ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

Hello! This next story is based on the February 2015 prompt/challenge over on HH. This main part prompt (which I chose to focus on) was about Jason or Liz making a sacrifice, and I did my best to honor that. This gave me a chance to work a bit on improving my writing of angst, which you guys know I don't really like to put in my work. I still gave it a go, and this is the result.

This story is four chapters, so short and sweet. I will be taking a short break after this is done. Reviews, follows, and favorites are always appreciated. I do ask that you are polite in any reviews you leave for the story.

Deb, thank you so much for constantly coming up with ideas for us writers to tackle. You will never really know how much you are appreciated.

Liason102 thank you for the edit. I say it all the time, but you really are the most awesomest best ever!

Chapter 1

Johnny O'Brien sat in the visitor's room of Pentonville Penitentiary and waited for them to bring his friend down. This place depressed him and he would get to leave after the visit was over. Jason had to go back to his prison cell. He didn't know how his friend had stood being here over the past year. The steady stream of visitors helped some, but still Johnny would have gone out of his mind by now.

He grinned when Jason walked across the room. He also made note of how the other prisoners in the area reacted. Jason was a dangerous young man, and being behind bars had not changed that fact. When he first arrived a couple of inmates had decided to test the water. One was dead, and the other was in a wheelchair. No one had bothered Jason since. A very liberal payoff made sure that neither one of those incidents appeared on Jason's record. He wasn't going to serve a minute longer than was necessary. Sonny was making sure of that. It was the least he could do for the sacrifice Jason was making.

"Hey." Jason said taking a seat.

"Hey yourself." Johnny said with his trademark grin in place. No matter what the guys made these visits upbeat. "How's it going?" Jason looked good, no visible injuries or signs that the interment was getting to him.

"Fine." Jason said shrugging. Prison life sucked, there was no denying that. But he would do the time so that Sonny didn't have to. He had been justified in killing Luis Alcazar. He almost cost Kristina her life. The South American crime lord had left Alexis heavily pregnant and bleeding in the snow from an abruption he caused when he pushed her down. Sonny waited six months and then went after Alcazar. Leaving behind a messy crime scene. There was a reason Sonny didn't perform hits.

Clean up couldn't happen, but when Scott Baldwin came with an arrest warrant for Jason no one corrected his misconception. Intentionally losing the case was hard for Alexis to swallow. More than once they had to talk her out of saying what really happened, but Kristina needed Sonny. The little girl had been sick since birth and her dad in prison wouldn't help things. With Jason getting convicted the prosecutor's office wasn't even looking to see if anyone else was involved. That was good because life behind bars would kill Sonny.

In exchange for confessing Jason asked for two things. Both of which Sonny granted. Johnny and Francis were making sure their boss stuck to the agreement, because Sonny had been resistant at first. It had been Lila of all people who set the mob boss straight. If her grandson was going to spend a large chunk of his life behind bars then Sonny was going to give Jason what he wanted.

"How is Elizabeth?" Jason wanted to know.

Johnny knew this question was coming. It was how each visit started. The petite artist and Jason were in the beginning stages of a relationship when the trial took place. He had requested she not come to court, she did any way. When he got convicted he attempted to cut all ties between them. Saying she didn't need an association with him dragging her down. Elizabeth stomped all over that notion. She wrote letters to him every week, which he started answering after six months in prison. She also sent items to make his stay more bearable. What she didn't do was come visit. Jason didn't want her to see him in prison. That was the one request she honored.

"She's good, we had to hire a female guard for her but its working out. Liz misses you. I think you letting her come see you would do her a world of good." Johnny tried every couple of visits to get Jason to change his mind about that. So did Francis. So far it was not happening.

"I don't want her getting patted down." Jason said shaking his head. Elizabeth didn't do well with strangers touching her, and while the guard doing the search would be a woman it would leave her unsettled. "Is she still staying at the Towers?"

This was condition number one. Protection and care for Elizabeth. Jason was head over heels in love with the beautiful brunette, but he never got the chance to tell her. There was no way he was going to do so in a letter he wrote from prison. What he could do was make sure she was cared for, and had a good life. A spacious apartment at the Towers and a bank account were arranged when the jury began deliberations.

"She is." Johnny promised his friend. Her place was between his and Francis's, that way they could keep an eye out for her.

"Can you check on her in the coming weeks? This time of year is rough for Elizabeth." Jason wasn't going to say why she didn't like Valentine's Day, and if he was home he would be checking on her himself. Last year they had spent the day in her studio, he had given her a hunk of glass from Murano. He had hoped that this year they could spend the day together again, only with some kissing added in.

"No problem." Johnny had noticed that in the last week she seemed a bit withdrawn.

"How is everyone else?" Jason asked his friend.

"They are all good. Alexis has been good for Sonny." This was request number two. Jason wanted his former partner and his attorney to get married. One it would protect them both, and two they were good together. The repressed attorney actually seemed to know just how to keep Sonny from doing stupid things. Jason was worried Sonny was going to get back together with Carly and that would be disastrous. It would only be a matter of time before Sonny told the loudmouthed blonde what really happened. And Carly wouldn't be able to keep the secret to herself. She would feel the need to save Jason. "Kristina's doing better." The little girl still had a fight ahead of her, but they were finally getting signs she was going to win her battle.

"Good." Jason said leaning back in his chair. He appreciated that the guys were coming to see him. They didn't have to. He wasn't a part of their world anymore. Sonny had asked Maximus to allow Jason to retire, it was a move that shocked everyone. So when he got out he was free to start a new life wherever he wanted. It wasn't going to be Port Charles though. He was serving forty years without the possibility of parole, by the time he was released Liz would no doubt be married with a family. He didn't want to see that. Yes he wanted her happy, but seeing what could have been on a regular basis would be hard.

"Can I get you anything?" Johnny always asked, and always got the same answer in return.

"I'm good." Jason didn't need much. Just for his fellow inmates to leave him alone.

"I noticed Carly's name in the visitor's log." Johnny wanted to get to the bottom of this. Francis saw it too. They didn't want that blonde nuisance getting her claws back in Jason. She was the reason Luis knew Alexis was having Sonny's baby. The blonde's sense of possession of Sonny and Jason had been the cause of almost every major issue since she came into their lives.

"I refused to see her." Jason told his friend. "Being here has given me time to think. I may have lost my chance at a future with Elizabeth, but I don't need to repeat the mistakes I made in the past. Carly was a mistake."

"You haven't lost Liz." Johnny didn't want Jason thinking that. She was in love with the former enforcer, and that wasn't changing anytime soon. "Don't push her away Jason, because one day you'll push and she'll decide to walk."

"I'm not pushing her away. We are friends, more than friends, that won't ever change. But she deserves more than to spend her life waiting for me to get out of here." Jason said quietly. "I need to know she is happy, and safe."

"Write her another letter. She lights up on the days she gets something from you." Johnny passed along.

Jason looked out the window at the overcast sky. It was going to snow. He always thought of Elizabeth when it snowed. "Can you get her a gift for me? I can have Diane transfer some money to cover the cost." Diane Miller was the attorney Lila hired to overturn Jason's conviction. The red head was supposed to be the best, and had taken the case last month. Jason didn't think she would be able to do anything, there was a lot of evidence, but a small part of him hoped. He really wanted to hold Elizabeth in his arms again.

"What did you want?" Johnny liked hearing that. He didn't want Jason to lose the future they all knew was waiting for him. Liz was going to wait, a lifetime if necessary. It was up to them to see that she didn't have to.

"She really likes truffles. With caramel, from that shop on tenth street. Can you get her a pound?" Jason knew that she would save up and go buy a few as a treat.

"I'll stop by on my way home." Johnny promised his friend. "Flowers?"

"No, my grandmother sends her some." Jason got letters from Lila too.

"Morgan, times up." The guard called across the room.

"Thanks for coming out." Jason said standing up. He was actually a model prisoner something that came as a surprise to most of the guards. When you were at the top of the power structure you didn't have to prove it to anyone.

"Sure thing. Cody and Max will be up next week. Call if you want us to bring you anything." Johnny said standing too. They didn't shake hands because touching wasn't permitted. Instead the Irishman watched his friend walk away. This blew, and they needed to change the situation as soon as possible.

From Pentonville Johnny went to the chocolate shop and then to the Towers. After every visit the first thing he did was go see Liz to give her an update. He would take a picture but that was against the rules. He knocked on the door to her apartment and waited for her to open it. "Hey kid." Johnny thought she looked tired.

"Hi Johnny, come in." Elizabeth stepped back so he could enter her place. So far only he and Francis had been inside. Most of the guys still scared her some, although they were always polite.

Her place was always spotless he thought grinning. Most of the furniture was from Jason's penthouse. She liked having his things around her, including his pool table. "Jason asked me to bring you these." He said holding out the box.

"Really?" Elizabeth asked lighting up. She took the box and opened it. "Truffles, he always remembers my favorite things. How is he?" She was patiently waiting for the day he would let her come visit.

"Good, or as good as he can be up in Pentonville." Johnny had promised Liz that he wouldn't lie about how Jason was doing. "We have folks watching out for him." Including a few guards.

"Why wouldn't he let me testify for him?" Elizabeth had been ready to take the stand. Alexis was all for it, but Jason said no.

"He didn't want you lying for him. Perjury carries a jail sentence." Johnny knew she would have said anything necessary to make the jury believe Jason was with her that night. "He also didn't want you ruining your reputation for him."

"I was with him the night Alcazar was murdered." Elizabeth pointed out. She knew it was Sonny who had pulled the trigger, and the only reason she was keeping quiet was because Jason asked her to. He said it was part of his job to take protect Sonny, even if that meant going to jail for him.

"He dropped you off at your place three hours before Luis was killed." Johnny reminded her. "We have no idea who may have seen him do so. All it would have taken was one person to say you were lying and Baldwin would have thrown you in jail for a few years. Jason would lose his mind thinking about you in prison."

Elizabeth was quiet for a bit. She missed Jason every day. When he was home they rarely went more than forty-eight hours without seeing one another. She had been grieving the loss of Lucky when they reconnected one night at Jake's. She was looking for trouble and he kept her from finding it. From that one night a friendship was born, and at some point she had fallen in love with Jason. It seemed like every time she wanted to tell him something came between them. Normally minor annoyances, this time it was something major.

With Valentine's Day approaching his absence was being felt more intensely. Last year she had smiled on that day for the first time in years. She was looking forward to spending the day with him again this year. Liz had been hoping that they might even share their first kiss. "I miss him."

"We all do. You need anything?" Johnny wanted to check before heading up over to see Sonny. His boss always wanted an update on how Jason was doing as well.

"No." Liz said shaking her head. The only thing she needed was the one thing she couldn't have.

"Call me if that changes." Johnny said heading for the door. Yeah they needed to get Jason out of Pentonville as soon as possible. By legal means, or illegal ones. "Lock up behind me."

"Thanks for bringing me the chocolate." Elizabeth said as her friend left. Alone she sat on the couch and opened the box of treats. Without biting into any of them she knew they would be filled with caramel, because that was her favorite. She would take some to her weekly visit with Lila, it would make the older woman smile. Maybe Diane would join them with an update on how her case for Jason was going.

Four days after his visit with Johnny, and the day after his visit with Cody, Jason was allowed to make a phone call. This was something he got to do once a month. Normally he declined to take the twenty minutes he was allowed. Today he opted to use it. He was shown into a private room, and the guard left to give him privacy. It was one of the rare instances when a prisoner got that privilege, although it wasn't as great as it seemed. The calls were monitored through the switchboard. Taking a deep breath Jason dialed the number he had memorized. He listened to the phone ring, and tried to control the butterflies in his stomach.

"Hello?"

"Hi." Jason got out before licking his dry lips.

"Jason!" Elizabeth couldn't believe he was calling her. "How are you?" She was blinking hard to keep the tears from falling. She had gotten this cell phone when she moved into the building and only a few people had the number. Every time it rang she wanted it to be Jason.

"I'm okay." He said letting the sound of her voice fill him with joy. She had read to him when he was recovering from a bullet wound in her tiny studio and ever since then whenever he heard her he felt a sense of safety. The same way she said she felt when his arms were around her. "I- I miss you." He said quietly.

"I miss you too." She said giving up and letting the tears fall. "Can I come see you?"

"No." Jason said feeling like a bastard for taking that hope from her. "I'd like to call you again next month."

"Okay." Elizabeth would take that. They were making progress, first he started responding to her letters, and now he was calling her. So she was thinking in time he would lift the visiting ban. "Do you need me to send you anything?"

"I'm good. I can buy anything I need here at the store." Jason let her know. She would send him items anyway, and he would use them. Last month she sent him socks because she was worried his feet would get cold. "Johnny said they got you a female guard."

"Johnny's cousin Siobhan." Elizabeth passed along. "She's really nice."

"How is Sonny treating you?" Jason wanted to know. He hadn't asked any of the guys this question because he didn't want them to talk about Sonny behind his back. But certain things Cody said during his visit had Jason worried. Sonny had mentioned that he wasn't too thrilled to be paying for a special guard for Elizabeth. That she should just get used to the guys. He also mentioned that she should start paying rent on her unit. That had left a frown on Jason's face.

"Fine, we don't really see one another that much." She was not a Sonny Corinthos fan. Right after Jason went to prison he had blamed this whole mess on her. Saying if she hadn't distracted Jason then he would have been around to handle Alcazar. Liz had come right back at the mob boss, something that seemed to surprise him. She pointed out that if Sonny had bothered to think before acting then Jason wouldn't be in prison. Since then they had kept interactions to a minimum.

Liz wasn't sure anyone had ever pointed out to Sonny how his ego led him to make bad decisions. He didn't like hearing it. She was pretty sure Alexis made him come down and apologize a few days later. It was fine that they didn't cross paths often, if Liz was being honest she had to admit that Sonny scared her more than anyone else. She had no problem believing he wanted her to disappear.

"If he bothers you tell Francis or Johnny." Jason knew they wouldn't let Sonny get away with anything.

"Everything is fine. I promise." She didn't want him worried about her. "Are you getting enough to eat?"

"I'm getting plenty." He said smiling. Jason would be lying if he said he didn't like how she fussed over him. "Thank you for making sure my grandmother is doing okay. She writes about your visits in her letters."

"We both miss you." Elizabeth said softly. She slept in one of his shirts every night, and she hadn't given up hope that he was going to come home soon.

"Are you going to be okay with the coming holiday?" This was why he wanted to call. He needed to know for sure that she was okay.

"I will. I'm going to stay in and paint." Elizabeth wouldn't feel like being social. It would be easier to pretend the day didn't exist that way.

"I wish I could call you, but I won't be able to use the phone for another four weeks." Jason let her know, her calling him wasn't an option.

"I'll be okay." She said with conviction, she didn't want him worrying about her.

"I have to go." Jason said as the guard came back in. He swore he could smell vanilla, the scent that lingered on her skin. "Let the guys know if you need anything."

"I will." Elizabeth said not wanting to hang up.

"I'll call again next month." Jason said quietly. Putting space between them was something he just couldn't seem to do.

"I'll be waiting." She let him know. As soon as she said that the line clicked and a dial tone replaced Jason's voice. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and leaned back into the chair. "Stay safe." She softly prayed before going to wash her face.

Jason hung up the phone and followed the guard out. It was lunch time, he would eat before going back to his cell. In the winter they didn't get to go to the yard, so later he would head to the gym and work off some steam. Or more realistically some frustration. He wanted Elizabeth in his arms, and that wasn't going to happen.

Thanks for the reviews!