A/N – Thanks for the comments! I'm nervous to post this chapter. You'll find out why soon. I hope I did it justice. * chicki62 – Carly just doesn't want to tell him about Franco. * Leki luuucky – He will delve! Thanks! * Guest – So agree. He loved them both. I would have to say that Lucky bothered me more too.

Chapter 9 - Processing

The Genoa City contingent left except for Nikki. She wanted to spend more time with Jake and Jason. Jake was starting to remember more and more and Jason was too, the difference was that Jason was not handling it as well and it worried her.

She knocked on Elizabeth's door. Jake and Elizabeth had invited her over for dinner and she was happy to come meet Cameron.

He opened the door. "Hello."

Nikki smiled. "Hello, I'm Nikki."

Cameron shook hands with her. "I'm Cameron."

"It's nice to meet you."

"You can have a seat if you want. Mom and Jake are in the kitchen."

Nikki thanked him and sat in a chair. Jake came into the room and smiled. "Hello."

"Hi. Whatever you are cooking smells really good."

"It's lasagna. We made a ton so I hope you are hungry."

She smiled. "How are things going?"

"Good. I'm remembering more and I need to confess something to you."

"What?"

He sat down across from her. "I went online and read some of the articles on the court trial with Ian Ward."
"Oh God," Nikki said averting her eyes. "I was hoping I could explain before you saw all of that."

"I'm not judging you. He was an asshole."

"The diary—you must think I didn't want you."

"You were young and scared. He took advantage of you and I'm sorry that you had to experience that."

Nikki sighed. "I was young. The nuns took you and gave you up for adoption and honestly, after my experience with Ian, I tried to forget everything that happened. I was shocked to find out about you after all these years and just hoped that you were loved and taken care of better than I would have handled it at the time and you were."

He nodded. "I remember them."

"I am sorry that you lost your parents, but I'm here now and Paul wants to be your father. We want to be parents to you if you'll let us."

"I know and I do want that. Having some family makes me feel a lot better. I just need some time to wrap my head around everything."

"Of course you do. I understand completely." It was weird being back to square one but she already cared for Jake and couldn't wait to get to know him more.

Liz came out to say hello and Nikki gave her a hug. Jake went to check on Cameron.

"How are things going?" Nikki asked.

"Good. It's been quiet which is nice."

Nikki was kind of conflicted as far as loyalty was concerned. Liz was stuck in the middle of triangle and she was a little worried about her too. "Elizabeth, whatever you say to me won't leave this room."

Liz sighed. "This is just hard for me. I have feelings for both of them. I don't know what to do."

Nikki sighed. "I can't tell you who to choose. In fact, either way, someone will get hurt. I think I'm biased because Jason has been trampled on since he came into my life. He had been through the death of who he thought was his father. He was tricked by Chelsea and she broke his heart. And then there was Avery which was more recent. He shut down after that. Not to mention that Ian Ward put him through hell and Joe Clark did a lot of damage too. He hasn't been able to catch a break. So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'd like him to win for once but at the same time, I think I already love Jake. He has such a great personality. I want him to be happy too. He's suffered as well."

Liz threw up her hands. "See, I think you do get it."

"Trust me, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. Don't do anything hasty. I know you want to get it right this time. They both seem agreeable about letting you find your own way, so take the time you've been given."

"Thanks for listening to me."

"Elizabeth, either way, I will be in your life because I will be keeping in touch with Jason and if you chose Jake, he's my son. I'm having breakfast with Monica tomorrow morning by the way."

Liz made a face and Nikki laughed. "What?"

"She gave me a really hard time after Jake died and she found out about him. She hated me, although she did perk up when I got involved with Jason's half-brother AJ. She apologized for her behavior. I think she was just happy I was giving him the time of day. Maybe I'm still a little bitter that she chose to attack me and be so nasty when she knew I was having a breakdown."

"I get it."

"Anyway, I don't want to influence you. Jason and Monica have had a rough road but they were cordial before he left."

"I just want to let her know what is going on so she'd have the opportunity to be there for him."

"That's really nice of you Nikki. Jason is going to need the support."

"I agree."

They went back into the living room with the guys and then sat down to eat.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Elizabeth tossed and turned that night. She just couldn't sleep and was struggling with the decision she needed to make. After an hour, she finally fell asleep.

Her eyes fluttered open and Jake was shirtless and crawling towards her. "Jake?"

She jumped out of the bed in a panic and then realized she was naked. What the hell? She never slept in the nude because of Cameron. Jake was eyeing her like she was a steak dinner, and when he came towards her, she started to back up and tried to cover herself with her hands.

Jake licked his lips. "I can't wait any longer to be with you Elizabeth. I want you so badly. God you're beautiful. You make me so hard." He touched her cheek and then kissed her so torridly that Liz swore her toes curled. When he let her go, she touched her mouth and backed up into what felt like a brick wall. Turning around, she gasped when her eyes focused on some rock hard abs. Slowly her gaze lingered as her eyes feasted on a shirtless Jason. He looked so gorgeous and his hair was long again and she wanted to wrap her fingers in it.

"I missed being with you Elizabeth. Your body was made for me. Can't you see what you do to me?" he asked taking her hand and guiding it to the bulge in his pants. Liz's mouth dropped open and Jason took advantage of it and his tongue dipped inside and he roughly plundered it until her knees started to buckle. Dear God what he could do with his tongue.

She felt Jake move behind her and gasped as his hands ran up her stomach and he pinched her nipples as Jason's hand slipped between her legs. She moaned into his mouth and Jake kissed her neck while Jason sunk two fingers into her, taking her breath away. She felt Jake's kisses on her cheek and then they were both kissing her at the same time causing her to gasp as her tongue swiped across both their lips. Jason dropped to his knees and Jake's finger slid over her clit as she moaned her approval. Jason started fucking her with his fingers as she leaned back against Jake. "Jason," she breathed out. Jake stroked her faster and Liz's head fell back against his chest. "Jake."

Jake turned her head so he could kiss her again. As his tongue slid against hers, she felt Jason's tongue brush against her clit and she wasn't sure how she was still standing.

Jason pulled back a little as he lifted her leg over his shoulder. "Pick me Elizabeth."

Jake sucked on her tongue and then pulled back and gazed into her eyes, "Pick me Elizabeth."

Jason's mouth clamped down on her throbbing clit and he began to hum and her world shattered as she quickly sat up in the bed. Her heart was pounding and her body reeled from the orgasm she had just had.

"Holy shit," she muttered before falling back against her pillows as her body twitched. There was no way she was going to get any sleep tonight.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

The next morning, Nikki met with Monica.

"Hi," Monica said smiling. At first, she felt a little awkward meeting with Nikki Newman. Jason was her son and even thought they had been estranged for a long time, she wasn't sure what Nikki's angle was.

"Hi. Thank you so much for meeting with me."

They ordered some coffee.

"So, I was surprised when I got your phone call."

"Well, I know how important Jason is to you and I wanted to reach out to you."

"I'll hear what you have to say."

Nikki could tell that Monica was a tough person. "I came to love Jason over the last year. I thought he was my son. When I found out he wasn't, it broke my heart."

"Well I'm happy that you found your real son. From what I can tell, he seems nice."

"He is but he's having an easier time of it right now then Jason is."

Monica frowned. "What's going on? I kind of feel embarrassed that I don't know, but Jason is good at shutting himself off."

"That he is. I think he's depressed. I've been staying with him but I'm leaving to go back in a few days. He's going to need some support."

Monica sighed. "I'm really not sure that he'll accept it from me."

"Maybe you can reach out to him. I'm really worried that he's going to go to a very dark place."

"He has so much to live for. I don't think he has spent any time with his son."

"He's very torn about that because of Sam."

"I get that, but Danny is innocent."

Nikki took a sip of her coffee. "I can understand that. Jason is just hurting badly and confused. He has a lot of regret where Jake is concerned."

"I will stop by there today and hopefully, he will see me."

Nikki smiled. "Good. If he tries to push you away, push back a little."

"That hasn't worked so well in the past."

"Well don't shove, just stand your ground and let him know how much you love him. I think he needs to hear that because I think he believes he's not worth it."

Tears started to flood Monica's eyes. She never wanted Jason to feel that way. "I'll make sure that he knows."

"Good."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Later that day, Monica knocked on Jason's door. When he didn't answer, she asked the guard to let her in. Normally, he wouldn't do it, but he had noticed that Jason seemed really down.

"Jason?"

Jason put the beer bottle down beside him. "What do you want?"

Monica pushed further into the room. "To talk."

"I really don't think I'm good company right now."

"Do you remember me Jason?"

"Yes."

"Then you know that I'm not going to take no for an answer."

Jason almost smirked. "Sit down."

He got up wearily and sat across from her. She could tell he had been drinking heavily. If the bottles weren't any indication, the smell of the room would have given him away.

"You want to talk about it?"

He shook his head.

"I'm worried about you. You've been through so much. You know that I love you right?"

"Yes."

"But you don't understand why?"

"No."

"You are my son Jason. I have always loved you. I may not always like your choices, but I could never hate you."

"When Emily died…"

"I was grieving and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have. I know how much you loved her and that you would never have allowed her to get hurt if you could have prevented it. You can mourn your past Jason, that's one thing, but sitting in it and letting the anger and bitterness eat you alive is fruitless. It won't bring anyone back. It won't change a damn thing. Now, you are going to go upstairs right now and take a shower. You smell like a brewery. When you come back downstairs, we'll eat dinner together. I will not take no for an answer."

"Fine."

He got up and practically stomped up the stairs and got into the shower. He had to admit that the hot water felt really good. When he was finished, he shaved and brushed his teeth and went back downstairs. Monica had cleaned up and there was a knock on the door. He answered it and was surprised to see Alice.

"Hello Jason. Cook made your favorites."

Jason stepped back so she could walk by.

Alice put the food down on the smaller table in the kitchen and dished it out. Monica had been upstairs freshening up and she came down and saw Jason looking out the window.

"Alice is here."

"Good."

Alice finished up and then left them alone.

"Come on. Let's get some food in your stomach."

Jason went into the kitchen with her. He had to admit. The food was good and he was hungry.

"I still remember when you rode that motorcycle into the mansion."

Jason looked up at her and smirked.

"You were such a rebel. In a way, I admired you for fighting for what you wanted even if I had to let you go. I want to run something by you."

He wiped his mouth. "What?"

"I know you haven't seen much of Danny because of Sam. I was wondering if you'd consider letting her drop him off at the mansion. You could come over and spend some time with him alone without ever having to see her."

"You would do that?"

"I would practically do anything for you Jason. I really need you to know that you can depend on me."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Why did you hide AJ away?"

Monica blew out a breath and sat back. "He's my son. He really lost his way and I felt partially responsible. I thought that maybe if he got away and separated himself from all the hate and disappointment that maybe he would get himself together and have a good life. I would have done the same for you. It wasn't about letting him get away with anything. He was just so lost."

Jason understood to a degree. It was hard to feel any sympathy when AJ repeatedly had tried to kill him and shot Alan in the back, not to mention the kidnapping. "Why did you encourage Elizabeth to give him a chance?"

Monica tried not to smirk. Now they were getting down to the bottom of it. "She's the only one that didn't treat him like dirt on their shoe."

"That is because everyone treated her like that. She felt bad for him. Do you really think that she deserved AJ?"

"He was trying. You weren't here. He was going to work and trying to be a better person for Michael."

Jason sighed. "But you knew that Elizabeth meant a lot to me."

"We thought you were dead Jason. I just wanted AJ to be loved and feel like he was worth it."

"So hurting Elizabeth didn't matter."

"I didn't say that. Do you really think I would have stood by if I thought that he would harm her in any way?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. You have a soft spot for both of us."

Monica decided to ignore the slight. "I know you have big problems with AJ stemming from Michael, but how many chances have you given Carly when she screwed up over and over and made messes of other people's lives."

"That's different."

"No, it's not. She lashed out continuously and you were always there for her. AJ had no one. I'm not going to apologize for loving my son. It's what a parent is supposed to do. I in no way condone his bad behavior or yours for that matter. But I will fight for you if you let me. I will have your back."

"Okay. I'll let AJ slide."

Monica made a face and Jason actually smiled. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing, I mean believe it or not it's nice to just sit down with you and be honest and not have to worry about you giving up on me. I don't want you too," Jason said.

"Good, because I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."

"Thank you Monica. I mean mom."

Monica smiled. "You're welcome Jason. I mean son."

Jason chuckled. "Thank you for coming over."

"Anytime."