by the government—you wanna bring down more heat?”

“You got any other ideas?” Jason demanded. “Brenda shouldn’t be so desperate to get her life back that she suggested marrying me for protection.”

“Well, that, and your sparkling personality,” the woman in question muttered.

“I thought it was about your—” Sonny hesitated. “I thought you wanted someone to take care of you at the end,” he said finally as Benny looked away.

“I can do that with a power of attorney,” Brenda said. “It’s a side benefit. But I thought I might have a better chance of surviving if Jason was standing in front of me. I never said it made sense, Sonny. I said I was desperate.” As an afterthought, she shrugged to Jason. “No offense.”

“Then—”

“If the man Elizabeth overheard on the pier was someone watching Brenda, Alcazar isn’t giving up,” Jason said. “He’s not going to let Brenda go. It doesn’t matter where she goes, where we send her—”

“Sonny—” Brenda turned her attention on her former fiance. “If I thought I could get away with it, if there was any other way—I’d do it myself. I just want to live again.”

Sonny held her eyes for a long time, then nodded. “All right,” he said finally. “But that’s where the two of you are out of it,” he said to her, before looking at Elizabeth.

“Don’t wanna be in it in the first place,” Elizabeth grumbled, “but Alcazar keeps shooting at me.”

Sonny and Benny left then with plans for Jason to head over to the warehouse later that evening to work. Brenda went up to her room, waiting for Jason to deliver her luggage.

Elizabeth followed her, busying herself with her own unpacking, still not entirely sure how she’d gone from listening to Courtney tell her about her future romance with Jason to married to him and back in the penthouse.

A smile flitted on her lips as she closed a drawer in the bureau. She couldn’t wait to go to work the next morning. She and Courtney were working the opening shift.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone tonight,” Jason said. He closed the bedroom door behind him, looking at her with a hesitant expression. “And I don’t know if I can call to tell you.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t—” He sat next to her, drew her hand into his lap, playing with her fingers. “That I wasn’t around when you were here last. Every time I looked at you—” Their eyes met. “I was lying to you. And I hated it.”

“I know you can’t tell me everything,” she said. “And I don’t want to know. But I also need to know when you can’t say something. Like right now—I would have been worried if you left and didn’t come back tonight. I’ll still worry,” she added, “but not the same way.”

“It’s been a while since where I was mattered to someone,” he admitted. “I’ll do better this time.”

“I’ll do better, too,” she assured him. “I wasn’t fair before, and I’m sorry.” Elizabeth frowned as he reached for her left hand, his fingers sliding over her ring finger.

“Do you want a ring?” he asked after a long moment. “I can get one.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together, considering the question. She should say yes. They were married. It was real and within a few days, everyone would know. Everyone would look at her hand and ask questions.

“I don’t know,” she said finally. “I know—I’m not sorry that we did it—that you dragged me into the chapel to win an argument—” Elizabeth smiled when he winced. “And it’s not like I’m telling you that I want undo it. I’m here. And I want to make this work. I just—”

She waited, trying to find the right words, hoping she wasn’t hurting him by being honest. He didn’t look upset—only curious. He tipped his head, encouraging her to finish.

“We got married on a whim,” she said. “We didn’t plan it. That’s not—it’s not how I want to make promises to you, Jason. You know? So, no, right now, I don’t want a ring.” She leaned forward to kiss him lightly, hoping it could take the sting out of her words.

His hand, strong and warm, touched her neck, his long fingers tilting her chin to the side to deepen the kiss. “You deserve more than Vegas,” Jason murmured.

“We both do, but I’m still glad we did it.” Elizabeth’s eyes drifted close as his mouth moved down her jaw. “Did you lock the door?”

“Yes,” Jason confirmed.

“Then if you don’t know when you’ll be home—” Elizabeth scooted back on the bed towards the headboard and grinned at him. “We should make the most of it.”

Kelly’s: Kitchen

The next morning, Elizabeth breezed into the kitchen and flashed a bright smile at the cook who was busy with his morning prep. “Morning, DJ.” He saluted as she hung up her purse and went into the dining room to start the side walk.

Courtney was already there, frowning at her smile as Elizabeth joined her and started making the coffee. “I thought you’d quit.”

“Why? Because I flaked my on shift yesterday?” Elizabeth shrugged, measuring the coffee. “I promised Penny I’d cover for her soon, and Mike said it was okay.”

“But—” Courtney edged away from her. “You…were mad at me the last time we talked.”

“I was,” Elizabeth said. She pressed the on button, then turned to face the other man fully. “But then I ran into Sonny, and he asked me to go to Vegas with him to see Jason.”

“Jason—” Courtney squinted. “Vegas? What—”

“And Jason and I talked about it, but it’s okay now. It’s easy to mistake a crush for something else,” Elizabeth said. “But I don’t have anything to worry about—”

“You don’t—”

“No, not since I moved back into the penthouse.” Elizabeth stared at her hand. “Jason and I decided to wait to get rings, but—”

“Rings? Penthouse—” Courtney held up her hands, her blue eyes wide. “Elizabeth, what the hell—”

“Jason and I got married in Vegas,” she explained patiently, enjoying the flash of anger in the other woman’s eyes as Courtney clenched her jaw.

“You—” Courtney cleared her throat. “You married Jason. Jason Morgan.”

“It was spontaneous, but—” Elizabeth went around the other woman to start unstacking the chairs. “But I’m glad you told me what you did. If you hadn’t, Jason and I might not have talked. At least not so soon. And once we’d sorted things out—well, we were in Vegas—”

“This is a joke, right? Or—or it’s business.” Courtney lifted her chin. “Taggert came in here yesterday, asking about you. Zander’s dead, didn’t you hear? Is that why Sonny took you to Vegas? Did you see Jason doing something?”

“No, believe it or not,” Elizabeth said softly, “Jason married me because he loves me. And I said yes because I love him.”

“No. No. I know what I felt, what he felt—”

“I’m sorry, Courtney,” Elizabeth said, attempting to keep her temper, “but you were wrong. And it would be best if you just forgot about it. You’re married—”

“This is a trick. You’re tricking the police, and you’re just trying to be mean to get back at me. You’re probably in the guest room again,” Courtney accused, her eyes flashing as she stormed out from the counter.

“No, Brenda’s in the guest room.” Elizabeth folded her arms. “I’m in Jason’s bed.” It might be small of her to enjoy this moment so much, but damn it—Courtney had pretended to be her friend.

Hurt flared in Courtney’s expression now as her lip trembled. “But he said—he told me—he told me it was over with you—”

“He thought it was. Now it’s not. Get over it.” Elizabeth walked away from her, and didn’t even flinch when she heard the bell over the door jingle as it swung open.

“Where did Barbie go?” DJ asked, leaning out from the kitchen. “We’re opening in ten.”

“She got some bad news,” Elizabeth said, returning to the counter to finish prepping for her shift. “I’ll take care of the morning rush.”

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

“You don’t have to worry, Carly already left for the club,” Sonny assured Jason as he handed him a cup of black coffee. “What did you find out? Can we get a line on Alcazar?”

“It might be easier than we thought,” Jason said, “since he’s in the hotel—”

They both turned at the sound of raised voices in the hall. Jason sat the coffee on the desk just as the door flew open and Max threw up his hands. He couldn’t stop the blonde who shoved her way in without tackling her.

“Sonny—” Courtney drew up short at the sight of Jason. She glared at him. “I hope you’re happy.”

Jason frowned, confused. “What—”

“If you’re here to tell me AJ dropped dead in the middle of the night,” Sonny said, “then, yes, I’m very happy—”

“I’m not talking to you,” Courtney snarled at her brother. “I’m talking to Jason.”

“Jason would also be happy with that news—”

“Sonny—” Jason said with a shake of his head. He looked back to Courtney. “I don’t know what’s going on—”

“What’s going on is that you lied to me,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “You told me that you and Elizabeth were over, that it never really started—”

Sonny pursed his lips as Jason just stared at the other woman, baffled. “Uh, what am I missing?” He looked at Max who was waving his arms. “Max–

“So why the hell did you marry Elizabeth Webber two days after you kissed me?” Courtney demanded.

“You know,” Taggert said from the doorway where he’d just appeared around the corner from the elevator. Max dropped his head with a sigh. “The universe is really on my side these days.”

Written in 24 minutes. No time for typos of spell check.

---

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

“Well, Morgan?” Taggert asked, folding his arms and raising his brows when Jason just stared at Courtney. “She’s waiting for an answer.”

Jason exhaled slowly and ignored the detective because there was no point in giving him any attention. Taggert reminded him of Michael as a toddler — if you looked at him when he was throwing a tantrum, it just encouraged him to keep going.

Instead, he focused on Sonny’s sister and one of the reasons he’d decided to get on a plane and marry Brenda Barrett. “You,” he said, deliberately, “kissed me.”

Courtney narrowed her eyes. “That is—”

“What happened,” Jason finished, bluntly. “I’m sorry if you thought there was something more. There wasn’t. There isn’t.”

“Is this because I’m married?” Courtney demanded. “Because—”

“You know, this is really fun and everything,” Sonny said, throwing Jason a dirty look, “but maybe we get should see what Taggert wants—” He offered his sister another look of his own, and Courtney closed her mout.

“Well, I came to get proof Morgan’s alibi,” Taggert said, with a shrug. “I thought you might want to take care of this without lawyers. You give me the flight records that prove you took off before the gunshots were heard—”

“If you want paperwork, then you tell Baldwin to get a subpoena,” Sonny said, darkly. He stalked over to the desk and grabbed a business card off the desk. He shoved it at Taggert who took it, holding it between his thumb and index finger. “Our new lawyer. Diane Miller. Call her from now on. Don’t come back without a warrant—”

“You sure I can’t stay and watch?” Taggert asked with a smirk as Sonny slammed the door in his face, then turned to his sister and Jason.

“What the hell is going on?” Sonny demanded. “Is this why Elizabeth said the thing about the box cutter?”

“She told you?” Courtney said, her eyes widening. “And you didn’t do anything? Sonny, she threatened me?”

“To cut off your hair with a box cutter. Yeah, I got that. You’d live,” Sonny said, dryly, dismissing her as Courtney sqawked in protest. “Jason—”

“Nothing is going on,” Jason said, gritting his teeth. Hadn’t he just said that? “And you had no right to tell Elizabeth it was—” he said, turning his irritation on the blonde. “What is wrong with you? I didn’t kiss you back. I didn’t call you, and I immediately put another guard on you. How did you not get the point?”

“I thought—” Courtney pursed her lips. “So everything that happened between us meant nothing to you.”

“What else happened?” Sonny demanded.

“Nothing,” Jason repeated. He didn’t often lose his temper, especially with women, but there was something about this whole thing that was really pissing him off. If Courtney hadn’t told Elizabeth anything, she wouldn’t have been upset enough to wander down to the pier. She wouldn’t be in danger or even involved with the PCPD’s case.

“That’s—”

“I’m leaving,” Jason decided. “I have more important things to deal with. I told you, Sonny, I’m done guarding your sister. You deal with this.” Then he left the penthouse, slamming the door behind him.

Sonny looked at his sister, shocked and open-mouthed at Jason’s hasty exit. “Well,” he said, slightly uncomfortable, “I guess you got your answer.”

“But I don’t understand. How did I get it so wrong?” Courtney asked, tears stinging her eyes. “I really thought—”

“This definitely sounds like a conversation I want nothing to do with, so maybe you go home and think about why you’re so angry about Jason not returning your feelings, and leave me out of it,” Sonny suggested. He opened the door. “Here you go.”

“You’re a real bastard,” Courtney snarled as she stormed out.

“I can live with that,” Sonny called after her. Then he closed the door and leaned his head against the door. From now on, he was staying out of everything.

Kelly’s: Kitchen

“I can’t believe Courtney just ditched her shift like this,” Mike muttered as he dumped plates into the sink. “You know, bad enough you did it—”

Elizabeth winced. “Still really sorry—”

“But you’ve worked here forever,” Mike continued. “You’ve built a little credit, you know? She’s been here eight minutes. And she just left? No word on where she was going or why? I can’t just let this go because she’s my daughter—”

“I mean, she didn’t say,” Elizabeth replied, “but I have a pretty good idea she was heading over to see Sonny.”

“I thought she hated Michael,” Mike said, baffled. “Why would she—” He shook his head. “She and I are going to have to talk about this.”

“Well, you have a good time with that,” Elizabeth said, waltzing out of the kitchen and straight into her grandmother.

Audrey Hardy arched a brow. “Mrs. Morgan, I presume,” she said stiffly.

Elizabeth grimaced. “Well, I hadn’t really decided on that,” she muttered, then looked down at the ground. “Gram, I know you’re mad—”

“Mad is hardly the word I would use,” Audrey said slowly. “While I may not approve of the groom, I am very disappointed that you didn’t include me in any of this. I thought we’d come further than this, Elizabeth.”

“Wait, what—” Elizabeth snapped her head up, stared at her grandmother. “You’re…not mad?”

“As long as you assure me that it’s not what Scott told me,” Audrey said, drawing her brows together with worry. “You didn’t marry Jason to protect yourself or him from the PCPD.”

Elizabeth paused, then saw Jason come into Kelly’s behind her grandmother. She waved him over. Hesitantly, Jason approached the two of them.

“Mrs. Hardy,” Jason said with a nod. Elizabeth slid her hand in one of his. “Hello.”

“Jason,” Audrey said, before looking back at her granddaughter. “Elizabeth?”

“I married Jason because I love him,” Elizabeth said. She glanced up at Jason. “And he asked because he loves me.” His lips curved into a hesitant smile before she focused on her grandmother again. “I hope that’s something you can be okay with.”

Written in 58 minutes. Spell checked but not re-read.

---

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Brenda frowned as she stepped down off the bottom step and looked around the living room. “Uh, usually Jason is glued to your side,” she said as she sat next to Elizabeth on the sofa. “Where’d he go?”

“Across the hall,” Elizabeth said absently as she reached into the bowl of popcorn at her side, then furrowed her brow at the television screen in front of her. “Why?”

“I bet they’re discussing how to run my life,” Brenda muttered darkly. She flopped back against the back of the sofa. “What are you watching?”

“That 70s’ Show.”

“That’s still on? I remember it came on right before I died. I thought it was a a really stupid idea for a show.” Brenda shrugged. “What’re you gonna do?”

Startled by her casual reference to her “death”, Elizabeth turned her attention fully to Brenda. “Uh, how are you, um, doing with all of this?”

“Being back from the dead? I could do without it.” Brenda bit her lip. “It’s weird,” she admitted, “because I knew everyone thought I was dead, but I guess I didn’t think about what it meant. I didn’t want to come back,” she told Elizabeth. “Because I’m going to die anyway.”

“But you could have had four years with your friends and family. And you still might have years, right?”

“I could,” Brenda said. “But my mother told me that her illness happened fast. And she—she actually did die in that accident.” She sighed. “If I had tried to come back sooner, obviously Luis wouldn’t have let me come. I didn’t know I was being held hostage until I tried to leave.” She was quiet for a moment. “I thought he loved me. That he was taking care of me.”

She picked at a loose thread on her black pants. “But that’s not love, you know. It’s obsession. I’m not a person to him, I’m just something he can own. A beautiful thing to put on a shelf. Going after Sonny and Jax because I loved them once—eliminating anyone who might be competition—”

“I’m glad you got away from that,” Elizabeth said. “Before it got worse.”

“Yeah. I mean, he was always kind to me, but that’s because I didn’t push him. Didn’t disagree. What if I had?” Brenda pressed her lips together. “I just wish this was over. I hate depending on Sonny and Jason for anything. After what they put me through—”

“But you knew they’d help. That’s why you came to them—”

“Old habits die hard. I really am sorry about asking Jason to marry me. Or blackmailing him into it,” Brenda added. “I didn’t know about you.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Elizabeth said. “And—” She made a face. “Neither does Jason. We weren’t dating. He could do what he wanted—even marry someone else—”

“Doesn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt. Sonny and I weren’t dating when he married Lily, and it nearly killed me anyway.” Brenda squinted at Elizabeth. “How did this happen anyway? I mean, you and Jason. I remember you from before, sort of. You were a baby though.”

“Sixteen,” Elizabeth muttered. “But yeah, it felt like it came out of nowhere. We connected after your accident. Robin had…well, Jason had lost custody of Michael and wasn’t handling it well. I thought Lucky was dead. And we just…I could talk to him and he’d just listen. It kind of grew from there.”

“That’s how it was with me and Sonny at first.” Brenda smiled faintly. “I was on the docks, with my suitcase, and there he was. And it just—pow. Like lightning. I messed it up, though. I didn’t trust him enough.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about the wire,” Elizabeth said and Brenda closed her eyes. “But he forgave you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think he ever trusted me again. Or maybe anyone else. I mean, look what he did to you. Dragged you across the country, making you feel terrified for Jason, and it was just Jason didn’t marry me.” Brenda snorted. “Best day of my life was seeing you punch him. I wish I could have done that the day he abandoned me at the altar.” She closed her eyes. “Talk about humiliation. Standing there, so sure he was just late—”

“I remember.”

Brenda’s eyes flew open and she looked at Elizabeth, surprised. “You were there? What, with the Spencers?”

“No, I, uh, stole Ruby’s invitation,” Elizabeth admitted with a sheepish smile. “I’d seen your picture in magazines, and you were so glamorous. I just wanted to be part of it.”

Brenda laughed. “Oh, man, that’s amazing! I can’t believe this.” Her laughter tapered off into snorting giggles. “The guards probably didn’t know what to do with you.”

“No, they really didn’t. Lucky vouched for me, but man, he was irritated with me.” Elizabeth shrugged. “It was a terrible day. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well, I held it against Jason for a long time, but I think he was just doing the best he could. He didn’t want to leave me alone, and I took it out on him. I hated him,” Brenda murmured, “but he just took it. It seems unfair now, you know. By the time I saw Sonny again, I don’t think I was angry enough for him for what he’d done. He could have found another way to handle it.”

“Yeah, he could have actually said words to you, but it might have broken his brain to try it,” Elizabeth said. “What is it about men and refusing to just tell the truth? Open a vein? They’d rather be stupid.”

“Honestly.” Brenda wiggled her shoulders. “Who’s this Zander guy anyway? I don’t remember him. Why does the PCPD think you or Jason killed him?”

“Oh. God. Talk about humiliating mistakes.” Elizabeth dragged a hand through her hair. “He was Emily’s boyfriend for a while, and then he worked for Jason and Sonny. He did something stupid—I think he was talking to someone he shouldn’t be. Jason beat him up—which I knew—and when he got out of the hospital, I let him stay in my studio.”

Brenda blinked at her. “Uh, why?”

“Pride. I went to see him in the hospital because I felt bad. I knew Carly had hurt him—and Lucky and Nikolas showed up, telling me that I needed to get out, leave him alone—trying to boss me around, and I lost my head. Then Jason came over, told me I couldn’t help him—”

“Oh, yeah, that’ll do it.”

“Still, it was stupid beyond the speaking of it.” Elizabeth chewed on her bottom lip. “Jason and I were just—I don’t know, we weren’t saying the words. I think we both knew we were interested, but Carly and Sonny were always calling, and Zander was being stupid—then I got kidnapped—Zander ended up in the crypt with me—”

“Crypt—”

“Long story short, after we got out, I slept with Zander. And Jason—apparently, he—well, he saw it. I mean, he saw Zander at my place, and left.” Elizabeth stared at her hands, rubbing one finger over her bare ring finger. “And we’ve been doing dumb things ever since.”

“But you’re better now.”

“Sure. I mean, better than July.” Elizabeth flashed her a hesitant smile. “But I don’t know. We promised not to make the same mistakes, but we’re just going to make new ones.” She shook her head. “Jason almost marrying you isn’t even as bad as the worst thing I’ve ever done to him. And I sort of get why he did it.”

“Really? Because it feels like a fever dream to me,” Brenda told her. She shrugged. “So they think one of you murdered the competition.”

“It’s more likely Zander went to work for Alcazar and got killed because of it.” Elizabeth frowned. “You know, it’s strange how I can’t even—I don’t know. He was someone I sort of dated, and I haven’t even really thought about the fact that he’s dead. What kind of person does that make me?”

“Well, you were accused of killing him,” Brenda reminded her. “It kind of takes you out of the moment.”

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Jason frowned when he opened the door to find Elizabeth sitting up in bed, the lamp next to her switched on, as she thumbed through a magazine. “I didn’t think you’d still be up.”

“Oh, well you said you didn’t think you’d be too late.” Elizabeth set the magazine aside. “Thanks, by the way, for being nice to my grandmother earlier.”

“Well, she was being nice to you,” Jason said as he sat on the bed to pull off his boots. “I’ve always liked your grandmother.”

She snorted. “Okay. Well, the feeling isn’t always mutual, but still.”

Jason turned slightly on the bed so he was looking at her. “Courtney came over to the penthouse earlier this morning. I guess working with her didn’t go well.”

Elizabeth flushed. “Okay, so I definitely was getting back at her for—well, it’s not important. I’m sorry. Did she make a scene?”

“Depends on your definition of scene,” Jason admitted. “Taggert showed up—”

Elizabeth groaned and put her head in her hands. “Oh, no.”

“So he knows that Courtney kissed me a few days before Vegas—”

“This isn’t helping the whole we didn’t get married because of Zander,” she muttered. She flopped back on the bed, staring the ceiling. “The worst thing is that it’s the truth. We really didn’t get married because of that, but no one will ever believe us.”

“The PCPD probably isn’t going to let go of this yet.” Jason paused. “Are you sorry we didn’t go with Sonny’s plan?”

She sat up, frowning at him. “What? Where I go back to the studio and we pretend it didn’t happen? Are you sorry we didn’t do it?”

“I never thought the PCPD would go after you,” Jason told her. “I can prove where I was when it happened—”

“But I was on the pier and didn’t report it. They’re not going to believe me now.” She sighed. “Maybe Sonny was right,” she admitted. “If we could have kept this quiet—if I hadn’t come here after we got back, Carly wouldn’t have said anything—” She looked up, met his eyes. “Do you wish we’d gone back to the way things were?”

“I—” Jason hesitated. “No. Not—not like that. I want you here. I told you that. I just—I don’t know. I don’t want the PCPD coming after you.” He shook his head. “I’m the criminal, not you.”

“Well, I’ve been accessory to a few crimes,” Elizabeth reminded him. “Or at least an accessory after the fact, depending on how you look at it.” She drew a leg up, tucking her knee under her chin. “It just feels like there’s so much pressure now.”

He wanted to ask what she meant  but he already knew the answer. What had seemed like a crazy, heat of moment decision to prove he wasn’t lying about loving her had turned into this complicated mess with Elizabeth right in the cross hairs of a vindictive police department who weren’t above going after people he cared about.

Any chance they had of figuring out what exactly this was between them or if they should even be married had been twisted into everyone else’s business. If Carly had just kept her damn mouth shut—

“I was thinking about what you asked me yesterday,” Elizabeth said, drawing his attention back to her. “About a ring. Um, I still mean what I said then, but I also think—” She sighed. “People are going to ask.”

“Right.” He managed a smile at her. “Let’s just make sure this goes away, and we’ll—we’ll figure everything out later. Okay?”

“Okay—”

Elizabeth blinked at the sound of someone—of Brenda’s sharp voice—just as the phone beside the night table began to ring. Jason got to his feet and went towards the door to deal with Brenda while Elizabeth reached for the phone.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Morgan, it’s Wally at the front desk—”

Elizabeth frowned as she heard footsteps on the steps and Jason disappeared down the hall. “Wally?”

“They told me I couldn’t call, but I wanted to warn you—”

“Where’s the warrant?” she heard Jason demand—and now there were other voices.

“Warn us about what?”

“The PCPD—”

“Get out of my way, Anger Boy, or you’re coming with her—”

The bedroom door swung open as Taggert stalked in, Capelli on his heels and Jason following after him, a piece of paper clenched in his hand. Brenda trailed after them.

“They’re on their way up—”

“Thanks,” Elizabeth said numbly. She set the phone back on the hook, then climbed out bed, tugging the shirt she wore to cover more of her thighs. “I’m guessing this isn’t a social call.”

“Elizabeth Webber, you’re under arrest for the murder of Zander Smith.” Taggert went behind her and roughly pulled her hands behind her back.

“Can’t she get dressed?” Brenda demanded.

“Brenda—”

“It’s okay.” Elizabeth took a deep breath, looked at Jason, his face red with suppressed fury. “I’m okay. You’ll get the lawyer down to the station, and I’ll be home by breakfast, right? Bring, um, pants, or something—”

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say—,” Taggert began, wrapping an arm around her forearm and pulling her towards the door.

She winced at the grip, but bit her lip—if she made a sound that even resembled pain or discomfort, she was worried what Jason would do.

“You have the right to an attorney,” Taggert continued as he all but dragged her towards the stairs.  She looked back over her shoulders to find Capelli following them and Jason in the doorway of the bedroom.

“I’ll call Diane,” Jason told her. “And I’ll be right behind you.”

“Okay.” Then she closed her mouth, resolving not to open it again until she was in a room with her lawyer.

“Do you understand the rights I’ve just spoken to you?” Taggert demanded in the hallway by the penthouses. “With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

She locked eyes with him—this man who had always been so kind to her—and nodded. “Just one thing. I hope you rot in hell.”