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"Are we ready to move on to the next step?" Almost." Johnny frowned, looking at Trevor. "Who's this kid who's been snooping around? Someone had a video of me going into your room. Oh, the computer nerd? Weird kid. He's the one that lives with Morgan. Get rid of him. Not a problem. Are you ready to move forward against Elizabeth Spencer? No." Johnny's voice was sharp. "No one touches her. I'm working on that. "And the sister?" Not at this point. Just make sure she's kept busy with other things."Several days later, Jason strode towards the bridge, slowing as he realized Elizabeth stood there, her chestnut curls blowing in the cold wind. She turned, looking surprised.
"Jason." "Elizabeth. How are you? "I'm doing allright. The boys are confused, but I-" "I wish things could be different. I wish I could promise to keep you and the boys safe." Me too." She wiped her eyes with the tips of her fingers, tipping her head to the side as she quietly implored him, "Please be careful. I can't bear the thought of – of anything happening to you. "Elizabeth-" "I have to go," 'Lucky stood near the fireplace at the Spencer home, missing the sound of Cameron running around the house, of Jake babbling cheerfully. His fury overwhelmed him, and he slammed his hand against the top of the fireplace, barely wincing at the pain. How could Elizabeth take his sons?
Sam stepped in, seeing Lucky staring angrily into the fire. "Hey," She said softly, stepping down towards him, "Are you allright?"
"I'm fine." He turned towards her, his voice gruff. "She has no right to take my sons away. I didn't do anything she didn't do with Jason."
Sam slid her arms around him, hugging him supportively. "Elizabeth is such a hippocryte. She and Jason have been sneaking around for months."
"I'm not going to let him near my sons." Lucky said fiercely. "If she wants to be with a criminal, fine. But she's not putting my sons around him."
Sam hid a smile as she nestled against his back, "You shouldn't have to. She's more interested in Jason, than she is in her children." She paused, then said, "Maybe you could talk to Alexis about custody."
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Jason leaned against the wall, gun ready as he listened to the soft footsteps nearby. He had been aware of the man following him, had ducked into an alley as he waited. Suddenly, the man stepped past him, and he swung into action, grabbing his collar and shoving him against the building. He held the gun up to his throat as he roughly asked, "Who do you work for?"
The man said nothing, tried to push against Jason, stopped as Jason pressed the gun further into his throat. "Who do you work for?" He asked again.
"Zacchara. He wanted me to give you a warning."
"And what was it?"
"You should have kept your little computer nerd out of this."
Jason felt a trickle of worry rush through him. They knew about Spinelli. "What is he planning?" At the silence, Jason punched him in the stomach, feeling no pity as the man doubled over in pain. "Answer me."
"He wanted the kid taken out." He grunted in pain as Jason punched him again. "I don't know if they did it yet."
"And what else? What else has he got planned?" He punched the man in the face, pitiless as he groaned, clutching his broken nose. "Tell me, now."
"I don't know. All I know is he's playing with an angel. That's all I've heard."
"He's in town?"
The man nodded, looking warily at Jason's gun. "The son. Johnny."
Jason's eyes narrowed, knowing the man in the video must have been Johnny Zacchara. But now, he had to try to find Spin. Taking his gun, he hit the man before him, knocking him unconscious.
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Spinelli grinned up at Georgie, toasting her with the glass or orange soda she'd just handed him. "To the Fair and Faithful Georgie!"
Georgie laughed, her face shining at Spinelli's attention. "You would like anyone who gave you orange soda."
"I dispute that, Oh Clever One. Only if the offerings included barbeque chips." He ripped open the offered bag, offering her a handful.
Georgie grinned, sitting next to him. She didn't know what it was about the quirky Spinelli that drew her to him, only knew that when she was with him, she felt as she hadn't in a long time. She looked at the rest of the moonlit patio area, glad that her shift was quiet tonight. "Spinelli, I-"
The sound of gunfire stopped Georgie, and Spinelli grabbed her, pulling her under the table, leaning over her. "Don't move. It's the- Arrgh!" He cried out, and she looked up to see blood pouring out of a hole in his shoulder.
"Oh My God!" She cried, barely noticing the sudden silence. "You're bleeding!"
The door to Kelly's opened, and Coop rushed out. "What the-" seeing Spinelli, he ran over, grabbing his cell phone to call in a shooting.
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Jason strode through the hospital, furious with himself for not insisting Spinelli had protection. The guard walking next to him had strict orders not to leave Spinelli's side. Jason would take no more chances with his safety.
He met Mac at the door to Spinelli's room, not surprised to see Mac arguing with his younger stepdaughter. "I don't want you to have anything else to do with this kid. He's tangled up with Sonny and Jason."
"I won't stop seeing him, Mac." Georgie, normally so sweet, was determined.
Seeing Jason, Mac frowned, turning towards him. "Jason."
"Mac. He's okay?"
"For a kid with a gunshot wound in his shoulder, he's fine."
Jason took a deep breath, knowing it was going to be a long night.
----------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth stared out over Port Charles, clutching papers in her hands. Normally, the roof of the hospital calmed her, but today nothing could. How could he? She looked down at the papers, worry overwhelming her as she once again read the title of the papers, Petition for Full Custody.
The door opened quietly, and she looked up, startled to see Johnny quietly watching her. "Hey," He said quietly, walking towards her. "I just wanted to see how you were doing?"
"Well, Lucky is trying to take my children away." She looked up at him, angry tears in her eyes. "How could he do this?"
He pulled her against him into a hug, and after a moment she relaxed against him, desperately needing comfort, even if it wasn't the strong arms, the muscled chest she yearned for.
"You'll be fine" he told her quietly.
She sniffed, pulling back from him, "Thank you. I just- I just needed a friend."
"Anytime. I'm glad to be able to help." He raised his eyebrow, "Where's Emily?"
She shrugged, looking sad. "There was a problem with her fiancé, she had to leave."
"Well, I'm sure she would have liked to have been here." He paused, then asked quietly, "It must be hard for her, being engaged to your husband's brother. She must feel like she needs to take sides."
"I think she does." She looked at him, "I never meant for any of this to happen. It all went so wrong." Suddenly her beeper went off, and she frowned. "I have to get back. Thank you, you always seem to calm me down."
Johnny watched her leave, then leaned over the brick edge, thoughts of the task he'd set for himself warring with the feelings he seemed unable to rid himself of for the beautiful young nurse. He could easily see why Morgan was so in love with her.
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Sonny watched the tape, looking closely at the man exiting Trevor's suite. "This is a Zacchara's son?"
"Yeah." Jason leaned back against the desk. "Apparently, he's the one in charge of the day to day functions of the Zacchara organization."
"Hmmm." Sonny turned off the tape, looking at Jason. "Why is he staying out of sight? He's got-got Trevor here to do his dirty work."
"His man said all he knew was he was "playing with an angel." So, perhaps there's a woman here working with him?"
Sonny shrugged. "It could mean anything. Even the name of a shipment."
Frowning, Jason took a deep breath. "Somehow, it's important."
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Elizabeth pushed Cameron on the swing, closely watching Jake next to her. It was a beautiful fall day, and she had needed a break from her Grandmother's constant questions.
Johnny strolled up, pleased to see his man was right, that Elizabeth was alone in the park with her boys. Perfect.
"Wow. This must be Cameron and Jake."
She laughed, looking up. "It is. Cameron, this is Johnny."
The little boy gave him a shy smile. "Hi."
"Hey. He knelt down, gently pushing the swing as Cam laughed. "They're adorable." He told her.
"Thank you." She gestured to the picnic basket on the ground. "We were just about to have lunch. Would you like to join us?"
"Why not?"
Elizabeth spread out the blanket as Johnny continued to push Cameron, looking closely at Jake Spencer. The little boy's blue eyes looked just like those of Jason Morgan's, the alert expression almost a match to the ones in the pictures of his nemesis. Well, well. It looked like sweet Elizabeth had a few secrets of her own.
His phone rang, and he answered, making sure Elizabeth couldn't hear the other voice. "Lucky Spencer is on his way towards there, Sir."
Johnny's voice turned steely. "Take care of it." He hung up, raising his eyebrows towards Elizabeth as she looked at him, startled. "Everything okay?"
"It's fine," she assured him, realizing his voice sounded remarkably like Jason's, when he was ordering his men to deal with something problematic. Telling herself that she was hearing things, she handed him a drink.
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Lucky Spencer frowned, the two men standing in front of him in suits infuriating him. "Let me by."
"We can't do that, Mr. Spencer."
"Who do you think you are. I'll have you arrested for this!"
One of the men shrugged, his face implacable. "I doubt that."
Lucky turned to leave, stopping as one of the men told him, "You would be wise to drop your custody case, Mr. Spencer."
He spun back around. "What? You work for Jason, don't you? Tell him he can have my wife, but he won't get my sons."
The man looked at him steadily. "I don't know any Jason, Mr .Spencer. I'm just giving you some advice."
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Elizabeth looked towards the sound of distant yelling, and Johnny smoothly pulled his attention back to her. "He wore out fast." He told her, nodding towards Cameron.
She laughed. "If only Jake would. He's so like his father, always busy."
Johnny grinned, reaching down to hand Jake another toy as the little boy sprawled on his tummy. Jason Morgan's son. What would destroy him more than having both the woman he loved, and his only child taken?
He was in the perfect location. His men would make sure no one bothered them here, and it would be so easy to take them, to make them disappear. What better way to destroy Morgan than with the fact that his family disappeared, that in his efforts to protect them, he had left them unguarded, wrongly presuming that they would be safer without it appearing as though they were valuable to him?
And yet, Johnny didn't want to hurt her, found himself falling into his own trap. It would require additional planning, but it would be possible to destroy Jason Morgan without hurting Elizabeth and her sons. It would be enough for Morgan to think they were dead.
She laughed as Jake rolled over, and Johnny looked over, his gaze meeting hers. Slowly, he brushed back a chestnut curl, leaning forward to catch her lips in his.
Elizabeth pulled back, flushed. "I – I can't, Johnny. I'm sorry. But, I'm still in love with Jake's father."
He smiled wryly at her. "I know. And, I'm sorry. You've been clear all along that you think of me like a friend."
He helped her pack up, helping Cam to sit up as he awoke from his nap. As she settled Cam in the stroller, he smiled at her, "Friends?"
She smiled back at him, "Of course."
He laughed, grabbing his cell phone off the grass. "You're still my favorite Angel of Mercy, you know."
She couldn't help but laugh, the tension between them easing.
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On the way home, Cam asked what an angel was, and as she was explaining, Lucky strode up in front of her. "Tell Jason not to send his men after me again. Next time, I'll have them arrested."
"What are you talking about?"
"I was in the park today, and some of Jason's men came up, threatened me." His fury was palpable.
Lucky, please. Not in front of the boys."
"You're not fit to have them." He stormed off, and she took a deep breath. How would Jason's men have known Lucky would be in the park?
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Spinelli grinned at Georgie as she settled another pillow behind him on the sofa. "Ah, Compassionate One, the Jackal appreciates your kindness."
Smiling at him, Georgie sat down beside him. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was so scared when I saw all that blood."
He shrugged, unable to hide the wince of pain. "The evil ones were a bad shot, at least."
"No they weren't," Jason told him as he came into the living room. "They weren't trying to kill you. Just to warn me, and you, to stay out of it."
Spinelli paled. "Point taken, Stone Cold."
Jason grabbed his coat. "Stay in here. Georgie, if you leave, you need to let the guard walk you home."
She nodded as Jason strode out, turning to Spinelli. "He really cares about you, doesn't he?"
He nodded, "I'm his grasshopper."
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Sonny looked up as one of the guards escorted Sam into his living room. "What do you want, Sonny?" She asked coolly.
"You know,' He walked over, pouring himself a glass of juice, "I could understand that you were hurt when you and Jason broke up, that you felt betrayed when you found out about Elizabeth's son."
"Hurt?" She asked in disbelief. "You have no idea how much that hurt. How it felt to realize that he had been turning to Elizabeth, that he gave her a child after refusing to even think of having one with me. Hurt doesn't even begin to cover how I felt."
"I understand that. I understand why you slept with Lucky Spencer." He set down his glass, dark eyes on her. "But, what I don't understand is why you- you thought you could get away with betraying us to Trevor Lansing."
She stiffened, trying to think fast, "What do you mean?"
"I know exactly what you're up to. So does Jason. You've been meeting him at his hotel room. I assume you've been sleeping with him. And telling him what you know of our business." He stepped closer to her, his voice furious. "This is not a game, Sam. My pity for you is rapidly disappearing. So, you better understand exactly what I'm telling you. If Zacchara, Lansing, or his men find out one more thing from you, you're finished. Unlike Jason, I was willing to tolerate your revenge on Elizabeth, but this all ends now."
Sam opened her mouth to respond, stopping as she saw the expression on his face. She had played a dangerous game, and now, if she wasn't careful, she would pay the price.
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Jason leaned back at the desk in Sonny's office, lost in thought. It was all beginning to come together. They knew now that Sam had apparently given Trevor basic information about the docks, their business. Fortunately, she hadn't known much more than that.
Jason had a lead on several of the men, and had his own watching them, waiting to see what would happen.
He knew Johnny Zacchara had to be found. He had to be up to something. Why else would he be keeping a low profile in Port Charles?
There was a knock at the door, and the guard opened it, telling him Emily Quartermaine was there.
He nodded permission for them to send her in, getting to his feet.
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Elizabeth walked across the docks, glad that Emily had volunteered to take the boys to the park. For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking of Lucky's accusations that Jason's men had threatened him. She just couldn't understand it. Jason didn't send men to deal with his personal issues. Sitting on a bench, she tried to relax, to enjoy her time to herself. Instead, her thoughts drifted once again to Jason, to the last time she'd seen him on the bridge, the pain in his eyes when they'd mentioned the boys. Now, Lucky wanted custody, of children that weren't his.
Leaning forward, she sighed. She just didn't know what to do anymore, and without Jason to talk to, it just seemed to be getting worse and worse.
Suddenly, a voice startled her out of her reverie, the voice deep, familiar. "Make it work, Trevor. It's a backstep, nothing more. We have to destroy Morgan before we can ruin Corinthos."
She looked up, staring at Johnny Zacchara in horror as he stood on the upper part of the docks, his eyes meeting hers, betraying only a heartbeat of surprise before his face went impassive.
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Emily surprised Jason by pushing a stroller into the office, and he stiffened as he realized she had Cameron and Jake with her. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. I told Elizabeth I'd watch the boys. She was so tired at work today."
Jason nodded, smiling down at Jake, as his son happily grinned at him, pulling at his sock.
"You can hold him," Emily said laughing, and she unbuckled Jake, handing him to Jason.
"He's gotten so big." He said quietly.
Emily watched her brother, frowning as she realized how much Jake looked like Jason. Suddenly, Jason looked up at her, "How is Elizabeth doing at Audrey's?"
Before Emily could respond, Cam finished his cookie, and looked up at them. "My Mommy's an angel."
Laughing, Emily asked, "What, sweetheart?"
He grinned at her, swinging his legs. "Mommy's an angel. Johnny said."
Jason froze, the smile fading from his face. He handed Jake to Emily, leaning down to Cam. "Who's Johnny, Buddy?"
"He played with me at the park."
"Jason, I've met him. He's just a friend Elizabeth met when she lost her wallet."
Jason grabbed photos of his desk, stills from the hotel. "Is this him?"
"Well, he- yes. What's going on?"
Jason grabbed the keys to his bike, flipping open his cell phone. 'Where is she, Emily?"
"I don't know. She just said she was going to take a walk on the way home, try to relax a bit." She grabbed his arm, "Jason, what's going on?"
"That's Johnny Zacchara."
She looked at him with dawning horror, terrified for Elizabeth.
"Stay here," He ordered. "Don't leave, or let the boys out of your sight until Sonny or I get back."
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Sonny answered his phone absently, looking over photos of Zacchara's men.
"The angel was Elizabeth. He's been after Elizabeth all this time." Jason's voice was almost frantic, and Sonny knew he was thinking of the way he'd walked away from Elizabeth, sure that she and her sons would be safer without him.
"Allright. We'll find her. Did you call some of the men?" Sonny asked as he stood up, grabbing his coat.
"Yeah. They're out. She was going to walk home."
"I'm on my way."
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Elizabeth stared at Johnny, backing up as he came down the steps, still on the phone. "Send some men to the docks," he told Trevor, than snapped the phone shut. "I'm sorry you had to hear that," he said quietly.
"Why did you lie to me?" She whispered.
"Because I needed you to trust me. Needed the chance to be alone with you and your sons."
"Why?" She stood behind the bench, hurt and angry. "Why me? Why not Emily, or someone else?"
Johnny slid the phone into his pocket. "Because you're the one that Jason is in love with. Because your son is his only child." At the look of surprise on her face, he laughed. "Elizabeth, you of all people must be aware how much Jake looks like Jason. And he made the mistake of withdrawing your protection, thinking it would trick us into believing he no longer cared about you and your sons."
"You've made a mistake, though. My sons aren't here."
He shrugged, "That's not a concern. You were the primary target. Your sons were just a bonus."
Anger began to flare through her. "A bonus? One point if you kill me, Two points of you kill my sons?"
"I don't want to kill you." His voice was calm. "That was my original goal. I meant to do it in the park that day. But," He paused, then said, "Somehow I decided it wasn't necessary to kill you. I actually felt sorry for you. A single mother, struggling on her own as her lover walks away, her husband cheats on her."
"Then what were you planning to do with us?"
"Make you disappear. Take you to somewhere, and let Morgan think you were all dead."
"And now?" She reached into her jacket pocket, grabbing the small can of mace.
"Now, I'm afraid you'll have to leave your boys behind. But, I'm sure Morgan will claim them, and your friend Emily can help her brother." He reached out for her as several of his men appeared on the docks. "I'm truly sorry it has to be that way."
She pushed away from him, running towards the stairs, spraying two of the men in the eyes as they came near her. A third caught her, squeezing her hand tightly until she dropped the mace. She tried to pull away, and his grip tightened painfully.
Johnny walked up, "What a feisty little angel you are. But, enough. Any more of that, and you'll have to pay the price, Elizabeth."
----------------------------------------------------
Sonny called Jason from the hotel. "She's not here. Trevor claims he doesn't know where Zacchara's at."
Pulling up towards the docks, Jason told him, "Keep on him. He knows something."
Sonny nodded to one of his men, smiling as they punched Lansing in the stomach. He leaned down, "Are you sure you don't want to tell me where he is, Trevor? I can happily do this all night."
---------------------------------------------------
Jason shut off his bike, frowning as he heard the distant sound of voices of the docks. Suddenly, he could hear Elizabeth's voice clearly. "I'm not going with you. I won't leave my boys."
He quietly walked towards the docks, listening.
"You don't have a choice, Elizabeth," a man told her coolly. "Either you leave with me, or you die here. And then your sons will never have a chance to see you again."
Jason peeked around the corner. Elizabeth was being held by a burly guard, her arms pinned behind her back as she struggled. Zacchara was in front of her, holding her chin in his hand. "You know," Johnny added conversationally, "I can see why Morgan would be in love with you. You're feisty, beautiful, loyal, and a wonderful mother. Too bad he didn't protect you like he should have."
Elizabeth wrenched her chin away, catching a glimpse of a leather coat by the edge of the docks. She immediately looked back at Johnny with a cool expression. "How are you planning to get me away from Port Charles?"
Jason watched her, then looked around. Two men were standing near the bench, their eyes watering badly. Another held Elizabeth, and one more stood near the stairs. Johnny stood in front of Elizabeth.
He waited a moment, then moved quietly along the top of the docks, his gun cocked and ready.
The guard at the stairs saw him first, and began firing as Jason ducked, shooting back. Elizabeth began to push against the guard, kicking back with her legs as Johnny spun around, a cold smile on his face as he watched Jason Morgan, face to face with his nemesis for the first time. Jason ducked behind a post, leaning out to fire once more, and he hit the guard right in the chest. Johnny grabbed Elizabeth from the guard, holding her tightly as the man moved forward with the others, their shots wild due to their blurry, painful eyes.
"I should have known," he told Elizabeth, keeping her back. "After all, I've heard more than enough about Morgan's heroics for his lovely Elizabeth."
Jason injured the other two guards, their yells of pain a clear indicator they still lived. Then, he and the final guard began to shoot, Jason moving behind another post, before kneeling low, Aiming quickly. He fired once, before the guard had a chance to get another shot off, and the man fell in what seemed like slow motion.
Mac raced around the corner, Lucky closely behind him, stopping as they realized what was happening.
No longer smiling, Johnny shoved Elizabeth towards the ground in front of him, pulling out his gun. "I would think before you shoot, Morgan. Or a bullet will end up in her pretty head." He smirked, "And then your son will be motherless, poor little thing."
Jason looked at him coldly, no trace of emotion crossing his face. His gaze never left Zacchara's, never looked down at Elizabeth on her knees on the docks. "It's over, Zacchara. You aren't going to walk away from here."
"Really?" Johnny raised his gun, firing at Jason even as Jason ducked to the side. Elizabeth grabbed for the gun on the ground in front of her, falling onto her stomach, and rolling over. She aimed as Johnny shot at Jason again, fired. And the dock went suddenly silent as Johnny looked at her, stunned, his hands going up to clutch at his chest before he stumbled, falling to the ground.
Elizabeth didn't move, her hands shaking, the gun still pointed in the air, still on her back on the docks. As Mac and Lucky rushed down, Jason went to her, removing the gun, pulling her into his arms as she shook. "You're okay now. We're allright."
She pulled back, cupping his face with her hands, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "I thought he would kill you. I couldn't bear to lose you."
"I know," He kissed her forehead, thinking how close he'd come to losing her.
Lucky stood over them, his voice cold. "You'll need to go in for questioning, both of you. And what did he mean by "your son," Jason?"
They looked at each other, but before they could respond, Diane's voice cut through the docks, walking up with Sonny. "This is clearly self defense. If you would like to question my clients, about anything," she added looking at Lucky coolly, "You'll have to wait until they've been checked by a doctor."
Sonny grinned, raising his eyebrows at Jason as Diane and Mac began to argue. Elizabeth whispered to Jason, her hand on his face, "It's time we tell the truth, Jason. I don't want to try to live without you anymore."
He nodded, leaning his forehead against hers. As dangerous as his life was, he couldn't bear the idea of losing his family again. He pulled back, looking down at her before he leaned in to give her a deep kiss.
The End