A/N: This is the start of a story for darkhuntress who approached me a while ago for it. Before moving into the outline she gave me I wanted to do some back story. I have wrapped up I Married a Serial Killer and will be concentrating on wrapping up Switching Places next. This story will only be updated once a week on Monday.

August 2006

Carly waited until Jason had left, then admitted to herself that in a way she hoped he didn't straighten things out with Sam. She hated his being so lonely and knew that at one point Sam had made him happy so for his sake she would grin and bear it when she saw them together.

Seeing Sonny crossing the lobby, she ducked into her office hoping he just kept going. She was in a good place with Jax and didn't want her dysfunctional past with her ex-husband ruining things.

Heading to Kelly's once she was sure he had left, she was soon ensconced at a table eating a burger and fries. Seeing her annoying cousin slipping in with Maxie Jones confirmed what she had thought was going on. Shaking her head, she just went back to eating her meal, it was none of her business.

"Carly any dessert?" asked Georgie as she approached.

"Do you have any of those brownies left you were eating?" she asked hopefully. She could smell them from across the diner.

"Those aren't from Kelly's. Elizabeth brought them to me just now as a thanks for babysitting Cameron last night." she said. Handing Carly one, she went back to work serving coffee and taking orders and never saw Carly's face as she realized Elizabeth was heading up the stairs.

Not sure why she was chasing after Elizabeth, Carly wished she hadn't come up the stairs when she heard the same thing Elizabeth did. Lucky and Maxie having sex in one of the rooms. The devastated look on her face made even Carly feel guilty but at the same time annoyed.

What was it with the muffin, was she really always going to be a victim. C'mon if it had been her spouse she would raise holy hell over what was going on, not walk away like a wounded bird. Deciding that if she wasn't going to do anything, Carly would. When Maxie and Lucky left the room fifteen minutes later, she couldn't resist saying "Are you at least going to take a shower before going home to your wife?"

"You have no idea what you are talking about." said Lucky defensively.

"Yeah, 'sides it's not like Elizabeth isn't screwing around with Patrick Drake." said Maxie with a sideways look at Lucky.

"Paaleeasse! He is so hung up on your cousin, I really doubt he is sleeping with both of them. This is just some story the two of you made up to excuse what you are doing."

"What do you care Carly? It's not like your a fan of Elizabeth?" said Maxie annoyed on the blond for calling her out.

"True, but at least she has some class and if she chose to have an affair it wouldn't be with some barely legal teenager in exchange for what is it exactly?" she asked looking at Lucky's flushed face. "Drugs?"

As they stormed past, she shook her head and went home to deal with her own messed up life.

Jason went to see Elizabeth at GH and could tell something was bothering her. "What is it?"

"Nothing." she said with a small fake smile.

"I know you better than that." he said knowing that some part of him would always be attuned to Elizabeth. Watching as she walked away to check on a patient, he saw one of her fellow nurses stop and talk to her and knew he had made the right decision all those years ago.

Elizabeth was a well respected nurse and mother, she had a good life for the most part. She was free from the darkness of his world. Looking down, he made his decision. He didn't want to be alone and he could never have what part of him would always want. Time to walk away before he forgot that. Time to deal with everything. First up was finding his way to Sam.

Elizabeth was in the locker room, not wanting to go home when Epiphany came in and asked if she could work until 3:00 AM. "There was an incident in the ER and I had to send home a couple of nurses."

"Let me call grams and see if it is okay for Cam to stay over." Getting her grams agreement, Elizabeth went to work in the ER.

Driving his bike up the cliff roads, Jason knew he had to clear the air with Sam and that what he was going to say would make her happy and he would be back to living the life he found he no longer wanted. He drove hard trying to clear the memories of Elizabeth out of his head, Sam had been good to him over the past few years and had lost so much because of it.

He could not take her back while he was still wishing she was another woman. She didn't deserve that, so he rode until it dark. Finally able to feel the ever present lump in his heart accept that he had to move on, he drove out to the Lake house grimacing when he saw Ric's car there.

Stopping out past the tree line so that the sound of his bike wouldn't alert the prick to his arrival, Jason walked up the drive and was at the door when what he saw stopped him dead. Sam was on top of Ric working her way down his stomach. Stunned, he watched for a couple of minutes before the DA reached up and moved her so that she was now riding him. Shaking his head, Jason could not help but be grateful to see what was going on before he had made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

Seeing Alexis pulling in, he stopped the older woman trying to keep her from having to see what he had just seen. She seemed to be getting back into the car when he pulled away on his bike, knowing that he couldn't stay here any longer.

Alexis saw Jason leaving and was suspicious as to why he didn't want her to walk up to her own door. Worried that he had just killed Ric, she hurried as much as it was possible for her to hurry and arrived at her door. Gasping at what she saw, she almost fell as she backed away.

Elizabeth let herself into her apartment, dead tired but grateful that Epiphany had sent her home early. She was going to grab some clothes and head to her grams. Opening the door, she saw Lucky sleeping with Maxie on top of him in her bed. HER BED!

Tired of the excuses and the fights, Elizabeth just closed the door and walked away. When she arrived at her grams and saw that the elderly woman was a sleep along with Cameron, Elizabeth just went to crawl into her old bed. But old memories were rushing through her head and knowing that her grams thought she was at work then going home to work things out with Lucky, she got up, left a note and went to clear her head.

Driving around, she was soon at the Towers, knowing that something had been up with Jason, she decided to see if he was still awake at ...looking at her watch, Elizabeth was stunned to realize it was only eleven.

Jason was sitting on the stairs drinking tequila wondering why everyone else got to be happy but him. Grabbing the bottle he took another gulp, as he heard someone knocking at the door. Ripping it open, he saw Elizabeth and knew that this was not a good idea, his guard was down already and he was more than a little drunk.

"Jason, what is it?" They were soon drinking and telling each other what was going on.

"Sam and Ric?" she asked not seeing that one coming. "Poor Alexis."

As they went from discussing the current mess to the past, Jason found himself following Elizabeth around the room as she moved while talking to him. When she said something about timing and loving him, he felt his heart break, knowing he had to keep his own views quiet.

Jason realized that for once the timing was right. He had already made his mind up on what he was going to do, but he wanted, no make that needed to be with her.

When she went to say goodbye and leave, Jason reached out and pulled her back into his arms, knowing that he was being selfish and that she was still in love with that prick Spencer, but he didn't care. Just once he wanted to be with the girl he had loved for so long.

Alexis collapsed on the threshold of GH as Alan was leaving for the night. Helping her into a room, he reached her oncologist and they admitted her. He was more worried about her emotional state than her cancer right at that moment though. She was refusing to let them call Ric and Alan had to give in to her wishes.

Maxie got up and went into the bathroom, hoping that her plan had worked. She would know by this time next month if she was pregnant and if she was Lucky Spencer would be all hers. When he joined her, she grimaced when he asked if she could get him another bag. "Please, babe. You see how hard it is living in this place with Elizabeth." he whined.

Arriving home, she saw an upset Georgie who when she tried to comfort her sister, slapped her face. "Lulu is sleeping with Dillon."

"Why did you hit me?" asked Maxie astonished. "What did I do?"

"That was for Elizabeth. Did you really think I didn't know about Lucky?" she sneered as Mac came into the room. Maxie was soon talking her way out of trouble knowing that her sister wouldn't tattle on her behavior.

After comforting his youngest, Mac said "Georgie, I know that this isn't going to help much, but I assure you there are worse things to have happen. Where do you want to go from here?"

"I don't know, honestly, I don't know dad." she said while crying.

Jason was feeding Elizabeth, when she said she was moving into her grams house for a while. "I have a better idea, since you won't let me send you to Italy, why don't you move into a safe house I own. No one knows that it belongs to me, it would give Cam and you a safe place while Lucky gets himself clean at least."

"Jason, I couldn't..." she said regretfully.

Going to get the key, Jason made her take it. "No one, knows I own it. It is right outside of town. It is in the name of Edward Morgan."

Elizabeth took the key having no intention of moving there but knowing it would make Jason happy if he thought she was safe. "What about Sam?"

"I am not sure. I mean we are done, but do I out the affair and what about Alexis and her daughters?" he said sighing. Hearing his phone ring, he said "I have to take that."

Listening to Sonny, Jason sighed and made a personal decision to finally get away for a while after this assignment. Holding Elizabeth to stop her from leaving, he said "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes. This is my mess, it is up to me to figure it out. Jason, thank you for last night." she said kissing his cheek. Inhaling his scent as she held onto him. "No regrets right?"

"No regrets." he said then when she had left leaned his head against the door. No regrets, only wishes for more, he thought to himself. Hearing his phone ring, he tossed it on the desk when he saw it was Sam. Walking to the upstairs closet he grabbed his old duffle bag and packed some things. He had to get away for the weekend, before he did something he would regret and dragged Elizabeth down into his life.

Calling some of the guards he trusted, Jason made some arrangements, then left his penthouse knowing that the next time he saw it; it would look nothing like it did at that moment. Arriving in the garage he saw Ric Lansing waiting for him. When the smug man had tried to rub it in that he had a secret that would hurt Jason, the enforcer looked at him and said "I don't care. Truly, whatever it is you think you have over on me, it doesn't matter. Not anymore."

Stopping to see Sonny as he went to deal with the small problem that Alcazar had created in Boston, Jason knew he had one more stop to make. Seeing his sister arguing with Elizabeth, he moved in closer in time to hear her telling Elizabeth it was her job to fix Lucky, that it was what wives did, they helped their husbands. When the two women parted, Jason just waited until Emily approached him shaking her had at Elizabeth's refusal to see things her way.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe she was right? That Lucky should do this himself?" he asked her.

"You don't understand, Lucky needs her." she protested. "Why do you care anyhow?"

"Because I think you are going to lose your friendship over a man who is too weak to take care of himself." he said.

"Lucky isn't you, Jason. Not everyone is able to pick themselves up."

"True, but I do have to ask, how many times is Elizabeth supposed to be the one to help him. He has a father, a brother and a sister, yet all of you expect it to be Elizabeth, every single time. Emily, she has a son, he has to be her first priority, not that overgrown baby, Lucky Spencer. If you are so worried about protecting people, why don't you try protecting the ones who really need the help, Elizabeth and her son. I was coming to tell you I will be out of town for a couple of days, so I have to leave, while I am away, why don't you think about that."

"Is Sam going with you? Did you straighten things out with her?" she asked hopefully.

"No." was all he said. "I went to see her last night, but nothing is worked out." he said before leaving.

Sam went to the penthouse and let herself in. Stopping she was shocked to look around and see nothing. No furniture, no pool table, and going upstairs to Jason and her bedroom, she found nothing but boxes of the things she had left behind knowing she would eventually return.

Seeing a note on top, she read it and steamed when she realized that Jason wasn't coming back to her. Well they would see about that. Walking around the penthouse, slamming doors as she checked each room, she was shocked to realize that the room was still set up for Jason's ex-wife Brenda.

Tossing it, she found the black silk thong underwear on the chair and the used condoms in the trash. She swore she would find out who Jason slept with and they would pay, they would pay for trying to take what belonged to her.

TWO WEEKS Later

Sonny was getting nervous, Jason hadn't returned yet and the mess with Alcazar was getting worse. Sam kept coming to the coffee shop looking for her fiancee and he had no answers for his former lover.

When Carly who had been avoiding him showed up looking for Jason, he went past nervous and into scared. Having Max and Milo discreetly checking around. "That new guy Jason brought in that is related to Corelli said Jason asked them to clean out his penthouse. Something about a fresh start."

"Sonny, Mac Scorpio is here." said Milo entering.

"Corinthos were is your partner?" he asked walking in.

"Why are you asking?" he said as the man sat down uninvited.

"Would he have had any reason to be in Watertown last week?"

Seeing Sonny look up, Mac said "They found a bike after an accident on a bridge. Two cars and a black motorcycle. The bike went into Lake Ontario. They found it up near the St Lawrence Seaway. It is registered to Jason Morgan."

Sonny's hand was shaking when he said "Did they find .... did they?"

"No, but they don't expect to. They have video of his buying gas just before getting on the bridge and he also bought a water inside." said the man. "They found a bag with the bike. They are sending it here. I am on my way to the Quartermaines, now."

Over the next two weeks, Edward and Jax for Carly's sake worked tirelessly to find out if Jason was dead or alive, but all that was found was the helmet he would have been wearing on the highway. After comparing a strand of hair found in it to Alan's, they officially declared Jason dead.

Sam got the news from Kelly Lee and smiled. She was pregnant and other than Ric there was no one who knew it wasn't Jason's. She would have it all. The power and the money as well as the baby she had wanted for so long.

Lulu walked away from the free clinic horrified. She was pregnant with Dillon's child and he still hadn't forgiven her for the lies and deceit. Seeing Diego up ahead, she called out to him needing someone to talk to. As they sat down on the bench, she told him all of it. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, I have no one to talk to. Elizabeth is too busy trying to raise her son, helping Lucky and still working. And I am not that close to Emily." she said crying. "I have to tell Dillon that I am having a baby. That I am pregnant."

Georgie who was on the stairs needing to get away from Maxie, stopped, reeling at what Lulu was saying. Dillon had told her about Lulu tricking him, but it was hard working towards forgiveness, but now it would be impossible. Dillon was going to have to be there for Lulu and this baby. There was nothing left only the ashes of their love.

Maxie saw Elizabeth working and gave a cruel grin. Walking over she said "I need to make an appointment with Kelly Lee, I think I am pregnant."

"Then I would suggest calling Kelly's medical assistant." said Elizabeth. She didn't care what games Maxie was trying to play, if she was pregnant and it was Lucky's maybe it would finally free her from this mess she had gotten into by agreeing to help Lucky purely as his friend.

He had left for a rehab facility after Mac had found out about the drugs. He had been given no choice by his boss, it was either go and be fired.

"Don't you want to know who the father is?" asked Maxie.

"Why don't you tell me since you are so eager to do so." said Elizabeth when she saw Mac and Carly talking just a few feet away. The man had seen his daughter and they were both moving closer but with Maxie so intent on ruining Elizabeth's life she never saw her father but Carly realized that Elizabeth had.

"Lucky, your husband Lucky is the only possible father of my baby." she said with a smirk. "What do you think of that?"

"Well, I hope that the divorce I filed for two weeks ago when I saw you at my old apartment again, goes through before your baby is born."

Seeing the triumphant expression on Maxie's face, Elizabeth said over her head "Mac, I hope for your sake that Lucky does the right thing."

Whirling around, Maxie saw her dad and started to whine. "She was cheating on him with Patrick and we are in love..."

"Maxie, shut up." he said. "Come with me."

Carly looked at Elizabeth and said "That is the muffin I knew years ago. Who knew she was still in there."

"Have they heard anything about Jason yet?" she asked sick with worry for the man she had loved and lost so many times.

"No, they are calling off the search." said Carly as she realized she wasn't the only one losing a friend. She loathed Elizabeth, but she had to admit that Jason's loss would hurt her too.

"I was hoping they would find a miracle." she said softly.

Sam smirked, then said softly. "I don't know how much of a miracle it is, but Dr. Lee just told me I am pregnant. I am so glad that Jason and I reconciled the night of the blackout before he left."

Elizabeth stiffened, knowing she was lying while Carly was grateful for even one small part of her friend being alive. "Sam, I am glad for you sake about the baby." said Elizabeth even as she made plans to go to Sonny.

Sonny was coming down the hallway, when he saw a strange tableau, Carly was hugging Sam while Elizabeth Spencer looked sick to her stomach. Hearing the news, he knew what he had to do, what Jason had once done for him. "Since Jason was planning on remodeling the penthouse for you and it isn't ready, for now, I think you should stay with me at my house."

Not wanting to admit the need to get away from her mother's coolness and Ric's gloating, she took him up on the offer while making plans to do the decorating herself. "Do you know who he hired to decorate things for me." she said.

"No, but I will help." said Carly wanting to be involve with Jason's child.

"Elizabeth, for now can we keep this a secret?" said Sam knowing she would help, that was the kind of person she was. She had also hoped to get her help in finding out who Jason had slept with before leaving town.

"I won't tell a soul you are carrying Jason's child." she said knowing that it was the truth.

Seeing Jason's friends fawning all over Sam, she made a call to check on Emily. Hearing the depressed tone, she went to see her friend. Arriving at the mansion she saw that even Tracy looked upset at the loss of her nephew. Hugging Monica and Emily, Elizabeth saw how despondent Edward was and knew that if Jason was truly dead, things were over for t his family.

Once in Emily's old room, her best friend said sadly. "The last thing I talked to Jason about, was you. We were arguing about my wanting you to help Lucky."

Astonished, Elizabeth hugged her knowing that there were no words that would help.

"He was right, you know. Lucky is going to have to stand on his own. Lulu went to see him earlier, about her baby." said Emily. "He attacked her for wanting to have an abortion then turned around and ordered Ma--" she stopped talking embarrassed.

"I know about Maxie." said Elizabeth tired. "I know about the baby and that it is Lucky's."

"I am so sorry, I know that this hurts especially since it looked like the two of you were getting back together." said Emily thinking about Courtney and Nik. "Maybe she will let you and Lucky adopt him or her."

"Emily, Lucky and I are not getting back together, I filed for divorce two weeks ago. I hope Lucky decides to be a father to this baby, but I am not going to be part of the picture. You are going to have to face that." she said getting up and heading towards the door. "I love you, Emily. You are my best friend, and I know you are facing a horrible thing in losing Jason right now, but I can't be here for you, not if you are still going to be pushing Lucky's agenda."

"B-but, Lucky said you changed your mind on the divorce when I saw him the other day. That you had discussed Lulu's baby and adopting it." said a stunned Emily as she realized she had to have misunderstood something.

"No, Lucky was rambling on while still detoxing. We are still getting a divorce and I told Lulu I would support whatever decision she made. Even an abortion if that was what she wanted."

Emily sat down and cried after her friend left, just when she thought things would get back to normal, she lost her brother and her friends lives were falling apart.

Sonny had gone to Mac to get Jason's personal items only to be told that they had been given to Alan. "We are required to release them to a family member." said Mac when he furiously threatened to sue the department.

"That should have been Sam, she is the mother of his future child." he said walking away.

Calling over to the Quartermaine's, he reached Tracy and let her know that Sonny was on the warpath and about Sam. Tracy thanked him for the information and went to the safe pulling out the file on Sam McCall. Looking at it again, she could not help wondering about the convenience of Sam getting pregnant right when Jason died.

Thinking on it, she said just as Elizabeth Webber was leaving "There is no way, Sam McCall should ever be the mother of a Quartermaine."

Elizabeth agreed with the woman mentally and went to her grams where she found Lucky waiting along with Nik. Her Grams quickly pulled her aside and said "I have loved having you here, but it now time to go home. Lucky is clean and he is going to need your help with staying clean and dealing with this mess. He is your husband your loyalty is to him."

Elizabeth turned and saw the conflicted look on Nik's face then the smug one on Lucky's. "Your right grams, it is time to leave." Thinking on the safe house key, she smiled at Lucky's triumphant look and said "I love you Grams, but Lucky is an abusive self-serving lying cheating scumbag. If you think he is such a catch, why don't you marry him. Our divorce should be final at the end of next month."

"Elizabeth, be reasonable, where are you going to go?" asked Lucky.

"The better question is where are you going, I gave up the lease on our old place, and I have someplace to live, so since I know you have no money, you are either moving in with Nik or into Kelly's. Either way, I don't care."

"I talked to our old landlord, he said we can have our love nest back." he said. "You just have to take down a deposit and the first months rent. I couldn't access our bank account for some reason."

"That is because it is no longer your bank account. It is mine. You have no money, and I am no longer going to carry you, Lucky. Get a new sucker." she said going to pick up her small son and turning to her grams said "I will be back tomorrow to remove my stuff."

"Liz, please don't do this, don't throw away a marriage just because of a mistake caused by drugs." said the elderly woman.

"Sorry, grams, but the only mistake was marrying Lucky in the first place." she said walking out the door, turning to Nik as he stopped to pick up Cam's diaper bag. "We talked about this, yet you still are supporting his delusions."

"Oh, you have that wrong. I am here strictly for you." he said looking at his brother with disappointment. "Do you need anything else right now?"

Looking back sadly, Elizabeth said no. Then placed Cam into his car seat and drove following the directions Jason had given her a month ago.