---

You only see what your eyes want to see
How can life be what you want it to be

If this was going to be done at all, he was determined to do this his way. He was going to ask her very calmly to come with them. He wasn’t going to put her through what her husband had put his own best friend through.

They might be breaking their number one principle about not going after family, but they were going to do this without violence.

She deserved that much.

She was on the docks, her hands in her pockets, her hair gathered in a loose bun. Pieces of her hair trailed down around her face and she kept brushing it back. The night was hot and she was wearing a tank top and a pair of jean shorts. She looked more sixteen than twenty-two.

He stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Elizabeth.”

She turned and narrowed her eyes. “What do you want?” she demanded.

He indicated for Max and Marco to hang back. “I need you to come with me.”

She eyed him for a moment, eyed the familiar guards behind him and then looked back at him. He looked nervous and almost out of place. She drew her hands out of her shorts and crossed her arms tightly. “No.”

You’re frozen
When your heart’s not open

Jason exhaled slowly. “This is important, Elizabeth. Please.”

She bit her lip and looked down at the wooden planks of the docks. “You lost the right to ask questions like that. Now you either tell me what you want from me or leave me alone.”

“I need you to come with me,” Jason said again. “I’m asking now. But if you refuse again…”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly and she smirked. “What? You’ll make me?” she mocked. “I thought you didn’t attack innocent people.”

“Elizabeth, don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t want things to be hard,” she muttered. She let her arms dropped and headed for the stairs.

Jason sighed. “Max, Marco. Go get her.”

The second the words were out of his mouth, Elizabeth whirled around to find the large guards coming near her. She backed up into the railing of the stairs. “Whoa, wait a second–”

“I need you to come with me, Elizabeth. You can come willingly or we’ll take you,” Jason told her.

Her eyes burned with sudden tears. “So basically you’re kidnapping me.”

He looked away, unable to meet her accusing glare. “That’s not what this is.”

“Oh, yeah?” she demanded. “Then let me walk away without sending them after me.”

“I can’t do that, Elizabeth.”

She stared at him, helplessly. “What’s wrong with you?” she demanded in a broken whisper. “Why are you doing this?”

“I…” Jason trailed off, not wanting to explain his actions in front of the guards. “Look, just come with me and I’ll explain.”

She sighed and started forward, bowing her head, unable to look at him and not let the tears slip down her cheeks.

You’re so consumed with how much you get
You waste your time with hate and regret

He took her to the warehouse, into an empty room. “Sit in the chair,” he told her, indicating a bleak wooden chair that sat in the middle of the room. “We have to…” Jason hesitated and looked at Max and Marco. “Leave us alone a minute okay?”

The guards nodded and exited. Jason dragged a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Elizabeth. This isn’t something I wanted to do, but it’s Sonny’s orders.”

“S-Sonny ordered you to kidnap me?” Elizabeth asked, stunned. “Why? What could it possibly serve?”

“Because he thinks Ric values you above anything else and he’s going to trade you for Carly,” Jason admitted.

“You still believe he has her?” Elizabeth asked, surprised. “You’ve only searched our house a dozen times–”

“I know, but Michael was there when Carly was kidnapped,” Jason informed her. “Whatever Ric did, it traumatized him to the point where he couldn’t tell us what happened. But he’s been remembering pieces…and yesterday, he remembered that he saw Ric.”

The tears hovering in her eyes finally released and soundlessly streamed down her cheeks. What could she say to that? Accuse Michael of lying? Michael, the boy that Jason still considered in some ways his son? Michael, a small boy with no reason for lying?

“What makes you think that Ric would give into this?” she asked softly, her voice almost dead.

“We don’t know, but it’s the best option we’ve come up with so far,” Jason admitted. “We need…We need to tie you up, take a picture to send to him. Let him know we’re serious.”

She nodded and without another word, sat down. She looked at him pointedly. “Will I be tied up the entire time?”

“No,” Jason said immediately. “Just for a minute. But you have to stay here. Until we get Carly back.”

She nodded and stared at the floor. Jason sighed and opened the door to let the guards back in. Marco carried a piece of cloth and a coil of rope, Max had a camera which he set aside.

Marco kneeled behind her. “Ms. Webber,” he said, almost apologetically. “I need your hands.”

She unclasped her hands and brought them behind her back, closing her eyes as she felt the guard begin to tie her hands. Max kneeled in front of her with another set of rope and started to tie her legs to the chair.

When they were done, Marco stared at the piece of cloth which would be used as a gag. He looked at it for a moment before looking to Max. “I…” he faltered for the first time, remembering that he’d once guarded this woman.

Max reached for it and stood next to him, wrapping the gag around Elizabeth’s face. She opened her mouth a little and the tears started again as she felt the material. This was really happening. She was really being tied to a chair by Jason and Sonny’s guards. Her life would be bargained for Carly’s.

Max finished fastening it and the two guards went to the front of the room. Jason wasn’t look at Elizabeth–couldn’t look at her and not think of the previous summer, not think about the fact at this time last year, she’d been kidnapped by his enemy and now…

You’re broken
When your heart’s not open

Max snapped the picture quickly and the two guards set about untying her as fast as possible. “I’m sorry,” Max apologized under his breath. “This…this isn’t right.”

She nodded and rubbed her wrists. “It’s okay,” she said softly. She looked at Jason. “So, I just sit here and hope this plan works?”

He swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

She nodded and looked down. “Okay.”

He stared at her bowed head for a moment before clearing his throat. “Marco, stay here. Get Elizabeth anything she needs. Food, whatever. If it gets past ten, take her to the closest safe house so she can sleep. Max, come with me.”

If I could melt your heart
We’d never be apart
Give yourself to me
You hold the key

Jason entered the penthouse wordlessly and shut the door. “Where’s Michael?” he asked.

“He’s across the hall at your place, asleep,” Sonny answered. “Is it done?”

“Yeah,” Jason answered. “She’s at the warehouse until ten. I told Marco to take her to the safe house if Ric didn’t contact us by then.”

“Why?” Sonny demanded. “She should just stay in the same place.”

“In the empty room?” Jason asked, incredulously. “It could take days. There’s no reason to make this difficult on her–”

“Do you think Ric cares about Carly?” Sonny interrupted. “Do you think he’s making sure she’s comfortable? Making sure he’s not making it difficult for her?”

“I don’t care what he does, we are not going to punish Elizabeth for the actions of her psychotic husband. It’s bad enough we had to tie her up for even a second, much less locking her in an empty room with no end in sight. We’re better than that, damn it and she deserves more respect from you,” Jason bit out, angrily.

“You don’t agree with this plan, do you?” Sonny challenged. “You think it’s a bad one?”

“Yes, I do,” Jason snapped. “I think involving an innocent woman who had no idea what Ric kidnapped anyone is a bad idea.”

“Especially Elizabeth.”

“Yeah, especially Elizabeth,” Jason confirmed. “She’s not just the wife of your enemy, Sonny. She used to matter to you.”

“She used to matter to you, too,” Sonny pointed out quietly.

Now there’s no point in placing the blame
And you should know I suffer the same

Sounds from outside the penthouse kept Jason from answering. Ric’s loud voice and some fighting broke the tension and Jason pulled the door open. Immediately, Ric was in the penthouse, shoving Jason against the wall.

“Where is she?” he demanded, infuriated.

Sonny called to the two guards outside who entered and pulling Ric away from Jason. Ric struggled, but Max and Francis kept a tight grip on him. “What have you done to Elizabeth?” Ric shouted.

“You return my wife to me and I’ll return yours,” Sonny said calmly.

Ric stared at Sonny in shock. “I-I don’t have Carly,” he stammered.

Sonny smirked. “Yeah, okay. It’s simple, Ric. We get Carly by midnight or Elizabeth…” he shrugged.

Jason stared at Sonny in complete shock. “What?” he sputtered.

Ric narrowed his eyes. “You’ll kill her?” he asked in disbelief.

Sonny said nothing and pointedly avoided Jason’s angry gaze. “Midnight, Ric.” He snapped his fingers. “Escort him out.”

Once Ric was gone, Jason turned to his friend and partner. “Tell me you were bluffing,” he said quietly.

Sonny remained silent.

“You can’t really mean you’ll kill Elizabeth if Ric doesn’t return Carly,” Jason said again. “I know you, Sonny. You’d never hurt an innocent woman, much less Elizabeth.”

“I’ll do anything to get my wife back,” Sonny said calmly.

And in that moment, Jason believed him. Believed Sonny would take any measures, no matter how drastic or unreasonable or unfathomable they may be, he’d do it if he thought it’d bring Carly home.

“I can’t…I won’t let you do it,” Jason told him. “You can’t kill her, Sonny. I don’t care what Ric’s done. Elizabeth is not just his wife. She’s more Sonny, and you know that.”

“It’s an order Jason. If Carly’s not home by midnight, it’ll happen,” Sonny told him. “Whether I give you the order or I give it to someone else. It’ll happen.”

If I lose you
My heart will be broken

He went to the warehouse but didn’t go inside the room. The minutes ticked by slowly and Jason found himself sitting on the floor outside the room, staring at a clock on a wall nearby.

9:20 p.m.

9:45 p.m

10:00 p.m.

10:29 p.m.

10:59 p.m.

His cell phone didn’t ring once. He even checked it a few times to make sure it was working before he realized that Ric wasn’t going to bring Carly back. Whatever reason he’d taken her for, it obviously was more important than his own wife.

His fists clenched as the hands on the clock crawled towards midnight. Last summer, he would have given anything to see her again. He’d gone to the police, to the Quartermaines–he’d begged them for information and for help. He’d barely slept, all that mattered was finding her and bringing her back.

How could her own husband, someone who’d taken vows to love and to cherish her…how could he do any less?

When his phone finally rang, Jason looked at the clock automatically even though he knew what time it was. 12:03 a.m.

He took it out of his pocket slowly and answered it. “Yeah?”

“He didn’t make the deadline,” Sonny said coldly. “Do it.”

“Sonny–”

The phone clicked off and Jason found himself standing. He slipped the phone into his pocket and stared at the door.

Love is a bird, she needs to fly
Let all the hurt inside of you die
You’re frozen
When your heart’s not open

He entered the room and looked at Marco. “Leave us alone for a minute,” he directed quietly. “In fact, you’re relieved. Go home for the night.”

Marco nodded and left quickly. Jason stared at Elizabeth who was sitting on the floor, her knees raised, her arms around around them. “Did Ric bring Carly back?” she asked softly.

Jason shook his head and her heart fell. “Then…why did you send him home?”

“Because Sonny gave me instructions…orders…on what to do if Ric didn’t bring her home by midnight.”

Her heart stopped for a moment before beginning to beat rapidly. “Orders,” she repeated softly. She stared at him, her eyes lush with tears.

“Elizabeth…” He stared at the floor and shook his head. He couldn’t do it. He’d been fooling himself thinking it was possible. Sonny’s orders…he’d questioned them before, but defying this one was different. Sonny had ordered this in retaliation, for revenge. Anyone else, Jason would have still had trouble accepting the order but he had an odd sinking feeling, that in the end he would have gone through with it.

It was a feeling that his stomach lurch and bile rise in his throat. He was what everyone had told him. Sonny’s lapdog, a brain damaged thug with no honor, no decency. He was just…Sonny’s enforcer.

If I could melt your heart
We’d never be apart
Give yourself to me
You hold the key

He stared at her, knowing that if she’d been anyone else, he would have done it already.

But she wasn’t anyone else. She was Elizabeth. And that made the difference. It should have meant something to Sonny, but damn it, it still meant something to him.

He couldn’t take out his gun and shoot the woman who’d found him in the snow, forced him to accept her help and who shoved gallons of soup down his throat. He couldn’t end of the life of someone who hummed when she painted and got so lost in her work that she’d end up covering herself in paint and not remember she did it.

He couldn’t kill someone who’d once trusted him, cared for him and had meant the world to him.

He was violently ashamed that he’d even considered it all.

The silence was scaring her and she swallowed hard. “What were the orders?” she whispered.

“To kill you,” Jason admitted.

She inhaled sharply and began blinking rapidly. She was terrified now, and he could see it in her eyes. He could see that she expected him to do it. And that thought rocked him to his core. They’d drifted so far apart that she believed him capable of ending her life in cold blood.

“I’m not going to do it,” Jason said, finally.

You only see what your eyes want to see
How can life be what you want it to be
You’re frozen
When your heart’s not open

Elizabeth closed her eyes, feeling the rush of relief flood her body. For a moment, she’d been so scared, she’d been so cold. But he wouldn’t do it. He couldn’t and she should have known that.

“I can’t just let you go either,” Jason replied after another moment. “Because if I don’t do it…Sonny will send someone else.”

She nodded and lowered her eyes to the floor. “What do you want me to do?”

He stared at her for a moment, formulating possible solutions. Finally, he held out his hand in an achingly familiar pose. “Come with me.”

If I could melt your heart
We’d never be apart
Give yourself to me
You hold the key

She stared at him, holding her breath for a moment. “What?”

“You can’t stay here,” Jason told her. “And I’m not going to let Sonny touch you. I need to get you out of town.”

Elizabeth pushed herself into a standing position. “Jason, Sonny…he’s just angry. He might not mean it–”

“He meant it,” Jason said flatly. “Elizabeth, just please come with me.”

“Why?” she whispered. “Why would you go against Sonny like this?”

“Because if I did what Sonny ordered me to do this time…I’d be no better than what people say I am,” Jason answered quietly. His hand was still stretched out. “Let me…just let me protect you.”

Scared that he was right about Sonny, Elizabeth slipped her hand into Jason’s. “Let’s go,” she said softly.

If I could melt your heart

 

Song: Frozen (Madonna)

---

I had a friend, he liked to test me
And disregard the rest of me

At 12:06 am the night Sonny Corinthos ordered Jason Morgan to kill Elizabeth Lansing in retaliation for his wife’s kidnapping, Carly Corinthos was left unconscious at General hospital with a message that said Sonny should come through on his end of the bargain.

By the time Sonny got the message and understood that Ric had just been moments late fulfilling Sonny’s demands, he’d been relieved to be able to make the phone call to Jason rescinding his order.

Instead, Jason’s cell phone was off. Sonny called Marco who said that Jason had told him to go home. That it was over.

And Sonny wondered if maybe he’d gone too far this time.

He sat by Carly’s hospital bed all night, waiting for her to wake up. Waiting for word from Jason. But Jason never called. And Carly never woke up.

Sonny had sent men to take care of Ric and other men to find Jason. With no confirmation of the order, Sonny knew what had happened. He’d ordered Jason to do the one thing he could never do. And Jason had refused in his own way.

He’d taken Elizabeth somewhere safe and secure, Sonny surmised, and he knew that if Jason didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t.

And another who though she loved me
She could not help one night but do me wrong

She fell asleep shortly after they took off and didn’t wake until Jason was lifting her from her seat.

“Where are we going?” Elizabeth murmured sleepily. She didn’t open her eyes, didn’t struggle as she felt her body moving. She was so tired…so tired that she just fell asleep again before Jason could answer her question.

He rented a car under an assumed name with the help of the girl behind the counter who understood he didn’t want to wake his wife–which is what Jason told her–by sitting her down.

She’d called it romantic and all he’d said was to charge it to the first credit card she found in his wallet.

By the time he got her situated in the car and on the road, he himself felt the fatigue slipping in. It was early morning here, the middle of the morning back home. He’d taken her clear across the country and planned to disappear in Seattle for a day or two before he called someone back home to gauge the situation.

He knew he’d made the right decision–that he could no more kill Elizabeth than Sonny could kill Brenda. And since he felt responsible for her being in this situation, it was up to him to get her out.

He found a motel and registered them under the same names he’d used to get the car. He put her inside and just laid her on top of the covers. She hadn’t even woken slightly since the airplane and that worried Jason. She was a light sleeper. A creak in the floor, the sound of a coffee machine two floors down, just about anything woke her up.

But her breathing was deep, her color good and he didn’t let himself worry to long before sitting in a chair and falling asleep himself.

Goodbye, I’m leavin now
I’ll see you sometime

She was still sleeping when he woke a few hours later. He looked out the windows of the cramped room and found a diner across the street. He didn’t want to leave her alone but he knew she hadn’t eaten in nearly a day so he locked the door tightly behind him.

When he came back, the bed was empty but he could hear the shower so he set her order on the small table near the window before retreating to a corner of the room with his coffee.

Elizabeth emerged, still looking a little sleepy, towel-drying her hair. She wore her clothes from the day before and Jason made a mental note to find a store. There was no telling how long before he could take her back to Port Charles.

“Thanks,” she said quietly as she sat down and pulled the bagel out of the bag. It was toasted and she found some strawberry cream cheese in the bag as well. “You remembered,” she remarked with a tiny smile.

He shrugged and she just used the plastic knife to spread the topping. He’d gotten her an orange juice and she finished eating without saying anything.

When she was done, she threw out her trash before sitting on the bed and staring out the window. “Where are we?” she asked.

“Seattle,” Jason answered. He tossed his coffee cup into the trash. “I want to stay out of sight until I get in touch with someone back home. To make sure the situation’s cleared up.”

Elizabeth nodded. She was silent a few moments, staring at her hands. “Thanks.” He crossed to the window, slid the curtain shut so that no one could see in. “I mean that, Jason. I know you’d rather be looking for Carly.”

“We know Ric has her,” Jason said simply. “Any competent man would find her with that information and there are other people in the organization who can take care of it.”

“I figured that, but I still know you’d rather be back home helping them,” Elizabeth said again. “I know how much you love Carly.”

“If I’d left you in Port Charles,” Jason began, choosing his words carefully, “there are other men that Sonny would have given this order to. Men who don’t know you, who never guarded you. Who never knew that…” his eyes met hers briefly before looking away. “Who never knew that we were friends. Men who are looking for the chance to prove their loyalty. I know that Carly will be found, but I couldn’t know that you’d safe.”

She nodded and let it go, preferring not to think about those men that Sonny could send after them. He could see the brief flicker of fear in her eyes before she masked it. “What’s wrong?”

Elizabeth hesitated. “How do you know Sonny doesn’t already know where we are?” she asked quietly.

“Because I know more about disappearing than he does,” Jason answered. “I have a dozen different sets of ID that I can use that Sonny doesn’t know about and each of those Ids has a few credits cards to it with offshore accounts attached. He can’t find us if he doesn’t know what name we’re using.”

Elizabeth nodded and trusted her instinct that Jason knew what he was doing. After all, this was his line of work and he was completely sure they were safe, who was she to continue questioning?

Goodbye, I’m leavin now
I’ll see you sometime

He found a Kmart a few blocks from their hotel and against her arguments, gave her a credit card and told her to buy whatever she needed. Elizabeth stared at the credit card in some wonder as she realized it was in her name. Well not her name exactly. She certainly wasn’t Caley Fitzsimmons.

He saw the question in her eyes and just said he’d called someone before they got on the plane and a package with IDs to match his was waiting. Telling herself she’d pay him back when they got home, she grabbed some jeans and tank tops and some undergarments before meeting him outside with her purchases.

They went straight back but he went in the room first to make sure no one had been in there in their absence. Satisfied, he told her to go in and he stayed outside to make a call.

He’d originally planned to wait two days before calling, but he had to know the immediate situation and so he called one of the few men in the organization he trusted.

“Johnny?”

Johnny O’Brien was standing guard outside the Corinthos penthouse despite the fact that the floor was empty and Sonny was at the hospital with Carly. He was free to talk and did so. “Morgan, were the fuck are you?”

“Don’t worry about that. What’s going on there?”

“Three minutes after Sonny called you and I mean three minutes, Sonny got a call from GH. Lansing had dumped Carly there. She’s asleep right now. The doctors say she’s in shock.” Johnny hesitated. “Morgan, you didn’t…”

“No,” Jason snapped. “She’s with me. I’m not bringing her back until I know it’s safe. What about Lansing?”

“Sonny had him taken care of already. He’s not sure whether you took her and ran or if you did it and took off yourself. Either way, he’s been in a black mood since the news came.”

“Has he called down to the island?” Jason asked.

“No. I don’t know that he’s gonna. You’d better stay out sight for a bit. He’s…” Johnny hesitated for the second time. “Carly’s case of shock is a little more extreme than the doctors would like, so nothing’s guaranteed yet.”

“Okay. You’ve got the number of the Fitzsimmons cell. That’s the one we’re using here,” Jason told him. “Call me if anything changes.”

“What if you ditch the ID?”

“I’ll call you the first chance I get,” Jason answered.

“Do you have IDs for her?” Johnny asked. “Because I know a guy–“

“I got them already. Don’t worry.” He hung up then and took a moment before going inside.

Now watch me stand outside
I’m waiting for my shotgun ride

She was sitting at the table, with a small sketchpad and a pencil. She’d grabbed them at the store to keep her from going insane here. When Jason entered, she looked up. “Did you call home?” she asked.

He nodded and took a seat on the bed, rubbing the back of his neck. Sonny had had Ric taken care of and he wondered if it was a good idea to tell her. “Elizabeth, a few minutes after Sonny called me, he got a call from the hospital. Ric had left Carly there.”

Some of the tension lifted from her shoulders and she set the pad on the table. “That’s good, right?” she asked. “She’s okay, then.”

“She was in shock and I guess with the pregnancy, the doctors are worried,” Jason told her. “Uh…Ric…well…he…”

“He’s been taken care of,” Elizabeth finished softly. She was surprised to find her hands shaking a little and she realized she was still wearing her engagement and wedding rings. She was dismayed to find tears in her eyes. Her husband had been a kidnapper. “Did he, ah, did he know what would happen if he hadn’t returned Carly by midnight?”

“Yeah. He knew.”

She closed her eyes. He’d waited too long, it’d gotten too close. He knew Sonny would order Jason to kill her if he hadn’t returned Carly by midnight and he’d waited anyway.

Elizabeth stood abruptly and went into the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and turned the sink on to mask any other sounds coming from the room.

She took her rings off and stared at them for a little while, remembering the pure streak of happiness that had gone through her the night of their wedding. She’d thought that he loved her. That when he told her he’d love her first, last and always that he’d meant it.

Just another person in a long line of people who had lied to her.

She slid to the floor, and started to cry.

Two days I’m crossing the Kansas plains
I know my life won’t ever be the same

When Jason heard the water, he knew she’d gone in there to cry and he didn’t begrudge her that right. She hadn’t known until yesterday exactly who she’d married and she had a right to grieve for him.

She came out ten minutes later and set her rings on the table. “I want to get rid of these,” Elizabeth said softly. “I don’t care how or when. I just don’t want to see them anymore.”

“Why?” Jason had to ask.

“Because he gave these to me the night we said our vows,” Elizabeth replied. She’d shut down. There was no emotion in her voice, no feeling. A cold recitation of the facts. “He promised to put me first and he didn’t. I don’t want a reminder of another broken promise.”

Jason nodded. “We passed a pawnshop,” he told her. “I’ll take you there tomorrow.”

“I want you to have the money I get from it,” Elizabeth told him. “To pay for any food or–”

Jason shook his head. “I’m not taking money from you,” he said firmly. “I don’t care what you do with it, but I won’t take it.”

“Jason–” she protested.

“It’s not open for discussion.” Out of habit, he stood and crossed to the window, peering out of the curtains. “It’s my fault you’re here.”

“It’s because of you I’m still alive,” Elizabeth corrected. “I believe you when you say there are men who would have carried out that order.”

“It’s my life that did this,” Jason said instead. “I probably trained the men you’re talking about. Taught them that loyalty to Sonny was absolute. That there was never any exceptions. That loyalty came before personal feelings and objections.”

Elizabeth accepted that without argument. She’d known that about his job. Instead, she asked, “Then why didn’t you kill me?”

Goodbye, I’m leavin now
I’ll see you sometime

He frowned at her. “What?”

She shrugged. “If part of your job is putting loyalty to Sonny before personal objections, then what made you decide not to kill me?”

He hesitated for a moment before answering. “Because there are some lines I won’t cross. Not for Sonny. You were innocent in this, Elizabeth. Your only mistake was marrying him and you shouldn’t have to pay for that with your life.” He was agitated now. Felt like his loyalty was being questioned. He was loyal to Sonny, there was no argument about that. But who was he more loyal to? Sonny…or himself?

Elizabeth frowned. “I’m not saying you’re not loyal,” she said quietly. “I just wanted to know–”

“I know,” Jason interrupted. “And you have a right to ask. I just…I couldn’t kill you anymore than I could kill Brenda. Or Carly. Or Emily. Because I guess I’m more loyal to myself than to Sonny.”

The conversation lapsed after that and she returned to her half-hearted sketching and he went back to peering out the window.

Goodbye, I’m leavin now
I’ll see you sometime

The stress of the last month inside the panic room had worn on Carly’s pregnant body and with her body in shock, her heart had simply been unable to keep going. She died less than twenty-four hours after she’d been found.

Sonny received the news quietly and returned to his penthouse. He said only one thing before sealing himself inside. He told Johnny and another guard who was there, a newer guard who unlike the rest of the men had more loyalty to Sonny than to Jason. “Jason Morgan is my enemy,” Sonny told them in a low hissing voice. “He is the reason my wife is dead. I want him found and I want him dead.”

Johnny was prepared to tell the other guard to hold off on the order once Sonny had gone inside, but the guard, Peter, was already heading for the elevator. Johnny followed him, but the doors slid shut first.

Cursing, Johnny went into his stairwell to call Jason. He wanted to him to move now. It didn’t matter Sonny or any of the other guards didn’t have the slightest clue where to look for him. Jason needed move and take on a new identity.

He left a message, despite how dangerous he knew that’d be and went back to his post. He only hoped Jason got the message and hadn’t slipped up.

Goodbye, I’m leavin now
I’ll see you sometime

Unfortunately, Peter talked to one person who mentioned that Jason used a particular guy for his IDs. With a few threats and relatively little trouble, Peter got the names of Jason’s aliases and the fact that the forger had sent a matching set to the Seattle Airport. It wasn’t hard to see that Jason was on the run with Elizabeth in tow.

Peter had worked for the organization only a few months, he’d been hired during that terrible time when Jason and Sonny were at each other’s throats. He took his job seriously and when they told him he was to be loyal to Sonny above anyone else, Peter had listened.

He was in the air twenty minutes later.

Well as I try then I begin to see
The lazy trade their dignity

It was getting dark and Elizabeth was about to go out of her mind with boredom. She’d done a few sketches, but didn’t have a lot of motivation to continue. She almost wished there was a television here so she could distract herself with some mindless reality show.

Jason was still stationed at the window. He’d left once since they went to the store. He’d gotten dinner and gone to the pawnshop. Elizabeth had refused to take the money, but he tucked it in her purse when she wasn’t looking.

He’d gone back to the store to get a few more essentials. He’d gotten Johnny’s phone call and knew they’d have to try and lay a little bit lower than he’d planned. He’d gotten some hats, sunglasses. They were going to travel light and he’d bought a cheap crappy car. They were going to leave in the morning and toss the Fitzsimmons IDs.

He hadn’t told Elizabeth any of this yet. He was worried about her, worried that she wasn’t going to be able to keep up. Jason didn’t know how long before they could go home, now that Sonny’s grief had moved him to take action against them.

Elizabeth glanced at him, saw the pensive look on his face and frowned. “Jason?”

“Yeah?”

“Is there something wrong?” she asked softly. “You looked…upset when you came in.”

“I got a call from Johnny while I was gone,” Jason said after a moment. “Carly died in the hospital.” He heard her inhale sharply and went on. “Sonny gave the order to find me and kill me. He holds me responsible.”

But the root of the conspiracy
Is the corporate claim on all our needs

“What?” Elizabeth demanded. She stood. “Why?”

Jason shrugged, trying not to let it show how much Sonny’s newfound hatred affected him. “Maybe he thinks I should have found Carly sooner or that I should have stayed. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

“I’m sorry, Jason. I know how much you love Sonny and Carly,” Elizabeth told him. She crossed the room, standing next to him at the window. “I–”

“We’re leaving in the morning,” Jason cut in. “I got a car so we don’t have to leave a credit trail. There’s a backpack for you to use so that we don’t look like we’re moving from town to town. We’re leaving in the morning.”

Stung by his brusque tone, Elizabeth just nodded and went into the bathroom to change for bed. If he didn’t want to talk about it, that his problem not hers. She didn’t care anymore.

She sighed and glanced in the mirror before she left. Like hell she didn’t.

Down goes the small man dream
The franchise rise and provide

She was still sleeping when he woke up the next morning, so he left a note that he was getting breakfast and they’d leave when they finished eating. He locked and shut the door tightly behind him.

It took twenty minutes to get a bagel, an orange juice and a coffee to go. The diner was busy and he’d had to wait in line most of those twenty minutes.

As he approached the door to their motel room, he slowed, his eyes trained on the slightly ajar door. He told Elizabeth never to open the door unless he was with her and he knew he’d locked the door behind him.

He set the food on the hood of their car and stepped up next to the door. Glancing around him, he pulled his gun the waistband of his jeans and kicked the door open.

A man had Elizabeth with a gun to her throat. He had one arm around her waist and he was poking the barrel of the gun upwards, digging it into the soft skin of her chin.

“Well, well, Morgan. I didn’t think I’d catch you off guard this easily,” the man taunted.

Jason’s eyes narrowed as he recognized him. A guard…Peter. “Let her go or I’ll kill you,” Jason threatened.

“Put the gun down,” Peter snarled. “We’ll make this nice and easy. I’ll even lock the little slut in the bathroom so she doesn’t have to see you die. Corinthos wants her back in PC anyway.”

Jason ignored him and cocked the hammer back on his gun. “Let her go,” he repeated.

“No. Corinthos wants you dead,” Peter replied. “Unlike you, I know how to follow orders.” His hand on her waist tightened. “Though I can’t blame you for running off. She might be small but she’s cute.”

Elizabeth’s eyes met Jason’s in horror as the guard’s hand started to slide up her rib cage. When his hand closed over her breast, Jason was about to try and get a shot off but Elizabeth rammed her elbow in Peter’s gut, knocking him off balance and getting the gun away from her throat.

America how do you like it
This is what we will be

She whirled around and leapt on him, kicking and punching. He went flying to the ground, his gun thrown out of his hand. She was crying as she attacked him. No man was going to touch like that again–not ever again.

Jason grabbed her by the waist and hauled her off him, planting her firmly on her feet behind him. He reached for the guard’s gun because it had the silence and he shot the man twice, one in each knee.

He would have killed him but he wouldn’t have been able to get rid of the body and right now all he wanted was to get them both out of here.

“Get your things,” he ordered her. Mutely Elizabeth grabbed her sandals from the floor and the backpack she’d been in the middle of packing when Peter had grabbed her. She shoved the rest of her clothes into it and darted out the door behind Jason, not eager to look back to see the moaning guard behind them.

She tossed her things in the back of the car and managed to grab their food from the hood before she got in the car. Jason started the ignition and they tore out of the parking lot.

Goodbye, I’m leavin now
I’ll see you sometime

They were on the highway and well out of Seattle before either of them spoke. Her voice was still shaky. “I thought you said they couldn’t find us.”

He didn’t answer at first, concentrated on driving. “I was wrong,” he said finally. “But they’re not going to get that close again.”

This time, she didn’t believe him. She didn’t trust it. He’d told her she was safe with him and she’d practically been molested right in front of his eyes. She was out of trust.

“Are you okay?” Jason asked her after a moment.

“I’m fine,” she answered stiffly.

“I underestimated them. I’m sorry, Elizabeth.”

“Okay.”

“We’re going to have change IDs,” he told her. “Go in my duffle bag. The right side unzips. Grab a new set.”

She leaned in the back and pulled out the envelope he carried them in. “You said you had my set waiting at the airport when we got there.”

“Yeah.”

“How much do you trust the person who shipped them?”

He didn’t answer her at first but his voice was regretful. “More than I should have.”

Goodbye, I’m leavin now
I’ll see you sometime

“We’re not going to be able to go home any time soon, are we?” Elizabeth asked knowingly.

“Probably not. I’m hoping if we can stay off radar long enough, Sonny will calm down and call them off.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

He didn’t have an answer for her and she could somehow guess that. Instead she flipped through the different driver’s licenses, each with her face on it. “Do all of these match yours, name wise?” she asked him. “Like last names?”

“Yeah. It’s just easier that way,” Jason told her. “Which ones do you have?”

“I guess I’ll use Joy Patterson,” Elizabeth remarked. She slipped the license into her purse along with the matching credit cards before pulling out the pile of male licenses. “And you’re John Patterson,” she told him, setting his aside. “Okay?”

“That’s fine.”

Goodbye, I’m leavin now
I’ll see you sometime

After a few more moments, she sighed and put the envelope in the glove compartment. “You don’t think I can do this, do you?” she asked quietly.

“It’s not that, Elizabeth.”

“Then what is it?” she asked pointedly. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Do you trust me?” Jason asked instead.

“I’m not sure,” Elizabeth told him honestly. “I trusted you when you said they couldn’t find us and it barely took twenty-four hours.”

“You’ve never done this before,” he said, ignoring her remark for now. “I have. I’ve always traveled alone. It’s not a matter of not trusting you, it’s just…I’m worried you don’t have the experience.”

“I didn’t know how to take care of a gunshot wound, but I caught on pretty quick, didn’t I?” Elizabeth reminded him. “I’m a quick learner, Jason. I can do this.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said again. He glanced at her before looking back at the road. “For saving my life. I know now what it cost you.”

“This isn’t your fault,” Jason assured her quickly.

“And it’s not yours either.”

I’ll see you sometime

They didn’t stop that night, wanting to put as much distance between them and Seattle as possible. They were well into Oregon when dawn broke the next morning. For once it was a comfortable silence in the car as they both understood that they were only people left to trust. That they were in this thing together.

She convinced him to let her drive for a while about midnight, promising to wake him up if she saw anything suspicious. He was a light sleeper and every time she drove over a pothole, he woke up. But when they stopped for breakfast, he looked better than he had when she’d forced him from the wheel and once he had coffee in him, he was even better.

For better or for worse, for the next few weeks, this was it. It was the two of them running from Sonny Corinthos.

I’ll see you sometime

Song: Sometime by Lizzie West

---

Two Weeks Later

I just want to feel safe in my own skin
I just want to be happy again

They were somewhere in Arizona now, a small town just off the highway. As far as they knew, no one had any idea where they were.

But Elizabeth still didn’t sleep at night.

They’d been in this motel room for three days, by far the longest amount of time they’d spent anywhere. They only spoke when necessary.

She’d bought a book at a convenience store somewhere in Southern California and she sat at the small table near the window, reading it.

The shades were drawn, and she’d unplugged the lamp from the nightstand between the double beds. She’d set it up on the table and tried to convince herself she was back in her room at her grandmother’s instead of some small unknown town in the southwest.

I just want to feel deep in my own world
But I’m so lonely
I don’t even want to be with myself anymore

She sighed and set the book on the table, rubbing her eyes. She didn’t feel comfortable sitting in here by herself while Jason was getting something to eat. It was like she expected another hit man to jump out of the corner.

She separated the curtains to peer out to the street. When she saw Jason crossing the street, a pizza box and a six pack of soda in his hands, she let out a relieved breath and let the curtains fall back into place.

A few moments later, Jason entered. He set the food down and sat across from her. In the two weeks they’d been on the road, he’d never mentioned Carly, though Elizabeth knew he must be upset about it. He also never mentioned Courtney or Sonny and the only time they’d talked about Ric had been the day he’d told her husband was dead.

“You want a soda?” Jason asked. She nodded and after he handed it to her, she opened her book again and began reading. Immersing herself in a bad convenience store novel seemed a more enjoyable prospect than making conversation.

The sound of his cell phone shattered the silence and she glanced up sharply. His phone never rang. Of course she knew he was in contact with someone in Port Charles, but…was it really a good idea for someone to have his cell number?

On a different day
if I was safe in my own skin
then I wouldn’t feel lost and so frightened

He met her eyes briefly before taking the phone from his jeans pocket and answering it. “Yeah.”

“We’ve got a problem,” Johnny said in a hushed voice. He ducked into an unused office at the warehouse. “Baldwin can’t pin Lansing’s murder on Sonny, so he’s going a different route.”

Jason stood and turned away from Elizabeth’s eyes. “What does that mean?”

“It means that he’s using your disappearance to his advantage,” Johnny replied.

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Jason held his breath, knowing there was more.

“But his theory and how uh…people are reacting is why I’m calling.” Johnny hesitated. “He’s saying you and Elizabeth committed it together and then ran off.” There was another pause. “Jason–“

“They’re saying she’s guilty?” Jason cut in sharply, glancing at Elizabeth briefly who sat up and looked at him oddly.

“That’s not all,” Johnny continued. “The press is eating it up and they’re doing all these stories about you two. They found pictures of that warehouse fire on Valentine’s Day. They’re bringing up the kidnapping, the explosion and the shooting…Jase, it gets worse.”

He muttered something under his breath. “I can’t imagine how.”

“Courtney’s publicly ended the engagement.”

He couldn’t speak for a moment. He reached out his with free hand and braced it against the wall, an action that alarmed Elizabeth. She closed her book and stood up.

“Jason?” Johnny asked. “Are you okay?”

“You mean…she actually believes this?” Jason asked finally.

“I’m sorry, man. Listen, your sister has been defending you in the press and Lucky Spencer and Audrey Hardy are defending Liz, but it’s not doing much good.”

“What about Sonny?” Jason asked.

There was another pause. “He hasn’t said much,” the guard hedged.

“But?” Jason pressed.

“Look, Jase, the longer you two stay gone…the more time Baldwin’s got to spread this story. I know you don’t give a damn about yourself, but what about Elizabeth? She’s innocent in this.”

“Yeah…I know that.” Jason closed his eyes and dragged a hand through his hair. “Listen…I need to think about this. Talk it over with Elizabeth. I’ll call you back.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks for calling.” Jason hung up and leaned against the wall. “We’ve got a problem.”

But this is today
and I’m lost in my own skin

“I gathered as much from your side of the conversation,” Elizabeth said cautiously. “What’s wrong?”

“Scott Baldwin…I guess he didn’t have any luck prosecuting Sonny for Ric’s murder,” Jason told her carefully. “And he jumped on a new theory.”

“He thinks I did it,” Elizabeth said, slowly.

“He thinks we both did it and then ran off together,” Jason corrected.

Elizabeth widened her eyes. “And the people back home? What do they think?”

“I got the impression that it was pretty much accepted. Emily, Lucky and Audrey seem to think different but it’s not enough.” Jason sat on the edge of the bed, his mind already perusing their different options.

And I’m so lonely
I don’t even want to be with myself anymore

Elizabeth noticed the absence of Courtney’s name in that list and suddenly felt a sharp streak of sorrow for Jason. She remembered all too well what it was like when the person you loved didn’t trust you. “We have an alibi,” she pointed out. “At least a dozen people would put us on the flight to Seattle.”

“That’s true, but I bought those tickets under a different name. As far as anyone else is concerned, we vanished as soon as we left Port Charles. There’s no paper trail of either of us anywhere,” Jason told her. “We’re each other’s alibi and it won’t hold up in court.”

“But there’s no other evidence,” Elizabeth said, almost desperate. “There’s nothing linking either of us except the fact we left town.”

“And for Scott Baldwin, it’s enough. He’s corrupt, Elizabeth. He wants me in jail and he nearly succeeded last winter,” he reminded her.

“So…what? We run for the rest of our lives?” she asked, nearly panicked now.

He shook his head. “The longer we’re gone, the worse it’ll be.”

“But I thought it wasn’t safe to go to Port Charles. Especially since Sonny wants you dead.” Elizabeth crossed her arms tightly and studied him. After a moment of silence, she looked at the ground. “What should we do?”

“We have to go back,” Jason said after some hesitation. “Not right this second. Not even tomorrow, but sometime in the near future.”

“What about Sonny?”

Jason stood and shook his head. “Let me worry about Sonny.”

Elizabeth hesitated, her doubt in Jason showing again. He sighed, disappointed but understanding all at the same time.

And I just say oh, oh
I feel, oh, oh

“Elizabeth, I know what happened in Seattle upset you but you have to trust me. Once we’re back in Port Charles, on our own ground…I can protect you more.”

“I know,” she sighed. “I just…how are we supposed to get out of this without telling them Sonny put a hit on my life and then one on you?” she asked.

Jason frowned and sat back on the edge of the bed, deep in thought. She sat back at the small table and flipped the lid of the pizza box open. Her stomach had started to rumble a little and it was obvious Jason would need some time to come up with a plan.

And I’m so lonely
I don’t even want to be with myself anymore

She was halfway through a slice of plain when he stood and joined her at the table. “They already know we’re together,” Jason began. “I mean…that wherever we are…” he fumbled.

She nodded. “Right.”

“And the press has the idea that we killed your husband and then ran off somewhere together.” When he said together this time, she knew what he meant.

“We’re not going to be able to change their minds about that, you know that right?” Jason continued. “Once people get an idea in their head like that…”

“Yeah, I know. So how are we supposed to convince Scott Baldwin and the police that it’s not?”

I just say oh, oh
And I’m so lonely

“We don’t have to convince them of anything,” Jason replied. “We have time working with us. No one saw either of us after I took you to the warehouse, right?”

“Right,” Elizabeth said slowly. “But we didn’t leave until after midnight.”

“I can arrange to have records show we were on a flight to London before Ric’s murder,” Jason told her.

“Basically…we’re going to take their idea that we killed him and ran off together and just remove the kill part,” Elizabeth clarified.

“Yeah.” He shifted. “I know it’s not the best thing…but it’s the only believable explanation.”

“But what about Courtney?” Elizabeth asked, finally voicing the name that he hadn’t in two weeks.

I feel oh, oh
I don’t even want to be with myself anymore

He hesitated then and looked away. “She, ah…she believes what the papers say. And she broke off the engagement.”

“Oh, Jason,” she sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter right now. When we get back to Port Charles, I’ll talk to her. Straighten it out. But Elizabeth, this is the best and simplest explanation for what’s been going on.”

“And if we go back…you’re sure you can keep me safe from Sonny?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes,” Jason said firmly. “I’m sure.”

“Okay then,” Elizabeth agreed. “Let’s go.”

I just want to feel safe in my own skin
I just want to be happy again

Song: Honestly OK by Dido