Jason jerked his eyes open as he felt Elizabeth begin to struggle.

“Stop…stop…”

He tightened his arms around her, and rubbed her back. “Shh…it’s all right…I’m here. No one’s going to hurt you.”

After a few more minutes, her forehead smoothed and she relaxed. Jason sighed and looked around the room. Sonny was curled up in the chair that Carly had sat in the night before. Emily and Carly were on the floor, wrapped in blankets. He turned his head and checked the clock. It was just after six in the morning. He’d been up until almost three before dozing off. It had been the worst night of his life. Elizabeth had woken no less a dozen times. Once, she hadn’t been struggling—she’d just bolted up in the bed, screaming.

Jason was running out of ideas. As long as she was asleep, he could help. He could hold her and make her feel safe. But sooner or later, she’d wake up. And once that happened, Jason would be lost.

He couldn’t believe that Sonny, Carly and Emily had all camped out last night. Sonny and Emily had made a casserole—which they’d eaten upstairs. Conversation had been at minimum—almost none.

It was Monday and Jason knew he should wake Carly and Sonny for work—but they’d been up with Elizabeth most of the night as well. If Carly wasn’t in, he didn’t see Laura getting worried and Sonny ran the warehouse after all.

He felt Elizabeth shift again. He looked down to see her eyes open. “Hey,” he said cautiously.

She licked her lips. “Hi,” Elizabeth replied softly.

“How you feeling?” he asked.

She shifted again. “Like a truck hit me.” She rolled to her side and noticed Sonny on the chair. “Why’s Sonny here?”

“He was worried about you.” Jason moved his head to gesture at Emily and Carly. “So were they.”

Elizabeth followed his head to look at her friends wrapped in blankets on the floor. “Oh.” She raised her eyes to meet his. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I freaked out,” she whispered. “Because I let him get to me.”

“Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for here,” Jason said, touching the side of her face lightly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

She shook her head. “I took a hundred steps back. I’m right back where I was two years ago.”

“No, you’re not.” He shook his head.

“Yeah, I am,” she whispered. “I couldn’t even function and all I could do was fall into that routine—the perfect father, perfect daughter act that I thought I’d left behind.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Jason asked.

She shook her head. “Not right now.”

“All right,” Jason agreed. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Did I wake up a lot?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Jason replied. “But you’ve pretty much been asleep the last three hours.”

“I’m sorry—I know this isn’t what you signed up for…” Elizabeth looked away.

“Hey,” he said softly, cupping her chin and forcing her to look back at him. “I told you—I love you.”

She bit her lip. “I know, but I don’t think you want to spend your time coddling me-”

“Well, you’re wrong.” He brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Because I’m in this—for better or worse, you’re stuck with me.”

She curled up against his side and laid her head on his chest. “That doesn’t sound that bad.”

—-

Sonny jerked away when the elbow his face had been resting on slid off the arm of the chair. He blinked his eyes, feeling the ache of sleeping on a chair come through. He looked around. Elizabeth and Jason were sound asleep on the bed, and Emily and Carly were still wrapped in blankets. He checked the clock on the nightstand—eight in the morning. He stretched and stood, studying Elizabeth.

She looked peaceful—one would never guess that she’d woken up constantly, haunted by nightmares. Sonny would never forget the sound of her terrified screaming. But now, curled up against his best friend’s sleeping form, one would think he was intruding on a sleeping couple.

He went downstairs and pulled out his cell phone. He placed two quick calls—one to Laura saying Carly wouldn’t be in and the other to his secretary at the warehouse. None of them were going to work today.

After putting his cell phone back in his pocket, he made his way into the kitchen and began cooking again.

—-

Emily rolled over and smacked her head against the bed. She kept her eyes closed for another few seconds, grumbling. Even starting on the floor was getting her nowhere. Remembering her reason for being on the floor of Jason’s bedroom, she sat up. She was relieved to see Elizabeth sleeping peacefully.

Carly was still asleep, but Sonny was gone. Emily sniffed the air—he was cooking again. She unwound herself from the blankets and shoved herself to her feet. She ran a hand through her messy brown hair and straightened her shirt and smoothed her khakis. She should make a quick trip down to the apartment for a change of clothes for the two of them.

Emily made her way down the steps and into the kitchen. “Hi.”

Sonny glanced over his shoulder from where he was scrambling eggs. “Morning.”

“Anything I can do?” Emily asked, washing her hands.

“Toast,” Sonny suggested.

Emily got a loaf of bread out of the cabinet. “Do you think the nights Beth has spent here have been like last night?”

Sonny didn’t even pause in his scrambling. “I don’t know. I didn’t realize she spent nights here.”

Emily put two pieces of bread in the toaster and pushed the lever down. “Yeah. She’s spent a lot of nights here.” She looked at Sonny. “I know it was strictly platonic until Friday.”

Sonny shrugged. “I hope it wasn’t as bad,” he said. He pulled a plate out of the cabinet an started spooning the eggs onto it. “I’d hate to think Jason had to handle it by himself.”

Emily pulled a package of bacon out of the fridge and handed it to Sonny. “Beth told me what happened a few weeks ago…but once she told Jason, she started going to him. I guess it came easy to her—going to Jason for support. I tried to help the best I could, but the only nightmare that I saw before tonight was that first one. Any of others, I didn’t hear or she was with Jason.”

“He loves her,” Sonny said quietly. He flipped a few piece of bacon in the pan.

“Yeah, I know.” Emily put another two slices in the toaster. “And I know he’ll stick this out—because he doesn’t give up. And he won’t let her give up either. I think Beth needs that. Otherwise…she might just try and curl up in herself.”

Sonny looked away. “Sometimes that seems easiest. You don’t want to burden the people you love, so you don’t tell them.”

“But in the end, you only end up hurting yourself and the very people you’re trying to protect,” Emily remarked bitterly.

—-

Carly shifted in her sleep and frowned. This wasn’t her bed—her bed was soft and warm and comfortable. Whatever she was sleeping on now wasn’t soft and it sure as hell wasn’t comfortable. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

And remembered that she’d spent the night in Jason’s bedroom. She sighed and looked up at the sleeping couple on the bed. Elizabeth was curled up next to Jason, her arms clutching at him. Even in sleep, Elizabeth was afraid to be alone. Well, at least she was sleeping.

Carly rolled her shoulders trying to work out the kinks. What a long night—she’d thought her nightmares had been bad. She’d never forget the bone chilling sound of Elizabeth’s shriek as she bolted up in bed. She shivered remembering the glazed look in her eyes. Elizabeth hadn’t been there in the room—she’d been fighting some monster only she could see.

She idly wondered how much sleep Jason got when Elizabeth spent the night. She hoped the nights weren’t as bad as last night had been. She didn’t want Jason to have to deal with this by himself. She made a promise to herself to pay much closer attention to Elizabeth from now on.

She sniffed the air and smiled. Sonny was cooking. She unwound herself from the blankets and made her way downstairs, following the scene of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast. Maybe she could make some orange juice.

—-

Jason heard the third click of the door and opened his eyes. He’d been waiting for everyone to leave so he could have a talk with Elizabeth without worrying about anyone else to overhear. He wanted to give her space—but he had to know what had happened the previous night. It was a selfish reason—he’d wanted to be sure there had been nothing he could have done to prevent it from happening. He knew he should have gone into the diner with her—he’d offered but she’d turned him down. He should have gone in anyway.

He flicked his eyes down to Elizabeth, but her head was turned away from him, her curly hair blocking her face. He could hear her breathing deeply and evenly—she was still asleep. He’d stay in bed all day if it meant she’d have a restful sleep, free from nightmares.

But Jason knew he couldn’t guarantee her sleep would ever be free of those dreams. And he knew he couldn’t keep her safe. He’d been right outside Kelly’s and Jeff had gotten to her anyway. He didn’t know why she turned to him—he’d done nothing for her.

He’d been hoping she’d wake up, but she didn’t and he didn’t have the heart to do it. No matter how strong his curiosity was—her health was more important.

The door clicked open softly and Sonny came in, bearing two plates. “I wasn’t sure if you two were up,” he apologized.

“She’s still sleeping,” Jason said quietly. “And I don’t want to wake her.”

“You’re going to have to get up sometime,” Sonny said. Jason shrugged the shoulder Elizabeth wasn’t attached to.

“I’ll get up when she gets up.”

Sonny set the plates down the dresser. “Carly and Em went home to get showered and changed. They’ve both decided to camp out here—they’re determined not to let you help by yourself.”

Jason managed a weak smile. “Maybe they can do more than me.”

Sonny knitted his eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”

“I was outside the diner when she saw him…he was that close and I let her go in a lone. I should have gone in—”

“Why didn’t you?” Sonny asked.

“Because Elizabeth told me she wouldn’t be long,” Jason answered.

“Then it’s not your fault,” Sonny said simply. “This is no one’s fault except Jeff Webber.”

“I can’t protect her…” Jason looked away, his hand absently stroking Elizabeth’s hair. “That’s all I want to do and I can’t do that.”

Sonny sighed. “Look, don’t blame yourself. Remember, she needs someone to talk to and you seem to be it, so try not to let the blame come in.”

Jason nodded. “All right.”

“I’ll put these in the oven,” Sonny said picking up the plates. “I’m going home to change and shower, but I’ll be back. Oh, and you need to replace one of your kitchen chairs.”

Jason frowned. “Why?”

“Emily broke it.” Sonny hesitated. “She was upset last night and needed to vent. The chair got in her way.”

“Not a problem,” Jason replied.

“I’ll see you when I get back.”

—-

While at the apartment, Emily placed two quick calls to AJ and Nikolas. She cancelled their Law and Order date for that date and told AJ that if it was at all possible to hurry home soon. She decided to pack a few changes of clothing for each of them—she had no idea how long Elizabeth would stay with Jason this time and Emily had decided to stay there.

While she was in Elizabeth’s room, she came across a photo album that she hadn’t seen before. Frowning, she pulled it out of the drawer and sat on the bed. She opened it to the first page and smiled immediately. There was a picture of seven-year-old Elizabeth and nine-year-old Jason…at some party. Flipping through the book, she realized it was full of pictures of Elizabeth and Jason. Most Emily hadn’t seen before. She frowned wondering when her best friend and brother had found all this time to take pictures.

The last picture in the book was a recent one—Emily grinned. Elizabeth was still putting pictures in the book. Emily had pulled her camera out at the reunion dinner while still eating and snapped a bunch. Elizabeth had picked them up from the developing place and she’d obviously confiscated a picture of her and Jason sitting next to each other, talking. They were smiling at each other and Elizabeth looked really happy.

Emily closed the book and put it inside the bag to take to Jason’s. Maybe some of the good memories would help. Remembering her new knowledge of Elizabeth’s love of writing, she packed her laptop and disks and left the apartment.

She was determined to help Elizabeth whether Elizabeth liked it or not.

—-

Emily stepped off the elevator just as Carly passed by. Both women smiled—they were both lugging bags.

“Guess we’re all moving in.” Carly’s smile was weak.

Emily nodded firmly. “Beth has been trying to keep this to herself—she’s really only let Jason comfort her. I want to help her.”

Carly nodded. “I know,” she said quietly. “But I don’t think there’s much we can do.”

Emily sighed. “The only thing I can think of is probably not any help.”

“If it involves Jeff Webber, a rope and a long ride in the country, it might help me,” Carly muttered.

“Actually it was Jeff, a candlestick and a conservatory,” Emily replied weakly. Carly laughed a little.

Emily squared her shoulders and stared at the penthouse door. “Do you think she’d mind if we sicced Jason on him?”

Carly shrugged. “When she calms down, I’m gonna ask.”

“So, what do I do when I go in there?” Emily asked softly.

Carly put her arm around Emily’s shoulder. “Go and cook with Sonny in the kitchen.”

“What’re you gonna do?” Emily asked.

“Sit on the couch and stare into space going slowly insane.”

“So, if we’re not actually going to do anything to help, why we going?”

“Because at this point, we need to show her that we’re there for her. That nothing can make us turn away.”

Emily smiled. “That I can do.”

—-

Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom, wearing one of Jason’s shirts that fell to her knees. She was towel-drying her hair. “Hey.”

Jason stood. “Hey.”

She twisted the towel in her hands. “They’re all downstairs aren’t they?” Elizabeth asked quietly.

“Yeah.” Jason’s mouth upturned in a half smile. “Carly and Emily came with luggage. Emily brought you some things.”

Elizabeth sat on the bed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she whispered. Jason crouched in front of her. “I was so happy yesterday—I loved you, I had good friends, great family. I felt like my life was finally coming together.” She raised her watery eyes to meet his. “Why did he have to come back? Why couldn’t he just have stayed away?”

“I don’t have any answers,” Jason said, regretfully.

“That makes two of us,” Elizabeth whispered. She sighed. “Do I have to go down there?”

Jason shook his head. “No. But if I bring you up dinner, you have to promise me you’ll eat. You haven’t eaten anything all day.”

“I know I’m being a burden-” she started.

“You’re not a burden,” Jason cut in swiftly.

She smiled. “You know…I think I believe that.” Elizabeth tightened her hands on the towel. “I don’t know how long it’ll be before I can get to where I was before I walked into that diner. Maybe it’ll be days, weeks…or another two years.” She met his eyes. “I want to know if you’d…if you…” she trailed off.

“Wait?” Jason finished. She nodded numbly. “You’re not just the woman I’m in love with…you’re my best friend. I’d be here whether we were together or not.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth,” Jason said. “I wish I’d gone into the diner with you.”

She sighed. “It wouldn’t have done any good, Jason. I still would have seen him. So, believe me, this isn’t your fault. And, I think I almost believe that it’s not my fault. I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault. Maybe…I needed to realize that I can think I’m past this all I want…but until I can face him—and tell him exactly what he did to me…it’ll never be over.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “It might be a good long time before I can do that…” she paused and took a deep breath. She wiped her eyes and gave him a weak smile. “But I will do it. One day, I will tell him what a monster he is.”

“I know you will,” Jason said firmly. “You’re strong.”

Elizabeth nodded. “But I still need you anyway.”

“You have me,” Jason promised her, grasping her hands in his. “Always.”

“Good,” Elizabeth said quietly. “Because I love you and one day I’m going to love you and be with you the way you deserve.”

Jason took a deep breath. “Just being here…in this room…with you is more than enough for me.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth breathed, touching his face. “For being there last night.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Elizabeth crept down the stairs and paused as she took in the scene below her. It was a few hours after her conversation with Jason—she’d convinced him she was okay and needed to be alone for a while. So, he’d gone downstairs.

Carly and Emily were sitting on the couch arguing whether to watch Sex and the City or Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Carly was explaining how Big was moving and she couldn’t miss this episode and Emily countered with watching her show would benefit everyone in the long run. Why, Alexis wouldn’t be in practice forever—someone would have to take over and didn’t Carly want the best defending her husband?

Sonny was sitting at the desk, going over receipts and mumbling something about Benny and vacations. Jason was shooting a game of pool by himself. She watched him for a few minutes wondering why he’d put up with her baggage instead finding a woman who could be normal.

As if feeling her stare, Jason glanced up and smiled. She gave him a weak smile in return and continued down the stairs, catching the attention of the other three in the room.

Emily grinned. “Beth! Tell Carly why we absolutely have to watch Law and Order!”

“No way,” Carly argued. “You’ve seen this episode. I can’t miss this Sex and the City! Miranda’s baby is going to be born—Big’s leaving! It’s season finale!”

“You’ve seen this episode too,” Emily retorted. “I remember—we watched it together.”

Elizabeth grinned. “Why don’t the two of you compromise? We can watch That 70s Show.” She sat on the couch and took the remote from Carly and switched the show on. “We always watch this anyway.” She leaned back on the couch and relaxed.

Carly and Emily traded triumphant looks over Elizabeth’s head. Keeping Elizabeth’s mind off Jeff would be a difficult job—but they could handle it.

Once Sonny was positive the girls were engrossed in the sitcom, he pushed his chair back and approached the pool table. He caught Jason’s attention and motioned to the hallway. Jason shot a quick glance at the girls and followed him.

“What’s up?” Jason asked once the door was shut.

“I’ve been thinking,” Sonny said. “I know we should let Liz deal with Webber herself, but I think we need to make sure he stays away until she’s ready to do so.”

Jason nodded. “I don’t want her running into him around town until she’s ready.”

“So, I’ve already put Max on him. I didn’t give him specifics, but I just want to know where he is at all times.”

Jason looked back at the penthouse door. “How long you all planning on staying?” he asked.

“I’m going home tonight,” Sonny answered. “I wanted to spend last night and today here to make sure Liz knows I’m here for her. I’ll probably be able to convince Carly to come with me—but I think Emily’s a little hurt right now.”

“Why?” Jason asked.

Sonny shrugged. “Liz kept this from her and even after she told her, she still shut Emily out—and I think Em’s a little upset by that fact. You might want to ask Liz to talk to her.”

Jason nodded. “I can ask her—but I can’t promise you anything.”

“I know. Thanks for being here for her,” Sonny replied. “I’m glad that she has someone she can talk to. I also wanted you to know—don’t worry about work the next few days. Just concentrate on her, okay?”

“Good. I was going to ask for a few days,” Jason replied. “It’s been a rough weekend.”

Sonny sighed. “Yeah. Well, we’d better head back in there before they notice we’re gone.”

—-

It had taken Sonny nearly an hour to convince Carly to go home but eventually she’d given in. But she hadn’t gone before extracting a promise from Emily that she’d call if there was any trouble. They ate dinner at Jason’s and went home afterwards. As expected, Emily took up temporary residence in the guestroom and she went to sleep early.

Elizabeth was sitting in the bed in the master bedroom when Jason finally came upstairs. She was still in his shirt—despite the fact that Emily had brought her night clothes. She’d pulled the sheet up around her waist and had her knees hugged to her chest.

“You okay?” Jason asked, heading for the dresser to take out a pair of sweat pants.

“I’m all right,” Elizabeth replied. “A little scared to sleep.”

He looked at her. “Really?”

“Yeah.” She looked away. “Carly mentioned I woke up a lot—around a dozen times. That’s more than any night I can remember.” She looked back at him. “I’m sorry. I know that you don’t get a lot of sleep when I’m here.”

Jason sat next to her on the bed and took one of her hands. “And I told you—it’s my choice. If I didn’t want you here, I’d tell you.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I know.” She took a deep breath. “Do you think I’ll ever be normal?”

Jason chuckled. “Elizabeth, you’re Sonny’s sister and you work for Carly. No, I don’t think you’ll ever be normal.”

She laughed. It was a small laugh—but Jason felt relieved nonetheless. She hadn’t laughed since all day—not even while watching television earlier that evening.

“No,” Elizabeth said. “I mean, do you think I’ll ever be the way I was yesterday?”

Jason hesitated. “Honestly?” She nodded. “No.”

Her shoulders slumped and she looked away. “Oh.”

“I think you’ll be better,” Jason finished. “Because, like you said earlier, this won’t be over until you can face him and what he did. Once you can do that…the nightmares might fade—and maybe for good this time. You won’t be looking over your shoulder—wondering. And you won’t be keeping the people you love in the dark. I think…once you’ve faced this once and for all…you’ll be better than you were yesterday.”

She squeezed his hand, meeting his eyes. “You always know what to say.” She paused. “Why are you doing this?”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked.

“I mean…most guys…most twenty-two-year-old guys would run screaming the other way from someone with as much emotional baggage as me.” Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side. “You don’t. And neither did Jason Quartermaine. What made the two of you so different?”

Jason didn’t say anything first but he finally met her eyes and gave her a smile. “Maybe it’s because he loved you. I know that’s why I’m still here.”

Elizabeth smiled a little. “I think you’re right. I think after this is over…I’ll be better than I was yesterday.”

Jason nodded and stood. “Good. I’m gonna get a shower.”

—-

When Jason came out of the bathroom, Elizabeth was curled up on her side and had her eyes closed. Thinking she was asleep, Jason slipped into bed behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

After a few minutes she said, “Emily’s angry with me, isn’t she?”

“I thought you were asleep,” Jason said.

“I was trying to—but I’m right aren’t I? Emily’s mad because I shut her out,” Elizabeth whispered.

“What makes you think that?”

“The way she’s been acting. I know when Emily’s mad at me. She tries too hard to hide it—so it’s obvious to see.”

“Sonny said she’s hurt that you didn’t come to her,” Jason said finally.

Elizabeth bit her lip and closed her eyes. “I really screwed this situation up didn’t I?” she asked quietly. “I only told Jason Quartermaine—which was my first mistake. If I hadn’t kept it a secret, those last three years wouldn’t have been so bad. I could have turned to Emily, at least. And then, after the accident, I still kept it to myself—even when it was so bad that I wanted to die. I met Carly and Sonny—found out what happened to him and still kept it away. I didn’t tell Emily until I had no choice and then I refused to let you in or her help. I’ve shut her out and AJ, too. Carly and Sonny as well. The only person I even go to is you.”

Jason tightened his arm around her waist. “None of this is your fault,” he told her. “You did the best you could. I think Emily knows that—and that’s why she won’t bring it up. But it doesn’t change how she feels.”

Elizabeth sighed. “I guess I should talk to her.”

“Don’t do anything you’re not ready for,” Jason said. “Emily loves you—she’ll be there when you’re ready.”

“If I wait until I’m ready,” Elizabeth said, “I’ll probably never tell her. I’m going to talk to her tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

A few more minutes passed but Jason knew she hadn’t gone to sleep. “Jason?”

“Yeah?”

“When AJ gets back at the end of the week, are you still going to see Edward and Lila?”

“I don’t know,” Jason said. “It’s up to him and Emily. Why?”

“I don’t know.” She paused. “Jason?”

He closed his eyes and smiled, amused. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He paused. “Go to sleep.”

“Okay.” There was another pause. “Jason?”

He laughed this time—he could hear the humor in her voice. “What?”

She rolled over so he was over her. She smiled at him, her eyes sleepy. She reached up with a hand and pulled his head down to kiss him.

He raised his head a few minutes later, the amusement still his eyes. “What was that for?”

Elizabeth smiled. “I couldn’t go to sleep without a goodnight kiss,” she said.

—-

Elizabeth woke the next morning to the smell of pancakes and sausage. She smiled, her eyes still closed. That was Emily’s trademark breakfast. You knew what kind of mood she was in by the type of pancake she made. Blueberries—she’d had a fight with Nikolas. Raspberries—she’d had a fight and they’d made up. Bananas- she was expecting an apology from someone. Chocolate chip – she was going to apologize to someone. And finally, strawberries—everything was good with the world. Elizabeth waited for a few minutes trying to decide which flavor it was that morning, but opened her eyes when she couldn’t. Jason was still sleeping next to her, his head on her shoulder for a change.

She didn’t remember waking up the night before and she wondered if that was a good sign. It was altogether possible that she’d had a few dreams that Jason had calmed down before she’d woken up. It happened often—and she never remembered it in the morning. Elizabeth pulled the covers back and slipped out of bed. She rummaged in the bag that Emily had brought and pulled out some sweat pants and a tank top. She couldn’t walk around forever in Jason’s shirt—no matter how safe she felt in it. She thought it had something to do with the fact that his scent was on the shirt and that made her feel protected.

She took a quick shower and changed in the bathroom. When she came out, towel drying her hair, Jason was still asleep. She took a few minutes to admire him—she’d gotten very lucky indeed. Not only was he was sweetest guy alive—but he had to be the sexiest one as well. She flushed and left the room before she got any bright ideas.

As she came down the steps, the smell of the pancakes grew stronger and Elizabeth frowned. Chocolate chip, bananas and strawberries. Maybe the system Elizabeth had developed had been wrong all along.

She entered the kitchen. “Morning.”

Emily glanced over her shoulder as she flipped another pancake. “Morning. You look better.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I feel better,” she admitted.

“Well, sit down. I’m almost done.” Emily tossed the last pancake and put it on the plate. “I’ve got chocolate chip, banana or strawberry. What kind do you want?”

“Mmmmm…” Elizabeth smiled. “Banana.”

Emily shot her a suspicious look. Had Elizabeth figured out her system? She shrugged and put two banana pancakes on a plate and tossed two sausages on as well. She gave the plate to Elizabeth and put a raspberry and a chocolate chip on her plate and added three sausages. She set her plate on the table and pulled the ketchup and syrup on the table.

“This looks great,” Elizabeth said, picking up her knife and fork.

Emily grinned. “Sonny taught me, so it should taste great, too.”

Elizabeth frowned looking around the kitchen. “There used to be five chairs.”

Emily squirted some ketchup on her plate. “I broke one.”

Elizabeth hesitated. “I’m sorry, Em.”

Emily set the ketchup down and looked at her oddly, “For what?”

Elizabeth sighed, “For not telling you, for not letting you in. I’m sorry.”

Emily hesitated. “I’m not going to pretend that didn’t hurt—because it did. I just wanted to help and you weren’t letting me.” She took a deep breath. “But I also know you, Beth. I know you better than almost anyone else.” Emily smiled briefly, “Other than Jason. And I know that you weren’t trying to hurt me.”

“I didn’t want to burden anyone,” Elizabeth said softly, staring into her plate. “You see what’s happened to Jason? I knew it would—I knew I’d depend on him if I told him the truth. I didn’t want to do it to you either.”

“Jason doesn’t mind,” Emily said. “He helps because you’re his friend and more importantly, because he loves you.”

Elizabeth bit her lip. “Why? I haven’t given him any reason—I haven’t done anything for him. All I’ve done is complicate his life. Why should he love me?”

Emily sighed. “Why should anyone love another person?” She smiled. “Why does my grandmother stay with my grandfather? Why does my mother continually forgive my father for his affairs? Love is many things, Beth, but none of them logical.”

Elizabeth smiled. “You stole that line.”

Emily grinned. “Cary Elwes was a smart man.”

“I believe William Goldman wrote that,” Elizabeth pointed out.

“But I’m right,” Emily insisted. “You can’t tell yourself you don’t deserve Jason. No one gets to make that decision but Jason. And if Jason didn’t want to help—he wouldn’t.”

“I want you to know that I love you,” Elizabeth said softly. “I love you as my sister—because as far as I’m concerned, you are my sister. You were my sister from the very first day I met you. And you’ve been there for me when Sarah didn’t want to be. I want you to know that the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you.”

Emily cut her pancakes up and put a forkful in her mouth. She swallowed and took a sip of orange juice. “I want you to know….that I already knew that.” She smiled at her. “I know that the decisions you’ve been making about who to tell, who not to tell…none of them are rational thought out decisions. You go to Jason because he provides the comfort you need. I want you to know that you are my sister, too. And yeah, I’m angry at you. But it’s an irrational anger because you can’t control the way you feel. But I am pissed as hell at your father and I really wish you’d give Jason and Sonny the go ahead so we can get rid of him.”

Elizabeth smiled briefly. “Believe me, I’ve thought about it. But in the end…I can’t just have him offed. As easy as it would be…it wouldn’t help me. I need to face this. I need to be able to go to my father and tell him what he did to me. I need to tell him that he didn’t break me—that he didn’t ruin my life. And until I can do that, this won’t be over.”

Emily nodded. “I know. But it would make it easier on the rest of us. I know that’s not fair—but it’s not right that he’s walking around free as a bird because he knows that Jason doesn’t remember and he knows that you’ll never say anything. That’s unfair—that he doesn’t get the same nightmares—that he doesn’t wake up screaming. It’s horribly unfair, Beth, and I’d like to volunteer to show him real terror.”

“You know…” Elizabeth paused and stared off in space. “One night after a nightmare back at home, I sat up and plotted all the ways I could kill him without getting caught. It was right before my birthday and before I left…I guess it was coming down to the line. It was going to be him or me. So I plotted these plans…push him out a window, cut the brake lines…” She trailed off and sighed. “It makes me glad that he told me the truth when he did. Because I’m scared I might have done one of them.”

“But you didn’t, Beth and that’s what matters,” Emily said, reaching out and squeezing her hand. “You got out of the house and you’re here. With people who know the truth and love you. You’ve got this brother who’d do anything for you. I think if you asked Sonny for a star, he’d get it somehow. You’ve got Carly, who’d fight to the death to keep you happy. I really think that. You’ve got AJ, who…” Emily trailed off. “Who seems to make every situation lighter. Because no matter how sad and serious the problem is, AJ says something stupid and everything’s okay again. AJ still carries guilt around—a lot of it’s gone—but it won’t all be gone until Jason’s happy. And, Beth, he’s happy now. And everyone can see it. That’s why he loves you, because you make him happy.” She smiled. “You’ve got Jason, who thinks you’re a strong person, who doesn’t try and control you…he lets you come to him. He loves you, Beth and he’d do anything for you. And, you’ve got me. I’m all those people wrapped into one. I’ll fight anyone for you—and I’ll get you a star if you want. I’ll wait for you to come to me and I’ll steal a line from The Princess Bride. I’ll do all that…” Emily paused and grinned. “Because you’d do that for me. Because we’re not just friends. And we’re not just family. We’re both and that’s better than the two separately. And I want you to know that I will always be here—even if you end up breaking Jason’s heart, even if you never face your father and even if you try and push me out, I’ll be here anyway.”

Elizabeth was crying by the time Emily had finished speaking. She didn’t know what to say—but it didn’t matter. She stood up and pulled Emily to her feet and pulled her into a hug. She didn’t have the words to tell Emily that she was sorry for shutting her out or that Jason made her happy, too. She didn’t know how to tell Emily that sometimes when it got really bad…she didn’t just think of Jason. She did think of him, but she’d remember Emily and AJ, too. She’d remember some silly conversation she and Emily had had or something funny AJ had said. That it wasn’t just Jason that kept her going—that it was him and their friendship.

Because even though Elizabeth couldn’t find the words to tell her all those things, she knew Emily knew them anyway.

Because like Emily said, they weren’t just friends and they weren’t just family. They were both—and that made all the difference.

Author’s Note: The “Love is many things, Beth, none of them logical” is from The Princess Bride. The actual line (in the movie, I can’t remember how it is in the book) “Love is many things, Princess, none of them logical.” It’s spoken by Westley. Both the book and the movie are spiffy and I recommend them. 

Jeff entered Kelly’s, looking for someone he knew who’d know where Elizabeth was living. He needed to find her—needed to make her understand that she couldn’t tell anyone.

Jeff wasn’t proud of the way he’d raised Elizabeth. He knew he’d taken discipline too far sometimes—but every time he saw the girl, he was reminded of Katherine and Mike Corbin. His blood began to boil whenever he thought about the man and the affair he’d had with his wife.

Jeff searched the small diner—but couldn’t find anyone. He left and took a walk down by the docks.

He’d met Katherine Barrington just after she’d left finishing school and they’d been married a year later. He didn’t love her and she didn’t love him, but the match was socially acceptable and the two got along. Sarah and Steven were born within five years.

It was then the marriage began to sour. Katherine began to grow distant, would spend hours staring into space. It had been months before Jeff even noticed, but by the time he had, Katherine was already pregnant with Mike’s child.

Jeff’s eyes flashed as he remembered the day Katherine told him she was leaving him for Mike. She’d actually thought she could get away with it. She had gone—but it had only taken a sum of money and a few idle threats before Mike Corbin disappeared.

He’d expected Katherine to return right away, but it’d been a few months before she did. Jeff still wasn’t sure why he’d wanted the tramp back—maybe it was just to prove to her that no one left Jeff Webber and got away with it.

He’d worn her down and finally, Katherine had moved back home. The child had been born, a lovely little girl that looked like Katherine—with Mike Corbin’s eyes. Jeff had always been irritated when seeing Elizabeth, but it wasn’t until the little girl had been seven years old and had smarted off to him.

Her eyes had flashed and he was reminded of the way her mother had looked the day she’d left him. He’d smacked her straight across the face—and for the first time, his anger had been satisfied. And after a while, disciplining Elizabeth was the only thing that kept Jeff in line.

He’d never loved Elizabeth—and he was sorry if she’d ever had the illusion. Truth be told, Jeff wasn’t sure he loved anyone—including his daughter and son, neither of whom spoke to him anymore. He sure as hell didn’t love Katherine. Katherine didn’t love anyone except herself anyway.

Oh sure, for the first years since Jeff’s discipline of Elizabeth had begun, Katherine might speak up in her defense, but Jeff had taken care of that quickly. He’d threatened to cut Katherine off from the money and throw her out, without any contact with her three children. Katherine had never tried to stop him again.

The only time Jeff was ever worried about the way he’d treated Elizabeth was the morning that he’d caught her sneaking back in her room. When Jason Quartermaine had come to her rescue. For the first time, Jeff worried about Elizabeth and who else she’d told. It quickly became apparent that the Quartermaine boy was her only confidant. And after his accident, Jeff felt like he could breathe again. The boy didn’t remember Elizabeth, much less anything about her father.

Jeff’s anger had gotten worse after that—he’d been furious that Elizabeth had told anyone, much less a Quartermaine. Katherine was withdrawing again—and Jeff discovered that Mike Corbin had returned to town to claim his son, Sonny Corinthos. Shortly before Elizabeth’s eighteenth birthday, Jeff discovered that Katherine and Mike had been meeting again. Worried that Mike might try and claim Elizabeth, Jeff decided to take the initiative.

He’d told Elizabeth the truth and had her thrown out. He’d taken Katherine to Europe and they hadn’t returned until now. Jeff hadn’t expected to run into Elizabeth within his first week—but from the look in her eyes, he could tell she was still terrified.

A terror he could use to ensure that Elizabeth never told anyone again. But first, he had to find her. He knew she lived with Emily Quartermaine—but any information other than that was difficult to come by. Elizabeth had taken her place as Sonny’s sister, and Emily was a close family friend. No one discussed the Corinthos family or their friends for any amount of money, Jeff was quickly beginning to understand.

Because the history between himself and Elizabeth was no one’s business but his and hers. There was no need for anyone to come in and try to convince Elizabeth that it wasn’t her fault. Because Jeff knew it was. She was an illegitimate child he’d been forced to raise to save face. He’d given her his name, the best schools, the best upbringing and she’d still mouthed off to him. She’d provoked him to do everything—it was entirely Elizabeth’s fault.

—-

Emily checked her watch and sighed. Lucky was late. She’d been so excited to see the WSB agent and now he was over twenty minutes late. She sat back on the park bench and crossed her legs. Lucky was only back in town for a little while and she hadn’t seen him for a year. She was anxious to fill him in on all the news. Jason being back, her relationship with Nikolas, the new snobby Deception model that Emily abhorred, the newest Quartermaine family news with Ned’s new baby and the newest illegitimate child, not to mention her relationship with Nikolas.

Emily frowned as she heard laughter drifting her way. She recognized Lucky’s…and the girl with him. She stood and glared as Lucky Spencer emerged from a path—Gia Campbell on his arm. He’d been in town two days and he’d already met Gia?

“Em!” Lucky said, releasing Gia’s arm and wrapping her in a tight hug. “It’s been too long!”

Emily hugged him back, gritting her teeth. “You too! What’s going on?” She pulled away and threw a look at Gia. “How do you know Gia?”

Lucky turned and extended his hand towards the model. “I met Gia in France a few months ago. We’ve been writing each other.”

Emily studied Gia’s face as she stood next to Lucky. The snobby girl…she looked happy. Emily frowned. Did Gia like Lucky that way? “So are you two together?”

Emily gaped as Gia flushed. “Yeah,” she admitted.

Emily grinned at Lucky. “That’s amazing!” She hugged her friend again. “I’m glad you found someone.”

“Actually—” Lucky hesitated. “We need your help.”

Emily gestured towards the bench. They sat down and she turned to him. “What’s up?”

Lucky and Gia exchanged looks. “We’re actually flying to London tonight.”

Emily’s face fell. “But you just got home!”

“I know, Em, and I’m sorry,” Lucky said quickly. “But I’ll only be gone for a few weeks. Gia…and I….well, we’re getting married.”

Emily’s head began to spin. “Wait, I just find out today that not only do you know each other, that you’re getting married…are you two sure?”

Gia nodded firmly. “More than sure,” she said. “I love him.”

Lucky looked at her fondly. “I love her.”

Emily wondered idly if the way they were looking at each other was the way she and Nikolas looked at one other. If so, she and Nikolas needed to discuss the pukage factor. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she said, “All right. What do you need me to do?”

“Run interference with Carly,” Gia said. “I know we don’t get along, Emily, but Carly hates me more than you do. I don’t want to wreck this amazing day by getting into a fight with her.”

“You want me to tell Carly?” Emily said, skeptically. “Do I look like I have a death wish? Why not tell Laura? I mean, she’ll be happy for you.”

Lucky scratched his head. “We just came from there. Dad supports the marriage, but Mom’s a bit upset with Gia.”

Gia bit her lip. “I told her I was giving up my career.”

Emily gaped at her. “Why?”

“I can’t be with Lucky and be a model,” Gia explains. “You know what he does–and I want to be able to be with him. So I’m going to train.”

“You’re going into the WSB?” Emily asked in a hushed voice. “You?”

Gia looked irritated. “What’s that supposed to mean? Just because I’m pretty I can’t be an agent? Felicia Jones is an agent—why am I any different?”

Emily took a deep breath. “Look, the two of you have thrown me for a loop today. You need to give me a few seconds to absorb this.” She fiddled with her purse strap for a few moments. “All right. I’ll run interference with Carly—but you have to promise me that this is what you really want.”

Gia nodded firmly. “I do.”

Lucky grinned. “Thanks. You’re the best.”

“Yeah,” Emily grumbled as they stood. “I am, aren’t I?” She sighed. “If it’s not one thing…it’s another.”

Lucky frowned. Turning to Gia, he said, “Hey…why don’t you give me and Em some time…? I’ll meet you at the club in an hour.”

Gia nodded and kissed him. She disappeared down the path. Emily watched her go.

“You know, I can’t stand her,” Emily murmured. “I never thought you’d end up with her.”

“She was in France a few months ago…doing a shoot. Me and Dad were on assignment—” Lucky stopped and shook his head. “That’s not what’s important. What’s wrong?”

Emily rubbed her eyes. “Everything—but it’s nothing I can tell you.”

“Are you okay?” Lucky asked. “I mean…can you tell me that?”

“Yeah. I’m confused…and…” she paused. “One of my friends…is going through a bad time and I’m trying to be there for her, but I don’t know what to do to help. I mean, I could listen—but she’s got that. And I hate not being able to help,” Emily said.

Lucky took her hand in his and squeezed. “I’m sure your friend knows how much you love her. We can’t always help the people we love.”

“I know. But it doesn’t help me,” Emily muttered. “I also…I’m angry with her—she didn’t tell me—for years…she didn’t let me in. Then she told me and she shut me right out again. And I know it’s a stupid and selfish reason to be angry but I can’t help that.”

Lucky shrugged. “You’re human, Em. You have your own life to lead and no matter how much you want to help, you can’t all the time.”

Emily wrinkled her nose, irritated. “I hate when you make sense.”

Lucky grinned. “I know.”

She hugged him tightly. “Be happy, Lucky.”

He smiled into her hair. “I will.”

—–

Carly’s day wasn’t going half bad. She’d gone to work, managed to avoid Laura Spencer, and had even stopped thinking about Elizabeth for a little while.

She was in the lobby of the Harborview Towers when a man stepped in her path. Slightly irritated but determined not to let it ruin her day, she gave him a bright smile and tried to pass him.

“Do you know which apartment Elizabeth Webber lives in?” the man asked.

Immediately, Carly frowned. “Why? Who are you?”

Jeff Webber stuck out his hand out. “I’m her father. Jeff Webber.”

Carly’s eyes narrowed and glittered angrily. “Is that so? Well, I’m Carly. Carly Corinthos. Sonny’s wife. And Elizabeth’s sister-in-law.”

Jeff froze—and wondered if he was too late for stop Elizabeth from telling anyone. He relaxed—trying not to panic. “Nice to meet you.” His hand wavered in the air a little longer before it became apparent that Carly wasn’t going to take it. “Ah, yes, well, do you know which apartment she’s in?”

“If you’re her father,” Carly said, the disgust dripping from her voice, “then you ought to know.” She took a step closer to him, her face only a breath away. “Stay away from her, if you know what’s good for you. Don’t talk to her, don’t talk about her, don’t even think about her. You’d be better off pretending you’d never met her. Do we understand one another?”

“I raised her,” Jeff argued. “I have a right to her.”

“Your rights ended the day you tossed her out of your house and onto my husband’s doorstep, got it?” Carly stepped back and crossed her arms. “Is there anything else?”

“You can’t keep me from her,” Jeff protested—albeit weakly. He knew that Elizabeth had said something—what he wasn’t sure.

“No…maybe I can’t,” Carly said. She tilted her head to the side. “But Jason can.”

“Jason?” Jeff frowned. Jason Quartermaine?

“You remember Jason,” Carly spit out. “He and Elizabeth were close when they were younger—and they’re just as close now.” She waited a beat. “No secrets between them.”

Jeff took a step back, understanding the meaning of Carly’s words. He stared at her for another moment before turning and leaving.

Carly stared after him and ran a shaky hand through her hair. She turned back towards the elevators.

—-

Elizabeth tucked her feet underneath and sipped her hot chocolate. Jason was next to her going over warehouse invoices. Things had been awkward between them most of the day and she didn’t really understand why. She got the distinct feeling that something was on his mind.

She was considering going home to the apartment tonight. While staying here helped her to sleep, she couldn’t depend on him the rest of her life. She had to stand strong, on her own two feet. She hadn’t even left the penthouse since seeing Jeff a few days ago. She’d been hiding—and she’d told herself that it wasn’t going to happen anymore.

Finally Jason set the papers on the table and turned to her. “We need to talk.”

“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed. “We do.” She sipped her drink, waiting for him to continue.

“I like when you’re here,” Jason started. “And I was wondering—”

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked away. She knew what he was going to ask and she didn’t want him to finish the question. Because she knew she had to say no. It’d be all too easy to move in with him and let him protect her from everything—including seeing Jeff. And as tempting as it was, she knew that it wouldn’t help in the end. Because all she would be doing is delaying the inevitable.

“Jason, wait,” she cut in before he could finish. “I know what you’re going to ask.”

“You do?” Jason asked, hesitantly.

“You’re asking me to move in,” Elizabeth stated. Jason nodded, confirming it. She sighed. “You know I want to, right? That there’s nothing I’d like more.”

“But?” Jason prompted.

“But,” Elizabeth continued, “I’d feel like I was taking the easy way out and that’s not what I want to do. I could move in—and I could continue to hole up here where Jeff Webber can’t touch me—but that’s not going to solve my problems.” She took a deep breath. “The only way to solve my problem is show him that he’s not going to rule my life, that he hasn’t won. And that means going home, going back to work, taking my life back.”

“I understand.”

“Do you?” she asked. “Do you really? Because the last I want to do is hurt you, Jason. You’re too important to me.”

“I do understand,” Jason answered. “And I even agree. I want to help, that’s all. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Elizabeth said quietly. She met his eyes. “But doesn’t mean I still don’t want to see you. Just that…we can’t move as fast as we’d like. I have a lot of things to work through…”

“I know.” Jason took her hand in his. “And I’ll do whatever you need.”

“No matter what it is?” Elizabeth asked, hesitantly.

“Anything,” Jason said, firmly.

Emily passed Elizabeth’s slightly open door and paused. She slid it open and looked in. Elizabeth was sleeping in her own bed for the first time in nearly a week. She frowned. Not a good sign.

Nikolas came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “What’s wrong?”

“Beth’s home,” Emily replied, pulling the door shut. She turned to face him. “She hasn’t spent the night here since last Friday.”

“She’s not allowed to come home?” Nikolas asked. He led her down the hallway and towards the kitchen.

“It’s not that. It’s just…I guess I thought she’d be staying with Jase a little longer.” Emily reached into the fridge and pulled out the carton of eggs and a package of bacon. “Will you start the toast?”

“Sure.” Nikolas opened the cabinet and removed the loaf of bread.

As Emily started frying the bacon, she looked at Nikolas and felt a little guilty. Last night had been her first night back at the apartment since Saturday. She’d fully expected Elizabeth to stay another few days. She wondered if Nikolas felt left out. She knew her friendship with her brothers and Elizabeth could be intimidating—it was like this whole separate thing that was difficult to share with other people. Add to the fact Nikolas had no idea what Elizabeth was going through and that she’d been neglecting him…it made her feel all the more guilty.

“What’s wrong?” Nikolas’s voice broke Emily’s train of thought.

Emily flipped the bacon and turned to him. “What?”

“You’ve got that look on your face. What’s wrong?”

Emily sighed. She moved the bacon around; the sizzling sound was oddly comforting. “I’m just feeling guilty. You’re so good to put up with me.”

“Why do you say that?” Nikolas asked, pulling the finished toast out of the toaster and putting more bread in.

“Because I’ve been spending so much time with Beth and Jason these last few weeks…because I haven’t been able to tell you what’s going on,” Emily murmured. She started putting the bacon on the plate.

“Well…I’ll admit,” Nikolas began, pulling a butter knife out of the drawer. “I’ll admit that I have been a little irritated.” He started buttering the toast. “But I know something’s wrong with Liz. And I know she’s your best friend. So I do understand.”

Emily cracked two eggs into another frying pan. “You’re amazing, do you know that?” She sprinkled some salt and pepper onto it. “I mean, most guys would have, like, made ultimatums by now.”

Nikolas put the butter down and pulled Emily into his arms. “Listen, Quartermaine,” he began. “One of the things I love most about you is that you do drop everything when a friend needs you. You have such a big heart and I know how much Liz means to you. And how much being with your brothers means to you. I also know that asking you to choose between me and them…that would be a dumb thing…because I know I wouldn’t win.”

Emily kissed him softly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He glanced at the eggs. “You’d better get back to those.”

Emily smiled and turned back to flip the eggs. After a few more minutes, she put them on a plate and cracked two more in.

“So, Em…I’ve been thinking,” Nikolas said, buttering more toast.

“Dangerous past time,” Emily murmured, grinning at him.

“I leave for school in a few weeks,” Nikolas continued ignoring her comment.

“I know,” Emily said, wrinkling her nose. “And you won’t be home until Thanksgiving.”

“Hey, we made it through last year,” Nikolas reminded her. “And we need to work out the weekends I’m coming home and the ones you’re coming down.”

Emily nodded, flipping the eggs. “Yep.”

“And I was thinking…I graduate in two years.”

“Yes…?” Emily prompted. She put the eggs on another plate. “You done with the toast?”

“You’re not going to make any for Liz?”

Emily shook her head. “She doesn’t eat eggs.”

“I’m done then.” Nikolas grabbed that and the plate of bacon. They moved to the table and Emily got them glasses of orange juice. “Anyway, like I was saying…maybe after that…we could…”

“Could what?” Emily asked, sipping her orange juice.

“Get married,” Nikolas finished in a rush.

Emily stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah….” Nikolas hesitated. “Unless you don’t want to…and then it’s a complete joke.”

Emily grinned. “Of course I want to!”

Nikolas let out a relived breath and grinned back to her. “But I want to make this clear—this isn’t the official proposal…we’re just discussing it.”

“Oooh, we’re saving that huh?” Emily asked.

“I want it to be perfect.”

Emily tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Will you be there?”

“Uh huh.”

“And I’ll be there.”

“Right.”

“Then it’ll be perfect,” Emily said firmly.

—-

Carly glared at the answering machine. “You stupid little twit.”

“Uh, Mrs. Corinthos?” Elton asked, poking his head in the door. “The photographer called. Ms. Campbell hasn’t shown.”

“And she’s not going to,” Carly said, gritting her teeth. “Laura just left me a message. The little brat took off to London last night to elope with Laura’s son.”

“Laura’s son?” Elton said. “I thought he was dating Miss Quartermaine. Pity, she’s a lovely girl.”

“Not Nikolas. Lucky,” Carly clarified. “We just launched her on Friday! How could she do this!”

Emily poked her head in the office. “Hey, I guess you’ve heard.”

“You knew?” Carly demanded.

“Found out yesterday.” Emily wrinkled her nose. “Never saw Gia as Lucky’s type.”

Carly glared at the prints of Gia that were on her desk. “What am I supposed to do now?” she demanded. “We need a Face and we went through dozens of applicants. Gia was the best for the job!”

“And now she’s gone,” Emily said. “I know it sucks.”

“That stupid….” Carly trailed off and studied Emily. “You know, you’re a pretty girl.”

“Wait…what?” Emily stared at Carly like she’d grown a third head. Suddenly, Carly’s intentions became clear. “Oh, no…no, no…”

Carly stood and smiled. “Yes, yes, yes. I don’t know why we didn’t see this before! Emily, you’re gorgeous! You’d be perfect!”

“Carly, you’re nuts.”

“Please, Em!” Carly pleaded. “Just do a test shoot! It’d only be until we found someone else! Please!”

Emily sighed. “If I do this…test shoot…and I suck, you’ll drop it right?”

Carly nodded eagerly. “Definitely. But you won’t suck, I promise.”

Emily folded her arms, irritated. “I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into this.” She checked her watch. “Listen, I need to go. AJ’s coming back today, and me and Jase are meeting him at Kelly’s.”

“Liz isn’t?”

Emily paused at the door. “Beth isn’t home. She was sleeping there when I got up, but when I got back from walking Nikolas out of the building, she was gone. I checked with my brother, but she’s not there either.”

Carly frowned. “Didn’t you sleep at home last night?”

“So did Beth,” Emily replied.

“She went home and Jason hasn’t seen her since?” Carly asked. Her frown deepened. “That can’t be a good sign.”

“She’s had a rough week,” Emily said. “I don’t think we should analyze her actions.”

Carly nodded. “You’re right.”

“Anyway, I’d better get going. I just stopped by to let you know about Gia. See ya.”

—-

Emily entered Kelly’s and spied her brothers sitting at a table. “Hey!”

AJ stood to receive his sister’s hug. “Hey!”

Emily pulled away and they say down. “You’re back for the rest of the summer, right?”

“Right,” AJ confirmed. “How are things here?”

Emily looked at Jason. “Did you tell him yet?”

Jason shook his head. “I was waiting for you.”

“What’s going on?” AJ asked, looking at them. He turned his head back towards the door. “Where’s Liz?”

Emily bit her lip. “Beth…Jeff Webber’s back in town.”

AJ’s fists clenched on the table. “Did she see him?”

Jason looked away. “Yeah. She didn’t take it well.”

Emily tucked her hair behind her ears. “I’m worried about her, quite frankly. She had a rough first night and then seemed to be coming back a little. But she’s disappeared today and no one’s seen her.” Emily looked to Jason. “Why did she come home last night?”

Jason looked down at the table. “She’s—uh—trying to get her life back on track. Going back to the apartment, going to work, etc.”

“That’s a good thing,” AJ said. “Right?”

“But Webber’s still in town,” Emily replied. “How can we keep him from seeing her?”

“He’s looking for her,” Jason said, his teeth clenched. “He came to the Towers last night. Carly fended him off.”

“What in the hell does he want?” Emily demanded. “So help me god when I see him…” She shook her head. “It doesn’t do any good to think about that. We’ll only make ourselves go nuts.”

“You’re right,” AJ agreed. “We’ll wait until Liz is here.” He took a deep breath. “We still planning on stopping by the mansion?”

“Yes,” Emily said. “In fact, Mom and Dad are still probably at the hospital, so the best time would be to go now.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jason asked as the trio stood. “The last time you and Grandfather were in the same room…”

AJ shrugged. “I went to see him in the hospital when he had the heart attack. If it hadn’t been for Dad, I might have patched it up with the old man.”

“Well, we’d better get going. Wouldn’t want to run into the rest of the family,” Emily said.

—

They called from the car so Lila was waiting in the living room when they arrived. The three of them sat down after greeting her.

“Where’s Grandfather?” Emily asked.

Lila laughed. “Old fool wanted to wait until you got here. He wanted to make sure you really wanted to see him.”

Emily laughed. “Where is he? Is he on the terrace?”

Edward Quartermaine entered—from the terrace doors. “Hello.”

Emily stood and for the first time since she moved out, she hugged her grandfather tightly. “It’s good to see you.”

Jason shook his hand and then AJ stood.

“Hello,” Edward said.

“Grandfather,” AJ said stiffly.

“I’ve forgiven you for blackmailing me,” Edward said firmly.

“And I’m pretty much over the whole wanting to get me arrested thing,” AJ replied.

“As long as we’re straight,” Edward replied. The siblings reseated themselves and Edward took a seat in the chair across from Lila. “I’m very glad to have the three of you here.”

“We’re glad to be here,” Emily replied, sincerely. “I’ve missed coming here.”

“It’s been a lonely place since you moved out, dear,” Edward said. “I didn’t realize how much I was used to greeting you and Elizabeth after school.” He looked around. “Where is she? I’ve hardly seen Jason without her.”

Jason looked at him oddly. “You’ve only seen me once since I’ve been back.”

“Around the town,” Edward clarified. He cleared his throat. “Her father and mother are living in their home again.”

“We know,” AJ said, stiffly.

“I’ve never liked Jeff Webber,” Edward mused. “Very cold man, didn’t have a lot of affection in him.”

Jason studied his grandfather and wondered if Elizabeth’s suspicions about Edward knowing about the abuse were right. Edward saw Jeff only socially and in business meetings. Was it possible?

“I don’t like him either,” AJ replied. “I think that’s the first thing we’ve agreed on.”

“Has he seen Elizabeth?” Edward asked.

Emily and AJ traded looks. “Why?”

“I know that he and Elizabeth didn’t get along—I know she’s not fond of him. He came here. Wanting to know where she lived. Alan told him she was at the Towers, but I cut him off before he said anything else.”

“Thanks,” Jason said gratefully. “And he has seen her.”

“Poor girl. She’s lucky—she’s not his biological daughter,” Edward said firmly. “But Corinthos and his wife—they seem to take good care of her.”

“They do,” Emily assured him. “Elizabeth couldn’t ask for a better family.”

“Make sure she knows she’s always welcome here,” Lila said. “We consider her part of the family.”

“I’m sorry,” AJ said suddenly. All eyes turned on him. “I’m sorry I ever took a drink. I’d do anything to take back what I’ve done to this family. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right, darling,” Lila said, reaching to pat his hand. “No one blames you.”

AJ’s eyes shifted to Edward. “That true?”

Edward shifted in his seat. “Yes. It took a long time…but it’s true for me. What happened to this family…we let it happen. We self-destructed. We let the three of you walk away and until my…episode two years ago…I was ready to believe it was it was all your fault. But since then, I’ve had a lot time to think. I’m…I’m not as young as I used to be.” He suddenly glared at them. “But I’m not going to be dying any time soon.”

Emily grinned. “I believe that.”

“But I’d like to have my grandchildren and their family around me. So, I’m ready to bury the hatched if you are, AJ.”

AJ stuck his hand out. “Deal.”

Edward shook it. “Welcome home.”

Elizabeth didn’t contact anyone the entire day and she didn’t come home that night either. Emily came home after dinner with her grandparents that night to find a message on her machine.

Em, it’s me. I’ll be out until tomorrow. I’ll see you when I get in.

Emily frowned as she rewound the tape. She doubted that she was at Jason’s.

When Elizabeth resurfaced the next day, she asked Jason to meet her at Kelly’s. She hadn’t been back there since seeing Jeff but she felt she was ready to face the place again.

Jason was waiting when Elizabeth arrived. He was seated at the same table outside that they’d sat at almost a month ago, agreeing to take things slow. She took a seat across from him and smiled.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” He hesitated. “Em was worried about you yesterday.”

Elizabeth looked away. “I’m sorry I missed AJ’s homecoming. I woke up yesterday and felt like I needed to write. So I packed my laptop and two spare batteries and went up to Vista Point.” She smiled at him. “I wrote until my batteries quit and then I just stayed there. I think I just needed some time by myself.”

Jason nodded. “Next time…give her a head’s up. Or someone.”

“Agreed.”

The waitress came then and the two ordered. When she’d gone back inside, Elizabeth leaned forward. “Emily told me you saw Edward and Lila. How did it go?”

Jason folded her arms across the table. “It was a bit awkward at first—Grandfather’s not the same at all. He’s….” he searched for the right word but finally shrugged. “I don’t know exactly—but he’s a far cry from the guy I met after the accident. But AJ and Grandfather agreed to put it behind them. He even said welcome home to AJ.”

“I’m glad you’re getting along again,” Elizabeth said sincerely. “I told you that I’ve always liked Edward, even if I didn’t agree with the way he handled the situation.”

Jason hesitated. “Do you remember what you said about him knowing?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

“I think you’re right,” Jason replied. “He’d seen Jeff. Jeff’s been looking for you.”

Elizabeth’s face froze and she looked at the table quickly. “Why?” she whispered.

Jason reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “I don’t know. But he’s not going to get to you. He went to the mansion to get Emily’s address. Alan gave him Harborview Towers, but Edward stepped in before he could say anything else.”

Elizabeth was visibly relieved. “I guess he does know.”

“He suspects something,” Jason agreed. “But it’s up to you to ask if he knows for sure.”

“Did my father show up at the Towers?” Elizabeth asked softly.

Jason nodded. “Carly headed him off. Made it clear who she was and that if he didn’t stay away, I’d keep him away. She told him we were close—that there were no secrets.” Jason gave her small smile. “If it helps, he looked absolutely terrified or so Carly tells me.”

“He hated that you knew,” Elizabeth said quietly. “I think that’s the only reason he didn’t lay a hand on me after the morning we were caught. You were Quartermaine, after all. He knew that if you said anything, your word would be taken over his. He was terrified you’d say something.”

“He should be terrified now,” Jason growled. “I’ll do more than report him if he comes near you.”

Elizabeth smiled weakly. “Thanks. But he lives in town and he’s looking for me.” She frowned. “Please…don’t get into any confrontations with him. I don’t need him to give Taggart a reason to haul you in. And you know he wouldn’t think twice.”

“I won’t,” Jason assured her.

Elizabeth tensed suddenly. She heard footsteps behind her and a shiver went down her back. He was behind her—she knew it.

At Elizabeth’s stricken expression, Jason looked around before settling on a man behind her. He’d never seen Elizabeth’s father, but from her face, he knew it had to be him.

Jeff Webber stepped further into the courtyard. “Hello, Lizzie. Jason—it’s good to see you.”

Jason stood so quickly Elizabeth didn’t see him move. But he was out of his chair and between Elizabeth and Jeff almost instantaneously. “Don’t come any closer.”

Jeff stopped and looked around him to Elizabeth. “Lizzie-”

Jason stepped to the side to shield Elizabeth from his view. “Don’t speak to her.”

“You can’t tell me what to do,” Jeff said, angrily. “She’s my daughter!”

Elizabeth hesitantly stepped to Jason’s side. ‘”I’m not your daughter,” she all but whispered.

Jason looked down, surprised to hear her speak. He put his hand on the small of her back, as if for encouragement.

“The hell you’re not!” Jeff snapped, taking a step closer. “I paid for you, I raised—”

“Stop right there,” Jason growled. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

Jeff ignored him and took another step. “You obviously haven’t changed a bit, Lizzie. Still as ungrateful as ever—”

As Jeff came closer, Elizabeth shrank back. Jason grabbed Jeff by the shirt collar and shoved him back.

“Stay away from her!”

Jeff glared at Elizabeth. “So you went and told him again, didn’t you Lizzie? He can’t help you—not now anymore more than he could then.”

Jason’s jaw twitched. He wanted to slam the man through a brick wall but he’d promised Elizabeth he’d avoid a confrontation and it was taking all of his self-control to keep him in line. “Get out of here.”

“Who else did you tell?” Jeff demanded, his fists clenched at his side and his face twisted in fury. “They’re lies and you know it!”

Elizabeth took a step back, the sound of his angry voice bringing back memories she had no inclination to face again. “They’re not lies,” she whispered, covering her ears. “They’re not.”

“We’re leaving,” Jason said. He took Elizabeth’s arm, grabbed her purse from the table. “I’m warning you—make one step in her direction again and you won’t live to regret it.”

He led Elizabeth out of the courtyard and towards his bike. As soon as Jeff was gone from view, her knees buckled and Jason had to act fast to catch her before she hit the ground.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, clinging to him. “He got to me again…I let him…”

“Let’s go.” Jason helped her onto the bike. “Do you want to go anywhere?”

“I don’t care,” Elizabeth whispered, her voice thick. “I just have to get away from here.”

—-

He brought her back to the penthouse. Jason practically had to carry her from the parking garage to his apartment. He helped her to the couch.

“Is there anything you need?” he asked, crouching in front of her. “I can get Emily or Sonny or Carly.”

She hugged herself and shook her head. “No. I just—I just need a few minutes.” Elizabeth looked up. “I didn’t fall into my habit.”

“What?”

“I didn’t pretend to be the perfect daughter,” Elizabeth said softly. “That’s the first time I ever…that I didn’t pretend he was the perfect father.”

“You see…you’re already stronger,” Jason said gently. He moved to sit next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into him. “You did so good—I’m proud of you.”

“But I still cowered…” Elizabeth said, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. “He was yelling and all I could do was stand there—I was so scared, Jason. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there.”

“I’m glad I was.” He smoothed her hair down. “I just wished I could have smashed his face in.”

She smiled despite her tears. “I wish that, too. But it wouldn’t solve anything. His voice would still terrify me. Why can’t I let this go?”

He didn’t know how to answer her—so he just held her as she cried.

—-

Sonny was whistling when he entered the penthouse later that afternoon. He called for Carly immediately.

Carly came down the steps with a curious look on her face. “What are you up to?”

“I need you to plan a party,” Sonny announced. “I talked to Jason this morning. The partnership has been officially filed with all the right parties. And I think a good party would cheer us all up.”

Carly’s face lit up. “Really? You want me to plan it?”

Sonny could see the ideas forming in her head already. “Yup. I’m going over to his penthouse now—I want to see if he’s heard from Liz.”

Carly frowned. “She’s been staying with him hasn’t she?”

Sonny shook his head. “She went home yesterday night. And she was gone on some errand all day. I want to see if she’s okay. I don’t want to ask her—she might try and hide it.”

Carly nodded. “I’ll give Elton a call while you’re gone. He’s the best at this, you know.”

Sonny grimaced. “Elton annoys me.”

Carly waved her hand in dismissal. “He’s still the best.”

—-

Sonny raised his hand to knock on Jason’s door just as a scream ripped through the air. Without hesitating, Sonny threw the door open.

Elizabeth was on the couch, her face pure white. She was sitting straight up, her eyes practically bulging out of her face. Jason was seated next to her, trying to calm her down.

“What’s going on?” Sonny demanded. Carly arrived about then—nearly crashing into Sonny’s back.

“Elizabeth, it’s okay,” Jason said, ignoring the couple in the door. He gripped her shoulders. “Look at me. You’re safe, you’re with me. Look at me.”

Finally, Elizabeth’s eyes focused on him and they lost that glazed look. Her breathing started to even out and her eyes returned to normal shape. “Jason?”

“I’m here,” Jason said, gently. He rubbed her arms, trying to warm the ice cold skin. “It’s okay. You’re all right.”

She nodded numbly and pulled her knees up to her chest. “I hate him,” she whispered.

“Jason?” Carly asked hesitantly. She took a step forward. “She saw him again didn’t she?”

Jason didn’t turn to look at them. “It’s okay. I hate him, too.”

She looked at him and laughed weakly, the laughter turning to tears almost instantly. “It’s not fair,” she whispered, brokenly. “Why does he scare me like this? I’ve faced down people with guns—I laughed in Verruchio’s face—why does Jeff Webber terrify me?”

Carly was at the couch by now. She took a seat. “Honey, what’s going on?”

Elizabeth looked at her with sad eyes. “I saw him,” she breathed. “He was at Kelly’s…and he was yelling at me…”

Sonny looked to Jason. “Where were you?”

Jason gritted her teeth. “Standing between them. She made me promise not to get into a confrontation with him. I got her out of there as quickly as possible.”

Sonny nodded. “I want a permanent guard on her.” He pulled his cell phone out to make the call. “I want her notified if he’s within fifty feet of where she is.” He stepped out into the hall to finish the call.

Carly rubbed Elizabeth’s shin, trying to be of some comfort. “I wish I’d been there. I’d have smashed his teeth in.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “It wouldn’t have done any good He would have done it anyway.”

Carly traded looks with Jason. “Sweetie, you know…you know you can get this taken care of.”

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked away. “I know. But I think my method’s going to be a little different than what you have in mind.

“Liz?” Carly questioned curiously.

Elizabeth stared at the kitchen doorway. “This town…it’s not big enough for me to hide from him and I can’t…I can’t be around him. I’ll go insane if I have to be.” She met Carly’s eyes but avoided Jason’s. “I think I have to leave Port Charles.”

—-

The next day, Jason knocked on the door to the Quartermaine mansion. He was still running Elizabeth’s words through his mind.

I think I have to leave Port Charles.

No amount of convincing from either of them had deterred Elizabeth’s way of thinking. She only promised to think about it a little more before she made any permanent decisions. She couldn’t leave. Jason knew she’d want to go alone and he couldn’t stay in this town without her.

The door swung open and Jason saw Alan Quartermaine for the first time since returning to Port Charles.

“Jason!” Alan’s face was delighted but Jason’s remained impassive.

“Are Grandmother and Grandfather here?” Jason asked.

“They’re out on the terrace.” Alan stepped aside to let his son in. “You’re looking well.”

Jason turned to face him. He studied the man who was biologically his father. He’d hated him since the accident—since he’d tried to have AJ thrown in jail and had pushed Jason to be someone he couldn’t be. But after meeting Jeff Webber head on, Jason was ready to consider that no father could be as bad as Jeff.

“Thanks,” Jason said finally. He shifted. “How’s Monica?”

Alan’s face tensed. “As far as I know, she’s good. How’s Emily?”

“Emily’s fine,” Jason answered shortly. He hesitated. “And since you didn’t ask—so’s AJ.”

“He still sober?” Alan demanded.

“Yeah,” Jason said. “Four years now.”

Alan’s face showed his surprised. “He still married?”

“Yep. Three years,” Jason replied. “I’d better go.” He turned towards the terrace entrance in the living room.

“Jason—”

Jason turned towards Alan. “Yeah?”

“Tell Emily and AJ I said hello.”

Jason stared at him for a few moments then finally nodded. “I’ll do that.”

Elizabeth walked hesitantly up to the gates that led to the Webber Estate. She wasn’t sure exactly why she was here—it wasn’t to talk to Jeff, that was for sure. After what had happened yesterday, she knew she wasn’t ready for that.

She felt horrible about what she was doing to Jason. The look on his face when she mentioned leaving—she’d do anything to take the hurt look away. But she couldn’t help it—the mere sight of Jeff Webber terrified her to the very core. To exist in the same town with him…it was something Elizabeth didn’t know if she was ready for.

She knew she was strong—she had made it through the last five years by herself. But she couldn’t control herself when Jeff was around. Sure, with Jason standing right next to her, she was able to stand up to him a little. But…when Jason wasn’t there and she was by herself, Elizabeth knew….she just knew that she wouldn’t be that strong. She’d cower, she’d shrink back…she’d fall into her old routine.

And everything in her was just screaming to get away from him. Even now, standing in front of the house she’d lived in for eighteen years…she wanted to turn and run.

But she couldn’t. She had to stand here and fight this. She didn’t want to leave—she wanted to stay—with Jason. With Carly and Sonny. With Emily. She wanted to be the strong person she’d been before. The woman who’d stared Frank Verruchio in the face and laughed. Who’d kicked doors in and shot men to keep Jason safe. She briefly wondered if maybe she’d left that woman at the safe house.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and begged the memories to stay away. She didn’t want to hear his voice and she didn’t want to feel his hands. She heard a twig snap and she whirled around. She backed up until the gate was at her back. She was cornered.

And Jeff Webber was standing in front of her, a sneer on his face.

“Well, Lizzie. Here to see your mother?”

Mutely, Elizabeth shook her head. She could feel the violent trembling that seemed to control her when Jeff was within fifty feet.

Jeff took a step closer. “Where’s your little body guard?” He came closer and closer. Elizabeth willed herself to move. To run! But her mind was frozen in fear. “Not here, is he?”

“Please, leave me alone,” Elizabeth whispered, trying back up. The bars of the gates were digging into her back. Jeff was close enough for her to feel his breath.

Jeff grabbed her arm and jerked her away from the fence. She went sprawling onto the ground. Instinct kicked in and she began to crawl away frantically. He grabbed her ankle and dragged her back.

“Stop!” she cried. He flipped her over, and kneeled next to her.

“You know what, Lizzie?” Jeff asked, leaning down close to her. He wrapped his hand around her pale and slender throat. Her eyes widened as his hand tightened. “I could kill you right now. Do you know how easy this would be?”

Elizabeth brought her hands up to claw frantically at his hands as she started to feel dizzy.

“And no one would miss you…no one cares about you, Lizzie. And the last face you’ll ever see is mine.”

Suddenly, Elizabeth sat straight up and began screaming. Her hands flew to her throat. She could still feel his hands. And she was still screaming.

She was still screaming when Johnny burst into Jason’s penthouse; when Carly and Sonny rushed in. She was still screaming as Sonny knelt beside her. He took her by her shoulders and tried to get to focus.

But Elizabeth didn’t hear any of them. She didn’t see any of them. All she could see was Jeff Webber’s face. All she could hear was Jeff Webber’s voice.

And all she could feel was Jeff Webber’s hands around her throat.

She was kept screaming until her voice was too hoarse to continue. And still, her mouth was open in a silent scream. Tears streamed down her face. And her hands were still clutching her throat. She was digging at it, trying to get Jeff to let go.

Carly was almost hysterical herself and nearly didn’t hear Sonny’s command to call 911 and find Jason. She called 911. And then she tried Jason’s cell phone. He was at the Quartermaines and said he’d meet them at the hospital. Carly called Emily, but she was out. She left a message on her cell.

Elizabeth was still digging at her throat, her mouth open in a silent scream, her eyes glazed over.

And all Carly wanted to do was grab a shotgun and hunt Jeff Webber down.

—-

The elevator doors couldn’t open fast enough for Jason. Before they were even open all the way, he was halfway down the hall towards the emergency room. Carly and Sonny were in the waiting room.

“Where is she? What’s happened?” Jason demanded, out of breath. He’d run from the parking lot all the way here.

Carly was shaking. “She was screaming so bad,” she whispered. She looked to Sonny. “I’ve never heard anything like that. She wouldn’t stop screaming.”

Sonny cleared his throat. “She had another nightmare. She was so loud that we heard her over in the next penthouse.”

Jason sat down and put his head in his hands. “I shouldn’t have left her alone. I thought…I thought I’d be back before she woke up. She’d been asleep all day, not one nightmare. Not since yesterday.”

“It’s not your fault,” Carly said, quietly, putting an around his shoulders. “You know that right?”

“I was at the Quartermaines…” Jason raised his head and looked at Sonny. “When we saw Jeff yesterday, he accused her of lying. And it got me thinking…if Elizabeth ever goes public with this, she’ll need people backing her up. And if my grandparents are on her side, he can’t very well call her a liar.”

“It’s a good idea,” Carly said, faintly.

“My grandfather…he does know.” Jason rubbed his eyes. “He never said anything—but he saw Jeff hitting her once. He knew, but there wasn’t much he could do.”

Dr. Scanlon came out from behind a curtain. “Mr. Corinthos?”

Sonny sprang to his feet, Carly and Jason following suit. “Is she okay?”

“We have her heavily sedated,” Dr. Scanlon replied. “We had to bandage her throat, but she’s all right. She’s sleeping now.”

Sonny breathed a sigh of relief while Jason looked bewildered. “Bandage her throat?”

“She was scratching at it,” Carly said quietly. “Like she had someone’s hands around her throat.”

“Can we take her home?” Sonny asked urgently.

Dr. Scanlon nodded. “I’d recommend she make an appointment to see Gail Baldwin or Kevin Collins. She was hard to calm down.” He took a deep breath. “Do your best to keep her calm. Avoid stress.”

—-

“Avoid stress,” Carly muttered as Jason carried Elizabeth into Sonny’s penthouse. “Like that’s possible.”

“The guest room,” Sonny said to Jason who headed up the stairs. He turned to Carly. “That’s why she’s staying here. With Johnny on the door, no one gets in so if Jeff Webber finds her, he can’t touch her. Not to mention, someone is always going to be here.”

Carly hugged herself. “She said she wanted to leave Port Charles, Sonny. Maybe…” she paused. “As much as I want to tell her to stay and fight…” She looked to Sonny. “Maybe she’d be happier somewhere else.”

—-

Jason laid Elizabeth gently on the bed and pulled the covers over her. He couldn’t tear his eyes from the white bandages that adorned her throat. He wanted to find Jeff Webber and squeeze the life out of the monster. But it wouldn’t solve any thing.

He took her hand and held it tightly. “I am so sorry that I wasn’t there. I told you I’d protect you—but I don’t know how to do it anymore. I know you think running is going help this….but you can’t leave. You can’t leave me. We just found each other—and you can’t do that.”

He kissed the inside of her palm and sighed. If Elizabeth left town, he’d follow her. He was sure of that now.

There was a knock at the door. Jason reluctantly let go of Elizabeth’s hand and stood to open the door. Emily’s tear streaked face stood in front of him. “Is she okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Jason said, opening the door. “It was a bad one, Em.”

Emily looked at Elizabeth’s still form and bandaged throat. “Oh, Jesus, Jason. What are we going to do?”

Jason shook his head slowly. “I don’t know, Emily. I have no idea.”

—-

Elizabeth rolled over in bed and opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was blurry and she couldn’t speak through the scratchiness of her throat. She vaguely made out a passed out Jason on the chair next to her.

She sat up and blinked a few times. When she’d gone to sleep, she hadn’t been in the guest room of Sonny’s penthouse. She’d been on the couch at Jason’s. She felt something on her throat and her hand flew up to investigate. She had a bandage covering most of it.

She rubbed her eyes. She must have had another nightmare—it had probably been a bad one.

Elizabeth swung her legs over the side of the bed and rolled her shoulders, trying to work the kinks out. She crept out of the room slowly as to not disturb Jason.

Carly and Emily were sitting down stairs when Elizabeth came down. They were on the couch, conversing quietly but when they heard her steps they turned.

“Hey,” Carly said with false cheeriness. “Look who’s up?”

Elizabeth didn’t say anything until she seated herself on the opposite couch. “What happened?”

“Listen, Liz, you don’t—”

“What happened?” Elizabeth repeated, cutting Carly off.

Carly and Emily exchanged glances and Carly sighed. “You were screaming. We heard you clear over here…Johnny burst into Jason’s and we were right behind him. We couldn’t calm you down. You…you just kept screaming and crying and digging out your throat.”

Without thinking, Elizabeth’s hand flew up to cover the bandage. “I went to the hospital again, didn’t I?”

Carly nodded miserably. “Yeah. Jason was so upset with himself for not being there. Is he still asleep?”

Elizabeth nodded numbly. She couldn’t do this anymore. “I’m never going to get over this, am I?” she whispered.

Emily desperately wanted to say she would, but she knew she couldn’t. She exchanged a helpless glance with Carly. “Beth—”

“It’s never going to be over,” Elizabeth continued quietly, her voice thick. “I’m going to hear him the rest of my life.” She stood abruptly. “I have to get out of here.”

Carly stood. “You know what? Me, too. Let’s go out to dinner.”

Elizabeth shook her head, vehemently. “I need to leave town. I can’t be in the same place as him—I can’t. I need—”

“Liz, please,” Carly said, but Elizabeth was working herself up to a point of hysteria.

“I can’t be here. I have to go, Carly, don’t you understand? He can find me. He can haunt me—it’s never going to be over. I need to go!”

“Beth—” Emily tried to cut in.

Elizabeth was trembling. “It’s not fair to you. To any of you. To wonder the next time you’re going to have to calm me down or take me to the hospital.” She looked up to the ceiling. “I have to leave—I can’t keep doing this. I love you too much. I’m ruining your lives…don’t you see?”

“Elizabeth,” Carly said, putting her hands on her shoulders. Elizabeth shrugged out of her grasp and moved across the room.

“And what about what I’m doing to Jason?” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. “What kind of life am I confining him to? Baby-sitting me? That’s not fair to him—”

“You don’t get to decide that,” Emily cut in.

“Yes, I do.” Elizabeth turned. “I have to leave—don’t you understand? I have to!”

“Don’t run because you’re scared!” Carly said, desperately. She flicked her eyes to the stairs. Jason. She needed Jason to talk Elizabeth out of this.

“I’m never going to escape this!” Elizabeth started cracking her knuckles as she paced the room. “He’s always going to be waiting—and I can’t keep depending on the people I love. The only way to do this is stand on my own—not let anyone in. I can’t—”

“Beth, stop it!” Emily cried. “You’re not thinking rationally—”

“I have to do this!” Elizabeth cried, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was hoarse and it hurt to speak but Elizabeth continued anyway. “I have to! I can’t…I can’t be here anymore!”

Sonny entered the penthouse. “Liz—”

“I have to go, Sonny,” Elizabeth said quickly, making an attempt to dart past him and out the door.

Sonny blocked her. “Whoa, hold on, honey.”

“I have to go!” Elizabeth was now hysterical. “I’m quitting my job and I’m leaving town!”

“Whoa, whoa!” Sonny said. He closed the door. “Liz, sweetheart, we need to discuss this—”

“There’s nothing to discuss!” Elizabeth cried. “This is my life and this is what I need to do!”

“What’s going on?” Jason asked, coming down the steps. “Elizabeth—”

“I have to go!” Elizabeth cried. “Please, Jason—you promised me you let me do whatever I needed to do. I need to do this!”

Jason stared at her, stunned. “Elizabeth!”

“You promised me!” Elizabeth said, her voice suddenly quiet and pleading. “You said anything…please, Jason. I have to go.”

“Go where?” Jason asked. He had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at her from across the room. “Where are you going to go?”

“Anywhere!” Elizabeth said, desperately. “You have to make them understand—you promised me! You said you’d do anything I needed…I need you to let me do this!”

Jason just stared at her. Finally, he shook his head slowly. “I can’t.”

She stared him, the tears streaming down her face. She looked around the room. From Carly’s tear-stained face, to Emily’s stricken one, to Jason’s determined expression and finally to her brother. Sonny’s expression was unreadable. “I’m going to my apartment,” Elizabeth said finally. “I need…I need to be alone.”

And before anyone could stop her, she’d jerked the door open and she was gone.

AJ barely waited until the penthouse door was completely open before barreling in. “All right, I’m here. What’s going on?”

He stopped in his tracks at the sight of the people around him. Jason had opened the door for him, so AJ couldn’t see his face. But from Carly’s tearstained cheeks, Emily’s sobs and Sonny’s disheveled appearance, he didn’t need to.

He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Where’s Liz?”

“She’s at her apartment,” Sonny said quietly. “She had another nightmare—and it was bad.”

Carly hugged herself tightly. “She was screaming so badly, we couldn’t make her stop. Nothing made her stop. She had to be taken to the hospital and sedated before she’d calm down.”

Sonny touched his throat. “She has these deep scratches on her throat. She was digging at it while she was screaming—like she was trying…”

“Like someone was strangling her and she was trying to stop them,” Carly finished quietly.

AJ’s eyes were blazing. “Anyone got a shotgun?” he barked.

“She wants to leave town,” Emily said, wiping at her eyes. “She thinks it’ll be best for everyone.”

“Tell me you didn’t agree, right?” AJ asked.

Carly shrugged. “Of course not—but how are we supposed to stop her?”

Sonny started to pace. “If she wanted to, she could disappear. She’s got the resources and she knows the people.”

“How?” Carly asked, suddenly suspicious. Her eyes narrowed as she rose from the couch. “I knew it! Liz works for you!”

Sonny shot her a look and sighed. “Not exactly.”

“What do you mean not exactly?” AJ demanded.

“She’s a silent partner,” Emily supplied softly. Jason and Sonny looked at her, surprised. “I figured it out after the Deception party. When you both didn’t come home—and with all the time Beth spends at the warehouse…I don’t know. I guess it just made sense. So, I asked her.”

“So, she can disappear if she wants to,” AJ said, bringing the conversation back to the main topic. “How do we keep her from doing that?”

Jason ran a hand through his hair and spoke for the first time. “I don’t know that we should.”

AJ whirled to look at his brother. “What? Why not? We should just let her run?”

Jason glared at him. “Do you think that’s what I want? Do you think I want to let her go? To tell her it’s okay? But when she makes up her mind about something, you can’t just stop her. And I don’t that we should try—I know…I know I can’t.”

Carly glared at him angrily. She stalked across the room and shoved him hard. “What? Are you insane? You’re willing to let her leave town and leave us behind because of that animal? And you’re supposed to love her?”

“Carly,” Sonny said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

“I promised her that I’d do anything she needed. How can I do what I think is right and keep that promise?” Jason asked, frustrated. “I promised her Jeff wouldn’t come near her, and that I could keep her safe. I’ve already broken those promises, how can you ask me to break another?”

“This isn’t about promises,” Emily said, standing. “This is about Beth and that she thinks she’s ruining our lives—yours especially—because of this. And I don’t know how to convince her it’s not true. Because she’s not going to listen.”

AJ muttered something unintelligible under his breath and took a deep breath. “We need to get Jeff Webber out of town. Before Elizabeth can leave. That’s…that’s our only and best course of action.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Carly asked, irritated. “She’s made it clear that we can’t get rid of him—how do we run him out of town?”

AJ didn’t say anything for a few minutes. God, he’d never wanted a drink as badly as he did right now. Without meaning to, his eyes strayed to Sonny’s small bar. He jerked his eyes as soon as they landed on the Scotch. Concentrate on Liz. You got her into this mess, you need to get her out. Suddenly it came to him.

“ELQ,” AJ said. He looked at the confused people around him. “We buy out Webber Industries here in Port Charles. If we can do that, then maybe he won’t have a reason to stay.”

Sonny scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Not a bad idea. And a few well-placed threats from some of my men could move it along. She said I couldn’t have him taken care of—there was nothing said about threats.”

Carly took a deep breath and felt calm for the first time in days. She turned to Emily. “We need to find a way to convince her to stay until we can do this. ”

Emily nodded. She leaned down to get her purse from the couch. “Let’s go to the apartment.”

When Carly and Emily were gone, Sonny looked at Jason. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Jason said quietly.

AJ took a deep breath. “I know how much you love her—I’m sorry I jumped down your throat.”

Jason shrugged. “I don’t blame you—I would have done the same thing.”

AJ nodded. “All right. Well, I’m heading to see Grandfather. I’m going to see if he’ll cooperate.”

“He knows about Elizabeth,” Jason said causing AJ to turn. “He’s always known. He’ll help.”

“How did…?” AJ trailed off. He stopped and shook his head. “It explains quite a bit. He always went out of his way to be nice to her—even after we all left home. It was so unlike him…but it makes sense now.”

Jason looked away. “He saw Webber hitting her one day. He just didn’t know what to do about it. So, trust me. He’ll help.”

“Good.” AJ opened the door. “Because we’re not letting Liz go without a fight.”

Once AJ was gone, Sonny headed to the phone. “I’m calling in Francis, Max, Zander and Johnny. They’re the best—they can take care of Webber.”

—-

Emily bit her and exchanged a look with Carly. “Beth…let us in!”

“Leave me alone.” Elizabeth’s voice was quiet, but firm. She’d locked herself in the room and the two of them had spent the past fifteen minutes talking to the door.

“Beth, we think we know a way to help,” Emily argued.

“You can’t help. No one can.”

Emily swore under her breath and turned away. “What are we going to do?” she asked Carly in a low voice.

“Maybe…maybe Jason can get through to her,” Carly whispered. She moved into the living room and pulled her cell phone out. She dialed Jason’s cell and had a quick conversation. She turned back to Emily. “He’s coming.”

Emily sighed and dragged her fingers through her hair. “I can’t—” her eyes caught the VCR clock. “Shit! I forgot to cancel lunch with Nik.”

Carly waved her hand. “Go. Jase and I can handle this.”

Emily sighed and grabbed her purse. “Beth, I have to go. But I’m coming back!”

She opened the apartment door just as Jason entered. “Hey. She’s in her room and she’s not letting anyone in and she’s not coming out.”

Jason nodded and headed for the hallway without giving Carly a second glance. He knocked on Elizabeth’s door. “Elizabeth?”

Inside, Elizabeth raised her eyes from her bedspread. “Go away, Jason.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Jason replied. “Let me in or I’ll open this door myself.”

Elizabeth launched off the bed and sat on the floor, her back against the door. “I’m leaning against the door—you open it with force, you’ll hurt me.”

Jason closed his eyes and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Carly sighed and settled on the couch. This was going to be a long day.

—-

Emily rushed into Kelly’s and practically flew into her chair. “Hey!”

Nikolas frowned. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Emily lied. She pulled a menu out. “Let’s order.”

Nikolas sighed and took the menu out of her hands. “Emily. What’s wrong?”

“Beth’s having a bad day,” Emily admitted quietly. “She’s, um…she’s not doing so well.”

Nikolas frowned. “Then what are you doing here? You should be with her.”

Emily rested her chin on her hand and sighed. “She’s locked herself in her room and won’t let me in and she’s not talking, so I’d just be going out of my mind there.”

Nikolas nodded. “I guess you can’t tell me what’s going on.”

Emily sighed and rubbed her eyes. “No. I’m sorry. But…it’s Beth’s story—”

Nikolas shrugged. “It’s okay—I understand. I just I wish I could help you more.”

Emily gave him a wan smile. “You are helping. By not demanding answers I can’t give or making ultimatums. You have no idea how much that’s meant to me.”

Nikolas reached out and covered her hand. “Hey, we agreed that we’re going to be together for the next fifty years or so, remember? I can deal with this. I’ve got no choice.”

“Thanks,” Emily said gratefully. “Have you heard from Lucky?”

“Yeah. He and Gia are still in London. How did Carly take the news?” Nikolas asked.

Emily grimaced. “She’s so desperate for a new model she talked me into a test shoot.”

Nikolas grinned. “You’ll be great. You’re gorgeous.”

Emily grinned. “You’re not so bad yourself. I never thought about modeling before. But…it’s not such a horrible idea. I’ll probably be able to travel if it all works out. That’d be fun.” She shook her head. “But it’s only a temporary thing—I still want to do law.”

“Good,” Nikolas said, firmly. “I’d hate to have to give up our Law and Order routine.”

Emily grinned. “That’ll never happen.”

—-

“Elizabeth—you’ll have to come out of there sometime,” Jason said. “Open the door.”

“Go away, Jason,” Elizabeth said, dully. “You’re better off.”

“Better off?” Jason repeated. “Elizabeth—”

“I’m going to leave town the first chance I get,” Elizabeth cut in.

“You don’t have to leave—”

“And I’m not telling anyone where I’m going, not even you. I don’t want anyone to follow me.”

“Why?” Jason asked. He yanked on the knob. “Damn it, Elizabeth. Open the door and we’ll talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she replied softly. She picked at her rug. “I’ll never get over this—and all being in this town reminds me of is him. I’ll go insane if I have to stay here.”

“Then let me go with you,” Jason said. “We can leave now—we’ll go wherever you want.”

“No,” Elizabeth replied. She took a deep breath. “Jason—you might want to get used to this…because I’m not coming back. So don’t wait. You…you deserve someone who’s not afraid of their shadow.”

“Don’t tell me what I deserve. I love you—don’t make decisions for me,” Jason said angrily.

“I’m making this decision for me,” Elizabeth whispered. “I can’t be here. You need…you promised me, Jason. That’d you let me do whatever I needed. Well, this is what I need. Please, this is what I need to do. I’ll lose my mind, I know it.”

“Elizabeth…” Jason stopped. “I…”

Carly could tell he was weakening. She stood and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, Jase,” she whispered. She turned to the door.

“You know what? We’ve tried with Emily’s way. You’ve been talking to her for a half hour. Now? Carly’s way.”

She started pounding on the door. “Elizabeth Imogene Webber! If you don’t come out of here right now, I swear I am gonna bust this door down and I don’t care if you’re sitting right there! You’re being selfish! You think leaving town’s going to help? You think Jason’s not gonna sit around and wait? He’s a nutball, he’ll wait! Damn it, Elizabeth, open the fucking door!”

When she was done with her rant, she took a deep breath. Elizabeth’s voice floated through the door.

“Feel better?”

“Are you going to open the door?”

“No.”

“Damn it, Liz. You’re not solving anything—and if you run, you’re only going to be making it worse! ” Carly started pounding on the door again. “I’m sick of tip-toeing around this—trying to be sweet and nice. I ran for seven years, Liz! Seven! And it didn’t get me anywhere! Don’t you get it?”

The person behind the door was irritatingly silent and Carly, in her frustration, kicked the door. “Liz—if you leave, you’re not going to be making it any better—you’ll end up hurting the very people you’re trying to protect!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Elizabeth said softly. “I…just…god, I’m sorry…I just can’t do it anymore. It’s too much, Carly. I can’t—” she stopped and they could hear her start to cry.

Jason glared at the door. Carly had a feeling he wasn’t glaring at Elizabeth—he was glaring at the door for having the nerve be between himself and Elizabeth. He turned the knob hoping it’d be unlocked. “She’s crying,” he said quietly. “I hate it when she cries.” Raising his voice so Elizabeth could hear him, he said, “Let me in, please.”

“No,” Elizabeth said, her voice thick. “I—I c-c-can’t let you h-help anymore. Please…just go away.”

Jason backed up from the door. “It’s like we’ve taken a hundred steps backward,” he said quietly leaned against the opposite wall.

Carly looked at him sympathetically. “You know what? She wants to be alone—let her. Let’s go get something to eat.” She pulled him away and only stopped to grab her purse. “If I stay here any longer, I’m afraid I’ll kick the door in.”

Elizabeth heard the door click shut and she let out a breath. Whether it was in relief, disappointment or something else…she wasn’t exactly sure.

She stood up and pulled her suitcase out of the closet. She began to methodically pack her clothes.

The penthouse was silent as Carly, Sonny and Jason sat at the dining room table, eating. They didn’t have to discuss the topic of Elizabeth—it was hanging over their heads. Jason practically inhaled his food, anxious to get back downstairs. He didn’t want to leave her there alone long—he wanted another chance to prove that she didn’t need to leave town.

Sonny set his fork down and wiped his lips with a napkin. “Zander called it in. Webber’s been warned. He comes near Liz again and I’m not going to wait for her approval.”

Carly sat back in her chair, and sipped her wine. “I shouldn’t have yelled like that—but I just go so angry. It’s like she’s locked herself in this place and she’s too damn stubborn to let anyone in.”

Jason shoved his chair back and stood. “I’m going back down.”

He wasn’t halfway across the room before the door flew open. Emily rushed in, Nikolas hot on her heels. “She’s gone!”

“What?” Carly yelped, standing. “We’ve barely been gone twenty minutes.”

Emily ran a hand shakily through her hair. “We just got back and I went to try her room—it was open and there were clothes everywhere and a suitcase half packed. It doesn’t look like she took anything—but she’s gone!”

“She’s out there without a guard,” Sonny said. He stood and took out his cell phone. “Johnny, I want every man searching for Elizabeth. Don’t let her know if you see her—just call me and I’ll come get her.”

“Where would she go?” Carly asked.

Emily turned wild eyes to her brother. “She…she wouldn’t go…to…she wouldn’t right? I mean, she’s not…she’s not ready!”

“Em—” Nikolas put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Where wouldn’t she go?”

Jason eyed the man warily but shoved it out of his mind. Elizabeth. She mattered more. “I don’t know, I don’t think she’d go there.’

“You think she went to the Webber Estate,” Carly said. She looked at them both. “She’s definitely not ready—I mean—I don’t know why she’d go there.”

“She’s probably…she’s probably up at Vista Point,” Emily said, trying to convince herself. “That’s where she was the last time—she’s at the point.”

“I’ll go look there. Emily, you and Carly go to the Estate,” Jason said, heading for the door. “Nikolas, wait at the apartment. Sonny, wait here.”

He was out the door before anyone could argue. Carly and Emily exchanged looks before following Jason out the door.

Nikolas looked at Elizabeth’s brother curiously. “He wants me to wait and see if she comes back, doesn’t he?”

“If she does, call Emily. She’ll get the message to everyone,” Sonny replied.

Nikolas nodded. “All right.” He turned towards the door.

“You’re not going to ask what’s going on?” Sonny asked, surprised.

Nikolas glanced back and shrugged. “If Liz wants to tell me, she’ll tell me. If not, that’s her choice. I just want to help wherever I’m needed.”

—-

Elizabeth rang the doorbell and waited a few moments. When no one answered, she pushed the heavy oak door open.

She walked into the elegantly decorated hallway and tuned her ears for voices. She passed the first sitting room and saw Katherine Webber sitting and sipping tea Elizabeth knew was laced with whiskey.

“Hello.”

At the sound of Elizabeth’s cold voice, Katherine looked up and saw her. “Lizzie?” She stood, and swayed for a moment. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to ask you something,” Elizabeth said. She stared at her mother and realized for the first time how much she looked like her. The dark hair, porcelain skin that bruised easily. The high cheekbones and small figures. Katherine had brown eyes though. Elizabeth had never met Mike Corbin, but she knew her blue eyes came from him. “Why?”

“Darling?” Katherine asked, slightly confused. “Why what?”

“Why…why didn’t you love me?” Elizabeth quietly. She leaned against the door frame and stared past her mother. “Why did you look the other way? Why didn’t you ever stop him? There are so many questions, Mother. I just don’t think you care enough to answer.”

Katherine’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, my darling, I tried to stop him, I did, I promise. But…I learned my lesson. He would have killed me, took away my children. I tried not to show too much affection towards you—I knew that would only enrage your father. I didn’t want to give him a reason.” She reached towards her daughter. “But I loved you—you were born out of the only love I’ve ever known, Elizabeth.”

“Then why?” Elizabeth asked, her voice hoarse. “Why didn’t you love me enough to take me away?”

“He wouldn’t have let me leave!” Katherine cried. “I tried once—I left him for your real father. But Mike didn’t love me as much—and he was convinced to leave town. I had no choice. Sarah and Steven were here. I couldn’t leave them.”

“So you sacrificed me to save them,” Elizabeth said quietly. She turned away only to stare into Jeff’s face.

“Well, Lizzie. We meet again.”

Elizabeth bit her lip and took a step back. Jeff took a step forward. “Your little bodyguard isn’t here now.”

“Jeff, leave her alone,” Katherine pleaded. “Haven’t you done enough damage?”

“Quiet,” Jeff ordered, never taking his eyes off Elizabeth. “Isn’t it interesting to know so little has changed? That your mother will never stop me…and that you’re still as scared now as you were thirteen years go. You’re weak, Lizzie. And weak people always get what they deserve.”

As Elizabeth stared into the face that haunted her and heard the voice that terrified her, for the first time…she registered the words. And for the first time, she felt something other than terror. Other than self-loathing.

Something in Elizabeth Webber woke up that day in July. As she stared at the man who was supposed to have been her father—who was supposed to have loved her and taken care of her, Elizabeth felt an emotion she was familiar with. Something she’d felt the night she’d cold-cocked Frank Verruchio.

Elizabeth Webber discovered that she not only hated Jeff Webber, she loathed and detested the very sight of him. And for the first time in his presence, Elizabeth wasn’t a scared little girl screaming for him to stop.

Elizabeth Webber was an angry young woman who’d lost her innocence early. Who’d spent her life shutting people out—a woman who at this very moment wanted nothing more than to kill the man standing before her.

Something in Elizabeth Webber snapped that day. She stared into Jeff’s eyes and she felt the terror melt away as she saw what Jeff really looked like. He was older than the last time she’d seen him—his hair a little more gray, he was a little heavier, and he had more wrinkles. A small smile came over her face as she realized that for the first time in her entire life…she wasn’t scared.

Jeff looked at the brunette in front of him and was startled as the smile played on her face. Her expression was different—he could see it from here. She wasn’t scared—she wasn’t crying, or shrinking away. She was holding her stance in front of him—her fists clenched and her eyes cold.

With another moment of hesitation, Elizabeth drove her knee into his groin. Jeff’s face was more stunned than pained as he leaned over in pain. Without giving him a chance to recover, Elizabeth slammed her fist into his face. Jeff fell to the floor and Elizabeth wasted no time straddling him and pounding his face.

“I hate you!” she cried, feeling the blood on her hands. “How does it feel? Do you like being hit? Do you like feeling powerless? Huh? How do you like it?” she shrieked. She clutched his hair in her fingers and started slamming his head down on the floor. “I hate you!”

The next few moments were a blur as Katherine Webber came forward to try and remove Elizabeth from Jeff’s prone body and as Carly and Emily burst into the doorway. Carly took one look at the hellion beating the shit out Jeff Webber and wanted to cheer. But sensibility took over and she and Emily hauled Elizabeth off Jeff, kicking and screaming.

Jeff was unconscious and before Katherine even realized what she was doing, she gave him a sharp kick to the ribs. She looked at Elizabeth who was breathing heavily and crying. “I think…I think you’d be better off leaving. I…don’t want you to be here when he wakes.” Katherine swallowed hard. “If he wants to press charges…I’ll back you up. I’ll go to the station and we’ll make a full statement about all the years of abuse. I promise you, Elizabeth. I will do anything to ensure he never hurts you again.”

Elizabeth stared at her normally soft-spoken mother and started to cry more. Carly and Emily let go, and Katherine embraced her daughter. “I love you,” Elizabeth whispered.

Katherine hugged her daughter back. “Be happy, darling.”

—-

Carly and Emily reported back to Sonny as the three of them drove back to the penthouse. Elizabeth made a quick trip to the apartment to clean the blood off her hands and to change. Nikolas raised his eyebrows as he took Elizabeth’s appearance in, but to his credit, as usual he said nothing.

Elizabeth went up to Jason’s penthouse to wait for him to return from Vista Point. Sonny had gotten a hold of him and let him know they’d found her.

Elizabeth was sitting quietly in the dark when Jason burst in. He flipped the lights on and stared at her. “You really beat the shit out of him.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah…and you know what?” she gave him a weak smile. “It felt good.”

“Are you all right?” he asked. He dropped his keys on the table and made his way to her. She took the first step and hugged him tightly.

“You know what?” she said, her voice slightly muffled by his chest. “I think…I think I might be finally on my way to being all right.”

Jason closed his eyes and leaned his head on top of her hair. “Good.”

“I mean…it’s not over,” she said, tightening her hold on him. “I’ll probably still have nightmares and I’ll still be slightly irrational, but he doesn’t…he can’t hurt me anymore, Jason. He’s a weak, pathetic old man and he can’t hurt me anymore.” He didn’t say anything but she didn’t need hear anything. They stood there for another few minutes before she pulled away. “I’m sorry,” she said, hesitantly. “I know…I know that I put you through a lot—especially these last few days and I…I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Jason assured her. “You were dealing with this the only way you knew how—just because I didn’t agree with your reasoning…it doesn’t make it wrong or right.”

She bit her lip and looked at her curiously. “You would have let me leave, wouldn’t you?” she asked quietly.

Jason put his hands in his pocket and looked away. “If it hurt you to stay, yeah. I would have argued with you—but I would have let you leave.”

“I was going to, you know.” Elizabeth crossed her arms and sighed. “I was packing when an old family portrait fell out of one of my books. I was looking at my mother—and I was wondering why hadn’t she loved me…why had it been so easy for her to let Jeff beat me? I don’t even know why I went, but the next thing I knew…I was at the house. I was talking to her and I was going to leave—but he showed up instead. He started telling me how things hadn’t changed—that I was still scared. He said that I was weak and that weak people got what they deserved.”

Jason’s fist clenched involuntarily and he idly wondered if Elizabeth would let him finish what she started. Before he could ask, she continued.

“I should have been scared—but I just…I don’t know. Suddenly, I was angry. I mean, how dare he tell me I was weak? I endured thirteen years of his beatings and I’d made it anyway—I’d survived. I wasn’t perfect, and he still terrified me, but I’d made it. The last thing I am is weak. I’m not the strongest person—but weak, no. I was so angry—something snapped and I just started hitting him.” She smiled briefly. “I just wanted him to feel as helpless and powerless as I did. Just once…if I could show him that…than I thought I might be able to die happy, you know? If just once, he understood. I don’t think he did…but I’m not scared of him anymore. Do you know…do you know how unbelievably free I feel?”
Jason didn’t answer at first. He studied her. She still looked tired—there were still dark circles under her eyes. But her actual eyes…they were shining. There was a light in them that hadn’t been there before. She looked…free.

“Yeah,” he said, finally. “Yeah, I think I know.”

She smiled and peered up at him. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too.”

—-

“I need a vacation,” Carly grumbled. She reclined on the couch, an ice pack on her jaw where Elizabeth had accidentally clocked her. She looked to Sonny. “I was thinking…how possible is a vacation to the island? I think we could use a little paradise.”

Sonny sat on the other end of the couch. “I’ll run it by Liz and Jason. You want to invite Emily and her boyfriend?”

Carly nodded firmly. “Emily put a lot of grunt work in with this. I think we’re due for time off. And that boyfriend of hers was incredibly understanding—he’s a good guy.”

“Emily called AJ right?” Sonny asked, pulling Carly’s legs into his lap. He started giving her a foot massage.

“Mmm…yeah. AJ told her to tell Liz that he’s proud of her, but he’s currently bankrupting Jeff Webber, so he’ll be a little busy.” Carly tried to grin but it hurt too much. “I like that kid.”

“You want to invite that part of the family, too?” Sonny asked.

“Hell, why not? I think the island can hold all of us. What do you say?”

—-

The sun was only rising when Elizabeth stirred the next morning. She looked at Jason sleeping peacefully next to her and she smiled. She laid her head back on his chest and looked out the window as the sun made its way over the harbor.

She hadn’t had a nightmare the night before and other than her bruised fists, the only remnant of Jeff Webber’s years of abuse was the wrecked room at her apartment.

“I love you,” Elizabeth whispered, snuggling into his embrace.

The sun was just starting to rise—on the rest of her life.

Two Years Later…

Clink!

As everyone pulled their champagne glasses back from the toast, Carly Corinthos stood and raised it again. “Don’t you love weddings?” she began, throwing the bride and groom a grin. “People just seem to ramble on and on…” Clearing her throat, “I can’t think of many people who deserve to be happier than you—and I’m glad you found someone who clearly worships the ground you walk on. He’s a good guy and with the treatment I’ve seen the past few years, you’re a lucky woman. Take care of each other.” She sat down.

All eyes were on the petite brunette who stood next. There were quite a few rumors surrounding her these last two years. After Webber Industries had gone bankrupt and Jeff Webber had left town, the rumors began that the youngest Webber daughter was behind it. After coming out publicly as Sonny Corinthos’ equal business partner and her marriage the year before to the reputed mobster’s right hand man, the rumors grew.

But anyone who looked at Elizabeth Morgan would be hard pressed to say she wasn’t happy. She stood and raised her glass. “I can still remember my first day of first grade. A little girl with brown hair sitting next to me came up with a plan for the little punk that sat in front of us. When I agreed to back you up in daring Lucky Spencer to eat glue, I never dreamed that seventeen years later, I’d be standing here, congratulating you on your marriage. You are the sister that I’ve wanted my entire life. If you are half as happy as I am, then I can rest easily. Nikolas—you were always good to me, even when you had no idea what was going on. It’s easy to see that you love Emily. Take good care of her.”

Elizabeth resumed her seat next to Jason as AJ stood.

“Before I get all mushy,” AJ began, “I’d like to start by saying, Nikolas, if you don’t treat her right, I will hurt you. Other than that—Em, you stood by me when most of the family dumped me. You always believed that I could stay sober and I have for six years. Thank you. Good luck.”

—-

Later as Elizabeth watched Emily and Nikolas dancing on the dance floor she gave a little sigh. Jason looked at her. “You all right?”

“I’m great,” Elizabeth said, grinning. “My best friend in the world just got married, my book is finally being published and I’ve got the best family in the world.”

He put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into his embrace.

—-

Carly noticed Sonny’s frown as he looked at his sister and her husband. “What in the world is wrong with you?” she demanded, hands on her hips.

Sonny looked at his wife and grinned. “I’m just thinking—my little girl is all grown up.”

“Sonny, darling…she was eighteen when you met her. She’s also not your little girl—” Carly trailed off. “But she does look incredibly happy, doesn’t she?” A shadow passed over her face as she remembered the hysterical woman she’d been only two years ago. “Good, because I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who deserves it more.”

—-

“So, I bet you think our life is pretty perfect,” Elizabeth drawled pulling away to meet Jason’s eyes.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Jason shrugged.

“Well, I don’t think so.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Because I was thinking…we need a little girl to spoil, you know?” Elizabeth’s smile faded a little. “A little girl who never doubts how much her family adores her, who never has to wake up screaming, a little girl who’s loved from the very first day of her life, who’s always wanted.”

Jason drew her closer to him and kissed the top of her head. “If a little girl is what you want, then I guess we’d better get working on it.”

“No need, Mr. Morgan,” Elizabeth said, grinning. She kissed him quickly. “We already did the work.”

“You’re saying you’re pregnant?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Two months. We’re going to have a baby in time for Christmas.” She wrapped her arms around him more tightly. “Just think,” she murmured. “A little girl with my hair, your eyes…”

“Your smile,” Jason said when Elizabeth didn’t continue. “I can’t think of anything I’d want more than to see a little girl who looks exactly like you.”

She sighed happily. “Of course, we might have a boy and that’ll change everything. We’ll have to make sure he takes good care of any future little sisters—like you and AJ always did for me and Em. I want any children we have to grow up in a family like we did—with Emily, AJ, Carly, Sonny…” she trailed off and met his eyes. “Sound good to you?”

“Sounds very good to me,” Jason agreed, pulling her close for another kiss.

The End