[Prompt: The truth is rarely pure and never simple. - Oscar Wilde]

Chapter 3

Christmas Day

"What are you doing here?"

Elizabeth's eyes snapped up from the chair at the side of the bed, her stomach in knots as she looked her brother-in-law in the face. "You were alone."

"I should be," he muttered, lifting an IV stuck hand to his face. His fingers traced over the bandages on his head, the stitches about his eye and on his lower lip.

"It's Christmas," she reminded him, sitting up slowly and yawning. She lifted her coat from her lap and shook it out, before draping it over her knees again, her silent way of saying she wasn't going anywhere.

"Bah-humbug," he growled, glaring at her.

"I'm sorry," she said, her knees almost buckling as she pushed herself out of her chair. "I just…I couldn't sit with them." She hurried towards the door, stopping when AJ called out her name.

"Elizabeth," he repeated, softer this time, "how is he?"

"He just got out of surgery a few hours ago," she replied, turning around and leaning against the doorway. "Dr. – Dr. Jones said there was a lot of fluid on his brain or something…I don't…"

"Sit down," he muttered, tossing his head towards the chair by his bed.

"The family is sitting with him," she said, walking back over to the chair. "He's so still and pale, and he's not – he doesn't look like Jason to me, and – I know what Monica said to you last night."

It was hurting them all that the family was so at odds, so determined to place blame anywhere when really there was no where it belonged. A horrible accident had occurred, one brought on by too much alcohol and black ice, and the only way they would survive would be to stick together. The Quartermaines were usually good at that, but this was different.

This was Jason; their livelihood, their namesake, the love of their lives, and if they could blame AJ for it, they would. After all, they'd pitted the boys against one another for years, nearly their entire lives, and if someone wanted to be cruel, they could point out that this had been in the making. That the only way one brother would succeed over the other was in death, the one who lived being the real winner.

"She was right," he shrugged, picking at the tape on his IV. "I killed my brother."

"You didn't kill him," she grimaced, easing herself back into the chair. "He almost – he almost, and that's all…"

"He went through the windshield," AJ grunted angrily, obviously trying to make her see the truth.

"Stop," she warned, holding her hand over her mouth. "I saw him, okay. I know what he through, and I don't have to hear about it."

"Why else are you here?" he asked, looking her in the face. "Mom and Dad couldn't wait to hear how I took their beloved son and ruined him. How I drove my convertible into a telephone and my brother went through the windshield. How the doctors don't know if he's going to wake up. How you lost your husband-"

"Stop it," she cried, lunging from the chair and hitting him in the chest. "You son of a bitch! You don't get to act like this now!" She hit him again, over and over, and he just took it, not caring that it hurt. This wasn't about what he said, but the accident, and everything leading up to it, and he would have let her beat on him all night if it made her feel the tiniest bit better. "AJ, he's your brother! You don't get to play the sorry routine now!"

She continued to hit him, and he wasn't sure how long it was before she stopped; only that she looked horrified when she realized what she was doing. "Oh, God, AJ. I'm so…" She got up from the bed and rubbed her hands over her face as she started to pace. "I'm sorry. I just…"

"It's okay," he said stiffly, taking a deep breath. "I – I deserved that from you. I just – you shouldn't be here, Lizzie, not now. Not after what I did."

There was an ugly truth that existed in all this; Aa very drunk AJ Quartermaine had driven into a telephone pole while his brother sat in the passenger's seat. Only Jason wasn't wearing a seatbelt, and he hadn't followed after his brother in another car, choosing to jump right in, knowing that AJ was smashed. A fight had enmost likely sued,ensued; an argument built from years of heartache, and somewhere along the way AJ turned the corner too fast.

Sure, the police would blame AJ, as well as his family and anyone who read the article in the paper, but Elizabeth just couldn't. She knew her husband well enough to know that if the shoe were on the foot, if she were lying in that hospital bed down the hall, Jason would never forgive his brother, but she'd always had a soft spot for AJ. She always wanted him to be better than he thought he was capable of, and sometimes she wondered if she was the only person who believed in him.

And really, who was she to point fingers?

"Stop it," she said, gritting her teeth. "We're family, and we're going to wait this out. I just can't be with them. Or him. I can't."

It was easier not to see what was going on; not to be surrounded by the tears and the worries and the angry comments. If she stayed away, she could somewhat pretend it didn't exist, that there had been no fight between the brothers, no or her begging Jason to follow after him, and no a freak accident in the middle of town.

"Okay," he nodded, gesturing towards the chair, needing to appease her. "Like you said…it's, uh, it's Christmas, even if I ruined it forever.… I'm so sorry, Lizzie."

"It's okay," she whispered, taking the seat again, her hands tucked under her thighs as she slowly rocked back and forth, her eyes closed. She was slowly crumbling before his eyes. "AJ, he can't – he has to wake up…"

"I know," he replied thickly, his own eyes filling with tears.

They sat in silence, the clock above the wall ticking the seconds on by. After a while, Elizabeth scooted her chair closer to the bed and reached out to take AJ's hand, her touch catching him off guard.

"I'm scared," she admitted, slumping over the edge of the bed as she burst into tears. It was the first time he'd ever seen her cry. "I'm so scared."

**********

Sonny Corinthos had scheduled a lot of meetings in his years as a kingpin. He was used to sitting across from a friend, an enemy, or a newfound acquaintance and discussing how they a relationship could be beneficial (or not so much) for one another. It was the best way to work out things in his business, and he learned to value the conversation of with another man. It allowed him to read their face, see the truth and passion that lay in their eyes, and ultimately, it was what helped him decide whether or not he would align himself with the person sitting across from him.

He'd come across all sorts of men; cruel and cunning, lazy and worthless. The kind who were willing to kill to get what they wanted; igniting wars in the streets and threatening Sonny's life, as well as the ones who wanted nothing more than to cause trouble, not caring who about the innocent lives they hurt in the process. Most men of his kind wanted to work to a solution, to find a way out of the situation they were in without creating any kind of trouble.

Elizabeth Webber was no different than those select few who cared about their role in a problem, but that didn't make her any less complicated, or put the man at ease.

If Sonny wished wanted to be truthful, he would admit that sitting across from Elizabeth was one of the most terrifying experiences of his life.

"I appreciate you taking the time to see me," she murmured quietly, clutching her oversized purse in her lap.

He never understood a woman's need to have a bag so large, so full of things they never needed, especially when the woman was always so petite, and looked as if the bag was weighing her down.

Of course, he did understand Elizabeth's reason for holding something so large and wide against her stomach, and he hoped she realized it didn't hide the truth any less.

"Well, regardless of what you may think," he said slowly, scratching a slender finger across his brow, "I am here for you."

"Because of Jason," she replied, her lips pulled in a tight frown.

"Because of Jason," he agreed, knowing she could care less that Sonny cared for her out of obligation to a man who hated disliked her existence. Eventually, he wanted her to find some kind of solace in knowing that someone was on her side.

"Thank you." The gratitude fell from her mouth in a whisper, her fingers curling into the leather bag. "For – for not telling him. Or at least, I assume you haven't because he doesn't seem to…"

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes as they filled with tears, and he couldn't imagine what she was feeling in that very moment. She was pregnant; carrying a child whose father couldn't remember it, and at this time, wouldn't want it if he did.

Sonny tried hard to convince Jason to be patient with her, to understand things from her point of view, but he was so upset, so heartbroken that all he could see was red. His anger at his situation, at his family, at his ex-wife was controlling everything about him, and the only time Jason seemed to be in the clear was when he was working. So, he Sonny did his damnedest to keep his new employee busy; work at the warehouse, errands in the city, anything to prevent the possibility of him running into Elizabeth and upsetting her.

The woman had more stress than he needed, and he wasn't going to allow Jason to add to it. She was lonely and fragile, the stressanxiety of the past few months heavy in her shoulders and the deep, dark bags beneath her eyes. While he'd never been close to Elizabeth before, Sonny knew who she was; that she was lively and beautiful, and everyone who knew her loved her.

Except Jason.

That was all that had changed in her life, and clearly, it left every ounce of her unsettled.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, trying to shake the memory of Elizabeth standing outside the elevator, her hand pressed against her stomach. Even now, she looked so much like she had that day, so afraid it paralyzed her, except now she was coming to him instead of hurrying into the elevator and running away.

"He doesn't know," Sonny murmured, finally relieving her of any further worry.

"Oh," she gasped, her eyes fluttering open as her hands loosened on her bag, obviously relieved that he wasn't that much of a bastard. "You – you lied?"

"I'm choosing not to tell," he said thickly, his stomach churning as it often did when he thought about the truth he was holding.

Jason came to him when he had nowhere else to go, and he looked to Sonny for guidance. He expected his boss to keep things simple enough for him to understand them, to treat him as he would anyone else, and mostly, to be his friend.

"I can't imagine that's easy," she replied, shifting uneasily in her chair. Taking a deep breath, she tucked her curls behind her ear with a shaky hand. "I was going to tell him that day at the penthouse. I thought – I thought I could give him a reason to live, but…"

"He has to want to live," Sonny filled in, sucking in a breath when she finally lifted her eyes to his.

"Exactly," she nodded, her lower lip quivering. "And I – I can't give him that, which I'll come to terms with eventually, but you – you do. I'm not going to lie to you, Mr. Corinthos. I don't like the idea of him working for you, but I understand it'sthe appeal. It's dangerous and wrong, so unlike something he would have done before the accident. And I know I have no place, but all I want – all I need is for him to be safe."

Sonny's heart tightened inside his chest when he realized what she wanted from him. "I can't make any guarantees about his life, Elizabeth. If I could, I would because you don't deserve any more stress or heartache." Running a hand over his face, he got up from his chair and walked around to the other side of the desk, and set down on the edge. "I'll do my best for you and for your child."

Her purse slowly slipped to the floor at his words, her trembling hands falling to her stomach. "I want – I want to tell him, but I don't know how. He hates me," she stressed, clenching her hands in the material of her shirt. "And I don't – I won't be the reason he pushes himself over the edge. He wants to be Jason Morgan and live his life, and I want to be Elizabeth Webber and live mine."

"I think hate is a strong word," he challenged, scratching his chin. "I don't know much about the medical aspect of Jason's accident, but I do know that the doctors said he would be like a child for a while. And I don't have any children, but I was a teenage boy once, and when we can't understand something, we rebuff it in every possible way."

"And when the acting out is over?" she asked, lifting her eyes to his, desperately wanting him to have some kind of answer. "He's going to hate me for lying to him, and he'll hate me if I tell the truth." Her voice broke and she slumped forward, her head in her hands as she started to cry. "I can't stand the idea of him hating me."

"Hey, hey, hey," he murmured, kneeling down beside her, not sure how to comfort her. His meetings rarely ended in tears, and most women he made cry stopped because he bought them off with something shiny. Diamonds and trips out of the country weren't going to work here. "You know, I don't think – I don't think he hates you. He just doesn't know what to do or how to handle you and that frustrates him."

"I'm – I'm sor – sorry," she stammered, scrambling to grab her bag as she got up from the chair. Wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand, she tossed her bag over her shoulder and gave him a brief look. "I shouldn't have come here. I'm putting you in an awkward position, and it's not fair, so-"

"I won't tell Jason the truth for you," he interrupted gently, straightening to his feet.

"I would never-"

"I know," he apologized, giving her a dimpled smile that she hesitantly returned. "I just mean that it's your truth to tell, Elizabeth. I didn't know Jason Quartermaine very well. His family disliked me before, so and I know their feelings are much harsher now." Shrugging, he slipped his hands into his pants pockets. "I do know Jason Morgan though, and he has a heart. It's a little cold and rough around the edges, but he's hurting, and he has no idea how to make it stop. And unfortunately, he can't change how he feels until he chooses to…And The most I can do isI promise to keep an eye on him until he makes that choice."

Her eyebrows arched. "You sound awfully hopeful about all of this – how it could turn out," she sniffled, her cheeks flushed.

"Despite what you may hear about me, I do believe in the good," he replied, grinning widely, "but don't go telling anyone I said that."

"Your secret is safe with me. I owe you that much. Besides it's good nice to hear that someone believes in the good when so many don't," she said, stepping out of the way when he moved past her to open the door. "Thank you again, Mr. Corinthos for understanding and, for giving me time." Pausing, she smoothed her hand over her stomach, and he could see the forming bulge beneath her shirt. "Something I know I don't have much of, but…I'll figure it out. I always do."

"If you need anything, anything at all, I want you to come to me," he replied seriously, following her into the hallway outside his office. "And Elizabeth?"

"Yeah?" she asked, nervously glancing nervously at the guard outside his door.

He couldn't imagine how difficult all of this was for her to understand, especially if she wanted some kind of future where Jason was involved with this child. That worried him most – that she wouldn't be able to accept the life he'd chosen, but sometimes he wondered if she would, and if that was why Jason was so damn frustrated with her.

"Call me, Sonny."