Chapter 7

Spinelli saw that he had a call on his phone from Jason. After getting Sam's attention he answered as she pulled off the road smirking. She knew that eventually Jason would call them for help.

The computer geek pulled up the files and told Jason about Heather Webber's time in Roselawn and that Mike had been there but didn't know her. Jason said to keep looking since it was apparent that he wasn't going to stay with the FBI.

Hurt, Spinelli hung up and said to Sam "I thought you said he was fine with my being out here helping with this."

"He is, but you know how Jason protects those he loves. Look at how many times he has pushed me away." she said while heading toward Kelly's. She knew that Jason would show up to question Mike.

Spinelli thought about it and said "True, he does push away those he loves. I am glad he can finally claim his family. I am sure that now that he and Fair Elizabeth are happy that she will lift this most unjust order against you."

Wanting to laugh, Sam said "Elizabeth ran before and she will do so again. I am hoping that Jason gets to stay in his son's life this time. She has no right keeping him from m-Jason."

Jason was talking to Cody when Milo entered the office. "I got the papers from Spencer's hiding place. Thank god for Lulu's talking about it when we went out a few years ago."

"I thought I told you to take time off."

"Not until this is over. Jason, our contact at the station needs to see you. I told him you would meet at your usual spot."

Leaving early, Jason entered Elizabeth's still half trashed studio. He had slipped in here on the infrequent times he had been able to escape. At first to see the damage, wanting to remind himself daily of why he had to stay away. But it had hurt too bad to see her place of refuge look like that, so he had been cleaning it up and having the paintings repaired.

Finding what Johnny had left, Jason saw that it filled in some blank spots. Lorenzo had been behind getting a doctor for Diego, but Heather had been mistaken for a nurse while visiting her own doctor.

Reading how Diego had killed Heather, Jason knew that was what had started this mess. When he saw that Claudia had been in South America at that time, he stopped to try and figure out why?

But the part that got his attention was reading how Claudia had found out about his past with Elizabeth. He had assumed that it had been Ric, instead it had been Alcazar. Jason realized that Carly had ran her mouth all those years ago while with the Latin drug runner and he must have read between her version and someone found the truth.

One more thing to add to the list, he thought to himself as he went to his meeting. "What is it?"

"The bullet that killed Max, came from the same gun that killed Andre Karpov."

Stunned, he asked if the man was sure all the while wondering why Sonny had shot his own guard.

"Yes, I ran the tests myself. One more thing, we found a residue on Lucky Spencer, that doesn't make sense. Lip gloss, strawberry pink pearls to be exact. On his abdomen. My daughter wears that stuff. She is fourteen." he said disgusted. "No self respecting adult would use it."

Jason thought on it, then said "Thank you." before handing over payment and a request to see the crime photos of all the murders.

Jason could not help recalling that he had seen an adult woman wearing that lip gloss, he had seen her putting it on at his penthouse. Tracking down Maxie, he pulled her into a private room and said "Sit down."

"Enough of the caveman routine, jeez." said Maxie.

"What were you doing with Spencer the day he died."

"I wasn't anywhere near Lucky, why would you think that." she asked.

"Maxie, if I have to tear your world apart to find the truth, I will. Now I suggest you tell me the truth."

Maxie paled, then said "I needed his help, when he refused, saying he wanted to get back with Liz I decided to make sure that I had a way to make him regret it."

"So now besides lying to Elizabeth about Sam's and my non-relationship, you decided that you would hurt her if she really was getting back with Lucky?" he said with disgust.

"She always has this attitude, like she is better than me." said the blond huffing. "You should hear the things she has said to Sam."

"Maxie, Elizabeth IS better than you. As for Sam, you are taking a known con artists word. A woman who will use anyone to get what she wants. She watched Elizabeth's son get kidnapped and then hired two men to threaten her and the boys in the park."

"Really, if she did that why would you be hanging around her, after all I know how long it took for you to forgive Robin? So stop telling me tales."

Jason got in close and said "Little girl, stop playing games. I was around Sam to keep me from walking into Elizabeth's house and begging her for a chance at a life together. That is the only reason. She kept coming around and I let her to keep myself away from the woman I love."

"I want a safe life with my family, I want peace and quiet and you to stop invading my home like you live there. I want Spinelli to wake up and get a clue that you are not your sister, that you don't have an ounce of kindness in your body unless it allows you to get what you want."

Maxie was trying to back away, scared by what she saw in Jason's eyes. "If you EVER lie to Elizabeth again, I will make your life a living hell. I have put up with a lot from you, out of respect for your late sister's death. But no more, now get out of here before I decide to make sure that you don't come near Elizabeth permanently."

Scurrying out the door, Maxie was whimpering when she went up to her office and saw Carly talking to Kate civilly. Getting control of herself, she saw that Kate was on the phone and then conferring with Carly.

After hanging up, she said to the annoying blond, "It will arrive this evening. I think you are making a mistake, but I do thank you for what you said to Olivia and I earlier about Sonny."

Carly walked out and seeing Maxie asked what the heck happened to you, your eye makeup looks like a raccoon did it.

"Nothing." she insisted before pulling out a mirror. Fixing things she went back to work ignoring her ringing cell phone and ordered the shoes that Kate came out and requested she find.

Spinelli hung up then entered Kelly's. Sam was sitting off to the side waiting for Mike. Grabbing a coffee for his friend and an orange soda, he sat down as they waited.

Seeing the Valkerie's mother off to the side talking to Stone Cold's, Spinelli left the coffee and came around from the outside like it said to in his private investigator guidebook.

"So who do you think are her parents?"

"From the time, I would guess Annie, but I thought she was still alive." said Bobbie.

"I went through a list of names, the only one I can't find an answer for is that nurse that was friends with Amy Vining, remember her?"

"No, she is still alive. Lives in Australia. Monica, what about... no, never mind." she said feeling embarrassed there was no way that anyone would have missed that one.

"What?"

"Well, according to that file, Jeff had her birthday change to reflect that day he legally adopted her. We need to check something."

"What are you going on about?"

"Something I figured out a while ago, accidentally. Come with me, if I am right we are about to set up a heck of a fire storm."

Mac took a shower, then called Felicia. Telling her what had happened allowed him to wrap his mind around what he had seen earlier that day. "This Ethan said that Luke had been slowly plotting to take over Port Charles."

"Are you sure that Jason didn't do this and use the killer as cover?"

"Yes, I don't think that Morgan would have been too broken up to lose control of the Port Charles crime organization." he admitted. "This man broke into Luke's place and trashed it before coming back to leave the messages. Sam McCall escaped again, I just hope she isn't with Maxie when she gets caught."

"I remember her, I don't like that Maxie has been hanging around that woman. Her rap sheet is full of using her body to get what she wants."

"I know. The Haunted Star, was a mess. I learned a few things, things I wish I hadn't." he said soberly.

"How did you find the body?"

"He was drowned in a tub of cheap liquor. With the cuts all over the body, it had to have been an agonizing way to die. I looked into the background of Heather Webber. I can't find much on her mother and nothing on this Peter."

Jason slipped into the betting parlor and said to Mike, we need to talk.

Once outside, he said "Tell me about Heather and don't deny it. I talked to a woman who was a nurse there at the time she was a patient and she recalled two men close to the woman, Victor Collins who assures me that he couldn't father children at that point and you."

Sitting down heavily, he said "She seduced me. I had just left Sonny's mother, and was hiding out from my creditors. She wanted to sleep with me, I just saw the pretty blond hair and the nice body. When I was caught, I was fired. That is all there is to it."

"Well congratulations you fathered her son. The same son who killed Sonny. He was working at GH during the crisis and Sonny wanted him to kill Alexis so that he could get custody of Kristina. I have no idea the rest of it."

Walking away, Jason looked back and said "Mike, I would suggest heading out of town. When you being this man's father comes out, my guess is that at least Carly is going to blame you."

Monica went to look up the files as Bobbie rushed off to find whatever it was that had her so excited. They were meeting at the mansion, later.

Seeing Carly she ducked into an empty office, the woman had been calling all day, no doubt with another plan to try and fix her relationship with Jason. She didn't seem to get that it wasn't going to work this time. Elizabeth wasn't Courtney or Sam, she was not going to just suddenly accept Carly if Carly was nice to her.

Epiphany wondered why Jason was asking so many questions about her past working at Roselawn. It had been her first nursing assignment and she had quickly applied for another job. She had recalled the patient he had been interested in, Heather Webber had been trying to dose another person with PCP and had taken it herself instead.

She had been a problem patient while there. Then the rumors she had heard when she joined General Hospital had filled all in all her questions about the less than sane blond.

Seeing Monica rushing towards her, she asked "Dr. Quartermaine is there something I can do for you?"

"Just need to locate some files, but with the transfer they seemed to have ended up in the wrong area. Epiphany, have you seen Patrick Drake today?"

"Robin and he are downstairs in the daycare with Emma." she assured the woman before going home.

Finding Patrick, Monica drew him off and asked her questions then swore him to secrecy as she explained what they thought. Seeing the slight smirk, she asked "What?"

"Oh, just imaging how some people are going to take that news."

Monica smiled back and said "I think that between Alexis and Sam, they would both have their panties in a twist. It would explain a few things that I recall from about eight years ago as well."

"Well, if you decide to do this publicly, please be sure to invite us. I wouldn't miss it for the world and I know that Robin would love it as well."

Sam gave up on finding out anything when she heard the waitress telling a customer that Mike had the day off. Sending Spinelli back to the boat, she went to slip onto Spoon Island to find out what her mother had learned.

Elizabeth got off the boat and crossed the courtyard with her guards, needing to see Nik. Seeing her friend entering with his son, she smiled at him and said "Emily would have loved to see the two of you coming back from riding like that."

Turning around, Nik smiled at Elizabeth and seeing the guards with her was relieved that Jason was at least protecting her now. "We are just about to have tea."

"Make it some juice and I am in." she said while walking and listening as Spencer told her all about his horse ride. When the youngster had finished his tea and ran off, Nik asked what was up?

Sam gritted her teeth when she saw that Elizabeth was having an afternoon snack with Nik. The two of them looked cozy she thought. Seeing her mother standing outside the door listening in as well, she wondered what was causing the strange look on Alexis' face

"You do know about Luke right?" Elizabeth asked soberly. Seeing his nod and then his explanation that he had also heard about Steven's possible brother she took a deep breath and said "Do you blame me for Lucky's death?"

"No, god Elizabeth, you are no more responsible for this mad man than I am for Helena. Deep down even Alexis knows that, she is just acting out because of Sam and her fear about losing her. Sam plays her rather well. I have seen it myself."

"AT one time, I looked up to Alexis. Thought she was wonderful attorney who saw through the bull crap, now I wonder. She has become the biggest hypocrite. I mean Sam came to me and said my losing Jake was like her daughter dying and was gloating about his being dead. And that is only one of the things she has done, and Alexis knows about these things. Yet she acts like Sam has some sort of moral high ground."

Sam smirked, thinking well of course she did. Elizabeth and slept with her boyfriend and gotten pregnant, yet seemed to think she deserved a free pass for it.

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone?" asked Nik but understanding the more he thought about it.

"I felt sorry for her, I mean, she lost Jason."

"Elizabeth, while I think Jason did love her at one point, I am almost certain it was like you felt about Ric or Lucky. I spent last night thinking of some things about the past and what had happened between all of us. All of our mistakes Emily's, Lucky's, yours, and mine. You know what I came up with?"

Seeing her confusion, Nik said sadly. "You tend to be a people pleaser and we made you feel like you had to please us to keep our friendship. Some friendship, huh. We forced you to a certain extent to take Lucky back, made you feel bad about feelings for Jason, yet look at us. I SLEPT with Courtney while Emily was dealing with being raped while trying to save me from my grandmother."

"Courtney, the woman who lied to so many and moved from man to man. The woman who used being addicted to drugs as an excuse to hit you with a car. Emily got involved with Sonny yet protested your involvement with her own brother until a few months before her death. She was doing so because she believed that without Lucky and you, there would be no me and her. I won't even go into Lucky's mistakes, they are too plentiful.

"Nik, don't do this." she said reaching out to take his hand.

"Elizabeth, I am trying to say I am sorry. And that I finally figured out that we all were responsible for screwing up Jason and your lives. The two of you would have been together years ago, without all of our baggage."

"You don't know that, Nik."

"Yes, I do. Why do you think I have hated Morgan so long. Some part of me has always known that he walked away from you because he loved you. Truly deeply loved you, I on the other hand, get a crush and have to have you bail me out when Helena tries to kill me and you. You, Elizabeth Webber are the strongest woman, I know. You always have been."

"Nik." she said with tears glistening in her eyes. "I am not strong, I mean, I ..."

"Elizabeth you stood up to a woman who kills without hesitation, you drank poison for me, how can you not realize that being brave has nothing to do with rushing into the fray without thought. Liz, it's about knowing the danger and yet going in anyway to protect those you love. That is you, to a tee. Don't EVER let anyone convince you otherwise."

Wondering at the tone, she asked about why it was coming up now.

"Emily, I keep seeing her in my dreams, not like before. Just there, telling me to find out who Nik is, to be a father to Spencer. To stop chasing her, that she is dead. Poor Rebecca Shaw. I was practically stalking her. I have come to accept the hard facts, Emily is dead, Lucky is dead. You are all I have left. The woman we have all used in our own way over the years, the one person who has always been there. We both have to move forward, you with finally accepting that Jason would do ANY for you..."

"And you Nik?" she asked concerned for her friend.

"I have to let go of my dreams, find new ones. Hopefully help Alexis with the girls and move on without Emily. In any form."

Sam split, some part of that bothered her, not the Jason part, she knew that Nik was seeing things the way he wanted to see them. But what Nik had said about helping Alexis. She was well aware that he didn't give her an inch and she did not want him in her mothers life.

Alexis was led by her emotions and Sam had no intention of losing the bolt hole her mother provided. Lainey Winters was the best person qualified to help the girls, not that they would need much help, for god's sake, it wasn't like either Ric or Sonny were very good fathers. Maybe she could ask Jason to help, to be there for Kristina in Sonny's stead like he would be for Michael.

Alexis listened to the two old friends talking and then went to her suite of rooms. Sam had claimed to have told her all but never mentioned that visit to Elizabeth, no wonder the young woman hated her daughter. Thinking on Nik's remarks, she thought back to before Kristina's death and how close Jason and Liz seemed.

Walking down stairs, she saw Elizabeth leaving and Nik taking out an old photo album. Hearing his sigh, she came into the room and asked. "How are you doing?"

Without turning, he said "I have been better. Alexis you need to let go of this vendetta on behalf of Sam."

Thinking on what she had heard, Alexis knew that the best thing she could do for her daughter was help her move on. The DA knew it was time her daughter learned about the past, from someone on her side. Someone who could make her face that fact that Jason wasn't coming back ever.

Sam was just arriving at where she had stashed one of the warehouses boats when she saw the call from her mother. Answering she pretended like she had just arrived.

"I will be right up. Maybe we can have some tea in the garden?"

"How about just a talk instead." said Alexis. Sam knew that her mother must be upset at what Elizabeth had said about her and wanted to vent. She was all for doing that, it was what kept Maxie on her side of things. Girly bitch sessions.

Elizabeth walked into the house and saw that Jason looked grim. "What is it?"

"Monica and Bobbie need to see me tonight, but they say you can't be there."

Feeling hurt, Elizabeth said "You should probably meet with them, maybe they are worried about how I will take whatever it is that they want to say."

"I was hoping to spend some time alone with you." he admitted while walking over to pull her into his arms. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Yes, we do." she said thinking about all that she had learned about herself in the last few days. "But for now, let's deal with getting this killer off the streets. I will stay with the guards and maybe sit outside on the porch and drink sweet tea with Robin while we watch our gay neighbors again."

Seeing his look, Elizabeth explained about the two men living across the street and the speculation that was rampant in the neighborhood about them. "Maybe they are just roommates." he said trying not to smile.

"No, trust me, we have never seen a woman over there. They don't seem to pay any attention to the red head down the street who jogs by without a bra and in tight workout clothes. So they are either not into women, or blind. Trust me every other male in the area watches waiting to see when she is going to fall out of those clothes."

Jason found himself steeping into when he replied. "They better know better than to be distrac..."

Elizabeth looked up with narrowed eyes and said "Do you know something that I might need to know about my neighbors."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jason felt himself flushing as Elizabeth came closer. "I have got to." he said and left so quickly he never saw Elizabeth smile or her shaking her head.

Hitting speed dial two, she asked "Are you doing anything?"

Hearing an answer that pleased her, Elizabeth said "Get over here, I have something to tell you."

Robin entered the cottage less than two minutes later with Emma and said "What is going on?"

"No, this requires lots of tea and my porch swing." She said with a wiggling of her eyebrows. Once they were settled with Emma in Jake's old bouncer, Elizabeth said "They aren't gay."

"NO?" asked Robin. "Wait did he hit on you? I told you so, I told you he liked you."

"Robin, he didn't hit on me, Jason would probably have him working warehouse duty if he did."

Feeling a bit disappointed, Robin said "They work for Jason?"

"Who works for Jason?" asked Nadine as she walked up the sidewalk with Rebecca.

"The two not so gay hotties across the street, turns out they are there to protect Elizabeth." said a flat toned Robin. "It's kind of a let down."

"So, I mean the speculation was fun, but time to find something else to wonder about." said Nadine. "Like what the heck got into Carly Jacks and why did she have a confrontation with Epiphany Johnson."

"It's Carly so who know." said Robin. Rebecca just asked for the back story and got it in spades.

"So let me get this straight, she came to town to ruin her mother's life. Slept with her stepfather, and AJ. Lied all around to everyone about everything, yet has the nerve to act all high and mighty. I knew she was trailer trash made good."

The foursome laughed at the comments, but Elizabeth said speculatively. "You all know about the lawsuit, right?"

After a chorus of agreements, she said "She had the nerve to try and get me to marry Jason so that he would get what he wanted. Get this, she told Jason that she would do anything to make me get back together with him."

"But you are marrying him, I mean that is the scuttlebutt around the hospital." said Nadine.

"Yes, but it HAS NOTHING, I MEAN NOTHING to do with her." she said laughing.

"She is up to something, I saw her when I talked to Nik today." said Nadine as the others looked at the blond. "Yes, we talked. Cleared the air so to speak. Anyhow, she has some sort of event planned for the big ballroom this weekend, you should have seen her with all sorts of tradesmen."

"What is she up to, I mean I am glad she is occupied, maybe she will keep her nose out of Jason and my business."

"This is Carly, she can multitask. Run Jason's life, plan a gaudy over the top party, and still find the time to chase after whatever man is in her life at the same time and you know she is also out there plotting to make someone's life miserable at the same time. It is the one thing I envy her for, her ability to do all that without breaking a sweat." replied Robin from her seat next to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked at Robin in horror, "Great, so I can expect a Carly plan any day now."

"Hey please pass the iced tea." said Nadine as she reached over for a glass. The hottie running down the street wearing the sweaty clothes was enough to heat her up. "Yum."

Rebecca turned and drooled as well. They were all so busy watching Aidan running that they never saw the other women arriving. "So are we invited to this ... damn." said Kelly Lee pirouetting to watch Aidan.

"Ladies, would you all like drool bibs? Shame on your Robin, that is your cousin." said an entering Anna. "Now will someone fill me in on what is going on?"

Elizabeth only heard the word drool bib and handed Emma's to Robin. "Here."

Anna saw the water hose and picking up her granddaughter, turned it to it's lowest setting of mist and sprayed them.

"Hey, stop that." said Elizabeth as she came to after mentally comparing Aidan's pecs to Jason. The Brit came up second, in her mind.

"I guess that means you are not back with Morgan yet?"

"He is too young, plus Carly for a mother-in-law!" said Rebecca as the others smirked.

"You know who I mean." she said before turning to Emma and saying "Lets leave them and go and find intelligent conversation."

"Then don't go to my house, Patrick and Matt are watching Sunday's road race from Monte Carlo."

Anna sat down and asked Elizabeth if she was dealing better with things.

"Yes, as to your earlier question. Jason and I are doing better. It does have it's moments, though. We have a stalker in Sam, a serial killer and then there is Carly."

"Mrs. Jacks, you can leave to me." she said with a slight smile. Jackson Montgomery had been doing research for the case against the blond, she had enjoyed his insight on her as well as Diane's.

Jason looked at Monica and said "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I never would have pieced it together without Bobbie's help though."

"Bobbie, how did you know?"

"A few things stuck out over the years. First was Sam doesn't look like Alexis, nor does she remind me of any of the Cassadines. That could have been because of her father's genes but there should have been some resemblance to Alexis. But a few years ago, back when Alexis was working for Sonny, one of your guards, the Irish one, made a remark after watching Elizabeth and Alexis at the diner of how much they are alike."

"Same delicate skin tone, same overall bone structure." said Jason when thinking on it.

"Yes, but then do you recall that I was once married to Stefan?" seeing his nod, she continued. "Stefan once remarked that Elizabeth reminded him of one of his ancestors, that there was a resemblance. When Sonny was shot, years ago, Elizabeth donated blood to help him. The close match caused the hospital to run a DNA test. Then the results of Elizabeth's disappeared."

"What do you mean disappeared?"

"Just that, there one day gone the next. Stefan saw them and then they were gone. But I know that he had a DNA Test run about the same time. Said it was about Nik, but he never had Nik's done."

"You think that he knew? But why not tell Nik or Alexis?"

"Honestly, my guess is to protect her from the Cassadine feud. I checked, Sam's blood matches Nik's but no DNA tests were run."

"Then how do you know that they both aren't-"

"We found the tests for Kristina's and the one for Sam's kid. As well as the DNA test on Spencer. Compared them. Kristina's and the baby's matched on Sonny's side, but not on the Cassadine side. So Sam isn't her daughter. I am having them try and locate Elizabeth's DNA test that she mentioned during your trial but they think they lost it during the fire."

"Uh, no, they didn't. I had Spinelli erase it to protect Jake." he admitted. "What about Cameron's?"

"It's impossible to access after Ric tried to alter it years ago. Your fat-Alan had the records put on a file and hid them to keep him from trying anything like that again."

"Okay, so what now?"

"You have to tell, we can't because of our promise to Steven."

"Then how are you telling me?"

"We only promised to never tell Elizabeth, nothing was said about you. Besides, I want to kick Jeff Webber's rear. He helped create this mess." said Bobbie.

Epiphany supervised the running of the tests and called Monica. "You are right they are a match."

Hanging up the phone, she called Alexis and asked the woman to come over that it was hospital legal business. "We had a screw up in a lab. A DNA test that should have been run a few years ago, was screwed up."

Hanging up the phone Monica looked at Bobbie and Jason and said with an evil look, "So who wants to tell the DA that she has been protecting the woman who has been endangering her daughter and her grandchildren. One more thing, we now know who Elizabeth's father is and let me just tell you, it's a dozy."

Sam was trying to argue with Alexis when the phone rang. So much for this being a bonding moment about how much they both disliked Elizabeth Webber.

"Sam, I have known Elizabeth for years. Something that in my blind willingness to protect you, I had forgotten. Face facts, you are not the innocent here. Yes Jason and Elizabeth slept together for the first time that night, but frankly that was something that had been coming for years."

"He only used her, but she just had to get..."

"Sam." Alexis said with pity in her eyes, "No, he didn't. I was his attorney for years, I know Jason. I knew for years about how he felt about Elizabeth. If she had just been a body, he would have gone to Jake's and picked up a bar bunny."

"I know him better than you ever will." she raged at her mother.

"In a way, you do, but Sam you see things your way. There are things even now you don't know. Things about their past. Jason wasn't staying away from Elizabeth for you, he wasn't choosing you over her. He was doing what he thought was right, for Elizabeth, for his son, for Cam."

"He still loves me, why else would he help me so much."

"Because he is Jason, that is what he does, Sam. You need to accept this, it is time to move on. Maybe you should consider moving, finding someplace else to live."

"I am staying right here, so that when he realizes the mistake he is making or she runs again, I will be there. I will be there for the moment my Jason returns."

Alexis felt sad, but knew that she had to do it. "Sam, the Jason you claim belongs to you, is the result of losing her. Now that they are back, he..."

"I had him, he was mine long before they got together, he will be mine again."

"Sam, Jason fell in love with a seventeen year old girl, in 1999, you weren't here. He came back to help her and Emily a year later, and again in 2001. That is who Jason is, not the man you know. He was created out of pain and loneliness. He was a creation of several things that went wrong the summer that Sonny faked his death."

"You don't know what you are talking about."

"Sam, did Jason ever tell you that he asked Elizabeth to run away to Italy with him, or that she was the first woman to live in the penthouse? Did he ever tell you that he walked away to protect her, long before he did it to you."

Alexis and Sam turned to see Carly standing there along with a stunned Jax as Carly continued. "Sam, Jason will not be returning to you. You are just another version of me. Jason took me in when I was pregnant with Mikey."

"So, did he ask you to marry him?"

"No, because by the time he would have, I had married AJ in my grand scheme to keep the Quartermaines away from my son. The thing is he started to hang around Elizabeth that summer, I saw it, it was what lead me to sleeping with Sonny. The simple truth is, that you don't stand a chance anymore than I did. Jason is doing to you, what he did to me. Out of guilt, he tried to make you a friend after ending things. Unlike me, though, you refuse to see he no longer wants you for a lover."

"Oh, please. If Jason asked, you would be naked in his bed in a heartbeat." she sneered.

Carly gave a half smile then said "I know a lot of people think that, but the truth is, that no, I don't want Jason that way. Haven't for years. Sam, I am overprotective of Jason, for one reason only. I know the damage I did to him. Robin and I took the time that Jason should have been learning to live and what constitutes a normal relationship and made it about us."

"And we were wrong. We gave him a bad blueprint, making him think that giving us all we wanted, was the way to making us happy. Elizabeth and his relationship, has always scared me, for one reason only. I believed that she looked down on him, like Robin did. When in fact, she might be the only woman in his life who has seen him clearly."

"Of please, Carly, dream on."

"Sam, she is telling the truth." said Nik who had come out to find out what was going on. "You weren't here, you came here after Jason had his heart broken because of Sonny's lies and obsessive need to control things."

Carly swallowed the lump in her throat and said "He is right, Sonny was worried about Elizabeth, like I was. We knew that she would be first in his life, the moment, Jason lets himself go and truly follows his heart, I knew that Elizabeth was the one, I just worried she was not going to follow hers."

"She will never truly love him. She will always treat him like he is never good enough. Elizabeth uses Jake to keep him in line."

"No Sam, that would be you. I don't know how many times, you have thrown Sonny and your dead baby or your inability to have kids in his face, but Sam you knew going in what his life was like, you made that choice to live with him. I know that you egged on Manny, lied to Jason about his following you. You act like this big tough street wise woman, but Jason has always had to rescue you. The ability to kill someone doesn't make you the best woman for him."

"And saint Elizabeth would be a better match?" she said mocking Carly.

"Yes, she will be. I won't go into the reasons, because in the end you won't believe them, you are so convinced that you are the perfect girl for him. The truth is, you would and have betrayed his trust repeatedly. Look at how you told me the truth about Jake, you wanted me to attack Elizabeth, divide and conquer, right."

Sam said "Well you did, didn't you?"

"Yes, and I will always regret that. I know that Jason is going to find out how bad it was, Elizabeth's attorney mentioned it during the disposition I had to give today. I can only hope that I can make things right. But if I can't, I can walk away knowing Jason is happy. Can you say the same."

"He won't be, he never will be. Not with her."

Alexis said sadly as her cell phone rang. "And that is why you don't truly love Jason. You just want to possess or maybe win him is the right term."

Answering her phone, she grimaced and explained what Monica said to her. "I have to head over to the hospital to meet her. Sam, I assume you are heading back to the docks, you can give me a ride. Carly are you here to see Nik or me?"

"Nik." she said. When the two women had left, Jax sat down on the railing and said "This is not a good idea, Carly. Nik try to talk her out of what she is doing?"

"If you don't agree with her choice, why are you here?" he asked.

"Someone has to be sane when this disaster implodes." he said looking at his wife with exasperation.

Sam dropped Alexis off, then went to park. She wanted to see what she could find out about Jason. She had seen his SUV in the parking lot. Seeing him talking to Cody, she listened as he said "Milo is on a plane to Sicily. What are we going to do with this knowledge."

"I don't know. I still can't figure out why Sonny shot Max. It makes no sense."

"Sonny was determined to find out what his blackmailer had, he knew it was someone close. The only people cleared had been you. Carly's name was still on the list, for heaven's sake."

"So he might have been paranoid finding Max in the penthouse. I still can't wrap my mind around Luke Spencer making a play for our business though. He walked away from it years ago, why now?"

"Pride?" asked Cody. "We all know that Luke is thought of as a has been. In more ways than one."

"We may never find out. But I still want to know about the false paperwork and where it came from and who helped him. Frank Smith had a daughter, find her and ask her."

Sam split when she saw that Jason was heading the other way and she didn't want Cody to catch her, the former Marine had made it real clear he didn't trust her. Seeing the room where her mother was supposed to be, she took the stairs, knowing that Monica would call the police on her in heartbeat.

Monica and Bobbie waited until Alexis sat down next to Diane and said "Alexis, Sam isn't your daughter. Elizabeth Webber is."

TBC